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Title: Far From the Tree He had stared at the photograph for so long that the faces had blurred to unrecognizability. Like words repeated too many times aloud, the images had been stripped of their meaning. They were only four, smiling blobs of color, floating in front of a supernaturally clear New England morning. He closed his eyes and tried to regain focus. The phantom image of his family lingered in his mind- sweet Samantha, only four years old, adorable in her sailor collared swimsuit as she padded around the beach trying to keep up with her older brother. His mother, always so serene, sitting on the blanket just at the edge of the dunes, keeping a sharp eye on their every move. His father...? Fox forcefully pushed the creeping doubts from his mind and began to study the photograph once again. He poured over every grainy point of the surface, searching Bill Mulder's features desperately for the reassurance he so longed to find. "You're in early," Scully's voice jarred Mulder into consciousness. "What?" He said, still disoriented, still fighting back the doubts... "I said you're in awfully early for a Friday." "Late, actually. " He ran his hand through his rumpled hair, slowly emerging from his mental cocoon. "I came in to finish some paperwork and got....distracted I guess." "You?!?! Behind in paperwork?!?!" Scully baited him with mock surprise. Fox managed a slight grin," Actually, it's not my fault. My beloved ex-partner left behind a stack of unfinished business." "Alex Krycek?!?" " The same. " Mulder wearily reached toward the towering stock of manila folders and selected one. " They need somebody to sign off on them to close the files- guess who got elected," Mechanically, he signed the front page before reaching for another. "You aren't going to read them?" Mulder shrugged, " I skimmed the first few....Looks like he sent most of his time chasing down people who pulled the tags off their mattresses." Scully smiled and poured herself a cup of coffee before sitting down beside him. Idly she picked up a folder from the stack and flipped through the pages. A yellow post-it note with "Copy number from Rolodex" scrawled across it in Alex's pitiful handwriting fluttered to the ground. Scully bent down to retrieve it, but hesitated before reaffixing it. "Something wrong, Scully?" "I don't know," a frown crossed her face as she scanned the page, " This is a surveillance request for Dr. Harry Rickman." "That name mean something to you?" "The report cites suspicion of drug trafficking" "You have reason to doubt it?" "No...but....I don't know, Mulder. It just seems ...curious. I read about Dr. Rickman in Doctor Carne-Sayer's journals. He's a toxicologist who worked on smallpox vaccines." Mulder's interest was suddenly piqued. " So Krycek may have had a less than noble interest in keeping tabs on the good doctor." "Otherwise it's one hell of a coincidence." "Does it say anything else?" Scully hurriedly read through the remaining pages. " Only this. " The said, detaching another post-it note from the end, 'Call Casey Milk'- it doesn't look like Alex's handwriting though." Mulder took the note and examined it before nodding in agreement "Too legible". He hurried to his computer and began a search for Casey Milk. " Damn!" he exclaimed after a moment," No matches....Well, I guess we could always try to find the Rolodex." "Do you think he left it?" Mulder shrugged, " He did clear out of here in a hurry- I don't guess it would hurt anything to go up to the fourth floor and ask." "I still can't believe that Alex had an office on the fourth floor. " Scully said as they strolled through the bright, if featureless hallway. "Well, you know what they say, " Mulder replied with a wry grin, " Evil is it's own reward." "That's VIRTUE, Mulder. Virtue is its own reward." Mulder grunted an acknowledgment," Hmmm...well 'they' must be wrong then- virtue got me an office in the basement. " He stopped in front a doorway and knocked. "Come in. " The crossed the threshold " Uhh...can I help you" The lanky, fresh-faced agent looked at them expectantly. "I'm Agent Mulder" Fox said, without bothering to extend his hand, " This is Agent Scully. We called a few minutes ago." "Oh, sure. " The younger man's face relaxed into recognition. " Sure," he repeated" I was glad to get your call. " He walked to the corner and retrieved a large cardboard box. I was wondering when somebody would claim this junk- I trip over it all the time. When I first got this office my wife said-" "Thanks. " Mulder said curtly, cutting him off, " We'll call if we need anything. " They waited until they were once again in the safety of Mulder's office before opening the carton. If Mulder's experience with Alex had taught him anything, it was never to trust anyone, even his fellow agents. The top of the box was filled with knickknacks: a paperweight, Alex's Quantico Graduation certificate, a few framed photographs...Mulder shoved them out of the way and rummaged purposefully in the bottom of the box. "You never told me Alex was married" Scully said, removing one of the photos from the top of the pile . "He wasn't" " Really?" Scully held out two of the photos from Mulder to examine. One was of Alex with his arm around a beautiful, dark-haired woman. The other was of Alex, the woman, and a five or six year old boy. Mulder gave the photo only a moment's attention. " That has to be fake- slime like that would never be allowed to breed." Scully shrugged and dropped the subject momentarily. A few seconds later she tapped Mulder on the shoulder," Happy Birthday Daddy" she read aloud from a birthday card obviously handmade by a child. " He never told me he had a family." "Well, sit down so the shock doesn't kill you- but there are a lot of things Alex never told you." "Dammit!" Mulder exclaimed as he reached the bottom of the box empty-handed. " Nothing! Now what are we going to do?" Scully surveyed the contents of the box with a frown. Her expression changed as he sight rested on the photograph. She picked it up once more. "I wonder if Mrs. Krycek knew what Alex was up to." It took most of the day to locate an address. As they had feared, all of Alex's FBI paperwork led to the phony apartment that Mulder had found empty the day Alex left. Scully was nearly ready to concede to Mulder that she had been wrong- that the photograph and card had been fakes- when she hit the jackpot: Alex's insurance forms. "Katyana S. Krycek age 26 and Nicholas A. Krycek age ten/" She said triumphantly as she re-entered Mulder's office with copies of the forms. "Is there an address?" "2914 Cherry Blossom Court in Alexandria" "Phone number?" Scully shook her head in the affirmative. " I tried, but there was no answer....I got an answering machine, however. " She finished, deftly anticipating his next question " No mention of Alex." "Oh well, " Mulder said, " I don't guess we really expected him to be dumb enough to live there. Still, we should be able to drag it our of 'Katyana'" "If she knows." "What do you mean 'If she knows' , she's his wife." Scully rolled her eyes, " Mulder, practically the first thing women discover about men is that they are all liars." "All?" "All. " she said pointedly. Mulder chuckled , " The voice of experience, Scully?" She ignored the question and grabbed her coat and car keys. " Still, I do think Mrs. Krycek warrants a visit. Shall we?" "After