"I can't do it, Fox."

Skinner sat on the edge of the couch with his hands clasped between his knees, staring at the floor. He felt Mulder put a hand on his back.

"Can't do what?" Mulder asked.

"I raped her!" he shouted hoarsely.

"No, you didn't," both Mulder and Scully insisted. Scully reached over and shook his arm.

"If I don't consider it rape, then neither should you," she said.

He knew that they had come over to seduce Scully into an evening of fun, but he just couldn't bring himself to even look at her much less think about sex with her. She should hate the sight of him. She should shoot him. She should shoot his balls off. One at a time. He wouldn't blame her, he'd even load the gun for her. He had never, in his entire life, touched a woman in anger much less had sex with one who was unwilling. Skinner's cell phone rang, causing them all to jump.

"Skinner," he answered. He wrinkled his brow and shot a look at Scully. She raised an eyebrow in question. "Alright, I'll be there." He disconnected the signal. Skinner stood up and went over to the coat rack, fishing in his jacket pocket. He held up his gun and pointed it at Mulder.

"Hey!" Mulder screeched, putting his hands in the air.

"Walter!" Scully exclaimed in disbelief as she jumped to her feet.

"Stay where you are!" Skinner yelled. "Don't move!" He reached into his pocket and took out his key ring which had a small Swiss Knife attached to it. "Hold out your hand," he ordered and tossed the knife to Scully.

"Prick the back of his hand," he ordered her. "I don't care, any place with skin."

"This isn't necessary, Walter," Mulder said, trying to be reasonable. Skinner cocked his own gun as he flicked the blade open. Seeing no choice, Scully pressed the tip into Mulder's hand. A green bubble appeared, quickly healing over. She jumped away, stumbling for her gun. The Hunter morphed into his normal neanderthal image.

"Why?" Skinner demanded. The Hunter jumped, tackling Skinner and knocking the gun from his hand. Skinner threw a punch at the alien's chin but it simply bounced off, a gnat on the skin of an elephant. Scully circled them, waiting for her chance, but she couldn't shoot until Skinner was out of the way of oozing green acid. The Hunter heaved up and Skinner kicked up, connecting with the Hunter's crotch and sending him flying over head. The Hunter snarled as he got to his feet. A shot rang out and the Hunter stopped, poleaxed. Skinner scrambled out of the way as the Hunter turned to stare at Scully. Green blood bubbled from the back of the Hunter's neck. He melted to the floor, burning a circle into Scully's rug.

"I thought only one of those ice picks could do that," Skinner said. Scully put her gun down and held out a hand to him. Skinner took it and surged to his feet.

"No, any metal to that spot," she said. "Krycek is a little anal about it."

"Oh. I think that I owe you a rug," Skinner said. God, he hated those things! he thought, watching the green bubble and fizzle.

"How did you know?" Scully asked, gesturing toward the hole in her rug.

"That was Natti on the phone. She said Fox just stumbled into the house, he has cuts and scrapes. He's insisting that I return home immediately."

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

Skinner ran into the house with Scully close behind him as he took the stairs three at a time. He found Mulder in bed with a wet cloth on his forehead. Scully pulled the sheet away to check him over.

"I'm fine," Mulder insisted. "I'm just a little sore."

"What happened?" Skinner asked, sitting on the side of the bed and taking Mulder's hand. "I didn't even know you weren't you. When did it happen?"

Mulder tried to sit up, wincing and holding his side. Skinner held him up while Scully put an extra pillow behind him.

"When I went for a walk this morning," Mulder said. "He caught me and put me into an old shack just outside of town. I spent the last few hours working myself free. I don't know why he didn't just kill me."

"Probably trying to separate us again," Scully said. Mulder nodded.

"They've been trying that for years. For beings supposedly of a higher intelligence, you'd think they'd get a clue," he said.

Skinner fell forward, putting his head onto the bed. He felt Mulder put a hand on his head.

"What?" Mulder asked. Skinner sat up.

"That wasn't us having that conversation this morning?" Skinner asked.

"What conversation?" Mulder replied.

Skinner stood up, twisting the knot out of his neck, trying to keep the headache from forming.

"Fox, this morning you and I -I thought it was you- we discussed my guilt about what happened in Florida, how that was going to effect our relationship with Dana, and... we went over to her house today to ask her... if she wanted to... join us for.. you know...." Skinner wiped the nervous sweat from his forehead.

"We did, huh?" Mulder said. "I can see the headlines now- 'Sex Alien Style', 'I Was An Alien Sex Slave', 'Alien Shape-Shifters -The Possibilities', 'Fully functional, Sir'....."

"Fox!" Skinner reprimanded him. Scully hid a chuckle.

Mulder tossed the wet cloth to the floor. "Well, really, Walter, it isn't like we haven't discussed the subject of the three of us before? Do you think that he can change just the shape of his penis? Make it longer and thicker at will? Or change into a celebrity? Or a historical figure? What if he was in female form? Could he -she- tighten her vagina or - ooooh, make it vibrate?"

Skinner glared at him. Scully laughing wasn't much help. Mulder patted the bed. "Come here." Skinner sat, fuming that Mulder wasn't taking this seriously. Mulder put his arms around Skinner's neck and kissed him. After a moment, Skinner relaxed and returned the kiss while Scully smiled indulgently at them.

"Let's ignore the Hunter and my abduction for the moment," Mulder said, pulling his mouth away. "Obviously they were just trying to pull us apart, like Scully says. It's been a while since they've tried it, maybe they thought trying to put Scully between us would do it. Little do they know. As for going to Scully's house to play, we've all discussed it before, just not together. Let's get it out into the open.

"Althought it would be fun, deep down we really aren't comfortable with this, are we?" Mulder asked. Both Skinner and Scully shook their heads, breathing a sigh of relief. Mulder nodded. "I think that we all love each other and it might have worked if we started before the boys came and before this current friendship was established, but we didn't and we've begun to settle into our lives.

