Phantom Shadows 4
The Tasty Burger diner parking lot was only half packed when Skinner finally made it to Cape Heaven. His chest hurt when he got out of the car, but the doctors assured him that he didn't have a punctured lung. A man and woman holding arms left the diner laughing, it was strange to see such normalcy when Alex lay on a hospital bed after almost dying, and Mulder, his Mulder... He didn't want to imagine what might have happened to the other man he loved. A gold bell hanging over the door announced his arrival in the dimly lit diner. No one looked up, or cared about him. He was just another old guy.
Pushing his glasses back up his nose, he walked up the first isle of booths, stopping at the last one, waiting for the Mulder to look up. Mulder was staring out the window into parking lot; Skinner could see both their reflections in the glass.
"I see you Walter." Mulder said suddenly and tiredly. This was Mulder at his most exhausted.
Without waiting for an invite to sit down, Skinner slid across the seat until he was sitting across from Mulder. He reached across the table to grip Mulder's hand, but his younger lover flinched at the sudden movement, snatching his hand away. "Fox?" He didn't know what else to say?
Mulder kept his hands on the table, fiddling with his empty coffee mug. Skinner could see a young woman in the glass reflection taking orders. "Look at me." He pleaded gently, focusing his attention back to the man in front of him.
Shaking his head slowly, Mulder turned his attention back to the window. "I can't."
Skinner had to strain to hear Mulder's whisper. "Why not?" Skinner forced himself to stay patient and not bundle Mulder off to the car. He wanted to get back to Alex, although the doctors wouldn't let him see the younger man until the next morning. Now that he could see Mulder alive and well, some of the stress left him, but he needed to find out what was wrong with him.
"Look at me." He ordered softly not wanting anyone to hear his conversation with Mulder.
Mulder continued to stare out the window, keeping his face averted. "Look at me." Skinner asked again. This time his voice sounded harsh to his own ears.
Slowly, anticlimactically, Mulder turned towards him; his eyes burning with unshed tears, glared at him. Skinner zeroed in on the bruise on Mulder's jaw. "Are you happy?" Mulder demanded smart enough to keep his voice down.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay, you kept looking out at the damn parking lot." Which was damned hard to see with everything reflecting back at them. Skinner repressed the urge to sigh; his ribs still hurt like hell, no matter what the doctors said Tylenol does not work.
"I can't talk here." Mulder was blinking his eyes furiously.
Getting up took more effort than sitting down, pain shot through this chest with the tinniest movements. "Come on, I'll pay the bill." Skinner could see that Mulder was wearing his clothes, a sweater one size too large and pants that were too long.
He paid for the coffee while Mulder waited outside. It was a pretty night, and if the men he loved weren't in such pain, he might have appreciated the beauty. "My car is over here." He said, automatically walking towards his car. He could hear Mulder following him. Their shoes crunched on the loose gravel parking lot.
"What happened to you?" Mulder asked sounding concerned. He hoped Mulder wouldn't rush over and start putting his hands on him. His body would probably collapse.
"Just get in the car. I'll explain on our way to the hospital."
They spent the first thirty minutes in utter silence, Skinner didn't want to listen to the radio, and Mulder still stared out the window. Gathering his courage, he spoke rapidly. "Mulder, Alex is in the hospital. Spender shot him and he almost died."
"What!" Mulder exclaimed, shocked out of his moodiness. "When did this happen?"
"About an hour before you called me. Don't worry, the doctors said he's strong and he'll pull through."
"So why were you walking so slowly?"
"Cracked ribs." Skinner muttered. He didn't like admitting that he could be injured just as easily as the next man could.
"Let me guess, you were also fighting Spender? He said he was going to go get Alex. I couldn't even warn him."
"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Skinner asked hoping that Mulder could tell him what was bothering him so much. If Spender touched one hair on Mulder's head...
"I can't, not right now. It's still too..." Mulder paused searching for the right word, "raw."
Nodding his head in understanding, he turned his attention back to the road. Mulder will tell him when the time was right, and driving at 11 p.m. at night wasn't the time.
****
Mulder sat next to the hospital bed, lightly holding Alex's limp hand, trying to ignore the smell of disinfectants saturating the air. This room didn't have a window, he could only guess at the time now.
"Fox, come on he'll be fine. Alex is a survivor. You on the other look like your going to fall over and sleep on the floor." Walter's calm voice soothed some of his frazzled nerves.
"I don't want to leave him here alone. What if he wakes up earlier than expected? I need to make sure he's okay." How could he tell Walter that something might have gone wrong when Alex astro- projected himself to their cape side house, and saved him? Guilt and worry did not make relaxing easy. He still felt chilled even with Walter's coat surrounding him; he could still feel the cold concrete floor. Shivering he pulled the coat tighter around his body, using only one hand. Letting go of Alex's hand was unthinkable.
Firm hands settled on his shoulders and rubbed them. "Come on, Fox. We'll go home, let you have a shower, and then you can take a two hour nap. I'll have you back before ten am." Walter cajoling tone almost had him convinced, but then a low moan emerged from Alex's slightly parted lips.
"He's waking up!" Mulder's weariness vanished and he sat straighter in the hard plastic chair the young nurse provided, earlier that evening. Skinner quickly left the room, to find a nurse, or so Mulder hoped.
It was hard seeing Alex so pale and lifeless, his chest barely moving, with tape everywhere. Alex was going to eat a cow when they had to take off the bandages on his chest. He was so tired, he wanted to go home with his lovers and sleep through the next year. Dealing his father molesting and almost raping him was something he just couldn't deal with right now. At the diner, he thought he had control over his emotions but seeing Skinner, through the glass window, striding down the isle towards him brought tears to his eyes. It was all he could do to not break down. All it would have taken was one word.
Walter was wonderful like that, very observant. Those few minutes of silence at the diner helped. Now he just felt exhausted and worried, he now knew how Alex must have felt after Spender raped him.
A doctor arrived moments before Walter; she checked all the equipment, Alex's eyes, then checked some stuff off of a chart. "He's starting to come around, I'll say in an hour or two he might be coherent. Just don't try to push him to talk. He needs rest. The police said they will take his statement sometime this afternoon." With that, she was gone, as quickly as she came.
Once the room was empty again, Walter found a chair and pulled it up next to his, every movement of his slow and precise. Except for the blip of the heart monitor, the room was rather silent. "Spender was going to rape me." He said, not taking his eyes off the slow drip of Alex's IV fluid bag. "But before he left, he force me to climax and then came in my face. Did you know Spender was my father? He also admitted to raping Jeff when he was a teenager and later on as well." Some of the weight on his chest lifted saying the words. He wondered what they meant to him. What would Walter think?
