TITLE: Final Truths 
AUTHOR: 'Lexy Torell & Psi Fi' 
EMAIL ADDRESS: lexytorell@qwest.net
ARCHIVE: Please! Just let me know where! :-) 
RATING: PG 
CATEGORY: TR 
DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, these characters don't 
belong to me. Although, it would be nice if they 
did, cause then we would be very rich women, instead 
of having to write all these stories for free! They 
belong to Chris Carter and 1013 Production.
KEYWORDS (CONTENT WARNING): Krycek/Other
SPOILER WARNING: Entire Mytharc and Samantha 
Storyline up through Millenium

SUMMARY: A mysterious woman appears in Fox Mulder's 
life and he investigates to find out who she is.
 
FEEDBACK: lexytorell@qwest.net and 
strytlr1572@aol.com PLEASE!! This is our VERY first 
joint attempt at fan fiction. So please be 
gentle! Any constructive criticism or any other 
pointers you can give would be GREATLY appreciated! 
I really hope you like it!)
 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Andrea Spender sat in a chair in front of her Father's
desk, waiting to hear the assignment. The old man was
cool as always, taking long, steady drags off the
cigarette hanging from his lips.
 
"Alex, Andrea...I have a new assignment for you
concerning Agent Mulder."
 
Alex Krycek's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly and
only the very observant or someone who knew him would
notice the tension that was suddenly vibrating through
him.
 
"Mulder? What about him?"
 
"Do we finally get to take care of him?" The young
woman offered with cool enthusiasm. "He's been
causing enough problems lately."
 
The smoking man, called Cancerman by many of his more
sarcastic enemies, took another long drag off the
implement of his many nicknames. Krycek shook his
head warningly.
 
"I'm through committing murders for you..."
 
"Not murder. I told you before we can't risk that.
We've decided that Mulder should be put away somewhere
quiet...for his own good, of course."
 
Andrea Spender spared Krycek a brief glance, wondering
why she was being paired with him if he couldn't work
for the greater good of the cause. She had heard
rumors and warnings about this particular agent and
she had strong doubts about his loyalty, especially
given the lack of respect he showed her father...a
great man who had dedicated his life to their
important work. She resolved to study Krycek, so she
could report any treachery.
 
"Mulder is quite obsessive," the smoking man puffed. 
 
"With the right prodding his behavior should
deteriorate. If that were to happen, I'm sure even 
Skinner and Agent Scully would admit the need for 
Agent Mulder to receive some...professional help."
 
Andrea grinned slightly, catching on, but Krycek
smiled wryly.
 
"You tried that already...he only drinks bottled water
now."
 
Andrea shot him a hard glance, but answered as if he
hadn't commented.
 
"I see. I'm sure that wouldn't be too difficult. A
nice padded cell with a white jacket...that would suit
him nicely."
 
"Your objection is noted, Alex. I'm sure you and
Andrea will find something more...creative this time."
 
"It shouldn't be too difficult, I'm sure," Andrea
repeated, glancing over at Krycek, who reluctantly
nodded.
 
"Good. I look forward to hearing of your progress."
the smoker exhaled smugly, stamping out his cigarette.
 
Krycek nodded once, a barely respectful curving of his
neck, then left. Andrea stood and glanced at her
father.
 
"We won't let you down. I can promise you that."
 
"I'm sure you won't. And I'm sure you will exercise
due caution in your dealings with Mulder AND Krycek."
 
Andrea smiled confidently.
 
"You needn't worry about that. I will take care of
both as needed."
 
Cancerman nodded and waved a dismissal. Andrea
hurried out and moved to catch up with Krycek. He
turned to see who was behind him, suspecting it was
her, but ready all the same.
 
"Well, well...when can you be ready to go to DC, Ms.
Spender?"
 
"My bags were already sent ahead, Mr. Krycek. So, I
suppose I am ready when you are."
 
"Good. I have tickets waiting...do you have a cell
phone?"
 
Andrea raised an eyebrow, as if to suggest the
question was a stupid one.
 
"Of course. As well as a satellite link. I suppose
we should exchange numbers?" she offered.
 
"We really should. No point letting Mulder and Scully
have any unnecessary advantages over us."
 
He handed her a business card. Pressing her lips in
disdain, she handed him one of hers as well. **Did
even hired thugs have cards these days?** Andrea
thought to herself.
 
"Are you ready?"
 
"Yeah."
 
Andrea moved out the door to the waiting car. Krycek
followed and sat next to her in the back.
 
"I should warn you, Ms. Spender, not to underestimate
Mulder. He's very clever...intuitive and
unpredictable. Have you any ideas on how you want to
complete this assignment?"
 
Andrea smiled.
 
"I'm planning on using his own psychoses against him."
 
Krycek smiled back, amused.
 
"Yeah? Which ones? There's a lot to choose from."
 
"Oh, perhaps a few well-planted problems from his
past. I'm still working on the specifics. Do you
have any particular ideas? You seem to be buddies
with him."
 
Krycek blinked; sure he had misheard.
 
"Excuse me?"
 
Andrea raised her eyebrow, appraising the man's
reaction.
 
"You heard me, Mr. Krycek. You think I don't keep
track of those I have to work with?"
 
Krycek laughed in a low, husky chuckle.
 
"Mulder and I are enemies, Miss Spender. I respect
him as an adversary, but there is no love lost between
us. As for ideas...well, he's used to the demons of
his past. We might need to create some new ones."
 
She chuckled slightly.
 
"Such as? There isn't much he hasn't seen."
 
Krycek nodded.
 
"He's had everything taken from him at some
point...his work, his parents, Scully, Skinner. Don't
think this will be easy. For all his demons, Mulder is
pretty fearless."
 
"I was thinking of playing on his emotions a little, Mr.
Krycek. Perhaps cause him to fall for someone and
then just as quickly take them away from him," she
suggested, looking over at him.
 
"Someone, Miss Spender?"
 
"I was thinking of myself. It'll be easier to know
what is going on that way."
 
Krycek carefully hid his look of disgusted concern and
laughed, slightly.
 
"I don't know, Miss Spender. I don't think that's a
good idea. It'd take too much time for you to win his
trust. Plus, he's in love with Scully. I mean, the
guy doesn't exactly date, y'know?"
 
"So, now suddenly, you're the all-knowing expert on
him? I personally don't believe you have a say in
this matter."
 
Krycek's green eyes went very cool.
 
"I know him better than anyone else in the Consortium.
I worked with him and I've watched him for years. I
have a very large say in things, Ms. Spender. If
appropriate, you will take orders from me."
 
Andrea Spender's eyes went hard.
 
"Excuse me?" she questioned frostily.
 
Krycek smiled softly.
 
"This is an equal partnership, Miss Spender," he
husked in a low voice. The almost whisper lent a mild
malice to his tone.
 
"Sort of like marriage?" she replied sarcastically.
"I fear you overestimate you position in the chain of
command, Mr. Krycek."
 
Andrea eyed him slowly, noting the unpolished boots,
faded jeans, and battered leather jacket, letting her
eyes scrape over him in judgment. She knew her own
attire was impeccable. Her suit was a fine blue silk,
from one of the best tailors in Paris. She smoothed
her skirt, trying to draw attention to the unwrinkled,
rich material. She settled back smugly, certain she
had made her point. Krycek's face went blank, hiding
his anger.
 
"No, Miss Spender. I'm VERY aware of my position. I
worked quite hard for it; believe me. And if you're
going to underestimate people this badly, Mulder and
Scully will fillet you for lunch. Mulder has a knack
for getting at people's true feelings and motives."
 
She glared, offended and furious that he had not only
dared to talk back to her, but that he was questioning
her abilities!
 
"Excuse me?"
 
Krycek smiled coolly, leaning back with at least the
appearance of calm. He raised both eyebrows, a
questioning and assessing look in his cool, jade eyes.
 
"How do you see me, Miss Spender? Why do you think
I'm here? You'd better be a sharp judge of people, if
you want to get to Mulder. I think you're allowing
appearances to deceive you."
 
Andrea glanced out the window, wonder what her father
had gotten her into and contemplating what Krycek was
saying.
 
"I think you need to back off," she warned, still
glaring.
 
Krycek studied her, noting how close she was to
completely losing her temper. He decided she needed
time to cool off before she could be counted on to
listen. He nodded slowly.
 
"For now..."
 
Her lips tightened.
 
"I don't appreciate your "games", Mr. Krycek. You
might as well stop right now. Whatever you choose to
believe, you don't have the upper hand here and you're
not getting it by posturing."
 
The car stopped and the discussion halted as they
waited for the driver to open the door.
 
"Games, Miss Spender? We don't have time for games
with each other," he responded, climbing out of the
car. He offered his hand with a charming smile, full
of gleaming white teeth. "We'll save that for Agent
Mulder..."
 
Faking a sincere smile, she accepted his help out of
the car.
 
"As long as we understand each other on that issue."
 
Krycek gave her a slow look through hooded eyes.
 
"Oh, I think we do..."
 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Mulder lay back on his couch, watching "Them!" He
stretched tiredly. A shadow detached itself from near
his window and Mulder reached for his gun. The shadow
moved back toward the window, waiting for Mulder to
get the idea and come outside. Mulder wasn't biting.
He aimed his gun at the shadow's center.
 
"Come out! Who's there?"
 
Krycek held his hands out away from his body and
stepped a small way into the light.
 
"YOU!" Mulder spat, and then swallowed his rage with a
sarcastic grin. "What do you want, Ratboy?"
 
Krycek glared, slightly, then snorted.
 
"Very funny, Mulder," he acknowledged, moving a little
closer. "I came to warn you. If you're smart, you'll
listen."
 
"Listen? Krycek, you do nothing but tell lies with just
enough truth in them to keep me hooked. But, by all
means, go ahead. I keep the place relatively free of
bugs, so you can go ahead and spout whatever it is the
Consortium wants me to believe this week!"
 
Krycek pursed his lips, partly exasperated and partly
amused by Mulder's fatalistic paranoia. He tried to
keep his voice reasonable and relatively
unantagonistic.
 
"Look, Mulder. I came here to *help* you. They're
sending someone to you...to try to get involved with
you...and a few other nasty surprises."
 
Mulder smirked.
 
"So what else is new? Nasty surprises are your
bosses' specialty. What do you mean involved?
Another partner? Sheesh. That's not very original,
Krycek."
 
"No, not a partner. A romantic interest. Not that
you would exactly go for that sort of thing."
 
Mulder laughed, a bit brokenly.
 
"I don't exactly have time for that what with trying
to bring down your bosses and search for my
sister...I'm surprised you haven't offered me
information about her, Krycek. The perfect carrot,
right?"
 
Krycek glanced away; afraid Mulder would read
something in his eyes. He shook his head slightly.
 
"Look, all I'm saying is watch out. And, maybe you
might want to play along with her game for a while.
It might help you figure out what they are shooting at
this time."
 
"Gee, Krycek, do I get a description? Who has the
Consortium chosen as my dream date?"
 
"You'll figure it out, I'm sure. But...she might be
calling herself Andrea."
 
"Andrea, huh? That's it? No warnings about alien oil
spills or anything? You just wanted to give me tips on
my love life?"
 
Krycek swallowed a sigh, trying not to lose patience
with Mulder's sometimes grating sense of humor.
 
"Look, just play along with it for now. You'll
understand more when the time is right, but don't fall
for her tricks."
 
"Yeah, sure...why not?" Mulder agreed, grinning
sardonically. "Well, thanks for the tip, Alex. It's
interesting to see one of my worst enemies play the
mother hen..."
 
Krycek shook his head in warning, not sure if Mulder
was taking his suggestion seriously or not.
 
"I'm not playing games here, Mulder."
 
"Krycek, you don't know how not to play
games...besides, I haven't dated in ages. My personal
life sucks."
 
"And you think they don't know that?"
 
Mulder shrugged, giving a sheepish grin.
 
"I don't care. Your masters probably know my favorite
brand of toothpaste...for all the good it does
them..."
 
"Well, don't say I didn't warn ya, Mulder."
 
"Me? Blame innocent Ratboy? Never!"
 
Krycek grimaced.
 
"Yeah, whatever. Just watch your back."
 
He moved back into the shadows, before slipping
silently out the window. Mulder watched him go,
exasperated.
 
"I wish I had evidence to arrest him! Good riddance."
 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Andrea sat in the dining room, enjoying her coffee,
before ordering breakfast. She was waiting for
Krycek, so they could discuss the next step in their
mission. She glanced up briefly and saw him a short
distance away. He walked casually towards her, more
at ease in the elegant surroundings than she would
previously have given him credit for. He sat down
across from her.
 
"Well, how did your meeting with Mulder go?"
 
She rolled her eyes; exasperated by his uncivilized
lack of greeting and not wanting to admit how badly
things had gone.
 
"It was...enlightening."
 
Krycek arched his eyebrow, looking unnervingly
complacent.
 
"How so?"
 
"It's like he purposefully goes out of his way to find
a reason to distrust someone. I have never seen
anything like it..."
 
She drifted off, staring morosely into her coffee.
Krycek smiled softly.
 
"It's called paranoia, Ms. Spender. Men like Mulder
thrive on it, even more than we do...He knows that
people are out to get him."
 
Andrea managed a lady like snort.
 
"And I suppose we are just proving him right?" she
retorted, then paused, a little uncomfortable. "He's
very unassuming for a man who has caused so much
trouble for the cause."
 
Krycek chuckled, amused both by Mulder and her
response to him.
 
"Mulder thinks of himself as a good guy...he's a boy
scout who believes the stories told around the
campfire."
 
"I haven't believed those stories since I was ten. How
a man of his age can be so deluded..."
 
She shook her head, puzzled. Krycek sighed, shifting
a little.
 
"I saw some weird stuff as his partner, Ms. Spender.
You should read some of the cases he and Scully have
solved. It's eerie..."
 
"How do you know I haven't?"
 
They paused and grew quiet as the waitress came and
took their orders. Krycek shrugged as she left.
 
"If you had, you'd show Mulder more respect...and if
you want to get anywhere with him, you'd better show
him some. He's not going to follow you around like a
puppy."
 
Andrea's next words were quiet, almost a snarl.
 
"I didn't think he would. Look, why don't you quit
telling me what *won't* work and try helping me figure
out what will?"
 
Krycek smiled, his green eyes alight with mischief.
 
"I'm trying, Ms. Spender. I really am. As I said,
show Mulder some respect and lose the scorn for his
work. He can pick up on things like that. I'm not
saying you have to make out you believe. Goodness
knows, Scully doesn't. But at least make out that you
respect HIS belief."
 
Andrea sat back suddenly, staring into Krycek's eyes.
 
"We're going to be working together for awhile, so why
don't you just call me Andrea to make it easier for
everyone?" she suggested, almost absently, as she
mulled over what he had said, almost losing herself in
his deep, green eyes.
 
Krycek smiled, slightly.
 
"I'd like that, Andrea. And please, call me Alex..."
 
She paused, almost wondering if she wanted to get
*that* familiar with him.
 
"All right...Alex."
 
Krycek nodded happily, pleased that they were on an
easier footing.
 
"Well, when are you meeting Mulder next?"
 
Andrea ran her hands over her face.
 
"I figured I would give it a day or so. I don't want
to be too obvious."
 
"You're probably right. Maybe you should arrange to
bump into him at the grocery store or video store.
Don't try anything, just say hi, make light
conversation. Let him get used to seeing you
occasionally..."
 
Andrea nodded.
 
"Probably a good idea. Perhaps even move into an
apartment near his. Make it at least viable that I am
there."
 
Krycek nodded thoughtfully.
 
"That would work. There are some good apartments a
couple of blocks down from him...his buildings full."
 
She raised her eyebrows in amusement.
 
"Oh?"
 
Krycek laughed.
 
"Yeah, amazingly, he hasn't scared his neighbors away
yet!"
 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Andrea lay in her apartment, staring at the ceiling.
She had been trying to sleep now for a couple of hours
but it seemed as if everytime she tried to fall asleep,
the dreams would start anew. Turning to her side, she 
glanced at the clock: 3:14. 
 
With a sigh, she stood up and walked out into her living
room. It was almost useless now to get any sleep. She
entered her living room and sat heavily on the couch, 
clicking the TV on with the remote that lay on the coffee
table in front of her.
 
She flipped through channels and lay her head on the arm
of the couch. At this time of the morning the only thing
to watch was either news networks or infomercials and she
wasn't really into either one. 
 
Her mind began to wander over the past month and the
developing relationship between her and Agent Mulder.
She had managed to conveniently bump into him a few
times in the park, at a local grocery, and one of the 
local coffee shops. Once she had become a familiar face,
she had arranged to speak with him.
 
After that, they had gotten along quite well and had even
managed to get together a couple of times. She made sure
they always had fun together and was sure that things
were progressing rather well.
 
Even though her mission stayed foremost in her mind, she 
was having a hard time reconciling the man she was
becoming close to with the man her father had always 
warned her about. He just didn't seem to be what she 
had expected. There had seemed to be an instant connection
with him that she wasn't sure she could explain. It hadn't
been difficult to draw him in..and she felt herself being
drawn to him at the same time.
 
Her eyes finally drifted closed around 4:30, as she continued to 
click through the channels. She barely managed to turn the TV off 
as sleep finally overtook her exhausted body. Her last thought 
was a hope that she would be so tired that the dreams would not 
return.
 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Krycek stood over Andrea, watching her toss and moan
on the couch of her apartment. He shook her shoulder,
gently.
 
"Hey, wake up!"
 
Andrea snapped awake and came up swinging, but managed
to catch herself, when she realized who it was.
 
"Don't *ever* do that to me again!"
 
Krycek rolled his eyes, figuring it was a "Mulder"
thing.
 
"Sorry. Are you all right?" he asked.
 
She sighed and slowly sat up, stretching, wearing
nothing, but a t-shirt and underwear.
 
"I'm fine..."
 
Her mind drifted back to the dreams of the night
before and the reason she had fallen asleep on 
the couch. Krycek watched her expression 
close off. He smiled appreciatively, with a 
skeptical expression in his eyes.
 
"If you were really okay, I don't think you'd let me
see you like this."
 
Krycek's eyes raked warmly over her bare legs. She
blinked and glanced down at herself. Annoyed, she
reached over and pushed Krycek back, until his butt
landed with a satisfying *thunk* on the coffee table,
as she stood and moved into her bedroom to change.
 
"Obviously you're fine or you wouldn't be taking
advantage of the situation," she groused.
 
She pushed her door shut and began to get decent
clothes on. Krycek laughed.
 
"Oh, yeah, I'm real good."
 
Andrea came back out into the living room wearing
jeans and a polo shirt. She walked to her window and
opened the curtains and blinds.
 
"So, what brings you over so early? I thought we
weren't supposed to meet up until about 9:30?"
 
Krycek shrugged amiably.
 
"So I'm a little early. Were you having bad dreams?"
 
Andrea glanced up at him strangely.
 
"Dreams? Why do you ask that?"
 