you. " He didn't know exactly what he had expected to find, but Mulder was surprised when they arrived at 2914 Cherry Blossom Court. It looked so...normal : a modest Cape Cod with white vinyl siding, a pair of shady Maple trees, and cheerful flower beds edging a neatly trimmed lawn. They walked to the front door and knocked. No answer. Scully knocked again and then stood on her tiptoes to peer through the fan of glass in the top of the door. " Looks like nobody's home" she whispered to Mulder. "Are you looking for Katy?" Mulder and Scully both gasped and spun around. An old woman in a blue housedress and faded gardening gloves was standing at the foot of the porch. " She has to pick Nick up from school.He's been fighting again. " she frowned, her tone implying that she disapproved of the steps Mrs. Krycek was taking to deal with this tendency. " so she probably won't be home until four o'clock. " Mulder and Scully looked at their watches in unison : two fifteen- a long wait. Should they stay? As if on cue, a silver Saturn SL2 pulled into the driveway. Mulder was stunned by what stepped out. Again, he didn't know what he had expected. He'd seen a picture of her for crying out loud. Yet, in his mind, he had pictured someone rough, less polished, less...breathtaking. Breathtaking...that was the only word for Katyana Krycek. She wasn't as beautiful as some other women he'd seen, but she had an air of elegance that touched him the moment their eyes met. She was tall, on the slender side of average, but with ample curves and pale, almost translucent skin. Her eyes were wide bottle- green almonds framed by thick, smooth black hair that ended in an unexpected flip at her shoulders. Scully hated her instantly. Mulder was so struck by Katyana that he barely noticed the boy walking beside her. He was older than in the photograph- ten years old, was that what the paper had said? He was, without a doubt, Alex Krycek's son. Beneath his youthful skin, the same strong jaw and cheekbones were beginning to show through. His eyes were a paler green than his mothers, and his lips, beyond being shaped like Alex's, had the same defiant expression. Had he been crying? "May I help you with something?" Katyana got right to the point.She gave them only half her attention as she unlocked the door. " Are you Mrs. Alex Krycek? " Scully asked, adopting the same, strictly business tone. At the mention of Alex's name Katyana's slightly annoyed expression was dropped. Something that looked like fear replaced it. She hurriedly opened the door and shooed Nick inside. " Yes" she answered weakly. "I'm agent Dana Scully, and this is Agent Mulder" Scully offered her credentials for examination,"We'd like to ask you some questions about your husband." A shade of Katyana's impatience returned, " Can't it wait for a while?" She sent a look after Nick who had begun to climb the stairs" We're kind of in the middle of something here." "No," Scully said, just as forcefully as before, " I'm afraid it can't." The younger woman sighed and then held the door open wider. " In that case.." Her voice trailed off, but she motioned for the two agents to follow her into the house. She motioned for them to sit in chairs at the kitchen table. " Coffee? " she asked, before sitting down . "No thanks. " Scully took a notepad from the breast pocket of her jacket. "Mrs. Krycek?" "Katy" "Katy... " Scully began again, obviously no fan of the cutesy nickname, "I'm sure you know why we're here." "Vaguely... " She answered, her eyes betraying no hint of emotion,"You said it had something to do with Alex." "Where is he?" Scully asked bluntly. Katy seemed stunned by the question. She waited a moment before answering. "Well?" " I don't know what to say" she laughed,"....the FBI told me he was dead." "But you don't believe them ?" Mulder interjected, " Why?" " Why should I when they send agents out every month to ask me where he is?" She said a little defensively. She paused for a moment, and then continued in a softer, sadder voice, " I would know if he were gone. I'd just feel it somehow." " So you claim you are unaware of your husband's whereabouts?" She shook her head. " Mrs. Krycek, you are aware that lying to the FBI is a federal offense. " Scully snapped, clearly annoyed by their lack of progress. " Yes Agent Scully" the dark-haired woman answered tersely, her sadness erased by Scully's bullying. " Now if there's nothing else, I need to go talk to my son. " She rose from her chair and started to walk away. "Actually, " Mulder stopped her, " There is one more thing. Have you ever heard of Doctor Harry Rickman?" Something Mulder couldn't quite make out flashed behind her eyes. "No...I mean....yes. " she said at last, " I think I heard Alex mention that name a few times right before....right before he went away." "Do you remember what he said?" "No...I...I'm sorry, I...don't remember....he was trying to find him, I think. Why?" "I'm afraid that's a matter of FBI business. " Scully said tartly. Mulder stepped in, softening his voice to compensate for Scully's harshness," We are going to talk to him this afternoon. Any background you could give us on his dealings with Alex would be very helpful." " I'm afraid I just don't know anything....Alex didn't....he didn't talk to me about work." Mulder scrutinized her face, hunting for signs of deception. Instead, to his amazement, he found traces of tears barely contained from brimming over her lids. Mulder was stunned. It was hard enough for him to imagine Alex married- could someone actually love him? Scully prepared to press the issue, but Mulder cut in before she had the chance, suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to protect Katy from anymore painful memories. "Well, if you remember anything else, please give us a call. " He handed her a business card. Scully opened her mouth to protest but, thinking better of it, clamped it defiantly shut. Katy took the card and looked away as she dabbed at the rims of her eyes with the back of her index finger. "Thank you Agent Mulder. " She said, in a small, quite voice. " I will." They turned to leave. " Oh, one more thing. " Scully said pulling a crumpled bit of paper from her pocket. " Do you recognize this handwriting?" She spread the second post-it note on the table. "Yes. " The vestiges of a smile returned to Katy's face. " It's my writing." "Who is Casey Milk?" Scully demanded. "What?" Katy asked, confused. "We found this note inside Dr. Rickman's file." At last, the smile broke free. " It's nobody. I mean, Anita Casey was Nicky's teacher last year-but the second part was just to remind Alex to bring home some groceries!" ** "Me-ow!" Mulder teased Scully when they were back in the car, heading for the Oakview Nursing Home. "Just what is that supposed to mean?" Scully asked, defiantly. "You didn't seem to get along too well with Mrs. Krycek." "Oh, Come on, Mulder. The woman was a total fake. She was schmoozing up to you to avoid answering our questions." "What ever happened to 'all men are liars'? You're suddenly sure that she knows about Alex?" Scully rolled her eyes. " She didn't look like a heartbroken young widow to me. " The drive to Oakview wasn't far. The center was modern and inviting- more like a retirement village than a hospital. Dr. Rickman had a suite of rooms on the second floor. He looked surprised and not entirely pleased to learn that he had visitors. "Dr. Rickman?" Scully began in her