When Walter didn't say anything, Mulder turned his head to the side to see what was going on. Walter was clenching and unclenching his fists, his jaw muscle was twitching too. "Walter, it's okay." Mulder said trying to defuse the fury he saw in his lover's body language.
"No it's not okay Mulder. That evil monster has violated both you and Alex and I can't kill him again. A year of therapy might not even help."
"Therapy!" Mulder shouted, aghast at the thought of telling a stranger about his personal life.
"Well not right now." Walter said, starting to relax a little.
"Don't I have a say in this?" Alex asked in a weak whisper, his voice rough scratchy sounding.
Mulder and Walter both turned their attention to the green eye man on the bed. "Alex! You're all right!" Mulder couldn't stop smiling.
"If you say so. I feel like shit." Alex said blinking his eyes and doing a slow scan of the room.
"Relax, Alex, the doctors said you should rest for another eight hours before trying to move." Walter ordered.
A sign of Alex truly being exhausted he closed his eyes and fell back asleep.
"Walter, I can't leave now. What if he wakes up again?" Mulder complained shifting in his seat, again looking exhausted.
"Alex is going to be fine. I'll ask Scully to sit with him if it'll make you feel any better. I'm sure she'll do it for you."
After gazing at Alex, pale on the hospital bed, Mulder nodded his head in agreement. "Can you please call Scully? When she's here, we can go, I just don't want to leave him unprotected...you know?" Mulder hated how vulnerable and needy his voice sounded, to him anyway.
Luckily, Walter seemed to understand. "That's fine, you know I'll do anything for you or Alex..."
Nodding his head, Mulder continued to watch Alex.
~zz~
Saturday morning, 8:00 Am:
Fox gently pushed aside the quilt that was covering him and slowly sat up, so as not to disturb his lover on the other side of the bed.
Walter stirred under the thick down and Fox threw a nervous glance over his left shoulder. It was all right; he was still asleep.
Relieved, Mulder stood up and padded softly over to his dresser. He eased the drawers open and found a shirt, jeans, socks and a fresh pair of underwear. Then, with one last peek at his slumbering bed-mate, Fox left the room and shut the door behind himself. He didn’t dare shower in his ensuite’, instead he decided to use the main bathroom, it was stocked with all the essentials too.
**
The night before, when Walter and Fox had returned home, Fox had stripped and crawled into bed naked. He didn’t even bother with brushing his teeth. By the time Walter was done brushing and washing, Fox was all ready laying on his side asleep with his back to Walter’s side of the bed.
The large AD yawned and then crawled in himself. The space between them was large and the bed needed Alex in it for it to feel normal.
**
Once he was showered, Fox dressed as quickly as he could and then left the apartment, taking care not to slam the door behind himself. Mulder was bone tired and despite only sleeping for just over four hours, he just *had* to get up and get back to the hospital; Alex might need him.
~zz~
Walter rolled over and reached out for Fox. When his hands did not find that which they sought, he immediately came awake. The large man sighed and rolled over and squinted at the time on the bedside clock. The green digital numbers declared that it was already 11:30 am. Walter threw back the covers and got up. Pulling on his robe, he went in search of Fox, knowing all along that the agent was at Alex’s bedside.
Lacking anything better to do at that hour, Walter started the coffee brewing then went to get a shower. He really needed to clear his head this morning.
As he was leaving the kitchen, there was a knock at the door. Wondering who it could be, he opened it up, somewhat surprised to see Scully standing there with a box of donuts in her hand.
She looked up from brushing crumbs off of her lapel as soon as the door swung open.
"Good morning." Greeted the redhead cheerily.
"’Morning Dana." Walter gestured that she should come in.
As Scully crossed the threshold, she passed off the donuts to Skinner, who graciously accepted the offering.
While she removed her overcoat, Dana talked casually to her former boss. "Fox wanted me to come by with those." She turned and faced the older man. "He told me to tell you that he’s going to sit with Alex for most of the day."
Walter grunted and shut the door, more firmly than he had intended too. "So I figured,." he said.
His tone of voice told Dana that Fox not being here was irritating him; though it was obvious the AD was trying to hide that fact from her.
"He said that if you want to go back to your place, he’d catch up with you there." She smiled at her boss, unsure if she should mention to him that the police had already spoken to her that morning. The cops had been adamant about her not telling Skinner or anyone else what they had talked about. The cops had even threatened her with obstruction if she did so. She told them in no uncertain terms that she, of all people, did not need a refresher course in the law.
She could see by just looking at Walter’s face, and by the tone of his voice, the AD was not a happy camper. She decided right then and there to keep her mouth shut. Besides, none of this was really any of her business. She had already concluded that after her dreadful experience in Walter’s Cape Haven home, she was going to stay out of the men’s affairs.
"Hmph." Was all Walter could manage. He knew his jealousy was getting the better of him, just like Alex’s had eventually got to him back at the mansion.
Which was why they were all in this mess in the first place. If Alex had not run from the manor and gone back to his place, Spender would never had found him there and then the rest of the whole ugly story wouldn’t have happened either. Walter shook his head, he was blaming the victim and that was unacceptable.
"Want a coffee?" he asked finally, reigning in his thoughts.
"Sure." Dana followed Walter into Fox’s kitchen and sat down at the small table.
Skinner put a cup down in front of her then he slowly lowered his large, aching frame into a companion chair.
"What’s the matter?" she asked. She knew that the cops hadn’t contacted him yet.
"Do you really want to know?" Walter realised that he really needed someone to talk to. A neutral ear to confide in. Who else would even begin to understand his dilemma but Scully?
"Of course I do, sir! I asked didn’t I?" Dana was just a little put out that he would question her sincerity. Then again, she wasn’t going to tell him about the cops visit to her house this morning, so maybe he was right in questioning her loyalties.
"I’m sorry, Scully." Walter rubbed a large hand over his bald pate. "It’s just that I'm all messed up right now. I know you wouldn’t have asked me if you didn’t want to know how I was." He offered the petite woman a weak smile and she accepted it by reaching out and squeezing his hand.
"What is it?"
"Well, this morning, Fox, after barely getting four hours sleep snuck out of bed and took off to the hospital."
"This surprises you? He’s crazy with worry about Alex. Getting shot so close to the heart almost killed him." She picked up her mug and drank a sip then put it down. "He phoned me this morning and got me out of bed."
"What did he want?" Walter drank from his own mug.
