MULDER THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Round One, Part Five

Light shone through his closed eyelids before Skinner was even aware he was conscious. His head was pounding with pain; he could feel a lump already forming on his head where he'd been struck. He was also aware that he'd lost all feeling in his wrists and hands. Opening his eyes, he found that he'd been bound upright in an X position, with his arms suspended from a beam across the ceiling and his ankles secured to the floor.

"Ahhh, you're finally awake, dear Watcher! I must say, it was very easy to subdue you, the rumors would have had me believe otherwise," a deep, resonant baritone greeted him.

Skinner craned his neck around to see who was speaking and saw a young man regarding him with glee. His captor was lean and muscular, with cold, classically beautiful features consisting of an elegant nose and strong chin, eyes light brown as to be almost golden in appearance and full, curly blond hair with one ringlet swept carelessly over his forehead. Noticing Skinner's examination, the man smiled and turned his chiseled profile to the side. "So what's the verdict? Rather Byronesque, don't you think?"

Tamping down his rage, Skinner forced himself to speak calmly. "I'm hardly the one to answer that question. I'm not familiar with the features of the Romantic poets and wasn't alive when Byron was. Were you?"

The young man laughed delightedly, wagging his finger impishly at Skinner. "Oh, Skinner, you're such a tricky devil! Are you trying to figure out if I'm a vampire? Why yes, as a matter of fact, I was. However I never met the man, so I can't satisfy any curiosity you might have on that score."

The man then circled around to stand in front of Skinner, looking him up and down covetously. His beautiful face was transfixed with lust, and in spite of his fear of being rendered helpless and in the hands of a vampire, Skinner couldn't help feeling irritated with this treatment. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Folding his arms, the vampire gave him a glowing smile. "Checking out my new possession! Really, Watcher, you need to be more careful. You were so deep into that tripe you were reading that you didn't even notice me in your office. You're lucky that I didn't kill you."

Skinner swallowed hard. "Why didn't you?"

The vampire looked at him from under lowered eyelids. "Because I didn't want to. You're much more valuable to me alive. I do want to bring you over...what a lark that will be for the Watcher's Council, a Watcher vampire! But not yet...not for awhile...I want to play with you first. Though don't worry, I won't wait too long, we don't want an old Skinner vampire prancing around, do we?"

Skinner bellowed in rage and yanked at the cords that restrained him, his hands aching to choke the young vampire's neck, much good that it would do him. He cursed himself for being careless. He had been so busy with his work and deciphering the blasted text that he hadn't even noticed night had fallen. And perhaps having Mulder on board had given him a false sense of security. But where was Mulder now?

He stilled in the next moment as the vampire placed his hand on Skinner's forehead. "Enough of that," he chided sternly. "You can't get free, you'll only hurt yourself. We haven't even concluded our introductions, and already you're chomping at the bit! For your information, Watcher, my name is Keiron...Keiron Pierce, at your service."

"Dark black," Skinner responded tonelessly, with Keiron's hand still on his forehead.

Keiron smiled. "Ah, so you know! Pretty ironic, don't you think, Skinner? Dark black when I'm so fair? Perhaps my dear mother was thinking of my soul. Now your name, Walter...it means 'ruling people' in Old German, but I'm sure you know that already."

His voice softened to a sensual purr as he lowered his hand. "Also an irony. At least, it will be when I get through with you."

"What do you want with me?" Skinner forced himself to ask.

Keiron laughed. "What don't I want with you! You're a priceless gem, dear Watcher, and now you're mine. There are those in the Brotherhood who would do away with you, the fools. When the issue was raised, I insisted they leave you to me. So you have me to thank for your life. You'll be making it up to me in a myriad of ways, I can assure you."

Even though it was pointless, Skinner started struggling again, trying in vain to break the strong cords that held him. As he looked around frantically at his surrounding, he could only guess he was in the basement of a building, most probably a deserted one. There would be no one around to hear his cries as the wretched vampire drained his life away.

Instead of getting angry with Skinner's attempts to free himself, the vampire seemed amused. "You don't give up easily, do you, Walter? That damn Spender was right when he said he was worried about you. You and your Mulder won't rest until you drive a stake through each one of us, I'm sure."