most polite and professional voice," I'm special Agent Dana Scully and this is Agent Mulder. We'd-" "How did you find me?" Scully stopped, surprised and not to certain of how to continue. Mulder stepped in. "We located you in the FBI computer- it keeps track of hospital admittance's in the D.C. area. From your admit record for hip surgery last fall, we traced you here." Dr. Rickman's uneasiness seemed to build. " The FBI?" Scully offered her badge for inspection. " As I said, sir. We'd just like to ask you a few questions." "I have nothing to talk about." "Maybe you do," Mulder said, his voice a little softer than before, " Are you aware of an investigation of your practice being conducted by an Agent Alex Krycek?" "Alex Krycek- you mean Andre Krycek." Scully met Mulder's eyes with a questioning look . Another alias? Mulder continued in the same patient tone, " A young man- about six feet tall with brown hair and light green eyes?" The doctor shook his head vigorously,"No, that's not the man. Andre was a colleague of mine, well, it must have been twenty or thirty years ago. Its just a coincidence." Scully took over the questioning. " We think the investigation was connected to you work with Doctor Bonita Carne-Sayer." At the mention of the dead woman's name Doctor Rickman seemed to pale. " You don't know what your own man was investigating?" "Well.... "Mulder began uncertainly. "Agent Krycek is no longer associated with the FBI. " Scully offered for him. "We're trying to tie up his open files. " Well, at least it wasn't a lie..., " Now, about your association with Dr. Carne-Sayer-" "I'm afraid that work was classified. " he said quickly. "Dr. Rickman," Mulder's voice was beginning to show his impatience," As Federal Agents we have Top Secret Clearance for all government information." "This goes beyond Top Secret. It's-" Dr. Rickman paused, as if realizing that he had already said too much. " I can't help you." Mulder shoved a card toward the old man's hands. " Call us if you reconsider- it could help a lot of people....It could help you." Dr. Rickman sighed. " I may be beyond help. " he whispered cryptically," If you found me...they can't be far behind. " "Well that was another incredible waste of time. " Mulder griped as they returned to Scully's car. "Maybe not. Now we know he was connected with the Smallpox project." Mulder rolled his eyes and muttered something indiscriminate under his breath. "What did you say?" "I said 'Casey Milk'- this will probably turn out to be another Casey Milk- we get all worked up , track down leads, interview witnesses, and end up with somebody's grocery list." "Getting disillusioned with detective work, Mulder?" "It's a lot more glamorous on TV" As if to compensate for him late hours the week before, Mulder was uncharacteristically late on Monday. Scully had already been at her computer for an hour before he arrived. "Anything up?" he asked casually, not really expecting an answer. He took the morning mail from his "in" box and rifled through it quickly. "What's this?" he said , stopping at a largish yellow envelope near the end. He tore into it eagerly. There was no note. No marking of any kind. Nothing but a small silver disk. He almost ran to the computer. The twenty seconds it took to boot up the disk seemed like an eternity, and when it finally did.... " Dammit!" Mulder slammed his wrists against the desk. " The same code." Scully came to the computer. Nonsense words filled the screen- words she would have dismissed as gibberish if not for an earlier disk. "Apache?" " Looks the same. " Mulder removed the disk and placed it in his jacket pocket. "Where did it come from?" Mulder retrieved the envelope from the floor. He checked the postmark and frowned. " Oakview, Virginia. It was only mailed on Saturday." "It must be from Dr. Rickman... But why?" Mulder was halfway out the door before he answered. " I don't know, but he has some explaining to do." Mulder practically ran to the car. " We need to stop at my place before we go." "Forget something?" "No. I want to get rid of this," he tapped his pocket, " Before we go. I don't want to give Dr. Rickman a chance to reconsider before we find out what it says." Scully waited in the car while he went into his apartment. He returned quickly, and they were on their way. "Aren't you a little bit nervous leaving it at your house?" she asked. Mulder shook his head. " It's in a very good hiding place." "Do I get to know where this wonderful hiding place is?" Mulder smiled at her. "How do I know you're the real Scully?" He teased before continuing," Alright- its behind my Elvis Live in Las Vegas CD." Scully laughed. " You're right. No one but a masochist would look there. " Mulder knocked for several minutes on Dr. Rickman's door, but there was no reply. "Can I help you?" a nurse from an adjoining room, clearly annoyed by the racket, inquired in a glaringly false tone of concern. "We need to speak to Dr. Alan Rickman....is he in some other part of the building?" The nurses face changed, showing a more genuine interest. " I'm sorry sir. The doctor passed away this weekend." "He's dead?" Mulder cried, "How?" "I'm afraid he suffered a heart attack. " The nurse answered in a low, soothing voice. " He died peacefully, in his sleep." "Heart attack?!? He was murdered!!!" Mulder said, his voice growing louder and more agitated as this suspicion of foul play grew. Scully placed a soothing hand on his shoulder. " Ms....?" "Cranson." "Ms. Cranson," Scully decided to try a calmer, more professional approach," I'm FBI Agent Dana Scully and this is Fox Mulder. We're investigating a case which concerns Dr. Rickman. I know that this is inconvenient for you, but its very important that we be allowed to examine his body and personal effects." "Oh dear.....I'm afraid that won't be possible. " Nurse Cranson looked away ," His daughter came in Sunday morning and collected his things. Men came for his body from the crematorium today." "Do you have any way we can reach his daughter?" Scully pressed. Ms. Cranson looked helpless. "I don't know. He wasn't close with his family.....we didn't know he had any until today- no pictures or anything.....I can check, though." "Please do." The nurse skittered away and Scully turned toward Mulder. His face was stormy. " As if she's going to find anything. They killed him Scully." "It could just be a coincidence." "A coincidence? A coincidence that he mailed the disk to me hours before he died. He told us Friday that our visit had sealed his fate. Somebody followed us here Scully. He knew it. He-" The trill of Mulder's cell phone cut off his final sentence. " Hello?" he snapped into the phone. "Agent Mulder?" a feminine voice inquired. "Yes.Who is this?" he demanded. "I'm sorry," the voice hesitated, "This is Katy Krycek.....is this a bad time?" "Oh...no... " the hostility in his voice disappeared. " I'm sorry. I was....in the middle of something.....I can talk though" he added quickly, " Did you have something you wanted to tell me?" Katy Krycek he mouthed to Scully by way of explanation. "Yes...but.... " she hesitated again. " I'd rather not discuss it over the phone. Perhaps we could meet somewhere." "I'll pick you up at seven. " Mulder said quickly as he noticed Nurse Cranson returning. " We can go someplace....safe to talk." "Will Agent Scully be there too?" Say no, her voice seemed to beg. Mulder was surprised by the question. " She doesn't have