"He was pissed off to find out that when he got to the hospital, I wasn’t there." She laughed softly, despite being angry with her partner at the time. "I told him that a half hour after you two took off some nurse the size of a liquorice stick and looking like Miss Hathaway from the Beverly Hillbillies chased me out of there when I told her that I wasn’t Alex’s wife. I don’t think Mulder believed me." She took another sip of her coffee.
Walter played the handle of his mug. "I know Mulder’s worried sick about Alex, I expect that, but I’m worried, too. He didn’t even bother to wake me to see if I wanted to go with him. I would have gone." Walter, whose focus had been on the ripples in his coffee cup, looked up at Dana. His eyes searched hers for a second, then he said softly, "It was my gun that got him Dana. My gun…." Then he buried his face in his hands. He hadn’t been able to tell Fox that. He’d told him everything else, but not that. How does one tell his lover that he almost killed their other lover?
"Oh Walter…" Dana stood up and reached out and took her large boss up into her small arms. "It was an accident. An awful, horrible accident."
Walter nodded his head. He knew it was an accident, but that knowledge still did not make it any easier. He patted the back of Scully’s porcelain hand and she let go of her boss and sat down again.
"What am I doing?" He asked her finally.
"You’re grieving for a hurt lover," replied Scully sensibly.
"No." Skinner shook his head. "That’s not what I mean."
"Then what?"
"What am I doing with those two...that’s what I want to know."
"What do you mean? You love Mulder and Krycek. That’s what you’re doing with them." Scully was confused, her boss was not making much sense and she wondered if he had an undiagnosed head injury too.
"Do I? I know I am in love with Fox, I have been for a long time. But I have to face it, the only reason why I’m in their bizarre little romance is that Fox had a fantasy and Alex helped him to fullfill it. If Alex had his way, I wouldn’t have been in the picture at all." Skinner took a sip of his coffee, just to have something to do with his hands.
"I don’t think that’s true at all, sir." Dana replied. "I think Alex loves you very much." She was sure that the Russian loved her boss.
"Oh, I don’t doubt that he cares for me deeply, and I for him, but are we really in love."
"Of course you are!" Dana wondered where this whole conversation was going.
Skinner smiled, who would have guessed that Dana Scully was such an optimist.
"You are only having doubts because you accidentally hurt Krycek. Mulder will understand. You did what you had to do to save Alex’s life." Some of the questions the detectives had asked came to the forefront of her thoughts, but she didn’t dare bring them up.
"Maybe it isn’t them at all. Maybe it’s just me," sighed Skinner.
"Okay, now you’ve lost me. What on earth are you trying to say?"
"I’m wondering what kind of a future I have with those two. That’s all. It’s apparent that Alex comes first and always will. The same goes for Alex when it comes to Mulder." He held up his hands to stop Scully from interrupting him. "I know, that sounds really jealous, and maybe I am, but it’s still the truth. Those two are reckless, wild. They live to experiment with life and to raise hell." He grinned in remembrance of some of their night time club hopping antics.
"I can act like them, have fun with them and yes, even love them but in the end it will still be an act. I need stability Dana, I need one lover who is devoted to me," Walter’s voice grew wan, "I need a lover who wants only me and not another."
Dana ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.
~zz~
Alex’s breathing lightened and Fox knew that his lover was on the verge of waking. He had just finished speaking to the duty nurse who assured him that indeed, ‘Miss Scully’ was asked to leave. Mulder thought that the red-head was damn lucky, because had she left on her own and then something bad had happened to Alex then he’d never forgive her....
"Fox." Croaked Alex softly. His eyes were open and staring at his seated lover. "What are you doing?" A tiny smile graced the corners of his lush mouth. "You’re making faces."
Mulder shook his head, relieved to hear Alex’s voice. "I’m arguing with Scully in my head."
"Who’s winning," quipped Alex, his mouth was dry as cotton, but he couldn’t seem to be able to work up any spit to wet it.
"Me of course." Fox leaned over and gave Alex a quick peck on the lips. He noted Alex’s discomfort and reached over to the rolling table and poured some ice cold water into a clear plastic cup. "Do you want to sit up a bit?" Mulder asked, handing the cup with a bendy straw in it to Alex.
"Yeah, that would be great." Alex sipped the water while Mulder turned the crank and moved the head of the bed into an upright position.
The water was cold and clear and nothing had ever tasted so good. His thirst slaked, Alex asked, "Where’s Walter?"
Mulder took Alex’s cup and put it on the table. "He’s at my place. From there, I think he will go back to his apartment in the city."
"Why didn’t he come to the hospital?" Alex wondered why Walter would be there with his other lover.
"Because when I left this morning he was still sleeping. His ribs are really hurting him, I thought it was best to let him rest. Knowing Walter, after a hot shower and some fresh clothes, he’ll perk right up. We’ll probably see him later on this afternoon or early this evening."
Alex nodded. It made sense, the poor guy had been through the ringer too. It was just that he always seemed so big and strong that Alex forgot that he might need to recuperate too.
Alex changed the subject of Walter to the topic of he and Mulder.
"I’m so glad to see you’re all right, Fox. I was worried sick the other night when I got up and you were gone." Alex reached out and took his lovers strong hand. "I’m so sorry I blew up at you over that tape. Will you forgive me?"
Alex’s eyes misted up and internally, he blamed the medication. Though the truth be told, he was just plain anxious for their harsh words to each other to be put behind them. He hated it when he and Fox fought; it brought out the most frightening emotions deep from with in himself.
Emotions he always had to fight hard to bury again.
"Did Spender hurt you bad?" Alex swiped at his eyes, trying to deny the tiny, clear liquid crystals their freedom. He hoped that Fox didn’t have to go through what that cancerous bastard had put him through.
Fox brought Alex’s hand up to his lips and lovingly kissed the back of it. "Me forgive you? It’s more like the other way around. Do you forgive me?" He planted a languid kiss over each large knuckle, then said, "I’m so sorry Alex, for everything. Spender, the tape… It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t tried to watch that tape, you would never had gone out looking for me and you would never had been shot."
Alex laughed softly. "Oh aren’t we a pair, Fox?" He wished he could hold Fox’s other hand in his, but his left arm had all of the IV tubes in it. Only his right hand was free of any apparatus. "There’s nothing to forgive you for. I think Spender set the whole thing up knowing full well what our reactions to the tape would be." Alex shook his head in amazement. "We were like two rats in a maze, reacting exactly how he wanted us too."
Mulder nodded, Alex was right.
"But you didn’t answer my question. Did Spender hurt you bad?"
"No…nothing that I won’t recover from at least." He smiled gently. "Do you remember being in the basement?"
