Summary: Mulder, Skinner, and Krycek begin their lives together. Everything does not always go smoothly.

Author's Notes: This is the second book in the Life from the Ashes Series "Hope & Faith." You might want to read the first book and the prequel of the series.

I would like to thank my beta-reader Laurie or all her hard work and patience in editing this story, and plot suggestions. I also would like to thank Kiyoko for all her plot suggestions.

Feedback is always welcome; after all, I'm still learning so any constructive suggestions are appreciated.

WARNING! This story contains explicit Sex/Romance between two men. Turn back now, if the subject matter offends you.

WARNING! Rape and Sexual Assault! Okay to archive, please ask first.

CHARACTER LIST AT END OF BOOK.

Chapter 1 - Home

Northridge Research Compound
Boulder, Colorado
Thursday, January 7
8:00 p.m.

"It's pointless to continue, my suggestion is to return these women to their families immediately," Dr. Dean Long advised angrily, they had been going around and around on the subject for the last ten hours.

"There may still be avenues of research that we've overlooked, we will need these ladies for future studies," Dr. Brandon Morsly interjected.

"Dr. Long is right gentlemen. These women are less than useless to our research. Not one of their clones survived more than a few minutes. None of the vaccines can be tested on them because we need a fully functional female...not one of these barren women. We don't even have the means to produce a viable female to test the vaccine on! There is no point in holding these women here any longer." Professor Allen Paulson stood up to stretch. The large conference room was hot and stuffy, smelling of body odor from the ten men in the room.

General William Pierce was overseeing the meeting of the brightest scientific and medical minds from the U.S. and Canada researchers assigned to this project. "Gentlemen, I think it's time to adjourn the meeting, I will present your recommendations to Congress," the General stated.

"But, General, we haven't reached an agreement," Dr. Morsly complained.

"I believe you have, Doctor, we've spent the last twelve hours discussing this subject and there seems to be a clear consensus in the room. Now, if there is nothing else."

"Sir, what do you plan on recommending to Congress?"

"Dr. Paulson, I plan to recommend that the women be returned to their families, there is no longer a need to keep them here."

"So, that's it, we're just going to give up?" Dr. Morsly huffed.

"Doctor, this avenue of research has been expended. If there are any developments in the future we will explore them. Until then, there is no point in holding these women any longer. This meeting is adjourned!" the General barked.

There was a sense of defeat in the air as they all quietly filed out of the conference room.

Viva Tower - Crystal City
Friday, January 8
3:00 a.m.

Walter Skinner lay awake in the comfort of his own bed, listening to the gentle beating of Mulder's heart and his lover's soft breathing. They were in their usual position with the agent's head resting on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around Mulder's back holding him against his chest. Their legs were intertwined and he felt his lover's soft penis nestled against his hip. Bliss.

They had had a long day chatting with the large number of guests that dropped by to welcome them back. Mulder was uncomfortable by the attention; he was always quite introverted around other people. He enjoyed his few close friendships, but shied away from large crowds and parties.

Even the Director stopped by and gave them the remaining week off, but wanted them back bright and early Monday morning. Mulder beamed at that, he wanted to return to work as soon as possible -- he said that it grounded him. Skinner wanted him to take more time off; he didn't feel Mulder had recovered from his experience with Slava. He also wanted Mulder to see a psychiatrist.

Skinner sighed, shifting slightly to bring their bodies closer together. Then he let sleep claim him.

Canada
The Scullys' Ranch
Friday, January 8
10:00 a.m.

"Okay, Dana, I want you to concentrate. Try blanking out your mind," Krycek advised her, they had been working on her ability to shield her thoughts. Bill and Charlie picked it up easily, but Charlie's sons and Dana were proving to be difficult.

Krycek didn't want to leave here until he was sure Scully had that ability. He knew Scully's scientific mind was causing the problem. She still had a hard time accepting anything outside of proven science. He would send her the new scientific journals on clairvoyants and sorcerers when he got back to D.C. it should put her mind at ease.

He looked at her -- then smiled happily. "That's it...Dana, you've done it...I can't read you."

Scully returned his smile. "Now that I know how, it seems so simple."

"You have to remember that this is only a precaution, if a clairvoyant really wanted to he could break through your shield."

"But, it's something. Most of them wouldn't give me a second look dressed like this." Scully pointed out her baggy teenage boy look.

"Dana, don't count on your disguise. You make too cute a teenage boy. There are men and other teenage boys that will find you irresistible, and some on those teenage boys will be entering puberty and may contract the clairvoyant strain of the mutation," Krycek stressed.

"Yeah, sis, he's right. I've already talked to Randy and Trevor, they are not allowed to bring any of their friends over to the ranch," Charlie stated.

"Charlie, do you really think that's necessary? I don't want to get in the way of their childhood."

"Dana, their childhood has already been changed. I won't allow them to go into town or to the mall alone. There are too many of those damn n'thrals around. The government is going to have to do something about them! It's just not safe for our kids to be out unprotected anymore!"

Yeah, Dana, Charlie's right. It scares me, thinking about Matthew growing up in this world."

"I guess I was locked up too long at Northridge, I didn't realize how difficult it has been for you."

"Well at least the government is starting to make some progress against the Ghouls. We may not have to keep the flood lights lit around the ranch, much longer, if they can eliminate those things," Bill told them.

"Alex, you'll be heading back to Mulder now that you've taught me how to hide my thoughts?" Dana inquired.

"I still want Randy and Trevor to have that ability before I leave. It wouldn't do us any good if they inadvertently gave away your identity, Dana. Besides, they'll be able to use that ability in the future to their own benefit."

"Don't you miss Mulder?" Dana was surprised at how calm he was, that he was willing to stay and teach them.

"With all of my heart, Dana. But Fox is concerned about your safety, and I wouldn't want to return before I was sure that there is no threat to you or your family."

Washington D.C.
Friday, January 8
1:00 p.m.

"Fox, stop fidgeting," Skinner admonished.

Mulder glared at him, wishing he was somewhere else, anywhere else, this was worse than going to the dentist office. He picked up a copy of Money Week and started flipping through it, bored, he tossed it back on the table.

The door to the inner office opened. "Fox, it's good to see you again." A short man in his late thirties came out and hugged him.

"Bob, it's about time...I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about us," Mulder snipped, returning the hug.

Skinner was shocked to see the show of affection between his lover and this Bob person. "Fox, we've only been waiting out here for five minutes," he grumbled, then extended his hand to Bob Robertson.

"Mr. Robertson, I'm Walter Skinner."

"Mr. Skinner, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Fox has talked a lot about you," Robertson replied, shaking his hand.

"Fox? Really...I'd be curious to know what he said." Skinner gritted his teeth staring at Mulder, wondering what was going on between this man and his lover. He promised Fox that he wouldn't be jealous, but as far as he was concerned that was only in regards to Krycek.

Bob saw the agitation in Skinner's eyes and decided it would be advisable to explain his and Mulder's relationship. "Fox and I grew up together, we were best friends in elementary school and throughout high school. Didn't Fox mention it?"

"Really? No, Fox didn't mention it." Skinner glared again at his lover.

"Yeah, Walter, Bob and I go way back...sorry, I should have told you." Mulder looked at him sheepishly shrugging his shoulders.

Skinner gave him a stern *we'll talk about this at home* look.

"Mr. Robertson, I would like to review Fox's finances."

"Yes, he mentioned that you wanted to take over the responsibility of overseeing his accounts for him. I've been trying for years to get him to take a more active role in his investments, but he has little interest in money. He only requested a small clothing allowance every year," Robertson explained, showing them into his plush office.

"Really, how much was that?" Skinner remembered his lover's expensive designer suits and how many of those he destroyed each year -- chasing his x-files. He was always curious as to how Mulder was able to afford them.

"Twenty thousand dollars," Robertson replied, waving a hand at his small office table. "Please have a seat."

Robertson took a seat between the two men then he handed over a thick stack of printouts and several booklets. "Here's a printout of all of his current investments and a prospectus for each of the funds and stocks he has his money in."

Skinner flipped through the printouts -- stopped as the numbers started sinking in, then flipped quickly to the summary sheet at the end. "Thirty-two million! How?" Skinner sputtered.

"He left four million with me fifteen years ago and besides the twenty thousand dollar allowance for clothes each year, he never touched it. I did have some good luck in '87, I pulled his money out of the stock market before it crashed and reinvested it back in right after." Robertson grinned and leaned across the table and started explaining some of his more lucrative investments.

Skinner started asking him questions and soon they were having a deep discussion about investments. Mulder sat staring blankly out the window, wondering if he got up and left if Walter would notice?

Finally, Mulder couldn't take it any longer. "Excuse me, Bob, can I just sign the papers giving Walter authority over my estate?" he pleaded interrupting their discussion.

"Fox, can't you even make an attempt to understand your investments?" Skinner grumbled.

"No. Bob's one of the best investments brokers in the country, Walter. Why would I need to? It's his job. I would never consider coming to him for help in solving a serial murder case," Mulder huffed.

Robertson laughed aloud at the outlandish comparison and the look of disgust that crossed Skinner's face. "It's pointless to argue with him, Mr. Skinner. In fifteen years, I've never been able to get him interested in his finances. Even when we were kids, he had no interest in money. When all of us had summer jobs, Fox just lived off his small monthly allowance. He didn't get a job until the FBI recruited him, and I'm sure he didn't join for the salary. He could have made a whole lot more as a practicing psychologist."

Skinner knew Robertson was right, he hated giving up, but there was no point in making an issue out of this. It was sort of endearing to be with someone who cared so little about money. He and Sharon use to go round and round over their monthly bills. "Okay, Fox, point taken. We still have an appointment with Dr. Harris at 4:30 p.m. to make. Bob, can you draw up the appropriate papers? Oh, we need a third name added to the documents, too. We also need an account set up for a Yori Ysak and two million dollars deposited into it." Skinner wrote down their names and handed it over to Bob.

"Alex Krycek...is he a friend of yours, Fox?" Bob asked curiously after reading the note. He knew from the conversation he had with the agent that Walter Skinner was his lover, but wondered who the other man was.

"He's Walter's younger brother and my other...partner." Mulder didn't want to go into details with his friend, unless it was over drinks. He just wanted to get out of this office. It surprised him that Walter included his brother's name willingly. Maybe their lives together would work out after all.

"Okay, Fox, let's do lunch soon, and you can fill me in on how your life's going." Bob knew better than to pry too deeply. After being friends with Fox for thirty years, he was aware of the secrets and pain that had surrounded his friend's life.

"Mr. Robertson, it was a pleasure to meet you," Skinner said, holding out his hand to Bob, who shook it as he ushered them to his door.

On their way to the car, Mulder asked, "Walter, are you mad at me for not telling you about Bob and I being childhood friends?"

"No, Fox. I'm sort of relieved."

"Why?"

"If you hadn't known him since childhood, I'd probably would have punched his lights out for hugging you," Skinner stated sternly.

"Oh, then it's lucky for Bob that we grew up across the street from each other. Bob's never been able to hold his own in a fight." Mulder smirked at the thought of his friend fainting if Walter had so much as growled at him.

Washington D.C.
Friday, January 8
7:00 p.m.

Mulder sat watching in amusement as Skinner handed over the small container of his semen to Doctor Harris. They both had tissue and blood samples taken and, lastly, semen samples. Mulder was happy that Dr. Harris would be handling their child's conception. He trusted the doctor.

It was fortuitous that Harris was the head doctor at the procreation center for D.C. and its surrounding communities. Mulder had been taken by surprise when the doctor had asked for his semen sample; Skinner had overlooked telling him that it was one of the reasons they were visiting him. He had thought it was only going to be in regards to his body's addiction to sex and the need for a stronger and longer lasting anti-pheromone drug.

"We were able to track down Dana Scully's ova to use in the conception of your son," Dr. Harris informed them. "It's being flown out here, overnight, from San Diego."

"That's a relief, Sam. I know it means a lot to Fox that we're able to use Agent Scully's ova." Skinner took Mulder's hand in his as they sat in front of Dr. Harris' desk and he gently massaged the agent's palm with his thumb.

"Dr. Harris, how long will this process take? Is it true that it is considerable shorter than a natural pregnancy?" Mulder inquired nervously, squeezing Skinner's hand.

"Yes, Mulder, it will only take five months after conception for the baby to grow to full term."

"Ouch!" Skinner gasped.

"Sorry, Walter," Mulder grinned sheepishly at him after digging his nails into the other man's hand. "That short?"

Doctor Harris noted the tension between the two men. "Mulder...Walter, if you're free tomorrow I'd love to give you a tour of our procreation facility."

"We'd like that, Sam." Skinner looked over at his lover who was nervously squirming in his chair.