to be. " Scully and the nurse were talking now, but he couldn't make out what they were saying and pay attention to Katy at the same time. " Seven o'clock then?" "Seven o'clock." Mulder turned off his cell phone just as Ms. Cranson was walking away. "I'm afraid your gut feeling was right. She couldn't find any record of Dr. Rickman's family. I got a description of the daughter, but without any leads I don't think its going to help much." Mulder nodded, as if it were no more than he suspected. "What was that phone call about?" "Well, we're making progress in one area at least. Katy Krycek has decided to talk. I meeting her tonight." "You're meeting her....I'm not invited?" "C'mon Scully, you were pretty short with her Friday. I just think she'd be more comfortable talking to me alone." "Oh, I don't think you'd mind making her a little more than just comfortable. " Scully said, annoyed, but not really hurt. " Just remember if you're tempted- you're taking seconds off your sworn enemy. " Mulder was met at Katy's door by a chubby teenager who eyed him with appreciation. "Mrs. Krycek, he's here. " she bellowed up the stairs. "I'll be down in a minute. " she called down the stairs. The younger girl indicated for him to remain in the foyer. Aimlessly, he wandered to a nearby table and began to examine a group of photographs displayed there. One was a copy of the family photo he had found among Alex's belongings. There was a wedding picture, Nick as a baby, vacation snapshots.....Mulder almost gasped. In a small, shell rimmed framed was a photo of the entire family on the beach. It was the same sky....the same water.....for an instant the faces blurred. "Sorry you had to wait." Katy's voice took Mulder by surprise. He spun around guiltily. " Oh...no problem, I was just...uh.... " he reached for words. "Looking at the pictures?" Katy finished for him. "Yeah. " He grabbed the one closest at hand- the wedding. " I was just thinking that flower wreaths are a good look for Alex." She took the photo from his hand and replaced it on the table. " Those are laurel leaves" she said . Was she amused? Exasperated?," We're Eastern Orthodox," she offered by way of explanation. She fussed with the arrangement on the table a moment before turning back around. For the first time, Mulder noticed how good she looked. She was wearing a sleek sleeveless black dress. The length was conservative, but the neckline was daringly low. Her breasts were cradled in triangles of sheer black netting (lined with a coquettish champagne colored silk) that tapered into a haltertop around her neck. My God, isn't she wearing a bra? Mulder thought as he admired the exposed skin of her back. He quickly reminded himself that this meeting was strictly business. "I've overdressed. " She said, noticing that he was staring at her," I'll change." "No!" he said quickly, embarrassed to be found out. " It's fine." "Amy, I'm leaving. " She called into the TV room. "My cell phone and the pediatrician's number are by the phone." "Mom!I don't need a baby-sitter!" Nick's angry but sleepy voice chimed in. "Goodnight Nick. " She said, ignoring his protests. She turned toward Mulder, " Shall we?" Mulder took her to a noisy restaurant in Chinatown. It was busy and dark- the perfect place to go unnoticed. They chitchatted for a while. Katy seemed to be settling into a level of comfort before sharing with Mulder the reason she called. He patiently answered her questions about work, and artfully dodged those about his family. "That's about all of me there is to know. " He said, cutting of another polite but somehow unsettling question about his past. "What about you?" "Not much to tell. " She seemed uncomfortable talking about herself. " I work at Georgetown University-I teach Russian classes- but really I'm getting a Ph.D. in linguistics." "A Ph.D., huh?" Mulder asked, impressed, "How'd a smart girl like you end up with a rat like Alex Krycek?" As he had feared, he face clouded over. " Alex....Alex isn't the kind of person the FBI says he is. " She said defensively. Yeah, right. Mulder thought. "He's....brave and honest...and loyal....." Not the three adjectives I would have picked. " Yeah, so loyal he dumped you and your kid for a quick buck. " He couldn't help but blurt out. Before the words were entirely out of his mouth, he regretted them. Katy made no reply. She simply grabbed her purse and stood up. " I'm sorry Agent Mulder. " She said after taking a moment to regain her calm. "I was mistaken. I don't think I have anything to say to you after all." "Katy!" He threw some money on the table and followed her into the D.C. night. He caught her wrist just as a cab she had hailed pulled up. "Jefferson Memorial. " He told the driver before she had a chance to protest. "Katy, I'm sorry." She ignored him. The drive was one of stony silence, but by the time they arrived he could tell by her expression that her anger was beginning to cool. "You just don't know Alex like I do. " She said, as they began a walk around the Tidal Basin. " No one does.... " her voice trailed off. "Tell me. " he said, more interested in soothing her than hearing about Alex. "I.... "she stopped, as if thinking better of it, but finally gave in: "I knew Alex all my life. We lived in the same neighborhood near M Street in D.C.-same church, same school- our fathers worked together. "We weren't really friends. Alex was in, well kind of a different crowd, I guess.We never really talked until that day...... " She turned toward Mulder. " I guess you know about Alex's parents?" "He said they were Cold War immigrants from Russia." "Well, that's part of it. " She lost herself in the memory once more. " My father was too. They were scientist- otherwise they never would have been allowed to come. They defected in the early sixties. My dad came a little after. He married an American woman- my mother- and settled here in D.C. "Everything was fine for a while. Alex and I were born. They got their citizenship. But....well, my mother and father....they never really had a happy marriage. I think it was the culture difference. Mom was always so impatient with him. She didn't like his work....she didn't like living in Little Russia.....anyway, she began to...well...think up stories. Somehow she started a story that he was spying for the Soviets." Was he? Mulder had learned better than to ask the question out loud. "And?" "Well, you know how it was. People started asking questions..they didn't really need a lot of evidence, only a strong suspicion. Dad's citizenship was revoked- the Kryceks' too- something about their project- they tried to hide but....I remember the night they came to arrest them...." "Arrest them?" "Well... " She reconsidered. " To collect them for deportation seemed like they were being arrested- only it was worse. The punishment for defecting was...a quick death if you were lucky. I was upstairs in my room. Mom locked me in. I was maybe....fifteen." Mulder could tell by her look that she knew exactly how old she had been- that no detail of that night would ever be erased. "I climbed out of my window. For some reason crises always make you want to act so noble. " she laughed sadly,"Anyway, I decided if I couldn't save Papa, I would save the Kryceks. I ran to their house... but it was too late. I found Alex- they were holding him until child services could come and get him." "For a fifteen year old?" "He was sixteen then- but they didn't have any other place to put him. His parents were the only family he had.....So...we decided to run away. " She paused and managed a brave smile," The good thing about old world parents-good for us on that night, anyway- was that the Kryceks didn't trust banks very much. They had maybe two thousand dollars in a popsicle box in their freezer. We took it and started off. "It seemed like an adventure at first. We weren't very careful with the money. We were concentrating on outsmarting the police- we were so sure every cop in the country was looking for us, " she grinned, "We figured they'd look for us in D.C. and New York, so we went West. We went to zoos, theme parks.....it was like vacation. I seemed like years, but I guess I was only about a week before our money ran out somewhere in Indianapolis." "Then what did you do?" She stopped by a park bench and stared out over the calm, black water. "We had just read Crime and Punishment in school- Have you ever read it?