DC Rain II
Double or Nothing

Aries

Part 2

Back to Part 1

Chicken salad.

On honey wheat bread.

Woo hoo.

Wonder what Mulder's having for lunch right now.

Scully sat slumped at her desk, her mind beginning to create the most unwelcome images.

Alex Krycek. That despicable, low life, gorgeous bastard. Sprawled over the sofa she'd sat on so many times...skin tight jeans pushed down past his hips, and Mulder, her delusional, love sick partner on his knees, sucking voraciously at the other man's cock.

She could hear his soft groans build to a ferocious roar as he exploded. She could see his body...the body she remembered so vividly from those few brief jarring moments in the cabin, spasming as he came...his eyes, those mesmerizing emerald eyes, glazed over with lust then hidden by the sinfully thick fringe of lashes as he hit his peak then came down.

And Mulder.

Immersed in bliss, tremendously self satisfied with his accomplishment. Head rested high on Krycek's thigh, eyes closed, a little smile curving his lips...

"Son of a bitch," she whispered through gritted teeth, slamming the remnants of her sandwich down on the desk.

She hated the thought of them together. And she hated her reasons for hating it.

Well, not all of them.

She did love Mulder. He was her best friend. For years they were closer than she and either of her brothers, and they'd trusted each other implicitly.

And now one man had taken their relationship and trashed it.

He'd hypnotized Mulder; twisted him so completely that he'd forgotten who he was and worse, forgotten that she was his best friend...someone who would always be on his side...who would do anything she had to, to make sure no one ever hurt him...

Who would never hurt him, herself.

Christ.

Yet she couldn't stop herself from thinking about doing the one thing that she knew would kill him. She couldn't stop the fantasizing, the wishing, the hoping.

She couldn't halt the ever-growing envy of her partner, and the antagonism she felt toward his lover...the object of her dangerously consuming lust.

"What the hell am I going to do?" she asked the walls.

What do you want to do?

"Can't."

Yeah, you can.

"He hates me."

And your point would be? You hate him. Doesn't stop you from wanting to fuck him blind, does it?

"God, no."

Then for Christ's sake, go get him. Where there's a will there's a way. Mulder need never know...

She sat repeatedly picking bits of crust from her sandwich, eyes tightly closed.

"He need never know..."

Green eyes watched longingly as the coffee cup rose to Fox's lips and was lowered back to the table. The older man gave his lunch partner an amused grin then spoke.

"What's with the look?"

"Look?"

"Yeah." Fox leaned in close, drawing Alex into the heat of his gaze. "Look."

Alex matched his smoky tone.

"What look is that?"

The other man paused a moment, drawing breath then releasing it on a soft moan.

"Predatory."

"Oh. Well...I guess I just like the way you drink coffee."

One golden-brown eyebrow arched upward.

"How's it any different from the way anyone else drinks their coffee?"

Alex shrugged. "It just is. It's so...sensuous."

Fox emitted a soft laugh. "You sound like a man who didn't get any this morning."

"I think I'd sound like this if I had gotten some half an hour ago. You do that to me."

"Can't say I'm sorry."

Before he had a chance to respond, lunch arrived, and Fox dug into his plate while Alex investigated his own lunch.

"Looks good."

"I've had that before. It is."

Silence descended for a while, then Alex initiated another conversation.

"So, what do you think it ran you for those five weeks?"

"...Thirty-five thousand."

"Okay."

"Alex, I was kidding. Jesus, you didn't even bat an eyelash."

"If that's what it was, that's what it was. I sure as hell wouldn't ask you to account for every penny."

"And so you'd let me bleed you dry?"

"I wouldn't be dry. Fox, I..."

Just say it.

"I didn't come cheap. Not by a long shot. I'd make thousands a night sometimes. I fooled around a little with some high yield stocks, and I did pretty well. Aside from rent, food and utilities, I had no bills." Alex shrugged, watching for a reaction. "I've got almost a half million."

"Oh."

Alex immediately dropped his gaze, wishing he had just shut the help up about it.

"So, in that case..."

The younger man warily lifted his eyes and waited.

"Can I have dessert?"

Relief washed over Alex's face, and he laughed softly.

"You can have anything you want."

"Gee, thanks," Fox answered, grinning.

"So, what'll you have?"

The grin faded, and the heat returned to the gilded eyes.

"I'll have you."

Alex's cock twitched.

"Will you?"

"Yeah."

"You think all these people would appreciate that?"

Fox's deep chuckle sent a thread of electricity crackling through Alex's middle.

"While I'd love nothing more than to throw you up on this table, I'll restrain myself until we get home. And then, Krycek..." Fox came to a dead stop, and his eyebrows turned down into a concerned frown as he watched Alex's expression go cloudy, and his breathing turn erratic.

"What is it? ...Alex, what's the matter? Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Alex sighed heavily. "It's just..." He cast a sad smile at the older man.

"Until we get home. You say it so easily. Like it's always been that way." He lowered his gaze to his plate. "It's been your home for so many years, and that...that you would so readily accept me into it... It...it's just kind of...it sort of stops me cold, you know? It takes my breath away."

Slowly, Fox's hand inched across the table, stopping when it came in contact with Alex's. His fingertips caressed the younger man's knuckles then the back of his hand, and he looked directly into his lover's eyes. "And makes you unhappy?"

"No. No, it...it's just..." He licked at suddenly too-dry lips and fell silent.

Fox rose from his chair and picked it up, placing it diagonally to Alex's, then sat back down. Now seated mere inches apart, he placed his hand on the table, palm side up, and looked to his lover.

Alex hesitated for a few long seconds then slid his hand into Fox's, his skin tingling at the smooth warmth. The other man closed his fingers, forming a secure grip as Alex looked around the restaurant.

"People are going to start looking..."

"Let them," was the older man's only reply as he picked up his fork with his free hand, and speared a red bliss potato. He held it up to Alex's lips, waiting until the younger man accepted his offering, then began to feed himself.

"Tell me about that clock of yours," he said sometime later when Alex seemed a bit more at ease.

"It was my grandmother's. I..." He looked up at Fox, eyes reflecting his uncertainty. "Do you mind that I put it up on your bookshelf? I can take it down if..."

"No, I don't mind. I told you to do whatever you wanted. I was just curious about it. I remember seeing it at both of your apartments."

"It's just about all I have left of my family."

"I figured it might be something like that."

Alex nodded. "I loved that clock. My mother used to tell me that when I was really, really little, I'd always want her to pick me up so I could watch the pendulum swing back and forth, and I'd get all excited when it chimed." He expelled a quick breath. "The things that entertain little kids...

"Anyway, when I was going off to the Academy, my mother gave it to me. A little piece of home, she'd called it." His gaze grew distant. "That, a few pictures, and my clothes are about all I've got that belong to me. Everything else was just temporary."

Fox lifted the hand he still held, to his lips.

"I belong to you," he informed the younger man softly then kissed the back of his hand.

Alex bit down on his lower lip to keep it from trembling and said nothing.

"Let's finish lunch," Fox whispered, that sultry tone back in his voice. "And then we'll go home, and I'll show you how much."

Not expecting any real response, Fox was caught by surprise when Alex threaded the fingers of one hand through his hair and pulled him in for a deep kiss. His half-erect cock went completely stiff, and when the younger man's tongue began to caress the inside of his mouth, it started to throb.

Reluctantly, he pulled away from his lover's mouth and looked into eyes glowing with a hunger that had nothing at all to do with food.

"We don't have to finish lunch," he whispered, brushing his lips against the others.

Alex shook his head and removed his hand from Fox's hair. He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket for his wallet while Fox summoned the waitress, and less than ten minutes later, they were on their way home.

Alex sat quietly in the passenger's seat while Fox drove. Unable to keep his hands still, he gently stroked his lover's hair, his chest and arm, his flexing thigh. He watched a serene smile appear on the older man's face, and his heart raced.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, his fingers massaging Fox's leg. "Where'd that come from?"

"Nowhere, it's just...I'm looking at you, thinking how beautiful you are."

"Love really is blind."

"My vision is twenty-twenty."

"Haven't we had this discussion before?"

"Yeah, and I was right then, too."

Fox glanced over to the other side, meeting a serious, dark gaze.

"Okay, if you say so."

Inching over in Fox's direction, Alex pressed a soft kiss into the side of his neck.

"I do."

Alex spent the rest of the ride kissing and stroking Fox as the older man moaned and whimpered and tried desperately to keep his attention focused on getting them home alive.

Once they reached Hegal Place, the pair walked hand in hand into the building, and Fox rang for the elevator. As he leaned back against the wall, Alex stepped in front of him.

Now eye to eye, Alex skimmed Fox's cheekbone with two knuckles.

"My beautiful Fox."

Mine. My Fox.

Christ, it felt so good to say that. And right now...right here, it was true.

Golden-brown eyelashes swept downward, and Fox closed his fingers in his lover's jacket, pulling him forward. Their bodies touched, Alex's weight pressing into him, and he lay his head against the leather-clad shoulder. As Alex wrapped his arms around the other man and dropped a soft kiss into his hair, the elevator door opened. At that exact moment, the outside door opened as well, and an all too familiar voice called out.

"Mulder..."

Fox lifted his head abruptly and glared at the woman, who was now quickly approaching them.

"What?"

"You don't need to sound so irritated, Mulder. I just came to see how you were doing. After Skinner suspended you, you blew out of the office without saying a whole lot."

"There was nothing else to say."

Scully glanced quickly at the man her partner refused to let go of, noting how he kept his gaze averted and his head down.

"It's got to be bugging you, Mulder." She looked back to Fox. "It's bugging me."

Fox wrapped his arms around Alex, pulling the younger man as tightly to him as he could.

"I'm sure it is."

"I'm upset for you, Mulder. I'd really hoped Skinner wouldn't be so tough on you."

"He wasn't as hard as he could've been, and you know it."

"Still..."

"Look. Scully. Forget about your disappointment, guilt, whatever you want to call it, and go back to work." He took Alex's hand and pressed the button to reopen the elevator door. "Now, take this any way you want, but I don't want to see or hear from you until I go back in three weeks."

Leaving his partner staring in silence, Fox stepped into the elevator, pulling Alex in after him.

As the door began to close, Alex looked up and caught the hateful glare Scully cast at him. Inching closer to the older man's warmth, he held her gaze until the door shut completely, then lowered his head. "Like a bad penny, isn't she?"

Alex lifted his head, giving Fox a quick glance then looked away.

"Try not to let her get to you," Fox murmured, pressing a kiss to the other man's jaw.

"She's just...she's a reminder, you know? The way she looks at me. She doesn't have to say anything. The accusation...the contempt is there all over her face."

"That's not what you see when you look at me," Fox countered softly. "And whose opinion of you means more?"

Alex slumped into his lover's arms, trying to close his mind to the thoughts Scully's appearance brought forth.

"Yours."

The door opened, and the two stepped out, walking down the fourth floor hall to apartment forty-two. Fox unlocked the door and stepped inside, quietly followed by Alex, who shut the door behind him. He trailed the older man into the living room and stopped when Fox turned around and leaned against the front of his desk.

"C'mere."

Alex obeyed the soft command, drifting forward as Fox removed his jacket. The other man spread his legs, pulling Alex between them, and his hands wandered up under the leather jacket. "Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?"

Alex's tongue flicked over his lower lip, and he dropped his gaze to the point where their chests met.

"Alex."

Sable lashes fluttered then dropped over Alex's eyes as Fox's breath whispered over his cheek, and the other man's tongue slithered over the smooth skin.

"Please..."

The soft, needy moan re-ignited the younger man's simmering desire. He shrugged out of his jacket, letting it drop to the floor, and then he clamped his arms around Fox, pulling his lover in for a hungry kiss.

Fox whimpered into Alex's mouth, clinging tightly to his shirt as the other man slowly regained his composure and took control.

Unwilling to release Fox's mouth, Alex began to remove his shirt, going as far as he could before he had no choice but to break the kiss. The shirt landed with a soft thud on the computer monitor, and they were kissing again as Alex's hands wandered the expanse of Fox's back.

At length they moved lower, rounding the top curve of Fox's backside, and then...

Shit. Desk.

Fox grunted softly, losing then quickly regaining contact with Alex's mouth as the younger man stepped backward and jerked him back into his arms. The hand that had again found its way to his ass, stroked and massaged the taut muscles, holding him still as Alex pressed against him.

Through two layers of denim Alex felt the heat between them. And the hardness.

Rock hard. Pulsing. Insisting on release.

One hand moved between them, brushing the bulge in Fox's jeans and in his own, then Alex undid the other man's top button and began working the zipper down. His fingers skimmed the cotton-covered erection briefly, then undid his own jeans.

Writhing against his lover, Fox reached into the back of Alex's jeans, slipping in past his underwear, and caressed his rear. Over and over his palms glided over the smooth skin until Alex broke from his lips and backed toward the bedroom, pulling him along.

As soon as they reached their destination, Alex pulled his own shirt off, and Fox was there, hands and mouth moving reverently over his bared flesh. He wanted to touch the older man...give back, but somewhere inside he knew that in just standing there, responding to Fox's loving attention, he was giving back.

A soft warmth touched one nipple, dancing over the very tip, leaving him shuddering, and when it slithered away, he fought the urge to pull Fox's head back and demand that he continue.

But Fox had no intention of moving on so quickly.

Moving a few inches to the left, he pulled the other nipple into his mouth, sucking lightly as his tongue lashed over the sensitive tip. And all at once Alex wished that he had moved on quickly.

The younger man's cock pounded against his underwear, begging to be buried to the root in his lover's slick heat. He ached to have that lush, sweet mouth on his, and his hands squeezing that tight ass, stroking that magnificent cock. He longed to hear Fox's voice, thick and crackling with desire, whimpering and sobbing for more as he fucked him into oblivion...

Panting, pleading, sweat-soaked Fox was a beautiful, beautiful thing. Too fucking gorgeous for words...too amazing for Alex to believe that he was his. But he was. He was, dammit, and he always would be.

He had to be. Fox had told him so. Swore it, and Alex would believe. Fuck Scully. Let her do her worst. Fox knew who he was, and he loved him anyway. Nothing would come between them. Not Scully. Not Skinner. Not his past. Nothing.

Cool air replaced the warmth of Fox's mouth, and Alex shook himself back to semi-consciousness. Dazedly, he watched the other man move away from him and over to the side of the bed. He heard the opening and closing of a drawer, then Fox came back, initiating one more teasing kiss before he removed the rest of Alex's clothing then tore open the small package in his hand.

Removing the condom from the foil packet, Fox placed it over the head of Alex's cock then broke the kiss and sank to his knees.

Alex's breath left him in a rush as, using only his mouth, Fox rolled the rubber on the rest of the way.

"Ohhh, my God..."

Blindly, he reached down, threading his fingers through Fox's hair and closing them in the golden brown strands. As gently as he could, he pulled, bringing the other man to his feet.

Sparkling, gilded eyes met stormy green, and Fox backed Alex to the bed. He eased the younger man down onto the mattress, positioning him against the pillows then stood beside the bed, pulling off the rest of his own clothes. The minute the last bit of clothing hit the floor, Alex reached out shackling Fox's wrist and pulled him forward. He brought his lover to a kneeling position, straddling his thighs, then leaned his head back against the pillows and looked up into passion-glazed eyes.

"Touch me, Fox, or I'm gonna go crazy."

Trembling fingers slid over Alex's shoulders and down his chest, brushing painfully tight nipples, and when the younger man released a soft, drawn-out gasp, Fox lightly pinched both, turning the gasp to a soft whine.

Forcing his eyes to stay open, Alex kept them trained on the older man's face, finding a mix of deep love and need reflecting in the beautiful, green-gold gaze. His own eyes mirrored the emotion as his hands rose to his lover's chest, stroking gently.

"I may go crazy anyway," he whispered roughly, letting his hands slide down over Fox's hips and thighs, and brush the length of his flushed cock, "if I don't feel myself deep inside your ass very soon."

Fox emitted a hard gasp and wiggled back against Alex's sheathed cock.

"You want that, don't you baby?" Alex cooed as he raised his hips. "You'd like a good, hard ride."

Unable to do much more than whimper, Fox nodded.

"Come on, then." He pushed again. "Come on, beautiful, don't make me wait."

Fox reached down beside Alex and picked up the tube he had put there when he'd taken the condom from the nightstand drawer. He unscrewed the cap and squeezed an adequate amount of gel onto his fingers then gingerly applied it to Alex's cock.

Wickedly thick, sable eyelashes fluttered in response then rose, and eyes black with lust seared Fox with their heat.

"Up."

Fox lifted himself far enough to allow Alex to grip his own cock at the base to hold it steady, and he sank back down. Fraction by fraction he opened up, surrendering himself to his lover's possession, and when Alex grasped his hips and forced him down, his teeth clamped together, and a harsh grunt escaped past them.

"No teasing," Alex hissed, clenching his fingers in the muscles of Fox's ass as he pulled the older man up then slammed him back down.

Fox's mouth fell open, and he cried out, permitting himself to feel every last bit of the pain-laced pleasure that his lover delivered. And in that same moment, with that same passionate reaction, he reminded Alex of the vow he had made to him at the restaurant.

Alex gritted his teeth and repeated the action, this time thrusting upward as he pulled Fox down, drawing another sob from the older man, and Fox simply submitted to it. No struggle, no protest.

His.

Fox Mulder, exclusive property of Alex Krycek. His, and his alone. Forever and ever, world without end...

A-fucking-men.

And so, what? You're going to abuse him just to validate that fact?

What abuse? Every bit of Fox wanted to be branded. That fact couldn't have been more clear. With every twitch, every obscene contortion, his body screamed that need.

Scream. Yeah, make him scream. It's what he wants.

"Come on, baby...my kracivaia suka..." Alex clutched at Fox's ass, spreading the smooth cheeks as he thrust upward again. Dual cries of pleasure blended, and in a matter of seconds, Fox was thrashing against him as he bucked violently into the older man.

"God...Je...sus...," Fox gasped, caught up in the fury of combined passion, and when Alex reached down between them and took his agonized cock in his hand and began to milk it at the same frenzied pace, his world exploded into a million shards of light.

"Show me," Alex growled, taking Fox closer and closer to total devastation. "Scream for me, baby. Just...just me."

A few more thrusts. A few more strokes, and Fox detonated, shaking the windows as he came. Alex followed seconds later, drowning out Fox's dying sobs, and then the older man collapsed into his arms, sheer exhaustion severely hampering his abilitly to speak or move.

Slowly, Alex raised a hand and wearily petted his lover's hair.

"You okay?" he whispered into Fox's ear.

"....Hmmm."

"Fox?" Alex lifted his head but could see nothing of the other man's face. Gently, he pulled out of his lover's relaxed body and discarded his condom. "Fox?"

With great effort, the golden-brown head lifted, and cloudy, green-gray eyes blinked down at the younger man. A soft, satisfied smile touched the flushed lips, and Fox again nestled into Alex's warmth.

"M'fine. Just cold."

Alex wrapped his arms around Fox, brushing tender kisses into his hair.

"Better?"

Fox shifted a bit then sighed deeply.

"Mmm hmm."

"I didn't hurt you?"

"Hurt? Mmmm, yeah... "

Alex tightened his arms around the older man.

"I'm sorry, Fox. I... "

"No," Fox moaned, kissing Alex's shoulder. "Don't be."

"But I... you just...you make me crazy, you know?"

"Don't expect me to apologize," Fox countered, speaking finally in full sentences. "I love it when you get crazy."

Alex released a short, breathy burst of laughter and hugged Fox tightly.

"I love you, vozliublennii."

"Who?"

Another flurry of kisses.

"Sweetheart."

"Oh." Alex could hear the smile in Fox's voice. "What was that other thing you said before?"

What other....ah, shit, shit.

The younger man inhaled deeply. "It uh...was just...it was nothing. One of those heat of the moment things."

"But it meant something. I mean, it wasn't just gibberish, right?"

"No..."

"So, what'd you say?"

"Fox, I don't...I was so turned on...people say all kinds of things when they're hot..."

The older man lifted his head and smiled down at his lover.

"All you're succeeding in doing is making me very curious. C'mon, what was it?"

Alex averted his gaze.

Fox kissed the faintly stubbled chin. "Is it that embarrassing?"

"It's just...the same has been said to me, and it made my skin crawl. I don't know why I said it. Just...like I said, the heat of the moment, I guess."

Fox brought Alex's attention back to his face.

"Tell me."

The soft, loving tone lulled Alex into believing it'd be all right.

"I call...called you my..."

The older man gave his lover a reassuring smile.

"Your what?"

".....Pretty...bitch."

Fox closed his eyes and said nothing.

"I love you, Fox," Alex began, regret seeping into his tone. "I don't know why I..."

"I know that," the other man whispered finally and opened his eyes. "Anything we do to each other...anything we say to each other...it's not the same as with those men. Don't think that it is."

"But I can't help thinking about them," Alex murmured. "I don't want to treat you like a..." He swallowed hard. ...The way they treated me."

"You couldn't do that. There's such a huge difference, Alex. We love each other. You don't have to apologize or feel bad." A devilish smile lit Fox's face. "I actually got a bit of a buzz."

Alex cocked his head in question.

Fox lowered his head, brushing the younger man's mouth with his own. "It turned me on."

Eyes filled with uncertainty stared up at him.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Fox croaked, dragging his tongue across Alex's lower lip. "I love your dominant side. Remember that night at the cabin?"

A tiny smile curved Alex's lips.

"Yeah."

"You were unbelievable that night, Alex. You were strong and confident and..." Fox grinned, nipping at the younger man's chin. "...wild. I saw my life flash before my eyes."

The smile faded and Alex looked away.

"Hey, where'd the smile go?" Fox asked, tapping the bridge of his lover's nose with a knuckle. "You got your very own luuuuv slave. How many people can claim that?"

No response.

"C'mon, babe." Fox kissed the younger man's unresponsive lips. "What's the matter?"

If he asked me what isn't the matter, it'd be a lot shorter list.

Don't you start. He's happy. Don't you dare fucking screw it up with your bullshit.

"Nothing. I...I just...I can't believe my luck."

Fox felt the tremble in Alex's fingers as the younger man raised his hand to his cheek.

"You're not the only one, you know." He covered Alex's hand with his own then drew it to his mouth, where he deposited a tender kiss in the palm.

Alex managed a half smile and said nothing.

"I know you don't believe that," Fox murmured, lowering his head to Alex's shoulder. "Not right now, anyway, but I promise baby, I won't give up until you do."

Alex lay quietly, petting the golden-brown head beneath his chin, and he cursed himself to hell and back.

You shit. Goddamn fucking pussy. Make up your mind. You believe, you don't believe. You do everything you can to keep him happy, you brood and make him worry. Pick a freakin' program and stick with it, would you?

Fox's breath left him as he was suddenly spun onto the mattress and pinned beneath the younger man's weight. Before he could speak, Alex's lips came down on his, claiming a deep but tender kiss. His arms slid up and around the younger man's neck as the interior of his mouth was gently probed, and the faint stirrings of arousal whispered through his body.