"At one time, there was a chemistry between the two of you," Mulder pointed a finger at them. "And I know that you are both interested and find each other attractive, but things have settled into this friendship that is slowly growing stronger. If that chemistry rekindles, then I think we should discuss this again. Walter, I'm going to say this in front of Scully so that we are all clear on the subject: if you and she begin to spark, you have my permission to court her. If you wish it, Scully. Only her, Walter."

Skinner leaned back to look at Mulder. He put a finger to one of Mulder's cuts and scraped off the new scab. A red bead formed.

"What was that for?" Mulder demanded, holding a tissue to the opened wound.

"Just checking," Skinner said. "I have your permission to court her? Court?? Have you been reading historical romances? Isn't that taking this whole 'gay' or 'bisexual' thing a little too far?"

Scully snickered, earning a shove from Mulder. "No, I have not been reading romances," Mulder hissed. "And 'court' is the correct word. I dated her, you didn't. I think that the two of you need to experience that before we all sleep together."

"Whoa! Time out," Scully called out, making a T with her hands. "Enough of this 'we da men' crap. Walter, I would be more than happy to go out on a date with you anytime, and not necessarily with romance on the brain. Friends go out on casual dates all the time. That's what friends do. And I don't recall being asked for a date from you, Mulder," she pointed an accusing finger at him and poked him in his chest. "I recall pizza at your place, oriental take-out at your

place, porno or Mystery Science Theatre for kicks and then a tumble into bed. I have no complaints about the sex, but hearing 'Scully, would you go out with me tonight' would have been a nice change.

"Has he ever asked you for a date?" Scully turned to Skinner. Skinner thought about it.

"No, come to think about it, he hasn't," he said, turning to Mulder. "He just showed up one day and kissed me. Scared the shit out of me."

Scully rapped Mulder on the shoulder. Mulder put his arms up in defense.

"Well?" Scully asked him. Mulder turned to Skinner but found no comfort there.

"Wellll.... I guess I should be asking for a date?" he suggested. The room was below zero. "Uh... Ok, I should be asking for a date. Who?" Icicles began to form on the window. "Uh.... flowers for Scully and ask Walter?" Spring thaw began. "Walter, would you go out with me?" Summer arrived.

"Yes, Fox, I would love to go out with you," Skinner responded formally. "I do have children, though, so I'll need time to arrange a sitter. You do like children, don't you?"

Mulder reached up and grabbed an ear, pulling Skinner down to him and kissed him soundly.

"Wise ass," Mulder informed him. "Maybe my little brother can watch them?" Scully drew back in horror. "Speaking of... where is Alex?" Mulder asked. Skinner shrugged.

"If he isn't upstairs, I have no idea where he took off to," he said. "Scully?" She flushed, still uncomfortable with them knowing about her and Krycek.

"He didn't say anything to me," she said.

Mulder took her hand. "Are you alright with him?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said. "He treats me very well, he's very open. I admit that he can be fun and I can get my ya-ya's out, but I don't think that I'll ever fall in love with him; too much history that I can't reconcile. I know his side of it all, but still..."

Mulder nodded and put a kiss on her knuckles. "I understand," he said. "I have a few issues with him myself."

"And yet you trust him in the bedroom," Skinner pointed out to Scully.

"I know, it's strange," she admitted. "There's just something about him when he turns on the charm. I know that he wouldn't hurt me in an.. intimate.. moment, in fact, he goes to great lengths to make sure that I'm.. satisfied. If I stood between him and business, I'd have to think twice about being in his way. He's like two different people." Scully gave a wry smile. "He's Pavel one minute and Ivan the next."

Skinner leaned back against the head board, pushing a pillow behind him. "You are welcome into our bed, Dana, not Alex," he said. "Will that be a problem?"

"No problem at all," she said. "Alex is fun and games. I think that if and when I enter this room, it will be a relationship. Nothing about either of you is casual."

The patter of little feet on the stairs halted the current topic of conversation.

"Maybe now would be a good time to mention the problem of frequent interruptions in the middle of sensitive conversations and other delicate matters?" Skinner offered. Since the door was open, none of the boys bothered to knock. The twins climbed onto the bed, giving sloppy kisses to Scully and making themselves comfortable. Adam stood at Mulder's side and looked accusingly at his new scrapes.

"I tripped while I was jogging," Mulder told him.

"Not having a good month are you, Dad?" Adam responded.

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

Emilia came over just after dinner to give Adam his lesson in mind control. Learning to control his own mind, that is. Upon returning from Florida, Mulder immediately called Emilia and told her what had been happening with the boy. She came over and began Adam on meditation techniques in self-control. 'Playing Star Trek shields', she called it. 'Shields up, Captain. Shields down, Captain,' with Adam being the Captain and his mind the main computer that controls the protecting shields. Skinner wasn't sure about it, but Mulder talked until Skinner promised to let him call Emilia in on it. It was only a week, but he could see that Adam was a little calmer and he only had a couple of pictures appear in his head. Fortunately, they were innocent pictures. Both impressed and frightened of the implications, Emilia called everyone she knew and, without telling them her source, gave instructions to begin teaching the shielding technique to all the children in their circles.

The twins lost another tooth, which prompted Scully and Natti both to question, "Aren't they a little too young to be losing teeth?"

"Who knows what they were engineered for?" Mulder responded. "For all we know, they could have been designed to grow at a faster rate. The rest of the clones were."

"Oh God, eight year old adolescents?" Skinner asked in a panic. He received a finger for it.

After the third week of no Krycek, neither his physical presence or by phone, Skinner went to the last resort. He dialed Krycek's voice mail, opened the phone up to the speaker, and had the boys sniffle and ask pitiously, "Did we do something wrong? Don't you love us anymore? Please come home for Christmas. We love you."

"That was a low blow, Walter, truly nasty. I'm proud of you," Mulder said when the line was disconnected.

Later in the evening, Skinner climbed into bed. "Fox, we need to consider something that I find myself really not wanting to consider."