-and I have a very active imagination. Do you remember the older sister.....the one who has to become a prostitute to feed her starving family?" "I only read the Cliff Notes. " Mulder apologized, momentarily distracted as he pondered the likelihood of anyone's imagination being piqued by that horrible plodding book. "Anyhow, It was me in a crisis again. I decided it would be noble to sell my body on the street to save Alex and I from starvation. " She caught Mulder's amused smile. "You laugh now, but it made perfect sense at the time. The big problem was - I was a virgin. " A smile had now begun to show on her lips as well. The absurdity of teenage logic too amusing to deny- even in such desperate circumstances. I can see where this is going. "I thought prostitutes were supposed to....well...know how to do things. So, I convinced Alex to....uh....practice....." "I'm sure you had to twist his arm. " Mulder couldn't resist saying outloud.Adolescent boys being, after all, so disinterested in sex. "Not really. " she admitted with a grin. "So, how'd the life of crime go?" "It didn't. They caught us when we checked out of the hotel. We had secured the room on my mother's credit card." "Smart." She shrugged. "My mom came and got me. They sent Alex away somewhere in Texas....I didn't see him for years. He wrote me, but mom intercepted all the letters." "How long ago was this?" "Ten, maybe eleven years ago." "So Nick isn't Alex's son?" She smiled again. " Oh, yes -the legacy of our flight from justice...So....I'm making this story too long. Succinctly, Alex and I met up again four years later. He had been in the Army, and they sent him to D.C. to take some classes.He didn't even know that he had a son. He wanted to spend time with Nick, which meant he spent time with me, and so....we fell in love. I guess it was inevitable after what we went through together. No one else could ever understand what that does to a person." Mulder nodded eager to get on with it. The story had been- how to put it?- enlightening, but it was getting late. " What did you want to tell me Katy?" he asked at last. She bowed her head. " In the Army....Alex was selected for...special duties. I don't know the man's name, but he came to the house to talk to Alex a lot.....Alex was planted in the FBI. He went through the same channels as everybody else, but he was working for those men." "What was he doing for them?" "I don't know. He couldn't tell me... he seemed....well, afraid. " She bit her lip. " I saw him after he left." "Left?" "After he quit the FBI.....he was living out west somewhere. He didn't want me to think.....he said they were trying to kill him. That if they came to talk to me...to ask me question....the only person I could trust was you." Mulder was dumbstruck. "Me?" She nodded . "I'm afraid" she said in a small, pained voice that made Mulder want to pull her into his arms. After debating with himself for a moment he decided to level with her,"You should be. That man I asked you about, Dr.Rickman? He's dead. We went to talk to him after we left your house - someone must have followed us." The fear in Katy's eyes grew. "You think Nick and I are in danger?" "I depends on how much they think you know.....You don't know anything else do you ,Katy? Keeping Alex's secrets....they aren't worth dying for." She shook her head vigorously. " No! Nothing else. "She looked as if she were about to cry," Please, take me home." Scully beat Mulder to the office again the next day. When he arrived, she was beginning to unload the contents of a large cardboard box. "More of Alex's stuff." "No- better than that. The municipal police found it abandoned on a park bench in the mall yesterday- some tourists tipped them off." "And it is of interest to us because...." "They tracked the owner down from the inscription in the address book- Dr. Alan Rickman." Mulder moved closer to the table where she was standing. "Any journals? Computer disks?" "No- although I can't say I expected to find any. Whoever went through this stuff knew about the disk. That's what they're after. " As if to prove her point, she retrieved a can of Colgate Shaving Cream from the pile. She unscrewed the end and revealed a cache of $100 bills. "So, we're back to square one." "Not exactly. These photographs and letters might give us a lead on where to look next. " She gathered a pile of papers from the stack and handed them to Mulder. They sifted through them noiselessly for more than an hour. "Mulder, look at this. " Scully said, holding out a picture for him to examine. The paper had begun to yellow and curl at the edges, but the faces of the subjects were still clearly defined. It was a group of eight men (one of them a younger Rickman), standing in lab coats, arranged as if standing for a yearbook snapshot. Mulder put on his glasses and examined it more closely. " Oh my god Scully. " He said in a tone of disbelief. " That man standing next to Dr. Rickman- he was the man Alex was joking with at the Gulag in Tunguska." "Mulder, are you sure?" "Positive Scully. " He flipped the picture over and scanned for an inscription. "Damn. We have to find out who these me are. "Let me see. " She held it up to the light. " Are those ID badges?" she pointed to a grainy line just above their shirtpockets. "I don't know. Let's go have it checked out!" He hurried off down the hall, and Scully followed him to the crime lab. Ellen Collier, a slight, middle-aged woman was working in digital imaging. Scully was unusually quiet. The memories of Agent Pendrell were still so fresh- it was hard for her to come here and find someone else. Though not as personable as Pendrell, Agent Collier proved just as effective. After only a few minutes she had the picture enlarged on her computer monitor. The magnification had reduced the writing to mere blobs. "Can you make anything out?", Mulder asked impatiently. "Not yet. " She tweaked the image again. " I think this is going to take a while. Why don't you let me call you in your office when I have it finished." Mulder would clearly rather have stayed, but Scully marshaled him out into the hallway. " I won't do us any good peering over her shoulder. Maybe we can find something else in Dr. Rickman's belongings." Reluctantly , Mulder returned with her to the office. They had only been working for a few minutes when the phone rang. "Agent Mulder?" It was Agent Collier. "I worked the image out. It was a name all right: Sergei Arntzen" Scully