Hearing Spender's name made Skinner freeze. "Spender? Is a vampire?"

"Why, of course! What ever did you think? He's well-placed within the Brotherhood. The crafty old goat has had it in for you for a long time. The only one who commands more of his attention than you is that delicious little bastard Fox Mulder."

"Because he's a slayer?"

"Well, of course because he's a slayer. But he's also quite luscious. Spender wants him. He wants to bring him over."

Keiron paused. "But he isn't the only one. We all want him. All of us. Your boy has placed himself at the top of the pyramid by killing so many of us. At first we wanted to do away with him, he's quite a nuisance, but now...now we just want him. And to bring him over, that is. Once he's a vampire, that'll be the end of it, he'll belong to us."

"Don't be so sure!"

"Well, of course, there are degrees to what each of us would want to do. Personally, I'd make him a renfield...make him suffer a bit. Suffer a lot. Then, then I'd bring him over," Keiron said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

Skinner shut his eyes. He knew that Keiron wouldn't be giving him so much information if the vampire didn't intend to kill him. His Slayer made into a vampire? And what the hell was a renfield?

Keiron watched him with dancing eyes. "A renfield, dear Watcher, is our nickname for a human slave to a vampire, which is what you're about to become. My own personal renfield. It's a tacky name for it, I know, from that wretched Dracula tale, what a farce that piece of offal was! But it's modern lingo and does have a certain ring to it. Anyway, enough about the charming Fox Mulder...we're here to deal with one errant Watcher, who is almost as much of a pain in the ass as his Slayer!"

Seizing the front of Skinner's shirt, Keiron effortlessly tore it open and away from his body. Skinner resumed struggling and tried to move as far away from the vampire as his bonds would allow, but Keiron still managed to grab his pants and pull them and his briefs down so they lay pooled around his ankles.

This treatment at the hands of the vampire enraged Skinner. He was well aware that he was dealing with an extremely dangerous creature...an ancient vampire, the older they were, the more powerful...but Keiron still looked like an impish twenty-five year old, and the thought of being used this way by this being made him fit to kill.

As the vampire relieved Skinner of his clothing, he was in ecstasy over the A.D's magnificent body, running his hands all over the sinewy shoulders and chest, the washboard stomach, kneading the perfect, firm globes of his ass. Grasping Skinner's prodigious cock, he whispered in his victim's ear, "I want to hear you scream, Walter, scream my name when you come!" as he pumped it roughly.

"How about when I drive a stake through your heart!" Skinner couldn't help snarling as he tried in vain to move away from the blond vampire's invasive touch.

"So rebellious, so big and strong..." Keiron murmured breathlessly in his ear, "Just the way I like 'em!"

The Watcher's resistance only served to fuel Keiron's arousal. Vampires were hunters by nature, and they delighted in the struggles of their prey almost as much as obtaining the prey itself. Dropping to his knees, Keiron spread his victim's buttocks wide and started to rim him.

The heat of Keiron's arousal finally transmitted itself to Skinner, causing him to cease in his struggles. As soon as he felt the soft lathe of Keiron's tongue at his opening, against his will Skinner felt an answering fire in his own body. The projected force of Keiron's arousal overcome the last of Skinner's resistance, and he groaned loudly, willingly spreading his legs so Keiron could probe him deeply with his tongue.

Keiron laughed to himself as he fed the absolute pleasure he felt in playing with Skinner's body back to Skinner. The A.D. didn't stand a chance in hell of fighting him. Once a victim was cornered as neatly as Skinner was, all resistance was futile. The Watcher was not only overwhelmed by his own reactions to Keiron's skillful ministrations but Keiron's projected passion as well.

Skinner's cock in his grip was as hard as steel. Standing up, the vampire unzipped his jeans and pulled out his cock. Softly and sensuously brushing his lips up against Skinner's ear, he murmured, "Since you are so fond of stakes, you may now have possession of this one!" and he then thrust deep into Skinner's anus.