"What if he's dead?" Mulder asked. Skinner nodded. "I consider it ever time he disappears. I thought about asking Adam to be on the lookout for 'pictures' about Alex, but I'd rather not have Adam picking up on any of Alex's habits. At least, not yet."

Catching Alex in the middle of an assassination or God knows what, would not be something that Adam should be exposed to. Skinner agreed with Mulder.

"He's probably on some kind of mission," Skinner suggested. "He'll come home when he's ready."

Mulder made a non-commital sound. Skinner turned and drapped an arm across Mulder's chest and nuzzled into Mulder's temple.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Skinner asked. Mulder turned onto his side, spooning his back into Skinner's chest and pulling Skinner's arm down across his waist.

"Just a little sore. I'll be fine," Mulder said.

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

The morning awakened them to the smell of baking cookies. The men followed their noses down to the kitchen to find the room covered with baking preparations and the boys eating their breakfast while eyeing a tray of cooling cookies.

"What's all this?" Skinner asked.

"Christmas baking," Natti explained. "I send tins of baked goods to close friends and family every year."

"Yeah, and we're going to paint them with frosting after school," Adam said. The twins agreed, their mouths too full to speak.

"Are any of those tins going to be staying here?" Mulder asked in anticipation.

"Maybe," Natti said and raised a wooden spoon at him. "If you make a good attempt at not breaking anything before Christmas."

"I'll try," Mulder said and snitched a cookie. He barely escaped to the otherside of the room as the spoon aimed for his hand. Skinner helped himself to a plate of eggs and bacon and a cup of juice before sitting down with the boys.

"So what did you boys do yesterday?" he asked.

"We made eskimo homes," Adam said.

"You mean igloos?" Mulder asked. Adam nodded.

"And one caved in on Bobby," Pavel giggled.

"We builded a snowman, too, Uncle Walter," Ivan said.

"You did? Are you going to show us?" Skinner asked him.

"Yeah, it's just out in the back." Ivan grabbed Skinner's hand and pulled at him. Skinner stood up and went with Ivan to the back door. It had snowed for the first time that year only a few days earlier much to the boys pleasure. Changing weather patterns were bringing the seasons later and later in the year. Skinner opened the door, letting in the cold morning air into the oven heated kitchen. The morning sun sparkled off the white snow and off the lopsided snowman in the middle of the yard. Mulder looked over Skinner's shoulder.

"Hey, is that my scarf?" he asked. Pavel nodded proudly.

"He was cold and your scarf was the warmest," he explained.

"And Alex's sunglasses," Skinner saw. "A cigar? My baseball hat?"

"My broom," Natti chipped in.

"Where did you get a cigar?" Skinner asked.

Adam pointed next door. "From Mr. Chavez. He was watching us build Frosty and he was smoking a cigar so we asked if we could use one for his nose."

"Well, in any case, you boys did a very nice job," Skinner said. Their cubs beamed. They were ushered back to the table to finish their breakfast.

"When will Alex be home? Why doesn't he call?" Ivan asked.

Skinner touched Ivan's soft cheek. "I don't know."

Ivan got down from his chair and climbed up onto Skinner's lap, turning to rest his cheek on Skinner's chest. "Is Alex mad at us?" he asked. Skinner hugged him and kissed the top of Ivan's head.

"No, Alex isn't mad at you, he's probably just very busy and can't get to his phone," Skinner said. He looked over at Mulder who nodded once. Mulder would make a few calls when he got to work.

"How are you doing, Adam?" Mulder asked. "Is your head feeling better?"

Adam nodded and swallowed his toast. "Lots better," he said. "What Miss Emilia tells me to do is weird but I think it's helping. My head isn't fuzzy anymore."

Mulder frowned. "Fuzzy how?"

Adam looked around trying to find a word. "Liiiiiike.... like the fuzzy on the TV when it isn't working."

"Do you mean the static?" Mulder asked. "The black and white spots with a lot of noise?" Adam nodded. "And how is school? Are you able to work better?"

Adam nodded again. "Yes and I even did good on a math test on friday. I only got 4 wrong."

"Alright!" Mulder shouted. The two high-fived.

Ivan slid off Skinner's lap and took his plate to the sink, Pavel following him. Pavel had been quieter than usual lately and Skinner knew the cause: he was missing Alex. The men tried not to play favorites but like every other relationship in life, chemistry played a major part. While Mulder had Adam to focus on, Skinner had Ivan and Pavel gravitated toward Alex. Skinner loved all three boys and would never be able to chose between them but he reluctantly admitted to himself that as Pavel and Ivan grew up, they were also beginning to separate and individualize. Ivan

remained focused on Skinner but Pavel was turning to Alex for his needs.

On Pavel's way around the table to the livingroom, Skinner grabbed him by the waist and pulled him back and up onto his lap. He held Pavel's head to his chest, gently stroking the boy's back. He could feel the tension in Pavel's body. Giving Mulder a glance, he stood up and carried Pavel out of the room and upstairs. Ivan raced up ahead of them to brush his teeth and get dressed. Skinner took Pavel into the master bedroom and sat in the chair with him. He put his

mouth to the silky, dark brown hair. Pavel turned and buried his face in Skinner's chest.

"I want Alex," Skinner heard a whisper. He felt a dampness creep down his chest.

"I know you do, son," he said. "Uncle Fox and I, and Aunt Dana, will do our very best to find him for you. I promise. Just remember; we all love you very much. I love you very much. I know Alex does, too." He hummed softly as he cradled Pavel who shed silent tears. Skinner wondered at genetics for the millionth time; just like Krycek, Pavel hid and cried silently when he was hurting inside. Just like Krycek......

Mulder came in quietly and began to dress for work. He had received his doctor's ok to return to the office. Skinner watched him as he continued to rock Pavel. Mulder mouthed Krycek's name with a question and Skinner gave a nod. Ivan came in, a spot of toothpaste on his cheek. He came over to the chair and watched his brother for a moment with a frown. He leaned forward and gave Pavel an awkward hug before turning to leave.

