MULDER THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 2
No matter how hard he tried, Alex could not tear his eyes away from Mulder's retreating form. Finally, the bedroom door closed and Alex found himself alone in the dimly lit apartment. With a heavy sigh of longing, he moved around the room. Stopping to peer through the mini-blinds onto the street below, he was relieved to find no demons lurking about.
"Helping out the Slayer, huh?"
Alex whirled around. From somewhere in the darkened apartment, a husky voice came.
"Frohike, what are you doing here?" Alex whispered. He cast his eyes toward the bedroom to be sure Mulder was still asleep.
Frohike shrugged and headed straight into the kitchen. Alex always hated the disturbing way the demon seemed to appear out of thin air.
"At the moment, looking for something to eat," he answered. "How about you? Had any good bites lately?"
"No, and you know better than that!"
Licking his fingers from his newly built sandwich, Frohike nodded at the bedroom. "This Slayer's a lot hotter than the last one. I can read it in your eyes. You want him."
"It's more than that, 'hike," Alex confided. "You were right, he really needs someone looking after him."
"Isn't that what his Watcher's for?" Frohike countered. With one huge chomp he devoured the sandwich.
Alex's mind flashed to the past. He remembered wandering the streets for decades, only feasting on the tiny rodents that scavanged around him. Because of his curse, he'd given up on everything -- including himself -- until the day Melvin Frohike dropped into his life. The strangely dressed man revealed himself to be an immortal demon living with his own curse --to help restore the balance between good and evil.
He'd been very wary of the demon at first. Frohike offered him the chance to become someone, so he took Alex to Houston where he witnessed Fox William Mulder for the first time. In seclusion, Alex watched as Mulder encountered his first late-lamented Watcher, and learned of his destiny as the Slayer. Mulder had shown strength and courage during his first battle with a vampire, although he had been extremely awkward and clumsy; which endeared him to Alex instantly.
That night, Alex felt an overwhelming urge to help Mulder, thereby helping himself. He was startled from his thoughts by Frohike.
"You better make sure he's prepared," the little demon told him.
"I've already warned him about the Brotherhood," Alex said.
Frohike shook his head. "More than that. Something big's gonna hit this town. It may be more than he can handle."
"Do you care to enlighten me?"
"Alex, you should know." Frohike moved throughout the apartment, poking his nose into Mulder's unpacked boxes. "With your ear to the streets, all those people going missing. By the way, where is his Watcher?"
"At home, I guess. Look, Frohike, I've had my hands full tonight."
"Gee, could a handsome Slayer have anything to do with that? Is he here?"
"Yes, he's asleep."
~*~*~*~*~
Within the bedroom, Mulder tossed from side to side, his brow slick with sweat. The sheets twisted around him in the dark. In his sleeping mind, nightmarish images formed. He saw himself in a dank chamber lined with flickering candles. There didn't appear to be any way in or out. In his dream he ventured further along.
The walls seemed to pulse, as if they were alive. It was only when he moved closer that he realized they were dripping with blood.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw vague shadows. Several pairs of bright yellow eyes peered at him through the darkness. One of the shapes had its back to him. Mulder's heart beat sped up when he recognized it.
"Scully, what are you doing here?"
"Why, waiting for you." She turned and her face morphed into the harsh features of a vampire.
Tumbling backwards, Mulder fell heavily onto the floor and struggled out of her outstretched hands. He bumped into something. Turning in horror he found the body of his Watcher, Walter Skinner, lying drained.
Regaining his feet, he whirled back around and gasped in shock. Alex stood a few feet away from him in the grip of an ancient vampire, who blew a cloud of smoke out beneath his fangs.
"We're coming for you, next!" The vampire said. In an instant, a stake appeared in his hands.
"Alex!" Mulder cried.
The stake penetrated Alex's body and he exploded into dust...
"NO!!" Mulder yelled. Startled awake, he sat up in bed.
~*~*~*~*~
Hearing his muffled cry, Alex jumped into action. "Mulder," he whispered. He turned to find that Frohike had disappeared.
The bedroom door slammed open, and Alex burst inside. He found Mulder sitting up in bed, his bare chest heaving.
"It's alright," Alex reasurred him. He turned and sat down on the bed, gently touching Mulder's quivering shoulder.
"It was horrible," Mulder tried to explain.
"A nightmare?" Alex questioned. Mulder silently nodded. "A Slayer is prone to prophetic dreams, Mulder," he continued. "You should be used to them by now."
Mulder shook his head. "Not like this."
"You should tell your Watcher about it in the morning," he said, calmly.
Mulder leaned into Alex. Alex cuddled their faces together, wrapping his arms around Mulder. Suddenly, Mulder no longer felt uneasy, instead he turned to face the gorgeous vampire.
Enveloped in Alex's arms, Mulder began kissing him. The taste of Mulder's warm tongue was almost more than Alex could handle. He broke contact and stared into Mulder's feverish eyes.
"Mulder, I... are you sure?" he asked, searching his face for an answer.
"Just kiss me," Mulder replied in a throaty whisper.
Kissing him on the lips, Mulder then started to explore his magnificent mouth. Giving in to his desire, Alex caressed his body, running his hands up and down Mulder's back. Gently, Alex kissed him on the neck. Grasping one of his hands, Mulder kissed Alex's fingers. Slowly they laid back on the sheets.