gasped. "Arntzen! That's the alias Krycek was using!" Mulder hurriedly typed the name onto his computer.Miraculously, it came back with a match. "Sergei Arntzen. "He read off the screen. " Naturalized US citizen, originating from Russia.....pathologist....assigned to the Argonaut Project.What's that?" He typed in a query, but this one came up fruitless. He punched in a command for the file to print. Mulder grabbed his coat and keys. "Look over this Scully. " he said , tossing the printout her way, " I need to hit up some friends for some information." The offices of the Lone Gunmen always looked the same- a cheerful jumble of papers, computer wires and empty pizza boxes. There was something comforting about the mess, as if it were a burrow against the evils of the outside world. As he expected, Mulder found all three "gunmen" huddled around another amazing discovery. They may not have been the brightest people Mulder knew, but they were among the most helpful and genuine- qualities Mulder had come to prize. "Mulder. I'm so glad you're here!" . Langly rose from his chair and started toward Mulder with a stack of paper. "Look what Frohike just downloaded off the Internet!" Mulder took the pages and perused them for a moment. " Looks like a stack of rocks to me." "That's what They want you to believe. " Frohike called from his perch near the computer. "Photographs from the Mars Rover mission" Langly explained. The parenthesis motion he made with his hands underlined his disbelief. "Now, " Byers said, taking the paper from Mulder's hands and holding it under a pair of cheap cardboard 3-D glasses. " Do you see it?" "See what?" Mulder asked, gamely taking a look. "It's a mining camp." "That 'mission crisis' just after the rover landed?" Frohike chimed in. " Planned. It gave NASA time to unload." "Unload what?" Langly took a breath in preparation for his explanation, but Mulder cut him off. "This is very interesting, but I came for some help." "Always glad to be of service" Byers said, setting down the picture. "I need any information you can find on Sergei Arntzen- a Russian pathologist working around D.C. in the late 60's." "Specter?"Langley asked no one in particular. "No, Charring Cross. "Byers corrected. "You're both wrong" Frohike said, reaching under a stack of newspapers and magically pulling out just the file he was looking for. " Sergei Arntzen worked on the Argonaut project. He flipped open the folder to reveal the same group shot Scully had found among Rickman's things. "The Argonaut project?" Byers took over. " The Argonaut project was part of the Pentagons secret reasearch into developing the perfect soldier. The main thrust of inquiry at the time was overcoming biological weapons. The Argonaut project was primarily concerned with resistance to communicable diseases. However, branches in the research covered every imaginable ill: poison ivy, sleeplessness, the common cold...." "They've had a cure for the common cold since 1972. " Frohike interjected. "...All in the name of building a better soldier." "Do you have any more information about this 'Arntzen'?" Mulder pressed. "Sure," Frohike offered him the file. " The personnel records are all here....What do you want to know?" Mulder took the file and perused it. Near the end he did a double take as he read something so shocking.... "Mind if I take this with me?" "Actually, we'd rather-" "Thanks!" He rushed out before they could stop him. Mulder pulled up in front of Katy Krycek's house just as she was coming home from work. He grabbed her arm as she reached for the door. "Just one minute Katy ARNTZEN. " He spat. She spun around to face him, her eyes betraying equal parts fear and defiance. "What do you want from me Agent Mulder?" "Want? The truth at long last!!!" He shoved the file into her face. "Did this just slip your mind?!?" "You asked me about Alex- not my father!" She lowered her eyes and waited for his response. What could he say? It was true, of course, she hadn't actually lied.... "Your father really was a spy." "What if he was?" She said furiously," Why do I have to live my whole life under his shadow. " Her face screwed up in concentration as she fought the tears that seemed forever on the brink of falling. This time, they broke through." I didn't want you to know because... " her voice trailed off. "Something about you....I wanted you to...to....just think good things about me. So many people....judge you for it. Even though it isn't your fault. I thought the guilt would kill me sometimes" She looked at Mulder with her wide, unspeakably beautiful eyes. "And now poor Nick has to face it too. Sometimes I hate Alex for it...for getting him involved in something like this... They treat him like some sort of bad seed at school. He's always fighting- He's just so angry. I try to punish him, but its hard...hard, because I know how he feels." She had been speaking more to herself than Agent Mulder, but directed her next words to him. " You don't think that just because your father is evil....it makes you evil too?" "No. " No, I don't.....Oh, Katy, I know exactly what you mean......He could feel himself connecting with her in a way he had never experienced. If only he could tell her why.....The longing to hold her came to him again and , distracted by his private demons, he allowed himself to act. She looked surprised, but not unpleasantly so. "We'd better go inside . " She said quietly. " We're giving my neighbor a show." She unlocked the door and slid inside. "Nick! I'm home!" She called into the strangely dark house. No answer. "Nick?" Mulder was momentarily forgotten. Katy ran up the stairs. "Nicky, where are you?" Sensing her concern, Mulder wandered through the first floor. Nothing. "Nick!" Katy's voice sounded more and more desperate as she came back downstairs. "Maybe he's still at school?" Mulder tried to reassure her. "No!" She was frantic now," I talked to him before I left work. He was here. He said he was watching TV" She ran out onto the front porch. "Nick!!!" "They already picked him up dear. " Her nosy neighbor called from across the street. "They?" "Those men from the FBI. They said you were expecting them." Katy looked at Mulder, but he could only shrug. The look of terror and dread that crossed her face was wrenching. "I'll call. " He said softly. "Just try to stay calm. " He dialed Scully to ask if the Bureau had sent anyone over. He already knew the answer: Just like Samantha, Nick was gone- spirited away to atone for his father's sins. Scully came as soon as she got the call. Her dislike of Mrs., Krycek was temporarily put aside. She tried to calm her as they waited for the FBI Kidnapping unit to set up. Of course, Mulder had decried it all as a waste of time, but at least it felt like they were doing something. Scully was prepared to stay at the house, but Mulder insisted it should be him. She didn't like it, but she understood. She didn't have to ask why Mulder was so interested in Nick Krycek being found. Just like Samantha.....she could practically hear the thought repeating in his brain. Mulder returned to his apartment to collect his clothes and some toiletry items for his stay. He was surprised that Scully hadn't put up more of a fight. To tell the truth, he would have been a little relieved to let her take his place. He and Katy had gotten so...close. He couldn't let something happen between them. Not now. He was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't