"See that?" Skinner whispered to Pavel. "Even Ivan loves you." The small arms tightened around his waist.

Mulder quickly finished with his tie and slid his dress shoes on. He bent to kiss Skinner and placed a kiss on Pavel's head before leaving for work. He made a motion that he would call later.

Skinner didn't move until he felt the tension leave Pavel's body and the grip loosen around his waist. He carefully stood up and placed Pavel in the bed, covering him with the blanket. He looked at the clock; Adam would have left for school already and it was almost time for Ivan to go for their kindergarten session which was only three hours. He'd leave Pavel home for the day, let him help Natti or go to the office with him. Skinner had a talk with Natti and dressed to take Ivan to school, driving him in and stopping in the class to let their teacher know that Pavel was home. It seemed strange to see Ivan going off by himself, he and Pavel had never done anything apart since they arrived there just over a year ago. The twins had been with them for a year in November. They had pizza and ice cream to celebrate. The boys kept going to the window, each time returning sadder.

The week before, on their return from Florida, Skinner had called Natti and when they arrived home, Adam had a surprise birthday party waiting for him, complete with friends, cake and presents. Not having had much of a birthday, everyone felt it was important to distract Adam from recent events.

Skinner sat in his office and called Mulder.

"Hi, I didn't want to say anything in front of the boys. It occured to me that Alex may be hiding out. You know how Pavel goes into hermit mode when he's hurting inside; Alex does the same thing."

"What could he be hurting over?" Mulder asked.

Skinner ran a hand over his head and took his glasses off, setting them on the desk. "I don't know. You know getting personal information out of him is harder than melting a diamond."

"Morning," he heard. He turned to see KC coming in his door.

"Good morning, KC," he said. "I'll be with you in a moment." KC sat and waited for him. It was Skinner's turn to partner her for the week. "I don't know, Fox, it just struck me that he was quieter than usual just before he disappeared."

"Alright," Mulder said. "I'll think about it but I don't know what his problem could be. I've already put out a few calls, I'm waiting for replies. I'll let you know if I find anything. Or him."

They said good-bye and hung up. Skinner redialed. Hearing the tone on the phone, he spoke.

"Alex, I don't know that the problem is but please come home and talk with us about it. The boys don't understand. Pavel was crying this morning, he thinks you don't love him anymore. Come home, Alex, whatever it is, we can work it out."

Krycek had disappeared on them before but he never failed to call at the first chance. At one time, Skinner would have hoped and prayed that Krycek would never come back; now he could only hope that Krycek returned with at least some of his limbs in tact.

"What's up?" KC asked. Skinner shook his head.

"Just Alex. It could be anything from a perceived insult to he's dead," he said.

"And you have no other way of contacting him?" she asked.

"No. His cell phone, but he isn't answering it. Just his voice mail."

KC frowned as she thought. "What does he do?"

"That is a loaded question," Skinner warned her. "I honestly can't tell you."

"Let's see, considering yours and Mulder's background, you can't tell me...NSA? CIA?" she guessed.

Skinner gathered up his gun and car keys and walked out of the building with her. "Even if you guessed right, do you really think I could tell you?" The NSA story worked on the rest of his family....

KC nodded knowingly. NSA it was.

"Did you know that an FBI agent moved in?" KC asked when they were a few blocks from the station.

"What? Since when?" Skinner asked. Pagans, various members of the alternative community, family and now FBI agents. Skinner knew he was missing a clue and it was seriously annoying him.

"When you all were in Florida," she answered. "Agent Giuliani. Complete with five kids," she said, impressed. "If I'm not mistaken, his wife was beginning to bust her seams again."

Skinner nodded. "I've met him. The twins hood-winked him once. At least it isn't Erikson -Alex would kill him."

KC looked at him. "You're not being facetious, are you?"

"Absolutely not," Skinner said. "Even the twins were ready to kill the asshole." To pass the time, Skinner told her about Adam's kidnapping.

"....so we took the fruitcake down, I cuffed him and called in the others."

His young cousin and deputy was shaking her head in disbelief. "Wow," she said. "And here I thought you guys were being a little paranoid about protecting the kids."

Skinner slowed the car and took a closer look at the snow covered houses. Something looked off.

"What?" KC asked, looking around.

Sidewalks shoveled, driveways plowed...

"Mr. Peterson," Skinner said, pointing at a house. "Everyone is shoveled, neat and tidy, except him. His neighbors have fireplaces going. He doesn't."

"Neither do you," KC pointed out. Skinner nodded in agreement.

"We don't have a fireplace," he said. "Mr. Peterson does. I brought in a cord of wood for him last year. He's ancient." Skinner parked the car in front of Mr. Peterson's home. He zipped up his parka and walked with KC up to the door.

"Mr. Peterson?" he called out. "It's Sheriff!" He waited for a response to his knock. The car was in the driveway so the elderly man should be home. Skinner tried the doorknob but it was locked. "Walk around, see if you can see anything," he said to KC. She nodded and went around the side of the house while he knocked again. Skinner didn't often have those 'feelings' that a lot of law officials get, but his bells were ringing on this one. He stepped to the side and tried to see into the livingroom. Curtains blocked most of his view but he didn't see anything through the slit. He heard his radio click.

"Back door is unlocked," he heard.

"Roger." Skinner made his way around to the back. KC knocked as he approached. She shook her head.

"No answer," she said.

Skinner turned the knob and stepped inside.

"Mr. Peterson?" he called out. There was no answer. Skinner walked through the kitchen and into the livingroom, going up the stairs, KC following close behind. He took a deep breath and opened the bedroom door when there was no response to his knock.

"Call Doc," he said, looking in. Mr. Peterson lay motionless on the bed. The room was ice cold. Skinner checked for a pulse and breath sounds and found none. KC dialed Dr. Wilkins from her cell phone.