Skinner cried out as he felt Keiron drive his cock into him, momentarily regaining command of himself, but then he was lost once more as Keiron started thrusting deep within him, pushing hard against his prostate. Keiron fucked him hard, brash in his line of attack, and Skinner didn't resist but instead pushed his hips back to meet the vampire's thrusts.

Keiron slowed his assault as he felt the last of the Watcher's resistance ebb. He fucked Skinner slowly and luxuriously, calmly and confidently staking his claim over the Watcher's body. He wanted to make this first of experience of possessing his renfield last as long as possible.

Finally he thrust once and came with a howl, baring his fangs in an unseen grimace, spurting cold semen deep within Skinner. The shock waves of his orgasm caught Skinner in their wake, and he screamed as he also reached climax, spurting and spurting over Keiron's clenching fist. The orgasm Skinner experienced was joined with Keiron's, and the pleasure was brutal in its intensity, seemingly beyond anything a mere human could take.

He almost blacked out, but came to with a cry when Keiron withdrew from him abruptly. Tucking himself back in, Keiron came around to gaze at Skinner with a gloating smile, who hung limply and dazedly in his restraints.

"You're mine now, Skinner! I've claimed you. Just a little blood now, and you'll be my renfield. No fang marks at the neck, our Fox is too wily not to notice." Grabbing Skinner's wrist, Keiron stuck his fang into the Watcher's forearm. Skinner was still barely aware of his surroundings and hardly noticed the pain as Keiron sucked out some of his blood.

Letting go of his renfield's wrist, Keiron smiled at him. "You've pleased me greatly, Walter Skinner. I'm going to enjoy owning you very much. I hope to add our darling Fox to the brew, but he has that wretched Krycek to protect him now. No matter, all in good time."

Pulling up Skinner's pants, he released his captive from his bonds. "Sorry about your shirt. You'll have to wear just your jacket to go home. A bare chest like yours and a jacket, what a lovely combination. You will not speak to anyone about our encounter or what I revealed to you. If you try, I'll prevent you. I'll inform the Brotherhood of the success of my mission. In the meantime, you will continue in your work, and Fox Mulder will suspect nothing. I'll call you when I want you."

Skinner turned to pick up his jacket, exhausted to the bone by his ordeal. The soreness in his ass and the pain in his arm were nothing compared to the overwhelming sense of failure and despair that after all his years of experience he had fallen under the spell of a vampire so easily. He would be the laughing stock of the Watcher's Council if they knew. He needed to figure out how to escape from the vampire's control and to warn Fox Mulder of the Brotherhood's intentions before it was too late for both of them.

He looked up to find Keiran gone. The vampire had left without a sound. Skinner's lip curled in disgust. "How predictable," he muttered scornfully, taking little solace in Keiran's sudden absence. He hoped that when Keiran called him, he'd somehow find the strength to be able to resist.
  
****
Fox Mulder finally reached the front door of his apartment building with Alex at his side. There had been no more incidents with vampires, and he'd had some time to think over Krycek's words.

"This is where I get off." He turned to his newfound vampire friend. "So you think I'm lousy at spotting vampires and protecting myself on top of that?"

Krycek flashed him a smile. "Not lousy, just a bit rusty. You have to admit you had some close calls tonight, Mulder. I'm here to help you sharpen your skills, so to speak."

Mulder harrumphed and entered his building. He jumped when he turned around to find Krycek had followed him into the foyer.

Krycek tsked. "See what I mean? You need to expand that tunnel vision of yours. You need to be able to know that I've followed you into your building, if I was hostile I could have sunk my choppers into that luscious neck of yours before you even had time to react."

"Krycek! You're not coming into my apartment with me!" Mulder ranted, at the end of his tether.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't entirely trust you!"

"I just helped save your life so many times," Krycek pouted. "You still don't trust me?"

"Not enough to have you in my apartment," Mulder said, feeling unnerved. Like any vampire, Krycek most probably possessed inhuman strength and the ability to subdue Mulder to his will, and even if he had been a bit oblivious to the presence of vampires tonight, he was not so far gone as to be unable to read the sexual signals Krycek was sending him.