Alex released Fox's mouth but kept within just a few centimeters of contact.

"I didn't know it was possible to want someone this much," he breathed, brushing the older man's cheek with his thumb.

"I know," Fox answered, writhing against his lover. "I can't believe you can make me hot again so soon after..."

"No, I..." Alex interrupted, "...that isn't exactly what I meant."

Fox stopped squirming and looked up into eyes of sincerest green.

"You know I w-want you that way. God, I can't get enough, but...I m-meant that I want all of you. From that first day in your hotel room... before that. I..."

"You have all of me," Fox assured the younger man. "Always."

Silence filled the room as the two lost themselves in each other's gaze, then Alex lowered his head, taking another kiss, and another, and still another until passion swelled again, and the quiet gave way to waves of frenzied sound.

And then the quiet again.

Soft, satisfied quiet, filled with loving touches and unspoken pledges of faith and promises of forever after.

Three weeks later

A shadow fell across the open doorway of the basement office, and Walt Skinner stood watching the obviously agitated redhead pace the length of the room.

"Not here yet, I take it."

Scully stopped abruptly and turned to face in the direction of the soft voice. "Sorry, I didn't see you there. No, he isn't here."

Skinner looked down at his watch. "He isn't late yet. I guess we're both pretty early."

"There was a time when I could never beat him in to work." She turned and stared at the poster on the wall behind her partner's desk. "Maybe he's not coming back."

"He would have given notice."

"Not so sure about that. Krycek has got him so twisted, he sees me as the enemy."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, you and I are pretty much in the same boat." Skinner folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame. "But I meant that he hasn't called me and given notice. I'm sure he'll be here."

Scully nodded her acknowledgment. "I wonder how much more hostile he's going to be."

"What makes you think he'll be hostile?"

"Three weeks with no one but Krycek?" she asked sharply.

"You haven't seen him at all since he left three weeks ago?"

"I tried to see him the same day you suspended him. Went to his apartment. I had just walked into the building and found him and Krycek getting cozy by the elevator. He was angry with me. He didn't care why I was there, he just said he didn't want to see me until it was time for him to come back."

Brown eyes left the woman's face and dropped their gaze to the floor.

"I see. Well, in any case, if Agent Mulder is returning, I'm sure he's found a way to maintain his professionalism." Skinner backed up a step. "I'll see you both later on."

He departed as quietly as he had come, leaving Scully alone once more.

"Professionalism," she whispered, picking up a folder and tossing it back onto her desk. "Very politically correct way of saying he's frozen me out of his life."

"...And you promise not to antagonize her?"

Fox rolled his eyes as Alex helped him on with his jacket and straightened his tie.

"I promise not to bite unless she pokes me with a stick or something."

Fox wound his arms around the younger man's waist and pulled him in close.

"I can't believe how fast these three weeks have gone by." He tilted his head and nuzzled the other's jaw. "I'm going to miss not being with you all day."

"I know." Alex wrapped his arms around his lover's neck, enjoying the closeness for a bit longer before he had to let him go. "I'm not going to know what to do with myself all day."

Fox pulled away and cast an apologetic stare on the younger man.

"I didn't even think about that. I'm sorry, Alex, I...what are you going to do?"

The other shrugged and smiled. "Besides miss you? I'll find something to keep myself busy."

"Damn. All of a sudden I feel like shit. I go and drag you back here, and I don't even think about what it is you're going to do while I'm at work all day."

"Don't worry about me, babe. I'll be fine."

"But you can't just hang around all day, every day. You'll be bored out of your mind."

Alex dropped a kiss on the older man's shoulder then the side of his neck.

"We can talk about it when you get home later, okay? You're going to be late."

"All right. Hey, speaking of later, what d'you want to do for dinner?"

"Fox."

"What?"

"You're stalling."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Uh uh."

Alex gently pushed the older man away and turned him in the direction of the door.

"Get out."

"You're throwing me out?"

"Yep. Go to work. Do what you have to do, behave yourself..." He led Fox to the door then spun him around and pulled him forward. "...then come home to me."

Rubbing against the hardening length of his lover's body, Fox purred into his ear, "Why don't I just stay home with you?"

"Fox..."

"Okay, okay."

Pouting, Fox opened the door and trudged into the hall.

"Bye," he mumbled, assuming a posture meant to induce guilt, and began to move away from the door. "What, no kiss?"

Fox backed up and stood before the smirking man. Eyes lowered to the floor, he leaned forward and dropped a kiss on the corner of Alex's mouth then began to turn again to leave.

Alex's finger's clamped around the older man's wrist and held him in place while he stepped in front of him. "What kind of kiss was that?"

Still sulking, Fox remained silent.

"You gonna pout all day? 'Cause I gotta tell ya, I don't think Scully's gonna find it half as irresistible as I do."

He waited for a response, and when none came forth, he pulled the other man into his arms and laid a long, tender kiss on his mouth. Moaning softly, he pulled away, putting a few inches distance between them.

"Go to work," he whispered, "and when you come home, I'll have a nice dinner waiting for you. And after that, a warm bath...maybe a massage..."

A smile replaced the pout, and Fox kissed the younger man once more.

"You're too good to me."

The smile faded from Alex's lips.

"I could never be too good to you." He forced another half smile. "Now, go on."

Alex watched Fox turn and walk down the hall, wishing with all his heart that he didn't have to send him off to that harpy who had the nerve to call herself his best friend.

The last few weeks had been important in helping Alex to feel the security that Fox had worked so hard to promote. He went to sleep every night and woke every morning wrapped in love, and every day together bound them more tightly to each other. And he believed more than he ever had, that nothing could separate them.

Even so, this morning he couldn't help feel that familiar twinge of uncertainty as the thought of having to deal with Scully again became reality.

Don't worry about it. There's nothing she can do to you, and there's nothing she can say to Fox to turn him away from you. You know that.

He stood chewing on his lower lip, staring at nothing.

You know that.

Shutting the door quietly, he set about beginning the work he had planned for the day.

Cerulean eyes watched warily as the office door opened and Fox stepped inside.

"Good morning."

"Morning."

"Good to have you back."

No answer.

"So," Scully breathed lightly. "Enjoy your time off?"

"I did, yes. It was very good for Alex and me."

Scully paused, gathering her cool. When she thought she could speak without showing the emotion that had so easily flared in her at the mention of Alex's name, she cleared her throat and looked up at her partner.

"He all settled?"

"Yeah."

"You get him tested?"

His back turned to the woman, Fox dropped his arms to his side and tipped his face up to the ceiling.

"What is he, Scully, a dog with rabies?"

"No, I...I didn't mean..."

Fox spun around, fixing a hard glare on his partner.

"Yeah, Scully, you meant." His eyes glittered an angry amber. "It just comes that naturally to you."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, searching for a way to smooth things over. "Mulder, you have to know that my concern for your safety takes precedence above all else. If I'm less than diplomatic in my approach..."

"Your approach, Scully, is like that of an oncoming train."

"I said I was sorry," the redhead responded softly. When Fox gave no response, she shifted uneasily in her chair. "But uh... did Krycek get tested?"

"He'll do it in a couple of months," Fox surprised Scully by answering. "There's no point right now."

"No," she murmured. "No, I suppose there isn't, is there? Please be careful, Mulder, okay? Please protect yourself."

"I do," Fox answered flatly, then added, "and Alex protects me. He goes overboard making sure that I'm safe."

Scully nodded. "S-so what's he going to do?"

"About what?"

"I just mean in general. You're back to work. I don't see Krycek contenting himself with playing the happy homemaker for any length of time."

"I don't know. It's something we have to discuss. But he can do anything he wants to do."

Fox's eyes narrowed as he watched his partner swallow her next words.

"What?"

"Hmm?"

"You wanted to say something."

"No, I..."

"It was all over your face, Scully. You had to fight the words back."

"If that's what you think, then why do you want to hear it?"

"...I don't know. I guess I can't help hoping that something I say...some answer I give will make you see him differently."

Scully lowered her head.

"I was just going to ask if you'd be bankrolling anything he might decide to pursue."

Fox shook his head, giving the woman a caustic smile.

"You need to get over this notion that I'm his sugar daddy, Scully. Alex does not need my money."

"Made a good living on his back, did he?"

"God damn it, Scully!" Fox pounded on his desk, startling the woman. "You can't stop, can you?"

"What'd I say? That is how he made whatever money he's got, isn't it? "

Fox shook his head, even as his body shook with restrained rage.

"I can't do this. I can't...I can't work with you. I'd appreciate it if you put in for a transfer. Immediately."

"Mulder..." Scully stopped, gathering herself together, then started again.

"Mulder, I...I'm s..."

"Don't say it. I've heard enough. You're not sorry."

"I am, Mulder, I swear. I can't help...I tell you what. No more mention of Krycek, okay? I won't ask you any questions, I won't make another comment. I'll pretend none of this exists, okay? Work. That's all we'll discuss."

"You can't do it. It's impossible."

"No it isn't. I promise. If I say one more word against Krycek, I'll transfer."

Scully waited hopefully while Fox considered her offer.

Moving slowly to his chair, Fox seated himself then looked down at his desk. Long minutes later, he took a deep, even breath and spoke.

"I hate this rift between us. I want you to know that. We've been the best of friends for years, and now...it's impossible for our friendship to continue, Scully, if you insist on beating Alex down every chance you get. I won't stand for it. He's first in my life, and if you can't or won't accept that, we're done. Completely. No friendship. No nothing."

"I understand."

"Do you really? Because this is it. No more chances."

"I've got it, Mulder. Believe me, I've got it."

"All right." Fox removed his jacket and tipped his chair back. "Why don't you bring me up to speed on whatever's been happening around here..."

"Good God, when was the last time he washed these windows?"

Alex wrung the gray water into the bucket and began to again scrub at the glass behind Fox's desk. When he could clearly see down into the street, he grabbed the bottle of Windex and began to spray.

When Fox got home, he'd probably walk back out and check the numbers on the door to make sure he was in the right place.

Alex had started cleaning in the kitchen this morning after his lover had left. It had taken him almost three hours, but he was quite satisfied with the results. Everything from the countertops to the utensils now sparkled. Fox would be shocked, no doubt.

After a quick break, he started in on the dining area, and had since moved to the living room.

Newspapers from nineteen ninety-one, case files that were old enough to vote, and a trash barrel that he truly wondered if Fox had ever seen the bottom of were but a few of the treasures waiting for him as he started in on the other man's work area.

Afraid to throw any of it away, he carefully stacked the items in a box and stored them out of sight, then set about washing and waxing the furniture and floor. That done, he took the blinds down, washed those, and then began on the window.

As the clear blue cleanser made its way down the pane, a knock sounded at the door, and a feeling of dread washed over Alex.

"Shit. Who the hell's this?"

He picked his way to the door and looked the peephole.

"Oh, are you kidding me?"

Don't answer it.

Okay, and he'll just come back another day. Get it over with.

Alex took two deep breaths and turned the knob. As the door swung open, a severe brown gaze fell on him. "What're you doing here?"

"I'd like a few words with you."

Not waiting for a response, Skinner brushed past the younger man and stepped into the apartment.

"Funny you waited until Fox went back to work to have them."

"He wouldn't let me within half a mile of you." Skinner spun around glaring at the other man. "What've you done to him?"

Alex closed the door but didn't advance an inch.

"I've been through this with Scully. Can't you just ask her for the transcripts of our conversations or something?"

"I didn't come here to listen to your sarcasm, Krycek. I want to know what it is you want with Mulder."

"I'm sorry, Skinner, but I don't see how my relationship with Fox is any of your business."

"I consider Mulder a friend."

"Really. A friend you suspended without pay."

"That was work. I take my job very seriously."

"Uh huh."

Skinner stood in the middle of the living room, arms folded across his chest, and looked around.

"What the hell is this?" he mumbled.

"What the hell's what?"

"You're playing Suzy Homemaker?"

"I'm cleaning the apartment. You find something suspicious in that?"

"Just hard to believe that someone with as colorful a past as yours has been domesticated."

No answer.

"And it's twice as hard to believe that you could possibly know the first thing about being in a committed relationship."

Still nothing.

"Why are you doing this, Krycek? Why are you trying to destroy Mulder?"

"I love Fox," Alex finally shot back. "I'd never do anything to hurt him."

"You'll forgive me if I don't believe you."

"I'd be shocked if you did."

"You were selling your body, Krycek. Just when I thought you couldn't possibly get any lower..."

"You know..." Alex opened the door and pushed himself away from the wall. "...whatever. Get out."

"I'm not through with you."

"Yeah, you are."

"No..." Skinner walked over to the younger man, stared him in the eye, and slammed the door shut. "I'm not."

Alex cocked his head, refusing to look away.

"No?"

"No."

The word oozed out between gritted teeth, the heavy breath it was carried on, flowing over Alex's face.

Inside he was cringing, knowing what that look meant. He'd seen it often enough, and Skinner, obviously, was no different than any other horny bastard he'd dealt with. But he refused to give his anxiety away.

"What the fuck do you want, Skinner?" he hissed, displaying all the attitude he could muster.

"It would be best for all concerned," Skinner rumbled, too close to Alex's face for comfort, "if you would just gather up whatever trash you brought with you and get the hell out of here."

"Sorry Wally, but you've got it all wrong. It wouldn't be best for me..."

"Oh, I'm crying."

"...And it wouldn't be best for Fox."

"I know Mulder doesn't think that right now. I know you've got him brainwashed into thinking you're exactly what he needs. But sooner or later he's going to snap out of it."

"And you're going to help him?"

"Whenever I can."

"What about yourself?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You didn't come here for the simple purpose of trying to run me out. Did you?"

Skinner glared at the younger man, refusing to answer.

"I know why you're here," Alex rasped. "I can see it all over your face."

"You see nothing."

"Why'd you do it, Skinner?"

"Do what?"

"You know what. The same thing you're thinking about doing right now. Only maybe this time with a lot less material between us."

Alex watched the brown eyes go almost black, and the older man's expression change into something more ominous.

"You're crazy."

"Possibly. But I'm right." Hard, green eyes glared at the older man. "Tell me I'm not."

"Get over yourself, Krycek. The whole world doesn't want your ass."

"But you do. News flash, Wally. You'll never do to me again what you did that night. Much as you might want to."

Skinner snorted. "What the hell would I want with a used up, filthy, low life whore?"

"Only you can answer that question, Walt." Alex began to move away. "Get the fuck out."

God, he was so arrogant. So...

Alex felt a strong grip form around his throat and before he could react, he was spun around and thrown against the wall, pinned there by the irate larger man.

"That's some ego you've got there, whore," Skinner ground into the younger man's ear. Maybe you need to be taken down a peg or two."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Alex gasped through gritted teeth.

"I can think of a couple of ways."

Alex flinched as the older man pressed against his back. The hardness wedged between Skinner and his ass made him want to scream, but he held himself together, refusing to give the older man the satisfaction.

"I'll fucking kill you."

"That'd be a neat trick, given your position."

"If I can't," Alex panted, "Fox will."

"Your white knight? Very sweet."

"Call it what you want. But doubting his reaction will prove hazardous to your health."

Though he snorted at the younger man's declaration, he recalled his encounter with Mulder in his office.

The hard expression. Eyes glittering with anger. Tone low and icy. Skinner had to truly wonder if Mulder might not really attempt to kill him or anyone else who fucked with this piece of filth he'd claimed as his.

The grip relaxed, and Alex shoved hard away from the wall, almost stumbling in his effort to put distance between him and the other man.

"I'll say it again, Skinner. Get out."

"You really think you've got him, don't you?"

Silence.

"On the day he throws your sorry ass out of here, I'm going to be standing out there on the curb to watch you fall face down into the gutter."

With that, the older man turned and walked out, leaving Alex in deafening silence.

How long he stood there, he couldn't say. But when lack of oxygen finally made him take a breath, he shuddered with the exertion. After slowly letting the breath out, he turned and walked back to the window to complete his unfinished task.

A thick, warm vapor filled the bathroom, coating the mirror and clinging to the fixtures to form tiny beads of moisture. The closed shower curtain silhouetted the form of the man behind it.

Hands everywhere, moving slowly over the firm planes of the shadowed body. Head tilted back, turned up to the hard spray.

Gorgeous.

Fox advanced toward the tub and reached through the opening, letting one hand glide over the soapy flesh.

The alarmed gasp knocked him back a step, and then he moved in again, studying the wide, almost frightened eyes as they blinked out at him.

"S...I'm sorry, babe," he said by way of apology. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Alex breathed a heavy sigh and extended a shaking hand to turn the water off.

"I just didn't hear you. You surprised me."

"Yeah, but...Jeez, Alex, you're...you look scared."

"No. No, I..." Alex reached for the towel Fox held out to him. "...I'm okay."

Under his lover's watchful eye, Alex dried off then moved into the bedroom to get dressed.

Fox stood in the doorway, reading the younger man's posture and movement, not at all sure he liked what he saw. Something was up. The question was, what?

Okay, work around it.

"You've been busy today. I don't know how you managed it, but the place looks bigger. Not to mention brighter and a hell of a lot cleaner."

"Yeah, I...don't worry, I didn't throw any of your stuff away. I didn't know what might have been important and what wasn't. I just put it all together in a box and stuck it in the closet. Maybe when you've got time you can go through it."

"Sure."

Alex finished dressing and approached the older man. Not looking directly into Fox's eyes, he forced a smile.

"So. You made it through your day."

"Yeah. Started off a little rough, but it straightened out...mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Yeah, well, Scully started as soon as I got there. I got that taken care of, things went okay for a while, then we met with Skinner a little later in the day."

Alex's gaze dropped to the floor.

Fox hesitated, studying his lover's reaction, then continued.

"The temperature in his office probably dropped about twenty degrees when I walked in, and it got no better from there out. We squared off in opposite corners of the office and had a glaring contest while he said what he had to say, and then I left." Fox shrugged. "I guess it was probably me." Alex's eyes rose to focus on Fox's chest. "You?"

"Yeah, I...I'm not upset about him suspending me. God knows he could've and probably should've done a lot worse. It's...I can't look at him now, Alex, without thinking about what he did to you. I know it was a long time ago. I know that nothing has happened since..."

The younger man's gaze again dropped to the floor.

"...But it meant something, you know? I mean, why would he do something like that to you?"

"All it meant was that he thought I was more worthless than dirt, and he wanted to humiliate me."

"There are lots more ways to humiliate a person. That he would choose to get sexual..." Fox shook his head and fell silent.

"You have to work with him," Alex said softly. "Forget about it."

"I can't."

"Fox, it was a period in our lives where everybody despised me, including you. What would your reaction have been if you'd found out back then?"

"I don't know that it would have been as indifferent as you might think it would. Maybe I wouldn't have felt the burning need to bash his head in, but..."

"Okay, but still. It's...it's over. He's your boss. And no matter what he feels about me, he's your friend."

A smile tilted Fox's lips upward.

"This is a familiar conversation."

"Well," Alex whispered, meaning so much more than Fox understood, "he and Scully are a lot alike. Now let's not rehash ancient history, okay? It's over and done with."

"Okay, fine. Let's discuss another subject." Fox slid his hand under the younger man's chin and lifted. "Let's talk about why my touching your arm scared five years off your life, and why it is you can't seem to look me in the eye."

Alex shook his head, trying for all the world to look unaware.

"I don't know. I didn't hear you come in, and then all of a sudden there you were."

"Mmm hmm. And has that got anything to do with the fact that you won't look at me?"

"No. No, I..." Alex made himself look up into softly glowing, patient eyes. "I'm still just a little jumpy I guess."

"...I see. I'm sorry baby, I really didn't mean to scare you."

"I know."

Fox slipped an arm around the other man's waist and led him out of the room. "So, what would you like for dinner?"

"I was going to ask you that same question."

Fox shrugged. "I don't know. You decide. Whatever it is, I'll cook it." He gave Alex a sheepish grin. "Or try to."

"No," Alex argued as the two passed into the kitchen. "I'll take care of it."

"Uh uh. I know it was no walk in the park, getting this place this clean. You must've busted your ass all day. "I'll cook."

"So, what am I supposed to do?"

Fox pulled Alex into a snug embrace and kissed the tip of the slightly upturned nose.

"Go relax. Watch t.v. or something."

"I can't help?"

"Nope. Tell me what you want so I can get started."

Alex smiled and rested his head on the older man's shoulder.

"Surprise me. Just do me one favor, okay?"

"Sure. What?"

"Don't mess up my nice, clean kitchen."

Fox laughed softly and swatted the other man's ass, then turned him around and gently shoved him toward the door.

"Get the hell out of here so I can get to work."

Once Alex had gone, Fox set about poking through the cupboards and refrigerator, gathering the items he'd need. All the while, his mind was working. Trying to decipher his lover's odd mood and the possible cause.

First he almost jumps out of his skin when I touch him. Okay, he didn't hear me come in, but God, he looked almost terrified. Then...I mention my meeting with Skinner, and he reacts to that. And tries to blow off my attempts to discuss what Skinner had done to him.

"Well, if somebody had done that to you years ago," he murmured, opening up a package of chicken, "would you want to review it again?"

He's right, though. You have to get over it. A hostile attitude is only going to make working with Skinner a whole lot more difficult. And God knows you've got enough problems without tangling with him at every turn.

It was going to be damn tough, though. Every time he thought about Skinner touching Alex...hurting and humiliating him...

Alex sat up quickly, bolting off of the sofa as a loud banging sounded in the kitchen. He flew through the door just as Fox once again laid into the chicken breast on the counter. "What're you doing?"

The older man spun around, metal meat tenderizer in hand. "I'm sorry, did I scare you again?"

"You just startled me. Sounded like you were killing something in here."

"No, just..." Fox held up the utensil. "...preparing the chicken."

Sable eyebrows arched as Alex observed the older man's white-knuckled grip, and he nodded.

"Okay..."

"Go on. Go back and lie down. I won't make any more noise."

Alex hesitated a moment then turned from the room, leaving Fox to compose himself and return his attention to dinner.

Come on, Mulder, snap out of it. It's in the past. Done. Never to be repeated. Now forget this shit and get the man's dinner done. He's spent the entire day doing battle with years worth of your dirt, and the least you can do is give him a nice meal and no anxiety.

An hour and a half later, Fox entered smiling into the living room and leaned over the sleeping man.

"Alex," he whispered, gently nuzzling the younger man's cheek. "Wake up, baby."

The dense sweep of sable lashes lifted, and deep green eyes looked up at the figure that loomed above.

"Hmm?"

"Dinner's ready."

"Oh." Alex sat up rubbing at one eye. "Okay."

"I actually think I did a good job."

"Not really much of a cook, are you?"

"Not really." Fox smirked down at the other. "So, if you hate it, be kind."

"Smells good," Alex countered and rose to his feet. He walked into the dining area and gave Fox a sleepy smile.

"Nice."

Fox looked proudly at the set table. "Yeah? It's really okay? It isn't the Regent but..."

"It's better," Alex argued softly, wrapping his arms around his lover's neck. "You did it yourself. For me."

