The room was thick with steam, but they could make it out. It wasn't much larger than the bedroom had been in the safe apartment. The walls and floor were tiled in gleaming white. The floor slanted slightly from each side toward the center. In the exact middle there was a pit filled with stones so hot that they glowed. Sitting next to the pit was a bucket of water with a long handled dipper sitting in it. Olivero indicated it, saying, "There is a sprinkler directly overhead that can be turned on, or set to operate automatically, but I enjoy the traditional, old fashioned way." There were two ranks of wide wooden benches on every wall save the one that held the door. "Have a seat, my friends."

"You can have a seat, I intend to have a recline." Mulder arranged himself on one of the lower benches. It was just long enough for him to stretch out without anything dangling off either end. He closed his eyes and prepared to let the heat bake into him. God knows I could stand relaxing a little.

He felt his head lifted, and opened his eyes to find an upside view of a smiling Manuel. A folded towel was slipped under his head, and Manuel said, "Just a little pillow for you, Senor Danny." His fingers trailed down Mulder's cheek. "All we desire is your comfort."

"Thank you," he said faintly.

Olivero dipped up some water and poured it over the stones. It hissed and splattered as it struck the heated rocks, sending up a cloud of steam, then he moved to sit on the upper bench behind Mulder. Ethan sat on the other side, just beyond Mulder's feet, where he could keep an eye on him. Manuel, now totally nude, went to sit close beside Ethan, not quite touching him.

Mulder laid a forearm across his eyes, blocking out the milky light that filtered through the steam. "If I start to melt, just scoop me back up on the bench," he sighed.

He felt Ethan nudge his feet with his hip. "Lazy git."

"Never denied it, darling."

There was a few moments of silence, then Olivero said, "Ethan, I find your lover very attractive."

Fox didn't move, listening to Ethan's dry reply, "Yah? You know, I thought I noticed a bit of interest. I have no objection if Danny doesn't, but it's his choice."

"I am so glad you said that, so I didn't have to," Mulder murmured. He felt a hand settle on his chest--not moving, just resting there. "Whose hand is that?" There was no answer, but the hand moved slowly, tracing circles in the sweat that slicked his skin. It drifted to the right, and the fingers grazed his nipple. "I'm not sure I care." There was a soft pinch, then a thumb rubbed sensuously till the tiny bit of flesh had stiffened into a point. Mulder sighed. "I definitely don't care."

"Not very flattering, Danny." Olivero's voice was amused. "Are you willing?" Mulder arched, turning slightly so that Olivero's fingers slid over to his other nipple. The Columbian chuckled, beginning to caress the other nipple, but said, "I need your agreement. I have no wish for Connor to fly to your defense."

Mulder's apprehension was warring with the erotic glow that was kindling his body. Perhaps the danger of the situation even added to the spice. Exactly how sick am I? "Rules."

"Rules," Montana agreed.

"No penetration." Olivero's fingers tightened slightly, making the pinch sharper than it had been, but Mulder said firmly, "No--penetration. I seriously doubt that you're carrying condoms or lube in that towel, and I don't do it with anyone except Connor without protection."

Olivero let his hand drift down Mulder's torso, circling his navel, then fingering the towel where it was wrapped low on his hips. "Digital?" Mulder hesitated, then nodded. "And you will not deny me the hope of more later?"

I'd better leave things open, because I'm not at all sure that Olivero would take well to being forbidden. "Perhaps. We'll see."

"Fair enough."

Mulder felt the towel unknotted and spread open. He was already half erect. He felt a big hand slip under his cock and lift it away from its resting place along his thigh. If I keep my eyes shut, I can pretend that it's Ethan.

"Danny, put your left foot up flat on the bench." Mulder obliged, and immediately he felt Olivero's fingers skimming the slightly spread crease of his ass. He shuddered, and Olivero murmured, "Calm, sweetheart, calm. I will be gentle."

He pumped Mulder's thickening cock slowly. His fingertip located the crinkle of Mulder's anus and rubbed around it. The hand was withdrawn for a moment, and Mulder felt it swipe across his belly and chest. When it returned to probe at his ass he realized that Olivero had coated his finger with sweat, and used it to slick his way as he gradually worked it up inside Mulder. Mulder bit his lip. Olivero's finger was thicker that Ethan's--he thought that of his felt almost like two of Ethan's.

Olivero had forgotten the other men in the room, forgotten that Connor and Manuel were watching. He was focused solely on the man lying before him--his scent, the tight, hot feel of his flesh. He drank in the play of expression across his face, the teeth catching at his full bottom lip. Oh, Duncan, it has been too long.

He pushed hard and deep, and Danny's face tensed. He made a small whine of discomfort. Behind him Olivero heard Connor say warningly, "Vero..."

"Wait." He curved his fingers, feeling, and found the small, spongy nub. Mulder stiffened, then seemed to melt around him, arching his hips. "It's all right, Connor. You see?" He rubbed firmly, and Mulder moaned, jerking upward. "He likes it." He caressed the prostate again, enjoying the soft sounds of pleasure that the man made. "I remember what you like, don't I, Duncan?"