"Mulder, I'll have a new dosage of your anti-pheromone drug for you by then. I think it should allow you to go for five days without the need for sex. I hope to have more data as to how and why your body chemistry has changed because of your sexual relationships with Walter and Alex Krycek."

"Doctor, I don't believe it is only my body's chemistry that has been affected. I'd appreciate it if you studied Walter's blood samples and Alex's when he returns to D.C.," Mulder requested. Skinner looked at him baffled, wondering what his lover had neglected to tell him now.

"What makes you think that, Mulder?"

"When I was abducted by Henderson the second time, he treated me with reverence. We never even had sex, but we did exchange bodily fluids from him kissing me. Then there was Slava, we did have sexual intercourse a number of times. He also started to treat me with reverence as if he truly loved and respected me. His people seemed to consider it odd behavior for him." Mulder stopped and looked at the doctor, trying to see if his words were making sense.

"You think that the chemistry in your body affected the other two men's behavior in regards to you?" Harris asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Fox, you don't think that my love for you is because of some weird body chemistry change." Skinner huffed, he knew that he had been in love with Fox for years.

"No, Walter. Although, I did at first, but Frohike convinced me how stupid that idea was."

"Remind me to send him a thank you card."

"If there is nothing more gentlemen? I'll see you at this address at noon tomorrow; I'll take you out to lunch afterwards. There is a new bistro that just opened, I've been dying to try it," Harris said, handing over his business card.

"Thanks, Sam, Fox and I will be there. I'm looking forward to seeing the procreation facility."

When they were back in the car, Skinner turned to Mulder embracing and kissing him hard. "Five months and we'll be parents," he chirped happily.

"Walter, it's after curfew can you please concentrate on the outside area. I'd hate for anything to happen to you before junior is born. I don't particularly want to end up a single parent," Mulder quipped, returning the kiss only briefly. The whole day had him unnerved.

"Don't worry, Fox, I've been scanning our surroundings since we left the building. There is no way I'm about to die before our son is born. We should start thinking of a name, do you have any preferences?"

Mulder marveled at the childlike excitement in his lover's demeanor. "No, Walter, just so long as it's not Fox, William, or Sam, I'll let you pick." He smiled lovingly at the older man.

They arrived back at Viva Towers and Skinner pulled into the underground garage, making sure the door closed behind them without allowing any of the neighborhood ghouls to sneak in. Most had learned to fear this building of heavily armed men and steered clear of it.

It was after eight o'clock when they walked into their condominium to the tantalizing smell of borsch and stuffed cabbage rolls, which assaulted their senses.

Yori came out of the kitchen. "Well, how was your day? I made dinner for us."

"It went fine, Yori. Bob will be setting up a bank account for you. You'll have to accompany us to see him on Tuesday to sign some papers," Mulder replied, heading into the kitchen.

"Walter, I can see you had a good visit at your doctor's office, congratulations are in order?" Yori grinned, he knew the young agent was still feeling overwhelmed by all the changes in his life, but Skinner was overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a father.

"Yes, thank you, Yori. Five months and Fox and I will have a son of our own." Skinner smiled happily.

"I'm happy for you, Walter. Come, let's eat and drink a toast to your good news," Yori replied jovially.

Washington D.C.
Friday, January 8
10:00 p.m.

"Are you serious, Melvin?"

"John, have I ever lied to you?"

"No, not in the last eight years, but you did neglect to tell us that you were a clairvoyant. Damn, Melvin, this will be a Lone Gunmen exclusive, when do you think we can go to press?"

"Byers, this isn't just a news story, Mulder is our friend. I don't think it would be appropriate to go public with this information just yet. It might jeopardize his freedom. Besides he doesn't even know yet," Frohike sighed.

"It won't remain quiet for long, once news gets out, it will spread all over the world. Shouldn't we be the first to report it?"

"NO! John, I don't want to see anything happen to Mulder or his child, if we are premature with this story both of their lives will be in danger."

"Melvin's right, John, we should chill on the story. I don't feel right about it -- live and let live. Besides Mulder is our friend."

"What do you suggest we do then?"

"We could always throw him a baby shower," Langly grinned.

"Okay, you guys are right. How about May 1
st, when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, it would be perfect for an outdoor baby shower." Byers grinned back, deciding to forgo any news article.

The D.C. Procreation Clinic
Saturday, January 9
1:00 p.m.

Dr. Harris showed them into a dimly lit hallway, there was a long window going down the entire length. Behind the window were round metal tubes, running from floor to ceiling each was about three feet in diameter. In the center of the tube was a clear glass tank inside the tank was a fetus. Each tank contained one fetus in various stages of development.

"Your child will be placed in one of these growth cylinders. We have sixty of these containers at this facility." Dr. Harris informed them.

"Sam, has any of the babies conceived been female?" Skinner asked.

"About fifty percent were female, but they all died instantly. None have ever survived more than a few short seconds after conception. It's the same in all of the other facilities. The government has tried to use frozen sperm and ova stored in a sealed facility before the alien virus, but they had the same result."

"Have they made any progress at all?" Mulder asked, looking at all the tiny male babies in the tanks.

"No. I heard that they might allow the women at Northridge to return to their families. The government has determined that this virus has a life of several thousand years. Unless by some miracle a vaccine is found, the women from Northridge and those at other research facilities around the world will be the last females this world sees."

"I don't understand why the government is allowing the use of the woman's ova. If a vaccine is develop wouldn't it be wiser to save the ova for the future?" Mulder asked.

"The ova is only being allowed use in a select few cases, half of the babies in those tanks are from high-bred clones. All of the clones combined the DNA from two males, the government has banned cloning of individuals."

"So, who determined that our case was one of the special cases?" Mulder asked, not wanting to receive preferential treatment.

"Your position in the government helped to determine that, Agent Mulder. Like it or not, the human race still has to go on and using the ova is less risky to the child than cloning is. Several of the babies conceived through cloning are not going to survive their birth. All of the boys conceived by using the ova will."

"I didn't realize there was a problem with cloning. I thought they had it perfected?" Skinner inquired.

"No. Not all of the problems have been worked out. It's a fifty-fifty chance whether or not it will be successful," Harris answered. "Come on, we can discuss this over lunch," he said, leading them out of the building.

Viva Towers
Sunday, January 1010:00 a.m.

Mulder sat on the sofa with his feet curled under him watching the morning news programs. The report was from Miami. It had been nearly a week since the anti-ghouls virus had been released on the city. They were still pulling the bleached white bodies from the crypts and holes they used to sleep in during the day. There had been no more attacks; it appeared that all of the ghouls in Miami had been killed off.

The reporter went on to say that the military was planning to release the virus in several major cities tomorrow: Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Houston, and Seattle. By months end the virus will have been released nationwide.

Mulder lay his head down on the arm of the sofa and fell into a fitful sleep. Before long, he dreamed he was back with Slava. The larger man held him immobile as he took total possession of his body, plunging his hard, thick cock deep inside his body, while whispering terms of endearment. He thrashed around trying to throw his attacker off. However, nothing worked as he was claimed thoroughly and forced to submit to the other man's desires. He withered and twisted, until he was roughly shaken awake. He opened his eyes and stared into the panic brown eyes of his lover.

"Oh god, Walter," Mulder sobbed and clung to the larger man, burying his face into Skinner's shirt.

"Ssh, it's okay, I have you, Fox. It was only a dream." He held his lover's sobbing body tightly against his own. When his sobs died down he drew back. "Fox, do you want to tell me what it was about?"

"God, it seemed so real. I...I was back with Slava again. He used mind-control on me to make me submit...I felt so dirty and worthless." Mulder trembled against Skinner's chest.

"Fox, I won't let him touch you again. When Alex returns we both will be here to protect you. You'll never have to worry about that bastard getting his hands on you, again."

"Walter, promise me that you'll never leave me." Mulder wrapped his arms tightly around the older man and held on for dear life, ashamed of how needy he was becoming.

"Fox, I would never leave you...I love you too much. Besides, you're wealthy. I'd be a fool to leave all that money," Skinner quipped, getting a chuckle from Mulder.

"So, you're in love with me for my bank account?"

"Actually...I kind of liked Bob, too."

Mulder pulled away and gave Skinner his best hurt, puppy-dog face. "Don't even think about it, Walter -- Bob's off limits. Besides, I know you're not attracted to shorter men and Bob makes Frohike look tall."

"You're right. Besides, I could never leave you and Junior." Skinner stood up suddenly. "Stay right there, I have something to show you." He rushed out of the room and headed up the stairs, returning a few minutes later with a book.

"I borrowed this from Agent Pipino, it's a book on choosing a name for the new baby." Skinner sat next to Mulder and pulled him closer then opened the book to the first page.

They spent half the afternoon arguing over names finally narrowing it down between three names: Brandon, Jacob, and Jordan.

"You know, Fox, I was afraid of being too old if we had waited too long to have this baby. I'm glad you agreed to have him with me right away."

"Ah, Walter, there's something I forgot to tell you."

"What, Fox?"

"Well...you don't have to worry about ever being too old."

"What are you telling me? That even when I'm old and gray, you'll still be there for me?" Skinner hugged him tightly misunderstanding what Mulder was trying to tell him.

"Of course, I'll always be there for you, Walter. However, that's not what I meant. Alex told me that one of the symptoms of the sorcerer mutation is that you aren't going to grow old. So, it looks like we're both in it for the long haul." Mulder smiled, looking up at his lover's shocked expression.

"Fox, are you saying that I'm an immortal...like you?"

"Well not exactly like me...but you are not going to die of old age and as long as you're careful you can live forever. But you can be killed the same as the next man."

"C'mon," Skinner said, pulling Mulder to his feet.

"Where?"

"Bedroom," Skinner answered huskily.

The Scully Ranch
Monday, January 11
9:00 a.m.

"Alex, are you sure that you don't want us to drive you to the airport?" Bill inquired.

"No, it not necessary. I need to return the rental car anyway."

Dana hugged him. "Alex, take care...did you call Mulder to let him know you're coming?"

"Yeah, he and Skinner are going to meet my plane when it lands."

"I hope you guys are able to come and visit us this summer," Scully said, walking him to the car.

"I'm not sure if we'll be able to. Their baby is due in May, he might be too young for traveling."

"I know...I talked to Mulder last night, Dr. Harris was able to use my ovum in its conception. I can't wait to see him, Mulder said they narrowed down the list of names for the baby."

They stood awkwardly at the car for a few seconds before Scully hugged and kissed Krycek on the cheek. "Take care of him for me, Alex."

"Don't worry, Dana, I will," he said, getting in the car and driving off.

Ten miles outside of Toronto, Krycek had to pull the car over due to a flat tire. He got out of the car and looked at the tire. He concentrated and soon the hole sealed up and the tire inflated, but before he could get back into his car he felt a sting on his thigh. Reaching down, he pulled out a small dart. "Oh damn," he gasped as the world around him started to spin and grow dim. He lost unconscious and crumbled to the frozen ground.

A black van pulled up behind Krycek's rental car and the massive n'thral captain climbed out of the passenger side. He effortlessly lifted Krycek's body off the ground and tossed him in the back of the van.

"Very good, Mr. August, I was concerned that you might not have been able to conceal our presence from Comrade Krycek," Captain Mikhin said, climbing into the back of the van next to Krycek.

"I'm the best clairvoyant Mr. Slava has working for him. It was easy for me to shield both of us," August stated smugly as he pulled the van onto the expressway.

The n'thral pulled the metal box over next to Krycek's unconscious body. He opened it and pulled out the metal ankle cuff used to dampen sorcerer's powers. Mikhin opened the cuff and turned on the power switch located inside the metal latch, when closed there was no way to get to the switch. The cuff made a low humming noise as he attached it around Krycek's right ankle.

Krycek stirred awake and stared in fear at the n'thral's menacing face. "Comrade, it's good to see you again." Mikhin trailed his hand over Krycek's body, fondling him. "We're going to have fun together while we wait for the Tsar's lover to exchange himself for you."

Mikhin admired the beautiful triple agent as he took out a syringe and filled it with heroin, injecting it into the Krycek's biceps.

Krycek tried to use his powers to throw this creature off him but found himself unable to. He struggled briefly before the heroin hit his system. "No! Damnit!"

The D.C. Procreation Clinic
Monday, January 11
10:00 a.m.

Dr. Harris stared at the small tank containing Walter Skinner's and Fox Mulder's child. Although the embryo was too small to be seen with the human eye, he knew that in one short month it would have grown large enough that even it's fingers and toes should be visible.

He excitedly went back over his data. He had rerun the test four times now and always came back with the same results. The embryo in the tank was a female, it showed no signs of dying from the virus like every other female conceived had.