Fox gave in to the irresistible urge to kiss the smiling mouth, then he led Alex to the table and sat him down. Less than five minutes later, the food was on the table, and Fox was seated next to Alex, eyes glued on the younger man, waiting for him to take the first bite. He breathed a sigh of relief when he received a smile.

"It's really good."

"You're not just saying that? I know I told you to be kind, but..."

"I'm not just saying it," Alex assured the older man. "It really is very good."

Satisfied, Fox dug into his own food. Halfway into the meal, he looked around, shaking his head.

"I still can't believe what you've done with this place. It's cleaner than when I first moved in."

"I'm not done; still have the bathroom and bedroom to do, but I didn't want everything to be upside down when you got home. I'll get on it tomorrow."

Fox stared at Alex for more than a few seconds, then reached for his lover's hand.

"You know, I told you that this is not your responsibility. I don't expect you to..."

"I know that." Alex gave the older man a grin. "But if I'm going to live here too, I'd like not to be tripping over stuff in the middle of the floor or be attacked by giant, killer dust bunnies."

"They were big but harmless," Fox countered softly, kissing the back of Alex's hand.

"Sorry, I didn't know they were friends of yours."

"It's okay. I got a new friend. And he's much more uh...friendly."

Laughing softly, Alex returned his attention to his meal.

"So...when you've got the apartment the way you want it," Fox asked, "have you thought about what it is you want to do?"

"I don't know," Alex answered, smoothing the hair at the back of his neck and looking past Fox. "I was thinking that...well, I think I sorta have a knack for investing. I mean, I did make quite a bit."

"Yeah, you did," Fox cut in then dropped his head and began to laugh.

"What's so funny? Alex asked, smiling at his lover's amusement.

"Part of a conversation that I had with Scully this morning just came back to me. She thought you were...how do I say this? ...A kept man."

Alex snorted softly. "Yeah, she would think that."

Fox left his seat and promptly dropped down into Alex's lap.

"As has become habit lately, she has no idea what the hell she's talking about. I could quit the Bureau and let you keep me."

"I'd love to spoil you rotten," Alex murmured, kissing the line of Fox's jaw. But I don't think you'd really be happy being a man of leisure. Your job is a big part of your life."

"Not nearly as big as it used to be, and getting smaller all the time."

Alex studied the older man, reading the sincerity in his eyes.

"Tell you what." He pulled Fox's head down to his shoulder and ran his hand lightly up and down his back. "How about we give it a year? That should be an adequate amount of time for you to really think about what it is you want to do. If you still want to quit, you can do it with no regrets. During that time I can keep investing, hopefully make us some more money, and we can live comfortably, anywhere we want."

Fox lifted his head and looked into his lover's eyes.

"A year, huh?"

"It's not so long."

"No." Fox hugged the younger man. "As long as we're together."

Alex held his lover in a firm embrace, fighting to push away thoughts of those who sought to separate them.

Fuck 'em both. He loves me. They can't...there's nothing they can do.

He tightened his hold and buried his face in Fox's hair.

He loves me.

A harsh curse pierced the darkness as a blanket flew into the air and landed in a rumpled heap at the end of Water Skinner's bed. Repeatedly, Skinner shifted position but was unable to get comfortable. He flipped onto his back and kicked the sheet off, then peeled his t-shirt away.

"Jesus."

He didn't bother checking the temperature in the apartment; he knew the heat he felt had nothing to do with the thermostat setting. The source of his discomfort was miles away. Wrapped in th arms of the man Skinner claimed he was a friend to.

Asleep. Perhaps.

Or maybe...

Christ, maybe awake. Writhing. Panting. Screaming his pleasure as Mulder fucked him.

Oh yeah, he was loud, Skinner would bet the house on it. And every imagined yelp, every sob and moan reverberated in his body, maintaining the painful level of arousal he'd suffered for over an hour now.

"Why? What the hell it is that makes him so fucking tempting?"

It was an x-file.

One that Mulder was investigating most meticulously, he was sure.

That's right, Walt. And while he's buried up to his nuts in that gorgeous bastard's ass, you're lying here with a raging hard-on, with nothing but your demented fantasies to keep you warm.

The desire to rip Krycek's clothes off and fuck him against that wall had burned so strongly today. As strongly as the flames of hatred, and he couldn't figure it out. How the hell could he despise the low life scum so intensely yet want to feel himself deeply entrenched in his ass?

One hand slipped beneath his underwear and closed around his cock, and his eyes closed as he began to pump it's sturdy length.

He saw it clearly. Krycek. Cuffed and lying face down on the floor where Skinner had thrown him. Clothing ripped and hanging by it's remaining threads from his body. Flashes of sweaty, bronzed skin, stretched over tensing muscles. That voice, ordinarily low and smoky, trembling with anxiety and pain, cursing and begging for Skinner to stop.

But he wouldn't. And nothing could make him.

How d'you like it, bitch? Huh? Is that good?

In his mind, he slammed into the wailing man, inflicting blow after punishing blow.

This is all you deserve. It's all you're good for. Scream all you want, but you know you love it.

"Love it," Skinner grated as he furiously pumped his cock. "Christ. Oh, God, you know you want it..."

The victim of his imagined assault screamed and twisted beneath him as he wedged his hand between the floor and Krycek's hips. Squeezing the younger man's cock, he laughed as the sounds of protest turned to strained mewls of pleasure.

Fucking slut. You don't love him. You don't love anybody. The only thing you love is a good fuck. You don't give a shit where you get it. Isn't that right? Isn't it?

The square jaw clenched and Skinner doubled his efforts as his climax approached. The participant in his illusion screamed wildly in concert with his own groans of completion, and the vision faded.

Sticky and spent, he lay panting for a good long while before reality clamped down on him.

"Shit!"

He rolled out of bed and stomped into the bathroom where, with one violent twist of the shower knob, he activated a hard spray. He quickly stepped out of his damp underwear and under the water, washing the away the last remnants of his fantasy. But the disturbing contents endured, ingrained in his thoughts.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" he whispered, bowing his head and letting the water flow over it. "Stop. Just stop."

You're more disciplined than this. You're smarter than this. He's nothing but trouble. It's bad enough he's got Mulder panting after him. Christ, one of you has got to stay sane.

Washing quickly, he turned the water off then dried himself and trudged back to bed.

"Just stay away from him," he murmured, staring up at the ceiling. "Soon enough he'll be gone, and then you can forget about him again."

And in the meantime? What if it takes Mulder six months...a year to realize the mess he's in and do something about it? Jesus, he could be there all that time. And when Mulder goes out of town on a case? Temptation so well within your reach.

Right. And you think he wouldn't find out? Shit, for that matter, how do you know Krycek hasn't told him about today?

He hasn't. You'd have known about it by now, believe that.

"So," Skinner whispered on a soft breath. "He kept it to himself."

He took a deep breath and drifted off to sleep, dreaming about future possibilities.

The dream faded and wide, frightened eyes searched the darkness. The anxious man's chest heaved with the effort it took to stabilize his breathing, and before he could fully comprehend that none of what he'd experienced was real, an arm came around him and a soft voice sounded in his ear.

"Alex. Wake up, baby."

Alex drew in a deep, shaky breath and released it.

"God."

Fox raised himself up on one elbow and looked down into glittering, dark eyes.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I uh...I'm all right."

"Bad dream, huh?"

Silent nod.

Fox reached out and stroked Alex's hair away from his face. "Wanna tell me about it?"

Alex hesitated, looking for a moment like he might possibly want to discuss it, but in the end, he simply turned into Fox's chest, seeking the comfort he needed.

Enfolding Alex in the warmth of his arms, Fox kissed the sable head and lay quietly for a while, gathering his thoughts. Minutes later, he tilted the younger man's head up and planted a tender kiss on his lips.

"You know that if and when you ever want to talk about it, I'm here to listen."

"It's nothing," Alex whispered. "Everybody has nightmares once in a while."

"I know that. And the best thing to do is talk about them. So, if you decide you want to, tell me, okay?"

Yeah, I'll tell you that I'm dreaming about being the filling in a Skinner/Scully sandwich. "Babe?"

Alex wound his arms around the other man and buried his face in his chest.

"Okay."

Quiet descended on the room, and just as Fox had begun to believe that Alex was asleep, the younger man called his name. "Fox?"

"Yeah?"

Alex floundered for a moment, not sure whether or not he should ask. But need overcame uncertainty, and nuzzled the older man's chest.

"I kn-know it's late..."

Fox peered over Alex's head at the clock. Silently reading two-twelve, he again lowered his head to the pillow and waited for the younger man to complete his sentence.

"But I...say no if you don't want to..."

Fox needed to hear no more than that to know what Alex was asking of him.

Alex's sigh was muffled by his lover's mouth, moving so sweetly over his, and as Fox shifted to lie on top of him, his concern that the other man was only doing this to patronize him, lessened considerably. The swiftly growing evidence of Fox's passion pressed into his hip and reinforced his own desire.

"I could never say no to you," Fox whispered, letting his tongue dance across the younger man's lips. "I could never not want you."

Alex's soft whimper was muffled further by Fox's mouth as it came down on his, and his arms twined around the older man's neck, seeking to pull him closer and insulate his chilled body. He was attempting to hide from whatever demons had tormented him while he'd slept, and Fox was his shield.

"M'sorry," he whispered haltingly against his lover's mouth. "But I..." He arched against Fox, prompting a deep sigh from the other. "...I'm cold, Fox."

"I know," Fox murmured, kissing Alex's cheek and jaw. "I can feel it. Don't worry baby, I'll warm you."

Fox slithered out of his underwear then lifted himself to his knees watching Alex begin to shiver the moment he did. He pulled the younger man's boxer briefs off and, removing two condoms and lube from the nightstand drawer, he quickly sheathed Alex's cock and coaxed him onto this stomach. He rolled his own condom on, applied the lube then stretched out over the length of his lover's back.

Alex moaned into the pillows as Fox's mouth teased the back of his neck and shoulders, and he instinctively pushed back against the hardness nestled against his ass.

"I need you," he croaked, rocking his hips. "Please, Fox. Need it to be you."

Golden-brown eyebrows drew down into a frown as Fox listened to his lover's cryptic plea.

"It's me," he whispered into Alex's ear as he gripped his cock at the base and worked the head into the tight opening. "Just me."

Alex's head lifted from the pillows, and a sharp gasp broke past his lips as Fox pushed inside him. He began to buck impatiently, but Fox's weight held him to the mattress.

"Let me."

The two-word command stilled Alex's movements, but he couldn't stifle the increasingly desperate whimpers as Fox completed their union.

"Is this what you need, Alex?" he asked, withdrawing slowly then sinking back inside.

Clutching tightly at the pillow beneath his head, Alex nodded.

"Any time you need me, don't be afraid to ask. I'll always take care of you." Fox reached between Alex and the mattress and grasped the younger man's cock. "It was just a dream, sweetheart. It wasn't real." He began to slowly pump the rigid shaft. "But I am. And I love you."

Alex gritted his teeth, forcing back a sob.

God, to feel like this. That one man could singlehandedly, emotionally and physically fill him so completely. It was a miracle.

And Fox, his angel. A singular phenomenon possessed of all that was good and beautiful, and by some inscrutable quirk of fate had showered it all upon him. And sheltered by that torrent of love, he could feel safe. Nothing could touch him. No one.

But he couldn't stay forever within the sanctuary Fox provided at moments like this. And the vultures were right outside. Circling. Waiting for him to emerge as he would surely have to do...

His cheek resting on the sable head, Fox moved in a steady rhythm, matching that of his hand. The now warm body beneath his rocked against him, and his lover sounded broken cries of desperation as they both moved toward release.

"Almost there," Fox panted, bringing his mouth to Alex's ear. "God...oh, God, baby, it's...I'm..."

Alex listened to the strained groan and knew that Fox was already at the point that he was fast approaching.

"No...n-n..." His mouth fell open on a choking sob as Fox pumped his cock harder, and he exploded, filling the tip of his condom with warm fluid. His previously tense body slumped and, with the additonal burden of Fox's relaxed weight, he sank deeper into the mattress.

Still buried inside of his lover, Fox lay still, temporarily robbed of breath. When he finally gained enough strength, he drew in a long gulp of air and released it. He lifted himself on weakened arms and, brushing the edge of Alex's ear with his lips, he began to rise.

The second he no longer felt Fox's weight, Alex flipped over and looked up at the older man with wide eyes.

With little more than a gesture of his hand, Fox asked the anxious man to be patient, and then he stripped off his condom. While he went quickly to the bathroom to get a damp cloth, Alex disposed of his own rubber and pulled the blanket up to his chin in an effort to replace the lost warmth of his lover.

Fox returned in seconds, pulling Alex's covering back and gently washing him. He dropped the cloth down on the floor and slipped into bed beside the younger man. Pulling the blanket up around them, he drew Alex to his chest, holding him securely in the circle of his arms. "Better?"

Alex nodded slowly then drew a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry, Fox, I guess it's...it's just one of those nights."

"Stop apologizing. You did exactly what I want you to do when you're not feeling right. You came to me. You depended on me to make it better."

"You did...but I don't know if that's so good," Alex whispered into Fox's throat. "I want to do exactly what I warned you I would."

"What's that?"

"Hold on to you and never let go. I can't...God, Fox, I can't do this."

"Yes, you can."

"No, I...it won't be so appealing to you after a while. You'll come to resent such heavy demands on your attention."

"No. The only demands on my attention I resent are those of my job. They keep me from you."

"Fox, you're needed there."

"I'm needed more here."

Alex gave an adamant shake of his head.

"I'll be all right. I'm not saying it won't be hard sometimes, but I've been through a lot of hard stuff, and I've done okay."

"This is different. You're different."

"You're right. I am different. And I guess I have to learn to be strong all over again, but still..."

"And you will," Fox interrupted. "But rebuilding your strength takes time. And rest." Fox kissed the younger man's forehead. "Uninterrupted peace is extremely important in the healing process. I'm going to do everything I can to see to it that you get that."

"I've had more peace in the last few weeks than I can ever remember having."

"And you didn't start having trouble until I went back to work."

"It's just going to take a little while for me to get used to not having you around holding my hand all the time." Alex looked up into his lover's face. "But I have to. For myself, and for you."

"I know that." Fox kissed Alex's forehead. "I'm just asking you not to rush it. And to let me know what you need from me." He lifted the younger man's head to claim a tender kiss. "Like you did tonight."

Alex nuzzled the older man's chin then tucked his head beneath it.

"It really is late," he said softly. "You're going to be so tired tomorrow."

"I'll be fine. I used to exist on a lot less sleep than this." Fox slowly stroked Alex's back and smiled as the younger man snuggled closer and sighed softly. "Go to sleep." He continued to caress his lover as he stared out into the dark room. "I won't let you go."

Alex closed his eyes, knowing that for the remainder of tonight that was so. But morning was just a few hours away, and he'd have to put his money where his mouth was. He'd have to put all his uneasiness and need aside and convince Fox that he'd be fine. He'd have to walk him to the door, kiss him goodbye, and spend the day alone, without his lover's comforting presence.

And that would leave him vulnerable to another visit from one or the other of Fox's so called friends.

He'd have to find a way to handle it without dragging Fox into it. If he knew, all hell would break loose. And as much as he'd love to stick it to Skinner and that little redheaded bitch, he knew the truth would hurt Fox as much as it would anger him.

You can do it, he thought to himself as he listened to Fox's respiration slow and deepen. You've dealt with far more difficult situations in the past.

Yeah, but you can't shoot, torch or blast your way out of this one. And it's a pretty good bet that they're not going away all that easily.

He kissed Fox's collarbone and let his hand glide up and down over one arm.

You gotta figure something out. Something quick and permanent.

That brings us back to the killing thing.

No. Shit. No, no. Come on, you're a smart boy. Something else. Think of something else.

The pitch darkness of the room slowly lightened, and Alex still lay awake. Now on his side with Fox pressed to his back, he watched a light drizzle begin to hit the window.

Gotta remember to make him take his umbrella.

The drizzle turned to an all out downpour, and the alarm clock began to buzz, and Alex wondered where the night had gone. The warm body behind him stirred as he shifted to shut the alarm off.

"Jeez," a soft, sleep-roughened voice sounded. "Morning already?"

Alex rubbed his head against his lover's shoulder.

"Told you it'd come early."

Fox moaned, pulling the younger more tightly against him.

"It's raining."

"Mmm hmm."

"Don't wanna get up. Wanna stay here with you."

"Sorry. You gotta go to work. We can spend the weekend in bed if you want to."

"That's four days away."

Fox pulled himself up on one arm and turned Alex onto his back. Gray eyes narrowed on the other man's face.

"Did you sleep at all?"

Alex gave his lover a weary smile. "Not really."

"How come?"

"Don't know. Liar It just never happened."

Fox swept his palm over the other man's eyelids, urging them to close.

"Stay in bed. Try and sleep."

The sable lashes lifted, and Alex pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"I'll come back and lie down after you leave. But we've got food this morning, and I'm going to make you breakfast."

"I've been seeing to my own meals for years, Alex. I think I can manage a cup of coffee and some toast."

"That's not a decent breakfast," Alex argued, pushing Fox's restraining hands away and getting out of bed. "Get in the shower, and I'll make you something."

"Okay, fine." Reaching out to caress Alex's bare leg, Fox grinned up at him. "You taking requests?"

"Sure. What d'you want?"

Fox chuckled softly, letting his hand wander to the inside of his lover's thigh.

"You. In the shower."

Alex's only response was a smirk and an arch of the eyebrow.

"Since you say you can't sleep, I thought maybe I could help tire you out."

The younger man laughed softly. "Your generosity knows no bounds."

Fox pushed the blanket away, revealing a rigid erection.

"Neither does my libido."

He rounded the bed, taking his lover by the hand and tried to tug him toward the door.

Alex resisted for only as long as it took to grab some supplies from the nightstand, then he followed Fox out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. Almost half an hour later, clean and well satisfied, the two men entered the kitchen. Alex made a quick omelet, which Fox wolfed down, and then he sent the other man off to work with a promise that he would go back to bed.

Meaning to keep his promise, Alex entered the bedroom dropped down amongst the rumpled blanket and pillows. He pulled his lover's pillow to his face, inhaling the lingering scent of him, and closed his eyes. Forty-five minutes and not a wink of sleep later, he rolled to his feet and began cleaning the bedroom.

He started with the closet, and as he worked, his mind began to click; dreaming up possible solutions to his Scully/Skinner problems. Unfortunately, all of them ended up involving extreme violence.

A wistful smile came to his face as he considered all the hideously painful ways in which he could do away with them. Then the smile faded.

He might be able to get away with it with Skinner. He didn't believe that he and Fox were that close. But Scully...as pissed off as Fox was with her right now, Alex knew it would hurt him deeply if anything were to happen to the little read-headed troll. They'd spent more time together than an average married couple over the last several years, and Fox loved her.

Alex snorted.

Yet she apparently thought nothing of continuously provoking the shit out of him. She could consider attempting something she knew would infuriate and hurt him.

Maybe he could kill her after all.

Stop that. It's not an option. For either of them. You're done with killing. Just like you're done with whoring. Think of another way. There's always another way.

Maybe you're wracking your brains for nothing. Scully hasn't bothered you since you first got here, and Skinner did leave yesterday without finishing what he'd come to start.

"Maybe they'll leave us alone," he murmured, grimacing at what had to be a fifteen-year old Knicks t-shirt he'd just found in a box at the back of the closet. "God, does this man keep friggin' everything?"

You sure as shit had better hope so.

Alex sat back on his heels, holding the t-shirt in a loosened grip. He stared into the half-empty closet, chewing on his lower lip.

Jesus Christ, how many times are you going to do this? Don't. Be. Afraid. You haven't lived this long by being afraid. Confidence, goddamn it. Alex Krycek is a self-assured, arrogant son of a bitch, and nobody fucks with him. Fox Is yours. And you know that when it comes right down to it, you'll do anything you have to do to make sure no one takes him away from you.

Alex heaved a confident breath and returned to work.

Scully nearly jumped out of her skin as her partner walked into the office.

Quickly, she dropped the pen she'd been using and gathered up the few pages she'd had spread over her desk.

"What's the matter with you?" Fox asked, opening up a file drawer.

"N-nothing."

"You looked like you were about to have a stroke when I walked in."

"I was...I was just really wrapped in my work. You startled me, that's all."

Hazel eyes studied the woman then returned to the drawer Fox was rifling through. "What're you working on?"

"Just some stuff for a class at Quantico I'd done while you were...gone."

Fox gave no response. He pulled a file out of the drawer and sat at his desk, quickly reading through it.

"Here it is," he mumbled, flipping back and forth between one page and another.

"Here what is?"

"Remember a couple of years ago, we investigated a case out in Georgia...a tobacco field worker was found partially decomposed in the woods behind his house..."

"...And he'd only been missing since the night before."

"Right. Well, I just got wind of an identical incident. Also in Georgia. Three miles from the location of the original case."

"I guess we're going to Georgia."

Fox paused then closed the file and stared at the top of his desk.

"Guess so."

She knew he was thinking about Krycek. She could read it all over his face.

Oh, for pity's sake, Mulder. You gonna start going into withdrawal or something? Is he that addictive?

Her body answered.

Wouldn't you like to know.

Yes. Yes, dammit, I would.

She shook the thoughts from her mind and cleared her throat.

"When are we going?"

"I'll see if I can get us a flight out in the morning."

Can't leave without one more fuck, can you Mulder?

I'll call you from home and let you know when."

"From home?"

"Yeah. I'm heading there now. There's nothing else going on here, so..." He picked up the file and his jacket. "I'm going to go review this and call the airline."

Scully blinked in surprise, though she didn't know why she should be shocked.

"Oh...okay. Well, you have a...a good night."

"You too."

Without another word, Fox left, and Scully fell back against her seat, emitting a loud sigh. Waiting a few minutes to make sure he didn't come back into the office for anything, she spread the sheets of paper she'd previously gathered up back onto the desk. Bringing her pen to her lips, she chewed at the tip and studied what she had written.

"What're you doing home so early?" Alex blurted out, surprised as his lover entered the apartment. His eyebrows turned down into a frown as Fox hesitated to reply.

"I uh...brought some stuff home with me. There was nothing else happening at work, so..."

Fox walked up to the younger man and placed a soft kiss on his mouth. He pulled back, observing the tiny lines around Alex's eyes, and the shadows underneath.

"You didn't sleep, did you?"

"I tried," Alex explained. "I really did. But I couldn't."

"So, what'd you do?"

"Got up and cleaned the bedroom and the bathroom."

Fox rolled his eyes.

"I figured it'd help make me tired."

"And are you?"

Alex shrugged. "I might be able to nap."

"Good, then I want you to go do that. But uh...but first I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay..."

Fox took Alex by the hand and led him over to the sofa. When they were both seated, he continued.

"I gotta leave for a couple of days."

"...Oh?"

"Yeah, I uh...I gotta go to Georgia on a case."

Alex nodded, struggling to remain nonchalant.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

Silence.

"I'm sorry, babe. I'd hoped I wouldn't have to leave town so soon."

"It's all right," Alex answered softly. "It's your job. No big surprise."