Alex held Mulder's face in his hands, tasting his lips tenderly. With his own hands free, Mulder unbuttoned Alex's black silk shirt, and easily unclasped the top button of his slacks.
His tongue darted around the vampire's chest, and Alex arched his back when Mulder gave his nipples attention. As the Slayer gently bit them, Alex let out a beautiful moan of pleasure.
Sliding his pants down, Mulder's eyes widened. Alex's cock was every bit as beautiful as the rest of him. He inhaled deeply as it grew from his touch. Mulder leaned in, licking and savouring all ten inches.
Alex's breathing became laboured. He'd fallen in love with the Slayer from afar, and he wanted him more than anything. Turning on his side, he slid Mulder into position and the pair started to 69 each other. Mulder, in an insatiable frenzy, rolled on top of him.
Swallowing, Alex looked up and started to rub and massage his legs. Licking his lips, Alex's hungry mouth devoured Mulder's cock and he did the same. Mulder felt as if he would go over the edge at any moment. The taste of the Slayer's precome made Alex hotter for him than he ever imagined.
Turning Mulder over, Alex laid him on his back and gently began to finger his generous ass. He grunted and moaned as Alex hit the electric spots. Before long Alex started to explore with his mouth, rimming and invading Mulder's hot, eager ass with his tongue. Mulder bucked his hips while Alex's luscious tongue darted in and out.
His cock well lubed from Mulder's lips, Alex held onto him tightly and began to penetrate into him. Mulder's long legs came to rest around his waist. A low, soft moan escaped Mulder's open mouth. Exotic jolts of pleasure exploded throughout his body. Alex panted, each thrust taking him farther inside. Mulder's hand gripped a pillow, hard. He twisted it until it burst in two.
Finally, Alex was all the way in and Mulder's sweat soaked body shivered beneath him. "Don't stop," Mulder begged. "Don't ever stop."
His sensual hands roamed all over Alex's strong chest. With a primal cry, Alex shot his load into Mulder. As soon as he pulled out of him, Alex dove down and engulfed Mulder's hard cock with his mouth. Within moments, Mulder screamed as an earth shattering orgasm took hold.
In the basement of his master's mansion, Xanax appeared before his master arrived. He made sure the rabble was under control then he dusted off the chair his master would sit in.
Just then the vampire Spender arrived down from relaxing in his office after a long day of corrupting others. He was dressed in an expensive dressing gown, looking quite dashing to Xanax.
"What have you for me today, Xanax?" Spender asked his demon servant.
"Well, I think the new item on the agenda is the report from the young vampire Keiron."
They turned to the rabble of vampires and no one stepped forward. Spender turned to Xanax and cleared his throat.
"Well?"
Xanax looked at his master and sighed. "I will get him for you, master…"
He grumbled something under his breath and Spender looked at him with his brows raised.
"I'm going…" he growled then vanished in a puff of irritation.
He appeared before Keiron across town in a dirty abandoned field where
a small shack Keiron used to have little tête à têtes.
There he was, the little bastard, sniffing some hot stud's butt it looked like. He really could care less for such things. They never interested him. He realized in boredom, that the guy who was naked and whose ass was shoved upward to give Keiron access was a werewolf.
He watched for a second as Keiron's tongue came out and licked the guy's ass. Then he cleared his throat to get Keiron's attention.
"Master Spender is wondering why you are not at the meeting… It was scheduled for tonight you know…"
Keiron continually ignored the demon. He had known Xanax arrived but he did not care.
Xanax waited just a moment then he lifted the vampire completely away from the werewolf who yelped and jumped off the makeshift bed Keiron had made.
Keiron was not amused but he could do nothing to the demon, so he said to the werewolf to reassure him, "Don't worry. This won't take long, Oz. Just have to tell Spender that I did what he wanted me to do."
Oz smiled at him. "Sure thing, Key."
Keiron saw the seductive pose Oz affected for him and he wanted to pounce on the sweet hot body, but let the demon take him.
They reappeared in the basement of the mansion where the vampires began to chuckle and Spender looked on them in amusement.
Keiron looked down and slapped the demon on the arm. "You could have at least snapped my clothes on, Xanax!!"
Xanax just waved his hand in boredom and the vampire was attired in his usual dark velvet suit.
Keiron smiled. "Thanks, bud."
"Are we done now, Keiron? Is there something you have for us today?"
"Sure thing, Spender…I have taken the AD as my renfield. I am sure he will be easy to control now."
"Good," said Spender with a rich hearty chuckle. The rest of the vampires chuckled along with him.
Xanax would rather be in hell burning his tail and he didn't even have one anymore.
Across town in Mulder's apartment
Mulder woke with a big grin on his face, loving the well-fucked feeling he had. It had been some time since he felt that way. He turned over, trying to rub up against his lover and was quite upset there was nothing there.
He looked over and didn't see his lover anywhere. He rose, scratched his butt then went in search of his wayward lover.
Alex was in the kitchen. He had the fridge wide open and Mulder noticed his face was buried in what looked like his defrosting hamburger.
"Alex?" Mulder asked, curious.
Alex pulled away and blood dripped a bit from his fangs.
Mulder stumbled back for a second.
Alex closed his mouth. "Sorry…was peckish."
Mulder was shocked for a second. "You are drinking the blood from my hamburger??"
Alex nodded. "I hope it doesn't gross you out…overly that is."
"No, I just…I don't know. Wasn't really prepared for it."