"Oh, Fox, everything is an X-file for you." Alex meant that in a loving way but he still answered the question. "Of course I remember. Well, vaguely anyway. I remember knowing that my love could conquer his hatred. I know that the possibility of losing you crossed my mind, and the thought of us being apart was not an option. I’m not quite sure how it worked, or why, I only know that it did and I’m damn glad for it…and for you." Alex started to shake, he could still feel the evil chill in the basement. "Hold me, Fox. I need for you to keep me safe now." Mulder stood and leaning over the bed, wrapped his arms around his green-eyed lover.
"Mmmmm, that feels good, Fox. I’m still so tired. I think I’m going to go back to sleep for a while."
"Go ahead, I’ll be here when you wake up." Fox planted a chaste kiss on Alex’s forehead.
"I know you will. Only this time, I’d like some pudding and some apple juice waiting when I get up." He smiled up at Mulder then his lids fluttered closed. With in seconds, his breathing evened out and he was asleep.
Mulder gently pulled his arms out and flattened the bed again before he sat down. He was glad that he and Alex had had a chance to talk about the other night. One thing was for sure, they were both in for a lot of therapy once Alex recovered from Spender shooting him. There was a soft knock on the door and just as Mulder turned his head to see who it was, the door opened.
A young cop, no more than twenty five flashed his badge at Mulder and said softly, "I’m detective Saunders, is now a good time to talk to Mr. Krycek?"
Mulder gestured with his head toward Alex. "Alex just went back to sleep. He’ll be up in a few hours."
Saunders nodded. "Can we talk outside please." Asked the detective, holding open the door for Mulder.
Mulder glanced back at the sleeping Alex before stepping out.
"Who are you?" Saunders asked casually.
"Fox Mulder……"
"The lover."
"Yes, the lover. Or one of them anyway."
"Have a seat Mr. Mulder, I have a few questions I want to ask you…"
~zz~
"Sir, why are you all of a sudden doubting you’re place in Mulder and Krycek’s life?"
"Because, they’ve not said it outright, but I know the two of them look at me as somewhat of a ‘father’ figure. I never used to mind it, in fact, I found it quite endearing that they looked up to me in that way, that they wanted me to have some authority over them. But now, knowing what Spender did to Alex and Fox, I don’t know if there will be room for me anymore. I don’t know where I’ll fit in. How can they look at me the same way, knowing that it was another father figure that hurt them so."
Dana didn’t know what to say to that. What could she say? Skinner had some valid points. But still, she had to try to convince him otherwise. "I don’t think you’re giving Mulder enough credit, sir, or Alex for that matter."
"No? Maybe not. But I can’t help but think that maybe having Fox and Alex was more my fantasy than theirs, and now that it’s been fulfilled, maybe it’s time to end things before they get too far out of control."
And at that, Scully was absolutely speechless.
~zz~
"Mr. Mulder," Saunders said, "you said that you were one of Mr. Krycek’s lovers. Is Mr. Skinner the other?" Saunders all ready knew the answer to that.
"Yes." Mulder was ultra wary of what he said to the detective. Giving mostly one syllable answers where he could. The agent got the feeling that Saunders was trying to build a case against Walter.
"So you three are a triangle?" Saunders tone of voice was bland, lacking any sort of judgement.
"Yes." Mulder said, "Is there something wrong with that?" He was starting to get on the defensive.
"No." Saunders scribbled something down on his pad, Mulder couldn’t see what it was.
"Well then why are you asking."
The detective, despite being young, was good at his job he knew that now that the agent was irritated, he would start getting the answers he wanted. "Is Mr. Skinner the jealous type?"
"No?" Mulder said immediately.
The detective flipped back to a page in his pad, "Well I have information that he is. That when provoked, he can become quite violent."
"No! Not at all." Denied Mulder vehemently.
"Okay," Saunders said evenly. Switching directions he asked, "Who brought whom into the relationship?"
Mulder explained how it was he and Alex together first then how Skinner was brought into the relationship. Skipping over the raunchier bits of course. Mulder explained as best as he could about them being a trio. He made sure to tell the detective that Alex and Walter really cared about each other a lot.
"So, just to be clear, It was your idea to bring Skinner into your bed?"
"Yes."
"And he was definitely interested in being with you before you asked him to join you?"
"Yes."
"I see." Saunders noted in his book the bruises on either side of Mulder’s jaw and of the agent's raw and scraped wrist. Though he hadn’t been in Alex’s room for more than a few seconds, it was long enough for his to see the sleeping man’s scabbed over wrists and the bruises around his neck. He jotted down that the relationship might be abusive between the two younger men and the older. But he kept this to himself, they could investigate it more thoroughly at a later date. He could see that Mulder was becoming really agitated at the mention of Skinner being jealous and controlling, denying the accusation before he could even finish his sentence. Classical sign.
"As an agent, what type of fire arm are issued?" Saunders again, switching the focus.
"Personally, my weapon is a Smith and Wesson 1076 and Walter carries a SIG Sauer 226."
"Okay, thank you Mr. Mulder." Detective Saunders stood up and handed his card over to the agent. "I’ll be in touch."
"Look Detective. I know where you’re trying to go with this and I’m telling you right now, Walter did not shoot Alex, C . . . er I mean Jeff Spender did. He was holding Alex hostage and threatening his life, Walter had to do something."
Saunders nodded, but Mulder could tell that the cop wasn’t buying a word of it.
"Did you know that the bullet they pulled out of your lover was from a SIG Sauer 226, the same kind as Mr. Skinner’s. There were no weapons found at the scene Mr. Mulder. Spender was unarmed."
Mulder stared blankly at Saunders, had Walter shot Alex by accident?
"Like I said, I’ll be in touch. Please call me when Mr. Krycek is up to talking to me. I’m sure he can clear everything up."
Mulder scowled at the detective and pocketed the card. "I’m sure he will." And with that, Mulder stepped around Saunders and went back into Alex’s hospital room. He planned on phoning Skinner the minute the detective was out of sight.
~zz~
"I’m tired of talking Dana." Walter stood up. "I’m going to go back to my place and clean up and after that, I don’t know what I’ll do, but I’ll think of something." He stood up and kissed Dana gently on the cheek. "I’ve bent your ear enough for one day." He turned and went into the bedroom to get dressed.