"Doesn't mean you have to like it. I don't."

Alex smiled and leaned in, kissing the older man.

"It's only a couple of days. I won't even notice you're gone."

"Oh no?"

"Nope."

Fox drew his lover into his arms, murmuring into the side of his neck.

"Damn liar."

"Okay, I might notice a little. You know, like when there's no wet towels on the edge of the tub and no jackets draped over the backs of chairs..."

Fox gave the other man a blank stare.

"I'm hurt."

"Awww."

"You'll be glad to get rid of me."

"Nooo..."

Fox nodded as he looked away. "Yes, you will. You prefer a clean house to me."

Alex laughed softly and pulled the older man to him.

"I was just kidding. You know I'll miss you."

"Really?"

The younger man smiled at the muffled query.

"Yeah, really. I've gotten very used to having you next to me when I go to sleep." He put a few inches distance between them and coaxed Fox to look at him. "I love opening my eyes in the morning and seeing you there...hair all wild..." He smiled and ruffled the golden-brown strands. "Sleepy eyes...sexy, pouty mouth..." He leaned in and brushed a tender kiss over the other man's lips, and suddenly emotion overcame amusement. "My heart is so full, Fox...I wish I could tell you..."

Fox tilted his head, reading the sincerity in the deep green gaze. Absorbing the change in Alex's mood, he raised his hand and traced the line of his love's jaw with the tips of his fingers.

"You tell me every day. Every time you look at me. Every time you smile...touch me...it tells me everything I need to know."

Alex gathered Fox to him, holding the older man in a bear hug.

"I will miss you. But I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Fox asked against his lover's shoulder. "You know, if you want to come with me..."

Hey, yeah.

"N-no. Babe, it's work. I have no place there. Besides, my presence would just antagonize Scully."

"I don't care what Scully..."

"I know. But I do. Being around her isn't the biggest thrill for me."

One corner of Fox's mouth twitched into a grimace.

"Sorry, didn't really think about that."

"It'd be a disaster from start to finish."

Fox blew out a long breath.

"I hate the idea of being away from you."

"That's my fault. I've made you feel like I'll break into a thousand pieces if you're not with me. I promise, Fox, I'll be okay. As long as I can hear your voice once a day, I'll live."

"I'll call you every night."

"Okay."

After a brief silence, Alex began to chuckle softly, prompting Fox to pull out of his arms and cast him a curious look.

"We sound like a couple of lovesick teenagers," he said by way of explanation then elaborated. "I had this friend in high school...Jerry Adams. He was so... insane over some girl...I can't remember her name now. But he hung on her every word...fawned all over her. Carried her books, left little notes in her locker...made me sick. I used to tell him what a disgusting sap he was, and all he'd say was, 'wait till it happens to you. Then you'll understand.'" He looked at Fox and smiled softly. "I told him he was out of his mind if he thought I was ever going to be that stupid."

The story prompted a grin from the older man.

"Are you admitting that you are that stupid?"

Alex kissed the older man then murmured against his mouth, "I'm saying that now I understand."

"Oh," Fox whispered then pulled Alex in for another kiss. A soft moan rumbled in his throat as Alex's fingers threaded through his hair, holding his head still for a deeper kiss.

Alex felt his lover's body relax and slump against him as Fox submitted, then seconds later, the older man stiffened and pulled away.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Fox breathed, twisting his head to avoid Alex's demanding mouth. "You're supposed to be resting."

"Who says?" Alex asked, letting one hand wander up and down the other man's back as he nibbled on the sensitive skin beneath his ear.

"You haven't slept at all, Alex. You have to be exhausted."

"Funny, I'm not nearly as tired now as I was," Alex croaked, moving lower on Fox's neck.

"Yeah, but..." Fox's eyelashes drooped over darkening eyes. "Alex...m-mmm...c'mon, Alex..."

"C'mon Alex, what?" the younger man asked, deftly unbuttoning his lover's shirt and flicking his tongue over a white cotton-covered nipple.

"Cut it out," Fox breathed unconvincingly even as he arched against his lover's warm mouth. "Want you to go take a nap."

"I will," Alex promised, lifting his head and pulling Fox's shirt out of his pants. The undershirt followed, and one hand wandered underneath, skimming the heated flesh. "In a couple of minutes."

Fox uttered a quickly dying protest as Alex unzipped his pants then sat back and undid his own. He watched through his lashes, moaning hungrily as the younger man reached into his jeans and pulled the solid length of his cock out. Thoughts of the day when he could finally feel Alex's hot semen hitting the back of his throat made his whole body quiver. But that day was still several months away...

"Jerk off with me, baby."

Golden-brown lashes fluttered, and amber-speckled eyes focused on the younger man's face. "What?"

Alex's hand began to glide over his own cock as he grasped Fox's wrist.

"Jerk off with me."

Fox let the younger man guide his hand down to his already stiff cock, and slowly, his fingers encircled the base.

Alex watched for a moment, hunger blazing in his eyes, then he pitched forward and, yanking both of Fox's shirts off, attached his mouth to the nipple he'd been teasing earlier. As he lapped at the rigid peak, he heard a sharp gasp and felt his lover's hand stop moving.

"No," he whispered, turning his gaze up to the other man's face. "Don't stop, Fox. I want you to come with me." He pulled hard on his own cock a couple of times for emphasis, and Fox grunted in response.

Satisfied that Fox had again begun to stroke himself, Alex maneuvered him onto his back then, turning sideways so that they were face to face, sank to his knees on the floor. He lowered his head to Fox's chest, and his tongue began to lash at the other nipple.

Fox's head dropped to the side, and he watched through a curtain of lashes as Alex expertly milked himself.

God, it was so...at the moment erotic sounded like as good a word as any, but it was more than that. His heart and his body knew it instinctively, though his mind would never be able to come up with an adequate description.

His back arched, and his mouth fell open on a harsh gasp as Alex sucked the nipple into his mouth, applying a moderate suction. The younger man's tongue continued to flick across the tip, tremendously increasing Fox's pleasure, and all at once, everything shut down, leaving only the ability to feel.

And the sensations were remarkable.

He'd jerked off before; hundreds of times, but it'd never felt this good.

It was Alex. Obviously. He was barely even touching Fox, and yet he made all the difference. He probably could have been halfway across the room doing nothing but watching, and Fox would have still been this ridiculously turned on.

He increased the speed of his hand, matching that of his lover, and he felt the familiar tingling heat begin. It spread slowly, skipping from nerve to nerve until each one vibrated with an intensity that made him tremble. He tried to keep his eyes open...to watch Alex's hand move faster and faster still. To see the younger man's face contort into an incredible mask of extreme pleasure even as he continued to torment the constricted nub in his mouth. But release was crashing toward him at an unstoppable pace, and control was lost in an instant.

Choked cries broke the air, and for a number of seconds, each man was lost, drowning in twin oceans of bliss.

Fox was first to make it back, grimacing slightly at the stickiness that coated his hand and stomach. A smile soon replaced it as he looked down at the sable head resting on his chest.

Eyes still closed, perfectly bowed mouth scrunched into a relaxed put, Alex looked as though he was well on his way to sleep.

"Babe," Fox called, running the fingers of his dry hand through his lover's hair. "C'mon, don't go to sleep like this; you're going to cramp up, and your kness are gonna hurt like hell."

Alex's lashes lifted halfway and he moaned softly in response.

"I know you're tired," Fox whispered, still petting the dark head. "Get up, and I'll put you to bed."

The other man attempted a muffled protest, but it was lost in Fox's chest as he sat up. Holding on to Alex, he rose to his feet and pulled the younger man up with him. Slowly, they walked to the bedroom, and he let Alex sink to the mattress before he retreated to the bathroom. Once there, he washed the drying semen away then rinsed the cloth in warm water and returned to the bedroom. A soft smile curved his lips as he moved to the bed. Alex was now lying on his side, face crushed into a pillow, soundly asleep. Smiling uncontrollably, he seated himself on the edge of the bed and, as gently as he could, turned the younger man onto his back and washed his hand and lower torso before carefully working his jeans down. A little moaning was all the resistance he incurred as he removed the pants and dabbed at his lover's depleted cock.

Dropping the jeans at the foot of the bed, he walked over to the dresser and withdrew a pair of underwear. As he moved back to the bed, he chuckled softly to himself.

Alex had turned again onto his side, unknowingly giving Fox a very tempting view of his rear. He emitted a soft grunt as a pair of warm hands gently wrestled him onto his back and began sliding a pair of dry underwear up his legs.

"This'd go a lot easier if you'd pick your ass up a little, you know?" Fox commented quietly, not really expecting a response as he tried to get the shorts up the rest of the way, and nothing was exactly what he got.

"Couldn't sleep all night, all day, now all of a sudden he can't keep his eyes open," Fox muttered, working the underwear slowly under the dead weight. Finally, he succeeded in his task and dropped a light kiss on the tip of Alex's nose before removing the soiled articles from the room.

Shuffling into the living room, he heaved a long sigh and picked up the phone. After making plane reservations for ten a.m., he called Scully then settled down with the file he'd brought home and began to read. Two hours later, he dropped the file, rubbing at his eyes and looked toward the bedroom.

No movement, no sound that he could detect.

He rose from the sofa and tip toed to the door, peeking inside.

Now on his stomach, Alex lay snoring softly, dead to the world.

The thought that he should probably wake the sleeping man soon crossed his mind, but one more look at the sweet, sleep-flushed face, and he couldn't do it. But at only six in the afternoon, Fox wondered what the hell Alex was going to do at two in the morning when he'd probably be wide-awake. He grinned at one possibility and returned to the living room. Falling down across the sofa, he picked up the discarded file and continued reading.

A blonde man limped back and forth across the floor of his Los Angeles apartment, phone to his ear.

"...And you're sure he'll go? Yeah, yeah, I'll wait to hear from you...look, I'm flyin' all the way out there, ain't I? I ain't goin' all that way just to fuck it up. That bastard messed me up but good. I'm dyin' for a little payback....yeah. Yeah, okay. Yeah, we'll bring plenty of film. Right. Okay, later."

He disconnected and dropped the phone down onto the windowsill he'd stopped in front of. Smiling, he watched the activity in the street below.

"So...Alex...never knew your name, ya punk ass bitch." The smile grew wider. "This time it's my turn."

Fox's eyes opened slowly, and he blinked several times, trying to focus.

The room was just getting light, and he could make out the outline of the larger objects in the room. His eyes shifted to the clock, noting that it was just after six. He'd set the alarm for six-thirty, but since he was awake, he reached over and disabled the function.

Turning his head, his regard fell to the figure beside him.

Alex had surprised him...shocked him actually, by sleeping all night. And now, over twelve hours since he'd fallen into bed, he was still out.

Fox smiled wearily then leaned in and brushed a soft kiss into his sleeping lover's hair. Then carefully, he pulled the cover back and slid out of bed. As much as he hated to remove himself from Alex's warmth, he did have to get ready to go.

"Time is it?"

The barely audible, husky voice reached Fox's ears just as he was pulling a suit from the closet. He turned to find Alex on his left side, watching him with half-closed eyes.

"A little after six," he murmured, returning to the bed. He took a seat at the edge, reaching out to pet Alex's hair. The soft, dark spikes refused to lie down; they merely assumed a different position, and Fox smiled at the picture Alex presented.

Alex's eyes left Fox's face for a moment, scanning the room.

"In the morning?"

"Mmm hmm. You've been asleep for a long time."

"God," Alex croaked. "I never sleep that long."

"Apparently you needed it."

Alex sighed and executed a long stretch. As his body relaxed into an easy sprawl, a sudden thought seemed to come to him. "Did...did you make your reservations?"

"Yeah. I gotta leave here no later than eight-thirty."

Alex's heart sank. "Oh. Okay, uh...why don't you go get in the shower? First tell me what you want to pack, and I'll do it."

"Already done. I did it last night before I came to bed." Fox studied Alex's expression for a while then leaned in to brush his lips across his lover's warm forehead. "Are you sure you're going to be all right?"

"Yeah. I'm just...I guess I'm just a little disoriented. One minute we're discussing you going away on a case, and the next thing I know, I'm opening my eyes, and you're getting ready to leave."

Fox sat up and lowered his gaze to the space between them.

"You know, I really don't think I'm going to make it."

Alex tilted his head in question. "Make what?"

"A year. Not if I'm going to feel like this every time I have to go away."

"It's just because this is the first trip. It'll get easier...for both of us."

"Do you really believe that, or is it just wishful thinking?"

Alex smiled, loving how well Fox had come to know him in such a relatively short time.

"Maybe a little of both."

Fox nodded then paused as if he was thinking about something. Before Alex could inquire about it, he reached out, pulling the nightstand drawer open.

Withdrawing two condoms, he cast a devilish grin down at the younger man. Suspicion blended with instant desire, and Alex released a soft moan. "What d'you think you're gonna do with those?"

"Well, I got a little time to kill before I have to go, and I thought, you know, since you're already on your back..."

"Oh, you thought that, did you?" Alex asked even as he lifted his hips for Fox to remove his underwear.

"Yeah, I thought that."

Fox pulled the younger man's t-shirt off and ran both hands up and down his chest and abdomen.

"You assume much, Agent Mulder," Alex groaned as Fox brushed his fingertips over the rapidly hardening nipples.

"Tell me I'm wrong," Fox dared him, bending to flick his tongue over one constricted peak.

"You're wrong."

Fox lifted his head, sending Alex a challenging stare.

Alex snickered softly. "You like that? Pretty convincing, wasn't I? Ah, shit!" A low moan followed the curse as Alex squirmed against the hand that had just delivered a not so gentle slap to the side of his upper thigh.

"How 'bout that?" Fox taunted, watching his lover's hardening cock jump. "You like that?" One corner of his mouth slanted upward when he received only a soft whine as a response.

Handing one condom to Alex, he rose to his feet and stripped off his underwear. Then, kneeling on the bed, he straddled the other man's waist.

"Put it on me."

Alex obeyed without hesitation, and when he completed his task, Fox handed him the lube. He applied a generous amount to the older man's cock, teasing the rigid shaft until Fox decided he'd had enough.

Holding Alex's gaze, Fox shifted position, kneeling between his parted legs, and put the other condom on him. He then pulled the younger man toward him. He moved forward, lying on top of Alex, and lowered his head until their lips touched.

"You're going to feel this until I come back home."

Alex gasped at the simple statement, and his cock throbbed.

Fox cocked his head slightly, his eyes glittering with definite intent.

"You like that?" he whispered, watching his lover's eyes close and his lips part slightly. He lifted Alex's legs, encouraging the younger man to wrap them around his waist. With not much hesitation, he surged forward, burying himself in tight, clenching heat.

Alex's neck arched, driving his head back into the pillows as he cried out with the joy of being so utterly possessed. His leg muscles tightened in an unconscious attempt to pull Fox even more deeply into him. His fingers dug into the older man's back, and sounds; broken, disjointed ramblings tumbled from his lips, pleading in their tone and urgency.

He wanted what Fox had just promised. Christ, more than he wanted his next breath. If he could feel him...physically feel his presence, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He'd make it through the couple of days Fox was gone, and it'd be okay...

"All right, baby," Fox soothed, realizing just how much of a frenzy he had worked his lover into, even if he didn't fully understand the reasons. "I got what you want."

Harsh, abbreviated groans pushed past Alex's gritted teeth as Fox gathered his strength and drove into him again and again. The groans turned to a series of strangled whimpers with the added stimulation of his cock, and any reason Alex still possessed left him just then.

Fox watched Alex intently, mesmerized by this exquisitely beautiful creature beneath him, wrapped in feral, mindless bliss...overjoyed by the knowledge that he alone could bring him to it.

He continued his powerful thrusts, his hand matching then exceeding his pace, forcing increasingly desperate cries from his lover. The younger man bucked wildly then stiffened as orgasm approached, and Fox joined him, grating disjointed words of love and encouragement above Alex's choked sobs.

Moments later, the two collapsed and lay spent and moaning softly in each other's arms. What seemed like an eternity later, Alex turned his face into the golden-brown hair brushing the side of his neck and kissed the back of Fox's head.

"Yeah, I'll be feeling that for a while."

Fox grinned lazily against his lover's shoulder then moved to disengage.

"Good," he rumbled then lifted his head. His eyes shone a brilliant green-gold.

"Wait."

"For what?"

"For me to get back. It's gonna be days before you're able to sit."

"Not nice to tease," Alex purred, rubbing his leg against Fox's rear.

"Who said I was teasing?" Fox countered. "By the time I get back here, we'll have spent two or three nights apart." He lowered his head and brushed his lover's lips with his own. "You'd better get a lot of rest, sweet baby, 'cause you're gonna be in for a rough ride."

"I don't know if you're thinking that's a threat," Alex moaned, nipping lightly at the older man's lip. "But I can tell you that all it does to me is turn me on like you wouldn't believe. Jeez, even so soon after we just finished, parts of me are starting to tingle."

"Can't get enough of me, huh?" Fox returned the gentle nip, grinning broadly.

"I hope you really know how true that is."

The grin faded into a tender smile, and Fox laid a soft kiss on his lover's lips. "I know." He sighed heavily. "I guess I should get up now."

Alex fought the overwhelming urge to wrap his arms tightly around Fox and refuse to let him go. Instead, he glanced at the clock then back at his lover.

"Yeah. If Scully has to wait for you, she won't be very happy."

Hesitating a while longer, Fox finally picked himself up, moaning at the loss of Alex's heat, and he trudged slowly out of the room.

"I don't wanna go!" he yelled as he passed into the hall then disappeared into the bathroom, turning the shower on.

"I don't want you to go," Alex whispered after lying quietly for a while, staring up at the ceiling. A few minutes more in bed, and he rose to gather the clothes Fox had forgotten about earlier.

An hour and dozens to kisses and hugs later, Fox was on his way. Left now to himself, Alex took a seat on the sofa, folding his hands in his lap, and looking around.

So, here he was. Alone. For a few days. In Fox's apartment.

Their apartment. Fox would have corrected him immediately.

His wandering gaze fell on the aquarium, and he smiled at the angelfish hovering in the far corner. Rising from the sofa, he lifted the lid and sprinkled a few flakes of food into the water. He watched the fish dart back and forth a few times before finally swimming to the top to eat.

I knew he was just blowing smoke when he talked about flushing you.

"You lonely?" he asked the fish out loud as he tapped lightly at the glass. "Bet you are." He watched in silence for a while then spoke again.

"It didn't really thrill you to eat the others, right? You did what you had to do to survive." He gave his only companion a sad smile.

"I understand."

"You asleep?"

Hazel eyes shifted from the airplane window to the woman in the next seat.

"With my eyes open?"

"It's not unheard of."

The eyes shifted back to the window.

"Mulder, is your mind going to be focused on this case?"

"Of course it is."

"But until then you're going to walk around in this state?"

"What state?"

"You're like a...a zombie, for lack of a better word. Mulder, Krycek is a big boy. I'm sure he'll be fine for a few days."

No response.

"Mulder, are you listening?"

"I heard you."

"But?"

Fox cast a blank stare on his partner.

"Look...I know I agreed not to try and talk to you about Krycek or your life, but we're on a case now. I need to know that you're here, and not just physically."

"Don't expect me to forget about him."

"Not forget, Mulder, but at least put him to the side..."

The statement earned her a sharp stare.

"A little. You can't do your job properly if the only thing you can think of is what Krycek had for breakfast this morning, what Krycek is doing right now, where he's been, who he's been with..."

"Who would he be with?"

Scully shrugged. "I...I don't know. It was just a comment."

"He wouldn't be with anybody."

"Okay! You don't need to be so defensive, Mulder. I didn't mean anything by it."

"The hell you didn't," Fox snapped as softly as his building anger would allow. "You're thinking that the minute my back is turned he's going to be off looking for a little action."

"I didn't say that," Scully responded softly. "You did."

"It's what you were implying," Fox grated, drawing the attention of the passengers around them. "But guess what, Scully?" He moved a little closer, growling softly into the woman's ear. "It's just me. I'm all he wants. I'm all he needs."

"Yeah, okay, Mulder. You're all he wants, you're all he needs. Gotcha. Now, can we drop this?"

"I didn't start it," Fox breathed, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes.

"Fine. I'm to blame. I'm sorry. Let's just drop it."

Fox sat quietly, eyes closed, mouth set in a hard, angry line. He said nothing more for the rest of the flight, and when they landed twenty minutes later, he headed straight for the car rental booth with his partner scurrying behind him, trying to keep up with his long strides.

Finding a line at the booth, Scully excused herself, feigning a trip to the ladies room. Once she was out of Fox's sight, she whipped her cell phone and a slip of paper out of her pocket. Reading the number, she quickly punched it in and waited for an answer.

"Yeah?"

"Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"You find everything I left you?"

"Yeah, I did. How'd you get this stuff?"

"You don't need to know that. You remember which apartment?"

"You wrote it down, for Christ's sake."

"Just make sure you get the right one. And make doubly sure you get damn good pictures."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey."

"What?"

"I know why I'm doing this. Why are you? What'd he do to you?"

"It's got nothing to do with anything he did. Now, stop asking questions, unless you've got one directly pertaining to your assignment. Wait until the proper amount of elapsed time, do what you went there to do, remove the unit, and get the hell out of there. And for God's sake, make sure no one sees you."

"Relax, honey, everything's cool."

"It'd better be. I'll call you tomorrow to see how it went."

"Okee doke. Uh, hey. Not too early, okay? Maybe I'll still be over there havin' fun with him."

"Don't you dare stay there any longer than I told you to. It'll only be safe for about an hour. After that, you run the risk of getting caught or worse."

The man heaved an exaggerated sigh.

"Do you understand me?"

"Yeah, yeah. An hour."

"I'll call you tomorrow."

"Right."

Scully hung up and, tucking the phone back into her pocket, headed back toward the rental booth. Fox was just beginning to speak to the agent as she reached him, and she stood at his side, mind racing.

You're taking a huge chance; I hope you know that. What if he screws up? What if he doesn't follow your instructions exactly and Krycek dies or something? Not only would that defeat the whole purpose of this, but it'd send Mulder straight off into the deep end...

Fox broke off his conversation with the rental agent and turned a curious gaze on his partner.

"What is it?"

"Hmm?"

"You just...you let out this groan."

"Oh. Did...did I?"

Fox nodded.

"I had a cramp...in my leg. I'll just go walk it off."

Fox watched the redhead limp away then turned his attention back to his business.

Great, Scully cursed to herself. Goddamn beautiful. Make him suspicious why don't you?

Everything's fine. Just don't lose your cool.

Easier said than done. Do you know the depth of the shit you'll be in if... "Your leg better?"

Scully emitted an abbreviated shriek and spun around, practically crashing into her partner as he came to stand behind her. "Um, yeah. Yeah, it is. Got the car?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

Exhaling a steadying breath, Scully bit back her concerns and trailed Fox out of the building, going off in search of their car.

Alex walked into the living room, glass of apple juice in one hand, pair of scissors and next week's T.V. Guide in the other, and a baloney sandwich hanging out of his mouth. He set the items he held down on the coffee table then removed the sandwich from his mouth, taking a bite as he did. He set the sandwich down on top of the glass and lifted the plastic bag halfway out of the aquarium, cutting the top away.