Krycek grinned.
 
"Well, for one, few people sleep on their couches.
Plus, you're out of it. It's about 9:45."
 
Andrea glanced up at the clock, astonished.
 
"I didn't realize it was so late."
 
"Do you want to talk about it?"
 
She sighed and slumped down on the couch.
 
"I'm not even sure myself what they were about."
 
Krycek leaned forward, keeping his voice soft.
 
"Are you sure? You can't remember anything?"
 
Andrea ran a hand over her face and glanced up at him.
 
"Why is it so important to you, Alex? They were my
dreams."
 
Krycek leaned back, trying to be casual.
 
"We're working together. We might as well act human
towards each other. You look tired."
 
She smiled slightly at him, not buying it.
 
"Uh huh, sure," she humored him. "It was
weird...almost like memories of a different family."
 
She shook her head, wishing she could clear her mind
of the images and the feelings they provoked.
 
"I can't explain it."
 
"But you're okay, right? Just a bad night?"
 
She smiled into his eyes.
 
"I'm fine. I would tell you if I weren't, okay?"
 
Krycek grimaced.
 
"I hope you're better at fooling Mulder, than you are
at fooling me!"
 
"Why do you say that? I'm sure I can tell him I had a
bad night and he will understand. Lord knows, he has
had a few of them."
 
"I don't think he ever has any other kind, truthfully,
but you're probably right, you should do fine. Ready
for breakfast?"
 
She nodded.
 
"Yeah...let's go."
 
**** **** ****
 
END PART 1

FINAL TRUTHS (2/8)

PART 2

For Information, see Headers in Part 1...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Krycek held a chair out for Andrea. They had selected 
a small coffee shop downtown; reasonably sure they 
would not be spotted. Alex helped Andrea to 
sit and she glanced around the restaurant out of 
habit. Krycek smiled, a little amused.

"I think we're safe."

Andrea glanced up at him with an abashed smile as he 
sat down.

"It's habit."

Krycek nodded.

"Yeah, I know," he agreed, then grinned widely. "I 
did it at the door."

Andrea chuckled, softly.

"I've been living this life too long, I think..."

"So, are you going to give me the details of your 
dream?"

She grew serious at that, her mind drifting back to 
her dream. She didn't know why, but she was almost 
afraid to tell him. Krycek leaned forward, touching 
her hand briefly, then pulled his back. She gave 
another brief glance to his face, before taking a 
calming sip of her water.

"I'm okay, really," she claimed, biting at her lower 
lip.

Krycek nodded.

"Take your time."

"I'm having almost memories of having been abducted, 
but I know that could never have happened. Of a 
family...but not mine. It all kinda blurs together 
and makes no sense. A...a mother. Father. 
And...another child. A boy," she whispered, 
then firmly shook her head. "That makes no sense. I 
was raised by my father and had no other family. It's 
nothing more than a dream. The Consortium would 
*never* have done anything to me. My father made sure 
of that."

Krycek frowned.

"I wouldn't be too sure, Andrea. Our employers are 
pretty ruthless. Did you know they once tried to blow 
me up?"

She nodded.

"I know. Alex, I know quite a bit more than my 
position as a simple Operative would warrant. And 
trust me, I know they wouldn't have done anything. 
Anyone who would have attempted it would have been 
killed. Instantly," she stopped, realizing who she 
was talking to and that she had basically told him who 
her father was.

Krycek smiled.

"I know a lot more than you might think, too, Andrea. 
And believe me, no one is out of reach if the wrong 
person gets mad. Not even your Father."

Andrea glanced down at the table, hearing the truth in 
his words and wishing she didn't.

"Except that doesn't explain the family I saw...It all 
makes no sense. Like I was in someone else's head," 
she sighed. "Anyway, it doesn't matter."

Krycek smiled softly.

"You're probably right. It's probably just a dream. 
I just don't want you to have any illusions about who 
we are."

"Are you saying not to get too secure in my position, 
Alex?"

Andrea tried to sound amused, but knew she was stating 
her own fears out loud, not wanting to admit she felt 
that way. She felt the fears were disloyal to her 
father, who had always protected her. Krycek nodded, 
seriously.

"Mulder's feeling pretty comfortable right now, 
Andrea."

Her worry made it's way into her blue-hazel eyes and 
she nodded slowly, not realizing how comfortable she 
was with Alex and that her feelings were showing so 
much.

"You're right."

Krycek nodded; satisfied that she would be careful.

"Then you should be okay...Now about the dream. It 
doesn't sound too bad, so far. Why was it bothering 
you? I mean, you mentioned abduction, but why? 
Because you were with a family you didn't recognize?"

Andrea looked up into his eyes, worried, but again not 
voicing it.

"I don't know...perhaps because it felt so real...and 
I'm not exactly used to feeling like a victim. That's 
the point. I didn't feel in the dream as if I didn't 
recognize them. It was like...god, I need to just 
forget about it!"

"Okay. Hey. Maybe it was just a subconscious 
yearning for family fixed up with some of the bugaboos 
from our work! Right?"

"It was the boy who seemed the most real though."

She sighed in frustration, but grabbed onto Alex's 
explanation and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure that was it," she responded, searching 
his eyes.

Alex kept his eyes firmly on her.

"Sure."

Andrea reached over and touched his hand slightly.

"Thank you."

Krycek's smile softened again.

"You're welcome. So what are we doing today?"

"I'm supposed to meet Mulder for lunch," she informed 
him, smiling. "You get to retrieve those files we 
need."

Alex nodded at another customer as she passed, 
grinning.

"Okay. Good luck! If you're going to have lunch, 
there's a good chance you'll get to meet his partner, 
Scully!"

Andrea blinked, not sure how to respond. 

"Oh? Well, that should be interesting then. I need 
to get going. I'll talk to you more tonight," she 
stated, standing.

Krycek stood, respectfully.

"Okay, I'll see you later."

She turned and left quickly. Krycek turned his 
attention to the customer he had nodded at. She was 
watching him from her table, scowling. Krycek walked 
over to her.

"May I sit down?"

Scully cocked her head to the side, appraising him.

"Do I have a choice?"

Krycek shrugged, claiming, "Sure. My mama raised a 
gentleman."

Scully waved graciously to the seat across from her.

"Sit. It'll be interesting to find out what you are 
up to now."

Krycek smiled charmingly and sat down.

"Thank you," he acknowledged, then tilted his head a 
fraction to the side. "Are you eating lunch with 
Mulder today?"

Scully furrowed her brow, puzzled by the mundane 
inquiry.

"Possibly. Why do you ask?"

Krycek grinned, knowingly.

"Mulder has a new girlfriend, he should be introducing 
to you soon...the girl I was just with in fact."

Scully's mouth tightened.

"Excuse me? I somehow doubt Mulder would..." she 
drifted off, watching him closely.

"Oh, I warned him about her, but I also told him he 
should play along. I figured I should tell you the 
same thing."

Scully glared.

"Just what are you getting at? Why would you help us? 
Him?"

"Why wouldn't I? I like both of you. I tried to tell 
you before, Scully. We're on the same side..."

Scully shook her head.

"The only thing you like, Krycek, is the attention. 
And I seriously doubt you will convince Mulder or me 
that we have *ever* been on the same team," she 
informed him, coolly.

Krycek frowned, slightly.

"Attention, Scully? I risk my life every time I help 
you and usually get beaten up by Mulder...or Skinner. 
I could kill you at any time. Now...isn't that proof 
I'm not your enemy?"

Scully gave a delicate snort.

"It proves you haven't had the opportunity or the 
orders from up above, Krycek."

Krycek laughed, uncontrollably.

"Scully, I've had enough opportunities to kill you for 
a hundred assassins. And I'm not just some flunky 
anymore. If I wanted you dead, you would be," he 
corrected her, then his voice softened. "I've suffered 
as much as you have you know..."

"Suffered?" she inquired, a bit incredulously.

Krycek frowned.

"Do you know what it's like to have your arm cut off 
in a forest with a heated blade, while being pinned 
down? Or to wake up trapped in an abandoned silo with 
no food or water, covered in a grimy oil that has just 
leaked out from your eyes, nose, and ears? To be 
violated by an alien consciousness? Oh, I forgot. 
Skeptical Scully doesn't believe in aliens, right?"

Scully stood.

"No, Krycek, I don't believe in aliens. And I don't 
have time to listen to your delusions...or your lies."

Krycek glared, furious and a bit hurt that she would 
so easily dismiss the worst moments of his life. **And 
they call me callous?**

"I'm not Mulder. Don't talk to me that way. I'm as 
sane as you. I'm not blinded by a refusal to believe 
in anything I haven't dissected! Ask Mulder. He'll 
tell you about the peasants in Tunguska who took my 
arm. I was healed by an alien like Jeremiah Smith. 
Remember him? The guy who healed the gunshot wound in 
the restaurant?"

Scully noticed other customers glancing their way.

"And I'm not the double agent who has proved again and 
again he's not trustworthy and will stab us in the 
back every chance he gets! I don't have time for 
this, Krycek," she stated in a cool, even voice that 
showed anger more clearly than any amount of yelling.

Krycek glanced around, the stares from the restaurant 
making him nervous.

"Lower your voice and sit down," he urged, smiling. 
"You haven't finished your breakfast, yet, Scully."

Scully ignored him and moved towards the door, leaving 
money enough to cover her check and tip at the front, 
hoping he wouldn't follow her. Her inherent compassion
made it impossible for her to completely ignore his 
litany of sorrows. It wasn't in her nature to ignore 
anyone's pain. But she also wouldn't let him use his 
problems to justify the crimes he had committed. She 
heard the rapid footsteps behind her, knowing it was 
Krycek catching up.

"Hey, Scully! Wait up!"

She stopped and turned, glaring coolly up at him.

"What?!"

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to cause a scene."

She sighed.

"Look," she commented, softening her tone to its 
usual, rational timbre. "It just seems like whenever 
you show up, trouble isn't far behind. We've had 
enough trouble for awhile."

Krycek's eyes lost their icy veneer, becoming once 
again soft and oddly respectful.

"Maybe that's because I only show up when I know 
you're going to need any help you can get...After all, 
It'd take a lot to get you to accept my help. And 
Scully? You're always in trouble. You just don't 
always know it."

Scully crossed her arms, glancing around to gain 
perspective from the mundacity of her surroundings. 

"I would prefer not to think like that. What is it 
that you want, specifically? You had to have a reason 
for approaching me today."

"If Mulder's taking my advice and leading the woman 
along, I didn't want you to blow the whistle on either 
of them," he answered, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't 
intend for you to see us, but it seemed impolite not 
to say hello."

Scully decided to ignore that last.

"Who is she, Krycek?"

"An associate. You know who I work for...who I'm 
working to bring down."

"And where do her loyalties lie?"

Krycek frowned, sighing.

"She would tell you she's a patriot of the human 
race...he has taught her well, since she was very 
young..."

"He?" Scully inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"You know. I believe you once called him 
Cancerman...the man responsible for the deaths of your 
sister and Mulder's father."

"Ah, I should have known," she observed, then her 
voice grew cold. "All right, I'll try to go along 
with you for now. But if I see anything from her to 
indicate she is going to hurt Mulder..."

Krycek nodded, agreeing, "Of course. I want you to 
protect Mulder. He's lousy at it..."

Scully shook her head.

"I have to go now. I'm not sure I trust you...but, 
for now I will do as you say."

Krycek smiled.

"Thank you," he husked, then his voice dropped to a 
whisper. "Wow, a meeting with one of the X-files team, 
where I didn't get a gun in my face!"

Scully rolled her eyes.

"I can accommodate you on that. We wouldn't want to 
ruin our stellar record, would we?"

Krycek grinned.

"Agent Scully, I wouldn't dream of it!" he said with
a wink.

She turned and moved down the sidewalk.

"Perhaps next time, Mr. Krycek," she said over her 
shoulder as she began walking.

"Have a nice day, Scully."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Another few weeks had passed and Andrea lay once again
in her bed, tossing and turning with another dream. 
A pair of green eyes watched as she kicked out, 
entangling her legs in the sheets. Krycek 
leaned against the wall in the darkest corner of the 
room, unmoving, but not unmoved. Andrea found herself 
suddenly completely awake and aware. She felt a 
presence in the room and glanced right at Krycek. He 
felt her eyes and stepped calmly forward, his hands 
raised.

"It's just me."

She sat up suddenly, glaring at him.

"What the hell are you doing in here?"

Krycek made a soothing motion with his hand.

"I was just checking on you. You've been having that 
dream again. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

She shook her head. Despite her job and training, she 
was deeply disturbed that anyone dared to enter her 
bedroom.

"You shouldn't be in here. You aren't even supposed 
to be in town!"

Krycek shrugged, not understanding why she was upset.

"I got back hours ago. Things went easily."

Andrea stood and moved over to him. Alex backed away, 
seeing she was furious, but only moved away enough to 
maintain personal space. The instinct to not show 
fear was too deeply ingrained to allow anything else.

"The point still stands. You shouldn't be in my room. 
That borders on obsession, Alex."

She turned her back on him and moved to grab a pair of 
jeans, pulling them on. Krycek just shrugged.

"You learn that, when you're on the run. Look...I 
just wanted to make sure you and the apartment were 
secure. Okay?"

"You are in my *room*, Alex. My *private* space. The 
one place I expect to be able to go and not be 
followed!"

She glared tightly into his eyes and he sighed.

"All right. I'm sorry if I upset you. I just 
developed a need to check on things periodically. Our 
lifestyle trained me to it. I'm used to keeping a 
close eye on anything and anyone connected to me."

Andrea shook her head, moving closer again to stare 
into his eyes.

"No, Alex. This goes beyond just "checking" on me. I 
refuse to be anyone's obsession, is that understood? 
Especially when things are getting very close with 
Mulder...I won't let you ruin this!"

Krycek blinked, shaking his head slightly, confused.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, keeping the worry
he felt from his tone, not sure he liked how it sounded.

"Nothing...could you please leave now? And make sure 
you lock the door on your way out."

Andrea turned as if to get back into bed. 

"Andrea!" Alex demanded, sharply. "What did you mean 
about Mulder?! I won't come in here anymore. I give 
you my word on that. But I need to know any plans you 
have concerning our...target."

Andrea exhaled sharply and looked back at him.

"I'm taking our relationship to the next level. It's 
time. This has taken too long. I'm getting pressure 
from above."

Krycek blinked, barely hiding a look of disgust.

"You're going to sleep with him?"

"That is nothing you need to worry about. Just be 
ready when the time is right. Everything has to play 
out perfectly," she cautioned, looking away again.

Krycek tried to keep his voice steady and rational.

"Andrea. You can't do that. He's still devoted to 
Scully. There, no, there's no way he's ready for 
that! And anything connected to our mission is my 
concern!"

"Who the *hell* said you were the expert on what he is 
and isn't ready for? *You* aren't the one dealing 
with him on a daily basis, so stay of it. Just be 
ready when I say to be ready."

Krycek exhaled slowly, trying not to lose his temper.

"I told you I'm here because of my expertise on 
Mulder. You've known him a couple of months; I've 
known him for years. You seem to want to go back to 
giving the orders, Miss Spender. What? You think 
you can just bed and dump Mulder and that'll make him 
ready for a funny farm?!"

"No, that isn't what I was planning at all...something 
would have to happen to me...to make him go after me. 
Perhaps he could even witness my death. It will work 
out. But I have to take this step first."

"This will not work! He's already got Samantha as a 
holy grail, you're just upping the stakes for him! He 
will go after you. You'll just make him more 
determined, like when Scully was abducted."

Andrea's mouth tightened. She was offended that he 
thought she hadn't planned this carefully.

"And just what would happen if he continued to *see* 
me...even after my death, everywhere he turned...there 
I was. The decision is made. And this time you don't 
get a say, Krycek. The orders came from above."

Krycek glared, his anger making his eyes glow a 
luminescent green, like a jungle cats.

"I don't take orders from you and I haven't received 
any. If he sees you, he'll just be convinced that 
you're alive and try to rescue you. This man does not 
think like an ordinary person! He doesn't accept the 
pat explanations of polite society. He looks for the 
unusual and bizarre and accepts it as commonplace!"

Andrea moved in, standing almost toe-to-toe with him.

"The decision is made. I'm not going to argue about 
this any further. You can either continue to help the 
mission, or just leave and be reassigned, but I am not 
going to play these games any longer, Mr. Krycek," she 
insisted, her tone cool and calm, almost deathly so.

Alex's eyes became hard and cold, like sharp green 
glass; they were the eyes of a killer.

"You still think you're in charge, but you're not. 
You are jeopardizing this mission, Spender. I'm not 
going anywhere."

She shook her head, frustrated and confused.

"You knew this was where we were headed with this. 
Why are you so vehemently fighting it?"

Krycek shook his head tightly.

"I didn't know you were going to have sex with 
Mulder..."

"You can't be that naive, Alex..."

"Not since I was fourteen," he smirked.

"Just where did you think this would go? And this is 
what I meant about your obsession getting in the way. 
You're letting personal feelings interfere in our 
mission. And I think you know it."

Krycek barely kept himself from yelling, furious that 
she thought there were personal feelings or that he 
didn't have the restraint to control them if there 
were. 

"I am not obsessed with you. That's quite an ego you 
have there, Spender. There are no personal feelings."

"Oh? I don't think so. I've seen the way you look at 
me, Krycek. *I* am not that naive."

"You couldn't read me if you're life depended on it!" 
Krycek snarled, before making a visible effort to calm 
down. "I just think you are seriously underestimating 
Mulder."

"Oh, really?" she murmured, letting her hand drift up 
to lightly caress his cheek. "I don't think so."

Krycek caught her hand softly; worried he would lean 
into the gentle touch.

"You don't think I'm unreadable or you don't think 
you're underestimating Mulder," he husked in a low, 
intimate tone.

"Perhaps a bit of both, Alex, but mostly the first. 
I've learned to read you like a book, every little 
nuance and glance...things other people would 
overlook."

"I must be slipping...I used to be able to hide 
myself," he complained ruefully, then grinned, the 
expression adding to, instead of detracting from, the 
primal energy that crackled from his eyes, a result of 
his own, unique charisma. "So much for my life 
expectancy."

She sighed, still standing there with her hand in his.

"You should know you don't have to worry about that 
with me by now, Alex," she whispered softly.

"Maybe I do," he conceded.

He reached down and kissed her softly. She responded 
tentatively, moving her hands to his strong shoulders. 
She pressed lightly against him. Alex brought one 
hand to her hair, while the other went around her 
waist, pulling her tightly against him. When she 
began gasping for air, he released her. She found 
herself pulled almost hypnotically to the green depths 
of his eyes, which held a primitive gleam of raw 
emotion. She found him looking at her questioningly 
and she nodded, running the palms of her hands over 
his chest. Taking his hand, she led him to the bed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

END PART 2

FINAL TRUTHS (3/8)

PART 3

For Information See Header in Part 1...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Alex walked into the living room. He was dressed only 
in a pair of his trademark faded jeans and was 
toweling his hair dry. Andrea glanced up as he came 
in and smiled up at him.