"It's freezing in here," he said. He went back downstairs and found the basement. He approached the furnace and saw the problem at once; the pilot light was out. He shook his head. Poor old bastard froze to death.

It took the rest of the morning and into the afternoon to clear up the mess, during which time Skinner sent Ruvin and John out to finish the rounds. Skinner contacted Mr. Peterson's children who were understandably shocked. They would make the arrangements.

The coroner's van left just before school let out, but not before the morning kindergarten session let out. Pavel and Ivan stood on the sidewalk bundled up in their snow suits, watching the action. They had learned to stay back when Uncle Walter was being Sheriff.

"Does Natti know where you boys are?" Skinner asked them. They nodded.

"We said we was going to watch you," Pavel said. "What happened to Mr. Peterson?" he asked.

Skinner knelt down in front of them. "The fire in Mr. Peterson's heater went out and he died because it was too cold." The boys thought about it.

"Did it hurt him?" Ivan asked. Skinner shook his head.

"No. He went to sleep and he didn't wake up. Remember how Adam's mommy went to sleep and didn't wake up?" They nodded. "When it gets cold, the blood slows down. Blood heats our body and helps to keep us alive. When the blood slows down, the body gets too cold to live. That's what happened to Mr. Peterson."

The boys thought some more. "Is our house too cold?" Pavel asked.

Skinner brushed a snow flake from Pavel's nose. "No, we're fine," he said. "After dinner, I'll show you how the heater works and you can see for yourselves." The boys were satisfied.

"Sheriff?"

Skinner turned to see KC waving him over. "Have you two done work in your books today?" he asked the boys. They shook their heads with a guilty pout. He gave them pats on their backsides and sent them off home. Skinner went over to KC who was talking with George, the oil delivery man. Skinner shook his hand.

"Tell him, George," KC said.

The round man shifted in the snow. "Sheriff, I was just checking Mr. Peterson's heater, seeing if it was a mechanical malfunction or just a gust of wind, and something strange, Sir," the man said.

"Strange how?" Skinner asked.

"Well, Sir, the tank was empty. I know I filled it not two days ago. Fifty-five gallons. I have it in my records. I did most of this street that day."

"Fifty-five gallons?" Skinner asked, wrinkling his nose. "That should have lasted into February for a house this size."

"Yes, Sir," George nodded his agreement.

"Did you notice anything else strange?" Skinner asked. George scratched his beard.

"Nope, nothin' stands out," he said after a minute.

"Sheriff?" Skinner's radio crackled to life. He took it out of it's case.

"Skinner," he said.

"I think you'd better get on out to the old Mathau place, Sheriff," Ruvin said.

"What's up, Ruvin?" Skinner asked.

"901 David Baker, Sir," Ruvin said. Skinner looked over at KC. There was another dead body.

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

By the end of the day, they had discovered three elderly bodies frozen stiff in their own homes. In the last house, a whimper grabbed Skinner's attention. He pulled his gun and crouched beside the bed. He pulled the blankets aside and was licked on the nose. He jumped back and sputtered, wiping his face. A wiggly little body shuffled out from under the bed and whimpered again with a brief wag of a tan tail. The puppy shivered from the cold and looked up at Skinner with bottomless, liquid brown eyes.

With no disconcernable cause other than freshly filled oil tanks suddenly empty, Skinner went home tired and frustrated. His family was halfway through dinner when he sat down. Natti took his warmed plate out of the oven. Mulder had stopped by a scene when he returned home to find all the excitement but Skinner sent him home; there was nothing Mulder could do and as an FBI agent, Mulder was out of his jurisdiction.

"Everyone else ok?" Mulder asked after Skinner took a bit of his meatloaf. He nodded and swallowed.

"All present and accounted for," he said. In a town of 1013, it was easy to keep track of who was where. "I had Becky call around, starting with the oldest, and had them check their tanks." Mulder accepted the statement without further questions; Skinner would fill him in later. Out of the hearing of little ears. Ivan screeched and jumped out of his chair. Everyone stopped eating and stared at him as he stuck his head under the table.

"A puppy!" he yelled. The other boys dove under the table.

"Walter, you didn't," Mulder accused. He stuck his head under the table and looked for himself. "You did."

"She was cold and alone," Skinner explained. "What was I supposed to do with her?"

Natti cut up a small piece of meat and a few vegetables and put the plate on the floor along with a bowl of water. "Is she paper trained yet?" Natti asked Skinner. He highly doubted it. "You know who's training her, right?" she asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," he said. Yes, he knew.

A dull thud sounded on the ceiling and everyone stopped to stare upward.

"Stay!" Skinner pointed at the boys who were ready to jump up. He and Mulder bolted out the back door and up the stairs. They skid to a stop in the doorway, bumping into each other.

"Come in, don't let the heat out," Krycek said, sounding world weary. A large duffle bag sat in the middle of the floor.

"Where have you been?!" both men yelled at him. Krycek was laying on his couch. He opened one blurry eye.

"Don't start on me," he said softly. The men made a concerted effort to calm and center themselves. One wrong word and Krycek would disappear again, maybe for good. The men would be able to deal with it, but the boys wouldn't understand.

"We're just worried, Alex," Mulder said with a neutral voice. "We realise that you need to go off at times, but how are we to know if you're dead or alive?"

"Yes, well, thanks to you two, I have a legitimate job," Krycek said. "I've never had a real paycheck before. Can you believe that I actually have to show up for work in the morning?"

"What are you talking about?" they asked.

Krycek pulled a small black wallet out of his jacket and tossed it at them. Mulder caught it and opened it with Skinner looked over his shoulder. They stared at the ID for a moment before they began to laugh.

"You got recruited into the NSA?!" they barked in disbelief. Krycek snorted.

"Thanks to Hoskins and your cop cousins poking their noses into government business, you two were tailed until you led Them to me," Krycek said. "I got shanghied in a bar in Altoona of all places."