~zz~
Saunders waited until Mulder had gone back into the room before he went down the hall to where there was a door leading to an outside sitting area. He pulled his cell and dialled his partner. "Yeah, Miguel, the one lover confirms that Skinner carries an FBI issued SIG Sauer. No. I’m keeping my eye on the guy’s door. I couldn’t talk to Krycek, he’s still out of it. No, I saw for myself. But I think this Skinner guy is starting to look good for this murder and the *attempt*. Mulder denies that Skinner would do such a thing, but from the people I’ve talked to, he was the jealous type. Maybe Krycek picked up the guy and Skinner took exception and tried to kill both. At any rate, we’ll know more once Krycek is up. Get the warrant for Skinner’s apartment. I’m going to sit on Mulder just in case he tries to contact Skinner… Yep… I’ll talk to you later."
Saunders hung up his cell phone and turned it off. He lit a cigarette and kept his eyes on Alex’s hospital room, which he could see plainly from this angle.
~zz~
Walter Skinner stared out his balcony window at the snow floating down from the gray afternoon sky. He blinked back the tears streaking down his flush cheeks as he brought the tumbler to his lips and took a sip, tasting the strong flavor of bourbon mixed with his salty tears. The alcohol helped to ease the pain in his heart and soul. He'd been using it as a crutch for nearly every night for close to a year. He thought the pain would go away with time, but it only seemed to grow stronger.
Tomorrow night was Christmas Eve. It was the first year Skinner hadn't put up a Christmas tree. Even after his divorce to Sharon, he still decorated a tree for the holiday. This year, a tree would have been too painful a reminder of what he lost.
His memories were raw; they felt like a giant weight pressing down on his heart. Christmas a year ago he had been so happy. He had two beautiful lovers, a career in the FBI, a lovely home, and...a reason to live. His career at the bureau ended the same time he was, just barely, cleared of murder charges. Detective Saunders had been determined to nail his ass, but thankfully Krycek's testimony cleared him. With all the publicity, Skinner had become an embarrassment to the FBI according to D.D. Kersh. The Deputy Director offered him a nice severance package if he resigned without a fuss. Skinner didn't make a fuss; he took it only because he could no longer bear to be in the same building as Fox Mulder.
Fox—he was still deeply in love with the man. He ended their relationship because he could never be anything more than a third wheel between Fox and Alex. God, Alex—he never expected to fall in love with Alex Krycek too, but he did. During those few short months they were together, he'd come to respect and admire the green-eyed assassin. The three of them had made such sweet love.... Skinner downed his drink and went to pour himself another.
The room was swaying and his hand shook as he refilled his glass. Something didn't seem right. Skinner staggered over to the sofa to sit before he fell down. He couldn't be this drunk after only one drink. Hearing the murmuring of voices behind him, Skinner discovered he didn't have the strength or ability to turn his head to see who was there. The voices sounded distant—muffled.
"Fox, what a lovely Christmas gift. Thank you, babe," Alex purred, kissing his lover softly on the cheek.
"He was the only thing on your Christmas list," Mulder quipped, touching Krycek on the shoulder and looking deeply in his pretty eyes. "Are you going to be all right?"
"I'm fine, Fox."
Mulder gazed fondly at Walter's still form. "I need to be sure, Alex. It won't do you or him any good if you have a panic attack."
Krycek smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Getting him back means as much to me as it does to you. I'll be fine." Mulder had spent months helping Krycek recover from what the smoker had done to him. He still wouldn't allow Mulder to top him. Giving up that kind of control was more than Krycek could handle at this point.
It had hurt them both when Walter left them without so much as a word. Only a letter informing them that he could no longer be a part of their lives. He wished them the best, then refused to answer any of their calls or letters. Skinner had even resigned from the FBI. They both assumed it was to put as much distance between him and them as possible. Unfortunately for Skinner, it was a wasted effort, since Mulder was kicked out of the bureau only a few days after Skinner had resigned. Mulder had been pissed off at Skinner for leaving them when Krycek needed Skinner most.
It was four months later that Scully informed them the real reason behind Walter's leaving them. Mulder and Krycek had been scheming ever since to get him back. Walter needed to be reassured that he was as important to their relationship as they were to each other. They decided the only way they could convince him was to kidnap him and force him to have sex with them. They were literally going to ram their love home. Krycek chuckled every time Mulder would refer to Walter as their beefy sex slave.
Mulder moved around to kneel in front of Skinner. "Hey, big guy, I know you're not understanding a word I'm saying, but we're doing this for your own good."
Skinner stared blankly at Mulder's blurry image. He found himself rising as blurry Mulder took hold of his arms and pulled him to his feet.
"Alex, the movers will be here any second. You handle them, while I take our beefy sex slave to his new home."
"You sure you don't need any help?"
"No. The concoction you mixed up for him is doing its job."
"Don't forget to give him another dose in two hours."
"Don't worry, beautiful, I have the syringes." Mulder tapped his pocket. Keeping a hand on Skinner's arm, he led him to the door, stopping only briefly to snag the larger man's car keys off the desk.
Mulder guided Skinner down to the parking garage and to the older man's Lexus. He helped Skinner into the front seat. "You know, Walter, if you don't get a new job we might have to sell this baby," he teased while buckling him in. He knew that Walter would have no trouble finding a job at some law firm with his law degrees and experience. That is if Walter didn't want to go into business with him and Alex. It was hard for Mulder to picture his former boss as an equal partner in their investigation business, instead of their boss.
It was late evening by the time they arrived in New York City. Mulder didn't want to give Walter another shot, so he was relieved when he finally pulled up outside their Brooklyn home. The building had cost him and Alex all of their savings and the money he made from selling the properties he had inherited from his parents.
The whole building had exquisite brickwork and woodwork, plus high twenty-foot ceilings throughout. They were leasing the entire second floor to the LGM. The bottom floor was being renovated for his and Alex's private investigation agency. They had set office space aside for Walter, hoping he would want to go into business with them. The third floor they were turning into a gym, a workshop, and storage space. The fourth and fifth floor was their apartment. They had removed a large part of the ceiling on the fourth floor opening the space up to the fifth floor and installed a new staircase with a railing looking down at the space below. It still needed a lot of work.
"Hey, Mulder, do you need help?" Frohike said from his seat on the front stoop, leading up to the building's main entrance.
Mulder and Krycek had informed the gunmen of their plan to abduct Skinner. "No. Isn't it a bit cold to be sitting outside?" Mulder held Skinner's hand as he stopped to talk to Frohike. The big man swayed slightly and had a blank look on his face.
"Langly and Byers decided to paint our new digs. The fumes drove me out." Frohike looked Skinner over. "He's really out of it, isn't he? Are you sure that stuff's safe?"
"Alex assures me that it is, and I'd trust him with my life." Mulder prayed Alex was right about there not being any side effects. He didn't look forward to cleaning up any vomit if the drug made Skinner sick.