Alex nodded. Then closed the fridge and said, "I can leave…get something at home and come back…"
"I don't have time to, I have to get ready for work."
"Ok." Alex leaned over to kiss him but Mulder pulled away.
"Could you go wash your mouth out?"
Alex nodded then sighed. "Sorry."
Mulder ran his hand through Alex's hair. "That's ok. It's not your fault you are a vampire."
Alex just smiled then left to go rinse his mouth out.
When Alex reappeared, Mulder had finished a bit of coffee and leaned in to kiss his lover before heading in to shower and dress for work. Alex just watched him, feeling a bit left out of it all. Mulder kissed the slight frown off Alex's face before heading out.
Alex began to wonder about the dream. Wondering if there was something he could find out for Mulder while he worked. He didn't think it was time yet to tell him of his experiences with a certain well-known vampire who was gaining power and strength lately. At least he hoped it wouldn't be necessary to tell him yet.
At Scully's apartment
She was just about to leave her apartment when a young lady stopped her. She had long blond hair and beautiful blue eyes.
"Hi, I am Jessie. I live next door to you. Just wanted to say hi."
Scully smiled at her. "Hi, Jessie, my name is Dana."
Jessie returned her smile. "I am going to have a party this weekend, sort of a breaking in the new apartment. Would you like to come? It won't be too many people. Just some friends of mine. You are the first person I have asked."
Scully nodded before she really thought about it and said, "Sure, I would love to."
Jessie beamed at her and Scully couldn't believe how the girl's face just seemed to shine.
"That would be lovely. See you later."
Dana watched the girl enter her apartment down from her own. She sighed, thinking 'Well, nothing is wrong with meeting new people...' Definitely not trying to think about the way the tight jeans seemed to caress the girls ass as she had walked away. She was not turning into Mulder...
Across town in the FBI headquarters Skinner's office
Skinner felt a bit funny, not exactly sure what was bothering him but he kept rubbing his arm surreptitiously.
Just then his secretary buzzed him. He pushed the button. "Yes?"
"Mulder is here to see you, sir."
"Thank you. Send him in, please."
Mulder barged in and began explaining about what he had found…when the door burst open and Scully interrupted.
"Sorry, sir, she just wouldn't wait for me to buzz you…" Kim began.
"That's ok, Kim. I think I can take it from here."
Kim nodded then walked out, closing the door behind her.
"Is there an urgent matter that you need taken care of, Agent Scully?" asked Skinner in his meanest AD tone.
"Sorry, sir, I was just upset about what happened to me last night. It wasn't the most pleasant experience to see a person vanish in a puff of dust before my eyes."
"Hmm, I bet it would be upsetting. I do believe Agent Mulder was just about to tell me when you interrupted."
She blushed then sat down. "Sorry."
Mulder continued and told Skinner of how he saved Scully from the female vampire. Skinner squirmed a bit and rubbed his arm.
Throughout Mulder's briefing, Skinner was rubbing his arm and Scully noticed it.
"Sir, may I look at that?"
Skinner looked at Scully and flushed. "No that's ok, Scully. I am fine. Just pulled a muscle."
Scully just nodded her head but wondered about his odd behavior.
"What is exactly going on, sir. What have you not told me?"
The questions made Skinner squirm. Mulder tried to relieve Skinner's discomfort.
"I am a Slayer, Scully."
She looked at Skinner as if hoping he could explain.
Skinner said enigmatically, "There have always been vampires, Agent Scully. And because of that there has always been a Slayer. The Slayer hunts vampires. That is Mulder's secret duty. This must not get out." He looked distracted then said, "That is all the information you need for now, Agent Scully."
She noticed him rubbing his arm and felt flustered. He dismissed them and Dana knew she would have to get more from the Slayer himself.
Mulder, meanwhile, was upset that he didn't get to spend more time with his Watcher, wanting to find out if Skinner knew about Alex. The difficulty with that was how to explain to his Watcher about how he knew about Alex.
However, Mulder was one of those who truly believed their own intuition, and right now, there was something unbalanced about Skinner that bothered him so much.
"Something bad happened to you?"
Skinner blinked. His face was strangely naked and open for a moment, Mulder could read the confusion, fear, and anger there. It closed off so suddenly.
"Why do you think so?"
"Considering Scully and I had an interesting night," Mulder tried to withheld his smile. Considering how vivid the images floating through his head of Alex Krycek pounding into him were at the moment, //ah, and what a wondrous feeling!// *interesting* would be an understatement. "I wonder if..." He stopped, then lost his almost smile when his eyes finally caught on Skinner's grim face.
"It's a feeling I had," he said softly, feeling the need to explain.
"Nothing *interesting* happened, Agent Mulder," Skinner said darkly.
Mulder stared at him. He swore he saw something like 'pain' reflected for a very short moment on the man's eyes.
"I didn't mean to pry," Mulder whispered, suddenly feeling guilty and a bit alarmed. Despite what happened, his experience last night was more euphoric than just plain *interesting* that he felt like sharing to the world. It was obvious nothing in a similar manner had happened to Skinner. He wondered if it was personal enough he should not pursue it much further.
"Can you do me a favour, Mulder?" Skinner sighed. He looked tired and defeated.
"Yes?"
"Help me, okay?"
Mulder didn't even hesitate to nod. "Tell me and I'll do my best, Sir."