If she survives, this child and her parents would be vital for the future of the world. He knew one thing though, no one in the government or military must know about her existence, yet, not until he had a chance to talk to Walter. This would have to be a tightly guarded secret, he just hoped the baby continued to survive.

Chapter 2 – Hostage

Dulles Airport
Monday, January 11
2:00 p.m.

Mulder paced nervously in front of his lover at the airport while Skinner was on the telephone talking to the Toronto Police Department. The A.D. had agreed to drive him to the airport to pick up Krycek. His plane had arrived at 1:00 p.m., but he wasn't on board. After calling the Scullys and finding that he had indeed left for the airport, the older man was now trying to retrace his steps.

"Fox, they found Krycek's rental car on the shoulder of the expressway," Skinner informed him. Coming up behind him, he put his hand on the agent's back.

"Were there any signs that he was forced off the road?" Mulder asked, gazing out of the window at the planes taking off and landing. He met his lover's eyes in the glass and saw genuine concern in them.

"No, there wasn't a scratch on the car. The police have no idea why he would have pulled over. His tires were fine and the spare was still in the trunk."

" Walter, I'm flying out there."

"Fox, I think it would be advisable for you to wait here. I'll go out myself. I'll make arrangements with Agent Boutotte to provide protection for you while I'm gone."

"Walter..."

"No, Fox! This isn't open for discussion! One of us has to remain here because Alex...or whoever has him might try to contact us."

Mulder glared at him then sighed, defeated. "Okay, Walter, but promise me you'll call."

"Fox, I promise...don't worry...I'll find him." Skinner hugged him. Then they headed home for him to pack.

Unknown Location
Toronto
Monday, January 11
4:00 p.m.

Krycek's mind kept drifting as he tried to focus on his location, but he was too heavily drugged to think clearly. Every time his mind started to clear, that n'thral bastard would shoot him up with more heroin.

The door to the room opened, and Krycek watched in dread and revulsion as the massive Russian walked over to him. "Alexei, are you enjoying your stay with us?"

Captain Mikhin watched with amusement as the young man tried to focus on him, but slumped back on the bed unable to hold his head up. Mikhin tested the handcuffs that secured the triple agent to the small bed. He then stepped back to admire the beautiful young man -- his Tsar always had excellent taste.

Mikhin wanted to possess this beautiful man, but he wanted to hear him beg for it. He wasn't going to rape him as tempting as that thought was. He knew that once addicted, Alexei would be willing to do anything for more of the drug. That was when he would make the young man plead with him to fuck him. Considering Alexei's past history with the drug that should be fairly easy to accomplish.

After he had Krycek totally addicted, then he would contact the Tsar's lover. When he had Fox Mulder in his possession, they would all return to Russia together.

Washington
Monday, January 11
7:00 p.m.

"Frohike, I need you to get me a list of Nikolai Slava's people, and check it against the passenger list on all commercial flights flying into Toronto from Russia in the past week."

"Mulder, that's going to take some checking into, assuming we can get a list of his men. There's no guarantee that they didn't fly over under an alias."

"Frohike, just do your best, please."

"Sure, Mulder. Do you need anything else?" There was a touch of concern in Frohike's voice.

"No...that's all for now. Talk to you later." Just as Mulder hung up, the telephone rang again.

"Mulder," he answered.

"Agent Mulder, this is Sam Harris. May I speak to Walter?"

"Sorry, Doc, but Walter's out of town."

There was a brief hesitation over the line. "Do you know when he'll be back?"

"No...Doctor, is there something I can help you with?"

"No, Agent Mulder, it can wait until Walter returns," he said, hanging up the telephone.

Toronto airport
Monday, January 11
9:00 p.m.

Bill Scully met Walter Skinner's plane when it landed. "Mr. Skinner, it's good to see you again."

"Call me Walter. I think we've been through enough that we can dispense with formalities. Has there been any word from the police on Alex?"

"No...it's driving Dana nuts. She wants to go talk to the police herself and head up the investigation, but she knows that is impossible. She's starting to feel totally useless."

"I can understand that...Mulder's the same way. Two of the best agents I've ever had and they are reduced to prisoners in their own homes...hiding from the general public." Skinner followed Bill out to his truck. Bill took his bag and tossed it in the backseat.

"We have the guestroom at the ranch made up for you, tomorrow we can go see the police."

"Are you sure, Bill? I don't want to put you to any trouble...I can get a room in town."

"Dana insisted, and I'm not about to explain to her why you're not with me when I get back. Walter, can I ask a favor of you?"

"What?"

"Can you try to include Dana in the investigation?"

"Sure, Bill, I could use her help."

They arrived at the ranch house an hour later. Bill pulled up next to the back door that led into the large country kitchen. He helped Walter Skinner with his bags, showing him into the kitchen.

Dana was waiting anxiously inside. "Sir, thank you for coming."

"Dana, please, it's Walter. Has there been any more information on Alex?"

"No, ah...Walter," she murmured, as Charles Scully and his two sons walked into the kitchen.

"Walter, I'd like you to meet my brother Charlie and his two sons Randy and Trevor."

"Sir, it's a pleasure to meet you," Charlie replied, shaking his hand.

"Thank you." Skinner felt awkward in this family setting, he wished that he had insisted on a hotel room.

"I'll show you up to the guestroom so you can get settled in." Dana led him up a steep flight of stairs behind the kitchen. The large country farmhouse had two staircases in it. The large main staircase that led down to the entryway and living room, and the narrow back staircase off the kitchen. The steps creaked under their weight as Skinner struggled with his suitcases up the narrow steps.

Dana opened the first door next to the back staircase. "The bathroom is across the hallway." She fidgeted in the doorway as Skinner laid his suitcases down on the bed.

"Um, Walter, I want to apologize for how I treated you the last time we met. I hope you can forgive me, and we can put it in the past."

"Dana, apology accepted...just promise me you won't come between Fox and me again," Skinner replied, still somewhat hurt by the bitterness that had passed between them in Russia. Her interference had almost cost him his lover.

"I promise...it won't happen again." Scully hesitated briefly in the uncomfortable silence that followed. "If you're hungry, I can reheat some of the beef stew and biscuits I made for dinner?"

"Thanks, Dana, but I think I'll just turn in for the night."

"Okay, I'll talk to you in the morning, then. Goodnight, Walter."

"Night, Dana."

The Scully Ranch
Wednesday, January 13
5:00 p.m.

Charlie stirred a pot of chili he had simmering on the stove, looking over at his sister and her former boss. They sat huddled over a map of Toronto, discussing possible locations that a body could be dumped.

"This isn't fair, Dana, I don't want to believe he's dead," Skinner grumbled and shoved the maps away.

"Walter, we need to look into all of the possibilities."

"NO! He's still alive; I would feel it if he were dead. It's only been two days, for Christ sake, that not enough time to give up hope." Skinner stood and started pacing the kitchen, he had finally admitted to himself that he wasn't out here for Mulder's benefit. He wanted to find his half-brother, too. He felt a deep kinship with Alex that wasn't there before.

"Sir, I'm sorry, of course we'll keep looking. You're right -- it is still far too early to call it quits."

"Thank you, Scully."

Charlie stared them -- fatigue was clearly showing on their faces. They'd had very little sleep or food since the A.D. had arrived. He wondered which one would be the first to drop. He knew his sister, and he had his money on her -- she would be the last standing.

Washington D.C.
Thursday, January 14
Noon

Agent Boutotte stood next to Agent Mulder in the cafeteria line, he hadn't let the younger man out of his sight since Monday. Mulder seemed to be sinking more and more into despair.

Boutotte understood what it was like to lose someone close to you, then again, so did over ninety percent of the population. "Mulder, you need to eat more than soup," he told him.

Mulder stared blankly at him and placed a small bowl of strawberry Jell-O on his tray. "Happy?"

"No," Boutotte replied and added a piece of pie.

Mulder glared at him then shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

They paid for their food at the cashier and found a small table in the back of the cafeteria.

"Mulder, it's only been four days he will be found. You know the A.D. will do everything possible to find him."

"I know, it's just that whenever I find someone who's important to me .. . . fate steps in and kicks me in the face. I should probably give up trying...I seem to only bring pain to those who are close to me," Mulder sighed, trying to force down some Jell-O.

"Mulder, get over yourself! The world doesn't rise or set by you -- you don't control yours or anyone else's destinies. What happens will happen with or without you. Just be grateful you have people in your life who love you and that you love."

Mulder stared in awe at the older agent, he didn't buy what Boutotte said for a moment, but he appreciated the sentiment and concern. After all, Alex wouldn't be missing if he hadn't asked him to escort the Scullys home.

Toronto
Friday, January 15 3:00 p.m.

It had been five days since Krycek vanished and they still didn't have any leads. Walter Skinner was sitting in the Scully's kitchen. He was about to give up when Mulder called. "Fox, are you sure...okay, I'll check into it. Yeah, love you, too...bye."

"What did Mulder say?" Scully inquired anxiously.

"The Gunmen found a private jet registered to the Slava Corporation that landed in Toronto last Thursday evening. Langly had been checking the passenger lists on all flights from Russia. Fox said that Langly was pretty embarrassed that he overlooked checking into private planes."

"Is the plane still in Toronto?"

"Yes, it hasn't moved since it landed."

"Sir, what do you propose?"

"Right now, Agent Scully, our best bet would be staking out that airplane."

Viva Towers
Friday, January 15 5:00 p.m.

"Mulder, you should eat something," Yori admonished him. He had watched the agent over the last five days as he went off to work each morning and came home late each evening. He spent his time either on the telephone or nervously pacing.

"Yori, I'm not hungry."

"Starving yourself isn't going to bring him back any sooner."

"You're going to keep harping on me until I eat...aren't you?

"Yes, Mulder."

"Okay, fine...what did you make?"

"Borsch and stuffed cabbage rolls."

"Again?" Mulder groaned.

"I haven't cook that since Tuesday, Mulder," Yori huffed.

"Whatever," Mulder moaned, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"I found an apartment over in Alexandria...as soon as Walter and Alexei are back to take care of you...I'll be leaving," he murmured sadly.

"Yori, I can look after myself. You don't have to put yourself out on my account," Mulder replied, slowly eating the borsch.

"Mulder, I enjoy taking care of you...it's what I do. I took care of Slava for many years."

The telephone rang and Mulder leaped to answer it. "Mulder."

"Hello, Agent Mulder. This is Doctor Harris has Walter returned yet?"

"No, sorry, he's still out of town. If it's important I can get a message to him."

"No, I need to talk to him in person. When Walter returns tell him it's vital that I speak with him."

"Doctor, what's wrong? Is it about our baby? Have the tests come back from Skinner's blood work?"

"I'm sorry, Mulder, but I really need to discuss this matter with Walter. It's really important that he gets in touch with me when he gets back." The doctor disconnected before the agent could protest.

Mulder just sat there staring at the telephone, listening to the dial tone. Yori came over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Mulder, what's wrong?"

"That was Doctor Harris, he wouldn't tell me. He wanted to speak to Walter, he said that it was vital. Yori, do you think...could you use your clairvoyant powers and find out what Harris is hiding?"

"I'm sorry, Mulder, but I can't read him...unless you get him back on the phone."

Mulder quickly dialed Harris' telephone number, but the answering machine picked up. "Damn."

The D.C. Procreation Clinic
Friday, January 15 6:00 p.m.

Dr. Harris sat in the private research lab at the clinic looking sadly at the telephone, he felt guilty about hanging up on Mulder. However, he knew it was better to speak with Walter about the subject. Walter Skinner had high-level contacts in the government and military, he would be able to take the steps necessary to insure his child's safety.

It's been five days and their daughter showed no signs of dying from the virus, the embryo was developing at an unusually high rate of growth. The doctor suspected it had something to do with Fox Mulder's mutation, that his genetic makeup was the key. If that proved to be the case, then agent's freedom would be in jeopardy.

He had placed the growth cylinder with their child in a secured room at the clinic, only two other doctors had the keys to this room. With any luck, they would be able to hide her existence until Walter could take the appropriate measures to secure her safety.

He heard the key turn in the lock and Doctor Kyle Pendrell walked in. "Evening, Sam, any luck contacting Walter Skinner, yet?"

"No, Kyle, he's still out of town."

"How's our little baby, Hope, doing?" Pendrell inquired, looking in the tank.

"She's doing amazingly well, Kyle, by next week she should be visible to the naked eye."

"That soon? Sam, at this rate of growth she'll be born a month early!"

"I know...it's amazing isn't?" Sam grinned at him.

Besides Kyle and himself, only Dr. Louis Jackson knew of the baby girl's existence.