"You behave yourself, now," he warned the angelfish as he inverted the bag and dumped its contents into the tank.

The fish darted frantically amongst the neon colored paraphernalia anchored in the blue rocks at the bottom, then he settled down and inched forward to investigate the new arrival.

An almost identical fish, save for the slightly lighter coloring of its stripes, floated patiently while the other swam around it, checking things out. Seconds later, the two were gliding back and forth from one end of the tank to the other, looking for all the world like they'd been together forever.

"You're happy now, aren't you?" Alex asked the fish, who was now playing hide and seek amongst the plastic plants with the other. He watched for a while longer then sat back with his sandwich and picked up the remote control. Just as he had turned on the television and was about to speed through the channels, the phone rang.

Dropping the remote, Alex snatched up the phone and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, handsome."

Alex smiled and leaned back against the cushions.

"Who's this?"

"This is the guy who fucked you senseless this morning."

"Ohhhh, yeah."

"You remember now?"

"Yeah," Alex purred into the phone. "I can still feel you. Just like you said I would."

A low chuckle met his response.

"Where are you?"

"In a rental, on our way to the police station."

"Wait a minute...Scully's with you?"

"Yep."

"Fox..."

"Yeah, baby?"

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Why?"

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, I'd say Scully was turning about fifteen different shades of purple about now."

Fox glanced quickly in his partner's direction then turned his attention back to the road, grinning.

"Mmmm, maybe twelve."

"You're bad."

"Wait till I get home. I'll show you bad."

"Christ," Alex chuckled softly. "You can get me hard so unbelievably fast." "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Do me a favor. Save it for me, okay? I promise, I'll make it worth your while."

"And now I gotta spend the next few days in agony...thinking about what it is you have in mind, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you do."

Soft groan.

"Aww. Are you suffering, baby?"

"Like you didn't know."

Fox chuckled again. A deep, nasty sound that sent shivers of anticipation through his lover.

"So," he said, changing the subject. "What're you doing?"

"Unzipping my pants."

"Aleeeeex."

"What?"

"Hands off."

"I was just kidding...as uncomfortably tight as my jeans are right now, I'm behaving myself."

"Okay. Good."

"Good that I'm suffering?"

"No, good that you're waiting for me." Fox's voice dropped two octaves, and he murmured into the phone, "I'm gonna make you scream..."

"God, Fox, cut it out."

"What, you don't like that idea?"

"You know I do, but if you don't shut the hell up, I'm going to come in my pants right here, and I won't even have had to touch myself."

Fox squirmed in his seat, imagining just that. "Ooooh, yeah?"

"Yes. And number two, you must be pissing Scully off royally."

"Ask me if I care."

"You should, Fox. Please don't provoke her."

Hard sigh. "Okay, okay...so what are really doing?"

"Having some lunch....went to the pet store today."

"What for?"

"Got the angelfish a friend."

"You mean you got him lunch."

"Nooo, no. I got him another angelfish. You should see how happy he is now."

Fox laughed into the phone. "Happy? You can tell he's happy?"

"Yeah," Alex replied with a touch of indignance in his voice. "They're playing in the plants."

"Alex...fish don't play."

"They are too playing. They're happy together. I think it's love."

"I think you're cracked."

The comment earned Fox a soft snort.

"Okay babe, okay. But when that little cannibal eats his one true love, I will not refrain from saying, time and time again, I told you so."

"And when he doesn't?"

"You get to say I told you so...but you won't. 'Cause the first time you forget to feed them, that other fish is gone."

"Okay, we'll see."

"Yeah, we will...look, babe, we're getting close to the police station, so I'd better go."

The playful, combative tone left Alex's voice."...Okay. Call me later?"

Okay, that didn't sound too pathetic. Christ.

"'Course I will. Probably be sometime after seven, okay?"

"'Kay." Not really expecting Fox to respond, he closed his eyes and whispered into the phone.

"I love you."

"I love you too, babe. Talk to you later."

Fox disconnected and for the first time since starting his conversation with Alex, noticed that Scully's leg was bouncing up and down, and the fingers of her left hand were biting into the seat cushion.

"Something to say?"

"Nope."

Fox snorted and turned his attention back to the road.

Okay, Mulder. Go ahead. Act smug. We'll see how smug you are when you see what little Alex has been up to while you were gone...

Darkness began to descend on the apartment, and Alex entered the living room from the bedroom, turning on one lamp. He walked over to the window behind Fox's desk, hand absently caressing the back of his lover's chair as he moved.

Well, he'd made it through the day. Quite an accomplishment, though he knew that tonight would be a much bigger test. He hated the idea of sleeping alone, even if it was Fox's... their bed he was in. All in all, though, he could be fairly proud of himself. No anxiety attacks, no expected, unexpected visits from Skinner.

He allowed himself a small breath of relief. Guess he'd be okay after all.

Glancing at his watch, he noticed that it was almost seven.

He should be calling soon.

His heart leapt in anticipation of hearing his lover's voice, speaking to him in that low, sexy tone, telling him about his day, saying that he missed him...

He'd take that to bed with him and wrap it around himself like a blanket as he prayed for sleep to take him quickly.

Emitting a soft breath, Alex turned from the window and picked up the phone, carrying it with him to the sofa, where he dropped down and switched the t.v. on. Not five minutes into the news, he got up and headed toward the kitchen for a glass of water. Halfway there, he spun around and ran for the phone as it rang.

"Hello?"

"That fish disappear yet?"

"No."

Soft laugh. "How're you doing?"

"Okay."

"What're you up to?"

"Just heading into the kitchen for a glass of water. I ordered Chinese for dinner, and now I'm thirsty as hell. How'd it go today?"

"Pretty predictable. Scully and everybody else coming up with what they consider to be rational explanations for this thing."

"Not so rational to you."

"You should see the looks that my theory got."

"You didn't expect anything different, did you?"

"No, I'm used to it. Get's old after a while though, you know?"

"I know. I'm sorry, vozliublennii."

"I know a way to fix it."

"You do?"

"Yup. I could quit."

Alex finished the water and set the glass down on the counter. "Fox..."

I really don't think I'm going to make a year, Alex. I hate being away from you."

"I don't like it none too much either, but please give it a little time. I don't want you to have any regrets."

Fox sighed softly then went silent. "Fox?"

"I'm here. My head knows that you're right, babe. It's the rest of me that's having problems with it."

It was Alex's turn to be silent.

"Okay," Fox piped up. "How about this? If I have to be anywhere for more than three days, you come out to find me."

"Didn't we kind of have this conversation?"

"Kind of. But I'm not suggesting that you come with me, I'm saying that you could meet me."

"That wouldn't make Scully any happier than she would be if I'd gone with you."

"I'm not interested in Scully's happiness. I'm interested in yours. And mine."

Alex closed his eyes and sighed softly. "I love you, Fox. And your happiness is all I care about. If I'm around irritating Scully, she'll in turn make your life a living hell. And I can't have that. I won't."

"And I won't have you putting your needs aside for the sake of peace between me and Scully. I can handle her and any shit she decides to throw at me. But I can't handle knowing that you're unhappy or uncomfortable, especially when I know there's something I can do about it. You're first, Alex."

There was a brief silence, then the younger man spoke, his voice hoarse with emotion.

"It's been so long since anyone's...I-I've only ever mattered to my parents."

"You matter to me. You're all that matters to me."

Alex's fingers tightened around the phone. "I love you so much. I don't know what I'd do if..." He caught himself in mid sentence and swallowed the rest of his words. Seconds later, Fox's voice drifted to his ear, soft and husky and completely spellbinding.

"Alex."

The younger man responded with silence.

"You won't."

Sable lashes swept downward, covering the glassy, green of Alex's eyes.

"Baby?"

"Yeah." Alex stopped to clear his throat. "I'm here."

"Talk to me."

"'Bout what?"

"About all the stuff that's going on inside you right now."

"Going on?"

"Alex, I can feel you."

God, it was as scary as it was wonderful. To have someone so in tune to his emotions that even hundreds of miles away, he could sense his need...

"I...I miss you," Alex stammered. "I hate the thought of going to sleep without you. I feel s-so..." He swiped at his upper lip with the back of his hand. "I don't know. Anxious, I guess."

"I'm coming home."

"No. Fox, don't."

"Alex..."

"I'm not a baby," the younger man insisted. "I can deal with it by myself."

"But you don't have to. I promised I'd take care of you, Alex, and that's what I intend to do."

"You do," Alex answered, his tone lowering to an almost imperceptible level. "You take such good care of me..." He snorted softly. "More than half the time I'm sure I'm dreaming all of this. Please, Fox, stay there. Do your job. I promise you won't come home and find me naked in a corner, babbling incoherently."

"Well now, wait a minute," Fox replied, the humor returning to his voice. "I think I'd kinda like the naked part."

A hint of a smile came to Alex's lips. "Okay, well, I can arrange that."

"Can you arrange for whipped cream and some leather harnesses too?"

This time a short chuckle pushed past the curved lips.

"Kinky bastard."

"Does that mean I should take back the souvenirs I bought you? I guess they'll refund my money for the ball gag; it's still in the wrapping..."

"Fox, you did not walk into some adult gift store and buy a ball gag."

"I didn't? Oh. I guess I didn't buy the fur lined cuffs or the flavored lube either, then."

Alex emitted a loud peal of laughter as he refilled his previously empty glass.

"Oh, my God. Tell me Scully wasn't with you."

"No, I dropped her off at her room then went back out. There's this place I saw just down the street as we were driving to the motel earlier. How do you feel about thong underwear?"

"God. Why?"

"Just asking. How about cock rings?"

"Fox..."

"Yes, Alex?"

"Okay, if that was meant t' sound innocent, you fell way short."

"Damn. Well, I tried."

"Uh huh."

"God, I can't wait to get home."

"Yeah, you don' wanna see me, you jus' wanna play with all your new...toys."

Alex drank down the second glass of water and shuffled into the living room, flopping down across the sofa.

"First of all," Fox argued, "they're our new toys, and I wanna play with them with you." The playful tone faded. "Then, when we're both completely exhausted, I want to fall asleep with you wrapped in my arms."

Alex moaned softly into the phone. "That's what 'm gonna miss most tonight."

"Baby, you okay? You sound kind of funny."

"Mm hmm. Yeah, I'm just...wow. Feel so tired all of a sudden." Alex squinted at his watch. "Jeez, it's not even eight."

"Why don't you go to bed?"

"If I go now, I'll be 'wake by two...if I sleep at all."

"Wish I was there to keep you awake," Fox murmured, "but..."

"Mmm. Beat as I feel right now, 'm not even sure you and all your new toys could keep me 'wake."

"Damn," Fox chuckled softly. "You're fading fast, babe. Go to bed."

"Starting t'feel like I could sleep all night," Alex sighed.

"Go on. I'll talk to you in the morning, okay?"

No answer.

"Alex?"

"Hmm?"

"You're falling asleep. Hang up and get to bed."

"Mmm hmm."

"Love you."

Fox smiled at his lover's muddled response and waited until he heard the click on the other end before disconnecting. He sat quietly, phone in his hand, wishing with all his heart that he was home, holding and stroking Alex while the younger man drifted off to sleep.

Alex was right. All the time they'd spent together...all the companionship, the conversation, the mind-shattering sex... this was what he missed the most. The feel of Alex's hair, so silky soft, brushing the underside of his chin. The comforting weight of the other man's body resting on his...long sinews, previously taut and straining, lazily flowing under his wandering hands...

Fox closed his eyes and moaned softly.

...The barely audible purr of contentment as his love descended into sleep...

Jesus, who the hell would have known that he could become this addicted to someone, let alone Alex Krycek in such a short period of time? He was so in love with the man he couldn't see straight, and it was an unbelievably wonderful feeling.

Which, unfortunately, translated into the incredible loneliness he was now suffering.

"A year of this?" he asked himself, drawing a pillow to his chest and hugging it tightly. "I really don't see it."

Emerald eyes fought to stay open as unexplainable exhaustion weighed down Alex's lids. Feeling much too heavy to move, he managed to force himself up off of the sofa and stumbled into the bedroom, where he shrugged out of his pants and shirt then dropped down onto the bed and reached for the t-shirt that Fox had worn the night before. Alex had not thrown it into the hamper, instead folding it neatly and leaving it at the foot of the bed, knowing that tonight he'd want to wear it.

Inhaling deeply as he worked the shirt over his head and pulled it down over his chest, he tingled at the lingering scent of his lover.

"Fox," he murmured sluggishly, letting himself fall back onto the mattress. "Want you home." He turned onto his side, pulling the older man's pillow to his chest and fell almost immediately into a heavy slumber.

Ten o'clock.

Well, if what's his name and....the other one...had followed instructions, everything should be set by now.

Scully paced the length of her motel room, running the plan in her head. Tap into Mulder's water pipe. Attach device. Check on Krycek at around nine to see what was what. If he was as big a water drinker as Mulder was, he should have ingested plenty enough by then to put him out for several hours. Ironically, it was the incident he'd been involved in all those years ago that gave her the idea for this. Though she'd been courteous enough to figure a way to get around drugging the whole damn building.

Anyway...

If he was out, get in, get down to business, taking care, of course, to snap plenty of pictures for Mulder's viewing pleasure...remove device...God, she hoped the morons didn't forget to remove the damn thing...and get the hell out.

Should be easy enough even if they were the boobs she'd pegged them for.

She stopped in front of the only window in the room, staring out into the darkness. Suddenly a wave of unexpected panic washed over her.

God. Holy Christ, Dana, what the hell are you doing? What if they're caught? What if Krycek isn't too far gone, and he's able to fight them? He kill them, and you know it. Of course, probably not before he beats the truth out of them. They'll squeal like rats, and you'll go down like the fucking Titanic. You'll lose your job, you'll probably be arrested...and Mulder. Oh, dear God, Mulder. Is a piece of Krycek really worth hurting him this deeply?

He won't be hurt if Krycek is smart. He won't want Mulder to see those pictures. He won't want to take the chance that Mulder will believe that he was drugged and set up. He'll be too frightened of losing him...

You know what you're doing, don't you? You're admitting it. Krycek loves Mulder.

She closed her eyes, shaking her head.

No. Not necessarily. So he's scared to lose him. So fucking what? Mulder's nothing to him but a warm body and a hot meal.

He had plenty of warm bodies. And those bodies gave him more than enough money to live on. He left it behind for one man.

"Doesn't matter," she whispered to herself. "Even if by some ridiculous stretch of the imagination he does love Mulder, he's beneath him. He's scum. He's trash, he's...

She pressed her forehead to the streaked glass and released and deep moan. "He's goddamn gorgeous."

Jesus, there are plenty of gorgeous men around... Mulder's gorgeous, but you don't go moist at the thought of him.

If you did, there'd be something seriously wrong with you. Mulder's like your brother for God's sake. Krycek is...oh, my God, he's...

He was sex personified. Every move, every sweep of those fucking beautiful eyelashes...every word that rumbled past those flawless lips screamed 'fuck me'. And so far Mulder had had all the pleasure.

Well, him and a few hundred others.

Soon it would be her turn. And she'd know what it was that put that look of utter satisfaction on Mulder's face when he walked into the office every morning. She'd know what it was that made him so anxious to get home every night...

Okay, so you'll know. And then what? How long do you suppose you'll be able to blackmail him before he decides he's had enough? And then what'll you do? Are you really prepared to make sure Mulder sees those pictures?

"Okay." Scully moved away from the window, giving herself a good shake. "Stop thinking so much. You think way too much. Just go with it. It'll work out okay."

Fingers clenched in her hair, she fell across her bed and groaned up at the ceiling. "Ohhhh, God!"

She rolled onto her side and curled into as small as ball as she could, mumbling softly to herself.

"What are you doing, what are you doing, what the fuck are you..."

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"What d'you mean, what am I doing?" One of the pair on the fire escape asked.

"It's pitch dark in there."

"So, you're gonna shine a fuckin' flashlight in the window? What if he's awake, brainiac?"

The irate man shoved the camera he carried at the other.

"This, he grated as softly as he could, "is what you use."

His companion took the camera and lifted it to his face.

"Man, this is way cool," he said, amazed at the wonders of modern technology.

"Watch him for a minute and make sure."

Silence descended on the metal platform as the man with the camera watched the figure on the bed.

"He's out cold, man. He ain't movin'."

"Okay," the other man murmured. "Okay, let's get down and get in there."

The two men descended the fire escape and snuck around into the building, picking the lock to apartment forty-two. Shuffling quietly inside, they located the bedroom and carefully peered into the darkness.

No movement. No sound.

As they entered the room, the faint light from the window afforded them a tiny glimpse of their target.

The limping man smirked down at the helpless figure and began to remove his shirt.

"You an' me are gonna have a little fun, bitch," he whispered as he dropped the shirt at the foot of the bed and undid his pants. "Too bad you'll be too out of it to know it."

His cohort positioned himself with the camera as he reached into his pocket, producing a condom and some lube, and when he had finished preparing himself, he nodded to the other.

"Get some good shots, now." He turned on the light by the bed. "And don't forget to use both cameras."

Climbing onto the bed, he straddled the unconscious man and froze. No reaction.

Smiling, he went to work undressing Alex, then ran his hands over the newly exposed skin.

"You are pretty. Too bad you had to be such a goddamn fucking prick."

"In fairness, A.J., you did provoke the guy. He told you no kink, yet you tried to fuck him with that beer bottle..."

"Fuck you, Howie. Who asked you? Just take the freakin' pictures."

The other man began snapping as his irate companion not-so-gently manipulated his victim. Sucking at Alex's throat, he pulled and twisted one nipple, and when his friend had taken enough pictures, he pulled away, grinning.

"Let's see you explain that little hickey to lover boy," he snickered then squeezed some lube onto his sheathed cock. Distributing the gel, he pulled the other man's legs up and wrestled them up and over his shoulders.

"God, this is not easy when you got no help," he grunted, positioning his cock. "Howie, you gettin' this?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm gettin' it."

"Using both cameras?"

"Yeah, both cameras...which also ain't so easy."

Alex moaned softly, and the two stopped, holding their breath.

A.J. wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "Still out." He shifted a bit, gritted his teeth, and pushed roughly into the other man. "Ahhh, yeah. Pictures, Howie, pictures."

"I am, I am..."

Skinner paced the length of his living room, cursing himself over and over for the thoughts had been coursing through his mind ever since this afternoon.

Mulder away. Krycek alone.

Walt horny.

"No," he whispered harshly. "No, it isn't worth all the trouble that would arise from it."

His body argued that point most strenuously.

And it kept screaming at him until he picked up his jacket and stalked out of his apartment.

A.J. leaned forward, falling onto his hands and almost folding Alex in half, and then he began to thrust violently, grunting with the effort.

"Hope you...feel this when you...wake...up," A.J. grated, pounding mercilessly into the former hooker. "Wish I could...ah, fuck...be here to see his face when he sees..."

Howie stopped shooting for a second, startled by his companion's loud grunts of completion, but he recovered quickly and finished the roll just as A.J. pulled out and let Alex drop to the bed.

"God, that was good."

Howie shuddered. "Wasn't it just a little too much like fucking a stiff?"

"Nah," A.J. rasped, pulling his rubber off and using the sheet to clean his cock. "He's warm."

The other man shrugged then looked around. "Well, let's get out of here before he wakes up or something."

"He's still dead to the world," A.J. argued, slapping Alex's cheek twice. "See?"

"Still, we don't want to take any chances. "C'mon, let's go."

A.J. rose from the bed and began walking around, poking at this and that. "In a minute. I just wanna nose around a little."

"Look. If you're gonna fart around here, go ahead," Howie choked. "I'm goin' down to take that thing off of his tank."

"Yeah," A.J. murmured, distracting himself with the items on top of the dresser. "Yeah, go ahead."

Quickly, Howie made his way out of the room, leaving A.J. alone with the still unconscious man.

Putting a bottle of cologne back in its place, he picked up the small, framed picture of Alex and a man who had to be his lover. Alex sat in front of the other man, back to the other's chest, his man's arms wrapped loosely around him. Two serene faces smiled out at A.J., and he snorted, putting the picture back. "Pretty," he said to the motionless figure. "Very pretty."

He walked over to the closet and threw the door open.

"Niiiiice," he murmured, checking out the suits that hung within. "Hmm. Armani," he read aloud, looking at the label on one of the jackets.

Shutting the door, he limped over to the bed and smiled down at the naked form. "Got you a sugar daddy, huh? That's nice. Wonder how happy he's gonna be when he finds out he's not the only one bangin' you." He chuckled softly, picking up his clothes. "Sorry we don't have time for another round, sweetie pie, but I really gotta go now. Howie should be back soon, and he'll have a bird if I'm not ready to go."

Dressing quickly, A.J. stopped to give Alex a hard slap to his thigh, then he left the room, whistling softly to himself. Making the decision to meet Howie downstairs, he opened the door, and before he could step into the hall, he came face to face with a man who was not his friend.

"Who the hell are you?" a harsh baritone rumbled as sharp brown eyes seared A.J. with angry heat.

"Uh..." The intruder's eyes flicked past the newcomer to his companion, who had just stepped off of the elevator and froze with shock.

"A.J.? What's..."

"What's going on, here?" The square man boomed, noticing the cameras and another large, filter type item in the other man's hand.

"N-nothing, we're just..." A.J. shoved the larger man aside, taking him by surprise, and he and Howie fled.

Quickly regaining his balance, Skinner bolted after the two, catching up to the handicapped man easily enough. He tackled the man, and they both went sprawling to the floor. Cursing loudly as the man with the cameras threw open the door at the end of the hall and scampered down the stairs, he flipped the other onto his back, and again began bellowing questions. "Who are you? What are you doing in that apartment?"

"Just visiting, man," the other croaked.

"Bullshit. I'm going to ask once more. And then I'm going to start hurting you."

"No! No. Come on, you don't have to do that. I'll uh...I'll tell you."

"Start talking. Fast."

"I don't live here. I came from California to do a favor."

Skinner tightened his hold on the man's shirt. "What kind of favor?"

"The guy who lives here...he used to live in California. He was a hooker. Pissed off a lot of people while he was there. He gave me this limp. Anyway, he must have done something to the person who called me, too." He shrugged. "They wanted a little payback."

"What did you do?" Skinner hissed, unable to process at that exact moment why he felt such rage bubble up inside of him.

The man remained silent, not knowing whether or not to answer.

Skinner lifted him a few inches off of the floor then slammed him back down. "That jar your memory?"

"We...we fixed it so that his sugar daddy would boot him to the curb."

"How?" the increasingly irate man spat through gritted teeth.

"Gave...gave him a little sleeping potion then while my friend took some pictures, he and I had a little party..."

"You drugged him?"

The man's silence answered his question.

"You had sex with an unconscious, defenseless man?"

"He had it coming."

"He deserved to be raped?"

Bloodshot eyes mixed with fear and defiance stared up at Skinner, and he rose to his feet, dragging the man up with him.

"Who brought you here?"