Frohike nodded. "Well you better get the Skinman tied down. He's going to be fucking mad when he wakes up."
Mulder chuckled. "Yeah, I better do that. It wouldn't do for him to kill me before Alex gets here."
Mulder led Skinner inside and over to the freight elevator. They took it up to the fifth floor. From there he steered Skinner across the balcony that over looked the lower floor to their huge loft bedroom. He stripped Skinner and removed his glasses, placing them on the nightstand. He then made him lay on his back on the extra large King-sized bed and attached fur-lined cuffs to his wrists and ankles. The room was chilly, so he covered the large man with a down blanket. Mulder leaned down and kissed Skinner. "Walter, I love you as deeply as I love Alex, remember that."
Skinner assumed he was dreaming and didn't want to wake up. Mulder was in his bed kissing him.
Placing his hand over Skinner's eyes, Mulder closed them. "Sleep, Walter. You're going to be busy the next few days."
***
Something heavy was pressing up against Skinner's sides. He felt very warm and tried to move away, but discovered his hands were cuffed above his head and his legs were chained, too. As full awareness came back to him, Skinner realized the weights against his sides were nude male bodies. Not just any men, he'd recognize Fox's and Alex's scents anywhere.
"Wh-What's going on?" he asked gruffly. His mouth felt like it was full of cotton.
Krycek lifted his head off Skinner's chest and stared down at him. "Are you thirsty?"
Skinner nodded. "Yeah."
"Hold on." Krycek shook Mulder awake then climbed out of bed. He came back with a bottle and a straw.
Mulder wrapped his arm around Skinner's shoulders and helped him to sit up, while Alex put the straw against his lips.
Krycek spoke as Skinner drank. "Fox and I took a vote and we decided that you couldn't leave us. So we're prepared to keep you chained to our bed as our personal love slave, until you come to your senses."
"You drugged me!" Skinner was pissed. He tugged on the chains holding him bound to the bed until the heavy wrought iron headboard rattled.
Mulder smirked as he reached under the blanket and stroked Skinner's penis. He felt it expand beneath his fingertips. Skinner soon stopped moving and glared at him.
"You know, Walter. You're going to have to be punished for leaving us without the courtesy of talking to us face to face. I think ten swats of the paddle are in order. Don't you? Then Alex gets to ride your red hot behind." Mulder continued stroking.
Skinner hadn't had sex since he left them, he moaned and said half-heartedly, "You can't keep me here against my will."
"I think we can. Who's going to miss you?" Krycek asked, pulling the quilt off and exposing Skinner's muscular body.
"I have family—"
Mulder leaned down and took Skinner's right nipple in his mouth, while Krycek continued reasoning with their captive.
"You have a younger sister whose invitation to spend Christmas with her and her family you turned down. You also have an older brother you haven't spoken to in thirty years, since he announced that he was gay. Wouldn't he be surprised to see you now?" Krycek said, caressing Skinner's chest. Mulder chuckled around Skinner's tit, nipping it lightly.
Skinner moaned and said sadly, "I was a senior in high school when West came out. You wouldn't believe the flack I took from my friends. When my folks disowned him, I went along with it. I enlisted into the Marines a few months later and was off to 'nam." Skinner sighed, "I probably should have contacted West years ago, but he dropped out of sight."
"You have us, Walter," Mulder said.
"I don't want your pity, Fox. You can never love me as much as you love each other."
"You've just added five more swats of the paddle for telling us what we can and can't feel." Mulder stood and walked over an armoire across the large space. "Turn him on his belly, Alex," he said, pulling a paddle off the top shelf.
"You're in for it now, Bear." Krycek slipped a cockring on Walter's erection to keep it hard, then he uncuffed his feet and manhandled him onto his belly.
"Fox Mulder, you can't be serious about spanking me," Skinner growled.
"Why? You've paddled both Alex and me. I think turnabout is fair play. Besides, I've been dying to see your buns of steel a nice bright red." Mulder leaned down and ran his tongue over Skinner's right buttock. The larger man trembled at the intimate contact.
He was still trembling when the first stroke landed on his ass and a sharp pain engulfed him. "Fuck! Do you have to hit so hard?"
"Yes. Tell me why you're being punished?"
Skinner turned his head and glared at Mulder. "Fuck off, Foxy."
"Okay, for ever minute that you remain silent, I'll be adding one more stroke to your punishment," Mulder said, smacking him three more times hard.
Skinner whimpered and bit his lip.
"Stubborn, bastard." Mulder swatted him on his tender upper thigh.
"Ugh. Okay! You're punishing me for not talking to you and Alex face to face—"
"And?"
"And for telling you how you feel."
"Good, now let's get this finished. I know Alex is dying to fuck you." Mulder laid another two strokes across reddening buttocks.
Skinner groaned, rubbing his erection into the mattress. "Fox, I never figured you for a sadist," he muttered into the pillow.
"And I never figured you for blockhead." Mulder gave him ten more swift swats, distributing them evenly over his buttocks before finally laying the paddle. "I love you, Walter Skinner, and don't you forget it."
"You have a strange way of showing it," Skinner growled, continuing to rub his swollen erection into the cool sheets, seeking release.
Krycek sat on the bed and started rubbing cool gel on Skinner's flaming red bottom. "He's the bad cop...I get to be the good cop." He smoothed the soothing gel into Skinner's crease, stroking over his anus, he purred, "I'm going fuck you now. If you're a good boy, I'll consider letting you come." Krycek pushed a finger into him, twisting it around until he was massaging over Skinner's pleasure spot.
"Oooh."
"You like that, bear? Just think how much better my dick will feel."
"Y-You're both sadists."
Mulder chuckled as he walked across the room and started water filling into the Jacuzzi. The space was divided from the bedroom by a low glass block wall.
Skinner twisted around to see what Mulder was doing. He hadn't paid too much attention to where he was, being too focused on who he was with. He gazed at the old brick walls and high windows. The ceiling was painted tin with several ceiling fans hanging down from it.
"You have a bathtub in your bedroom."
Krycek inserted a second finger, scissoring them. "In our bedroom, Walter. Yours, Fox's, and mine. Fox wanted the space to be open. We still have a lot of work to do, but we thought you'd like it. You should see the patio up on the roof. We have an excellent view." Krycek inserted a third finger, twisting them.
Skinner moaned and buried his head in the pillow. He caught his breath and stared under his armpit at Krycek. "Where exactly are we?"
"Brooklyn. Raise your hips," Krycek said, removing his fingers and slapping Walter's sore ass.
"Auugh."
"Oops, sorry, bear."