"How soon can we start running tests on her fathers?"

"We already have their tissue samples, blood work, and semen. We can start with that, but I want to wait until after the baby is born before taking any samples from her."

"You still think Fox Mulder is the key component for her survival don't you, Sam?"

"Yes, Kyle. There are scores of men with the sorcerer mutation already using this technique to propagate, and all of their female offspring have died instantly."

"But, Sam, one of the men with the immortal strain of the virus also had a female offspring die using the same technique. How can you be so sure that it is tied into Agent Mulder?"

"I just know he's the key. Can you get me the data on this other immortal, and who his partner was?"

"Sure, Sam, I'll have it for you tomorrow," Kyle said as he left the lab.

Doctor Harris walked up to the growth cylinder, stared into the clear liquid and ran his finger along the glass. "Hope, you are in for an interesting life. Your father is a strong brave man, he will love and protect you." Sam smiled at the thought of how Walter would react to finding out he had a daughter. He had better make sure he had some smelling salts on hand.

Viva Towers
Saturday, January 16
7:00 a.m.

Mulder leaned over the toilet bowl throwing up; he had started to go through withdrawal symptoms a few hours ago. He knew that from past experience, it was just going to keep getting worse. However, he was determined not to call Walter, there was no way he would interfere in his search for Alex.

He rose unsteadily to his feet, breaking out in a cold sweat and shaking. Mulder turned on the shower, hoping it might help relieve some of the pain he was beginning to feel.

The agent didn't know how long he was in there, because the next thing he knew Yori was wrapping a towel around him, lifting him up off the shower floor.

The large Russian carried him to the bed and laid him down, pulling the blankets over his trembling body. "Mulder, I'm going to call your doctor. I know you don't want me to call Walter, so I won't unless the doctor is unable to help you."

Mulder tried to listen to the words, but they were muffled as if spoken from a distance. He watched vaguely as Yori picked up the telephone to call Dr. Harris. His body went through convulsions and he curled up on his side, gripped by an unbearable pain. The only relief he found was when he passed out from the pain.

An hour later, Dr. Harris walked into the room and set his medical bag at the foot of the bed. He sat next to the agent's languishing body and proceeded to check his pulse, temperature, blood pressure, and heart.

"How long has he been like this?" the doctor asked Yori who was hovering nervously nearby.

"I'm do not know, Doctor. I found him passed out in the shower this morning."

"Do you have any idea when Walter Skinner is going to be back or for that matter Alex Krycek?"

"Walter is looking for Alexei, he disappeared six days ago in Toronto. Mulder wouldn't want Walter to return, he'd rather have him continue searching for Alexei."

Mulder groaned and tried to kick the covers off his hot sweating body -- the fabric was heavy and rough against his sensitized skin. Both men stared at him with concern.

"Mulder won't get better...do you know what's happening to him?" Harris asked, not wanting impart any personal information about his patient.

"I know he is going through withdrawal symptoms. And that the only cure would be having sexual intercourse with either Walter or Alexei," Yori answered gruffly.

Yori had read the doctor's thoughts. "Dr. Harris, Mulder has the right to be told about his daughter. What gives you the right to keep that information from him?" Yori admonished sharply. Mulder was his friend and he didn't like secrets being kept from the agent.

Harris was shocked and taken aback by the angry accusation and the fact that the Russian had read his thoughts. He didn't know if Yori could be trusted with the information about the female baby. "You do realize how important it is that her existence remain a secret."

"A secret from the government or a secret from her father?" the Russian snapped.

"It's not that I wasn't going to tell Mulder. I just thought it would be better to talk to her other father first. Walter would able to secure protection for her. The fewer people that know about her, the better."

"You're not doing a very could job of hiding her existence, Doctor. I read your thoughts very easily. Haven't you learned to shield them? You need a clairvoyant with you at all times to help conceal your thoughts for you."

Harris knew that the man was right. He pulled out a syringe from his bag and gave Mulder a sedative to help him sleep more easily.

"I don't know a clairvoyant that I could trust with this information.... if I did I would use him. What about you, Mr. Ysak, would you be willing to assist me?"

"Sorry, I won't leave Mulder in this condition, but I do know a clairvoyant you could trust. He would be more than willing to help you." Yori walked over and picked up the telephone, he knew the number by heart, after watching Mulder call it all week.

"Lone Gunmen," the voice answered.

"It's Yori Ysak, is Frohike there?" He listened as the man called across the room.

"Hey, Yori, how's it going?"

"Not well, my friend, I need your help."

"What's wrong?"

"Agent Mulder is ill, and I can't leave him alone. His doctor is here and needs a clairvoyant he can trust. Frohike, can you come over right away?"

"I'll be there in a half-hour, Yori. This is about the baby, isn't it?"

"You know?"

"I've known since Russia. I'll see you shortly."

Toronto Airport
Saturday, January 16
10:00 a.m.

Dana Scully sat next to Walter Skinner, they had settled on watching the airport between dawn and dusk each day. There were no flights allowed to take off during the evening hours.

Scully looked over at Skinner, tilting her head so she could see the title of the book he was reading. It was a book on infant care entitled "The Baby Book".

"Have you had any word from the doctor on how the fetus is doing?" Scully asked, genuinely interested.

"No, I've been too occupied with our search for Alex to check. Sam would call me if there were a problem, though. I'm sure the fetus is doing just fine." Skinner glanced down at his book, then marked his page.

Closing the book, he turned back to Scully. "Dana, I want to thank you for allowing us to use your ovum in our son's conception, it meant a lot to Fox."

"You're welcome, Walter. It was the least I could do...I'm happy that I had the chance."

"You're not going to have a problem with the baby having some of your genes, but being mine and Mulder's child?"

"No, Walter, the baby is yours and Mulder's...I don't see him as being my son. If it will make you feel better, you can have your lawyer draw up a legal document relinquishing all of my parental rights. I will gladly sign it to put your mind at ease."

"No, Dana, that won't be necessary. Your word is good enough for me." Skinner smiled at her. He had been concerned about her wanting to be a large part of his child's life. It made him anxious at the thought of having to share his son -- his dream of a family didn't include her.

They spent the rest of the day talking about their families and growing up. Skinner was surprised that he and Scully shared many similar ideas on how a child should be raised. When night fell, they headed back to the ranch. They would grab several hours of sleep then head back out here just before dawn.

Unknown Location
Totonto
Sunday, January 17
7:00 a.m.

Krycek pulled weakly on the cuffs securing him to the bed-frame, he was freshly washed and shaved. Mikhin had greatly enjoyed bathing him earlier. The triple agent had hoped that the metal ankle cuff would malfunction in the water. However, the captain hadn't taken any chances and wrapped a plastic bag securely around the cuff.

As n'thrals went, Mikhin seemed extremely intelligent and self-controlled. He didn't display the out of control behavior prevalent in most of his kind.

Krycek closed his eyes; he was having the first clear thoughts since he was kidnaped. Mikhin hadn't given him the dose of heroin, and he felt the fog lifting from his brain, but he also felt shaky and nauseous -- withdrawal symptoms, he knew them so well.

"How are we feeling, Alexei?" Mikhin asked. Krycek started, he hadn't heard the n'thral enter the room.

"I feel fine," Krycek sneered with contempt as he tried to maintain a false front. He gritted his teeth against a wave of pain that coursed through his body.

"Funny, you don't look fine," the n'thral smirked. "Don't worry, my pet, as soon as I collect the Tsar's lover in D.C., you will demonstrate how much you love me in front of him. Then I will give you some more heroin as a reward. Here, to show you that I'm serious, you can keep this." Mikhin slipped one of the vials of heroin into the younger man's pants pocket.

"I'd rather die first...and keep your filthy hands off Fox -- touch him and I'll..."

"Alexei, you are not in a position to be making threats, but don't worry, I will not lay a hand on the Tsar's property. We will be flying down to D.C. this morning, then back to Canada, then on to Russia."

The n'thral wanted Mulder to suffer by watching the man he loved go through agonizing withdrawal symptoms and sell his body for more heroin. Mikhin was still enraged over the injury Mulder had inflicted on Slava.

Krycek wanted desperately to get out of there, before Mikhin got his hands on Mulder.

Toronto Airport
Sunday, January 17
9:00 a.m.

Skinner had watched from a distant location as a black van drove up to the hanger that housed the private jet. He felt Krycek's presence in that van. Walter Skinner shook Dana Scully awake she had fallen asleep shortly after dawn.

"Sir, what, oh sorry. What is it?" she asked. Staring over at the hanger, she noticed the van parking beside it.

They watched as Krycek was dragged out of the side of the van by a very large n'thral. Skinner noted that his brother was having trouble standing. He watched as Krycek doubled over in pain.

"Scully, stay in the car," Skinner ordered as he jumped out and ran across the field toward Krycek and the n'thral. He created a protective shield around his body as he pulled his gun from his holster.

Captain Mikhin glanced up in surprise at the glowing, angry man charging across the field. He determined it would be better to retreat than to attempt to fight an enraged sorcerer, he quickly hopped back into his van, leaving Krycek where he had fallen on the cold pavement.

Skinner got to Krycek's side just as the van sped through the gate and onto the service road. The younger man was shaking violently. "Alex, I have you now...what's wrong?"

Krycek looked at his brother through pain-filled eyes. "Heroin...th..that bbastard...II'm addict..." He doubled over as another wave of pain coursed through him.

Dana Scully pulled the car up beside them, gazing in amazement at Skinner. She hadn't seen him use his powers before and was surprised by the glowing shield he had created around his body. She knelt down beside both men. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's going through withdrawal symptoms, he's been addicted to heroin." Skinner had his arms wrapped around the younger man's shaking body. Krycek had his face buried in the A.D.'s wool coat, and his hands were tightly clutching the material.

Scully stood and pulled open the back door of the car. "C'mon, let's get him inside." She reached down and helped the A.D. to his feet as he cradled Krycek in his arms. Easing his half-brother's trembling body into the back seat, he climbed in beside him. Scully climbed behind the driver's seat and headed back to the ranch.

Thinking about Krycek's withdrawal pain caused something to click in Skinner's mind. "DAMN! How could I have forgotten," he cried out.

"What's wrong?"

"Fox...it's been six days."

"What's been six days, Walter?"

Skinner met her eyes in the rearview mirror and turned a bright shade of red. "Since Fox and I had sex," he mumbled quietly as he brushed the hair out of his brother's eyes. The younger man seemed to have fallen into a restless sleep.

"What...I didn't catch what you said?"

"It's been six days since we had sex," he said louder.

"I'm sorry...I'm not following...what does your sex life have to do with why you're upset?"

"It's a side-effect of Mulder's mutation, he has to have sex every forty-eight hours when he's not on the anti-pheromone drug or every five days when he's taking the drug. He starts going through withdrawal symptoms similar to what Alex is going through."

"Are you sure? That seems, pretty farfetched," Scully replied skeptically.

"I've never personally witnessed Fox going through withdrawal symptoms, but Alex has."

"When we get back to the ranch, you can call Mulder and find out how he's doing, I'm sure that he's fine."

Viva Towers
Sunday, January 17
11:30 a.m.

Yori placed a cool washcloth over Mulder's fevered forehead. The agent was asleep but kept tossing and turning. It had been over a day since Frohike accompanied the doctor back to the clinic. He had agreed to help shield all three doctors' thoughts. As long as they all agreed to remain together, the little man should be able to prevent any other clairvoyants from finding out about Hope from reading the doctor's thoughts. Once Walter was back...hopefully with Alexei, they'd be able to work together in protecting the baby girl.

The telephone rang on the nightstand. Yori answered it, "Walter Skinner's residence."

"Yori, put Fox on the phone," a very nervous Assistant Director requested.

"Sorry, Walter, he isn't able to talk right now."

"Is he all right?"

"No...he's not...he didn't want me to mention it...he's concerned about you finding Alexei."

"We found Alex an hour ago, I'll be bringing him home with me. He's not in very good shape," Skinner stressed. "Yori, how...how bad of shape is Fox in?"

"Really bad, he passed out from the pain. Doctor Harris was out again this morning and has given him a another sedative."

"I'll be on the next flight home. Take care of him for me until I get there."

Walter Skinner hung up, looking over at Dana Scully, she was kneeling next to Alex who was groaning and shaking on the sofa. "Can you get him ready to travel, Dana?"

"Sir, he's in no shape to go anywhere!"

"Dana, I'm not going to argue, Alex is going back to D.C. with me. Mulder needs me there...but I'm not leaving Alex behind."

"Okay, but I'm going with you...you can't handle him on your own." Scully rushed up to pack her bags.