"Woman. Small redhead."

Skinner's eyes narrowed. What? He fell silent for a moment then let go of his captive.

"Get the hell out of here," he gasped at the surprised man. "Go before I change my mind."

A.J. backed up a few steps, moving slowly at first, then he turned and lurched away as quickly as he could, disappearing from Skinner's sight.

Taking two deep breaths, Skinner headed toward Mulder's apartment and stepped inside, closing the door after him. He stopped and listened but heard nothing. Glancing around the spotless apartment, he moved cautiously into the bedroom and drifted over to the bed, where Alex lay, naked and still passed out cold. Even in the sparse light, he could see a bruise forming on the younger man's throat, and a small object on the bed beside him.

Withdrawing a pocket-sized flashlight from his jacket, he switched it on and pointed it at the spot. He cursed softly and reached into the tissue box on the nightstand beside the bed, plucking away several squares and picking up the discarded condom. He retreated to the bathroom and flushed the rubber, then returned to the bedroom and looked down at the unconscious man.

The reason he came faded into the background as anger overtook everything else.

Goddamn fucking little bastards. You should've held on to that one.

Uh huh. Right. And what? Let Mulder find out that you were here? What reason would you give him for that? And what about Scully? That asshole sang for you, what makes you think he wouldn't tell his story to anyone else who threatened him? C'mon, Walt. It's Krycek or you and Scully.

Christ, but he didn't ask for this. He's a victim. That asshole raped him.

And what were you going to do? Challenge him to a game of Gin?

"God," he whispered, raising a hand to his forehead. "No. No, I couldn't. I...I wouldn'tve..."

He looked down again at Krycek and began to shudder.

So vulnerable. So damn quiet.

Skinner pressed two fingers to the younger man's throat and breathed a sigh of relief as he found a steady pulse.

The brief contact roused the sleeping man a bit, and he became a little restless, sighing and shifting position before settling down.

He's going to be coming around very soon. Do you really want to be here when he does?

Skinner reached for the crumpled sheet at the foot of the bed and pulled it up over the other man, then reached out, gently skimming the surface of his hair with one hand before quietly slipping out of the room.

Fox groaned softly, groping around for his cell phone as it rang somewhere in the darkness.

Christ, he'd only gone to sleep a short time ago, having tossed and turned for hours, and now this.

Finally finding the damn phone, he pressed 'yes' and dragged it up to his ear.

"Mulder."

"Fox?" Quickly shaking himself awake, he sat up, eyebrows drawn down into a concerned frown.

"Alex?" He looked at the clock.

Three thirty?

"Alex, what..."

The confused voice cut him off.

"Fox, where are you?"

"What do you...I'm in my motel room, babe."

Silence, then..."Oh."

"Where'd you think I was?"

"I don't know, I..."

"Alex, what's wrong?"

".......Nothing, I...I'm...I'm sorry. I guess I was dreaming..."

"Dreaming? What about?"

"I don't...nothing, I...thought you were...here..."

Fox closed his eyes, feeling a stab of pain go through him. "I wish I was," he whispered into the phone. I'm sorry, baby. I...I'll be there tomorrow."

"No. No, it's...I'm okay. It just...I'm all right."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm really sorry. Finish your work."

"I can't, Alex. Not when you sound like you do."

"Just a little disoriented 'cause I just woke up. I'm okay. Please, Fox. Stay there."

Against his better judgement, Fox agreed.

"All right. But I'm going to call you later, and if you don't sound any better, I'm coming home."

"I'll be all right," Alex promised. "Go back to sleep. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Fox commanded softly. "Just be all right."

"...I love you."

"Love you too, babe. Talk to you in a few hours."

The soft click on the other end sent a shudder through Fox, and he put his phone down, staring into the darkness.

What the hell was that about?

"Christ."

He could only speculate on the real reason for Alex calling him at this hour of the morning, and none of his guesses made him any more comfortable than the other.

One word. One tiny little inflection in Alex's tone that he didn't like, and he would be on a plane back home tomorrow.

He sat there for at least half an hour, staring at nothing at all before making the decision to get up and go for a run.

Changing into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, Fox picked up his cell phone and keys, and left the room.

"It was a dream," Alex told himself for the fifteenth time as he curled up against the headboard, trying to control the intermittent tremors that passed through him.

He winced at the ache he felt and shook his head.

It couldn't be.

He didn't feel this way before he went to bed...

Yes, there was a vague, pleasurable sensation...the one that Fox had left him with, but this wasn't that. It was prominent...painful. Like he'd been violently fucked very, very recently.

And then there was the fact that he'd awakened naked. He'd gone to bed wearing a pair of underwear and Fox's t-shirt, and when he opened his eyes, he found them down at the foot of the bed.

Yet, there was no one there.

He'd risen on shaky legs and wobbled through the apartment, finding nothing.

"Crazy," he whispered breathlessly, pulling a pillow to his chest. "You're losing it."

But still, he couldn't shake that feeling...

He slid out of bed again, stripping and changing the sheets, then made his way to the bathroom, where he turned the shower on to an extremely warm temperature and stepped inside, scrubbing himself almost raw. That done, he shut the water off and dried himself, moving over to the sink.

As he finished up, he looked at the steamed mirror, staring a minute at the fine coating of moisture before wiping it away and looking at his reflection. He began to shake violently as a dark red blotch on his neck became visible.

That wasn't there. Fox didn't do that. Jesus...

Alex stumbled back to the bedroom, falling onto the mattress and, curling himself up as tightly as he could, he pulled the sheet up under his chin and stared wide-eyed into the darkness.

"Fox, I didn't...I don't know what happened. I wouldn't...I didn't do anything, I...I didn't do anything..."

"Christ, Mulder, you look like hell."

"I feel the same way, so..."

Scully raked a critical eye over her partner. "Didn't you sleep?"

"Not much...you don't look too well rested either."

Scully turned her gaze down to the floor. "No. No, maybe those were lousy mattresses or something, huh?"

Fox made no attempt to answer.

"So, are we going out to interview the people on the list the cheif gave us yesterday?"

"...Yeah." Fox looked at his watch and walked through the motel lobby to the restaurant with Scully close behind. "You hungry?" he asked. "How about some breakfast?"

"I suppose so, since we seem to be heading in that direction."

The pair walked into the half full dining room and sat down at window booth. Scully picked up the menu while Fox stared outside and played with the napkin in front of him.

"Aren't you going to look at the menu?"

Glittering hazel eyes turned to the woman across the way then flicked down to the bill of fare in front of him.

"No, I...I know what I want."

The waitress appeared a few minutes later, poured two cups of coffee and smiled at the couple.

"Hi. What can I get you?"

"I'll uh...I'll have two eggs over medium, wheat toast, light, and hash browns."

"All righty..." she looked expectantly at the man. "And for you, sir?"

"English muffin's fine."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

The waitress offered another smile then disappeared while Fox looked back to the window. "An English muffin?"

"You don't like English muffins?"

"Mulder, we rarely have lunch when we're in the field. How far's an English muffin going to get you?"

"I'm not that hungry."

"Mulder, is...is something wrong?"

"Nothing I care to discuss with you."

"Okay. Well..." Scully fidgeted with her spoon. "Okay."

Forty-five minutes later, they were on their way to their destination, riding the whole way in silence. Two hours after that, they were on their way back, having procured all the information they could from those they interviewed. It was now a little bit after noon, and Fox figured that he'd let enough time pass. As soon as he got back to the motel, he was going to call Alex and see how he was...

"Mulder...Mulder, where are you going?" Scully asked as Fox passed the exit they should have taken to get to the police station.

"Back to the motel."

"But...aren't we going to the station to talk to Chief Warner?"

"Later. I gotta go back to my room first."

"Did you forget something?"

No answer.

Scully released a long sigh, knowing that no answer meant that it involved Krycek somehow.

This morning, before she'd left her room, she'd tried to contact the men who were supposed to pay Krycek a visit last night, but was unable to...which didn't put her mind at ease at all. And then there was Mulder. Distracted and sullen, and she wondered if it was because he couldn't get hold of Krycek this morning, or he had, and...

And what? What?

Fox pulled up in front of his motel room door and shut the motor off. Without a word to his partner, he got out of the car and started toward his room.

"Mulder!"

The man spun around and sent Scully an impatient look.

"How long before we leave again?"

"I don't know," he answered flatly. "I'll let you know."

Without another word or look, Fox disappeared into his room, slamming the door behind him.

Once inside, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed home.

Wide eyes peered over the blanket that Alex had pulled up to his nose, and he stared at the ringing phone.

It was Fox; he knew it was.

If he didn't pull himself together and make Fox believe that he was okay, he would be on the next plane home.

And if he didn't answer it at all, Fox would be on the next plane home.

Either way, he's going to know. Answer it.

He reached down, and brought the phone to his ear with a trembling hand.

"...Hello?"

"Alex...babe, it's me."

"Hey."

"How're you doing?"

"I'm okay."

"Your voice is so soft."

Alex cleared his throat and spoke a little louder.

"S-sorry, I was sleeping."

"You were? I'm sorry, I waited to call, hoping that you'd be awake."

"I was earlier, but I guess I fell asleep again."

There was a brief silence, then Fox spoke.

"Alex, aside from being tired, tell me how you feel...the truth."

"I'm better, Fox, really." Alex squeezed his eyes shut, hating himself for lying.

I'm sorry. Oh, God, I'm sorry, Fox...

"A little more sleep, and I'll be good as new."

"Really?"

"Yes...really. Uh...you get anywhere today?" Alex asked, trying to distract Fox from his state of being.

"Did our interviews. We gotta go to the station and talk to the chief, then Scully can do her autopsy. And, I guess, we'll take it from there."

"Uh huh."

"Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"The second I wrap this up, I'll be on a plane back home..."

"I know that."

"Unless you need me sooner."

"Fox..."

"Say the word, and I'm there."

"I'm all right. Please...please believe me."

"...All right Alex, I believe you. I uh...I should get to the police station now. The sooner I get this wrapped up, the sooner I can come home to you."

"That sounds good."

"I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay."

"Bye, babe."

"Bye, Fox."

Alex hung up and lowered the phone to the mattress as he took several shallow, stuttering breaths.

Thank God Fox hung up when he did. Alex didn't know how much longer he'd have been able to keep it together if the other man had kept asking if he was okay.

He closed his eyes, but his mind remained wide awake, struggling with the possibilities of the night before. No one scenario made any more sense than another, and his head began to pound as he tried to figure it out.

What difference does it make? he asked himself. You got fucked last night. That's the bottom line. Who did it and how doesn't matter. Yet again, you've managed to fuck it all up. And when Fox finds out, that'll be it. You'll be history.

"No," he whimpered, looking around at the place that had become his home. "I didn't know...I never would have let anybody..." he gasped, pulling his lover's pillow to his face. "Please believe me...you have to believe me."

Don't you tell him. He'll never believe it.

He'll see my neck. He'll know. I have to tell him.

Fine. But pack your bags before you do. That way, when he tells you to get the fuck out, you'll be ready.

"I don't want to go," Alex sobbed softly, clutching the pillow tightly. "Want to stay..."

Then do what you have to, to make sure that you do.

Swiping the tears from his face, Alex steadied himself as best he could, and he began to try and figure a way out of the mess he'd done nothing to get himself into.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to reach you since this morning!"

A.J. rolled his eyes and emitted a heavy sigh. "Been busy."

"Doing what?"

"Finishing up."

"It went okay last night?"

"Yeah," A.J. lied, giving Scully a brief rundown of events but conveniently omitting his run in with the pissed off bald guy.

"And the film and everything else is where I told you to leave it?"

"Yes. Christ, woman, you think we're stupid or what?"

Don't answer that.

"You removed the device?"

"Yes..."

"You didn't leave anything behind?"

"No..."

"You didn't beat him or anything? You left while he was still out?"

"No and yes..."

"Okay. Good. Good. You're on your way back?"

"In two hours."

"Good. Thanks for your help."

"No prob. Payback is sweet. Later, Red."

"Goodbye."

Scully hung up and breathed a hard sigh of relief.

See? No problems. Went smooth as silk.

She began to smile.

The rest'll be a cakewalk.

"Get ready, Krycek. As soon as we get back, your ass is mine."

"Why didn't you tell her about that guy?" Howie asked his friend as they checked their room for anything they'd left behind.

"Hey, whoever he is, he's her fucking problem. Besides, if I mentioned him, maybe she wouldn't use those pictures. She ain't fuckin' up my revenge."

"What if she decides not to use em anyway?"

"That's why I had you use two cameras, dope. She's got her pics, and I've got mine. I'll give her two weeks to do her thing, and just in case she doesn't, I'll be mailing my pictures to lover boy."

"So then it really doesn't matter if she uses hers or not."

"Well, no, not really." A.J. grinned. "It'll just be so much more fun to stick it to him twice."

The two men broke into laughter as they continued to pack.

two days later

Sable eyelashes lifted sluggishly, and dull, dark eyes looked around the dimmed room.

Alex had never opened the blinds, so he couldn't really tell from the amount of light in the room whether it was broad daylight or not.

He glanced at the clock and moaned, lifting himself into a sitting position. It was ten-twenty, and he had to get up today. Fox would be home at four, and he needed to get the place in order before he arrived.

He'd spent the last three days in bed, sleeping round the clock and not eating much at all, and the joy that he should have felt at his lover's impending arrival simply was not there.

All he could feel was fear and a sort of morbid resolution. Try as he did, he could come up with no plausible excuse for the now fading hickey on his neck, and there was no way in hell that Fox wouldn't look into his shadowed eyes and know that something was up.

And he couldn't look into those beautiful, gilded eyes and lie.

Alex buried his face in his hands.

There was a time...once upon a distant age when he could look the Pope himself dead in the eye and lie his ass off, but not now. He loved Fox with his whole heart and soul, and though he'd managed to cover pretty well over the phone, he knew with all certainty that once he looked into his eyes, it'd be all over.

He dragged himself out of bed and pulled the closet door open. With trembling hands, he dug his bag out of the back and placed it on the bed. He then gathered all of his belongings and began to pack them, stopping halfway through. He sank down next to the bag and lowered his head, clasping his hands together in an effort to stop their quaking.

"I can't,' he gasped, his fingers turning white. "Can't, I..."

What choice have you got? You can't explain it...you can't lie...hell of a time to discover integrity, Alex, you know? So, that's it. That's all. Pack it up, kid. "Alex?"

The sable head snapped up, and Alex cast a petrified gaze at the doorway. Fox? Home already? Had he gotten the time wrong? He wasn't ready. Christ, he wasn't...

The smile fell from Fox's face as he came through the bedroom door and found his lover, pale and red-eyed, sitting on a rumpled bed, next to his bag and a pile of clothes?

He dropped his bags where he stood and rushed to the bed, falling to his knees in front of the frozen man. "Alex, what...baby, what's going on, here?"

"You're early," Alex whispered, unable to get his voice to work properly or meet the older man's eye. "I didn't think..."

"Alex," Fox interrupted, going from worried to terrified in nothing flat. "Alex, tell me what's going on. Why are your clothes and your bag out? Why do you look like you haven't slept since I left?"

And why the fuck over the course of three days, couldn't you tell that he was in trouble?

He'd kick himself in the ass later. Right now he had a big problem to deal with.

"I'm sorry, Fox," Alex droned, his voice dropping back to that nearly inaudible level. "I don't know..." he shrugged, looking at the floor, "...what ha...happened..."

"Baby, please," Fox begged, feeling a cold dread creep in and clamp around his heart. "Please tell me. It's all right..."

"No. It isn't."

"It is. It's all right. Tell me what's got you so upset. I'll take care of it."

Alex laughed softly, and Fox began to tremble.

"Yeah. You will."

"Then tell me."

"The other morning when I...I called you. Something happened."

"Dammit, I knew it," Fox said more to himself than to the younger man. "What happened, Alex?"

"I was tired..."

"I know. I remember. I told you to go to bed."

Alex nodded. "I did. And I fell asleep. Deep. Really deep. And when I woke up, I..." He stopped and dropped his head lower.

"You what? Come on, Alex, you're doing fine."

"Someone was here. I don't know who or when..."

Fox squinted at the other man. "What? Wait, Alex, you're losing me. Someone came here but you don't know who?"

"I was asleep," Alex repeated. "Fell asleep wearing underwear and the shirt you wore the night before. When I woke up, I was naked. And sore. Like someone'd been..." he shuddered. "I thought you'd come home. And maybe I fell asleep and just didn't remember, but you weren't there. That's why I called you..."

Fox understood, and slow relief replaced the fear.

"Alex, you were dreaming."

"No. No, I wasn't, I...I went to sleep wearing clothes and woke up naked. I was sore."

"Don't you remember that morning?" Fox asked gently. "Remember I told you that you were going to feel me until I got back?"

"Yeah, but that was different. I felt much different when I woke up than when I went to sleep."

"Everyone wakes up with more aches than when they went to bed. You're at rest, your muscles aren't in use, and they stiffen up. You know that. As for the clothes, if your dream was as vivid as that, you probably took them off yourself."

Cloudy, green eyes rose to meet glassy hazel. Alex lifted his head a bit more and turned it to the left, giving Fox a glimpse of the partially faded bruise on his neck.

"You didn't do this."

Fox blinked, then moved forward and investigated the mark. He leaned back, drawing Alex's eyes to his again and smiled.

"If you were able to undress yourself in your sleep, you were certainly able to bruise yourself. A mouth isn't the only thing that can leave a mark like that." Alex looked at Fox with an expression that spoke deeply to the torment he'd suffered over the last few days. Fox stared back, his own eyes willing his tortured love to believe him.

"No one was here, Alex. It was just a dream."

Such conviction. So much understanding and love in those exquisite eyes. Alex wanted to believe. He needed so much to.

"....Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. It's all right. Nothing happened."

Alex's eyes darted randomly around the room as his overwrought mind tried to absorb what Fox had said to him. Finally, they came back to rest on the face he loved so dearly. His mouth opened, but no words would come.

Fox rose from his knees and sat down on the bed, taking Alex into his arms. The younger man leaned into his embrace, clinging to him as though he'd surely drown if he didn't.

"It was too soon," Fox whispered into his lover's hair. "I shouldn't have left you. I should have known."

Alex squeezed his eyes shut and pressed closer, unable at the moment to argue.

"No more," Fox promised. "If I have to go away, you come with me, or I don't go." He looked at the bag and clothes beside them. "Speaking of going...can you tell me why you've got this stuff out?"

Alex slowly sat up but kept his eyes cast downward.

"I didn't think it would turn out like this. I was...was sure you wouldn't believe me and..."

"God. Alex...baby, look at me."

Alex hesitated for long seconds then lifted his gaze to Fox's.

"I'll never send you away." He caressed the younger man's heavily stubbled cheek and gave him a tender smile. "I fought too hard to get you here." He lifted the head that had again dropped. "You and me. Remember?"

Alex nodded then again melted into his lover's arms.

"I'm sorry, Fox. I'm so..."

"It's all right. Please don't apologize. I'm the one who should be sorry. I never should have left you."

"But you..."

"No," Fox said simply, leaving no room for argument. "I screwed up. And look what happened." He tightened his arms around the younger man. "I won't screw up again." He rose to his feet, pulling Alex up with him. "Come on."

"Where?"

"We're gonna have a nice, warm shower. I love you baby, but I really gotta say, you could use one..."

The affectionately stated insult brought a tiny smile to Alex's face.

Fox took his lover's hand and led him into the bathroom, where he ran the water and undressed Alex then himself. The two stepped under the warm spray, and Fox gently washed the younger man, shampooed his hair, then quickly took care of himself before shutting the water off. He wrapped a huge towel around Alex, instructing him to stay put, then dried himself. When he finished, he rubbed the other man dry then led him back into the bedroom, where he sat him down in the room's only chair and pulled out some fresh sheets. He wrapped the top sheet around Alex, and then began to strip and re-make the bed.

Alex watched from his crisp, eggshell cocoon as a very naked Fox removed his bag and clothing from the bed and then pulled the old sheets and pillowcases off. As quickly as he could, he replaced them with the fresh linens then walked over to the chair.

"C'mon."

Alex took the outstretched hand and let himself be put to bed, snuggling down into the pillows as Fox tucked the top sheet in around him.

"Have you eaten?" Fox asked, stroking the damp hair away from the other man's face.

Alex shrugged.

"I'll take that as a no. I'm going to go get you something, and you're going to eat it."

Twenty minutes after he left the room, he was back, carrying a bed tray containing a bowl of tomato soup, some saltine crackers, and a glass of ice water.

"Here you go," Fox announced, setting the tray down over Alex's legs. "Eat up." Chewing on his lower lip, Alex looked down at the tray but made no move to eat.

"What?" Fox asked. "You don't like tomato soup? You're the one who bought it..."

"No. No, I..." Distressed green eyes stared up at the older man. "Not really the welcome home I had in mind."

Fox smiled and sat down next to his sorrowful lover, picking up the spoon and dipping it into the soup. "Don't worry about it," he whispered, feeding Alex the first spoonful then allowing the younger man to take the utensil from him. When most of the food was gone, he took the tray away and slid under the sheet. Alex immediately gravitated toward him, and he wound his arms around the warm back.

"I wish I could tell you how much I missed you," he murmured into his lover's hair before pressing a soft kiss into it. "Hey, how are the fish getting along?"

"I don't know," Alex murmured. "Haven't fed them in...two days, I think. Damn. I should go..."

Fox stopped him from getting out of bed. "No, I'll do it." He started to chuckle. "And now we'll see how much he really liked the new fish."

Alex sighed softly as Fox rose from the bed and retreated to the living room. He closed his eyes and pulled the sheet up to his nose trembling at the loss of his lover's heat. Then his mind began to work. He thought back to a few nights prior, and he weighed what he'd been so sure about against Fox's rational explanation.

It could have happened the way he said. You know how vivid dreams can be. You could have pulled your own clothes off...injured yourself...it could have happened that way...

"I'll be damned."

Alex pulled himself out of his thoughts and watched Fox walk back to the bed, shaking his head.

"He's okay. They were swimming around together, happy as clams. They're eating now."

Alex uttered a relieved sigh as he was pulled back into Fox's arms and mumbled into the older man's chest.

"Told you."

"Yeah, you told me." His hand slowly wandered up and down Alex's back, feeling the quivering of the younger man's muscles. "Feel any better?"

"A little."

"You'll feel much better after you've had some sleep."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"It's only eleven-thirty in the morning. You don't need to be at work?"

"Screw work," Fox rumbled, tightening his embrace. "I'm not going anywhere today."

Right on cue, his cell phone rang, and a stream of soft curses tumbled from his lips as he reached for it.

"Mulder."

"Mulder, it's me."

"I figured."

"I just wanted to know what time you were coming in to the office."

"I'm not."

On her end, Scully held her breath.

"Oh. Uh...everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine. I'm just staying home for the rest of the day. I'll be in tomorrow morning."

"All right then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. You sure everything's all right?"

"Scully..."

"Yeah?"

"Let's not do this."

"Do what?"