Skinner squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "No, no, that's not what I mean. What I'm saying is that… be serious in this, okay? Being a Slayer, I mean…"
The man paused, seemingly difficult to find his words. Then he continued flatly but quivered with some hidden emotion. "I didn't ask to be a Watcher," he stopped again. "And though later on I found it exciting, it's… taking so much from me."
Mulder widened his eyes. Suddenly it was like looking at a new Skinner.
"Too much sacrifice," Skinner said softly, releasing a hint of sorrow. "Sometimes it was so unbearable."
Despite his confusion, a wave of sympathy flooded Mulder's senses. At the same time, embarrassment filled in. He admitted that he hadn't been serious about the whole thing.
//Has something terrible happened to him because of me?//
"I'm sorry, Sir," he said sincerely. "I will."
Skinner's eyes bore into his for a long moment. "Do you trust me, Mulder?"
Somehow, Mulder couldn't answer. Yes, his instinct told him to trust the man, but…
"I'll try," Mulder said, truthfully. "It wasn't you, though. It's more complicated than that."
//No//, he thought. //Telling him about Alex at the moment isn't wise at all//.
Seemingly able to read his mind, Skinner nodded. "Trusting each other doesn't mean to share everything, you know. You have something you want to keep it to yourself, it's fine for me. As well as vice versa."
The last statement came out trembled, Mulder realized that the man was actually not reading his mind, but more talking about himself. He wondered if he should start to make a discreet inquiry regarding the man in front of him.
"I understand."
Was it gratitude reflected in Skinner's eyes?
"Good," Skinner said. "I'm still trying to snatch you from Kersh and be my direct subordinates. I suppose you can wait for the result at the end of the day."
*********************
Scully was waiting for him when he stepped out of Skinner's office.
"Despite my logic, I got the feeling that we are going to track this *vampire* scenario path," she said in a dejected tone.
"That should be interesting," Mulder smiled. "Why the long face?"
"Do you have any idea what it would look like in my record?"
Mulder grinned. "You should see mine."
Scully studied him thoughtfully. "You look high spirited, today."
Mulder bit his lip. Telling her that he had finally gotten laid seemed to underscore the whole thing. Last night memories were suddenly too colourful, spectacular, and multidimensional to be described in words. He wondered why only one night could really make such a difference.
"I suppose I had a religious enlightment, sister," he finally laughed, choosing the easiest way out. "Didn't know that you're one of the tribe."
Scully raised one of her eyebrow. "What tribe are you talking about? The full Kinsey scale or half scale?"
"Whatever it was, it left my imagination running wild. Whoah! Scully the *womanizer*."
Scully stopped and slowly looked around.
"Relax, nobody's around." Mulder winked at her.
"For your information, I'm not out yet," she snorted. "Though I wonder why I should care about that. What about you?"
"I haven't decided whether I'm fully gay or still bi."
"Why was that?"
"It's my mood," Mulder grinned cheekily. "Sometimes I go crazy for red-head chicks, no pun intended, other times is exclusively for dark-hair studs. I do recall that I was crazy for a German-Shepherd one time. So I'm not sure if I'm into guy or girl or dog."
Scully rolled her eyes. "Pervert."
"I know," Mulder said fleetingly. "And a lot of people seemed to think so. That's why I don't particularly pay any attention whether I'm still in the closet or the cupboard or whatever."
Scully sighed. She wondered whether her new partner was actually good for her mental health. "So, what's the plan?"
"I'm still curious about the profiles of the dead victims. They had too much in common for being a random prey for vampire's feedings. Can you try to start from there? I need to know what common features all of these young men had and the possibility of their linkage to one another."
"What about you?"
"I'll start with the missing persons."
"Let's see, I'll meddle with the preys and you meddle with… what? Possible new vampires?"
Mulder mocked a surprise gesture. "Scully, you read my mind! Will you marry me?"
"Seriously, Mulder. This case is beginning to humiliate my intelligence."
"Oh go on, sister. It doesn't hurt to start from there. I'm sure you'll find something interesting that can challenge your academic upbringing later on."
Scully didn't react for a while, her face seemingly lost in her own thought.
"What's on your mind?"
She shrugged then looked at him in a sidelong gaze. "Just an idea. Weird maybe, but I'll try to perform some DNA analysis on those victims."
Mulder nodded, face serious this time. "That's great. I'll be waiting for the result."
Scully smiled. "Don't call me 'sister', okay?"
********************
No mortals could handle an annoyed Alex Krycek. He was bitchy in the worst possible way, and murderous. It's a good thing that the one who distracted him from his 'Mulder-gazing' was his demonic Watcher-Mentor-Father figure Frohike.
"I can see that you're extremely fond of the Slayer, but I'm afraid I need your assistance at the moment," Frohike said to him, amused.
"What do you need?"
"There's a certain young vampire called Keiron wrecking some havoc. I believe he did some terrible things to your Slayer's Watcher."
"Skinner?" Krycek raised his eyebrows. "What did he do?"
"Never mind about that. What I need from you is to retrieve some interesting things that Keiron acquired from the poor Watcher. Of course the stupid young vampire doesn't know anything about their importance, and I wasn't sure whether he's already destroyed the whole thing. But I was pretty concern it might go to Spender's hand."
Krycek frowned. "Don't you want me to do something with this Keiron?"
"No. Not at the moment. Despite his shallowness, the vampire seemed to be a favorite to Spender. Now isn't the right time to challenge the man so openly."