"What were you doing in Altoona?" Skinner asked. Krycek turned his face away and ignored them. Skinner looked at Mulder.

"Alex, I thought we were going talk out problems and miscommunications," Skinner reminded him. Mulder sat on the floor next to the couch.

"Remember our talk about families?" Mulder asked Krycek. "Talking about things that bother us, that hurt us, makes us stronger on the inside. You don't have to look at us, but at least tell us what's been bothering you. Did one of us do or say something wrong?"

Skinner thought that Mulder talking to Krycek as though he were one of the boys would have irritated the man but Krycek plucked at the couch looking for all the world like Pavel.

"It was my fault that the Horse went after you," he mumbled.

"What?" the men asked in confusion. Krycek huffed with impatience and got up.

"It was my fault," he reiterated as he paced. "I caught him at the marina. Instead of killing him there or turning him over to the cops, I toyed with him. I gave him a head start before I hunted him. I underestimated him and he got away. I told him that he shot my brother and he had to pay the price."

While Skinner stared in shock, Mulder nodded. "Yes, that was a bone-head thing to do," Mulder agreed with Krycek. "Is this something you plan on doing again?" he asked. Krycek shook his head. "Good. We are all alive and well so you can dump the guilt. Thank you for sticking up for me. No more toying with the bad guys, either kill them or arrest them right there and then, got it?" Krycek nodded with a hang-dog look.

It wasn't how Skinner would have handled it but he could see that what Mulder said was sinking into Krycek's head. "Communication begins with learning the language," Mulder had said to him once after an argument with Krycek. "Alex speaks thug. If you can't get an idea into his head by using civilized speech, then speak thug. Pretend he's one of your cousins." Skinner wasn't amused but he understood what Mulder was saying.

"Good," Mulder said. "Now get your ass downstairs and apologize to the boys for not calling them. Make sure that Pavel gets a good hug and kiss. If you can, if you're ready, tell him that you love him. Ivan is able to understand by action but Pavel needs to hear the words before he is able to comprehend."

Krycek took his hang-dog face out the door and down the stairs with the men following. Ivan and Adam jumped at Krycek and received hugs. Pavel hung back until Krycek squatted on the floor and held out his arms. He carried Pavel out into the livingroom.

"Come on," Skinner told the other boys. "Finish your dinner. Alex and the puppy can wait." The cats sat on top of the refrigerator, staring down at the Thing in disbelief.

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

After the boys were put to bed, Krycek and Mulder sat on the couch and listened to Skinner describe the day's events. The puppy, worn out from tumbling with three active little boys, was sound asleep on an old blanket.

"Empty oil tanks?" Krycek asked, wrinkling his nose. "That's it?" He leaned back and communed with the ceiling with a look that Skinner was becoming familiar with; Krycek was scanning the data banks. Anyone who thought that Krycek was just a hitman without the intelligence to do much more was sorely mistaken. Krycek did Mensa puzzles as easily as Mulder did.

"Any rumors in the stratosphere?" Mulder asked him. Krycek scratched at his chest as he contemplated.

"Mmmm... maybe," he said. "I know of a couple of labs that are working on pollution control. They're very anti- fossil fuel. They make Greenpeace look like Tibetian monks. I don't see that they'd want to kill a few old people out in the middle of nowhere, though."

"Walter, did the victims have anything in common other than their age?" Mulder asked. "Anything in their past?"

Skinner thought about the three people, Mr. Peterson, Mrs. Mathau and Mr. Berg. He took the puppy from Mr. Berg's home.

"Mr. Peterson has two children, son and daughter. Both live out of state," he thought out loud. "I think I remember Mr. Peterson mentioning that his son is an engineer but he didn't say where. Daughter is a housewife. Mr. Peterson is retired from the railroad. Mrs. Mathau is childless. She used to teach piano before her arthritis became too bad. Her husband was a coalminer here in this area. Mr. Berg had one child, a son who died in 'Nam. Wife died a few years ago of a heart attack. Mr. Berg is retired from the Army, he was a Staff Sargent. KC was enjoying trading stories with him."

Mulder scratched down a few notes as Skinner spoke.

"Why is there a puppy sleeping on the floor?" Krycek asked, only just realizing that there was a new body in the house.

"I found her at Mr. Berg's house," Skinner said. "She was hiding under the bed."

"How old was he?" Krycek asked.

"About 87, I think."

Krycek frowned. "What's an old man doing with a puppy? Did he have that kind of energy? Did he realise that she would outlive him?" Mulder looked up, the wheels turning.

"I don't know anything about it," Skinner said. "I didn't even know that he had a dog."

"I want to see his place," Krycek announced abruptly. He stood up and reached for a jacket. Seeing that the men were determined, Skinner let Natti know that they'd be out for a few minutes and got his own jacket.

"Grab the dog, Walter," Mulder said and waved him to hurry. Skinner lifted the puppy, blanket and all and received a slobbery kiss for it. He sputtered and wiped his face.

"No kiss..," he started and was slobbered on again. Mulder chuckled and even Krycek tried to hold in a snicker.

"There's her name, Walter," Krycek said. "Creatures should be named for their nature. Her name is Kisa." The puppy yapped in agreement.

Skinner set Kisa on the ground and attached her leash. Actually a cat leash that was stolen and hidden not minutes after it was brought into the house. The cats had turned their smug noses up at Skinner's demand for it's return. Natti had discovered it behind the washer. Kisa pranced in the snow, her ears twitching with excitement and her tail nearly wagging her over. She squatted and Skinner praised her when she finished. She wasn't sure what she did but she was happy to be coo-ed over. He got into the car and handed the bundled puppy over to Mulder who was immediately licked.

"What kind of a name is Kisa?" Skinner asked.

"A Russian name," Krycek said.

"I gathered that," Skinner said. "How about some detail?"

Kisa yapped. "It means kitten," Krycek said.

"This is a dog, Alex," Skinner said.

"I know that but she's cute and cuddly and fuzzy."