notice the door to his apartment standing ajar until he had already begun to turn the knob. Instinctively, he drew his gun and eased slowly around the door. Smoke. Small elegant curls drifting up from a dark figure facing away from the door. "What in the hell are you doing here?" He spat, without loosening his grip on the pistol. " I'm here on a mission of mercy. " The figure replied, perfectly composed. "I'm here to save you from making a very big mistake." " I don't want your help." The man took another drag on his cigarette. " Nevertheless, you need it. Getting quite cozy with the wife of our dear friend Krycek, aren't we?" He was baiting Mulder. He didn't really want an answer. "What did you do with Nick?" "Nick?" He casually blew a puff of smoke toward the ceiling. " Oh, yes. The little boy....Nothing, I assure you." Mulder charged toward him. " You liar. " He held the gun up to the intruder's head.Now what? He thought. He had tried to kill him once, but he couldn't. Could he now? "You lying son of a bitch!" The man casually brushed the pistol away. " Katy Krycek has drawn you into a very dangerous game, Agent Mulder. If you knew what was good for you, you would give the computer disk to me now." "Disk, what disk?" Mulder feigned innocence. The man smiled darkly. " Very well, if that is how you wish to play.... " The man stood up from his seat. " I know you don't approve of my... "work", but it is necessary. If those files were released, the results could be disastrous for many innocent people." "Disastrous for you- because you and the men you work for would be exposed." "Disastrous for everyone...the Cold War isn't over Agent Mulder, consorting with spies..." "Katy's father was a spy- not her." "It's been my experience that the apple never falls far from the tree." Mulder was furious now. Why couldn't he pull the trigger? "I'm reminded of some very good advice, Agent Mulder" the man was heading toward the door. " Advice which has, I believe, saved your life many times. He flipped his cigarette butt onto the wooden floor and ground it beneath his feet. "Trust no one. The Kryceks are good- they fooled even me- but its the people closest to you are always the first to betray. " And with that, he left. Mulder was still standing in the darkness holding his gun at an empty chair. He inhaled deeply. Had he forgotten to breath. He knew the man couldn't be trusted....but he had raised doubts. Could Katy be lying? Scully had accused her of "schmoozing up to him", but it hadn't really been that way. She had fought him.He remembered her tear-stained face- so desperate and afraid. It had to be genuine, and why wouldn't it be? Nick was gone. How could the cigarette smoking man explain that? No, Katy was a victim: first of her father and then of her faithless husband. If she had enemies in the Consortium, she was in danger. He headed back to his car without gathering any clothes. The enemy had found its way into Katy's home before. She wasn't safe there. She would have to stay with him.
Mulder had never been embarrassed about having anyone over to his apartment before. The small, cluttered bachelor digs suited him perfectly. Suddenly they seemed shabby. Katyana was like an elegant doll misplaced in some messy closet. He should have taken her to Scully's. She would have been just as safe there. He didn't even have a bed for her to sleep on! Still, it was too late now. He laid sheets and a blanket on the sofa and ordered her to try to rest. She looked so pale. She had hardly spoken since the police had arrived. When Mulder told her to come with him, she had merely nodded, never questioning his rationale. She seemed...broken somehow. First her father, then Alex, and now Nick...she had lost everyone she loved. He turned out the lights and settled down onto the floor next to her. He could hear her muffled crying. It was breaking his heart. She was so young, so innocent... He knew he would probably regret it, but he stood up and walked to the couch. Wordlessly, he laid next to her and enveloped her in his arms.He held her for hours, stroking her silky hair away from her tear-streaked eyes until at last, deep in the night, she had drifted to sleep. He awoke the next morning with a start, disoriented by the stranger who slumbered in his arms. Slowly, his memories returned, and he planted a soft kiss on her temple. He pushed away from her slowly, so as not to wake her. She would need her rest. She was still sleeping when he emerged from his shower, and he decided to leave her alone. He left a note telling her he would be home at five o'clock, and headed off for work. Scully was in a very foul humor. She glared at him as he walked through the door. "So, no news about Nick Krycek?" He shook his head. "Not that you'd know, since you didn't spend the night at Katy Krycek's house. I thought it would be nice of me to stop by there on my way to work." Oh, was that what this was about?... "So, how was Katy?" it seemed like a polite conversation, but Mulder could feel the double-entendre lurking there. He and Scully had such a weird relationship. They were never going to get together, but she was so protective of him. In all fairness, he had to admit that he was pretty protective of her too. "Fine. I finally got her to sleep. " He decided to tell Scully about his meeting with the Cigarette Smoking Man. Her concern mirrored his own. "Do you think its true?" She asked when he finished. "No, Scully. I don't . He's never cared about anyone but himself. Why should he start know?" But he has helped me before....the tiny voice of doubt chimed in. "Still, do you think its safe leaving her alone with the disk?" Mulder hadn't considered that problem before. How much did he trust her? "I don't think it will be a problem. " He voice sounded surer than he felt. He tried to get some work done, but he was distracted. He oscillated between utter contempt for the idea of suspecting Katy and a paralyzing nervousness that he had been fooled. He called the apartment several times, but there was never any answer. Was she gone? Or merely respecting his privacy? Finally, the uncertainty became overwhelming. "I'm going to call it a day," he told Scully around three o'clock. She nodded, as if she were surprised that he had lasted this long. He hurried home. Katy was still there, he could hear her moving around as he stood in front of the door. He flung it open. Boxes and papers were everywhere. "What the hell are you doing?!?!" he bellowed. Katy jumped and spun around. "Mulder!" Katy gasped. "You heard me, what are you doing?" Her lower lip began to shake. " I was just cleaning up for you.....I thought it would be nice....I always clean when I get upset. " He examined her closely, the bottle of Tilex and washrag she held in her hands attested to her honesty. He stepped into the apartment. In the kitchen the dishes had been neatly cleaned and stacked. The linoleum gleamed. That floor was actually white?!? She looked deeply into his eyes. She was trembling, but refused to cry. "I didn't touch your stuff. I just moved some stacks so that I could clean around them." Again, them evidence corroborated her story. She had been working all day to do something nice.....and this was how he repaid her. He had let his suspicions overwhelm his judgment. Mulder felt like an ass. "I'm sorry Katy.... "he began lamely," I'm just...sorry. I don't know what else to say." "That's alright. " She