"If it was just acquiring 'interesting things', why don't you do it yourself?"
Frohike gave him a smile that made his face looked strange. "You've got that *look*, Alex Krycek. I hate to remind you that falling in love isn't a good idea at the moment. No, I won't do it myself, because this is *your* job. Remember?"
Embarrassed and uneasy, Alex Krycek glanced toward the building where his... //my what?//...*lover*... worked.
"I hate to leave him alone." He opted to be honest.
"Oh dear," Frohike shook his head exasperatedly. "Go on. Your slayer isn't that helpless. Make your errand as quick as possible, then come back to him if you must."
Alex Krycek nodded reluctantly.
*************************
Mulder didn't know exactly why he felt such a strong pull to enter this dim cafeteria. It was empty, and the man behind the counter whom also functioned as the cook, waiter, and cleaning boy looked bored to death. However, it gave him a feeling of refuge after all of those exhausting trips. He had spent the whole day walking around tracking info about some suspicious missing person cases, which eventually landed him here. All the time, he had been secretly wishing that Alex Krycek would pop up, and surprised with how disappointed he was when he didn't.
This was the place the boy named Jackson Adams was last seen before his disappearance three years ago. His family had given him up, thinking he might be dead already, and for sometime, Mulder had started to doubt himself whether this was one lead he needed to follow. If only that a friend of his didn't reveal his puzzlement of encountering the boy sometime ago in Mixers, he probably would have abandoned it.
Of course Jackson Adams was probably still alive somewhere. He was a promiscuous gay man, his parents were conservative and a bit abusive, enough reasons to 'disappear'. Yet, no word about him being in the streets, or even the higher prostitution circle, death seemed to be the most logical explanation for the young man's fate. That, until his friend encountered him in Mixers, claiming to be the last person being seen with Marcus Wyatt the night he was murdered.
Mulder knew that he jumped into conclusions too fast, but since when did he abandoned his intuition?
But then again, he already knew that he would come empty handed.
"That's a long time ago, and I wasn't present at the time. How should I remember who picked him up before his disappearance then?" The bartender gave him a suspicious glare. "And didn't the police take a report, already?"
Mulder slumped disappointedly, and out of politeness he seldom had, he spent some ten dollars buying a drink.
He had decided to go back to his office, when suddenly a man sat beside him and openly gave him an unreadable stare.
"Something you need, Sir?" Mulder asked warily, while at the same time his instinct flared.
//Danger//.
The man, old and wrinkled, smiled. He slowly took up a cigarette and put it between his greyish lips.
"I can see that you've been busy," he said.
Mulder felt his senses exploding with something he could not fathom. But he knew what it was. Without hesitation, he took out his cross necklace from under his shirt.
The man stared at it and laughed softly. "It won't work on me."
Mulder warily rummaged in his pocket, and felt the tip of his stake. He clutched at it, while glancing sideway at the indifferent bartender.
"I don't think it's wise to do anything at the moment," the man smiled at him, following his line of gaze. "I meant no harm."
Mulder could hear the unspoken word 'yet'. "Who are you?"
"What's in a name?" The man whom undoubtly was a vampire looked at him with a hint of amusement. "You'll know when the time is right."
Warily, Mulder hesitated between moving out of this perimeter at once or satisfy his curiosity. As if it was an equal competition of choices. He kept his seat.
"I suspect you're not here to get a drink," he said, trying to calm himself.
"Curiosity," the man shrugged then lit his cigarette. "Sentimental."
Mulder saw something that wasn't malice nor hostile in the old vampire's eyes. It puzzled him.
"Do you like what you see?" He asked straightforwardly.
The vampire looked startled for a moment, but then grinned widely, showing his fangs at the corner of his mouth.
"That's a loaded question from my point of view, but yes. I like it very much."
"What do you want from me?"
The vampire didn't stop smiling. "You're the profiler. Can't you guess?"
"What I'm guessing at the moment is pretty degrading," Mulder slowly unclenched his clutch at the stake, but kept his hand inside his pocket.
"I don't blame your confidence," the vampire shrugged. "It is true at some point, but I actually just want to talk."
"Talk?" Mulder looked at him incredulously.
"Yes. I've been feeding, and carnal desire has pretty lost its charm on me, though I admit that you're very tempting. So, none of such basic needs are what I have in mind."
"What kind of talk are you actually expecting from me?"
"Anything."
Mulder snorted, "Has the world gone mad?"
"Do you think demons exist?"
//What the hell...?// "Yes," Mulder answered quickly. "Why do vampires exist?"
The man looked genuinely thoughtful. "I don't really know. Why do you think they do?"
Mulder almost laughed. This was probably the most interesting chat he had ever encountered. He felt himself relax a little. "You don't know?"
"Should I?" the vampire looked at him. "Do you even know why humans exist?"
Mulder sighed, "Good point." He watched the vampire's eyes, and suddenly realized that the man was looking at him fondly. A vampire was fond of a Slayer. How funny. And he was...*old*. He had never encountered anyone this old being brought over. "How old are you?"
It took him some time to answer. "Some five hundred years or so. I don't really count."
Five hundred years.
"What did you find?" Mulder asked, a little bit apprehensive. Five hundred years of lifetime seemed to be rather difficult to grasp. He was also dumbfounded to see this vampire gave out such a personal information to him so easily.
"What do you mean?"
"Five centuries of living. Surely you *found* something interesting or you'll prefer to die out of boredom."