"S'kay," Skinner sighed. "Brooklyn—New York?"
Krycek chuckled, "Yeah. We weren't particularly interested in staying in Washington D.C., but we really didn't want to leave the East Coast." He positioned his cock and shoved in.
Skinner groaned with pleasure at being filled and pushed back. "So good."
Krycek slowly thrust in and out, picking up his pace as Walter started moving his hips to get more of his cock inside him. Krycek was sure it was because of him that Walter had left them. Because he never really told Walter how he felt. After his ordeal with the smoker, Alex became terrified he'd drive Fox away, too. He had a hard time allowing Fox to touch him. He couldn't help his reaction at the time. It was only Fox's patience and love that helped them overcome those dark months. Alex still found it impossible to allow Fox to top him; he needed to be in control.
Mulder strolled over and leaned against the bedpost, watching the two men fuck. "Alex loves you, Walter. When he needed you the most, you weren't there. I was so pissed at you for deserting him—"
Skinner gasped and looked up tearfully at Mulder. "Fox, you had each other, I didn't think you needed or wanted me to be in the way."
Krycek smiled at Mulder, knowing his lover was purposely laying down the guilt trip on Skinner.
"We love you, Walter. If we didn't, we would never have stayed with you." Mulder looked lovingly at Krycek. "Do you feel how much Alex loves you, Walter?"
"Y-Yes. Oh God—" Skinner tugged on the handcuffs as Alex hit his prostate. "Let me come."
"Promise us you'll stay here with us," Krycek growled, stroking Walter's erection in time with his thrusts. He wanted Walter to know that he was loved.
"You really want me to?"
"Hell yes!" both men growled.
Krycek thrust in harder. "Dammit! We didn't go through the trouble of kidnapping you as a lark," he said, trying to drive home his point with each thrust.
"Okay, I'll stay. Just free my hands."
Mulder held up the handcuff key. "First promise me, you won't try to get revenge on me for spanking you?"
"I promise," Skinner said.
Mulder unlocked the cuffs at the same time Krycek snapped off the cockring. Skinner came with a roar. His anal muscles milked Krycek to release. The younger man collapsed briefly on his lover's broad back, then gently pulled out.
Skinner rolled over, groaning as his bottom touched the sheets. He pulled Krycek into his arms. "I'm sorry, Alex. How have you been?"
"Hmm, fine. Fox, was very patient with me. He'd make a halfway decent psychologist."
Mulder hit him in the head with a pillow. "Be nice, babe."
Skinner grabbed Mulder's wrist and pulled him down on the bed. Alex quickly slid off as Skinner straddled Mulder holding his wrists pinned down on the mattress. "You're going to pay for paddling me."
"Hey, you promised!"
"I had my fingers crossed." Skinner started, tickling him.
"No! Walter, don't! BWAHAHAHAHA— No tickle! Stop! HAHAHAHAHAHA—"
Skinner stopped tickling him and swooped down, devouring his mouth in a deep passion-filled kiss. Mulder sighed and wrapped his arms around Skinner's broad shoulders and looped a leg over the top of Skinner's shins as he sucked on the larger man's tongue. Skinner's stomach growled, interrupting them.
Mulder looked up at him questioningly. "When was the last time you ate solid food, instead of that liquid diet you've been on?"
"I had toast this morning—"
"Yesterday morning you mean...that's nearly twenty-four hours ago. Alex, why don't you and Walter share the Jacuzzi, while I whip us up something to eat."
"Fox, wouldn't it be better if Alex made us something. After all, he knows how to cook."
"Walter, while you were hiding out in your apartment feeling sorry for yourself. I was taking cooking classes," Mulder smirked, kissing him gently on the lips then climbing off the bed. He pulled on his robe then stepped into his slippers and headed for the staircase.
Skinner climbed out of bed and walked over to the balcony looking down. "Wow. How much did this place cost you, Guys?"
"Cost *us,* Walter. You're up for a third of the cost," Krycek said.
Skinner looked at him thoughtfully. "I do have couple hundred thousand in stocks and bonds, and my condo. I should see about selling it." He wandered over to the partitioned off bathroom and knelt down to test the water in the large Jacuzzi.
"I already listed it with an agent. Your furniture should be arriving this morning. It's costing us extra to have it moved Christmas Eve."
"You what?"
Krycek smirked at him and stepped into the tub. "Relax, Walter. We were prepared to hold you against your will, no matter how long it took. You just came to your senses sooner than we expected. As you can see, we're in need of some decent furniture. My lawn furniture is up on the roof. We've kept some of Fox's stuff including his leather couch, which is downstairs in his office."
Skinner climbed into the tub next to him, sinking up to his neck in the warm water with a contented sigh. "Alex, I—"
"Shh, just accept that we love you and want you as a full partner in our life."
"Does Fox really know how to cook?"
"Yeah, and he's even better than me. That eidetic memory really comes in handy. If our private investigation agency falls through we might open a restaurant." Krycek turned up the heater in the Jacuzzi.
They soaked for thirty minutes before Mulder entered the bathroom carrying a tray.
Skinner's mouth watered at the aroma. "God, that actually smells good. What did you make?"
"A frittata." Mulder knelt beside the tub and passed Walter a plate loaded with food.
"What's in it?" Skinner probed the egg dish with his fork before taking a bite as Mulder passed a plate to Alex. Then he set a glass of orange juice on the ledge next to each of them.
"Zucchinis, mushrooms, crab, and Parmesan cheese." Mulder shrugged off his robe and slipped in the water next to Walter.
"Mm, it's good. You really did learn how to cook."
"I still burn the occasional meal, but I'm getting better."
"Alex, did you tell Walter about our tenants?"
"I thought our goal was to convince him to stay, not to scare him off?" Alex took a bite out of a slice of melon.
"You have tenants?"
"Yeah. The building is five stories—"
"Don't tell me—you've rented part of it to those wacko conspiracy friends of yours." Skinner reached behind him for the glass of juice.
"The boys are good for the money...and they're relatively quiet," Mulder said. "Besides, they'll come in handy once we get our private investigation agency going."
"I'd like a full tour of the building, since I'm chipping in a third." Skinner wanted to take back a little control over the situation. He was overjoyed that Fox and Alex went to this length to make him part of their lives, but he didn't want to be beholden to them. He wanted to be a full partner.
Mulder nodded. "Keep in mind that it still needs a lot of work, but at least it's not haunted. I hired a medium to scan the premises. She went from the sub-basement up to the roof and gave us an all's clear."
"Well that's something," Skinner said.