Skinner knelt down next to Alex, wiping the sweat from the younger man's brow. "Alex, I'm taking you back to Fox, he might be able to cure the pain of your addiction."

"Walter...it...might not be that easy. When I...I waas in mmy teens...I was ad...addicted to heroin. My father...had me . .. . committed for treatment." Krycek fell back exhausted.

"Alex, Fox cured your gunshot wound, he should be able to cure your withdrawal pains. You will have to fight to stay off the drug yourself, but it should be easier without the withdrawal symptoms."

"No, I can't wait that long! Here, give me a shot of this...Mikhin left it with me." Krycek handed over the vial of heroin from his pocket.

"Alex, no! I won't make you anymore addicted than you already are. You have to start drying out." Skinner placed the drug into his pocket then placed a comforting hand on Krycek's arm.

Krycek angrily shrugged his brother's hand off his arm. "You hate me! You've always hated me...you llliike...seeing me suffer.... that's the real reason you won't give me any of the drug."

"Alex, I don't hate you...I don't like seeing you suffer and you know that. Hey, you're my brother, whether you like it or not, we are family, and I'm trying to do what is best for you." Skinner pulled the younger man's trembling body into an embrace, soothingly rubbing his hand over his back.

Krycek accepted the comforting from his older brother -- his family.

When Scully came back downstairs, she was wearing one of her tailored suits and looking very feminine, regardless of her buzz style haircut.

Skinner gave her a questioning look.

"Congress has allowed all the women at Northridge to return to their families. There is no reason for me to hide my identity any longer."

"It's still dangerous for you to travel alone, Dana. I'll have a couple of agents accompany you back home...when you're ready to return. That's unless you're thinking of rejoining the FBI?"

"Not at this time, sir. My brothers and nephews need me here."

Bill Scully helped carry the suitcases to the car. Charlie was watching Matthew for him while he drove them to the airport. Dana received quite a few stares as she walked into the airport. Krycek needed to be physically supported from the car, and they used a wheelchair to get him to the plane.

"Be careful, Dana, call me if you need anything," Bill told her as he watched them safely board their flight.

Skinner sat on the aisle seat with Dana sitting by the window, Krycek in the seat between them. Skinner glanced over at his brother who was sweating and softly moaning. He got up and walked to the bathroom and wet his handkerchief. Sitting back down, he wiped the sweat from Krycek's face.

"Alex, try to get some sleep, we should be in D.C. in a couple of hours," Skinner murmured with concern.

Krycek reached out and grabbed Skinner's hand using it as a lifeline he closed his eyes and tried desperately to let sleep claim him. After ten minutes, his head came to rest on the older man's shoulder as he fell into an uncomfortable sleep.

Dulles Airport
Washington D.C.
Sunday, January 17
5:00 p.m.

Agent Boutotte was waiting out front for them in his Ford Explorer. He helped them with the bags and bundled a semi-lucid Krycek into the backseat. Skinner climbed into the back, leaving Scully in the front seat with Agent Boutotte.

"Agent Scully, it's a pleasure to see you again," Boutotte said, glancing over at her.

"Please, it's Dana, Agent Boutotte." Scully smiled at him, she liked Agent Boutotte, he was an attractive man.

"It's Phil, Dana," he said returning her smile.

"Pull over...I think I'm going to be sick," Krycek moaned from the backseat. Boutotte quickly complied. Skinner held Krycek as he leaned out the door and dried heaved. He had nothing in his stomach to vomit up. He was trembling when the older man eased him back into his seat, buckling him back in.

"Alex, Dr. Harris is at the apartment, he'll give you something when we get there." Skinner pulled out a handkerchief and mopped up the sweat from the younger man's face.

Agent Boutotte pulled the truck into the underground parking garage. He grabbed the bags as the A.D. supported his brother and helped him up to his condominium.

Yori met them at the door, taking Krycek from Skinner. "I'll take care of him, you go see Mulder," Yori advised him, helping Krycek to the guestroom. Scully and Boutotte followed the large Russian into the room. Dr. Harris came in shortly afterwards. He had been upstairs with Mulder when Skinner came in and threw him out.

"So this is Alex Krycek?" the doctor asked, opening his bag. He gave Dana Scully a brief appraising look as he pulled out a syringe. "This should help relieve his pain for a few of hours. We'll have to get him into a drug treatment program as soon as possible."

"That won't be necessary, Doctor," Yori told him.

"He'll need help recovering from his addiction. I don't know how they do things over in Russia, but here we help our drug addicts in their recovery," Harris replied smugly. He hadn't seen eye-to-eye with the Russian since their argument over him not telling Mulder about his baby being a girl.

"No, he won't. When Mulder is back on his feet, he'll help Alexei overcome his drug addiction."

The doctor, Scully, and Boutotte looked at him with doubt in their eyes.

"Yori, would you please clarify that for us," Scully requested.

"Of course, Mulder has the ability to heal. Mulder healed Alexei after he was killed the night of the auction. Mulder laid his hands over him and all of the bullet holes healed, and Alexei started breathing again. It was the most amazing thing that I've ever witnessed in my life."

"That the most preposterous story...I've ever heard!" Sam Harris scoffed.

Yori glared at him, he didn't like being called a liar. "Would you like to make a small wager, Doctor?"

"How small?"

"Say, you fix dinner for us every night next week, a real dinner -- not anything frozen that says Banquet," Yori stressed.

"Okay. However, if I'm right you do volunteer work at the clinic for a month." The doctor challenged, not thinking for a minute that he would lose.

Yori headed for the door. "If anyone is hungry, there is a kettle of lamb and chick-pea soup simmering on the stove, and fresh baked bread cooling on the counter," he mentioned on his way out.

"I'm famished, Yori," Scully answered. She checked to make sure Krycek was sleeping comfortably before leaving the room. Boutotte and Harris followed her out the door and into the kitchen.

Walter Skinner felt weird having sex with his lover's sedated body. He felt Mulder's chilled skin and taut muscles, he knew his lover was suffering even while he lay unconscious. When he ejaculated into the agent's rigid body, he felt it relax under his weight, knowing that he had provided Fox relief from his pain. Skinner would never again forget how important he was to his lover.

He held Mulder's peacefully sleeping body against his chest. His lover had been worn down by the long hours of intense pain and sedatives. Finally, after receiving relief from the pain...exhaustion overtook the agent and he sunk deeper into sleep.

Now, looking down into Mulder's serene, sleeping face, for the first time Skinner was truly happy that Alex Krycek was going to be a part of their life. Because, if anything ever happened to him, he knew that his half-brother would be there for Fox.

He kissed his lover's brow and disentangled himself. Standing, he made sure Mulder was tucked in and comfortable. Skinner pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater and headed downstairs to check on his brother and guests.

When Skinner came into the kitchen, all conversation stopped. "Yori, any more of that soup left?" He nodded toward the kettle on the stove.

"Yes, Walter, have a seat." Yori stood up, relinquishing his spot at the small kitchen table to the A.D. and walked over to dish up a bowl of the soup.

"Walter, how's Mulder doing?" Scully asked.

"He sleeping peacefully. How's Alex?"

"He's sleeping, also."

"Sam, sorry about earlier," Skinner apologized as he wolfed down the large bowl of soup, dunking the buttered bread in it to sop up the savory broth.

"No problem, Walter. When you're through, I need to talk to you in private," Harris stated.

"Sure, Sam, what's it about?"

"Hope."

To say Walter Skinner was shocked would have been an understatement, catatonic would be closer to his reaction to the news that his and Mulder's baby was a girl. He paced the small study nervously.

"Here, Walter, drink this." Sam handed his friend a tumbler of bourbon.

Skinner took a large gulp. "How? I thought all female embryos died instantly...is she going to die?"

"Walter, *HOW* is the billion dollar question. Your daughter is the only female embryo that has survived -- Hope's doing amazingly well."

"Hope?"

"Kyle came up with the name, it seemed fitting, we wanted to call her something. I hope you don't mind."

"No, I like the name...you're right, it is fitting." Skinner took another sip from his glass. He had a silly grin on his face. "I'm going to have a baby girl, Sam, this is unbelievably good news. What did Fox say when you told him?"

"I haven't told him. I thought...I wanted to discuss it with you first. Walter, you need to take measures for her protection. The government is going to want to study her -- they may attempt to take her from you. There's also the possibility that Agent Mulder may be confined."

"Confined? Walter, what's going on?" Mulder walked unsteadily into the room, hearing only the last sentence.

Skinner looked longingly at his beautiful lover -- Mulder was wearing a floor-length, forest-green velour robe. He almost forgot what they were talking about. "Fox, how are you feeling? Here sit down, you look like you're going to fall over." Skinner hurried over to Mulder leading him over to the sofa he helped him to sit. They shared a brief kiss.

"I'm fine, Walter. Now tell me -- what did the doctor mean?"

Skinner sat on the sofa next to his lover; taking Mulder's hands in his Skinner stared into the agent's eyes. "Fox, Sam has some very good news for us...but there are some problems I'll need to take care of. Our baby is female -- a healthy baby girl." Skinner smiled happily.

All the color drained from Mulder's face -- he felt the room sway. Skinner grabbed him and held him close until the dizziness passed. "A girl? Does...Doctor, you think my mutation is responsible for her surviving, don't you? That's why you're worried about me being placed in confinement." The agent shivered, he wasn't looking forward to any more publicity or notoriety...he definitely didn't want to become a guinea pig in some lab.

"Agent Mulder, I'm not positive, but I believe it's your genes that allowed her to survive."

"Don't worry, Fox, I'll start making calls tomorrow. I'll have yours and Hope's freedom guaranteed." Skinner stroked the agent's back as he hugged him tightly against his chest.

"Thanks, Walter. Did you find Alex?"

"Yes, he's sleeping in the guestroom. Fox, it was one of Slava's men that had him...he injected him with heroin. It might not have been so bad, but Alex confided in me that he was an addict in his teens. His father had him forcefully committed until he was free from the drug."

"Well, I'll just have to cure him of it," Mulder stated smugly.

"After you get your strength back, Fox. It took you over ten hours to recover last time you healed Alex."

The doctor interrupted their brief exchange. "Walter, are you saying that Mulder really does have the ability to heal?"

Mulder stared at Harris, feeling irritated. He was getting fed up with the way the doctor was treating him. The mere fact that the old man hadn't told him about his baby being a girl -- the doctor waited for Walter to get back and told him. Now, Harris was talking as if he wasn't in the room.

Skinner felt the tension in Mulder's body. "Sam, you'll have to ask Fox that question, it's up to him if he wants to tell you."

"Well, is it true, Agent Mulder?"

"Walter, I'm going to check on Alex." Mulder stood quickly, not answering the doctor.

"I'll join you shortly, Fox."

"Walter, what's wrong with him? He purposely ignored me," the doctor huffed.

"After how you treated him, Sam, you're lucky he didn't deck you."

"I don't understand, what do you mean?" Sam was truly baffled -- this was the second person that rebuffed him over how he treated Mulder.

"Sam, you treated him as if he wasn't here, and then not telling him about our daughter. He's an intelligent man, but you treated him as if he were a child -- he's a thirty-eight years old for god-sake."

"I'm sorry, Walter, I wasn't aware that's how I've been treating him."

"Sam, you used to treat Sharon the same way, it drove her nuts."

"Walter, I'll make a point of watching myself in the future."

Mulder walked quietly into the small guest bedroom. Yori had been using it and still had all of his meager possessions scattered around. He sat on the bed next to his sleeping lover and grazed his fingers across the stubble on Krycek's cheek. Bending down he kissed the younger man's lips.

The agent took off his robe and crawled under the blankets, he spooned up against Krycek's back wrapping his naked body around the younger man's clothed one. He fell instantly asleep; his body was still exhausted.

Skinner walked into the room a half-hour later stared down at the two sleeping men -- his family. He leaned down and kissed Fox on the lips then rested a hand on his brother's hot forehead. Krycek moaned softly, but remained sleeping. He hoped the younger man would sleep through the night.

He walked out of the room and made sure that the apartment was locked up. Scully was spending the night in Agent Boutotte's guestroom, and Yori had accompanied the doctor home. The Russian would be staying with him until he could arrange for his daughter's security.

Skinner set his alarm clock for five o'clock; he wanted to get into work early. He had many arrangements to make and a pile of paperwork to get through.

Hoover Building
Washington D.C.
Monday, January 18
8:20 a.m.

It was deathly quiet in the lobby of the Hoover building, a person could have heard a pin drop over the stunned silence. Only the soft clicking of high-heeled shoes on the polished marble floor could be heard. All eyes followed the tall, trim, immaculately dressed young woman. She showed her badge to the startled guard and stepped through the metal detector.