The vampire smiled again. "That's thoughtful. Yes, I should have found something interesting. But, no. Not that I can recall."
"So you just exist?" For some reason, Mulder thought that such a thing sounded sad.
The vampire didn't answer.
"Tell me," Mulder felt himself growing bold. "Do you know anything about the Brotherhood?"
The vampire cocked his head to one side. "Why do you want to know?"
"Aw, geez. Stop answering my question with a question."
"I'm curious with what you think about that."
"I don't know anything about it! That's why I'm asking you, since you're the one who wants to just… *talk*."
"Tell me," the vampire pulled his cigarette out of his mouth. "Why do you think such a thing exists among the vampires? Surely you have known that vampires tend to be… *territorial*. They aren't really as sociable as humans."
"It's not a collective effort, I'm sure," Mulder answered. "A particular vampire must have initiated it. Just like a mafia or organized crime, this seems to be a non-democratic organization and centered into only one or two key figures. All the more reasonable considering vampires aren't exactly 'democratic' to one or another."
"Why do you think this vampire wants to start a thing like that?"
Mulder looked at him. He felt like he was being tested. He decided that it was probably a good idea to see how this kind of conversation continue.
"Boredom. Disappointment," Mulder answered thoughtfully. "Probably envy."
The man looked at him strangely. "Envy?"
"Yes, maybe. Based on centuries of data, vampire lifestyle could be a bit... shallow and ordinarily hedonistic. No purpose, really. I imagine that this vampire must have missed his humanity enough that he was envious with human life, once he experienced being a vampire and disatisfied by it. So he did what human nature always did, forming a group, a clan, a… a… a nation. A nation with a government. Yes, that's it."
The vampire didn't say anything, merely looking at Mulder with rapture in his eyes.
In the meantime, Mulder started to warm up on his own ideas. "I suppose he did well and diligently, considering how aggressive this Brotherhood was lately. They seemed desperate to... 'recruit' followers and it got bigger too fast."
"Do you think so?"
"Yes," Mulder nodded. "I think he secretly wants to be a human again. And because he couldn't turn back into a human, he wanted to replace the human with his clan. A vampire living in a human system."
"Prospering, conquering. Having a real *civilization*," the man whispered. His eyes looked glazed. "I love your insight, Slayer."
"I wonder what he'll do next," Mulder said. "After tasting it, I mean?"
The vampire was silent for a long time, Mulder became uneasy. He thought that it was time for him to go before things turned bad. He didn't feel necessary to kill this vampire yet, but being buddy-buddy with him was extremely unwise.
Suddenly the old man looked up, and caught Mulder with the most intense stare he had ever seen. He shuddered.
"I think," the vampire said in a deep tone. "This vampire is now looking for an heir to inherit the greatness he's going to make."
Somehow, Mulder felt the hair at the back of his neck rise. He stood up warily. Still, the eyes didn't release him.
"And I think," the vampire said again. "He was probably thinking that this heir might be the right one to be his one and only true bride to share all those power as long as time move on."
"Tell me your name," Mulder said quickly. "And I won't kill you once we step outside this place."
"A soulmate for the lonely heart," the vampire whispered. Then he laughed softly. "I'm scaring you, Mulder. I think I should go, now."
"I don't think it's wise for us to meet again," Mulder said.
The vampire only smiled. He walked toward the door, opened it, and turned half his body toward Mulder.
"By the way, my name is Spender."
By the time Mulder reached the door, he had disappeared.
*************
*Kieron *.
Frohike had left the apartment, expecting Krycek to follow orders- the way he always did. But the vampire just sat, motionless in the shadows that twilight cast, holding his head in his hands and remembering.
"Kieron..."
A whispered word that echoed with the sound of a thousand screams.
// It was Ago. When... why would they care? All times were as one, all nights held the same darkness. Did it matter? It was Ago. He was... not as he is now. He enjoyed life- death- more, and every day he regrets that enjoyment. The pain he caused.
Kieron was a boy when he first caught the vampire's eye. Smaller than many of the others, with his pale golden hair and eyes causing scornful comments from children that didn't really know the meaning of the words they used. Little though he was, he had spirit- he was always in fights, bruises lending him a little credibility.
The vampire would watch from the shadows of the room he kept- in an alley narrow enough to make worry about sunlight laughable. And once or twice, when the winter closed in, he would walk past the children at play, before their mothers would call them in for dinner. Sometimes he would catch a curious golden stare, and would smile. Anticipating.
The child grew. And he stayed, refusing the invitations to move on that came from admirers human and demon alike. He watched as the limbs lengthened, heard the high voice crack and then steady, saw the boy become a man. And a man he was, long before the children with whom he had once played. His father...
They never found the body, drained of blood. He had decided to claim the boy, and any threat to his property was not to be tolerated. So one night, as the man left his house smelling of booze, and of sex and the blood of a boy to those that could sense it, the vampire struck. He enjoyed it, in those days. He kept the man alive for seven days and nights- and killed him on Kieron's 18th birthday. //
Alex shifted uncomfortably on Mulder's couch, hating the memories that nothing could erase. There was something... so like Kieron in Mulder's eyes. A look of lost innocence, of stolen childhood. The look aroused the same feelings of protection that it always had, but this time it was the human in Alex. It was the demon that had craved Kieron, had wanted to claim him, possess him, as Sire to Childe. The demon that had wanted to destroy any that had threatened his boy... that had loved him.