"Feel better?"

Alex sighed, feeling mostly content.

"Yeah, I do..."

"Good," she murmured, leaning back into the couch, 
contemplating how to broach the subject they hadn't 
settled the night before. 

Alex noticed the look in her eyes and groaned. He 
walked over and knelt next to her, taking her hands in 
his.

"What?" she asked softly, smiling gently.

"Andrea, listen. I admit the idea of you with another 
guy makes me jealous. But I learned enough on the run 
to keep my emotions in check. That kind of thing 
marks you forever. I am not jealous of you and 
Mulder. But I am concerned about the consequences if 
you sleep with him."

"If it isn't jealousy, then why are you so strongly 
opposed to this, Alex?"

Alex groaned, softly, reaching a painful decision.

"I don't think you're ready for this, but hold on. 
There's something I want to show you.

Andrea's brow furrowed in confusion, but she waited 
for him. Alex went to a cabinet and retrieved a piece 
of paper.

"What do you think of Mulder now that you know him a 
little?"

Andrea sighed, shifting uncomfortably.

"Can I not comment on that one?"

"I need to know," Alex insisted quietly. "The 
apartment's free of bugs due to my midnight visits."

Andrea smiled slightly.

"He isn't exactly as horrible as he is rumored to 
be...I will give him that."

Alex smiled, a little sadly.

"This is a photograph. You should recognize the 
little boy, if not the little girl."

Alex handed her the picture of Mulder and his sister. 
Andrea's brow furrowed. The photo showed the boy from 
her dream and a little girl. It was a close-up of the 
two on a tire swing, both grinning happily. The girl 
was on the boy's lap, leaning against him as they flew 
backwards.

"But..." she muttered, stunned, looking up into his 
eyes.

"The little boy is Fox Mulder, Andrea. You are 
Samantha, his holy grail..."

Andrea shoved the picture back at him, shaking her 
head.

"No, that isn't me."

"And that walking cancer stick is not your father! It 
is you, Andrea. You know it is."

She dropped the photo on the table and moved over to 
the window.

"No...it can't be."

Alex moved up behind her and gently embraced her.

"I was hoping to break this to you slowly...and more 
gently. I'm sorry, Andrea. But the truth had to come 
out sooner or later. Are you really going to sleep 
with your own brother for the *cause*?"

Andrea pushed against his arms, trying to escape him 
and his truths.

"NO. I'm not believing this! Besides, all you have 
is a picture...that isn't proof that *I* am her."

"You recognize the boy, I know you do, I saw it in 
your eyes. How do you explain that? I bet I could 
get into your 'father's' albums and get a picture of 
you identical to this little girl."

"He is from my dreams...like you said, I probably am 
just remembering a picture I saw when I was a child. 
It's all just blurring together."

"Why would you have seen a picture of Fox Mulder as a 
child?"

"My father has always been fascinated with that 
family for some reason. That would be reason enough."

Alex shook his head.

"Andrea, Andrea. Think of it this way. You say you 
can read me. Do you think I would make this up? What 
would I gain?"

Tears sprang into Andrea's eyes and Alex could feel 
shivers running down her slender frame.

"My father wouldn't do this to me. He *wouldn't*!"

"Why not? He's destroyed enough lives of other 
people. He lives on lies, Andrea. He probably 
doesn't even know how to stop. Is Mulder at all what 
you expected? I know my time with him was an eye 
opener."

She shook her head, slowly, the pain of the truth 
making her reluctant to even consider it.

"No. I can't do this, Alex...you are asking me to 
turn away from everything I have been told all my 
life. I can't do that!"

"You can't run from the truth, Andrea. I wish this 
could be easier for you, but..." he paused and turned 
her to face him, gazing solemnly at her. "I trusted 
him once, Andrea. All it got me was thrown on to hot 
pavement when my car blew up."

Andrea shook her head, not wanting to envisage Krycek, 
the man who owned her heart more thoroughly than she 
was ready to face, being in such peril and facing 
such hardships as she knew he had.

"Don't...he said..." she drifted off, unable to 
continue.

"What? That I deserved it?" he asked, gently stroking 
her cheek. "Do I deserve it, Andrea?"

She shook her head again, a tear slowly rolling down 
her cheek. He rubbed it gently away with his thumb.

"I can't just turn my back on him."

Krycek shrugged.

"Maybe not now. But can you sleep with and destroy 
your own brother?"

Andrea jerked away, moving toward the door.

"I'm not listening to this!"

"Andrea!" Krycek called, before she could disappear 
out the door. "I know you need time. Just don't do 
anything in haste, okay? Give it a couple of days."

She shook her head and opened the door.

"I have to get out of here," she whispered, glancing 
down at the floor and then back up at him...looking 
lost.

Alex gazed tenderly at her, not moving from the 
window.

"That's okay. Go clear your head. We have time."

She rushed out the door, tears rolling down her face. 
She moved headlong through the street, not sure where 
she was going. Alex watched her leave; saddened at 
the pain the old man's deception was causing her.
 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Andrea ran to the park, still crying. She moved to 
the water, feeling emotionally shattered and trying to 
pull the pieces of what she had always believed and 
what she had discovered into a unified picture that 
she could live with. So far, the two refused to mesh. 
She stared blankly at the water.

"Andrea?"

She glanced over towards the voice; not registering 
who it was at first. Fox Mulder gazed down at her, 
with a warm, concerned smile.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Andrea took a deep, steadying breath, trying to focus 
on him through the tears still in her eyes.

"I'm fine. Nothing's wrong."

Mulder gave an ironic grin, and then deadpanned.

"Oh, good. I'd hate to think I had to break my date 
with the president in order to comfort my girlfriend!"

Andrea gave a shaky laugh, smiling weakly.

"C'mon," Mulder urged. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Oh, god," Andrea groaned at that, turning to face the 
water again.

"Hey," Mulder urged, smiling gently. "You're not going 
to tell me you have some husband that just returned 
from the grave, are you? Personally, I prefer bad 
movie cliches to wait until evening to put in an 
appearance!"

Andrea bit at her lower lip and shook her head.

"No...nothing like that," she assured him, then took a 
deep breath. "Fox...tell me about your sister."

Mulder frowned, slightly, confused by her choice of 
topic.

"Samantha? What brings her up?"

"Please? Just tell me about her...what was she like? 
How did she disappear?"

Mulder's eyes became distant and sad.

"She was eight. I was twelve. Our parents were gone 
for the evening. We were arguing over the television. 
There was a bright, white light and I couldn't move. 
She was taken away. I never saw her again."

"What was she like? Were you close to her?" she asked, 
still staring off at the water, not sure she is ready 
for the answers.

"Yeah. I love her. I miss her, still. It's been 
about twenty years and I think of her every day. I 
don't know what she was like. She was only eight, 
y'know? She hated carrots, loved stuffed animals, and 
didn't want to let me watch The Magician!"

Andrea choked back a short laugh as she swayed on her 
feet, her mind forming the image...seeing him. The 
image was so real...

"Zorro," she whispered, still focusing on trying to 
capture the image in her head.

Mulder's head jerked up.

"Excuse me?!"

Andrea shook her head, moving away from him, realizing 
where she was again.

"Nothing. I...I have to get out of here...I can't..."

Mulder moved towards her, trying to prevent her from 
leaving.

"Wait! How did you know that?! Only Samantha knew 
that! Do you know my sister?" Mulder demanded, 
his voice growing at once anguished and eager.

Andrea groaned and shook her head, frantically.

"NO! I don't *know* her...and I'm *not* her! I can't 
do this," she insisted, backing away from him.

Mulder froze.

"What do you mean you aren't her? Did someone say 
you're Samantha? Are you?!!"

"No! I don't care what he said...it isn't true! My 
father wouldn't..." she trailed off, pausing, then 
whispered, "would do anything for *them*!"

She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at Mulder, who 
lowered his voice trying to soothe her and coax her 
into talking.

"Andrea? Who is your father? Did he tell you that 
you're Samantha? What's going on?"

"No, my *father* would never say I was Samantha. He's 
the one who sent me here...to you."

Mulder paused, reflecting on Krycek's warning. He'd 
played along with Andrea; waiting for signs of 
treachery...he just instinctively had sensed the holes 
in Andrea's cover story. Yet he still hadn't believed 
Krycek had been sincere in his warning.

"Then your father is Cancerman. Did Krycek tell you 
that you're my sister?"

Andrea covered her face in her hands, trying to make 
sense of everything flashing through her mind...and 
failing miserably.

"Andrea!" Mulder pleaded. "Am I right?!"

She heard his tone, her heart wincing, and shook her 
head.

"I won't tell you that," she responded, her voice now 
devoid of emotion, her mind still in overload.

Andrea knew instinctively that Mulder would go after 
Alex and maybe hurt him...or worse.

"You just did," Mulder informed her in a flat, 
determined voice. "Ratboy's gone to far this time."

"He was protecting both of us..." she defended weakly, 
before drifting off. "I have to go...I can't stay 
here...can't..."

"You can't trust him. You got that right, if that's 
what you meant. He warned me about you, y'know. 
Before we met. He's a traitor to everyone."

Andrea glanced sharply at him in surprise.

"I should have guessed, but why did you..."

"I don't know what game that black lung s.o.b. thought 
he was playing, but tell him I'm not taking the bait. 
Krycek told me to play along and I did mainly because 
I didn't believe him and he didn't tell me who to look 
out for!"

Andrea paused.

"I trust him with my life."

"If you're naive enough to trust Krycek, you're not 
going to be around long! He gave me just enough 
warning to stir the pot, but not enough to help me."

Andrea nodded, slowly, glancing over at him. She was 
beginning to get a clearer idea of the relationship 
between Mulder and Krycek.

"You probably didn't give him a chance to tell 
you...let me guess..you had a gun in his face?"

Mulder nodded sharply, not at all embarrassed by her 
guess.

"I think he killed my father and he's tried to kill me 
more than once! Besides, for us, it was actually a 
civil conversation...I did ask who to look for."

"Anyway, I have something I have to check 
on...and...I'm sorry," she whispered, moving away from 
him once again, then ran like she was trying to escape 
a demon chasing her. 

Mulder watched her go, angry, confused, and grieving.

"Krycek, I am going to kill you!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Mulder burst in the door to Andrea's apartment, still 
fuming and confused, yelling, "Krycek! You rat 
scumbag, where are you?!"

Krycek turned quickly from the window, looking at 
Mulder as if he were a madman.

"What are you doing, just breaking in here like that?" 
he inquired, keeping his tone low and calm, hoping to 
defuse some of Mulder's rage.

"You treacherous, untrustworthy, callous...How could 
you not tell me?!"

"I assume you're speaking of Andrea?"

Mulder answered in a deadpan that hid the killing fury 
he felt towards his former partner.

"Yeah, I guess you could assume that."

"At the time, she didn't even know...I wasn't about to 
tell you, so you could slip up and tell her. She 
wasn't ready to know now as it is," he claimed.

"Who made it any business of yours?" Mulder argued, 
his voice tight with anger and pain.

Krycek looked down, then back up at Mulder.

"I suppose she did."

"She did? You said she didn't even know. How long 
have you known? How long have you kept her from me," 
Mulder grated out in a tortured voice, years of 
torment shining from his eyes. "Is she even really 
Samantha? Is she some clone made up for your 
amusement, Ratboy?"

Krycek swallowed a heavy sigh, burying his own pain, 
so he could handle Mulder with cool calm.

"I've known for a few months," he answered. "Yes, she 
*is* Samantha. Of that I am sure."

Mulder grinned humorlessly, his eyes still full of 
pain.

"You know, either way, you've proven just how low you 
are. Either she's Samantha and you kept her from me, 
*knowing* how much she means to me, or she isn't 
Samantha and you're playing some sick game messing 
with my head!"

Krycek looked at Mulder in wide-eyed shocked. He 
shook his head in disbelief, not understanding how 
Mulder could think he was cruel enough to callously 
toy with the agent's emotions.

"What the hell are you talking about, Mulder?" he 
asked. "I was just waiting until a time when she was 
ready to hear it..."

"You could have told me when you first warned me about 
dating her!" Mulder screamed, twenty years of 
frustration clawing at him.

"You know, she's involved in this as well. Andrea 
wasn't ready for all that! She still isn't. You've 
obviously seen her if you know what is going on...she 
wasn't ready," Alex insisted, trying to appeal to 
Mulder's concern for his sister, his own voice 
raising. "You aren't the only one involved in this 
situation, Mulder!"

"That wasn't your decision to make. When did you get 
a psych degree, huh?"

"Andrea was my first priority in all of this, Mulder, 
and *that* is why I didn't say anything."

"You're a murdering thug, who doesn't care about 
anyone!" Mulder hissed. "All you had to do was tell me 
she didn't know...and I would have found a way to help 
her! I'm not stupid, Krycek, the last thing I want is 
to cause her more pain. But you just can't stop 
playing double and triple agent can you? You had no 
right to keep that knowledge from me!"

Krycek shook his head.

"Listen to yourself, Mulder. Someone throws hints 
about your sister and you go off the deep end. Do you 
think I'd risk having you rush in headlong and throw 
this at her? Would you have been able to keep away? 
No, Mulder, I couldn't take that chance. Depite what 
you think, I *do* care about at least one person in 
this world...her."

"*You* care," Mulder repeated with bitter sarcasm. 
"You're not the one who's spent the last twenty years 
wondering if she was dead or alive...you're not the 
one who has nightmares every night about allowing her 
to be taken!!"

Mulder sat on the couch, his eyes filling with tears.

"You're not the one who's lived with the guilt over 
not being able to save her. She's my sister and *I'm* 
the one who cares about her..."

"You were twelve years old, Mulder, you couldn't have 
saved her if you tried," Krycek tried to assure the 
older man, allowing some sympathy to enter his voice. 
"I won't apologize for doing what I thought was the 
best decision at the time. I would have told you as 
soon as I could, you know. It was never my intention 
to keep her from you."

Krycek's mouth tightened. He didn't voice the thought 
that he *still* wasn't sure telling her was the right 
decision. She was still too caught up in the web of 
lies that tar-sucking bastard had wrapped her in. He 
was surprised Mulder was accepting that Andrea was 
Samantha without further proof. His main reason for 
not telling Mulder before, which he would never 
confess, was that he knew Mulder would not have 
believed him, not without proof that Krycek lacked, 
and the knowledge would only have hurt Mulder more. 
Mulder stood up again, his anger renewed, cutting 
through the pain.

"You're missing part of the point, Krycek," Mulder 
growled. "It wasn't your decision to make!"

"I had the information and had to *decide* what to do 
with it. So, it was at the time, wasn't it?"

"I don't want my sister's fate in the hands of someone 
I obviously can't trust at all!"

"Where did you see her, Mulder? Where was she 
headed?" Krycek asked, tired of discussing it.

Mulder pouted, sullenly, turning away from his 
nemesis.

"Why should I tell you anything? You didn't trust me 
enough to talk to me!"

Krycek's voice went very quiet, as he tried to hide 
his anger.

"Look, Mulder, I will find her with or with you.
Either way I have to know where she is. So why don't
you just tell me where she went?"

"Why?" Mulder asked, flatly. "What is it to you?"

Krycek's worry and anguish fueled a sudden spark of 
rage at Mulder's obstinancy. He grabbed Mulder by the 
chest and slammed him up against the wall.

"I'm not going to play games with this, Mulder," he 
informed him in low tones of quiet menace. "She isn't 
in any condition to be going off on her own right now, 
and you know it!"

Mulder snapped. He brought his knee up, connecting 
with the lower part of Krycek's abdomen. He then 
punched him in the face knocking him, struggling 
for breath, to the floor. He punched him again 
in the gut and face, before Krycek managed to shove 
him away. Krycek moved quickly out of Mulder's way, 
placing the couch between them. Mulder stood, 
glaring, drawing deep lungfuls of air.

"She wouldn't be missing if it weren't for you!" he 
accused, then sneered, "You didn't exactly do a good 
job of breaking it to her! Did you, now!?"

Krycek answered in a voice dark with pain, anger, and 
self-recrimination, "You have no idea...now, where did 
she go?!?"

"I don't know, you stupid rat bastard!" he shouted, 
exasperated and enraged. "You think I'd be wasting 
breath on you if I did?!"

Krycek quieted his tone, trying to sound reasonable.

"Then perhaps we should quit fighting each other and 
find out."

"I have contacts. I don't need your help."

"Fine...except that where she will eventually end 
up...you can't get in."

"I've done pretty good against you people so far! Are 
you going to let me look around or do I need to get a 
warrant?"

Krycek motioned expansively.

"By all means...she won't be coming back here now, I'm 
sure."

Mulder began looking around the rooms. Krycek stood 
still in the same spot in the living room, not moving. 
Mulder ignored him for a while, then disappeared into 
the bedroom, slamming the door shut. Krycek watched 
the door close, then moved over to the couch and sat 
down. He waited, brooding, for Mulder to come out 
again. He was sure he heard sobbing. Fifteen minutes 
later, Mulder emerged, looking haggard.

"Come clean, Krycek. Why are you even interested? Or 
pretending interest, I should say..."

Krycek sighed, glancing out the window, before 
answering.

"Because I love her," he replied, watching for 
Mulder's reaction and ready to move quickly if 
necessary. 

Mulder blinked; sure he had misheard.

"What?"

"I love her," Krycek repeated, quietly.

"C'mon, Krycek, you can come up with a better lie than 
that! You've had plenty of practice!"

Krycek looked Mulder in the eyes, just staring 
earnestly, not hiding his feelings behind his usual 
bland mask. Mulder held his eyes with discomfort, not 
willing to trust.

"If I let you help me, and I only *might* for my 
reasons, I want complete honesty from you."

"And you have it where she is concerned."

"I mean it, Krycek," Mulder rumbled, threateningly. 
"You tell me everything as soon as you know it!!"

Krycek nodded in acquiescence, knowing now was no time 
to push Mulder.

Mulder continued in a quiet, dark voice, "You've 
betrayed me twice, Krycek. Don't do it again!"

Krycek didn't reply. The first betrayal he hadn't 
known Mulder, had thought he owed allegiance to 
others. Krycek hadn't meant this as treachery at all; 
he hadn't expected Mulder to feel betrayed. It seemed 
Mulder was going to cast him in the role of traitor no 
matter what he did. He refused to make 
promises that he couldn't fulfill.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cancerman burst into his office with a small 
complement of his best-trained guards.

"Andrea!" he exclaimed, shocked to find his "daughter" 
digging through files without any authorization or 
permission. 

Andrea jumped. She had been so engrossed in the 
files; she had neglected to keep an ear open for 
approaching footsteps. She groped for her weapon, 
but stopped herself before pulling it, glancing at the 
two guards. Her father watched her with a stunned, 
disappointed expression.