The woman rode the elevator up, waiting patiently as it stopped to pick up other passengers along the way. She smiled softly at each man that got on...they were all too surprised to speak. The woman left the elevator, followed by all the men that were on it. She wove her way through the bullpen, picking up many more agents along the way.

She stepped into the outer office of Assistant Director Walter Skinner; placing her handbag on the desk she took off her coat and hung it up in the small closet. The woman then sat behind the desk, pulled opened the bottom desk drawer and deposited her small handbag inside. She proceeded to turn on the computer and shifted through the in-box, all the while being silently watched by a few dozen agents.

Walter Skinner's door opened and the A.D. stepped out. He took a step back upon seeing all the men milling around before his eyes came to rest on..."Kimberly?"

Chapter 3 - Hope

Hoover Building
Washington D.C.
Monday, January 18
9:20 a.m.

"Good morning, sir." Kimberly smiled up at Skinner.

"Agents! Don't you have work to do?" Skinner barked at the men who had followed her. They quickly departed, leaving the A.D. alone with his secretary.

Skinner held his door open looking expectantly at Kimberly. "I think we should talk, don't you?"

She rose from her desk and walked past the A.D. into his office and sat on the sofa. Skinner closed the door and stood staring down at her, he didn't know what to say.

"Congratulations, sir. I've heard that you and Agent Mulder are going to have a baby," she replied happily.

Skinner sat next to her on the sofa, turning sideways to face her. "Thank you, Kimberly. It really is good to see you again...but how? I thought you had died. I've been placing flowers on your grave."

"I'm sorry about that, sir. My boyfriend thought I should go into hiding. After most the women had died and the government started rounding up the few survivors, Tony faked my death and has been hiding me ever since. However, now that the government has allowed all the women to return to their families, I decided it was a good time to come out of hiding." Kim looked nervously at him.

"You're an abductee?"

"Yes...I've often thought about talking to agent Mulder about my abduction experiences. However, I decided it would be better if I kept it to myself."

"It's good to have you back, Kimberly," Skinner said, hugging her briefly.

"It's good to be back, sir," she murmured, returning his hug.

Viva Towers
Monday, January 18
9:30 a.m.

Krycek sat on the sofa gently massaging his lover's back. Mulder was soundly asleep with his head resting on the younger man's lap. The agent had cured Krycek of his withdrawal symptoms a couple of hours ago and had instantly fallen into an exhausted sleep.

"Here you go, Alexei." Yori handed him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks, Yori. So, fill me in, what's been going on in my absence?" Alex sipped the coffee with one hand while his other combed through Mulder's silky hair.

"Mulder and Skinner's baby is going to be a female. Walter is trying to arrange for her protection this morning."

"Really, how is that possible? Has a cure for the virus been discovered?"

"No cure has been found. That smug doctor thinks it has to do with Mulder's mutation."

Krycek glanced down at his lover's sleeping face with concern. He knew the danger to Mulder's freedom if it came out that his genetic makeup was responsible for a surviving female.

"Don't worry, Walter is working on a way to protect Mulder, too."

Mulder shifted in his lap, nestling his face in closer to the younger man's groin. Krycek felt himself hardening with arousal and hoped Fox wasn't going to be sleeping too much longer. He felt guilty over the fight they had after he woke up and Mulder refused to get him any heroin.

Afterwards, Mulder had cured his withdrawal symptoms, but he still had a powerful craving for the drug.

Dana Scully walked into the apartment; she had spent the night at Agent Boutotte's sleeping in his guestroom. "Alex, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Dana, thanks to Fox."

"You mean Mulder really does have the ability to heal?" She asked excitedly, looking down affectionately at her sleeping partner. He was lying on his side with his arms wrapped around Krycek's waist and his face buried in the younger man's crotch. Mulder had on a full-length forest green robe, which was partially open, displaying one of his long legs.

"Yeah, he really does," Krycek answered.

"How long has he been asleep?"

"Two hours, he should be waking up soon...I hope," Krycek hissed, feeling Mulder nestling closer, he was becoming unbearably hard.

"Dana, can I get you a cup of coffee?" Yori asked.

"Yes, if it isn't too much trouble." Scully sat in a chair across from Alex, smiling softly at his obvious discomfort.

"I'm going to the procreation clinic with Phil after he gets home from work," Scully stated. She was starting to think of the baby girl as hers. After all, they had used her ova in Hope's conception.

Krycek looked at her with concern, after reading her thoughts. He knew it had been her suggestion that Mulder used her ovum. Walter wasn't going to appreciate her interference even now that they seemed to have made peace.

"Dana, how do you feel knowing that Fox and Walter's baby shares some of your genes? Are you going to be able to let her go when you return to your brothers and nephews in Canada?" He already knew by the tone of her voice that she had changed her mind, but wanted to get it out in the open.

"I don't know, Alex. I wanted Mulder to use my ovum, I thought that I'd be able to separate myself from the baby. I even promised Skinner that it was their baby, and I would relinquish all my paternal rights. However, I didn't know at the time it was going to be a girl," Scully murmured sadly.

"Dana, you can't do this to Walter, having this child is one of the most important things in his life." Krycek knew exactly how Walter would feel. He, also, wanted a child with Fox, and he wouldn't want any outside interference in their lives.

"I'm her mother...she's going to need me in her life."

"Maybe you can work something out with Walter. He might listen if he thought it was in the best interest of his daughter," Krycek murmured, not for one minute believing what he just said.

"But she's my daughter, too. I should get a say in her life."

Mulder stirred then slowly turned his head, looking up into Krycek's beautiful concerned face. "Have I been out long?" he murmured softly.

"No, only about two an a half hours. Dana, if you'll excuse us." Krycek eased Mulder off his lap and stood up. Pulling the agent to his feet, he dragged him toward the guestroom.

Scully watched them leave with mild amusement and a little jealousy. She had finally gotten use to seeing Mulder romantically involved with a man, but she was unable to control the little pangs of jealousy over seeing him with anyone.

Krycek slammed the bedroom door behind them. He pushed Mulder up against the wall, kissing him passionately as his fingers fumbled to undress the agent.

"I take it you missed me?" Mulder murmured into Krycek's mouth.

"Oh yeah...I'm going to fuck you senseless to prove how much."

"Mm, promise?" Mulder locked his arms around Krycek's neck, bringing their lips back together. He opened his mouth to allow the younger man's tongue to enter and sucked on it, rubbing their groins together.

Krycek succeeded in undoing Mulder's robe, pushing it off his shoulders and letting it drop to the floor. He could barely get his hands between their closely pressed bodies. Mulder chuckled into his mouth, knowing he was driving the younger man insane.

Krycek broke away and stepped back far enough so he could tear the clothing off his own body. Mulder leaned against the wall watching him, licking his lush lips.

"Alex, I know you blame me for Slava's men abducting you. I want to make it up to you...tell me what I can do to gain your forgiveness."

Krycek dropped the last item of clothing on the floor and looked up at Mulder. He heard the sadness in his lover's voice. He felt guilty about this morning -- in his desperate need for a fix, he had blamed his lover for being responsible for his abduction.

"Fox, you weren't responsible...I didn't mean what I said earlier . .. . I was out of my head." He walked up to the agent and hugged him tightly. "I had absolutely no right to say those things to you. It's me that needs your forgiveness...I'm so sorry, Fox." Krycek wept against the agent's shoulder, knowing what an ass he had been to hurt his lover that way. Mulder always took the blame for everything, regardless of whether he deserved it or not -- most times he didn't.

"Alex, it's okay...I...damn..." Mulder pulled back and kissed the younger man hard, tasting the salty tears that had leaked down onto his lips. He didn't let up until Alex was clinging to him and returning the kiss. They finally broke apart breathlessly and stumbled over to the bed.

"Alex, you mentioned something about fucking me senseless."

"Oh...right." Krycek concentrated on the lube in the upstairs bedroom -- he snickered, thinking of the look that would be on Scully's pretty face when it went floating by. He didn't feel the normal tingle associated with using his powers, looking down he realized he still wearing the metal power-dampening cuff.

"Alex, what?" Mulder looked up at him lacing his fingers around the younger man's neck. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Krycek pulled back and spit into his hand using that to lubricate his lover and then himself. He positioned Mulder's shins on his shoulders and slowly eased his cock into the agent's tight anus.

Mulder pushed up forcing Krycek's cock all the way in, a shiver of pleasure shot through his body as the bulbous tip hit his prostate. "Oh, God!" He tightened his ankles around the younger man's neck.

Krycek wrapped his arms around Mulder's legs, waiting for the trembling of the older man's body to die down. He felt the throbbing and contracting muscles around his cock holding him in place deep inside that tight, hot tunnel. He closed his eyes relishing the feel of being within this beautiful body.

Krycek looked down at Mulder through half-lidded eyes his thick, long lashes masking the look of pure lust he shot at the agent. Mulder met his stare and let the love he felt for the younger man show through his bright hazel eyes. "God, Fox, I love you so much."

"Alex...prove it. Make me feel it," Mulder begged, wiggling his hips and getting the desired moan from Krycek.

Krycek started moving in and out of Mulder's body, slowly at first, then picking up speed. Mulder pushed back matching each thrust. The younger man reached down and grabbed the agent's hard pulsating cock and started to jerk him off with each hard inward thrust. Mulder kept urging him to go harder and faster. A blinding flash of color flared in front of Krycek's eyes as his orgasm hit unexpectedly soon and hard. He must have lost consciousness, for when he came back to himself, he was lying across his lover's body and Mulder's still hard cock was pressed between them. "Christ..."

When he regained his breath Krycek withdrew his soft organ and slithered down Mulder's body, he took the agent's thick cock into his mouth. He slowly ran his tongue around the moist head, licking off the pre-cum glistening on the tip. He stroked a finger down its length feeling the hard surface and the large vein, taking it into his mouth he explored the surface with his tongue. He raked his teeth over him and relaxed his throat muscles, taking Mulder in all the way. He felt the throbbing organ deep in his throat and the agent's hands on his head, holding him in place.

"Oh, Christ...I can't...I'm going to..." Mulder felt himself explode into the younger man's mouth and Krycek quickly swallowed, loving the taste of his lover's come. He reluctantly allowed the agent's soft cock to slip from between his lips.

"So, was it good for you, lover?" Krycek murmured huskily as he crawled up, pulling the agent's languished body into his arms.

"Oh, damn, Alex...you're always good for me." Mulder kissed him softly on the lips then rested his head on the younger man's shoulder.

"Fox?"

"Hmm?"

"Congratulations, Yori mentioned you're going to have a baby girl." Alex felt Mulder's body stiffen. "You're not happy about it?"

"Alex...it scares me to death. I could have handled having a baby boy...but a baby girl...I...she..." Mulder hated to admit that even after twenty-five years, he was still traumatized over losing his little sister -- even though it wasn't his fault. The mere thought of another little girl being in his care...frightened the hell out of him.

"Fox, Walter will be there with you and so will I...you won't be raising her by yourself," Krycek soothed.

"Thanks, Alex. I know my fear is unreasonable...but I can't help it," Mulder sighed, snuggling closer into the younger man's comforting embrace.

"Fox?"

"Yeah, Alex, what?"

"Do you happen to have your lock-picking tools here? I could use help getting this damn ankle cuff off."

Mulder looked down at Krycek's ankle he hadn't noticed the cuff until now. "Yeah, I do, but don't tell Walter I still have them, he never approved of my breaking into different government properties. Don't worry, I'll have that thing off you in no time. Its one of those power-dampening devices the consortium invented isn't it?"

"Thanks. Yeah, it is, that's why I couldn't free myself."

Embassy Condominiums
Monday, January 18
4:30 p.m.

Doctor Kyle Pendrell took special care with his appearance today, turning around to view himself from all angles in the full-length mirror. He had just turned thirty-three, but still looked like he was in his early twenties. The young doctor adjusted his tie under his suit coat, wanting to look his best -- this was going to be the first time he would meet Fox Mulder.

He had had a secret crush on the agent ever since seeing his beautiful face on television. Kyle ran a comb through his thick, wavy, red hair one last time before heading out of his bathroom. Frohike was waiting for him in the living room. The Russian arrived at the clinic at 1:00 p.m. he was with Doctors Harris and Jackson, leaving the little man to baby sit him.

"I'm ready, Frohike, let's go," Kyle said, getting his heavy coat from the closet.

"You know, Kyle, I'm Mulder's best friend. If you're nice to me...I could put in a good word for you," Frohike leered.

"Frohike, do I look stupid to you?"

"No, just naïve...so I take it that's a no?"

"That's definitely a no, but do you think you could still put in a good word for me?" he inquired as they headed out the door.