With Mulder it was different. It wasn't the desire to turn him, to keep him. He wanted at all costs to keep him alive, healthy. And if that meant that he had to kill his only Childe...
Deep inside, his demon roared.
// "Dark black."
"I'm sorry?" The young man looked into the shadows from which the whisper had emerged, straining to see the person that had spoken. He stepped back involuntarily as a match flared in the darkness.
"Kieron. It means "dark black"." The brief light had left a face imprinted on his memory, its unearthly beauty highlighted by the darkness surrounding. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his sight of the afterimages. The other man walked closer, silent in the blackness. He wore black clothes, and his dark hair meant he almost disappeared in the night- only his pale face gave him away, and his eyes that blazed green.
Kieron dropped his eyes hurriedly, realising that he was staring. He didn't want the man thinking he was a faggot- he was bigger than Kieron. And he looked like he knew how to handle himself in a fight.
"Cat got your tongue?" The voice sounded amused, now.
"How... how did you know my name?" The question didn't seem important. He felt like he was struggling through treacle, couldn't form any coherent thoughts. His eyes were drawn to the other man's face again, and there they stayed; fascinated by the cruel smile that twisted the beautiful mouth.
"I know more than you could possibly imagine."
"I... where are you from?" That didn't really make sense, it wasn't what he should be asking- Hell, he shouldn't be asking anything. He should be leaving, quickly. Too bad his feet wouldn't obey him...
"Around... Everywhere."
"I've never been anywhere." The dark-haired man quirked his eyebrow, his smile widening.
"I could show you..." And it wasn't until much later, until after the pain and the rapture and the change, that he thought to ask his Sire's name.
"Alexei." //
There was a soft scratching from the front door, but he didn't hear it, lost in his memories.
Kieron was more wicked than he could ever have hoped. He was like a cat-cruelly beautiful, torturing his victims mercilessly before he grew bored and drank. Alexei would have done anything for his Childe, and Kieron loved his Sire with a passion that never faded in all their years together. And then... he became enamoured of Spender's ideals. He tried to convince Alex to join them, but his Sire was too much his own man. So they had parted. And Kieron never even knew that he had changed, that he was Alexei no more.
He rose from the couch and turned to the door, then froze in shock.
"Kieron!" The boy was as beautiful as he remembered, and even now he felt the stirring of something that before Mulder he hadn't felt in a long time. "How did you...?"
" "Hi there, Mr Mulder. I just moved in down the hall, and I was wondering... Could I borrow a screwdriver? See, the..."
"Sure, come on in." The vampire's impression of Mulder's monotone was eerily exact. He smiled at his Sire, a smile that didn't change the cold expression in his eyes. "Did you think I didn't know? That I wouldn't figure it out? How could you do this to me? How could you betray your kind to the Slayer?!"
The younger vampire snarled. He leapt at his Sire, his eyes glowing yellow in the darkness of the apartment. Alex shot out his arm, and Keiron's body was flung against the adjoining wall. He bounced off it effortlessly and pounced again. This time Alex went down, with a furious, panting Keiron on top of him, a position that would have been more than appealing if it weren't for the circumstances.
"You complete and utter bastard!" Keiron panted angrily, his strong hands grasping for Alex's fists.
"It takes one to know one, kitten," Alex couldn't help leering, inciting Keiron to even greater fury.
"You depraved, wretched creature," Keiron said scornfully, "To think that I once looked up to you, thought of you as the most wondrous vampire that ever walked the earth. What an idiot I was."
Suddenly the door to the apartment flung open, and Mulder entered. He gazed upon the astonishing sight of Keiron straddling Alex in the middle of his living room.
Mulder looked from one vampire to the other, openmouthed. "What the hell?"
Keiron looked up and smiled at Mulder with cat-like glee, baring his fangs.
"Hi honey, you're home! Nice to finally meet you, the famous Fox Mulder. Don't worry, Slayer, I'm just taking care of your little fuck-buddy here, I'll be with you in just a moment."
Quickly sliding his hand into his suit jacket, Mulder pulled out his stake. While he was doing so, however, Keiron took the opportunity to reach out faster than the human eye could see and snatch at Mulder's ankle, sending him crashing down to the floor, the stake sliding from his hand to the other side of the room.
"Wanting to disrupt our little party so soon, Mr. Mulder?" he sneered. "Now don't be rude, cupcake, it's just getting started."
"Leave him alone!" Alex snarled. He was dreading fighting Keiron, but if his luscious brat endangered Mulder...Alex couldn't allow that, he would be forced to kill him.
The next minute he saw stars as Keiron slapped him with all his youthful vampire strength. "Shut up, Alex! Damn you, you never listen to reason! He's as good as ours, you're just prolonging the inevitable. I cannot believe you, slaying your own for this pretty boy. If you want him, make him your damn renfield, so everyone knows he belongs to you and before...before you get yourself destroyed for poaching."
Alex stopped struggling as he gazed with dread towards Mulder, worried about his reaction. Mulder in turn looked at Keiron with more than a little consternation. "Renfield?"
"Never mind, Fox! What the fuck do you mean, poaching?" Alex said angrily.
Keiron gave him a smug smile. "You'll both find out soon enough. I'm here to deliver a message. You are not to persist in this madness. You could have everything you've ever wanted, sire, and here you're helping the Slayer rid the world of us. You always were a stubborn, short-sighted bastard. Don't you realize your potential for true glory? How much power you could have? The Brotherhood needs you but they are plenty pissed off at some of your recent associations."