Oh, Jesus. There's something wrong with him--something other than what was in the information we got, Ethan thought. Control had better have something for me. I can't keep Fox here unless I know exactly what we're up against. "Danny, are you all right?"

Fox kept his voice calm. "I'm fine, Con. Please relax. Manuel, dear, why don't you distract my husband?"

"It will be an honor and a pleasure, Senor Danny."

As Manuel began to untuck Ethan's towel the agent thought, Fuck! I don't want to be distracted. I think I need to keep a very close eye on what Olivero does with Mulder. I'm going to be very nervous about leaving him alone from now on. But Montana had done nothing overtly threatening, nothing that could be singled out, and Ethan didn't feel he had enough information to end the mission now. If we can find his real records--then. There's going to have to be some serious snooping going on. It won't be easy, but it's necessary.

Ethan had been soft, too worried to be aroused, even by the undeniably erotic sight of Olivero working his finger deep in Mulder's ass. Under any other circumstances Ethan would have been very distracted, but Manuel was skilled, and enthusiastic. He began filling out from the first touch of the boy's tongue, and was completely erect in no time. Then Manuel took him down his throat with no discernable hesitation. "Damn, boy!" Ethan gasped. "You're not normal!" Manuel swallowed. "But normality is highly over rated."

Even as apprehensive as he was, Mulder felt a faint sense of regret when Olivero's probing finger was removed. His eyes were still closed, but he heard the whisper of Montana removing his own towel. Then there was a shifting. His bent leg was lifted even farther, and he felt Montana straddling the bench, moving between his legs. Olivero caught his wrists, and Mulder suddenly found his hands pinned over his head.

Mulder's eyes snapped open in alarm. "I told you..."

"I'm not going to fuck you, Chico. Not this time." Mulder's legs were pushed off to either side, and Olivero moved up, crouching over him. Their cocks brushed, and Mulder felt a thrill of heat as Olivero's prick, slick with a drizzle of pre-come, rubbed against his. Olivero leaned farther down, his weight resting on Mulder's wrists--and crotch, as he began to thrust against him.

"Danny?" Ethan tried to push Manuel away, but the boy had wrapped his arms around his waist and clung like a limpet. Hunt felt the faintest scrape of Manuel's teeth, and knew instinctively that it wasn't a mistake--it was an unspoken warning. He looked down, and Manuel pulled back a little, just far enough so he could tilt his head to look up. His eyes were unreadable, but Ethan didn't try to push him again.

"Con, it's all right. I'll scream for help if I need it." Mulder flexed his fingers. He couldn't budge his hands, and he felt trapped, but he maintained the pretense of being an old hand at swinging. This sort of thing would not be unknown to Danny. "Olivero's just feeling a little masterful, that's all. Besides, it feels good." It does, but I suppose that having a jaguar rub against you would feel good--till it turned around and ripped your throat out.

Olivero leaned down even further, closing the gap between them, till he was lying on top of Danny, and continued to pump, hardly registering the exchange between the two lovers. All that mattered right now was him and the man beneath him--him and Duncan. After all the times he'd thought he'd found his lost lover, now he was sure.

Fox thought he would scream when Olivero buried his face against his throat. He drew in a breath when he felt the pinch of the big man's teeth. But somehow he didn't scream, somehow he held it in, and he didn't lose his erection. The tension and heat and sparks of ecstasy swirled inside him in a crazing sensation, and he was certain that at that moment he was a little insane. Surely no sane man would welcome the hard thrusts of a man he knew was a murderer, and was almost certain was insane.

Olivero sucked a dark purple patch on the side of the writhing Daniel's neck. Never stopping his movements he moved up to lick at Daniel's ear, then whispered hotly, "So good, my sweet one, my golden one, my lover. But it can be better. It will be better soon, very soon." He grunted as he spilled himself against Daniel's flat, heaving belly. He moved, pinning both of Daniel's wrists with one hand. With the other he reached between them, found the other man's twitching cock, and squeezed roughly.

Mulder closed his eyes again, crying out as his orgasm washed over him. But this was different from any other he'd had--it felt like more of an obligation than a pleasure. It was something that happened because it had to happen, not because he wanted it. It happened because the man moving over him and against him needed it to happen.

Ethan was relieved when Olivero stopped moving, but he didn't relax till the big man got up and Ethan saw that Fox was unharmed. He let Manuel draw him to orgasm with his skilled lips and tongue. When his climax was imminent Ethan pulled out of Manuel's oral embrace, holding the boy back when he would have lunged to take him once again, and came on his face. He couldn't say exactly why, since he usually preferred for his partners to swallow. It was something instinctual. Shit, it's superstitious--not wanting an enemy to have any of your body--hair, spit, blood, nail clippings, or come, in case they gain some sort of hold over you.