"Andrea, what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for some information...information that 
has been kept from me for the past twenty years, 
'Father'."

C.G.B. Spender dismissed his henchmen and sat down 
behind the desk. He calmly lit up a cigarette and 
took a deep drag.

"What information is that?"

Andrea sat down slowly in the chair in front of the 
desk, dreading the coming confrontation, but eager for 
some sign that her entire life hadn't been a charade.

"The fact that I am not who I have been told I am..."

"Really? And who told you this...that you're not who 
I say you are?" he inquired blandly, any irritation 
or concern carefully hidden.

"It was an anonymous tip...it had enough of a ring of 
truth to it for me to check into it. Whoever it was, 
they were right."

"I see," her father drawled, his voice becoming 
cooler. "So, you've taken the word of some anonymous 
stranger over me."

Andrea sighed, saddened by her recent discoveries.

"No, I took actual DNA evidence as word over yours," 
she claimed, glancing down at the desk, then looked up 
a bright shine to her eyes. "Am I Samantha Mulder?"

The smoker puffed away, calm and cool, unruffled by 
the emotion-laden charges aimed at him.

"And what if it is true? What if your DNA does match 
that of Samantha Mulder. What then? You know the 
importance of the cause and your importance to 
it...both as an operative and as my heir. Sacrifices 
are often necessary...your work here outweighs any 
other considerations...as far as anyone else is 
concerned; you are my daughter Andrea Spender. Mere 
DNA doesn't change that."

She looked up, staring at his eyes, her own filled 
with pain.

"And what about to you?"

Cancerman shrugged, nonchalantly.

"What about me?"

"As far as everyone else is concerned, I am your 
daughter, but...what about you? How do you feel?"

He pulled slowly on his cigarette.

"I raised you as mine, didn't I? No one forced that 
on me, it was my decision. I am your father."

Andrea leaned back in her chair, not feeling as 
comforted as she had imagined she would.

"Why? Why was I taken from them?"

"You were given to us, to contribute to the cause. 
You had and still have vast potential."

"I see," she sighed. "I have to tell you that I feel 
completely betrayed. I've suddenly found out that my 
life was a complete lie!"

"Nonsense," he remonstrated, lighting another 
cigarette. "Your life is what I, at first, and later 
you, made it. You are who you have always been...a 
soldier and contributor to the cause."

"What about Mulder?"

"What about him? He fails to see the importance of 
our work...he blindly pursues a justice that will kill 
us all."

"He's my brother. Part of the reason he's like he is, 
is because of me!"

Cancerman stamped out his cigarette, twisting out the 
flame.

"I don't think so. He made his choices. It's been 
twenty years. He could have chosen to get on with his 
life. Like the rest of us."

Andrea stared off into space, not really convinced, 
but knowing this was the best she was going to get. 
She could already feel him growing cooler, losing 
patience with the conversation.

"Perhaps you're right."

He nodded, serene, convinced of her surrender.

"Of course I am. Was there anything else?

Andrea ran her hand over her face, trying to ease the 
tension.

"No," she whispered, and then continued, still 
quietly, "I suppose I should ask for new orders."

"We'll talk more about that later," he dismissed. 
"And Andrea? Don't betray the trust you've been given 
here again."

She looked up into his eyes, shivering at the coldness 
she saw there.

"I won't."

He smiled without emotion.

"Good. That's all I wanted to hear. You're tired. 
You should get some rest."

"Yes, I believe I will do that," she agreed 
obediently, standing and moving to leave, still 
troubled. 

Cancerman watched her go, unmoved.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

END PART 3

FINAL TRUTHS (4/8)

PART 4

For Information See Header in Part 1...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Alex stood outside the door to Andrea's quarters 
within the Consortium stronghold and knocked firmly. 
Inside, Andrea sat staring into space, but the loud 
rapping brought her back to reality.

"Come in..." she called.

Krycek walked in and stared down at his love.

"Well, well...look who's home..."

Andrea stood suddenly, glaring at him and on guard.

"What do you want?" she inquired, and though her eyes 
were bright with indignation, her voice sounded dead.

Alex smiled sadly, sensing her hurt and despair.

"Is that anyway to greet me? What do you want me to 
want?" he asked softly, wondering why everyone he had 
met in the Mulder family insisted on asking him that 
with such venom. 

Andrea's mouth tightened; she didn't want to be 
reminded of her feelings for him.

"Shouldn't you still be in Washington?"

Krycek smirked.

"I am definitely not Mulder's type," he joked, 
referring to their abandoned assignment, as he sat 
down in the chair next to her couch. "C'mon, Andrea. 
You're a professional who knows this place inside out. 
All I'm suggesting is that you let me take you out to 
lunch to relax for a little."

Andrea glanced down, nodding, "Okay."

"Good, let's go," Alex encouraged, stroking her cheek 
gently, trying to reassure her. "Trust me..."

She pulled back from his hand, her glance sharpening.

"I did that already." 

She glared up at him and he could easily read the 
barely controlled anger behind her defeated 
appearance. He sighed, suddenly tired.

"Are you going to tell me I betrayed you too?"

"How long did you know before you told me?" she 
countered, raising an eyebrow.

Alex stared intently at her, trying to gauge her 
willingness to listen, his own emotions blazing 
unconcealed from the sea of his eyes.

"I've known for quite awhile, actually...I wanted you 
to see past some smaller lies first...so it wouldn't 
be such a shock."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Look, let's not discuss 
this here...we'll continue, when we get to the 
restaurant."

Krycek shrugged, recognizing mannerisms similar to her 
brother's that stated she didn't want to be argued 
with.

"All right."

Andrea grabbed her coat and led the way out to her 
car, Krycek following silently. She got into the 
passenger's side of the car and waited for him, 
putting her keys into the ignition. Alex climbed in, 
adjusting the seat for his much longer frame, and 
started the engine.

As soon as the car started to move, Andrea resumed 
speaking in a friendlier tone.

"I haven't had a chance to check my quarters for 
bugs...and right now I wouldn't trust it," she 
explained.

Krycek smiled assuringly.

"Yeah, I know. I was trying to be careful."

Andrea shook her head.

"You didn't do a great job at it then."

Krycek shrugged, unconcerned.

"He doesn't trust me anyway...We have a very uneasy 
truce that's preventing a bloodbath on both our 
parts," he admitted candidly.

Andrea stared out the window at the passing scenery, 
not wanting to hear of the hate that existed between 
the man she loved and the only father she could 
consciously recall.

"I refuse to be the reason that your situation erupts 
into violence, Alex."

Alex entered a public park that had paths for cars, 
where you could drive and enjoy the scenery. He knew 
the car wasn't bugged and following the meandering paths 
would give them a chance to talk.

"Andrea," Alex husked, knowing he had to change the 
subject. "Look, I'm sorry. I couldn't just blurt out 
the truth without any evidence to give you and no 
forewarning. And...you've been so devoted to the 
cause and to *him* that I wasn't sure you'd care."

"And you think I do now?" she demanded sharply, 
glaring at him now.

"I hope so...I think so. The arrogant Ms. Spender I 
first met on this case might not have, but the Andrea 
that I watched over when she had bad dreams, that I 
held in my arms, and that ran from a 
photograph...yeah, I think she cares."

Andrea closed her eyes, turning from him, not wanting 
to hear that.

"Andrea? Don't let that tar-sucking monster make you 
something less than human...not even in the name of 
saving humanity."

"I am who I have made myself to be...I have made my 
choices. And this is the life I have chosen...the 
cause I have sworn to protect!"

Alex winced, becoming quiet, and feeling a bit 
ashamed. He remembered too clearly his own, misplaced 
trust in the old man and his dedication to a cause he 
had not understood.

"I understand that all too well, but I've learned some 
hard lessons. I was possessed by one of the aliens 
we're collaborating with...it was..." he gulped, 
trying not to allow the memory to take over, "an eye-
opener."

She looked at him, intrigued and horrified. She had 
never heard this before.

"What happened?"

"It used me to get back to its ship. I was in a 
bathroom in a Hong Kong airport. A woman walked in 
and attacked me. The next thing I knew, I was in an 
abandoned missile silo with oil running out of my 
mouth, my ears, my nose, and even my eyes. It 
was...horrible. I'd been locked in there...alone 
except for this alien thing...to die. By your 
father."

"He wouldn't..." she broke off, staring out the 
window, contemplating just what her father *would* do.

Krycek smiled sharply.

"You see? I've done some pretty harsh things for the 
cause."

"I suppose he would do anything in the name of the 
"cause"...but...this doesn't excuse the fact that you 
lied to me for so long, Alex."

"It's not meant to. Like I said, I just wanted to 
ease you into it. I didn't want it to be the painful 
shock you experienced. I wanted to get you used to 
the idea that some of your ideas, like about your 
father and Mulder, were wrong."

"Speaking of...where is Mulder?"

"I didn't make excuses or apologies to Mulder and I'm 
not going to make any to you. I think he's checking 
out some sources of his. Probably getting information 
on you."

"I can get him the proof he needs..if he wants it."

Her mouth thinned again. She was still unsure where 
she was headed with all of this...and still angry at 
Krycek. He smiled ruefully.

"Oh, he believes. He hesitates over it, but deep 
down, he knows the truth has finally come out..." he 
assured her, then smiled sadly. "He's found his holy 
grail..."

"So, what will he do now?"

"What he's always done...keep looking for you in an 
attempt to return you to his and his mother's sides. 
I told you, finding out you're alive would only focus 
his determination."

"I can't do that."

"No? What has the cause got to do with your personal 
life?"

"They'll never allow it...you know that. *He* will 
never allow it."

Krycek smirked, answering, "I'm living proof that they 
don't have absolute control, Andrea. Have you asked?"

"He would kill me before he would let me go to 
them," she insisted, then muttered, "I did ask, sort 
of..."

She paused, realizing for the first time, just how 
true those works probably were. The man she 
considered her father *would* kill her, before he 
allowed anyone else near her. She watched Krycek's 
features go blank and hard, recognizing his killing 
look.

"Not very fatherly of him. I don't think I could 
allow that."

"Alex, don't put yourself up against him. It isn't 
worth it."

Alex's cold, green eyes focused on her intently and 
his gaze became warmer, though no less dangerous.

"You are. And I've been up against him since I saw 
the blinking clock sign warning me the car was going 
to blow up."

Andrea looked into his eyes, just as intently, then 
looked away.

"Dammit!! Why did you have to do this to me?!?"

"For your sake. For Mulder's," he answered calmly.

"I won't go against the Consortium."

"I never said you should...the Consortium's goal is to 
save humanity...but it's methods may be changing."

"I don't know what you mean."

"The conspiracy is breaking apart. There are factions 
developing. Some want to continue to 
collaborate...others want to join the rebel aliens. 
Resistance is becoming possible. We may not have to 
serve."

Andrea shook her head.

"No. I've served them my whole life...I can't change 
that now."

"You want to be a toady for a conquering race set on 
enslaving all of humanity?"

"That's not what we're fighting for!"

Alex glanced sideways at her.

"Yes, Andrea, it is. A few men like your father will 
have relatively easy and secure lives. The rest of 
humanity will be turned into clones and used as cheap 
labor. That was the bargain the old men made in an 
attempt to preserve humanity."

"You don't know that," she protested, not wanting to 
accept it, shaking her head and looking at him as if 
he were nuts.

Krycek sighed, knowing he had to make her face some 
hard truths.

"Of course I do. I've seen these things, Andrea. I've 
seen what we're accomplishing."

"Then why haven't *I* ever seen it? I think I'm smart 
enough to notice these things...don't you?"

"I've been possessed by one of the aliens and I know 
exactly what it thought about me and humans. You 
never went on the run, struggling to survive...looking 
for bargaining chips."

"So far, I haven't ever had to. I've never betrayed 
them..." 

She drifted off leaving another "so far" hanging 
unspoken between them.

"And, you had a *father* to protect you and redirect 
your attention."

"Are you saying I just allowed myself to be 
manipulated like a puppet?" she demanded, her anger 
coming out again.

"I never betrayed them, until they betrayed me first," 
he reminded her, then spoke assuringly, "No. I'm not 
saying that. You were raised in the Consortium. You 
never had any reason to question the loyalty or 
affection of the smoker. He's careful, Andrea. He's 
a master player."

"You should have seen his eyes...so cold, unfeeling. 
I never noticed that before. He doesn't look on me as 
his daughter, just as a means to an end. I just don't 
know what that is yet."

Krycek grimaced.

"All killer's develop that look sooner or later. I've 
seen it in the mirror a few times...it's unsettling. 
Yet look how easily you set out to drive an innocent 
man over the edge of insanity."

Andrea closed her eyes in pain at the memory. She'd 
given no thought, no compassion to the man she had 
planned to ruin.

"Yes, all because of loyalty to a man I thought loved 
me."

Alex gazed calmly, almost reassuringly, at her.

"All because you thought you were helping save the 
world."

Andrea studied him, smiling just slightly, wanting so 
badly to believe him and his assurances.

"I need to see Mulder."

Alex nodded, relieved that he didn't have to convince 
her.

"I can arrange that from the restaurant."

"All right," she agreed, feeling the beginnings of 
peace.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Mulder entered the private dining room that Alex had 
commandeered. His eyes were dark with concern. 
Krycek placed his hand on Andrea's and nodded at 
Mulder.

"Mulder," he greeted.

Andrea bit her lower lip and gave Mulder a small 
smile, obviously nervous. She didn't acknowledge 
Alex's hand, not quite sure if she was still mad at 
him or not.

"Andrea," Mulder addressed her hesitantly, "I...I know 
this is hard on you."

She nodded.

"It is, but...I'll survive," she allowed, but then 
muttered, "maybe."

Mulder flinched visibly, deep pain evident in his 
eyes. Krycek squeezed her hand, a little ungently. 
Andrea sighed, glancing at Krycek, then back to 
Mulder.

"Why don't we sit...and talk?"

Mulder nodded slowly.

"I saw the DNA proof. Um, here," he offered, fumbling 
in his coat and drawing out a photo of their mother. 
"I thought, well, I thought you might like to have 
this."

Andrea reached out and took the picture, her hand 
visibly shaking as she took it and sat back down. 
Krycek shifted uneasily.

"I, uh, told Andrea what we know about the Consortium 
and it's goals...and about the rebels."	

Andrea sat in her chair, just looking at the picture, 
biting at her lower lip. The woman was the mother 
from her dreams, older now, with short, silver hair, 
rather than long, brown tresses. Still, it was her. 
Just as the boy in her dream was the boy in the photo 
Alex had shown her. But, except for dreams, she could 
not recall her. Andrea couldn't remember calling her, 
or any other woman, mother.

"Andrea," Mulder pleaded. "Please say something. 
Did, did he, your, uh, *father*...he didn't hurt you 
did he?"

Andrea's eyes flew up, surprised at his suspicion, her 
eyes sad, and shook her head.

"Not physically, no."

Mulder looked extremely relieved.

"Good, that's good. Um, please, tell me about 
yourself. Where were you taken? Where did you go to 
school?"

"I don't remember much of anything from before I was 
about nine. I was placed in a girl's boarding school 
in Europe for a while and then I was brought over here 
when I hit fifteen...to another private boarding 
school. Then I went on to Harvard. Not much to tell, 
I suppose."

Mulder felt a flush of pure, hot anger at the cold 
upbringing she had received. His own hadn't been 
great after Samantha disappeared, but at least he 
hadn't been shipped off. He'd had a mother to come 
home to.

"So, he didn't really raise you."

She shook her head, startled by his anger.

"He was there...off and on...but, his job..kept him 
traveling. I was always told that he was saving the 
world...and...I believed him," she explained, then 
muttered, "Stupid, I suppose."

Mulder shook his head, a tender smile on his lips. 

"No, just terribly young and misled by someone you 
trusted."

"I honestly thought he was my father," she sighed. "I 
believe that right after they took me, they did some 
brainwashing before placing me in the Boarding 
School."

Krycek nodded.

"Oh, yeah, almost definitely. Along with DNA tests and 
who knows what else. I mean, you went missing when 
you were eight and can't remember anything before you 
were nine."

"Lost time," Mulder mumbled.

Andrea looked at Krycek and nodded. 

"Yes...and, I honestly thought that the things I saw 
happening could never happen to me."

Mulder smiled sadly.

"Yeah, we all think that..."

"Tell me what happened...please?"

Mulder nodded, sighing deeply.

"I thought, I still think, that you were abducted by 
aliens. Probably the same beings that your *father* 
collaborates with..."

Andrea nodded, agreeing, "Probably."

"We were arguing about what to watch on TV. We'd been 
playing Stratego. Suddenly there was this bright 
light and I couldn't move. You floated away. We never 
talked about you. It drove us all apart. Mom and Dad 
divorced," he broke off briefly to glare at Krycek. 
"He died two years ago."

Andrea glanced back and forth between the two, not 
knowing what was going on between them.

"Died? How..."

"He was murdered. I can't prove who did it, though I 
have my suspicions," he growled, staring hard at 
Krycek.

Andrea glanced up at her lover.

"Alex?"

Krycek sighed.

"I didn't kill him. I was supposed to warn him not to 
talk to you. I was hiding in the shower and the 
bullet came from the window!" he explained, staring 
blandly back at Mulder. "I'm not responsible for 
everything that goes wrong in your life, Mulder."

Andrea sighed in relief, not wanting any more reasons 
to be mad at Alex.

"Alex thinks I need to spend some time with you 
and...our mother. I'm almost afraid to do that."

Mulder reached across the table and held her hand.

"But you don't have to be afraid of anything anymore. 
You're not alone! I know you need time to adjust, but 
I need you to know that I am always there for you! I 
always have been," he vowed, smiling sadly. "I just 
couldn't find you."

"You're right...I do need time to adjust. I'm so 
confused right now. I don't even know what to 
believe."

Andrea looked down at their joined hands, letting him 
hold hers, but not returning the hold. Mulder started 
to speak, but stopped, not sure what he could say.

"He's already basically told me that he wouldn't just 
let me go, without actually saying so, that is."

"Andrea, I know you must...care...about him. But I 
have to make him pay! Not just for taking you away, 
but for all of the people he has cruelly murdered and 
destroyed...for betraying the human race for his own 
ends," Mulder stopped, abruptly, not wanting to hurt 
her. "I'm sorry, but that's how I feel. He's hurt me 
too much"

Andrea closed her eyes and sighed.

"He isn't the only one guilty of all that and I'm not 
completely sure I believe in all of what I've been 
told...the Consortium...I thought we were trying to 
save humanity...not destroy it."

"I know better...I've seen what these people do. Why 
do you think they want to dispose of me? I've seen 
the truth...I just can't prove it. The Consortium 
seeks to enslave humanity to an alien race, securing 
positions of power for themselves..."

"I told her some of what I had seen," Krycek 
interjected. "Take it slow, Mulder. She 
was...protected."

Andrea stood abruptly, moving back and forth, pacing.

"I can't just...turn against them."