They finished their meal and climbed out of the tub to dress. It was still a few hours before sunrise, but they were all exuberant at being together again.
Skinner looked at his clothes that were in the armoire and dresser.
"The movers are packing your suits. I just threw a few things into a bag that I'd thought you'd need," Krycek said.
"Thanks, Alex." Skinner pulled on a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a sweater, then slipped on a pair of well-worn sneakers.
"Shall we start the tour up here?" Mulder asked.
"Sure."
"It was once a garment factory at the turn of the century. The company outgrew its space, so the owners turned into a warehouse for storing fabrics and yarns. In the sixties some artists took it over. They lived here and did their artwork here. They moved on eventually. The building sat empty for the last nine years. We got it pretty cheap, since it was in need of repairs and updating," Krycek said.
"Updating?" Skinner questioned.
"We had the whole place rewired and we're in the process of replacing all of the plumbing."
Skinner whistled. "That's not cheap—"
"The gunmen helped us with the rewiring in exchange for their first two months rent. Frohike's pretty handy," Mulder said as he stopped by some rickety metal steps leading up to the roof. "We want to replace these steps eventually. Once the suns up, we'll show you the roof."
Skinner estimated that the loft space was at least eighty feet wide by forty feet wide. The opening overlooking the space below was at least eighty by eighty feet. "Guys, you did hire a professional builder to come in to remove the walls and floor didn't you? You know, you have to be careful about removing load bearing walls, the roof will cave in if you aren't careful."
"Don't worry, Walter, we hired a contractor to gut this space. Those columns were put in to replace the load bearing walls." Krycek pointed at several marble columns that went from the forth floor straight up to the ceiling. They were symmetrically spaced, working well with the design of the apartment.
"Those columns look more decorative than functional," Skinner said.
"Walter, they're quite capable of supporting the roof and then some. Wait 'til you see the view from the roof. You'll love it! We can even see the harbor."
Mulder added, "The neighborhood isn't the greatest, but we're walking distance from some nice restaurants and a park. Not to mention that we can take in a Broadway play anytime we feel like it."
Skinner wandered around the large space. He stopped at the railing looking down at the space below and smiled. "You have a Christmas tree up."
"Yep. Check out the ornaments."
Skinner squinted his eyes, narrowing in on one small ornament. "Hey, they're mine. You actually went back into that house to retrieve them?" Skinner asked, surprised. He had hired a company to bulldoze the old house down over the summer. He couldn't bring himself to take anything out of it. The last thing he wanted was some haunted piece of furniture. "Are you sure the ornaments are safe?"
Mulder chuckled. "Don't worry, Walter. They're not possessed."
"C'mon, lets go downstairs." They walked passed the freight elevator and took the curving staircase down.
Once downstairs, Skinner was amazed at the space. He checked out the two by four walls that they had up. The walls still needed sheet rock. "Extra bedrooms?" he asked.
"Yeah. We want to install another couple of bathrooms down here, too." Mulder led Skinner over to living room space off the dining room. There was masking tape on the wood floor in a large rectangle. "This is where the fireplace is going to go. It will separate the dining room from the living room."
Skinner walked over to look at the Christmas tree. It seemed dwarfed in the large cavernous space. "You don't have much furniture in this place do you?"
"We will when your stuff arrives later this morning," Mulder quipped.
Shaking his head in wonder, Skinner walked into the kitchen. They had professional restaurant style appliances. "I think I'm going to like it here," he said, grabbing a mug from the cupboard and pouring himself a freshly brewed mug of coffee, which Mulder had put on earlier. "Why don't you tell me about this business you're starting?"
Mulder and Krycek each grabbed a mug of coffee before sitting down with Skinner at the counter. Mulder was visibly excited.
"It's going to be a private investigation agency. We're specializing in missing person's cases. Consulting with the local law enforcement agencies for a fee and handling unsolved cases. It will allow us to investigate alien abductees on the side. With the gunmen's help I want to start a database tracking aliens movements on this planet. We'll also be able to obtain licenses for carrying concealed weapons," Mulder said.
Skinner started laughing. "Damn, I'm in! This will drive D.D. Kersh nuts. We'll be able to investigate cases that the bureau would never touch or ones they'd want to cover up."
Mulder smiled brightly. "I've already had a call from a detective out in San Francisco. He wants me to take a look at a year old missing person case. I'm heading out there the day after Christmas. The San Francisco PD is picking up my travel and accommodation expenses, plus our eight hundred-dollar a day fee. If we can build a name for ourselves we should be able to double or quadruple our fee."
"How do you see me fitting into this new venture?" Skinner asked.
"You have the legal background, Walter. We need you to keep us out of jail, deal with the clients, and assist on the investigations when you have time. We'll also need an office administrator to do the paper work and answer calls. You can see about hiring someone," Mulder answered.
"Sound right up my line. And I know just the person for the administrator job. We just need to work out a salary for her. We'll need to get her in right away, so she can set up the filing system and help organize the office," Skinner said, rubbing his hands together. He glanced over at Krycek who remained quietly sipping his coffee. "Alex?"
"Hmm? Oh, I'm the muscle. Fox stays clean, while I get down and dirty where needed. I'm also going to be doing most of the legwork on tracking the aliens and their movements."
Mulder nodded solemnly. "That the most important part of our agency. We need to get solid evidence of the existence of aliens and the threat they pose."
"We're not going to be able to survive on only eight hundred dollars a day. We may need to hire other investigators—"
"There's also the reward money, Walter. The missing person's case I'm going out on is offering a thirty thousand-dollar reward for the recovery of the missing person dead or alive, and the person or persons responsible for his disappearance. We're no longer public servants and we will be eligible to collect any reward." Mulder shrugged his shoulders. He didn't particularly like collecting rewards for what he saw as helping his fellow man, but they needed the money if they wanted to stay viable to pursue the real goal of the agency. It wasn't missing persons, but to fight and expose the alien threat to this planet.
"Good. Alex will be flying out to San Francisco with you on Saturday and, Mulder, I want a daily status report," Skinner stated.
"Yes, sir." Mulder gave him a slow lazy smile that went right to Skinner's groin.
"Oh God, this is going to be some partnership," Skinner sighed.
"Do you want to know the name of our agency?" Krycek asked.
Skinner stared at him, wondering if he really wanted to know. "What?"
"Grays Investigation Agency."
"As in little gray men?" Skinner asked, rolling his eyes and feeling right at home.
Mulder and Krycek chuckled. They lift their mugs, waiting for Skinner to lift his. "To us. Partners for life." They clicked their mugs together knowing that today they became more than just lovers and business partners. They became this planet's last chance.
***
The end.