looked down. "I should have asked first." He thought that changing the subject would be a good thing. " What do you want for dinner?" he asked. "Are you cooking?" The thought had never occurred to him. It might be a nice way to repay her for the scene he had caused. " Sure, why not?" He rummaged through the cabinets. "Looks like we're having Macaroni and cheese and fish sticks. " he said, a little forlornly as he surveyed he supplies. "That's okay. " What did she expect from such a hard-core bachelor, anyway? Katy put away the cleaning supplies. She seemed to have recovered from the shock Mulder had given her, but he could sense that she was agitated about something. "Why don't you put on some music?" he suggested, thinking some background noise would further soothe her. "I think I'll change first." "You look fine." "Mulder! These are my cleaning clothes!" She disappeared into the bathroom. He heard the water come on. It was hard to concentrate. She was so close- naked and wet, rubbing rose scented soap onto her creamy white skin.....Mulder shook his head. He busied himself with putting the dishes away. Any other time he would have left them alone, but he had to do something, ANYTHING to get Katy Krycek off his mind. "Come and dance with me Mulder. " Katy's voice surprised him. Had he really been that distracted. He turned toward her. She had changed into a short, gauzy sundress than skimmed closely over her breasts and hips. The look of worry in her eyes had evaporated. She took his wrist and led him into the living room. Strains of "Love Me Tender" floated through the darkened room. "I'm really not much of a dancer." "You don't really have to dance. " She said, laying her head against his shoulder.She swayed gently in tune with the music. "Katy." "Shhhh...... " She laid her finger against his lips. " I don't want to talk......or even think... " she added sadly, " Just.......just feel. " She slid her finger over his chin, down his neck and over his stomach. His muscles clenched in response- longing toward her touch. Prudence be damned. He couldn't resist her any longer. Mulder lifted her chin toward his lips and gathered her into a deep, probing kiss. It felt so good. It felt- What was it she had said about she and Alex?- inevitable. No one else could ever understand what he faced. No one but Katy. She had felt the same loss, the same betrayal, the same pain. He made love to her- Scully's reminder and the intruder's warning forgotten. He lost himself in the luxury of her body. She was so warm and responsive. It was as if she had been waiting for him to come to her, as if all their lives they had been made for each other and only just met. He could come to love her. The realization was shocking. He never expected to love anyone, never wanted to open himself to the pain and loss that always seemed to follow. He wanted to tell her. "Katy...." "Shhh.... "She silenced him again, this time with a kiss. "Don't talk. " She reminded him. She arose from the couch gloriously unconscious of her naked body. She went to the refrigerator and returned with a bottle of wine. She poured a glass and held it too her lips before offering it to Mulder. He accepted it from her, and she rejoined him on the sofa, sitting behind him running her finger lightly in little patterns across his back. Mulder drank the wine and then leaned back against her chest. Her skin felt so soft against his. The massage of her fingers were so ......He drifted into a deep sleep. It was morning. Mulder glanced at the clock. 6:30. The alarm must have woken him up. He didn't ever remember sleeping so soundly. "Katy?" there was no response. "Katy?" a little more insistent. She couldn't have!!!! He ran to his CD rack and opened the appropriate case. It was still there! The relief was incredible. "Katy?" he called a third time, still concerned about her disappearance. He stood up from the couch and nearly tripped over a white paper bag on the floor beside him. He picked it up. Two strawberry iced donuts were inside. A note was taped across the front: I'm sorry to leave like this, but I need some time to think... some time to figure out what I'm going to do next. I can't give up on Nick.....Anyway, I don't know how to explain it. I'll be back as soon as I can,
"So, do you want to hand off your baby-sitting duties tonight?" Scully asked later that day. "No." "Getting cozy?" "No....its....she isn't here any more." "Isn't here!" Scully was alarmed. "What do you mean?!?!" "I mean....she just needed some time alone." "Where did she go?" "I don't know." "Did she say when she was going to be back?" "No." "Mulder-" Scully's voice was strained. " Doesn't that bother you?" "She checked out, Scully. " he took the disk out of his pocket and placed it on the desk. " I never should have doubted her." "That's not what I meant." Did she know? How could she have sensed what he was afraid to admit to himself? He examined her face: calm, controlled. How did she feel? What would she do if she knew? "Yeah, Scully. I'm fine. " He wanted to tell her more- how he had finally begun to trust, how secure he felt in Katy's arms- but he couldn't bear to hurt her that way. It was a sort of pact between them: if it wasn't spoken, it didn't really happen. What would he do when Katy returned? He imagined himself in a sunny future he had never considered before: On the same stretch of northern beach. Dark-haired children splashing in the waves and Katy's voice reminding them not to swim out too far- A family again. And Scully.....? Where was Scully? A kind old aunt who sent great birthday presents? A name on a Christmas card list? He couldn't relegate her to that. He didn't want things to ever change...but they would have too. He sighed and returned to his work. He could worry about that tomorrow- and enjoy today.
The St.Petersburg airport was crowded, but Katyana Krycek spotted her objective immediately after clearing customs. "Mama!" Nick cried as he ran to meet her. " I missed you so much!" She threw her arms around him, relieved to see him again. " I missed you too!" She reached into her carry-on and extracted a plastic box filled with baseball cards. " You forgot these." "Thank you mama. " Nick opened the lid and began sorting through the cards. Katy felt an arm go around her waist. She stiffened slightly. "Did you bring me a present to?" The warm masculine voice relaxed her immediately. "Yes. " She replied.She reached into her bag again and extracted her powder compact. " I had to work really hard to get this. You owe me." The man laughed. "I'm sure I can think of some way to make it up to you. " he said coyly. She met his eyes with a secret smile, before opening the compact to reveal a shiny, silver disk. "How long until he realizes you have it?" "Maybe he'll never know. At least not for sure. I replaced it with a decoy." "He'll know as soon as he runs it." Katy shrugged nonchalantly. " I put some mumbo jumbo on there. It'll be weeks of decoding before he realizes he has book of Revelations in Navajo." " ...And another week before he gives up trying to piece together some government conspiracy from the biblical symbolism. " He chuckled. " Katy, you're brilliant." "I know." Alex Krycek gathered his wife into his arms and kissed her. "Now, let's get home. " he cast a self-conscious glance toward Nick. " I believe I have some making up to do. TO BE CONTINUED...
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