"I told you, Andrea," Krycek reminded her, "you don't 
have to betray the Consortium."

Mulder glared hard at Krycek.

"Yeah, Krycek, we know how deep you are in with them."

Andrea stopped her pacing to glare at Mulder.

"Will you stop it?" she snapped, a bit irritated at 
having to deal with their animosity at that moment.

Mulder looked up from his chair with an expression of 
hurt innocence.

"What? Why is it my fault?"

She raised her eyebrow.

"I believe because you are the only one throwing 
around nasty comments and looks at the moment."

"Well, if you had to put up with the same stuff from 
him that I do, you wouldn't like him either," Mulder 
grumbled, then accused, "He handed Scully over to be 
abducted!"

Andrea put up a hand.

"I'm not prepared to get into that right now."

Mulder sighed, knowing his sister did not need any 
more problems to work through.

"Okay, I'll ignore him..."

"For him, that's an improvement," Krycek offered, 
sardonically.

"Alex, you too," Andrea warned.

He smiled with disarming charm.

"Sure."

Andrea returned her attention to Mulder.

"Look, right now I need to go back, do my job, and 
figure some things out...check on a few things and 
decide where I am with all of this."

Mulder nodded, not wanting to see her go, but willing 
to do what was best for her.

"I know, but please, think about things and look into 
what's happening...and...try not to hurt anyone, ok? 
Try to protect the innocent," he pleaded.

Andrea lifted her chin at that.

"I never felt I was hurting anyone who was innocent. 
That's where the problem lies, isn't it? Everyone has 
a different definition of innocent."

Mulder sighed, saddened and disappointed by the 
coolness of her response.

"My definition of innocent is anyone who has not been 
convicted of a crime after being given a fair trial in 
a court of law. These men hurt innocent children, 
Andrea. They abduct housewives and teenagers. I've 
seen that myself."

Andrea shook her head, horrified by the claim.

"I won't believe that until I have proof."

"I understand that. I've been trying to get proof and 
I'll find a way to get you what little I do have."

She nodded.

"I'd appreciate that. I've already been caught 
snooping once. I don't think they'll take too kindly 
to it again."

Mulder paled a little.

"Be very careful, Andrea. These men wouldn't hesitate 
to kill you. Dad was one of them once and they didn't 
hesitate..."

She nodded sharply.

"I know."

"Don't worry about it, Mulder," Krycek assured him. 
"I'll handle the Consortium. You just worry about 
your...personal relationship."

Andrea sat down again next to Alex.

"Thank you, Alex," she whispered, smiling slightly.

Mulder nodded, hesitantly, not wanting to thank 
Krycek, but unwillingly grateful that someone was 
there to watch over his little sister. Andrea ran her 
fingers through her hair.

"I need to get back. They're going to wonder where I 
am and come looking for me soon."

Krycek nodded.

"Plus, we need to find out what our new orders are 
going to be. I may even be able to get us some help. 
Mulder, I'll contact you when I can...if I have 
anything for you."

Mulder nodded, sighing, and looked intently into 
Andrea's eyes.

"Please, be careful."

Andrea smiled slightly, nodding.

"I will."

Mulder got up and left, not wanting to watch his 
sister walking away with Krycek. Andrea sat, staring 
at the table for a few minutes.

"Andrea? Are you ready?"

She look up at him and nodded, pulling out of her 
thoughts.

"Yeah, I am."

Alex smiled gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It'll work out. You'll see. It'll be better than 
either of you imagine...if the right people win the 
game."

Andrea looked at him, wistfully.

"And how can we be sure the right people are winning 
the game?"

Alex smiled, enigmatically.

"Well, I think you need to see some proof, before I 
can answer that question."

"I think you're right."

Krycek smirked.

"Odd admission, coming from a Mulder," Krycek mumbled. 
"Wonders never cease."

"Just get me home...I need some rest."

Alex nodded and led her out the door, guiding her 
gently by the hand. Andrea didn't fight the familiar 
touch, enjoying the feeling. He walked silently to 
the car, sensing she was talked out and needing time 
to adjust.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

END PART 4

FINAL TRUTHS (5/8)

PART 5

For Information see Header in Part 1...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Alex sauntered into Andrea's rooms, his eyes alive
with mischief.

"Andrea. I have a job I want you to help me with."

"Where at? Doing what? Do I have authorization to
leave?" she threw the questions at him with a slight
smile.

Krycek smiled, too, but his expression was oddly
blank.

"You'll see. Yes."

Andrea's brow furrowed as she retorted, "Alex, I am
not just packing up and leaving unless I know what
this is all about."

Krycek frowned, slightly, a little surprised that she
was not cooperating and was willing to talk in her
rooms.

"We're going on a mission, Andrea. To obey orders
like good little soldiers. We're doing a job for my
employer. It's all been cleared and authorized."

"*Your* employer...as opposed to *my* employer?

Andrea stared closely and noticed with trepidation
that he was smiling his cold "killing" smile.

"He is authorized to put you on jobs..."

Andrea nodded.

"Understood...so, cold or warm clothes?"

"Warm. We're going to Nevada."

"Nevada?" she mouthed at him as she moved into her
room to pack.

Krycek nodded, smiling sharply. Andrea quickly packed
a small bag and rejoined him in her living area.

"I'm ready."

Krycek turned back to her from the window, smiling.

"Well, I guess I should tell you what our mission
is..."

Andrea smiled and glanced over at him as she moved out
the door.

"It would be nice. You come in and whisk me away
saying we are going to Nevada. You're going to make
me think you're going to try to get me to marry you in
Vegas."

She grinned at her joke, watching for his reaction.
Krycek laughed, making Andrea stare, briefly. The
laugh was the most genuine sound imaginable. His
amusement shone from his eyes, turning them the color
of summer grass; it made him look young.

"Hey, if I thought I could get away with it, you'd be
in trouble. Unfortunately, this is official
business."

"All right," she gave a mock sigh. "What is it then?"

"We're going to retrieve a file on Samantha Mulder.
Fox has been causing problems and violence and
forceful coercion has't worked. So, my employer
decided it's time to use a carrot instead."

Andrea gazed over at him with a thoughtful smile.

"But that means we'll have a chance to read it...and
it might have some information in it that we don't
have already. And they think this file will help, eh?
Somehow, I wouldn't bet on it."

Krycek smiled.

"That's right...my employer wants to offer the file in
exchange for his helping the rebels. Plus, he
suspects that your father is keeping secrets from the
rest of the Consortium. He wants to know what
happened to Samantha Mulder."

They drove in peaceful silence to the airport, both of
them wanting to be somewhere that was relatively safe
from bugs, before discussing their mission in depth.
Once they were safely in their seats, Andrea asked a
question that was bothering her.

"How did you manage to get me in on this assignment,
considering who he believes I am? What if the file
divulges my real identity?"

Krycek sighed, not sure how to explain.

"I'm not sure why he allowed it...he's sort of been a
mentor to me, so maybe he's trying to show that he
trusts me. And...I think we can trust him with your
identity, considering how he wants to use it...to
unite you with your brother. The knowledge could
really hurt Spender's standing in the Consortium."

Andrea glanced at him sharply, her hidden anger coming
out a bit.

"Don't you think I should be the one to make that
decision? You have a funny way of taking that
information and using it for your own purposes, when
and where you will, you know."

Krycek glanced at her.

"Maybe you're right. I'm sorry, Andrea, but I've been
this way for a long time, using whatever scraps I
could to survive. It's defined my life, but...I'm
trying to be respectful of your wishes and use the
information in ways you would want...well, mostly, anyway. 
I agree with Mulder. Spender's got to pay...I owe him."


Andrea's eyes darkened at the mention of her "father"
and his crimes.

"I believe I get first dibs on that right now. As for
revealing who I am...that will come in time. But I'm
not ready to make that decision right now, okay?"

Krycek nodded, understanding.

"You're absolutely right. Andrea, we're not talking
about a general announcement. The knowledge will be
kept to my patron, me, and Mulder. My employer
emphasized that himself. In fact, I think he already
suspects...our mission ended rather suspiciously."

"Yeah, I suppose it did," she agreed, glancing out of the
window at the clouds.

"I know that, but I will decide when and where it will 
be divulged and to whom."

"No one's rushing you to admit it to anyone. The only
people who are likely to find out either already know
or strongly suspect."

"I know that, but I'm still coming to terms with it
all. How can I expect anyone else to accept it yet?"

"Never mind anyone else, Andrea. Let them deal with
it or not. Who cares? You and Mulder know the truth
and that's all that matters! Anything else is just
business."

Andrea looked at him, a wry smile twisting her lips.

"I know," she agreed, dryly, and then paused. "You
know, I haven't totally forgiven you for hiding this
from me for so long."

Krycek sighed, a tired and exasperated sound.

"You damn Mulder's never forgive me for anything!"

Andrea smiled with sympathetic understanding and laid
her hand on his arm.

"That doesn't mean I won't. It just means I'm still
angry that you didn't tell when you first found out
about it...regardless of how much you felt you were
protecting me."

Krycek smiled, a softer expression coming to his eyes,
and he laid his hand on top of hers.

"You'll forgive me eventually? That's different. I'm
sorry...I didn't do it because I don't have a high
opinion of you...I just...you didn't have any reason
to believe me..."

Andrea nodded, remembering their early relationship.

"I know, but I should have been given the choice of
believing you or not."

"Okay, I can understand that," he agreed, then smiled
charmingly, with a sweetness that was perhaps too sincere.

"I'm sorry, Andrea."

She squeezed his arm lightly, not at all fooled by the
show of repentance.

"I know."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Krycek paced up and down in front of the terminal
gates, trying to burn off his nervous energy.
Mulder's flight was just arriving and Krycek knew he
was going to be furious. Krycek was so busy worrying
and fuming that he didn't see Mulder coming. Mulder
stared; he knew Krycek and he was not the type to pace
or fidget. Those tendencies had been burnt out of the
rat by the rigors of his job. Blinking away his
surprise, Mulder approached Krycek, who stopped his
pacing once he spotted Mulder. Krycek stood up
straight, preparing himself for what he knew was an
inevitable confrontation.

"Mulder."

"Krycek...what's going on? You said there was a
problem with Andrea. What happened?"

Krycek took a deep breath.

"She's disappeared. Directly from her hotel room;
though there is no exact proof of that fact."

Mulder growled low in his throat, a horrible suspicion
growing as he recognized what Krycek was describing.

"What? Exactly what are you telling me, Krycek?"

"Mulder, calm down," Scully advised. "Let's go to the
hotel room and look around."

She turned to Krycek, her expression cool, but calm,
with one eyebrow raised.

"Are you sure she didn't get mad at something and go
home? She's been under a lot of stress."

"I'm telling you that she is gone...she went into her
room and an hour later was gone," Krycek insisted,
appearing agitated as well. "I called you
asap...figured both of us could find her easier than
just one. No, Scully. We were sharing a two bedroom
suite. She was exhausted and went to bed early. I
stayed up reading in the living area. I heard
something in her room, went to look in on her, and
couldn't find her. She was nowhere to be found."

"She's gone again," Mulder mourned, sounding sick and
in despair. "I just got her back and she's gone. Why
weren't you protecting her?"

"I did my best, Mulder. I can't be with her 24/7!
Believe me, if I could, I would."

"Mulder, calm down. We'll find her," Scully soothed,
running her hand lightly up and down his arm.

"I'm sorry. You just...neither of you can really
understand. I want to see the hotel room," Mulder
requested.

Krycek nodded.

"That's where I figured we would go first."

Scully nodded firmly.

"Let's go. What were you doing in Nevada, Krycek?"

Krycek glowered at Mulder. He didn't understand.
He'd just lost the woman he loved, but he refrained
from speaking, knowing that now was not a good time to
antagonize the federal agent. He jerked his head
towards the exit, indicating for them to follow.

"We were sent here to find some files," he explained
briefly, moving towards the exit and his waiting
rental car.

Mulder glanced sharply at him.

"What files?"

"I can't go into that just yet, Mulder...but, soon."

Mulder slowed his pace, so Krycek stopped, turning to
face him.

"Listen, Ratboy, if we're going to work together, I
expect honesty. You and your Consortium secrets have
cost me and Scully to much already."

Krycek held Mulder's gaze steadily, ignoring the small
trickle of guilt that Mulder's words created.

"You have my honesty in this, Mulder. But right now,
the identity of those files doesn't have any bearing
on what is going on, so we can discuss them later.
I'm sure you'll get a chance to look them over."

"Anything connected to the Consortium is our business,
since it might help us bring these men to justice for
innumerable crimes," Scully disagreed.

"Let's just get in the car and get out of here, shall
we?" he inquired, glancing over his shoulder. "We can
go into specifics later."

"Damn rat," Mulder muttered, following angrily, "can't
answer a simple question without double talk and
secrets."

Scully stared in disapproval at Krycek and walked with
one hand on Mulder's arm, hoping that this encounter
wouldn't dissolve into violence as past encounters
had.

"Get in the car, Mulder," Krycek commanded firmly,
opening up the driver's side door and looking over at
him. He glanced past Mulder's shoulder at the airport
crowd. "You, too, Scully."

Mulder glared with icy sullenness, but obeyed, getting
into the back seat. Scully climbed in next to him.

Krycek watched the street in the rear view mirror,
noticing the men following him quickly get into a car
and follow. Mulder noticed the movements of Krycek's
eyes.

"Who's back there?"

"A couple of faces that I just realized I've seen too
much of since being here."

Krycek sped up as he left the airport proper and moved
onto the Vegas streets. He watched as the car behind
them sped up as well, swerving around cars to catch up
with them.

"Ever get tired of the 007 lifestyle and just want to
be a janitor, Krycek?" Mulder deadpanned with his
unique humor.

"Tried that already. They said I was overqualified,"
Krycek claimed, grinning evilly back at Mulder.

"Too much competition for the other rats, Krycek?"

Krycek glared at Mulder, not answering, and swerved
abruptly into the other lane, causing Mulder to lose
his balance in his seat.

"Sorry about that, Mulder. I didn't mean to do that."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Alex opened the door to his apartment and stepped
inside before turning the light on.

"What the...?!?" he exclaimed, angrily, pulling out
his gun.

The suite was completely trashed, with furniture
strewn everywhere and torn up. Clothing had been
thrown every which way.

"Looks like some cats came by to play with you,
Krycek," Mulder observed with dark humor.

"Later, Mulder," Scully interrupted. "Krycek, were
they looking for the files?"

"Probably, yeah," Krycek confirmed, grimly. "This has
to be Spender's doing...he wouldn't want those files
to get into the wrong hands."

"I thought the Consortium had arranged for you to
retrieve the files."

"That wouldn't stop that tar-sucking s.o.b.," Mulder
stated.

Krycek glanced at Mulder, glad that Mulder's anger was
directed at Cancerman, at least for the moment.

"Exactly."

Krycek moved to check out the apartment to make sure
no one was still there. Scully shook her head in
disapproval, as she examined the destruction.

"So much for honor among thieves," she mumbled.

Mulder searched the other rooms, his gun drawn, but
held loosely. His eyes scanned for signs of forced
entry or other clues. Krycek stepped back out into
the living area.

"It's clear. A shame they didn't get what they were
after."

Scully stared at him, her eyebrows raised.

"You still have the file?

Krycek nodded with satisfaction.

"I wasn't stupid enough to leave it here."

"I want to see it!" Mulder demanded.

"I don't have it here or on me."

Mulder sneered, "Figures. Where is it, Krycek? In
your jacket? At the airport?"

"Something like that," he evaded, not wanting to say
too much for fear the apartment was now bugged.

"We'll worry about that later," Scully intervened.
"Right now, we need to focus on locating Ms.
Spender."

Mulder winced at the use of that name.

Alex moved into one of the bedrooms.

"This is where Andrea was...not that any evidence is
left now," he mused angrily.

Krycek looked around, frustrated, at the trashed room.
Mulder moved past him and spoke in an odd tone that
mixed genuine sympathy with slightly bitter mocking.

"C'mon, Krycek. You know FBI procedure, how to
investigate a crime scene. Let's do this."

Krycek nodded, shunting aside his personal feelings to
focus on the work that needed to be done. Placing his gun
in the holster, he moved towards the window. Mulder
noted the open window and the bubbling of the paint
around the window frame. Krycek glanced up at Mulder,
wanting his reaction.

"So?"

"Think about it, Krycek! What could be hot enough all
the way up here to melt this paint. I bet she was
taken in a ship."

"Yeah, which means Spender was definitely involved,"
Krycek affirmed, a murderous look in his eyes.

"Don't you dare do anything to him, Ratboy. I've got
dibs."

Alex looked at Mulder, a twisted expression of amused
sadness giving him a haunted appearance.

"Unfortunately, Andrea claimed that right not too long
ago. Let's hope we find her so she has her chance to
fulfill it."

Mulder's eyes softened.

"Okay, yeah, I'll give up my claim for her...but you
behave yourself, Krycek. Now, where would he take
her?"

"Not back to the compound...I know that much."

Scully entered the room, having examined other areas
of the suite.

"Is there only one compound? Might there be some in
other countries? Like Consortium embassies?"

Krycek nodded.

"There are, but that would be too obvious. He may
have taken her up to Nellis...perhaps to 51."

"That depends," Scully argued. "If there are a lot of
them, it would take some time to check them...long
enough for him to *re-educate* her. And how much
access do you reasonably have to the other compounds?
It might look odd if you suddenly showed up in
Australia."

"I only have access to five compounds here and in
Europe...which is more than most people have."

"Bully for you, Ratboy. I see you're moving up in the
*new world order*," Mulder mocked.

Krycek glared, but didn't respond to the taunt.

"The fact is, if they took her by ship, the logical
beginning place would be Area 51 up near
Nellis...where they took her from there, I'm not
sure."

Scully shot Mulder a warning glance, then continued.

"Then we can probably eliminate the five compounds you
have access to, but we need to check the others. And
don't forget Hampton, VA, where that mass abduction
took place...she might even be in North Dakota. They
were hiding something there."

Alex nodded.

"She could be anywhere. I'm going to go back to the
compound and see if we can't get some help in locating
her."

"Exactly. These are government men who have her and
they have plenty of resources. We need to get in
touch with some of ours."

"I will take care of things on my end and get back
to you once I know more."

"That's fine. Mulder and I will return to Washington.
Do you have a secure number where we can reach you?"

Mulder wanted to argue, wanted to tear the country
apart until they found his sister, but kept quiet,
knowing Scully was right.

"Yes, my cell," Krycek confirmed, handing them his
business card. "It's the safest of all phones...more
secure."

Scully took the card and slipped it in her purse.

"Thank you."

Mulder also nodded a brief acknowledgement, before
following Scully out of the apartment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Krycek walked into his patron's office, a large file
in his hand. The British gentleman looked up, pleased
to see his young protoge.

"Ah, Alex, I see the mission was successful. Please
sit down."

Krycek couldn't keep the grim anxiety he felt from
reaching his expression; he sat down as indicated.