Alex managed to shove Keiron off of him and up against the wall. "I don't want to have to kill you, Keiron," he snarled.
Keiron raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to have kill you either, baby, but it's fuck or fight, and it doesn't seem like either of us is in the mood for-"
Alex responded by slamming Keiron hard against the wall. Keiron then swiped at his shoulder with his claw-like nails, tearing his shirt and scraping his flesh. Mulder once again tried to get to his stake, but Keiron threw Alex aside and pounced on the Slayer, pressing him to the floor with his superior strength.
"I would've prolonged this and made it a lot more fun, sweetheart, but you try my patience. Welcome to the Brotherhood, Fox Mulder!" he snarled, baring his fangs to sink into the tender flesh of the beautiful Slayer's neck.
Alex got up from the floor in a blur of motion and grabbed Keiron by the back of his neck. Keiron yelped in rage as Alex sent him crashing through the window, where he fell several stories to the ground. Mulder ran to the broken window and looked out to see the vampire get up from the ground and scurry off into the night.
"He's not dead!!!" Mulder groaned. He put his hand up to his neck and massaged it, still not quite believing that Keiron hadn't actually bitten him.
Alex shook his head sorrowfully. "No, it'll take a lot more than that to kill him, Mulder. Fuck, he is such a pain in the ass! I'd hoped he'd stay out of this one, but no such luck. You're really in danger, Mulder, Keiron is plenty powerful."
As Mulder met his eyes, Alex looked away. "I should know, I...I made him."
"You what?!!"
Alex shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "I made him, Fox. He's my Childe."
Mulder shook his head to clear it. Alex looked at him pleadingly as Mulder put his hands over his face. "Never, never, never get involved with a vampire! Where did I go wrong? How did I fuck this one up so quickly?"
Alex reached out hesitantly and stroked his Slayer's hair. "You're not the fuckup, Mulder, I am. Keiron's my offspring, so to speak, but he's got a mind of his own. I...I suppose I still care for him on some level, I'd like him to see the light and not be under the thumb of the Brotherhood, but as long as he's in the opposing camp, it puts me in a pretty sticky situation. And not the sort of sticky situation I prefer!" he beamed as Mulder looked up at him with a characteristic scowl at his bad joke.
"Well, in that case, Alex, you've got some more explaining to do," Mulder frowned. Keiron was Alex's Childe, just great, he thought with irritation. Keiron was the appetizer so was Mulder the entree? He sighed to himself. He hadn't even been one week on the job, and he'd seen more excitement than he'd had in his entire career as a Slayer.
He sat up and folded his arms. "First of all, what the hell is a renfield?"
****
Skinner was finishing up some routine paperwork for the department when he first felt it. That twinge, a pull, light as a feather, something he'd be hard pressed to describe to another person. It was if someone were playing with the muscles of his body, playing him like an instrument...no, it was his mind...he couldn't yet figure it out.
The next time he felt the pull, it was accompanied by something he was less able to ignore.
/* Come to me, Skinner, I want you*/
"Dammit, no!" Now Skinner knew who and what it was. Keiron was calling him. The damned vampire was calling him, the Watcher!
/*So stubborn*/ the voice practically salivated in his mind. /*So rebellious. If you only knew how much that turns me on!*/
"You impudent bastard!" Skinner seethed aloud. "Go pick on someone your own age!"
/*Skinner, what fun would that be?*/ the voiced sounded amused. /*You mean another vampire? Or would it be a werewolf? I've decided that I much prefer humans, most especially balding, well-muscled Assistant Directors, tonight. Come now, don't fight me, I can make this sooooooo pleasant for you. And I will make it pleasant, very pleasant, whether you want me to or not!*/
The pull became sexual in nature as Skinner found he was erect. The A.D. was in a full-blown rage at how Keiron was playing with him against his will. The damn vampire could probably make him come in his pants like some teenager.
/* Oh no, I'd never do that, Walter. I'd save that for when I was there! Though if you don't behave, perhaps in the next Bureau meeting...*/
"Damn you to hell, you fiend!" Skinner snarled. "Leave me alone! Leave Mulder alone!"
/*Now that's impossible Walter*/ the voice sounded disgusted. /*Please ask me for something that I'd actually want to do. You're only wasting your breath*/
Keiron then let Skinner feel the full force of his power, calling him with such strength that Skinner found himself rise from his chair and go to the door, all the while his muscles tensing with the effort to resist. Sweat broke out all along his body as he tore his hand off the knob and flung himself onto the floor in a last desperate effort to break away from Keiron. He groaned and writhed, muscles trembling with the strain, his body, heart and mind racked with an all-consuming need to rise from the floor and go to Keiron.
/*Come to me, Skinner, come. I want you, I need you. Don't resist, come!*/ the voice commanded, impossible to ignore.
Skinner struggled as he tried to resist Keiron's call. His fists were clenching and unclenching as he writhed, sweat streaming down his face, chest and arms and gleaming in the overhead light. Suddenly the door to his apartment was flung open. Skinner turned an agonized gaze upon Mulder and Alex standing in the doorway, as they both looked down with amazement at the sweat-soaked A.D writhing on the floor.
"Sir? Sir? What's happening? What's wrong?" Mulder exclaimed, quickly kneeling down by Skinner's side.