Krycek sighed. "Fox, I promise that I won't jump you. Look, you're in a bad way. The Brotherhood is stepping up its efforts to take over this city, and you're in great danger. You need a bodyguard, and there's no one else to do the job but yours truly."

"All right," Mulder said, giving in. Krycek was incredibly handsome, compelling...Mulder wanted him without question, but was it wise for a Slayer to become involved with a vampire?

As they entered Mulder's apartment, Mulder switched on the lights. Luckily no vampires or other creatures of the night went scurrying. The agent threw himself onto the couch and looked up at Krycek.

"All right, spill," he said in a tone that would brook no argument.

"Where should I start?"

"How about with how you became a vampire, why you're now on the side of good not evil, and what this great vampire takeover is all about?"

Krycek smiled. "All on the first date? Fox, you should know that vampires hate talking about how they became vampires, it's a highly personal thing."

Mulder shrugged. "It's Mulder. I don't mean to pry, I'm just looking for some data input."

Disappointment flashed briefly in Krycek's eyes at Mulder's cool tone. "Okay. You want to know how I was made."

He sat down on the couch next to Mulder. "I was born in St. Petersburg, 1787, into a wealthy Russian family. My father was a landowner and possessed over 200 serfs or 'souls' as Gogol conveyed in his book. My mother adored me. She pampered and spoiled me, but my father never could take to me. He probably disliked me from the moment he laid eyes on me."

Krycek paused. The memories were difficult to dredge up, especially when they were so painful. "In my seventeenth year my mother, Elizaveta, died of scarlet fever. That left me to the care of my father, who was enamored of every other child in the family but me...my older brother Ivan, my sister Lena, my younger brother Mikhail...and considered my education merely a superfluous effort and expense. However, a good friend of his, a wealthy English gentleman, offered to take me off his hands and bring me to London, where he would finance my education and introduction into English society.

"I was happy to leave St. Petersburg, especially after my mother's death. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing to hold me there."

"What was the name of this English gentleman?"

"Winston Mansfield Morris," Krycek said. "He was extremely fond of me. I knew he would have adopted me if my father would have agreed.

"When I arrived in London, I was dazzled by the exciting life there, the sumptuous dinner parties, the theater and opera, all of the charms of the city were at my fingertips. My English mentor wined and dined me...he wooed me, and eventually I find out the real reason he brought me to London."

"And that was?"

Krycek sighed. "He wanted me. He took me to bed only a fortnight after we arrived at his London house. He wasn't my first lover, I had had a brief affair with another boy from school named Pietr, but I had never had someone seduce me in such a romantic, elaborate and worldly manner, who concentrated so solely on me and my pleasure. He told me I was beautiful and wanted me always by his side."

Mulder noted the pensive look on Krycek's face. "But there was trouble in paradise?"

Krycek chuckled. "Plenty. I started to get restless, stayed out later than he liked, often arrived home drunk. I was a cad, but he put up with it because he loved me. Then, when he started disappearing himself during the night, well, that gave me even more freedom and I abused it.

"I started having affairs, with unhappily married rich women and men, actors, actresses, whores...I cut a sexual swath across London that was not to be believed. Morris tolerated it, however, until I fell in love. I fell in love with a young actor who reminded me of Pietr. Colin was so talented and beautiful. He made me miss what I had lost in Russia. I resolved to leave Morris and start a new life with my lover."

Mulder interjected, "But you never got the chance."

"No," Krycek smiled sadly. "Morris turned out to be a vampire, in case you haven't guessed already. I was the first one he'd fallen for in all his years of existing, and you can imagine that he didn't take it kindly when he found out I wanted to leave him. He caught me walking out the door with my cases one night and flew into a rage. He told me that if he couldn't have me, no one would, and then he sunk his teeth into my neck. He drained me dry and then forced me to drink blood from his wrist as I lay on the floor dying. The compulsion to drink was terrible, I couldn't fight it, and then when I did, it was the most intense pleasure imaginable. It really isn't much of a choice we vampires give you mortals, even if you're lucky enough to get a choice."

Mulder didn't know what to say. "Wow. Gee, Alex, I'm so sorry!"