Both Skinner and Mulder turned around to look at Krycek.

"What?" Krycek held up his hands.

Kisa looked over Mulder's shoulder and yapped at Krycek.

The ride to Mr. Berg's house took just minutes. The streets were dark and still, the snow insulating against sound as it fell with a faint whisper. The evening was getting stranger by the moment, Skinner thought. Krycek disappears for weeks only to return as a new employee of the NSA and names the new puppy 'kitten'. He's deflecting, Skinner would swear he heard Mulder murmur. Deflecting from what? Skinner thought. From the real reason he left in the first place. His inner-Mulder was right, Krycek told them what happened after, not why he left. Skinner would wait; pushing Krycek too soon would only cause him to run again.

They reached the house and Krycek took the puppy from Mulder when they got out of the car. Skinner unlocked the front door and let them in. Krycek put the puppy on the floor and followed patiently as Kisa toddled around.

"Alex, she doesn't have the memory of an older dog," Skinner informed him.

"Maybe not details but if she experienced something traumatic, she'll remember," Krycek said.

The house was freezing, reminding Skinner of the inside of an icebox. There was the musty smell of 'old' in the air and a sparseness of someone who didn't seem to enjoy life. Not even family pictures on the mantle. An old linoleum table, an EZ chair, a couch and a TV stand. Skinner didn't notice earlier in the evening but Mr. Berg was a sad way to end a life of over 80 years. Skinner felt a chill race down his spine; if it hadn't been for Mulder, he would have become Mr. Berg.

"Hey," Krycek said and thrust a frame under Skinner's nose. "This was next to the old man's bed. Is that him?" Skinner looked at the face under Krycek's finger and nodded.

"Yes, I'd say about 40-50 years earlier." It was Mr. Berg's wedding photo, an old acetate picture.

Krycek tossed the frame onto the chair. "Your Mr. Berg was Consortium. I've seen that face in old photos. He was DOD before he retired. Let's see the other houses, show me pictures."

Reeling, Skinner drove them to Mr. Peterson's and Mrs. Mathau's homes after Krycek scraped a sample of the oil from the tank. Krycek went straight for any pictures. "Mr. Peterson -engineer on one of the surgical trains. Mrs. Mathau -espionage."

"Espionage?!" Skinner echoed in disbelief. "She was a sweet little old lady."

"So was Mata Hari," Krycek said. "Believe it, Walter, I've seen them in group photos. I've memorized all the faces."

Mulder drew a breath.

"What?" the men asked. Mulder pointed at Skinner and snapped his fingers.

"The poisoning," Mulder said. "Whoever did this, knows that you were Consortium at one time. You were the first victim. Alex's presence must have scared whoever it was off your trail."

Krycek nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good possibility," he said to Mulder. "I need to do some checking. Very few people would know who past 'employees' were. Especially past employees who have escaped the Tribunals. It was sloppy work, none the less. Freezing old people to death." Krycek snorted his opinion. "Poisoning bottled water. Very sloppy. Obviously an amature who has read too many mystery books."

"What's wrong, Alex," Mulder said. "Afraid of a little competition for the heads of the remaining bad guys?"

"Of course n...." Krycek began. "I don't know what you're talking about," he finished.

Skinner laughed. "Alex, you're a snob on the subject of killing styles."

"Executions, please, and I still don't know what you're talking about," Krycek corrected him. He handed

Skinner the leash and took a plastic bag out of a pocket inside his jacket. He went down to the basement and took his sample. Skinner tucked the shivering puppy inside his jacket and scratched her head as he walked outside. He stared up at the gray sky filled with snow clouds. A pair of arms encircled his waist from behind and lips touched his neck.

"It's the 21st," Mulder said. "It's the Winter Solstice. Tomorrow, the days begin to get longer again. The sun is reborn. Would you like me to warm you up tonight?"

"Yes, I would," Skinner said.

Krycek came out of the house and Skinner locked up.

"Let's get out of here, I'm freezing my ass off," Krycek said. The men agreed and drove home.

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

In the middle of the night, Skinner woke up to use the bathroom. He heard a noise in the kitchen and went downstairs to find Krycek making a cup of hot chocolate.

"Something wrong with your stove?" Skinner asked. He stepped over the babygate that was across the doorway, holding the puppy in the kitchen with her papers until she was house-trained. She was snuggled in her blanket, chewing happily on a rubber toy. She wagged her tail at his entrance and yapped before attacking her toy with a tiny growl.

Krycek shook his head. "No hot coco." He handed Skinner a steaming mug. Skinner sat at the table and blew on his coco before taking a sip. He studied Krycek as the man fixed another mug.

"Alex, tell me something; did my having sex with Scully upset you?" Skinner asked. Krycek stopped what he was doing and frowned.

"Why on earth would that upset me?" he asked. Skinner shrugged.

"Because you've been with her," Skinner said.

Krycek sat at the table. "I've been with a few people, so what? I have no formal arrangements with her, she can sleep with whom ever she wants to. But you didn't sleep with her willingly, you should be the one upset. Hell, she should be on the warpath."

"The Horse is dead," Skinner said. "Who would she go after?"

Krycek opened his mouth to say something but took a sip of coco instead. Skinner could read the word that was forming.

"You were going to say 'me'. Why should Scully be after you?" he asked.

Krycek stared down at the dark liquid and turned his cup around.

"It was my fault the asshole went after you guys, doesn't that make you feel anything?" Krycek asked. Skinner felt the pieces click together.

"Alex, you did not force me and Scully together, he did," Skinner said. "I'm angry with him, not you. Dana and I have discussed it and we're fine. We're getting to fine. Fox has a problem with the way it happened but not the fact that I had sex with her. You know that I would have no problem with Dana in our bed and the three of us have discussed that, too, and we agreed that we're not ready for it. If you have a problem with Dana in my bed, then you need to speak up and

set a boundary."

"I'm not territorial," Krycek said. "She's a fun partner but I'm not in love with her. You do what you want."