"Kyle, I hate to tell you this...but Mulder is way out of your league. Besides, he's already living with two lovers and I think they wouldn't be too happy if you so much as looked at him." They stepped on the elevator heading down to the parking garage.

Frohike wanted to be at the clinic before nightfall; he didn't want to chance meeting up with any ghouls. The military was going to release the anti-ghoul virus in D.C. later tonight, so it shouldn't be much longer before there was nightlife in the city, again.

"Doc, I hope they stocked the vending machines. If I'm going to spend another night at the clinic...I don't want to do it again without any food," the little man grumbled.

"Sorry, Frohike, I should have told you to bring something yesterday. The machines usually run out of food by Sunday, but we shouldn't have to worry tonight, they're kept stocked during the week."

"That's okay, kid, it wasn't your fault." Frohike climbed into the passenger side of the doctor's Mercedes. Kyle started the engine and pulled out into the busy rush hour traffic.

When they turned on the block in front of the clinic they were surprised to see all of the news vans parked in front -- scores of reporters waited around on the sidewalk.

"Well, I guess you won't be needing me anymore, doc."

"They know about Hope?" Kyle felt his heart leap into his throat.

"I would say that is a very big yes," the little man answered.

Kyle parked in his reserved parking space, and he and Frohike pushed their way through the reporters, attempting to get in the side entrance. Two FBI agents guarding the door requested to see their identifications. The agent checked it against the list of names of people allowed in. "Okay, Dr. Pendrell and...Mr. Frohike, you're on the list you may go in."

"How long have the reporters been here?" Kyle asked the agent.

"Two hours, didn't you see the news? The baby is the top story on all of the major networks," Agent Sullivan informed him. "But, don't worry, they'll all clear out of here in a half-hour, even reporters won't chance being out after dark."

They entered the building and walked down the hallway, coming upon an anxious Assistant Director of the FBI, talking on his cell-phone. "Alex, are you sure you're feeling well enough to bring Fox here? No...I'd rather you keep him away until all of the reporters have left...yeah ...those are my thoughts exactly. See you in an hour. Oh, Alex, call me when you pull up in front. Okay...bye."

"Hi, Walter, how's Mulder and Alex doing?"

"They're fine, Melvin."

"Walter Skinner, this is Doctor Kyle Pendrell."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, sir. Dr. Harris has talked about you a lot," the young doctor said, while shaking the A.D.'s hand. Skinner thought there was something familiar about the young man. "Well, I better get down to the lab." The doctor made his way down the hallway and entered the lab where Hope was.

"Walter, how did the reporters find out about Hope?" Frohike asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Skinner turned and faced his small friend. "It was during my securing her safety. One of my contacts suggested the best way to protect her would be out in the open."

"You told them?" Frohike gasped.

"Don't worry, Frohike. No one is going to touch her. I've taken all of the appropriate measures -- she'll be safe," the A.D. stated with confidence.

"I hope you are right. What about Mulder?" Frohike asked, then felt a chill race up his spine from the look of uncertainty in Skinner's eyes.

"Fox will have to go in for some tests, it was part of the deal for keeping Hope safe. Of course, Alex or I will accompany him to any of the tests. Fox won't be locked up like the women were at Northridge," Skinner stated, but he felt uncomfortable, he didn't like having to use Fox in the deal for their daughter's safety.

"You haven't told him yet, have you, Walter?"

"No...I plan to when we get home tonight."

Dana Scully and Agent Phil Boutotte came around the corner. They had just finished getting the tour of the facility from Dr. Louis Jackson.

"Thank you, Lou. I found this all very fascinating," Scully said, shaking his hand.

"You're welcome, Dana. Come back anytime, it was a pleasure meeting you." Dr. Jackson left them standing next to Walter Skinner as he rushed off, his shift was over and he wanted to get home before dark.

"Sir, I'm going to take Dana back to Viva Towers before it gets dark," Boutotte informed the A.D.

"Walter, I need to talk to you in private when you get back tonight," Scully informed him. "I'll be over at Phil's, can you call me when you get home?"

"Sure, Dana, what's it about?"

"My daughter," she replied simply. "Phil, we better get going." Scully walked down the hallway toward the exit and Boutotte glanced back at the A.D. before following her.

Skinner was too shocked to reply he stood with his mouth agape watching her leave.

"She promised...that bitch! I can't believe she's doing this to me. Goddamnit! How could I've been so fucking stupid?" Frohike sat in the coffee lounge watching an extremely angry A.D. rant and rave, his shouting could be heard throughout the clinic.

Mulder and Krycek hurried into the room. Krycek had done as Skinner requested and tried to contact him when he pulled up in front of the center. However, his older brother was so enraged, he hadn't heard him.

"Walter, what's wrong?" Mulder asked with genuine concern.

"That...that fucking ex-partner of yours, she wants to take my daughter from me. Fox, she wants our baby girl."

"Walter, I can't believe that Scully would do anything like that. Maybe, you misunderstood her. What exactly did she say?"

"She said...she needed to talk to me about *HER* daughter! Not my daughter, but *HER* daughter," Skinner hissed. He never should have allowed Fox to talk him into using that woman's ovum -- he knew how selfish and self-righteous she could be.

"Walter, I'm sure she only wants to be part of Hope's life. Is there anything wrong with that? Hope is going to need the guidance of a woman in her life." Mulder felt it made perfect sense for Scully to handle the mother part for their daughter. The agent knew he had made a mistake when he saw look of furious anger that crossed his lover's face, his warm brown eyes turned cold -- chilling him to the bone.

"You would like that, wouldn't you, Fox? You never wanted to have this child! It would be an easy way out to allow that woman to take her from me. You never really loved me...did you? You were just using me for sex and protection...you really want to be with Scully .. . . don't you!" Skinner snarled loudly, getting right in his lover's face.

Mulder was outraged that his lover would say those things to him so he smacked Skinner hard across the face. The room fell into a shocked silence. Skinner stood frozen in place with the red impression of Mulder's handprint burning on his cheek.

"Don't you ever...*fucking* ever say that to me again, Walter Sergei Skinner! Don't you *fucking* ever question my love for you! I love you so much it hurts! I have never loved Scully...how can you even think that?" Mulder's eyes misted over and his bottom lip quivered.

Skinner reached out and wrapped him in a tight embrace. "Oh, Fox, I'm sorry, please forgive me. I'm just so scared of losing Hope...I wasn't thinking clearly." Skinner sobbed holding him tight.

"Walter, I forgive you. I'll talk to Scully and try to convince her not to interfere in our daughter's life...if that is what you want?" Mulder rested his forehead on Skinner's shoulder, wrapping his arms around the larger man's waist.

"Yes, that's what I want, Fox. I want us to be a family you, me, Hope,...and Alex." Skinner stared over at Krycek who was leaning up against the closed door to the break room. The younger man smiled warmly at him for accepting him as part of their family.

"You know, Walter...Scully never listens to me. I don't know how much good it will do for me to talk to her."

"Fox, as long as I know that you're on my side in regards to our daughter...I really don't give a damn if Scully listens to you." Skinner kissed him.

Mulder pulled back and touched the angry red mark he had caused on his lover's cheek. "Sorry, Walter. I never should have hit you." The agent placed his hand over the mark. Skinner felt a tingle on his cheek, when Mulder removed his hand the mark was gone.

"Fox, you know that is really going to come in handy when Hope falls down and scrapes her knees. It's much more affective than kissing it better," Krycek quipped, happy to see tranquility restored in their lives.

"Yeah, Fox, Alex is right. We know who our little girl is going to be running to whenever she's injured," Skinner replied happily, although he was still deathly afraid of Scully taking Hope from him or insisting on being a major part of her life.

"C'mon, I want to see our daughter," Mulder requested.

"There's not much to see, yet," Skinner told him.

"I don't care...show me her anyway...Walter, please."

"Okay. Just don't be disappointed." Skinner took his hand and led them out of the room, down the hallway to a locked security door. He used the key that Sam Harris had given him to unlock the door. He put his hand on Mulder's back guiding him into the room.

Dr. Kyle Pendrell stood in front of the tall cylinder, wearing headphones and swaying to the music as he was recording the readings from the many monitors on the tank, he turned to face them when they entered, catching his breath at the sight of Fox Mulder.

He quickly removed the headphones. "Agent Mulder, I'm Doctor Kyle Pendrell." He held out his hand for the agent to shake. Mulder was shocked seeing him; he looked exactly like Danny Pendrell. Mulder looked him in the eyes and shook his hand, enjoying the look of euphoria that lit up the handsome young doctor's face.

"Doctor Pendrell, you wouldn't be any relation to Daniel Pendrell?" Mulder asked hesitantly.

"Danny was my twin brother...did you know him? He worked for the FBI before he was killed," Kyle said sadly, the loss of his twin still hurt him deeply.

"Yeah, Danny was a great agent and technician...he helped me on several cases."

"I'm happy to hear that...Danny was always dedicated to his work."

"Doctor Pendrell, how is the baby doing?" Mulder asked.

"Please call me Kyle. Hope is doing amazingly well, if you look closely, you can just make her out." Pendrell pointed to a small speck floating in to center of the tank, there was a small thin filament leading from the speck up to the top of the tank.

Mulder smiled as he made out the small blob like speck. "How long before she starts looking like a fetus?"

"Several weeks, yet. In two months she should be the size of your hand." The doctor explained, leaning in close until they were both standing head-to-head gazing into the tank.

Skinner and Krycek both cleared their throats behind them, noticing the way Mulder had looked at the doctor. They didn't like the thoughts going through the doctor's head either. Mulder glanced back at the stern looks he was receiving from both men.

"Thank you for your time, Kyle. I wish I could stay longer. I still have several questions. However, the natives are starting to get restless...I think I'd better take them home."

Kyle looked back, noticing the two other men for the first time. If looks could kill -- Frohike was right, it might not be wise to flirt with Mulder -- when they were around. "Agent Mulder, maybe you can come back some other time, I'd be happy to answer all of your questions."

"I'd like that, Kyle. Shall we go, gentlemen?" Mulder grabbed each of his lover's arms and dragged them toward the door.

When they were out in the hallway Skinner turned to Krycek. "Do you think we could make that doctor disappear?"

"Maybe we could take him for a long drive in the country."

"Be nice, guys...I happened to like him," Mulder advised them.

"That's the problem, Fox," Krycek grumbled.

"Hey, Kyle didn't talk down to me like Harris does."

"Kyle...was blatantly hitting on you," Skinner complained. "At least Sam is the consummate professional he doesn't hit on his patients."

"I'm not Kyle's patient, Walter. I can't believe both of you are jealous of him?"

"Hey, guys, wait up!" Frohike shouted, dashing down the hallway toward them. They stopped at the front entrance waiting for the little man.

"Can I catch a lift home from you guys? There's really no need for me to stay here now that word is out about Hope."

"Sure, Melvin. And thanks for watching out for my daughter's safety the last few days," Skinner told him.

"Anytime, Walter."

Krycek drove them to the barred up Lone Gunman headquarters. Skinner saw the little man safely to the door, waiting until Frohike locked and bolted the door behind him before returning to the car.

"Walter, are you going to call Dana when we get home?" Krycek asked.

"No, I think I'll wait until tomorrow...I don't want to deal with her until I can get control over my temper. Alex, is it wrong of me not to want to share my daughter with her?" He glanced over at his younger brother, then into the backseat where Mulder sat quietly listening to their conversation.

"No, I agree with you. She's your daughter, and Scully did promise you that she'd relinquish all of her parental rights. You shouldn't have to deal with her interference, she's not a part of our family."

Mulder held his tongue; he still felt it would be all right to have Scully in their lives. Nevertheless, he didn't want to hurt his lover's feelings, knowing how much this child meant to him.

When they arrived back at Viva Towers it was just after 8:00 p.m., the apartment was dark. Yori was still with Doctor Harris he was going to be moving into his new apartment tomorrow. Krycek had promised to help the Russian move while Mulder and Skinner were at work.

"Is anyone hungry? I thought I'd whip us up something to eat," Mulder asked, heading into the kitchen and turning on the lights.

There were steaks in the freezer. He pulled out three Texas T-bones, placing them on the counter. He opened the refrigerator and took out a container of sliced mushrooms and went into the pantry for a sweet onion and three large potatoes. Walter walked in and pulled a bottle of Merlot from his wine rack and grabbed three wineglasses.

Mulder washed the potatoes with a stiff brush then put them into the microwave. He then proceeded to cut up the onion into thick strips. Taking out a sauté pan, he put in a little butter and some olive oil, after it was heated, he threw in the mushrooms and onions sautéed them. They would be used on top of their steaks.