"The phony concern bit. At the very least, you don't give a damn how things are. At the very most, you hope they're lousy. So. Goodbye, Scully, I'll see you in the morning."

Before Scully could respond, she heard the click signaling her partner's disconnection, and she set the phone down slowly on the table by her sofa. She stared at it for a good long while, then picked it back up and hurled it at the wall.

"Prick!" she screamed then immediately covered her face with one hand. She drew the hand down and anchored it in the lapels of her jacket.

"Stop it," she whispered to herself. "What do you expect from him? That snake's got him so mesmerized he can't see his own hand in front of his face. It's not his fault..."

And even after that little speech, you can't help being pissed at him, can you? Why? Because he's got what you want, right? That's right. Look at yourself. You've become a jealous, spiteful bitch. And why? Because the desire for a roll in the hay with that bastard has overtaken all good sense. Think about what the hell it is you've done!

Here we go again. Over thinking everything. Shut up. Just shut the fuck up and do what you want to do for once before you die.

Taking a fortifying breath, she lifted the pouch that she'd picked up on her way home, and she unzipped it, pulling out the item that would change everything. Gently, she tapped on the roll of film with one fingernail then pressed it to her lips. Closing her eyes, she muttered to herself some senseless mantra, then spun around and left the apartment.

Alex awoke with a violent start, sitting up suddenly and scaring Fox into consciousness.

"Alex..."

Wild eyes darted around the room then came to rest on the man who had pulled himself up beside his frightened lover.

"It's okay," Fox soothed, rubbing his hand over Alex's back. "You must have been dreaming."

Alex scanned the room again and brought his eyes back to Fox.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I was," he gasped. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Don't remember much." It just...it felt like someone was standing over me."

"And it scared you that much?"

Alex nodded. "I couldn't move. And they hadn't...they hadn't touched me, but I knew what they wanted...Fox?"

The older man wrapped his arms around Alex and kissed his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"It was..." Alex stopped, staring straight ahead.

Fox waited him out silently, allowing the warmth of his body to provide the younger man's comfort.

"...Are...are you sure? Do you really think that...that what you said is what happened to me?"

A gentle hand at Alex's jaw turned his face to Fox's.

"Yes, I really think that's what happened. It's the only logical explanation." He smiled. "Listen to me, I sound like Scully."

No response from the preoccupied man to his right.

"Alex..."

"It was such a strong feeling," the younger man cut in, frowning. "But only after I woke up, which is so strange."

"Don't you think that if it had really happened you would have awakened sooner? A lot sooner?"

"I know it doesn't make any sense, but I can't...I can't shake this feeling."

Fox stroked the other man's cheek, holding his attention with a glittering gaze. "Can I help?"

Alex stared, hypnotized by his lover's eyes and his low, seductive tone.

Fox inched closer, moving so slowly that only the brush of his mouth on Alex's convinced the younger man that he had moved at all. He felt the faint tremble of his lover's body and heard the involuntary moan, and his tongue slid delicately over the slightly parted lips, coaxing them to open to him. The instant they did, he was there, gently exploring the warm interior as he lowered Alex back to the mattress.

Alex wrapped himself around Fox, wanting to feel him closer than he ever possibly could. His lover's absence combined with thinking for the last few days that he'd been touched yet again by someone other than Fox left him wide open to the kind of pain he thought he was finally through with. And again he needed all the comfort that only Fox could provide.

Fox's mouth left Alex's, traveling at a leisurely pace down his chin and lingering at his throat, taking care to leave a mark directly over the one that was already beginning to break up and fade away. Of their own will, Alex's fingers clenched in Fox's hair, and he sobbed his lover's name, always amazed and forever grateful that Fox always knew precisely what to do to ease his troubled heart.

His lashes fluttered madly then dropped over nearly black eyes as Fox left his throat and worked his way down to his chest, kissing and licking the satiny skin. His breath caught suddenly then left his lungs in a shallow pant when the older man reached his left nipple and pulled it into his mouth.

"Fox..."

The older man's tongue flicked quickly back and forth over the tip, and Alex arched, gasping his intense pleasure.

Correctly determining the extent of his lover's pronounced sensitivity, Fox released the nipple and moved on. He skimmed the quaking muscles of the younger man's stomach, nipping at the heated flesh before soothing the small wounds with his tongue, then moved lower still.

Alex whimpered uncontrollably as his lover's roughened cheek brushed the stony length of his cock, and he plunged one hand into Fox's hair in a weak attempt to pull the other man away.

"Don't worry," Fox whispered, tenderly kissing the base.

"But..."

"Shhh."

Alex shuddered as Fox continued to deposit soft kisses along the velvety shaft, and for those few moments, good sense abandoned him.

Just once. God, please, just once he wanted to...

The feel of Fox's tongue on him shook the insane thought from his head.

"No."

Somewhere he found the strength to push Fox away. Head turned to the side, he squeezed his eyes shut, panting heavily.

"Can't...God, I'm s-sorry..."

The next thing he knew, he was staring up into eyes as green as his own, splashed with gold.

"It's all right," Fox murmured. "I'll be careful."

"You can't be careful enough," Alex choked. "Do you know how much the thought of making you sick terrifies me?"

"I know, baby," Fox crooned. "And I love you for worrying so much about me. But I wouldn't do anything stupid."

Alex looked up at Fox, wanting to believe, to give in, but he couldn't. Not on this.

"It's easy to say. And I know you mean it, but it's easier to get carried away and go too far. It almost happened to me just now. Please understand that I can't take that chance with you."

Fox lowered his head and said nothing.

"Fox?" Alex called, distress creasing his brow. "Fox, I...please don't...I love you so much; don't be mad at me. I need to keep you safe..."

Fox lifted his head and stared into beautiful, tormented eyes of green. He shook his head as he stroked Alex's hair.

"How could I be mad at you for wanting to protect me?" He kissed the younger man's forehead. "I had it under control, but if it makes you that uneasy, I won't do it again."

"I'm sorry," Alex breathed, fighting to control the tremors that ran through him. "I hate that I'm putting you through this."

"You're not putting me through anything," Fox told the distraught man in his most calming tone. "I love you, and my first concern is doing what's right for you."

"No," Alex moaned. "Not what's right for me. For you. It's you who needs protecting."

Fox laid his head on the younger man's chest. "It's going to be all right," he promised softly. "Everything's going to be fine, and someday, when we're old and gray, we'll laugh about this."

Alex wound his arms around Fox and closed his eyes, trapping the moisture that shimmered there.

"I want to get old with you."

"We will." Fox lifted his head and smiled down at his lover. "By then you'll be dying to get rid of me."

Alex shook his head.

"Never."

Fox came in for a chaste kiss then backed off and waited.

Alex lifted a slightly shaky hand to the older man's head, gently petting the golden-brown hair.

"Guess I kind of put a damper on things."

Though it was spoken as a statement, there was a question in Alex's eyes. One Fox answered with a soft but unmistakably passionate kiss.

Desire rekindled instantly, and the two soon found themselves completely lost in each other once again.

Gentle kisses gave way to ravenous ones, and tentative touches turned demanding as the lovers writhed together, driving each other to that amazing level of insanity that one could never find without the other.

Reaching for the condoms and lube, Fox cursed as the tube fell from his grip. He shifted, leaning over the edge of the bed to reach for it, and Alex began to squirm and whine impatiently.

"Okay, okay," Fox whispered, grabbing the tube then lifting himself back up onto the bed.

"Fox," Alex whimpered, his hands wandering frantically over the older man.

"Please. I need you..."

"I know, baby," Fox answered, ripping the first packet open. "Okay..." He emitted a pained laugh as he struggled to put the condom on the younger man. "C'mon, Alex, hold still."

Alex groaned deep in his throat as Fox rolled the condom down over his cock, and both hands clutched at the twisted sheets as he searched for a way to divert his frustration.

Fox quickly put his own condom on and slathered it with lube. He lowered himself to Alex's waiting arms, and the weight of him against his lover's aching cock nearly sent the younger man into orbit. He hastily lifted himself, not touching Alex at all until the younger man's panting subsided, then he came in for a lingering kiss.

"You're so sensitive," he whispered, dragging his tongue over the other's lower lip.

"I'm sorry," Alex offered shakily, caressing Fox's upper arms. "But it's been three days, and I...you make me crazy."

"That's nothing to apologize for," Fox said, gently coming back down to lie on top of the other man. "That all right?" Alex nodded. "Just don't move yet, okay?"

Fox smiled and nodded. "But you know, I've got a feeling that I could wait another half hour, and it wouldn't help." He gave his lover a mock pout. "And I was so looking forward to playing with our new toys."

Alex let out a breathy laugh. "How about later? I just can't...I can't give you nearly enough time for that right now."

The smile grew wider. "No kidding. That's okay." Fox's hands slid along the underside of his lover's thighs and lifted. "We've got the rest of the day and all night."

Alex's eyes slipped closed, and a long gasp escaped past his lips as Fox pushed gently inside him. The hell of previous days faded from his mind, and all that remained was this.

Perfect love. Sweet and pure and everything in world he'd always been convinced that he could never have. It lay here with him, warming and soothing him, giving him the most extraordinary pleasure. And when the pleasure peaked and melted away, still, it would remain as ever, radiant and strong and his alone...

Fox moved slowly, enjoying the long glide into Alex's slick heat and the comforting shelter of his body as he lingered there before withdrawing. He repeated the action, forcing his eyes to open, and he focused a hazy gaze on his lover.

The word beautiful did Alex no justice. Perfect lips, parted to allow labored breath to pass through his clenched teeth. Greenest eyes, hidden and revealed by a fluttering veil of sable lashes...long, hard body, lifting into his, pushing, demanding more...those soft, gasping sobs of joy as Fox filled his body and his heart...

No, not beautiful. Exquisite was a far more fitting description, though it still failed to completely capture his true essence. How such a perfect jewel could exist for so long, unnoticed by so many blind eyes was truly a wonder to Fox.

Lost in the hypnotic green of his lover's eyes, he shifted slightly and nudged Alex's prostate, reveling in the rapturous cries his action produced.

"I know," Fox hummed, pulling back and again sliding home.

Another sob, wilder than the first.

"Come for me, baby," the older man pleaded, his words moaned softly into his lover's ear.

Alex clutched at Fox's back, rocking frantically against him as Fox plunged steadily into his heat. The older man hadn't touched his cock, but the overwhelming sensations welling up inside him burst anyway, and he tipped his head back and released a bone-rattling, sobbing groan.

Fox's ecstatic cries joined those of his lover as he found his own explosive release. He fell into Alex's arms, gasping for breath and unable to move for what seemed like an eternity, and then his strength began to return slowly. He carefully disengaged, peeled off his condom then Alex's, and settled again on top of his lover. He cast a hazy gaze down on the other, who still lay in a semi-conscious state, then nuzzled Alex's jaw, prompting a soft sigh.

"I love you," he whispered, and the fringe of dark lashes fluttered then slowly lifted. Alex looked up at him in such utter worship that what was left of his insides melted into his stomach, and hot moisture pricked his eyes.

Trembling fingers whispered over the older man's cheekbone then slid through the hair at the back of his head, massaging gently.

"It's so incredible," Alex rasped.

Fox blinked back his tears and gave the younger man a tiny smile. "What is?"

"That you can do what you do to me...that one man can completely own me, and make me want so desperately to belong to him." Alex let out a soft sigh. "And it's incredible that in spite of everything, I can look into those beautiful eyes and believe it absolutely when you tell me you love me."

"Always believe," Fox insisted softly.

"I believe in you..." Alex countered, giving Fox a sweet smile. "...your magic."

"What magic?" Fox asked, kissing the younger man's shoulder.

"I haven't felt human in years...too many years. No one but you stood a snowball's chance in hell of bringing me back...not that anyone would have wanted to. You made me feel again, Fox. You showed me how to love. As far gone as I was, that's no mortal feat."

"Oh."

The word came out in a faint breath as Fox came in for a tender kiss. When he finally pulled away, it was only far enough to be able to look down into eyes brimming with profound love. Alex stroked his hair away from his face and gave him another beautiful smile.

"My magic man."

Fox rested his cheek in one hand and stared down at the younger man. "Magic, huh?"

The smile faded from Alex's lips, and he nodded.

"Sounds like I should be investigating myself," Fox murmured. "I don't think I'm anything mystical, Alex, though I do like that you see me that way." He shook his head and smiled softly down at his lover. "I'm just a man insanely in love."

"With me," Alex answered. "That you could be is a miracle in itself."

"No miracle. You're easy to love."

"Only you would feel that way."

"I know you tried to make it hard for me." Fox placed a brief kiss on the younger man's mouth. "But I could see right through it. I don't know how, but I saw what was truly in your heart."

Alex nodded in agreement. "And you pulled off what no one else in the world could have." He pulled Fox down, brushing the older man's lips with his own. "Magic," he whispered before claiming a soul-deep kiss.

Refusing to release his lover's mouth, Fox rolled them so that Alex was now the one on top. His hands wandered over the length and breadth of Alex's back, kneading and massaging the flexing muscles, and then they moved lower, skimming the rounded curves of his rear.

"Baby," he murmured, breaking from his lover's mouth only long enough to speak.

"Hmmmm."

Fox broke the kiss again and focused a smoldering stare on the man above him. "Make love to me."

Alex stared down at his lover for all of ten seconds before he came back down for a hungry kiss. With four simple words Fox had turned control over to him, and he accepted it readily, knowing that this was his time to give back. To mesmerize his love...dazzle him...make Fox need him to the point where he couldn't live without him...

Fox's muffled moans vibrated throughout Alex's body as the younger man's tongue insistently searched the warm recesses of his mouth. He caressed and squeezed the muscles of his lover's ass, enjoying the way they tightened and relaxed beneath his hands, and Alex's steadily swelling cock, pressing into his thigh told him that the younger man was just as ready as he was for more.

Alex pulled himself away from Fox's mouth and went for his throat, sucking at the vulnerable flesh before dragging his tongue over it in a soothing gesture. When he had the older man sufficiently squirming, he worked his way down, paying homage to his lover's chest. Not an inch of skin was ignored as Alex bathed Fox's upper body, and he took special care to give plenty of attention to the nipples that had gone rigid hours ago as Fox sat on the plane thinking about having Alex naked and in his arms...

Fox sucked in a shuddering breath, and he arched against his lover's mouth, silently asking for more.

Alex suckled the brown peak harder, and his tongue flicked rapidly over the tip, pulling a demanding moan from the older man. He released that nipple then teased the other, gently nipping and pulling at it with his teeth while he reached into the open nightstand drawer for more condoms.

While tearing open the first packet, Alex traced a moist trail down his lover's quivering abs, lingering at his navel to tease the indentation. Then he placed the rubber over the tip of Fox's straining cock and began to roll it down the rest of the way with his mouth.

"God," Fox gasped. "Oh, Jesus...Alex...baby, please..."

Slowly, Alex moved downward, taking more and more of Fox's ample length down his throat, not stopping until his nose was buried in the crisp hair that surrounded the base. As Fox whimpered his pleasure, Alex began to lift his head, sucking gently as his tongue slithered over the latex-sheathed surface. Fox's head rolled from side to side on the pillow, and as one hand clenched tightly in the pillow beneath his head, the other curled around the sable strands of his lover's hair.

"Oh, my...ah, shhhh..." He held tightly to the silk between his fingers and thrust upward, trying to sink back into the warmth that had enveloped him just seconds before. "Suck me, baby. Come on, please. Feels so..."

Fox's mouth fell open and a deep, mewling sound pushed up from his throat as Alex sank back down, swallowing his entire length.

"God, I love you," he panted. "Love you...love you so..."

Fox's words died on a desperate cry as Alex released him and turned dark eyes up to his face.

"Don't stop," the older man begged. Please, don't..."

"But you won't last another two minutes if I don't," Alex argued softly, stroking his lover's thighs. "Will you?"

Fox hesitated then shook his head. "But I...I have to come." He opened his eyes and gave Alex his most desperate look. "Please, Alex."

"Soon," Alex whispered, leaning down and brushing his lips over his lover's cock. The shaft jumped as Fox whined softly, but Alex moved away, licking the sensitive flesh of his inner thigh.

Fox hissed between gritted teeth, and he writhed uncontrollably at his lover's caress.

"Easy," Alex murmured, planting his hands on Fox's hips to hold him still. He picked a spot and fastened his mouth to it, marking his lover as he had been marked. His grip on Fox's hips firmed as the older man began to thrash, and he maintained pressure, releasing his lover only when he was ready.

Fox lay gasping softly as Alex bathed the wounded area, and emitted a surprised grunt when he was turned over and now lay face down on the mattress. Gentle hands moved over him, stroking and massaging, and he relaxed a bit.

Alex listened to the faint moan, and he smiled. "Good?"

The golden-brown head moved up and down in an affirmative nod, and matching eyelashes swept down over dilated eyes.

"I could touch you forever. Such soft skin. Flawless," Alex mused, letting his hands glide again and again over Fox's back. "Strong," he croaked, skipping to the long, runner's legs. "Beautiful," he gasped, letting his hands now wander up over the perfect, taut ass. He bent and followed the path his hands had taken with his mouth, kissing and licking a wide path downward.

Fox flinched every so often as Alex hit on a sensitive spot, moaning his pleasure. As the younger man moved lower, he became restless, anticipating his body's reaction when Alex reached his...

The younger man's mouth grazed the curve of his ass, and his hips bucked once before Alex's hands again steadied them.

"God...ohhhh, God..."

Alex's mouth and hands worked in unison, worshipping the twin mounds of flesh. Fox quivered beneath him, the older man's fingers clutching the sheets and pulling them away from the mattress.

He wanted to speak. Wanted to beg and plead for more, but his voice wouldn't work. And dammit, he knew he'd be asking for something he couldn't have. But Jesus, the thought of it...

A purely feral groan arose from the older man's throat as Alex marked him again, and when it was done, he began to whimper frantically.

Gently shushing his lover, Alex rose into a kneeling position and put his own condom on. After applying the lube, he leaned over Fox and delicately licked the back of his neck.

"Let me in, baby," he grated against the soft skin. "Let me make love to you."

Fox bent his knees slightly, raising his ass in offering to his lover, and Alex lay over him, gently guiding his cock in past the tight opening. To his eternal frustration, when Alex was finally buried as deeply as he could be, he simply relaxed, kissing the back of Fox's neck and shoulders.

"Alex," Fox moaned breathily, pushing against the younger man.

"Take it easy," Alex purred against Fox's cheek, withdrawing almost all the way, then performing a series of slow, shallow thrusts.

Fox pressed his face into the pillows, sounding a low, sobbing hum, and only when Alex pushed all the way home in one firm thrust did he lift his head. His mouth fell open on a rapturous cry as his lover unerringly hit his prostate, and his cock throbbed terribly at the indirect stimulation.

"My beautiful Fox."

More teasing thrusts as Alex nipped at the side of Fox's neck then pressed his cheek to his lover's.

"I love you so much..."

Another hard thrust, and another loud cry.

"Need you to know. Please know that it's true..."

Fox knew. Though there was no way he could articulate that at the moment, he was as sure of Alex's love as he was of his own.

Using the only reliable method of response currently at his disposal, he turned his head, his lips making contact with the younger man's.

Alex accepted the kiss, immediately taking charge and feeding ravenously on Fox's mouth while his hips moved in flawless rhythm. He swallowed every moan, every sob, gauging each, and when he was sure that Fox had had more than enough, his own body screamed in agreement. He broke the kiss, incurring a torrent of whimpered protests, but the older man's objections faded into a succession of desperate pleas as he slipped his hand between Fox and the bed and grasped his tortured cock gently.

"Yes, Alex...oh God, I need you. Don't tease...please, no more," Fox sobbed, finding his voice as he began to buck against his lover.

"No more," Alex repeated, reassuring the desperate man just before beginning to milk Fox in time to his increasingly more powerful thrusts.

Fox's loud, frantic cries flooded the room, immediately followed by those of the younger man. He collapsed to the bed, gasping for breath as Alex fell, sprawling bonelessly over his spent body. They lay that way for longer than either would be able to remember, then Alex stirred.

Having already slipped out of his lover, he peeled the condom off of his spent cock and dropped it into the small waste paper basket that they'd taken to leaving beside the bed. Fox began to move then, moaning softly and wiggling onto his back. Alex removed his condom as well and discarded it, then sank into his arms, purring softly as Fox lovingly stroked his back.

"Jesus, you know how to drain me dry," Fox whispered, kissing the top of Alex's head. "Still can't feel parts of me."

In answer, Alex hugged him tightly, rubbing his head against the underside of the stubble-roughened chin.

Fox tilted his head, resting his cheek in the glossy, sable hair and closed his eyes.

"Alex?"

"Hmm?"

"'M so tired now..."

Alex shifted onto his back, pulling Fox into his arms. He tenderly stroked the golden-brown hair brushing the underside of his chin with one hand while the other caressed Fox's back.

"Sleep," he commanded softly.

The older man sighed, nestling comfortably against his chest. "How you feel?" he asked, already on his way to slumber.

"I'm okay," Alex assured his weary lover, kissing his head. "You made sense of everything, and I'm fine."

Fox uttered a satisfied moan and drifted quietly into sleep.

Alex lay listening to the silence that was broken only every so often by a soft sigh or the rustle of sheets as Fox shifted. His hand continuously moved in a rhythmic sweep up and down the older man's back, and he stared unblinking up at the ceiling

"It all makes sense," he whispered almost inaudibly. "Everything's fine."

The petite redhead walked into the office and stood in front of the desk, blue eyes boring into the back of the man's head.

"Good afternoon, sir."

Skinner spun around from his spot at the window, genuinely surprised to see Scully standing there.

"Agent Scully." He looked to the door then back at the woman. "Where's Mulder?"

"He stayed at home, sir, after dropping off his things. He'll be in tomorrow."

"...Is he not well?"

I'll say.

"He's all right, he...he just said he'd see me tomorrow. I'm not exactly sure what his reasons were for staying home."

There was a brief stretch of silence before Skinner responded.

"But you have some idea."

No answer.

"It's got something to do with Krycek, you think."

"I..." Scully shrugged, glancing down at the floor before returning her gaze to the A.D. "...I really don't know. Could be. I know Mulder was far from happy about leaving Krycek to go to North Carolina."

"I don't understand that. Krycek's a big boy. When did he suddenly become unable to look after himself?"

Scully shook her head, an angry light coming into her eyes. "It's Mulder, sir. He's built this whole big fantasy around Krycek."

"Fantasy?" Skinner prodded, hoping for some clue. An understanding of Scully's recent actions. "Yes, sir. He's made Krycek out to be this poor, misunderstood, used and abused baby, who prostitutes himself not because he's a filthy low life, but because circumstances forced him into it."

The man's eyes narrowed on his agent.

"You said he prostitutes. Are you saying that you think he still..."

"I'm not saying anything definitely," Scully interrupted. "I just wouldn't put anything past him."

Skinner nodded then changed the subject. "Are you going to get started on the report?"

"I suppose so. There's nothing else to do until Mulder gets in tomorrow."

"I won't keep you then."

Scully nodded and exited the office, leaving Skinner staring after her.