Manuel took it in stride, picking up Ethan's discarded towel and wiping his face. "You need not have done that, Connor."

"Force of habit, boyo." He reached over and rubbed Mulder's thigh as Manuel moved to begin cleaning him, then Olivero.

Instead of feeling relaxed, like he usually did after sex, Mulder felt like he was about to jump out of his skin, but he didn't show it. He stretched luxuriously, and yawned. "Well, that was nice, but me for a shower, then bed."

As he stood up Olivero, who'd seated himself on the bench, reached out and caressed Mulder's hip. "Could you be persuaded to share my bed tonight, Danny?"

Mulder kept his voice carefully neutral. "I don't know you well enough."

"No sex, only sleep."

"That's what I mean. I'll have sex with someone before I'll actually sleep with them, you know?" Olivero nodded his understanding. In his profession you did not sleep around someone unless you trusted them very strongly.

Outside the sauna the four men took fresh towels and wiped the sweat from their bodies before donning their gym clothes once again and leaving the gym. Mulder and Hunt walked close together, Ethan's hand on the small of Mulder's back, as if reassuring himself that his partner was indeed still there and still in one piece.

Olivero and Manuel said goodnight and entered Olivero's room, leaving the other two to walk down to their quarters. Mulder murmured, "I'd lay odds that they trip off to wherever the monitoring equipment is about ten seconds after we close our door."

"No bet."

"What's our scene?"

"Shit, Fox, you're calling it more than I am now."

"I enjoyed it, but he's got nothing on you." He smiled faintly. "You're a teeny bit jealous, but you aren't being a bastard about it."

"Sounds good."

"Con?"

"Yeah?"

Fox's voice was a whisper, and when he looked at Ethan his eyes were haunted. "I didn't enjoy it. I don't care what the fuck my body did, I didn't like it at all." Ethan started to speak, but Fox said quickly, "But I had to do it. And if I have to, I'll do it again, but I'll feel like I'm fucking a King cobra."

There was so much Ethan wanted to say to him, but Mulder was opening the bedroom door, and the characterization had to be maintained. "What say to sharin' that shower, Danny?"

"Sounds good to me--there's plenty of room."

"You go start the water and get it nice and hot. I want to take a quick look at that map in the suitcase and try to estimate where we were today."

Mulder tipped him a questioning look, but went into the bathroom and started the water. Once again Ethan checked to be sure no one had touched the suitcase. It was entirely possible that Olivero, to allay suspicion, would have an underling go through their things while he was with his guests. There were no prints, and he extracted the laptop again.

There was nothing useful. So far there had been no direct connection between Olivero and anyone named Duncan, but MI had only been able to access records for the last ten years. They promised to go through the next ten years worth by the next day. Ethan thought for a moment, then typed. CONTINUE SEARCH BACK TO AGE OF FIFTEEN. ANY LEAD. CONCENTRATE ON POLICE RECORDS." He thought again. "EXPAND SEARCH. MISSING PERSONS THIS LOCAL AND BOGOTA, SAME PERIOD. MALES ONLY, CAUC" He considered. "15 to 35. PHOTOS WHEN POSSIBLE." Ethan could just imagine the look on Control's face when he read that request, but once a mission was begun there was no stint on expenditures--or effort. When he was done he once again stored the laptop and prepared the suitcase, then put it away. Then he joined Fox in the bathroom.

Fox was already in the shower, and Ethan stripped quickly, then stepped under the spray with him. Mulder smiled at him and said, "Eek! There's a strange naked man in my shower."

"Better than a naked strange man, love. Give me the soap and I'll do your back."

Fox handed it over, saying, "You can do my back. You can do my front. You can just do me."

Ethan laughed. "Ya slut! You still haven't had enough?"

"Not of you, lover." Though the hissing of the water would probably have masked what they said, Mulder put his lips against Ethan's ear and whispered. "I need you. This shower isn't enough to wash away his touch. I still feel like his hands are crawling all over me."

"Not here, Danny," Ethan said. As he spoke, he cupped Mulder's cheek, gazing tenderly into his eyes. "I don't want to risk breaking either of our fool necks. We'll take it to the bed, eh?"

"Then hurry up and wash me, daddy. This little boy is ready for a cuddle, then sleepy-bye."

"You're not the most ridiculous man I've ever known, but you come close."

"But I'm not boring."

"No." As they spoke, Ethan had been stroking his soapy hands over Mulder's body--torso, arms, long legs... Now he worked up a handful of slippery foam and massaged it into Fox's crotch. "And you're awful fun to play with." He glanced down and laughed.

Fox sounded miffed. "You've never found my package amusing before."

"I'm sorry, Danny, but with all that lather and your hard-on... Laddie, it looks like one of those rolled wafers stuck in a pile of whipped cream."

"You and your food play." Fox stepped under the spray again and rinsed, then stepped out of the stall. "Hurry, or I'll start without you."

Ethan called after him. "Don't make me spank you!"

Fox's voice drifted back to him, "Promises, promises..."