"Thank you," he stated, handing over the file.

The Brit studied Alex for a moment, noting the
hardness in his eyes and the unhappy cast of his face.

"What is wrong?" he prodded gently, taking the file
and setting it on his desk, giving Alex his attention.

"We have a problem. The mission didn't go off without
a hitch. Andrea was abducted while we were there.
And our apartment was ransacked."

The old man's eyebrows rose with aristocratic
coolness.

"Abducted? You don't mean merely taken or kidnapped,"
he intoned, his words matter of fact; he was not
guessing.

"No, I don't. All evidence points to alien involvement."

"I see...if you are correct, and I don't doubt you,
then someone in our...association...has seriously
overstepped some boundaries."

"I'm quite sure I know who it was."

The well-manicured man came out from behind the desk
and stood close to Alex. Although he stood over him,
there was no sense of looming or intimidation. There
was in his stance a feeling almost of protection. The
Brit rested a gentle hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Don't act prematurely, Alex. Our associate still has
friends. And you've been with me long enough to know
there are more satisfying ways to revenge than a
bullet in someone's skull!"

Alex gazed respectfully up at his mentor.

"I know, but if he has hurt her in anyway...I'll kill
him."

The gentleman smiled ruefully.

"I had no idea the two of you were so close. You
weren't this protective of Cardinal!"

Krycek nodded.

"Very true. But, things are different with Andrea.
She and I work well together."

The Brit smiled, amused, wondering if Alex thought him
too old to recognize the signs of romance.

"That doesn't appear to be all, Alex. After all,
you've only been on two assignments together."

Alex took a deep breath, wondering why he'd thought he
could conceal anything from those sharp, old eyes.

"She means a lot to me," he admitted, hoping *this*
old man wouldn't see such sentiment as weakness.

His patron's eyebrows raised.

"I see...and why do you suppose our associate decided
to have her taken? He doesn't usually waste resources
on mere pettiness."

"Re-education. He was worried she was going to leave
the Consortium," Krycek evaded, doing his best to
honor Andrea's wish and not tell who she was.

The Brit frowned.

"Why would he think that? You're still part of the
Consortium despite the...tension...between the two of
you. He doesn't suspect you of anything, does he?"

Krycek shook his head.

"No...nothing."

The Brit gave a sigh of relief.

"Good...very good, Alex. And your current intentions
are?"

Alex knew he now had to be completely honest. He
needed this man's help and the information was in the
files anyway.

"She recently became aware of the fact that she isn't
Andrea Spender," he clarified.

His patron's eyebrows again went up, this time in
genuine surprise.

"Oh, isn't she?"

"She's actually Samantha Mulder."

The Brit's look of surprise faded quickly.

"You are quite sure of that?"

Krycek nodded, continuing, "Quite sure...there's DNA
evidence to prove it and, if we intend to get Mulder's
help, then we should help him find her again."

Alex watched as a rare hint of anger came into the old
man's eyes.

"The fool. That damned, arrogant fool," he snarled,
then he took a deep breath.

His thin lips thinned at his own burst of temper and
he smiled, the expression a bit shaky.

"Mulder knows, then? Well, you're right, Alex.
Helping him recover his sister would definitely
elevate us in Agent Mulder's opinions..."

Alex nodded, respectfully ignoring the Brit's
momentary loss of control.

"Agreed. So, I figured we could employ some of our
resources in finding her."

The old man gazed skeptically at his student.

"That would have to be done very cautiously, indeed.
Lest we risk our own standing in the group."

"Let me do it. I can move about more freely and have
already been seen working against Mulder...if I work
it right, no one will know what I am doing."

The Brit stared thoughtfully, considering.

"That could put you at some risk, Alex...I'm not sure
it'd be a good idea right now. Spender really would
like a second chance at finishing you."

Alex took a deep breath, unwilling to offend this man,
but also unwilling to back down.

"Whether authorized or not...I will find her. And in
the process take care of Spender, if given the
chance," Alex insisted, glowering angrily, remembering
missed opportunities to remove his former boss.

The Brit frowned, not angry, but needing to remind
Alex who was in charge.

"I don't think that is very helpful, Alex. The last
time you took on Spender outside the Consortium, you
ended up buried alive in a missile silo."

Krycek breathed deeply, again, trying to fight a
sudden panic.

"I can't just leave her...I won't."

His patron's eyes softened.

"I said nothing about abandoning the lady to her own
resources, Alex," the Brit clarified, in tones of soft
reproach. "I merely was saying that you cannot turn
this into a personal crusade and neglect all
else...including your own safety."

Krycek sighed.

"I know you didn't mean that. It's just..." Alex
broke off, not able to say anymore, overwhelmed with
worry.

Alex's mentor smiled softly, pleased with this
evidence that the Smoker had failed to erase Alex's
humanity.

"I think your original idea was best. You won't look
for her yourself, but will provide Agent Mulder with
any help you can...I think we'll be able to provide
him with enough resources to enable him to find her."

Alex's eyes hardened. He wasn't happy with that, but
he nodded slowly in acknowledgement.

"Perhaps later, when it's not on everyone's minds,
you'll be able to risk a personal search," the Brit
amended, hoping to appease the young man. He smiled
comfortingly. "Go and get some rest, Alex. You look
tired..."

Alex stood and motioned to the file.

"That file has some interesting information. It
should enlighten you to a few things," he offered, 
then turned and moved towards the door.

"I'm sure it will...and Alex?"

Alex paused, turning to meet his mentor's steady gaze.

"You will have revenge...for everything."

Krycek nodded, smiling a little.

"I hope so."

~*~*~*~*~*~*

END PART 5


FINAL TRUTHS (6/8)

PART 6

For Information see Header in Part 1...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Krycek pulled out his cell phone, a slight tremble to 
his fingers. Rage burned through him like a fever, as 
he hit autodial to Mulder's phone. 

At the other end, Mulder picked up.

"Mulder."

"Hey...have you found anything out yet?"

"Not much. No one's seen or heard anything."


"I heard a few things from Spender earlier today. I 
think I was meant to overhear," he grated, his voice 
getting dark and angry.

Mulder gripped the phone tighter, but kept his tone 
cool, replying, "Well, we know he has her..."

"Exactly. He basically confirmed he knew where she 
was...and that she is pregnant. Of course, he didn't 
say where."

Mulder paused, going still.

"Repeat that last, Krycek. I know I didn't hear you 
right," Mulder prompted, his voice flat and dry.

"He confirmed he knew where she was, but didn't 
divulge where. Said she was *resting*," Krycek 
sneered, barely able to control his anger.

Mulder's voice grew sharp.

"No, Krycek. What did you say immediately after you 
said he confirmed it."

Alex closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over his 
face, not wanting to repeat it, knew the news would 
cause too much worry and anguish.

"She's pregnant," he repeated, his voice cracking a 
bit.

There was a long pause on the other end, then Mulder's 
voice returned, low and infuriated.

"You double-crossing rat bastard!"

"What?!" Krycek offered, getting angry at Mulder's 
reaction.

"It's not bad enough she's taken away to fulfill some 
nefarious plan, but you have to mess around in her 
life?"

"And you think she didn't have a say in it?!? Look, 
Mulder...she means more to me than just about anything 
else. I would never do anything to hurt her. And I 
promise you...I didn't just arbitrarily "mess around" 
in her life. She *is* my life, Mulder...and I will 
get her back."

Mulder smirked to himself, certain that last had 
slipped out.

"Yeah? That'd be a switch for you, Krycek. You seem 
to like arbitrarily mucking around in my life," Mulder 
halted, hearing what Alex had said. "You can't expect 
me to believe that, Krycek...I thought torturing me 
was you life...what if I get jealous?"

Krycek snorted, staring at the ceiling. If Mulder was 
cracking jokes, even insulting ones, then he was 
taking the news better than Krycek had expected.

"Priorities change, Mulder. You'll just have to get 
used to it. Besides, how do you know I'm not doing 
this just to continue torturing you at a closer 
range?" he intimated with dark humor.

Mulder's next comment came in an amused snarl.

"Because, if you're just using my sister for any 
reason, I'll kill you for real...so don't even go 
there!"

Alex exhaled, sharply, annoyed.

"I won't get into this any further, because no matter 
what I say, you'll always believe the worst. So, 
Mulder...I can promise you I'll find a way to prove to 
you what I say. Maybe not now, tomorrow, or next 
week, but I *will* prove it to you. And her."

"You bring bad opinions down on yourself, Krycek!" 
Mulder snapped. "After everything you've done, you've 
no right to expect me to say 'Oh, that's all right, 
Alex, date my sister! It doesn't matter that you 
killed our father, or had my best friend abducted, or 
tried to kill me. Or pretended to be my friend and 
then betrayed me!' Well, it does matter, Krycek. I 
won't be hurt by you again...I won't let you hurt her 
ever."

"You don't get it, Mulder. This isn't about you. 
It's about Andrea. And we'll see what happens once we 
get her back. Either way...this discussion is over."

"No, it's not about me. I'd risk myself before I'd 
risk her..."

"So would I. So, at least we know we're both coming 
from the same place."

"I don't know that at all. I don't like trusting you 
with her life."

"Well, you don't have a choice right now. Neither of 
us do."

Mulder chuckled sourly.

"No, we don't. And you're right...I don't have a 
choice. Just don't expect me to like it."

"I don't believe I asked you too, Mulder," Krycek 
reminded him, furious and afraid that his past 
mistakes and Mulder's hatred would drive a wedge 
between him and the woman he loved...whose love he 
needed.

"Anything else you'd like to say, Krycek?" Mulder 
inquired, his voice cold as space.

"Nope, I believe I wreaked enough havoc for one 
night," Krycek returned, hiding his bitterness with 
his own brand of casual flippancy. "Have a wonderful 
evening, Mulder. Good night." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Krycek stormed into the well-manicured man's office 
without even knocking. Stalking up to the desk, he 
threw a file down in front of him.

"What is that?" he demanded.

The Brit raised an eyebrow, surprised by Alex's 
rudeness. He examined the file, then sighed, tired. 
Krycek's eyes narrowed.

"So, is it true?"

Alex's patron sighed again, sounding sad. He stood 
up.

"Sit down, Alex," he commanded, the words firm and 
unyielding.

Alex obeyed, watching the Brit's every move. The 
well-manicured man stood in front of Alex, his hands 
in his pocket. His stance was non-confrontational.

"Before you blow up in a rage, I want you to do me the 
courtesy of hearing me out. Can you do that?"

Alex nodded sharply, though barely containing his 
rage. This...this was just too much on top of 
everything else right now. His patron smiled softly 
and gently touched Alex's cheek.

"All right. Yes, you are my son...my firstborn child 
in fact. You know of the choice faced by Bill Mulder. 
Everyone who had one in the Consortium was giving up a 
child as part of the pact with the aliens...you were 
only a couple of days old, when this decision was 
reached. I...couldn't allow it. The actual 
abductions were scheduled to occur years later, almost 
ten years passed before they began. I couldn't raise 
a child just to hand you over to them, for...study. 
So, I arranged for the Krycek's to adopt you...I had 
met the man who raised you during the war and we were 
friends. I entrusted him with your life."

"Why wasn't I told?"

"How could you be informed without the possibility of 
others discovering my deceit? The idea was to protect 
you, Alex. We told everyone that you died."

"Once I was older...and joined the Consortium...you 
should have told me!"

The old man smiled, almost amused at Alex's naivet,.

"How did that change anything? You were right under 
the nose of the last person I wanted to find out your 
identity."

"So, now I can't be trusted to keep things to myself?"

The old man sighed, exasperated.

"I didn't say that...by the time you joined the 
Consortium, you were Alex Krycek and you showed very 
little need of any parental supervision. Plus, I 
worried that telling you would endanger you, since I 
would have to bring forth proof. To be honest, I had 
seriously considered telling you since you came to 
work for me..."

Krycek stood up and began pacing, the turmoil raging 
through him.

"It's like playing God with my life! Not you or 
anyone else has that right!" he stopped, realizing, 
for the first time, just why Andrea was so upset about 
his deception. "I should have been told...given a 
chance to get to know you as my father."

He stopped and stared hard at his father.

"I'm sorry if you're angry at me, Alex, but I won't 
apologize for trying to protect you. That is one of 
the rights and duties of a parent."

Krycek chuckled with grim humor.

"Funny, I said almost that exact same thing to Andrea, 
when she found out I knew about who she really was."

"I couldn't hand you over to the aliens and I wasn't 
about to give our associate any reasons to attack 
you."

"He already knows. Has probably known for some time 
now...and was just waiting for the right time to do 
this."

The Brit smiled, proud of his son's intuition.

"Naturally. Why do you think he gave you the file, 
Alex? He hoped to turn us against each other. To 
make you hate me."

"If that was his goal...he failed. I'm angry...but, I 
won't allow this to interfere with," Krycek broke off, 
sighing, emotionally exhausted. "I don't hate you."

His father smiled, relieved.

"I'm very glad to hear that. I'm sorry for the 
deception. I couldn't see any other way to keep you 
safe. I've helped you as best I could, when I 
could...it was a relief to get you into my employment and 
away from Spender."

Alex nodded.

"I see now why you did it...although at the time, I 
was wondering."

The Brit frowned, looking deeply sad.

"Never think you were abandoned, Alex. I have always 
watched over you."

Alex smiled, slightly.

"That's good to know."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*	
 
Mulder opened the door, curious as to who would be 
knocking at eleven on a Saturday night. He knew it 
couldn't be Scully; they had finished talking on the 
phone only twenty minutes ago. Standing in his 
hallway was Krycek, an odd gleam in his eyes.
 
Remembering their last phone conversation when Krycek had 
told him that Andrea was pregnant, Mulder lashed out, 
planting a harsh blow on Krycek's jaw. Krycek staggered 
backwards, a stunned expression on his face. 
Somehow, he'd thought that he and Mulder had gotten 
beyond this.

"Hell, Mulder! What was that for?!" he demanded 
angrily.

"What do you want?" Mulder inquired, his voice filled 
with chill disgust.

Krycek blinked. He didn't expect a warm welcome, by 
any means, but he hadn't expected such open hostility 
either. They hadn't been best friends by any means these 
past few months during their search for Andrea, but they 
had at least formed a tacit truce in their combined 
effort to the find the woman they both loved.

"What's your problem, Mulder?" he asked.

"You're screwing my sister. It doesn't make me 
happy," Mulder hissed, glowering.

"I love your sister!" Krycek growled.

"Spare me, Krycek. What are you doing here?" Mulder 
asked.

"Can I come in a minute? We need to talk."

"I think we've said everything we need to. State 
whatever it is you have to say, then get out of here."

Krycek exhaled in an exasperated puff of breath.

"I've located Andrea. We need to make plans for her 
rescue. I'm assuming you'll want in on it," he 
retorted.

Mulder took a deep breath, then stepped aside, 
ungraciously allowing Krycek in. 

Glancing warily and almost expecting another blow, 
Krycek stepped through the doorway before following 
Mulder to his living room. Mulder sat down on his 
couch, while Alex sat in the chair in front of 
Mulder's computer.

"Where is she?" Mulder demanded.

"She's in Germany, at one of the compounds there. 
We're studying her movements. She rarely leaves the 
compound and is always accompanied by a bodyguard, who 
acts as her chauffeur."

Mulder nodded, a brief movement of his head, to 
acknowledge the information. He thought for a minute.

"How are we going to get there? We'll have to get her 
out of Germany as soon as possible."

"My...the British gentleman that I work for is going 
to come with us. He's providing a private jet. We 
figured we'd take her and possibly you to England to 
lay low for a while. Can you get some time off?" 

"Yeah, when?"

"I'm not sure. Within the next few weeks, probably. 
The baby will be due soon."

Mulder flinched at the mention of his sister's 
pregnancy.

"God, Mulder, what is your problem? I've found her! 
I really expected you to be more enthusiastic. You 
act like you barely care!"

Mulder's eyes narrowed and he stood up, looming over 
Krycek.

"I care more about her than you're capable of caring 
about anything, Krycek. The only reason I'm not 
putting a bullet in your brain is because you might be 
useful in getting her back and because she and the 
baby might need you...though for what, I can't 
imagine!"

Krycek looked up at Mulder in shock, floored by the 
bitter hatred that came off the federal agent in 
waves. Surely this wasn't about the argument they'd 
had on the phone? Sure some bitter words had been 
exchanged, but both men had been under a lot of 
stress, worried about Andrea. 

"Are you going to tell me what has you so pissed off?" 
Krycek pressed, trying to stay calm, knowing getting 
angry with Mulder would only make things worse; if he 
wanted a permanent relationship with Andrea, he was 
going to have to make some sort of peace with her 
brother.

Mulder gave a short, disbelieving laugh.

"Just the usual, Krycek. Tell me, have you figured out 
how you're going to explain her father's murder to her 
yet?"

"Damn you, Mulder! What do you want me to say to 
that, huh? I have a lot of regrets about a lot of 
things, but I can't change the past! I still love 
her!"

"You don't give a shit about the past, Krycek," Mulder 
scoffed.

Krycek went very still, taking a slow deep breath, 
trying to fight the anger that was engendered by very 
real regret and the helplessness he always felt when 
dealing with Mulder.

"See, you betrayed me so easily, Krycek, how can I 
know that you won't betray her too?"

"Easily? I was forced to betray someone I considered 
a friend! You think that was easy?"

Mulder gave the question mock consideration.

"Um...yeah. Yeah, for you it was. It was harder on 
Scully, what with her cancer and sterility, and me, of 
course, but hey...this isn't about me, is it," Mulder 
mocked.

Krycek shifted uncomfortably, for a moment, then went 
and looked out the window. He knew that no matter what 
he said, Mulder was always going to despise him and 
think the worst of him, but for Andrea's sake, he felt 
he had to try. 

"I can't change the past, Mulder," he repeated, "and I 
can't make you change your mind about me. I do regret 
some of the things I've done. Hell, I regret having 
done *anything* for that tar-sucking bastard."

"Yeah, that I believe. It almost got you killed."

"No!" Krycek shouted, frustrated. "I regret trusting 
him, believing that I was justified, because of what 
we were supposedly trying to accomplish. You think I 
don't regret helping that son of a bitch get Scully? 
I know about her cancer...and her sterility. I 
wouldn't wish that on any woman and I *like* Scully!"

"Nothing justifies murder...or the abduction of 
innocent people for those experiments."

Krycek sighed, feeling tired and drained. Between his 
joy at locating Andrea and the anger and pain of 
confronting Mulder, he felt emotionally overloaded.

"I'm sorry for the past, but I won't let it destroy 
what I have with Andrea. I love her, Mulder. I told 
you I would prove that to you and I will. There's no 
other option."

Mulder sat down in the chair that Krycek had abandoned 
and leaned back, studying his sometime nemesis. The 
man appeared sincere and there was some evidence in 
their past to back his story. Guilt might explain why 
Krycek had allowed himself to be beaten by Mulder 
without ever having sought revenge. He also didn't 
believe Krycek would offer insincere apologies; the 
man could barely be bothered to show genuine emotion. 
For a few quiet moments, the men stayed still, each 
deep in thought. 