Skinner nodded and took a sip of coco. "If and when this happens, we can't have her jumping between beds," he warned Krycek.

"Of course not," Krycek agreed. "That's one of the few rules we established; if one of us goes outside the play area, the game stops. Our immune systems have been greatly improved but we're still susceptible. Not that I'm insinuating anything." Skinner waved him off.

"I understand. It's a good rule." A thought occured to him. "I thought you were still playing with Em?"

"I am," Krycek said with a lift of an eyebrow. "I didn't say where the boundaries on our play area were."

Skinner could see that Krycek wasn't going to elaborate and that was fine, it was none of his business. He wondered how far Scully took her experiment.

"Have you spoken with her about your concerns?" Skinner asked. Krycek shook his head. "You need to, Alex, she's been worried about you, too."

Krycek clearly didn't believe him. "She isn't cold-blooded, Alex, she's been having sex with you; that tends to make people care about each other. Give her a call tomorrow and make a date to go and talk with her."

"Ten years ago you would never have said something like that," Krycek observed.

Skinner gathered his cup and stood. "Yes, well, some boys take longer to mature than others."

"Was that a crack, Skinner?" he heard as he walked through the livingroom. Skinner gave a silent chuckle. He put his mug down on the stairs and went in to check on the children. Petunia was curled up at the foot of Adam's bed and gave him a reproachful look. He chucked her under her chin and ears with a whispered apology for bringing the enemy into their home. He tucked the blanket around Adam and smoothed his hair with a kiss at the boy's temple. The twins, having recently been relocated to a downstairs bedroom, were both sound asleep. Pavel was snoring softly. He turned in his sleep as Skinner straightened his blanket and stroked his cheek. The snoring stopped when Pavel turned onto his belly. Aries ignored him. Ivan was curled up with his pillow, his cat Joxer curled up in the crook of his legs. The cat opened one eye and went back to sleep, assured that this human belonged. Skinner put a light kiss on Ivan's cheek and held still when the boy shifted and murmured in his sleep.

"Daddy."

His chest so tight that it hurt, Skinner withdrew from the room and bumped into Krycek in the hall. He had heard.

"I can't think of anyone better to call Daddy," Krycek said. "If the boys want to, it's alright with me. I'd rather be their big brother than their father."

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

The following evening they had a full house for dinner. Emilia had come over and declared the kitchen off limits to the men while she and Natti cooked up a Solstice feast. The children were kept occupied with presents and soon had the livingroom floor covered in torn paper and ribbons which the puppy was sure was a present for her. Even the cats managed to tear into the paper with ferocious leaps and bounds all the while remaining regal.

"Walter," Dom leaned over towards him. "I'm not trying to start an argument, really, but do the boys know the story of Jesus' birth?"

Skinner nodded. "Yes, they do. They also know the story of Osiris, Apollo, Budda, Merlin, Lugh, Marduk, Mohammed..."

Dom stopped him. "Alright, I get it. I was just asking. Will you at least be coming to Mama's Christmas party on the 25th?"

"Yes, of course, Dom," Skinner assured him.

The front door opened and Scully announced herself. "Hello."

The boys jumped up and ran to her. She gave them the bags she was carrying and told them to find the presents with their own names. The boys eagerly complied. She kept one bag and passed out a present to each of the men, including Dominic who blushed when she kissed his cheek.

"Mom says Merry Christmas," she said to Mulder. She kissed his cheek, too. "That's from her."

"She couldn't come?" he asked. Scully shook her head.

"She was a little uncomfortable with a non-Christian holiday. But she says everyone is welcome to come to dinner on Monday."

"We're going to New York for dinner," Mulder said. "Zia Ginny is bound and determined to draw Walter back into the fold, me converted and our little heathens saved."

The men chuckled as Scully swatted at Mulder.

"Can we talk?" Krycek asked her, indicating upstairs. Scully nodded with a lift of an eyebrow. He took a deep breath and shot a look at Skinner before leading Scully out of the room.

Ivan rushed over to Skinner and climbed up onto his lap.

"Look! A eBook!" He showed Skinner the box. "And stories! Hans Christian Andersen!"

Skinner took the box. "You're right, that's what it says," he said. "You read that very well." Ivan smiled, one front tooth half grown next to an empty space.

Pavel ran over and took Skinner's other knee. "And I got a eBook with stories, too! Fairy Tales and Mfths!" he lisped.

Adam ran over. "Me, too! Just So Stories!"

Dominic handed the boys presents that he had hidden behind the couch.

"You'll forgive me if I think children should play once in a while," he said to the men. The boys opened the boxes and screamed over the three soccer balls. Skinner groaned, his secret hopes for at least one football star circling down the drain. Mulder patted his knee in sympathy.

"Fox, she just spent about five hundred dollars on the boys," Skinner said.

"I know," Mulder said. "Let her have her fun. It isn't like she has children of her own to splurg on."

After dinner, everyone retired to the family room with wine and eggnog, stuffed to the gills. Krycek took the twins out of the room while the adults collapsed onto the couches and Adam lounged in a chair with his eBook. Skinner made no effort to hide unbottoning the clasp on his jeans to give his stomach room to digest. Mulder relaxed next to him with one hand on Skinner's thigh while Scully sat on Skinner's other side. Skinner didn't know what Krycek said to her but when they returned from their talk, she flushed when she looked at Skinner.

Krycek and the twins came back down, followed by Madison Howard.

"Hey, Harry," Skinner and Mulder greeted him. The older man waved at them and said hello to the ladies. Krycek gave a small tap on the twins. They walked up to Skinner and Ivan handed him an envelope.

"What's this?" Skinner asked them. The boys figgited.

"Uncle Walter?" Ivan asked. "Would you 'dopt us and be our daddy?"

Shocked, Skinner dropped the envelope and pulled the boys to him, squeezing them tightly. Standing in back of them, Krycek gave Skinner a nod of acceptance.

End pt 18.