Krycek flashed him a bright smile. "Don't be, Foxy! Just think of it as a tough price to pay for a relationship gone sour. He did it more to spite me than anything else, he could have killed me or kept me as his slave, but he really wanted me to suffer."

"Did you ever see him again?"

"Of course, off and on, through the centuries. Eventually we made amends. He employed me as his driver at some point, if you can believe that. However, he died in a fire at a summer residence in Spain. It was several years ago. It is tough to kill a vampire, I am sure it was the Brotherhood that did it. He was an ornery sort, he never played by the rules. He would be completely disgusted with the Brotherhood's latest shenanigans. That was probably why he was killed, even though he was one of the older vampires and very well-respected."

"And what exactly is it that the Brotherhood is planning?"

Krycek thought for a minute. "There are some powerful vampires who are tired of the way things have been going, grabbing a human here and there for food or fun, and they want more. They think the tables should be turned, that the humans should be the ones we control, and the world belongs to them. The plan is world domination, basically, starting with the seat of American power, Washington, D.C. They envisage a world where humans exist merely to satisfy vampire lusts, for blood or sex or both, and the vampires run the show. That is what I came to warn you about, and why I'm so concerned about your safety."

Mulder was stunned. He'd been a Slayer for years, but he'd never suspected to hear anything like this. He'd killed the occasional vampire when necessary, and it did seem necessary right and left tonight, but a vast vampire conspiracy to take over the world? He should have laughed in disbelief but instead felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

"I can't believe this," he said numbly.

Krycek couldn't help laughing at Mulder's expression. "Fox, you look like Atlas must have looked when Zeus handed him the world. It's not all on your shoulders, but you are the Slayer and you need to know."

"Why, so I go kill every fucking vampire in DC?"

"No, not all," Krycek said. He then leaned over to kiss Mulder lightly on the lips. Mulder didn't stir. "At least, I hope not all!"

Mulder fixed him with a piercing gaze. "You skipped over my second question."

Krycek leaned back. Folding his arms, he gave Mulder a enigmatic smile. "I don't want to see the bad guys win any more than you do, Mulder. I've outgrown the need to feed on a daily basis, it's merely a craving now, and I would hate to see a world run by vampires. Humans have evolved beyond becoming the mere playthings or slaves of some parasitic race that sucks their blood."

Mulder exhaled. "Well, I'm glad we see eye to eye on that score. Look, Krycek, I appreciate your concern, but it's late, I'm exhausted, and I'm turning in. Shall we continue this discussion some other time?"

"Go ahead and go to sleep. Where to you want me to hang out?"

"Krycek-"

"Mulder, you can't get rid of me that easily," Krycek gave him a killer smile. "I've sworn to protect you, remember?"

Warning bells were going off in Mulder's head. He really didn't want Krycek under his roof, not with the seductive looks that the good-looking-no, gorgeous---vampire was giving him, but he didn't see any way around it. And Krycek was right. It did seem that they had faced down a rather denser than usual population of vampires tonight.

"All right, Krycek, you can stay. But you stay out here. I don't want you perched at the foot of my bed like some German shepherd. Geez, I can't get away from that image. If you want, hang out here and-"

"You'll scream if you need me?" Krycek responded with a wicked grin.

Mulder gave him a withering look while Krycek chuckled. "I'll call if I need you. Don't get into mischief. I'm not used to being under the same roof with a vampire that I haven't driven a stake through, regardless of how good-intentioned he is."

"Live and learn, Mulder baby," Krycek winked. "You'll find that I'm a very pleasant houseguest, one of the best."

The air was heavy with innuendo as Krycek lasciviously looked him up and down. Mulder got unsteadily to his feet, trying not to meet his eyes. "Er, that's great, Krycek. Anything you need to eat...wait, of course you don't need to eat...look, anything you need-"

"You'll be the first to know," Krycek finished for him, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

Mulder blushed to the roots of his hair as Krycek leered at him. Not knowing what else to do, the Slayer turned on his heels and quickly walked out of the livingroom and into his bedroom.

Chad's next!!!