"You're going to have to explain about our father to 
Andrea...but I won't get in the way of your 
relationship with her. I'll play nice, if you will."

Krycek blinked, not believing what he was hearing.

"That's it? All that anger and hatred just 
disappears with an apology?!"

"Why's that surprising?" Mulder asked, getting up with 
a shrug. "The words 'I'm sorry' exist for a reason, 
Krycek. Maybe I just wanted to make sure a real human 
being existed under that mask of yours, since you're 
going to be around my baby sister."

Krycek shook his head, not sure he trusted this new 
calm of Mulder's. Mulder smiled slightly at the bemused 
expression on Krycek's face, then went into the 
kitchen to fetch a couple of beers. He came back, 
handing one to Krycek, who took it warily.	

"So, give me the details, Alex. How do you know 
Andrea is in Germany?" he asked as they sat down to 
plan the rescue.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
Alex Krycek walked up to the guard who was acting as 
Andrea Spender's chauffeur, as he started to open the 
driver's side door. Alex fired one quiet shot from a 
gun with a silencer, then climbed swiftly into the 
car. 

"Hi, gorgeous!" he greeted Andrea cheekily. "Ready to 
go on a plane ride?"

Andrea was at first unable to speak. She stared 
silently at him, her heart beating wildly, so glad to 
see him after all these months. Then, she 
remembered...

"Who the hell are you?!? What do you want?"

Alex blinked in surprise, then shuddered, wondering 
what Cancerman had done to her.

"I'm Alex, Andrea...your baby's father."

Andrea wanted so desperately to acknowledge Alex and 
tell him what she had been through, but she knew she 
couldn't. She was terrified of her father would do to 
her lover and her brother. Andrea went pale.

"You are not! The father of my baby is..." she 
paused, not wanting to hurt him, "he's dead."

Alex cursed fluently and thoroughly in Russian, 
renewing earlier vows to kill Spender.

"No. I know you believe that, but it's not true," 
Krycek asserted evenly, trying to hide his pain and 
anger, not wanting to frighten his confused lover.

"Stop this car now and let me out of here!" Andrea 
demanded, reaching for the door handle.

Alex pulled the car away from the curb, before she 
could open the door.

"I'm sorry, Andrea. Don't be afraid."

"Don't be afraid? What the hell are you talking 
about? You're kidnapping me!" she insisted, knowing 
that whatever was said, whenever, she couldn't tell the 
truth in the car for fear it might be bugged and that 
it was necessary that she put up a good front.

Alex flinched.

"I know it seems that way, but I'm not...I'm rescuing 
you!"

"Rescuing me? I don't *need* rescuing!" she retorted, 
placing her hand on her stomach protectively.

Alex sighed, disagreeing, "I know you don't 
remember...but the man who you think is your father 
abducted you. You can't trust him and I won't allow 
him near my child!"

Tears came to Andrea's eyes, as her fear of what her 
father would do to all of them if and when he found 
out she was gone increased.

"Please, just let me go," she pleaded.

"I can't, Andrea. For all our sakes," he countered, 
his voice gentle and sad.

"You have to...please!" Andrea urged, growing more 
frantic. "You don't know what you are doing!"

"Calm down...I'll keep you safe," Krycek soothed.

"NO! I will NOT calm down...not until you stop this 
car and let me out!!! You can't do this!"

Alex concentrated on driving, not answering her, 
afraid that continuing to argue would upset her more. 
Terrified of what she knew was going to happen; Andrea 
began to cry in earnest, knowing Alex would 
misinterpret her tears. Andrea sat back, biding her 
time, figuring she could get away when Alex stopped. 
Alex forced himself to focus on his driving, feeling 
Andrea's sobs like blows, but not knowing how to 
comfort her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

END PART 6


FINAL TRUTHS (7/8)

PART 7

For Information see Header in Part 1...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Alex pulled up at the airport and parked in a rental 
space. Andrea sat silently, having gotten her 
reactions under control, damning the wild emotions 
engendered by her pregnancy and wishing she had more 
control of her feelings at the moment. Alex got out 
and opened her door.

"C'mon, Andrea..."

She looked up at him, wanting desperately to tell him 
the truth, but merely stepped out and glanced quickly 
around, trying to look like she wasn't. Alex noticed 
the look and, worried she would bolt, grabbed her arm.

"Don't try it...you're coming with me."

Andrea winced, acting like his hold on her hurt.

"Ouch, you're hurting me!"

Alex relaxed his grip just a bit, but not enough for 
her to wrench free.

"I won't hurt you. Come on," he instructed, leading 
her through the terminal to a private jet.

As soon as they entered the small terminal, Andrea 
twisted her arm out of Alex's hand and took off 
running, cursing her large stomach, as she couldn't 
move as quickly as she normally could. Alex caught up 
easily and swung her into his arms.

"You are coming with me, Andrea!"

Alex strode purposefully towards the gate. Andrea 
fought against him, reaching up and slapping him.

"You don't understand, you can't do this!" she 
hissed, realizing she was about to reveal too much, 
began struggling even more roughly against him.

Alex felt a stinging in his eyes, the pain from the 
slap more emotional than physical.

"Dammit, Andrea, stop! You'll make me drop you!" he 
protested, panicking.

"Good, then maybe I can get away from here!" she 
retorted, speaking quite loudly, hoping to draw some 
attention in the almost deserted terminal.

Alex's tone went cold, as anger finally flared in him.

"You have the baby to think about. I won't hurt you, 
but I won't let you go either!"

Andrea's voice hardened a bit, too.

"Don't you think it is the baby I'm thinking of?!" she 
practically hissed at him.

"I don't know, I don't know what you've been told," 
Alex answered, his voice sad, regretful.

Andrea's eyes teared up as she looked up at him.

"Please, just let me go," she pleaded again.

"What is going on out here? Andrea are you okay?" 
Mulder asked, walking out of the gate into the 
terminal.

Andrea groaned inwardly, knowing she should have 
realized her brother would be here too. Krycek 
glanced at Mulder despair in his eyes. 

"She's been brainwashed."

"I don't know why you are doing this...please, let me 
go," Andrea addressed Alex. 

Mulder paled. Andrea closed her eyes, not wanting to 
see the anguish on their faces, wishing she could tell 
both of them the truth.

"Andrea?" Mulder asked gently, drawing her attention. 
"Do you know me? I'm your brother."

Andrea opened her eyes and looked directly at her 
brother, her heart breaking.

"I don't know you any more than I know him!"

"She doesn't know me...said the father of her baby is 
dead," Krycek husked, the words full of pain.

Mulder winced.

"Andrea, please trust us..."

"I might trust you, if you weren't trying to kidnap 
me!" she almost screamed.

Mulder and Krycek both flinched, staring at the few 
passengers nearby. Krycek nodded Mulder ahead to the 
plane and carried Andrea through the gate onto the 
jet.

"Let me go," Andrea insisted, squirming, but she 
couldn't move too well, her stomach and Krycek's arms 
keeping her in place.

Andrea felt her stomach tighten, but didn't think 
anything of it, considering the battle she had been 
putting up. Krycek carried her to the main cabin of 
the jet and laid her gently on the couch. Andrea 
looked around her, knowing she wouldn't get away now, 
and sighed softly. Mulder came and kneeled in front 
of her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Andrea? What happened to you? Do you remember 
anything? Do you remember where you were seven months 
ago?"

"Yes, I do. I was transferring divisions and moving 
to Germany."

Krycek grimaced.

"Seven months ago, you were on a mission with me to 
retrieve a file, when you were abducted from your 
hotel room."

Andrea looked up at him as if he were crazy.

"A mission? What sort of a mission? You mean like 
CIA, spy stuff mission?"

Andrea wasn't sure where they were, so she wasn't sure 
if it was safe to talk, even if she felt she could. 
The Brit, finishing up talking to the pilot and giving 
the order to take off, came to tell his son that they 
were ready to leave. 

"Who do you work for, Andrea? Can you tell me that?"

"What's wrong, Alex? Hello, Miss Spender. How are 
you feeling?" 

Andrea ignored Krycek's question and looked at the 
well-manicured gentleman.

"Who are you?" she inquired, knowing perfectly well 
who he was.

The Brit raised his eyebrows, not really surprised. 
He had met her a time or two before, but he knew what 
Spender was capable of.

"I'm a friend."

"She's been brainwashed, Father."

Andrea blinked at that, unable to hide her brief 
surprise at Krycek calling the well-manicured man 
father, but tried to cover her reaction.

"Look, I don't know what you all want with me, but if 
you'll let me go, I'll make sure you are all well 
compensated.

The Brit sighed.

"My dear young lady, I assure you we are not after 
monetary remuneration. Alex and Mr. Mulder have your 
best interests at heart."

"If they did, they would let me go."

"Andrea," Krycek protested, his voice conciliatory, 
"we just want to protect you from the man you *think* 
is your father, but who is just using you!

Krycek hesitated, but then spoke, ignoring Mulder and 
his father.

"I love you."

"Andrea, you're my sister," Mulder added. "I would 
never let anyone hurt you."

Mulder gently touched her shoulder, again, offering 
comfort. Andrea felt her heart crumbling inside, 
wanting so desperately to tell him that she loved him 
as well...so she did the only thing a self-respecting 
pregnant woman can do. She started to cry again. Her 
stomach tightened up again, this time with a little 
pain behind it. Unable to resist, Alex hugged her 
gently, being careful of her stomach, and kissed her 
cheek.

"Don't cry," he murmured soothingly. "Please don't 
cry. It'll be all right."

Andrea leaned into him for just a second, then 
realized what she was doing and pulled back.

"No, it won't...you don't understand...please, just 
let me go."

"I can't, Andrea. I can't let that monster have my 
child...you both mean too much to me," he whispered.

"Andrea?" Mulder asked. "Why won't it be okay? What 
are you afraid of?"

Krycek glanced at Mulder in surprise, then realized 
what she had been saying.

"What don't we understand?"

Andrea decided to take advantage of the contractions 
she has been having for the past half hour and 
suddenly doubled over with the next one, moaning.

"Andrea?! What's wrong?" Krycek cried out, alarmed.

Mulder gazed at Andrea in horrified amazement.

"Uh, oh..."

Krycek glanced at Mulder, going very still.

"What do you mean, uh, oh?"

Andrea looked up at them, feeling unaccountably smug, 
"What, haven't you ever seen a woman in labor before?"

Krycek went very white and almost shrieked his 
response. "Labor?!! We've already taken off!! We 
won't land for hours!"

"I knew I should have brought Scully," Mulder mumbled.

Andrea looked up at Krycek, ignoring her brother.

"And whose fault is that?" she couldn't help but point 
out.

Krycek gulped, fighting panic.

"How long have you been in labor?"

Andrea felt her next contraction coming on, this one 
intensely painful and moaned for real this time. The 
Brit stepped in, sensing the young men weren't going 
to be of much use.

"Alex, go get some towels from the supply cabinet."

"I've been on medication to keep the labor from coming 
for four weeks now. I wasn't able to take this 
afternoons dose and have felt contractions for about 
thirty minutes now."

Krycek stared at her in horror. The Brit sensed that 
his son probably hadn't even heard him, repeated 
firmly, "Alex!"

Andrea gazed up at Alex calmly, still wishing she 
could tell him what had happened, but just happy he 
would be with her for the birth.

"I tried to tell you."

Krycek shook his head, bringing back focus and 
realizing his father had spoken twice.

"Yes, sir?"

"Go to the supply cabinet and get some towels. It 
seems we will be called on to deliver the baby 
ourselves."

"Actually, it's babies," Andrea corrected, looking up 
at Krycek specifically for his reaction.

Krycek's eyes widened and he once more ignored his 
father's instructions.

"Twins," he whispered.

Mulder went to get the towels, giving Krycek time to 
recover. Andrea smiled slightly, but hid it as she 
doubled over from another contraction.

"I'm...already..." Andrea gasped as the pain suddenly 
intensified, "dilated to six as of three days ago. 
This could come quickly."

Krycek stood frozen, torn between joy, sorrow, and 
terror. He smiled, then frowned. He watched his 
father ease Andrea into a more prone position. 

"Don't worry...I've witnessed births before and I'm 
sure between them Alex and Mr. Mulder have enough 
first aid experience to help."

Alex swallowed and tried to smile reassuringly, 
reminding himself that he'd survived worse.

"Somehow that doesn't reassure me," Andrea told the 
Brit, groaning loudly again.

"It can't be that hard!" Krycek protested. "I do know 
first aid!"

Mulder returned and handed the Brit an armful of 
towels.

Time passed quickly as the contractions steadily 
increased in intensity yet quickened in frequency. 
Andrea had been right. Her body quickly finished what 
had begun a month before and soon felt herself needing 
to push. Alex's father took control and kept both men 
busy gathering towels and doing other mundane tasks to 
keep them busy. 

Alex had managed to find a First Aid kit and it 
seemed to have many of the items they would need. 
Finally, the three men settled in and waited for the 
babies to decide to make an appearance. By this time, 
Andrea was crying out in agony as her entire body 
was wracked with contraction after contraction.

Without thought, she reached out her hand to grab 
Alex's in the pain of another contraction, pulling him 
over to her side and squeezing his hand in her own, 
trying to fight the pain. Alex made a slight wince at 
the pain he felt in his hand as his lover squeezed it 
in her own pain.

Finally, it was time to push and the Brit got Andrea's 
body into position and had her push as another contraction 
overtook her body. After three pushes the baby 
was pushed out and Krycek was amazed at how tiny the 
little body was and wondered how any woman could 
manage to do that.

Within minutes, the second baby was born and all three 
men worked quickly to get the umbilical cords cut and 
the babies cleaned up and warm. One perfect little 
boy and one perfect little girl. The two younger men 
were almost giddy in their happiness over the babies 
in their arms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The British gentleman watched Alex and Mulder cradling 
the newborns. He was hesitant to interrupt the tender 
moment, but knew there were things the boy had to 
face.

"We need to talk, Alex. You have some important 
decisions to make."

"I know," Alex sighed, still in shock at the reality 
of the babies, looking down at the little boy in his 
arms. 

Mulder gazed, almost rapt, at his niece, but asked, 
"What do you mean? What kind of decisions?"

"Decisions, Mr. Mulder, concerning the welfare of 
these little ones...on how you're going to protect 
them from my smoking associate."

Krycek looked up, his eyes hard.

"He won't find out about them!"

Alex's father shook his head.

"Silly boy, he already knows of their existence! You 
must make sure he doesn't locate them and that no one 
can get to them who would hand them over to him."

"He'll be looking for Andrea at the very least," 
Mulder added, worried.

Krycek gazed with concern at his sleeping lover.

"And with her possibly being under Cancerman's control right 
now...we can't chance her taking them away either."

"I think it might be best if, for now at least, if she 
is not left alone with the children."

Krycek and Mulder both nodded in agreement, though 
reluctantly.

"She wouldn't be the first parent he convinced to give 
up a child," Mulder agreed.

"I think it would be best if she and the children 
stayed at my private estate, Alex. That way, I can 
help you protect them with my own resources," his 
father offered.

"Absolutely. That would be the safest place. The 
only problem is if he finds out she is there. He can 
make things very difficult for you."

"Don't worry about me, son," the Brit countered, 
amused. "I've been handling that old monster for 
quite a few years now."

"We'll have to watch her like a hawk. She isn't going 
to take to this easily, you know."

Mulder listened, saddened that his sister, niece, and 
nephew would be so far away.

"I wish they could go back to the states," he said, 
quietly. "My mom's a grandmother and she doesn't even 
realize her daughter has been found."

"With any luck, we can get this situation under 
control soon and then you can tell her," Krycek 
assured him, sympathizing.

"I'll miss her," Mulder murmured, nodding reluctantly, 
but giving his tacit approval.

"No, it won't be easy, but she'll get the best 
doctors. I'll get her all the help she needs," the 
Brit continued.

Krycek lowered his voice.

"I'm not convinced she has been brainwashed."

Mulder raised his head from contemplating his niece.

"You're not?"

Krycek shook his head.

"No, I'm not. I think she would like us to believe 
she is. But, I don't think so."

"Why would she do that?" Mulder asked, confused.

"Depends on what she was threatened with, wouldn't you 
say?" he responded, grimly, with barely held back 
anger.

Mulder's eyes gleamed with rage.

"Yeah, that black lung s.o.b. could have said he'd 
hurt us if she didn't play along, just in case we 
rescued her before he *could* brainwash her."

Alex looked down at the tiny boy in his arms, a sudden 
chill of horror and deadly fury shaking him.

"Or worse," he murmured, running a finger along the 
cheek of his son.

Mulder shivered, understanding the implication. The 
well-manicured man took his granddaughter from Mulder.

"Nothing is going to happen to these little ones. You 
are both more than capable of protecting them...and 
you won't be alone."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Andrea yawned as she finished tucking in the little 
ones, glancing up at Alex, who stood above the cribs, 
gazing tenderly at his children. Noticing her 
movement, he stared uneasily between her and the 
babies, dreading what he must tell her.

"If you don't mind, I would like to get some rest 
now," Andrea dismissed him coolly.

Alex took a deep breath.

"You must be tired. I'll ring for a servant to show 
you to your rooms," Alex offered in a mild voice.

Andrea looked at him with surprise, confused.

"Excuse me?"

Alex sighed, then took her hand and led her to a 
chair.

"You must understand, Andrea. We can't risk you 
giving the babies to your...to the man you consider 
your father. Until the brainwashing is healed and you 
get your real memories back, we can't leave you alone 
with the children. These are my quarters."

Andrea jerked her hand out of his and glared hard at 
him.

"You can't leave me alone with my own babies? What 
the hell are you talking about?!? I am not leaving 
them!"

Alex winced.

"No, we can't. If the Smoker got hold of them, he'd 
warp their lives. I have to protect them. I won't 
let my children be experimented on."

"We haven't even established that they *are* your 
children..." she snapped, coldly, angry now and not 
caring if she hurt him. "I would NEVER allow anything 
to happen to my babies."

"I'm sorry, Andrea. But he has too strong a hold on 
your psyche. You'll be able to see the children 
whenever you want...we'll make sure one of us is 
available at all times...if you were yourself, you 
would know the children are mine."

"I had planned on breast feeding them. That isn't 
exactly something *you* can accomplish, now is it? 
And they need to be fed every two hours or so right 
now..."

Alex struggled to keep his voice calm, fighting his 
rising impatience.

"That's fine. You just put them to bed. When they 
wake up in two hours, I'll bring them right to you."

"No," she protested, stubbornly, shaking her head. "I 
am not leaving them. You will have to carry me 
kicking and screaming out that door to make me do 
that. And don't for one minute think that just 
because you kidnapped me that you have all the control 
here and are holding all the cards."

Alex shook his head, amazed that she would try and 
bluff him.