"And, Agent Scully, I suppose I'd better not put anything past you, either."

Six-thirty.

Scully walked into her apartment, tossing her keys and purse down onto the dining table.

Carrying the large manilla folder with her, she rounded the table and walked into the kitchen, where she flipped a switch and turned on the lights under the cabinets. Moving the coffee maker out of the way, she opened up the folder and pulled out almost two dozen pictures, spreading them out along the counter top. She studied the photos, some good quality, some grainy. A few didn't come out at all, and she cursed the morons she'd asked to do the job for her.

Oh, well. No matter. She had enough pictures here to sufficiently do the damage she needed them to do.

She picked up a good, clear shot and a cold sweat broke out over her upper lip.

Are you really prepared to show these to him? You know how devastated Mulder'll be when he sees some strange man fucking Krycek in his apartment? In his bed?

Don't worry about that. Don't even think it. Just look at that body. Think about what you want. There's no way in hell Krycek will want Mulder to see these, and he'll do anything you tell him.

Talking herself into a more positive state of mind, she gathered the pictures and put them away, then went to find herself some dinner.

Alex opened his eyes and squinted around the room.

Had he really fallen asleep?

His wandering gaze fell on the alarm clock, and he read the numbers.

Seven thirty-two.

He shook himself awake and arose, grabbing some underwear and a t-shirt out of his dresser. Quickly slipping into the garments, he padded into the living room and looked around.

No Fox.

Just as he was about to call out, the sound of cookware hitting the stove drew his attention to the kitchen. He moved in that direction and found Fox in front of the counter, opening a box of pasta. The older man detected his presence and turned around, smiling broadly.

"You were so out of it, I didn't expect you to wake up for quite some time."

Alex ran a hand through his hair and approached his lover.

"I don't even remember falling asleep."

He reached Fox and wound his arms around the other man's waist as he was pulled into a tender embrace.

"Hungry?" Fox asked, dropping a few kisses into Alex's hair.

"A little," he answered, lifting the lid to the larger pot on the stove and sniffing at the sauce that had only just begun to simmer. "Smells good." He replaced the lid and returned his attention to Fox. "How long have you been up?"

"'Bout an hour. I hadn't had much of an appetite in North Carolina, and I'd only just then realized that I was starving. I thought you might be hungry too, whenever you woke up, so I decided to get some dinner made."

"Thank you," Alex croaked, lowering his head to his lover's shoulder. "How d'you feel?"

"Fine."

Fox slipped a hand under Alex's cheek and lifted his head. He stared intently at the younger man, then asked, "Are you sure?"

Alex gave his lover a soft smile. "You're home. Of course I'm fine."

The two men shared a gentle kiss before Alex looked at the boiling water. "Need some help?"

"Sure, if you don't mind. That way we can eat sooner and just relax the rest of the night. You want a salad with this?"

"Uh..." Alex looked at the pots then the refrigerator. "Yeah. I guess so." He retreated to the bathroom for a few minutes then returned and set about preparing the salad while Fox wrapped some Italian bread in foil and stuck it in the oven. The two worked quietly together, one every so often offering the other a soft smile or loving touch. When everything was finished, they carried it all out to the dining room and sat together, enjoying the meal and each other's company.

"You never told me how come you got home early," Alex said after a long silence. "Did I misunderstand?"

"No, I was able to get an earlier flight, so I did."

"You? What about Scully."

"Yeah, her too."

"Oh. I was so surprised to see you."

"I couldn't wait to get home," Fox explained, skimming the underside of the younger man's jaw with two fingers. You sounded so bad that night you called me. I should've hung up and got the first available flight out right then. Never again," he promised the younger man.

"Don't say that, Fox," Alex pleaded softly. "You can't just flush a case because I've had a nightmare. If it happens again, I'll know how to handle it."

"But you shouldn't have to handle it alone." Fox stopped and smiled. "I can see that we're just going to go round and round with this. What d'you say we just agree to disagree, huh?"

"That means that you're not going to listen to a word I say on the subject, right? You're just going to go ahead and do exactly what you want to do?"

Fox grinned, and popped a piece of bread into his mouth.

"You got it, baby."

Alex lowered his head, shaking it from side to side.

"I should be mad at you."

"But?"

The sable head lifted, and Alex trained a loving gaze on the other man.

"You're so damn sweet to me. Makes it impossible to stay rational."

"So, stop arguing with me, and just go with it."

The younger man emitted a soft breath and turned his attention back to his food.

Fox raised and dropped his eyebrows, grinning at how easy that was, and dug into his pasta. Two hours later, the kitchen was cleaned up, everything put away, and the men retreated to the bedroom, where they made love for a relatively brief amount of time before Alex began to show signs of extreme fatigue.

"God," he sighed from the shelter of Fox's arms, "I can't believe how tired I am."

"How much sleep did you get over the course of three days?"

"Don't know. I never really got out of bed, so I lost track of time. But I'd keep sleeping and waking up.

"And you wonder why? Interrupted sleep isn't good."

"Used to get a lot less sleep, and for longer periods than this," Alex murmured, brushing his fingers through the light scattering of hair, "and I never felt this tired."

"You were never able to really relax, were you?"

"Not like this. There were times when I'd just hang around the apartment and do nothing all day, but I don't think I can truthfully say that my mind and body were at rest." He brushed a kiss over Fox's chest. "This is so different from what I've known for most of my life. No 'jobs' to do. Nobody to double cross...no blaring horns and dingy motel rooms..." He wrapped his arms around Fox, an turned his face into the older man's chest. "I have a home. Someplace safe and clean. And someone who loves me in spite of who I was...I'll never make you sorry, Fox."

"I know that," Fox assured the younger man, hearing the anguish that rarely completely left his voice. He said nothing more, hoping that the silence and the caress of his hand up and down Alex's back would lull him into sleep. A short time later, it did just that.

Fox lay listening to the soft exchange of breath and felt Alex's muscles relax beneath his wandering hand, and he knew he was asleep. A long sigh hissed out between his parted lips, and he began to think again about the last few days, mentally kicking himself in the ass for not being here for Alex when he needed him.

He'd heard the argument from Alex, time and time again, and he was sure that he'd hear it again...several more times...'I'm all right, Fox. I'm a big boy, I can handle it, you have a job to do...' Blah, blah, blah. But the job didn't mean jack shit to him if Alex wasn't emotionally secure. Fox wouldn't let him go through another few days like he just had again.

He kissed the silky sable head and closed his eyes.

Not a chance in hell.

Not again.

Walt Skinner sat in the darkness of his living room, staring at what he could see of the skyline from his seat in the middle of the room. Every night since he'd gone to Mulder's apartment and confronted the two assholes who had drugged and sexually assaulted Krycek, he sat here.

Thinking about what he'd seen, what he'd done. What he'd been told...conveniently skipping over what he'd felt...

What the hell was Scully doing? He understood her desire to keep Mulder safe from the man she considered to be evil incarnate, but to go to the lengths she obviously had? To launch such a heinous, premeditated offensive worthy of the demon she was trying to exorcise? It was so unlike the compassionate, principled woman he knew.

He took his glasses off and tossed them onto the table a couple of feet away.

And then there was the matter of the cameras he saw around the neck of the man who had gotten away.

Deductive reasoning told him they weren't playing tourist, snapping shots of the Washington attractions. But he wished like hell that he could believe that rather than the explanation that kept banging away in his head.

That weasel he'd caught had fucked Krycek while his buddy took pictures. And whether it was for their own purposes or Scully's, those pictures couldn't spell anything other than disaster. Question was, for who? For Krycek? And if so, was it blackmail or a simple act of hatred?

Or was it a contrived wakeup call for Mulder? If so, then it was Scully's idea for the pictures. But where the fuck was her head? She had to know how much something like that would devastate him.

No. She wouldn't hurt him that way, no matter how much she hated Krycek.

Okay, so he was back to blackmail. She'd show the pictures to Krycek, threaten to send them to Mulder if he didn't get the hell of his life, and Krycek would...

Well, he'd either do what she wanted...which would prove what was becoming more and more of a possibility. It would prove that he really was in love with Mulder, or he'd do what the Alex Krycek Skinner had ever known would do. Eliminate the threat.

And what are you going to do? Are you going to stand by and watch this thing play out, or are you going to step in and diffuse what could turn out to be an explosive situation?

Skinner rubbed his hands over his face and cursed softly.

You know what it'll mean if you interfere. Mulder will know that you'd been there that night. What the hell excuse would you give him for that?

He imagined the way the conversation would go...

Yeah Mulder, so I went over to your place to harass and hopefully fuck your boy, and I found that some clowns employed by your partner had gotten to him before me...

"Son of a bitch."

Okay, he'd wait just a bit longer. Watch the situation closely, then step in only if he really needed to.

Hopefully before someone got hurt.

Scully glanced from her watch to the man who had just entered the office, wearing a well-rested, well-satisfied look on his face. She fought back the overwhelming urge to hit him.

"Morning, Mulder."

There. That sounded normal.

"Morning."

"How was your day yesterday?"

"Good. Yours?"

"Fine. Skinner was asking for you."

Fox picked a thin folder up off of his desk and perused its contents. "Uh huh."

"He wanted to know why you didn't put in an appearance yesterday. I didn't know what to tell him."

"That's all right. It's not your responsibility to account for my comings and goings."

"I'm your partner, Mulder. If you're not around to answer for yourself, Skinner looks to me. And when I have no real answer for him..."

"All right, Scully, all right. I'm sorry. I'll go see him." Fox dropped the folder and started for the door, but stopped halfway, snapping his fingers. He spun around and moved to his desk, sitting on its edge as he picked up the phone. Scully watched him punch in several numbers then tensed as she heard his tone turn from cool and flat to honey sweet.

"Hey, babe." He chuckled softly. "Yeah, I miss you already. Mmm hmm..." His lashes drooped halfway over his eyes. "God, yeah. Parts of me are still humming..." Jesus Christ, did she have to listen to this shit?

"...yeah, that's why I called you. ...The refrigerator?" Fox scratched the back of his head. "How the hell did I..." He began to grin. "Oh no, you can't blame me for that. You started it. ...Yeah, good, I hope you are suffering...don't you dare...nope. Now you're gonna wait till I get home." More laughing. "You'd better! ...Okay, I gotta go. If I'm not busy, maybe I'll take a long lunch and go pick it up...I don't know. How long do you need? ...That's it? You think you're that good, do you? ...Yeah, okay, okay. I'll definitely be home then, about one, to see that you make good on that. Bye, babe."

Fox hung up, grinning broadly. He looked over to Scully, who looked like she had been sucking on a lemon, and the grin turned to a smirk.

"Forgot my cell phone at home."

"And you'll pick it up later...when you take your long lunch."

"Yeah. Well, I'd better get up to Skinner's office. See you in a bit."

"Yeah. Right."

Fox left the office, whistling softly, and the sound went through Scully like a rusty butter knife.

You'll be whistling a different tune, Mulder, soon enough.

Unlocking the bottom drawer of her desk, she pulled out the manila envelope and peeked inside at the top picture.

Oh, yeah, this one ought to really kill him.

She blinked rapidly and dropped the envelope back into the drawer.

"God," she gasped, "listen to yourself."

These pictures are only for Krycek. Mulder's never going to see them. You won't do that to him. You can't.

But he's so fucking smug. He shouldn't be so smug...

Right. Like you wouldn't be. Don't freakin' worry about it. Krycek'll do anything he has to do to make sure that Mulder never sees these.

Christ, let's think about that for a minute, shall we? Alex Krycek. Presented with a threat. How do you think he's going to react?

Don't start. Don't fucking start. You gotta nitpick every goddamn detail, don't you? Krycek's going to do exactly what you want him to do. He's not going to take the chance of losing Mulder, that's for damn sure.

"No," she murmured, lightly fingering the edge of the envelope. "He certainly wouldn't do that."

"You can go in, Agent Mulder."

Fox smiled at the pretty redhead and opened the door. He strode into the A.D.'s office and stood in front of the desk, waiting for Skinner to speak first. "How did the investigation go, Agent?"

"Pretty much like most of my investigations. No one agreed with my opinions, yet no one could come up with a logical explanation for the event."

"Have you started your report?"

"I can't speak for Agent Scully, but I'm going to get on mine as soon as I get back down to my office."

"Oh," Skinner replied flatly. "I figured you'd be through with it, since you spent the day at home yesterday."

"No, I had personal matters to attend to."

Skinner nodded. "Is everything all right?"

Fox drew a deep breath and sat in his usual spot.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Skinner remained silent, waiting.

"What is it with you and Scully? You both hate Alex, you think I'm making the mistake of my life being involved with him, yet you both keep asking me if things are all right. Do you two have some kind of bet going or something? You got money on how long we last?"

"Of course not."

"Then what's with all the curiosity?"

"There was a time, Mulder, when you would get back into D.C. from a case and come straight in to the office. I've seen you walking in here from the airport at seven at night. You get back yesterday morning, and you go home for the day. Then you say you had personal matters to attend to. You can see, can't you, why that might be a matter of concern?"

"I might be able to see it if it wasn't Alex I was going home to. Neither you nor Scully has made a single conciliatory move in regards to my relationship with him."

"Mulder, if you think that we can just turn our suspicion and resentment toward Krycek off as easily as you seem to have..." Skinner shook his head and let his voice trail off.

"Right. Yet you're both so interested to know if everything is all right at home. Just a little odd, you know?" Fox eyed the other man. "Anything else you haven't been able to turn off?"

"What are you talking about?"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Skinner grimaced.

"Let go of it, Mulder. It was one incident. Years ago."

"So? That's supposed to mean that you don't have the itch anymore? This concern of yours would make sense if you did."

Skinner jerked his head away.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Walt, but everything really is fine..."

Oh, little do you know...

"...We're together. We're happy. That isn't going to change."

"How can you be so sure, Mulder?" Skinner asked, his voice humming with something that came very close to compassion. "Nothing in this life is ever a sure thing."

"I'm sure because we both want it so much. A good part of Alex's life has been pretty damn shitty. Not any more. I'm going to do everything in my power from here on out to make sure that he's happy."

Skinner's eyes narrowed, and he sent the younger man a curious frown.

"Why? Why are you putting yourself through this? Why did you spend all those weeks chasing down a man who's wreaked such havoc in all our lives?"

"Because I love him," Fox answered with quiet passion. "Because even though you and Scully will never believe it, there's so much more to him than you see."

"I just...I'm sorry, but I do find that very difficult to believe. For years all we've seen is a thug. A double crossing, thieving, lying.."

"He was all that," Fox interrupted. "No doubt about it. But that's not who he is now."

"No," Skinner replied without malice. "Now he's a hooker."

"He's not. Not any more."

"The love of a good man turn his life around?"

"If that's how you want to look at it. But he didn't want the life he had. I merely offered him an out."

"And he jumped on it."

"Actually, no. He fought me a good part of the way. He didn't want my pity. It took a lot to convince him that I could really want him. I'm still working on it."

"Still..." Skinner cocked his head. "I don't understand."

Fox lowered his gaze to the floor then looked up at the older man. "Do you really want to?"

Skinner drew a deep breath and leaned against the edge of his desk. He thought back to that night so very recently, when he'd looked down at the man lying unconscious and unknowingly abused in Mulder's bed. He remembered the feelings that until now he'd fought so hard to forget, and for the first time he could actually look into Mulder's eyes and comprehend the depth of emotion he saw there.

"Yeah. I think I do."

Fox searched the A.D.'s eyes for a moment then decided that he might actually be sincere in his request.

"Alex is very insecure. I know that sounds insane when you put it up against what you know about him, but it is the truth. He was convinced that he wasn't anywhere near good enough to be with me. I think he still believes that to some extent. Anyway, just when I'd thought I'd made some headway with him in California, Scully showed up, and it all went to hell. She'd completely decimated the fragile balance I'd achieved with him, and he ran.

"I had to find him," Fox croaked, hoping that what he was saying was actually sinking in. "By the time Scully had caught up to us, I was so in love with him that there was no way in hell I could just pick up and come back to D.C."

"When you found him again, Mulder, he'd gone back to prostitution."

"Yeah. Scully'd done a real number on him. In his state of mind, it didn't take much to convince him of what he'd already thought was true. He was hurt, and he was confused, and I could've killed Scully for driving him away."

"But you're still partners."

"Because of Alex. Half a dozen times at least, he's stopped me from shutting her out completely."

"Why would he do that? She hates him and has made no bones about it."

"Because Scully and I have been best friends for years, and he doesn't want me to do something that someday I might wish I hadn't done. Alex's first concern is always for me. He never gives himself a thought." He smiled softly. "We take care of each other. We love each other."

"Mulder, I...I have no doubt that you love Krycek," Skinner began. "I can see it all over your face, but...you're absolutely, positively sure that he feels the same about you?"

"More sure than I've ever been about anything in my life."

"Skinner lowered his head and nodded. "I just...I'd hate like hell to see you end up hurt."

"The only hurt I've suffered was when he left me. It was devastating."

"What's to stop him from taking off again if something spooks him? You said yourself that he's very insecure."

"That insecurity is what I'm working to obliterate. It's hard, though, when I'm away from him like I have been the last few days."

"How so?"

Fox shrugged. "He feels most secure when I'm with him. He's okay when I'm at work; I'm only half an hour from home. But when there's more than a state between us like there just was...it's just not an easy thing for him to handle."

"You make him sound like a basket case, Mulder. This description of him is so far from the Krycek that I know, that..."

"He's not a basket case. He just really needs me right now. He'll be fine once it sinks into his head that I love him unconditionally, and that we're not together on a temporary basis."

"Your job takes you away a lot," Skinner reminded the other man. "What are you going to do?"

"I want him to go with me, but he doesn't think it's the best idea because of Scully."

"I think he's right about that."

"But I can't come home and find him the way I just did."

Skinner's heart skipped two beats. "The way you just did?"

"He had some sort of dream the first night I was gone. When he woke up, he was very disoriented. He thought...he felt that I'd been there, yet when he opened his eyes, I wasn't. He called my cell phone, and when I answered and told him that I was still in North Carolina...his reaction...I wanted to come home right then, but I let him talk me out of it. Stupid move on my part, because when I got home, I found him in a state that I swear on my life, I'll never allow again.

"He was packing when I walked in. Since I'd told him that I hadn't been home, he had convinced himself that someone else had been, and that they'd had sex with him, though he could remember none of it. I managed to convince him, I think, that it was just a dream he'd had, and that everything was fine. He seems better now."

Fox stopped talking and studied the older man.

"What?"

Skinner gave himself a mental shake and raised his eyebrows. "Nothing, it's just...Mulder, you must know how improbable this sounds. If it was anyone else, I wouldn't be having nearly as much trouble wrapping my mind around it."

"I understand. Truthfully, I'm shocked that you've given me this much."

"I've come to trust your instincts over the years. Even when it's been damn near impossible to do so. But that doesn't mean I've agreed with everything you've done."

"I know that. But you have always given me the respect of letting me prove my beliefs." Hazel eyes lowered to the floor. "So has Scully. Until now."

Skinner wanted to tell Mulder that Scully was just being extremely overprotective, but he couldn't. In his gut he knew there was something else to it, though he had no idea exactly what.

"Just...do what you have to, Mulder. There's nothing you can do about what Scully thinks or says or does, so you might as well not worry about it."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What about the things you think and say and do?"

Skinner lowered his head for a moment then raised it and looked his agent square in the eye.

"We can't change the things we've done in the past."

"No, but we can examine them and learn about ourselves. Have you ever done that? Do you know why you did what you did to Alex that night?"

"...No. Actually, I haven't. I've sort of just pushed it to the back of my mind."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want to think about it. It was nothing I could easily explain away, and I just didn't want to deal with it."

"You need to confront it."

"I don't see that I do."

"You do. For yourself, and for Alex."

"And for you? Mulder, you don't have to worry about me, okay? I won't try anything with him."

Anymore.

"I'm glad to hear that for your sake, but you should still face what you'd done. Was it an act of hatred? Did you just want to humiliate him? Were you attracted to him, and you didn't know what to do with it?"

"I don't know." Skinner pushed away from the desk and walked over to the window. "Maybe a little of each."

Maybe a lot of one and two, and a shitload of the other.

"I know what it's like to want him," Fox replied. "And I know what it's like to hate him because you want him. I felt that way for years."

"Did you ever..."

"No. My frustrations came out in the form of violence."

Skinner nodded and remained silent. Fox continued.

"Alex has this quality about him. He just...he oozes sex. You just want to..." Fox broke off that sentence and started another. "And that's when he's not even trying. When he decides to turn it on..." The younger man smiled to himself. "God help anyone within a five mile radius."

Skinner turned around, feeling the other man's eyes on him.

"I've thought about it, and I do understand." Fox went silent for a moment, keeping his eyes on Skinner. "But he's mine," he said quietly. "I love him more than you could ever imagine, and no man will ever touch him again. I'll kill anyone who tries."

Skinner stared back, forcing himself to meet Fox's eyes.

"I understand."

Satisfied, Fox rose from his chair.

"This meeting took an entirely different turn from what I imagined it would be like."

"That's an understatement."

"I'm glad we talked, though. It's good to have someone who's at least trying to understand how I feel."

Skinner nodded and returned to his desk.

"So, I'll see that report when?"

"By the end of the day."

"All right. I'll see you later then, Agent."

Fox gave the older man a tiny, crooked smile.

"Yes, sir."

The agent closed the door behind him as he left, and Skinner slumped in his chair.

Holy Christ. Well, you weren't prepared for that one, but you did okay.

Okay. Then why do I feel like my lungs have fucking collapsed? He understands. He understands as much as he knows. But how sympathetic would he be if he knew the rest?

Scully looked up from her medical journal and watched her partner walk into their office.

"You don't look nearly as ticked off as I thought you'd be," Scully commented as her partner entered the office. "In fact, you almost look...pleased."

"It was a good meeting," Fox answered then refused to say any more.

"Really. Well. Good for you." Try though she might, she couldn't mask the saltiness in her tone, and Fox picked up on it.

"What, were you waiting for Skinner to ream me out?"

"No, of course not."

"No? Then why is your voice dripping with disappointment?"

"You're losing it, Mulder, you know that?" Scully hissed, hoping that indignance would mask the truth. "I'm not as obsessed with you and your romance as you'd like to think. I hate to break it to you, but you're not the center of the universe."

"I'm glad you feel that way, Scully, because I was truly beginning to wonder if I shouldn't be just a little frightened."

"Cram it, Mulder."

Fox looked at his watch and grinned. "In a few hours," he murmured to himself, noting that it was a little after ten.

The comment had come out just a tad bit louder than he had intended, and Scully slammed the book down on her desk. Unwilling to temper her reaction, she flung herself out of her chair, sending it crashing against the wall, and she stormed out of the office without another word. The smile faded from the man's face as he stared at the open door.

Something was going on here, and it wasn't just Scully's overwhelming desire to save him from the clutches of the evil Krycek. "Yeah, but what?"

Wondering if their friends might have any clue, he decided to pay a visit to the Gunmen. After he got going on that report.

Continue to part 3

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