"I'll do exactly that if you force me to, Andrea. I 
can't rest myself until you go. But do you really 
want to do that? It wouldn't accomplish anything and 
it would wake up the twins. You have to put their 
welfare before your anger."

"You don't think that is what I am doing? Hell, I 
don't know who you are! I don't know if you are some 
deranged lunatic who just wants to take my babies away 
from me! I don't know what you will do to them if I 
leave!"

Alex winced and sadness made his eyes look ancient.

"I am so sorry, Andrea," he whispered. "I'm sorry 
that bastard did this to you...but I can't help it. I 
can't risk our babies just because you're confused. I 
love them too much. I love you too much!"

Andrea's heart was breaking inside; she wanted so much 
to tell him the truth, to reassure him that she could 
be trusted. She knew that the possibility of this place
being bugged were slim, but Andrea also knew that her father's
reach extended way beyond what anyone could imagine and she 
worried that someone there could be working for *him* and 
pass along how she reacted. Her children were her first priority
and she wasn't going to risk losing them to her father.

"Don't do this," she whispered, pleading. "Don't 
separate me from my babies, please."

Alex stroked her cheek, trying to soothe her, hating 
having to hurt her.

"I'm not, Andrea, I swear. You can see them at any 
time, you'll be with them...just not by yourself.

Realizing he wasn't going to budge on this, Andrea 
merely nodded her assent, her tears flowing freely. 
Alex stroked her arm, wishing he could make this 
easier.

"A doctor is coming that my father trusts. He'll be 
doing a PCR test to prove to you that the babies are 
ours."

"You do whatever you feel is necessary," she stated, a 
defeated tone in her voice.

"Andrea...please. If the tests show I'm the 
father...will you at least consider what we've told 
you?"

"While I am being held captive against my will...and 
my babies are being kept from me, you won't get me to 
consider anything," she vowed.

She stepped away from him and turned to the babies, 
tucking them in and stroking their heads. Alex moved 
up behind her and embraced her gently.

"We rescued you, Andrea. I will find a way to 
convince you of that," he whispered in her ear.

Andrea wanted nothing more than to melt into his arms 
and tell him the truth, but forced her body to not 
respond, just standing there, waiting for him to 
release her. Alex sighed, realizing it was too soon 
and that he shouldn't push. He pulled reluctantly 
away.

"Do you want to see your rooms, now?"

"That would be fine."

Andrea closed her eyes for a second as she remembered 
the feel of his arms around her and then turned and 
waited for him to lead her out. Alex inclined his 
head, motioning for her to go first, not wanting to 
risk her shutting the door and locking herself in with 
the children.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Alex stalked into the kitchen, a grim look on his face 
as he walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Hey, Krycek...what's up?"

"Nothing...not a damned thing, Mulder. Everything is 
exactly the same as it has been all week!" he growled, 
slamming his cup down as he sat across from Mulder.

Mulder winced, noticing the cup was fine china.

"Andrea?"

Krycek glared at Mulder, sullenly.

"Who else?"

"You two have another fight?"

"No, Mulder, not another fight. I like to think of it 
as just one long continuation of the same fight that 
started when we took her from Germany."

Mulder sighed, saddened by the mess the Smoker had 
made.

"You've got to give her time, Alex...this is hard on 
her. Remember, in her own way, she's trying to defend 
the twins, too."

"Time," Krycek snorted. "I've given her time. I 
wait...I leave it alone, but it's almost as if she 
searches me out just so she can scream at me again! I 
don't know what to do! At this rate, the twins will 
be teenagers and we'll still be holding her here 
against her will!"

"It's only been a week. She's hurting, Alex, and 
she's angry. We're the only ones she has to express 
that anger to...after all, Cancerman isn't here for 
her to yell at."

"Yeah, well, I'm beginning to believe he *did* 
brainwash her. Why else would she continue to be so 
adamant about all this?"

Mulder flinched.

"I hope that isn't true...but if it is, then we'll 
find someone who can heal her. It won't be forever, 
Alex, but she needs you to hold together and not lose 
it."

"Not lose it? Come on, Mulder, when have you known me 
to lose it?" Krycek protested, looking at him bemused.

"I plead the fifth on that one, Alex," Mulder 
returned, dryly.

"Yeah, well, what the hell are we supposed to do in 
the meantime?"

"Well, you could always refuse to fight with her. 
Agree with her when she starts yelling, refuse to yell 
back. That drove her nuts when we were kids!" Mulder 
offered, grinning wickedly. "Just take it easy on 
her..."

"Yeah...I will."

"I know it's hard...she told me off good the other 
day."

Alex held up his glass to take a drink.

"Yeah, well, you probably deserved it," Alex retorted, 
grinning evilly as he took a drink.

Mulder raised his eyebrows in mock innocence.

"Me? What'd I ever do?" he inquired.

Alex shook his head, refusing to answer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

END PART 7


FINAL TRUTHS (8/8)

PART 8

For Information see Header in Part 1...

Author's Notes: Just a few notes and then on to finale!
What do you think? Is it worth continuing to see 
what happened to CSM? Let us know, please!! 
lexytorell@qwest.net and strytlr1572@aol.com

We also want to give a BIG, HUGE, TREMENDOUS!!! Thank you
to Diadem for her Beta of the story. She was great at
catching all the little typos and other errors we
put in the original! Thanks, Di!


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Andrea sat outside on a blanket with Alex and the twins. 
Mulder wasn't too far away, watching the 
four of them as he talked on the phone with Scully. 
He knew he needed to get back to reality soon, but he 
didn't want to let his sister out of his sight and as 
such stayed on longer than he probably should.

Krycek looked down into his daughter's eyes and fell 
in love all over again. He smiled at her and loved it 
when she smiled back up at him. "So, are you going to 
be a Daddy's girl?" he asked her as she made baby 
noises back at him.

It had only been a few weeks since the birth of the 
two babies and Alex found his life had turned upside 
down in the best way possible. His resolve to help 
save humanity had only been strengthened, but he 
suddenly found himself wanting to find a way to fit 
that in with a family and all the responsibilities 
that came with that. The only problem was convincing
Andrea of that. The psychologist they had brought in 
for her, she had refused to speak to so it had left 
them all worried as to how they were going to help 
her. If she truly needed help at all...which Alex and 
Mulder weren't entirely convinced of. Right now, if 
Krycek could just convince her of the fact that they 
all would be safe he was certain she would finally 
open up and admit to all.

Unfortunately, they couldn't get her to do that. At 
the moment, that seemed to be the only disagreements 
any of them had. If Alex were able to convince 
himself that she wouldn't try to escape, he might even 
relax the rules about the babies sleeping in his room. 
But, he couldn't be guaranteed of anything right now, 
so he chose to play it safe.

Andrea sat and watched Alex with their daughter and 
smiled, drawing their son close to her, just enjoying 
being with the ones she loved and knew loved her. So 
many times in the past few weeks she had wanted to 
open up to both her brother and Alex and tell them why 
she was acting this way...but the hold her "father" 
had on her was almost too much to bear. The fear he 
had instilled in her was so fresh she could almost 
imagine them all being killed and her unable to save 
any of them. All because she refused to do as he had 
said.

Standing, Alex walked over and placed their daughter 
next to their son and leaned down to kiss Andrea on 
the top of the head. "I'm going to go check on lunch. 
Maybe we can have it out here."

"I'd like that," she answered, smiling up at him, 
battling the urge to lay her hand on his cheek and 
return his kiss.

She watched him walk across the yard and couldn't help 
but admire his best asset, when all of a sudden the 
sound of a shot rang out into the air and Alex dropped 
to the ground, his hand clutching his shoulder. 

"ALEX!!!" Andrea yelled out in alarm, suddenly 
realizing her worst nightmare was coming true. 

Four men suddenly appeared and ran toward the yard 
where moments before the small family had been 
gathered. Andrea stood and leaned over to grab up her 
babies, but Mulder was at her side in a heartbeat and 
grabbed her son as she grabbed her daughter.

"Come on," Mulder hollered, grabbing Andrea's hand and 
pulling her towards the house. Andrea ran with her 
brother, trying to look back as she did to see if Alex 
was all right.

The men continued to advance closer, guns at the 
ready, but not firing at her or Mulder as they ran 
inside. Almost as if they were trying not to hit the 
babies. Mulder handed the baby over to one of the 
house staff and pulled his SIG Sauer 9mm and ran back 
outside to help Alex and the other guards. Andrea 
stood for a second, torn between trying to help the 
two men she loved and helping the two babies she would 
give her life for. The decision was quick and Andrea 
pointed up the stairs and led the way, with the woman 
holding her son close behind her.

Once upstairs, Andrea led the way to Alex's room and 
shut the door behind her, locking it. She took her 
daughter and laid her in the crib next to the wall and 
began searching Alex's room, knowing he would have 
more weapons hidden somewhere. The maid stood just 
inside the door, her eyes wide with shock, not knowing 
what to do.

Andrea glanced up at the other woman and ordered, "Put 
him over in the crib with his sister. We have to make 
sure we defend this room in case they get past 
everyone else."

As she said her statement, the maid nodded and did as 
she was told and suddenly Andrea smiled in triumph as 
she found what she had been looking for. Very well 
hidden but Andrea knew Alex better than she realized 
she had. There was a Sig Sauer 9mm and she took it in 
her hand, checking the clip to make sure it was full 
and took up a position where she could watch the door 
and still keep her children in her line of sight as 
well.

Outside the battle raged, but it was over in minutes, 
as Mulder, Krycek, and the guards made quick work of 
the intruders. Krycek stood over the last of those he 
had shot and shook his head. It had been too easy. 
Something else was up. The pain in his shoulder 
threatened to take control and he shook with the 
effort to ignore the pain and keep going.

"Mulder, we gotta get inside. Something isn't right 
here!" he shouted over at the other man.

Nodding, Mulder began running toward the house, Alex 
close behind. Both got to the door at the same time 
and they took up a stance on either side, entering 
quickly with Mulder crouched a bit and Alex holding 
out his gun above. Together they moved in synch, 
listening for anything unusual, and exploring the 
rooms for more intruders.

Andrea held the gun pointed at the door and when it 
suddenly burst open to reveal two large men dressed in 
black, she fired the gun in her hand with all she had, 
instantly hitting first one, then the other, in the 
chest, causing them to fall to the ground. She didn't 
let her guard down, holding the gun facing the door as 
her children started to cry from their cribs at the loud 
noise. 

Andrea knew her only line of defense was 
to keep anyone from coming in through that door.

The gun remained pointed at the door when two men 
suddenly appeared. Andrea sat there, as Mulder and 
Alex walked over the bodies of the two men on the 
floor and suddenly she started to shake, the 
adrenaline in her body taking over. She found she 
couldn't lower the gun, as much as she wanted to. 
Her body suddenly seemed to take over. Tears started 
falling down her face as she looked over at Alex, the 
blood streaming down from his wound.

Mulder walked over and quietly laid his hand on top of 
hers, slowly disengaging the gun from her shaking 
hands. Then he laid both guns aside and pulled her 
into his arms as Krycek finally lost his iron grip on
consciousness. 

"Alex..." she cried out and pushed away from her 
brother to go over to the side of the man she loved.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Andrea sat quietly in the garden next to a fountain, 
lost in her thoughts as she puzzled through the mess 
her life seemed to be in. Mulder walked up and 
quietly laid a hand on her shoulder. 

"Are you okay?"

She jumped, surprised out of her private thoughts.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine."

Mulder sat down next to her. Andrea pulled her legs 
up and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"He'll be all right, Andrea."

She nodded, the relief almost overwhelming. Alex's 
injuries hadn't been severe, but he hadn't regained 
consciousness, which was worrying. 

"I'm glad to hear it."

"He woke up a few minutes ago...he was asking for 
you."

Andrea had tried to hide the fact that she was crying 
and now found herself crying for a totally different 
reason. She wiped away the tears, trying to pretend 
she was fine. Mulder reached out and wiped away her 
tears with one finger.

"Andrea...you can pretend all you want, but I know you 
love him. You're wasting time you could be together."

"Wasting time? I would almost say it is too late for 
that..."

"What do you mean. You love him, he loves you," 
Mulder pointed out, shrugging. "Seems pretty clear 
cut to me."

"It doesn't matter what I do, because he is going to 
keep coming after us all regardless, isn't he?" she 
explained.

She looked down at the ground; trying not to focus on 
her brother at the moment, afraid she would confess 
all.

"Well, if that's true, then you might as well do what 
you want and follow your heart, huh? Andrea...the 
Cancerman can be defeated. You have me, Alex, and 
Alex's father to protect you...and all three of us 
have succeeded in defying him before. Just have some 
faith in us."

"That's easier said than done...if you only knew..." 
she stopped, realizing what she wanted to tell him and 
stood up, walking a few steps away.

"I know you love him...I know you're worried for us 
and your children...what else do I need to know?"

"Dammit, it isn't that simple, Fox! Can't you 
understand that?!?" she seethed, whirling to face him, 
her emotions raging across her face.

"Then explain it to me...let me help. You're my 
sister...I just want you to be happy...and safe. 
I've struggled for that my whole life!" Mulder beseeched, 
yearning to help his sister.

"Don't you think I want nothing better than to run in 
there right now and be with him? What do you think 
would or could keep me away from that?"

"What is keeping you away from that, Andrea? You're 
here, not there."

"You of all people should know what he is capable of."

"Yes, yes, I do. But I also know he is not 
infallible...he can be beaten. I've done it before 
and I will not let him run or destroy your life...or 
the lives of my niece and nephew...who need both their 
parents together...I know what it's like to have parents 
who won't speak to each other..."

Andrea shook her head and turned away from him, 
running her fingers through her hair."

"He wants the twins," she whispered.

Mulder's voice was determined, final.

"He can't have them...and he can't have you. Dammit, 
Andrea! Go in there, tell Alex you love him, and 
start living! Don't give any more of your life to 
that cancerstick than you already have."

His sister turned and looked at him, tears running 
down her face.

"You know, don't you?"

Mulder raised an eyebrow, trying not to smirk.

"I know lots of stuff."

She snorted a laugh and sort of rolled her eyes.

"Stop that...you know what I mean!"

"You mean that you're not brainwashed? None of us 
believed it, not really. Did you think you 
could fool the people who truly love you?"

"Then why didn't any of you call me on it?"

"We had to be sure...and would it have done any good? 
You have to choose to trust us more than you fear him...
we can't make that decision for you."

She gave a thoughtful shake of her head.

"I'm beginning to realize that no matter what I do, my 
father will betray me...so I might as well stand and fight 
for my family."

Mulder smiled, deeply relieved at this proof of where 
her loyalties now were.

"She sees the light!" he mocked tenderly, going and 
giving her a hug. "It'll be all right. You'll see...I 
can't wait to bring you and Mom together."

Andrea got pulled into her brother's hug and laid her 
head on his shoulder, then her looked turned to one of 
panic at his last words.

"Can't we just get through this first?"

Mulder looked deeply sad, ancient shadows from the 
past darkening his eyes.

"Sure, for awhile, but...she loves you, Andrea. She's 
spent twenty years mourning you. She hated Dad, 
because he let you be taken...please, let's tell her 
soon, okay?"

Andrea nodded into his shoulder and then pulled back, 
looking up at him with a slight smile. 

"We'll tell her soon," she promised.

Mulder looked relieved and much happier.

"I'm glad...now, why don't you go see that ratty 
boyfriend of yours, huh?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Andrea stepped quietly into Alex's bedroom and nodded 
at John as the British gentleman had instructed her 
and Mulder to call him. John was sitting next to his 
son's bed, but stood, smiling, when she entered.

"Well. I'll see you later, Alex. I think you two 
need to chat," he observed, patting Alex's hand.

"See you later, Father. Hi, Andrea," he greeted, 
softly.

"Fox told me you were awake...I just wanted to check 
to make sure you were okay," she offered, looking at 
him, not sure what to say or do.

"I'm all right. Are you okay."

She nodded. 

"I'm fine. I wasn't injured," she assured him, still 
standing by the door.

Alex gazed at her sadly, the shadows making his eyes 
seem like the dark green of the forest.

"Andrea? Will you come in and sit down?"

She walked hesitantly over to the chair that John had 
just vacated and sat down.

"I'm just glad you're all right," she soothed, then 
paused. "I was worried."

Alex looked touched, his eyes widening a little.

"I'm okay...I'm just glad you're all right. You 
know...you were the true target of the attack," he 
explained, keeping his voice soft and even, trying to 
break it to her gently.

Andrea nodded, her eyes filling with tears again.

"I know...they wanted me dead and the twins kidnapped. 
I've known that all along."

Alex sighed, knowing it wouldn't help Andrea for him 
to curse the Smoker.

"I'm sorry, Andrea."

"Why should you be sorry? You didn't do this to 
me...I did," she sighed, sitting back in the chair, 
then whispered, "I made a deal with the devil and 
lost."

Alex smiled, the expression almost sardonic, but still 
gentle. 

"You mean the brainwashing act?"

"You knew, too," she voiced, the remark more statement 
than question.

Alex nodded.

"We were pretty sure, yeah..."

Tears fell once again down Andrea's pale cheek.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, ashamed.

Alex reached forward and gently took her hand.

"Don't be...it's okay. I know you were just trying to 
protect the kids and stuff. He's a difficult man to stand 
up to."

"He told me he would kill you all...and that I would 
never see the twins again. I...I thought I had no 
choice."

"Andrea," Alex whispered softly, hurting for her. "I 
know. We suspected as much. I won't let him hurt you or 
our children...please. Trust me."

Andrea grabbed his hand and held on like it was her 
only lifeline.

"I do...but, I'm still so scared of what he will do."

Alex gingerly sat up in bed and pulled her into an 
embrace.

"I know, love," he murmured, kissing her hair.

"Andrea," he started, and then paused, knowing she had 
been through an emotional wringer. "You know that in 
order to be free, we're probably going to have to kill him, 
don't you?"

Andrea closed her eyes and nodded.

"Yeah, I was expecting as much."

"I'm sorry...I'd spare him for your sake. I *will* 
spare him, if I can, but it might not be possible."

Andrea's eyes hardened, thinking of Alex lying injured 
and unwaking in this bed.

"And if I had a chance, I would probably kill him 
myself."

Alex shook his head, firmly.

"No. I don't want you to have to make a decision like that. 
You've been through more than enough."

Andrea looked up at her love and then slowly lifted 
her hand and softly caressed his cheek.

"Thank you."

Alex smiled, leaning into the caress.

"You're welcome," he husked in an intimate tone.

"I've missed you," she whispered, smiling softly.

Alex eyes shined with emotion, his eyes now resembling 
the clearest of emeralds.

"I missed you, too. Andrea...will you marry me?"

She gave a soft laugh of relief, burying her face in 
his neck.

"Yes, Alex," she agreed. "But you get to tell my 
brother!"

Alex swore, colorfully and imaginatively, laughing 
with his love in his arms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

THE END