Krycek walked into the kitchen. After checking to see what Mulder was cooking, he went into the refrigerator and pulled out a head of lettuce, carrots, and a couple of tomatoes. He started throwing together a salad for them, making a vinaigrette dressing for it.

Skinner poured them each a glass of wine, handing Krycek a glass as he placed the salad on the dining room table. Skinner had set the table; they walked back into the kitchen to watch Mulder grill the steaks.

Mulder accepted the glass of wine from Skinner, sipping it as he waited for the potatoes to be done before he started the steaks grilling. He used the tongs to take the hot baked potatoes out of the microwave, putting one each of the three plates he had on the counter.

"Fox, shouldn't the steaks be unfrozen before you grill them?" Skinner asked as Mulder placed the still mostly frozen steaks on the hot stovetop grill.

"No, actually they grill better if they're still frozen -- it seals in the juices."

Alex got the butter and sour cream out of the refrigerator for the potatoes and took it out to the table. There was an unspoken symmetry in their movements, each taking on the responsibility for the other's comfort. Mulder watched the way his lovers moved around one another; there was a relaxation between them that wasn't there before.

They sat to eat. Skinner sat silently contemplating his life, he knew what he wanted was forever out of his reach. He decided to make the best of the current situation. "So, Alex, have you thought about what you're planning on doing now that you're back in the U.S.?"

"I thought I might try to get a job in the FBI again -- hopefully as Fox's partner. Although, I was mainly there as a spy the first time, I did pass all the courses at Quantico." Krycek speared a piece of meat with his fork, popping it in his mouth.

Mulder looked at him with interest. "Alex, I didn't know you were thinking about rejoining. If it's only for my sake...don't...I can take care of myself."

"No...it's not, Fox. I liked working there...if they will rehire me, I'd like to start where I left off."

"I think it is an excellent idea. Fox, it would put my mind at ease, knowing that Alex was in the field with you," Skinner replied. "Alex, I'll talk to the Director...I think we can work something out."

"Thanks, Walter."

"Fox...I was able to secure our daughter's freedom. She'll remain with us. When she's older she'll have to go in for some tests, but will never have to stay overnight, she'll only be there a few hours at a time." Skinner looked at his lover; he wasn't sure how he was going to react to what he had to tell him next.

Mulder read the look in his lover's warm, brown eyes, he knew Skinner had some bad news that he was nervous about conveying. "I take it that I'm going to have to go in for tests, too?" he asked hoping to break the ice that had left the older man hesitating.

"Yeah, it was the only bargain the government would accept. They did promise that it wouldn't be for more than a few days at a time, and either Alex or myself will be allowed to be with you at all times," Skinner sighed. "I'm sorry, Fox. It was the best I could do."

"Walter, I've been expecting it...I'm only happy that I won't be locked up at Northridge. I can tolerate a few days at a time, especially if you or Alex are with me."

"Are you sure, Fox? I hated being forced into compromising your freedom even if it is only for a few days."

"Walter, I'm sure. The most important thing is that Hope will remain free, you made the right choice...don't beat yourself up over it."

"Fox is right...the government allowing my niece her freedom is a big victory. Walter, we'll be there to watch out for Fox. Did they say when the tests are to begin or how many times a year?" Krycek asked.

"They're going to wait until after Hope is born, they require a tissue and blood sample from her. They already are testing the samples Dr. Harris took from Fox and myself."

They finished the rest of the meal in silence each lost in their own thoughts. When they finished, Skinner and Krycek collected the dishes, while Mulder went to veg out in front of the television. The agent made a brief trip into the kitchen to get a beer, pausing in the doorway to watch his lovers having a silent conversation. They stopped abruptly when they saw him and twin guilty looks crossed their faces.

"Don't worry, I won't ask...I'm curious, but I won't pry." Mulder grabbed his beer and left the kitchen.

*How about we start searching this weekend, Alex. I'll get Frohike to keep Fox busy.*

*Sounds like a plan to me.*

They each grabbed a beer on the way out of the kitchen and joined Mulder on the sofa. After about an hour of watching television Mulder stood up and stretched, he reached a hand out for Skinner. "C'mon, Walter, I still feel guilty about hitting you, and I want to make it up to you," he grinned.

"Oh, really, what do you have in mind?"

"I thought I'd run a hot bath for you then give you a massage afterwards."

"Are you planning on joining me in the bathtub?"

"Oh yeah," Mulder answered as they made their way upstairs.

Krycek sat there staring after them, wondering if this was what Fox had in mind about sharing. He had him last night, and Walter gets him this night, or if it would be just who the agent felt like sleeping with. Krycek sighed and turned off the television he headed off to bed.

He was feeling miserable, he was starting to have cravings for heroin. Krycek as no longer suffering any withdrawal pains, but he wanted that feeling the drug gave him. He shrugged out of his clothing and climbed into bed, wondering if he'd be able to control his cravings.

Mulder ran the soapy sponge over the A.D.'s broad, hairy chest as he sat straddling the older man's legs. Their groins were pressed together, and Skinner felt Mulder's firm ass resting on his thighs. The bald man lazily stroked both his hands down the agent's back, feeling the curve of his spine and the smooth globes of his buttocks. Skinner curved both hands into his lover's cleft and trailed his fingers down to the tight puckered opening.

"You know you're driving me crazy, don't you, Fox?" he stated as he played with his lover's opening, nudging his two index fingers in.

"Fuck! Look who's talking!" Mulder gasped. Bending forward, he claimed Skinner's mouth, licking and nibbling his lips. He latched onto to the older man's mouth, exploring him with his tongue, tracing over his teeth before delving in deeper. He purred excitedly into his lover's hot mouth as the older man pushed his fingers in deeper, stretching him.

Mulder traced his fingers over Skinner's head and around his ears, never ending the kiss. Water splashed onto the floor when the older man's fingers raked across the younger man's prostate, causing him to buck and break the kiss.

"Oh, god!" Mulder cried out, arching back he reached his hand down between their bodies and grabbed his lover's stiff erection, stroking Skinner until he was moaning and painfully hard.

"Fox, I need...I need to be in you now!" He growled, wiggling beneath Mulder.

Mulder scooted up, spilling more water out of the tub. Skinner grabbed the agent's slick hips and helped lower him down onto his thick cock. Mulder gasped as the large mushroom shaped head pushed into him, feeling as it travel deeper and deeper into his body until he sat flush up against the older man's heavy sacs.

Mulder leaned his head forward resting it on the larger man's shoulder for a minute, then raised it to seek his lover's lips for another deep kiss. He had a warm contented feeling in the pit of his stomach when the A.D.'s hands stroked his back and caressed his ass.

"Our neighbors are going to start complaining about all of the water that's leaking through the floor," Mulder groused, leaning back he raised himself up, then sinking back down hard onto Skinner's erection sloshing more water out of the tub.

"Let them complain, we can always move. Besides, it's Tom Colton's apartment below ours," Skinner sighed. Feeling himself sheathed in Mulder's hot body.

"No, actually, it's our guest bathroom and laundry below us," Mulder smirked at his lover. Raising up and sinking back down on his cock.

"Fox, just shut up and fuck me," Skinner growled, grabbing the agent's slim hips, helping him to slide up and down on his cock.

"Walter...I'd...really...love ...to ...fuck...you!" Mulder groaned as Skinner shifted underneath him, pushing his large organ against his prostate.

"Fox..." Skinner groaned as the agent's muscle clenched down on his cock. He felt Mulder's orgasm shoot out of him spurting over his stomach and chest. The muscles tightened around his cock, causing him to go over the edge, spilling his seed into his lover's writhing body.

Mulder slumped against his chest; it took them each several minutes to recover. "Fox, I want you to make love to me. I would love to feel your cock inside my body," Skinner confessed reluctantly with fear and trepidation. Deep down he was still finding it hard to give up that type of control to his lover.

"Walter, are you sure? Have you ever had anyone make love to you that way before?"

"If you're asking has anyone ever fucked me before, the answer is no. I've always been on top, but with you...I want us to be equals in our relationship," he replied trying to sound like he meant it, he really wanted to have Mulder as he equal.

"You're a virgin? I would never have guessed," Mulder laughed.

Skinner reached around and pinched him hard on the butt.

"Ouch!"

"Don't joke...us virgins are very sensitive. We expect to be treated with the utmost respect," Skinner quipped.

Okay, I promise to respect you in the morning. Don't worry, Walter, you're in good hands...I've had two of the best teachers." Mulder smiled seductively leaning back on Skinner thighs.

"C'mon, get your ass off me, let's go rinse off in the shower. Then you can give me that massage you promised...and I expect it to be a total body massage."

The pleasant odor of sandalwood hung in the air as Mulder poured a little more of the fragrant oil on Skinner's legs. He massaged and kneaded the older man's shins, working his way up each muscular leg. Skinner lay on his stomach sighing contentedly as the skilled fingers worked all of the tension from his body. His shoulders, arms, and chest had already met the younger man's skillful ministrations.

Skinner felt his lover work his way up to his thighs. Mulder pushed his legs further apart, stroking his thumbs up into the cleft. The agent poured a generous amount of the oil down his crack and over his firm buttocks, massaging the oil in, he then tentatively slipped one finger in the older man's tight anus. He pulled it back out and reached up grabbing a pillow from the top of the bed.

"Walter, raise your hips." When Skinner complied, he slipped the pillow under his stomach then knelt back down between his lover's thighs and lovingly proceeded to stretch him. Skinner pushed back against the agent's long, slender fingers, moaning in appreciation.

Mulder removed his fingers, replacing them with the head of his large cock and gently eased his way into the older man's incredibly tight body. The A.D. gasped at the initial pain of being penetrated, but it turned to quickly pleasure as his lover's cock eased its way deep inside of him, nudging against his prostate.

Mulder rested, allowing the older man's muscles to relax around him before he pulled out slightly and pushed back in. He was determined to make Walter feel as much pleasure from this experience as he did. He reached under his lover's body and griped the larger man's cock in his hand, stroking it in time with his thrusts.

"Christ, Fox...that feels so fucking good," Skinner groaned. Each time Mulder pulled out then pushed back in, he intentionally brushed against his lover's prostate gland, angling his thrust to make sure he didn't miss it. Skinner cried out, and Mulder knew that he had scored a direct hit on his lover's gland.

Skinner literally saw stars as he shot his come over Mulder's stroking hand, his muscles tightening around the agent's cock, bringing him off as well. Mulder pulled out and crawled up to his lover who had turned over on his back. The agent collapsed in his arms, lying across the larger man's chest.

The A.D. wrapped his strong arms around his lover's lithe body, cradling him in his embrace. He nestled his chin on the agent's shoulder and put his nose against the side of Mulder's head breathing in the clean scent of his freshly washed hair.

"Walter, thanks...that was incredible."

"You're telling me? Fox, I love you...I'm so sorry for what I said to you earlier."

"Walter, I love you, too. There's no need to apologize. I should have considered your feelings. It wasn't right for me not to have." Mulder ran his hand through the sticky come on Skinner's belly.

Across town, Frohike sat on ratty, old recliner with rusty orange plaid fabric. He was in front of a television set that was off and there was a sated smile on his scruffy face. Langly walked up behind him, staring down at the little man, who had his pants undone and his hand resting inside the fabric, with was an obvious wet spot staining the front of the pants.

"Didn't you tell me that you promised Skinner you weren't going to spy on them anymore!" Langly huffed with a look of disgust on his face, knowing exactly what the little man had been up to.

"I can't help myself...this is better than phone sex. I think I'm addicted," Frohike shrugged his shoulders, smirking up at him.

"Well, you better not let Skinner catch you at it," Langly sternly advised on his way out of the room.

Viva Towers
Tuesday, January, 19
th
5:00 a.m.

Mulder pried Skinner's arms from around his waist, he wanted to sneak out and talk to Scully while his lover was still sleeping. He didn't want the older man with him when he did; he couldn't handle another confrontation like last night.

He gently eased away from the sleeping man's body. Quietly walking over to their dresser, he took out a pair of socks and boxer shorts then crept to the closet, grabbing his suit, tie, and a shirt before hurrying into the bathroom to change. He brushed his teeth, shaved, and used a washcloth to clean the dried semen from his body, forgoing the shower for fear that it would wake his lover up.

He came out of the bathroom, checking to make sure Skinner was still asleep. He picked up his shoes and headed for the door.

"Tell Scully we're not going to share our daughter with her. Hope is ours," Skinner grumbled huskily from the bed.

"How long have you been up?"

"Since you left my arms, you know I hate sleeping without you."

Mulder walked back over to the bed; leaning down he kissed Skinner on the cheek. "Sorry, I thought it better that I talked to Scully alone. I should be back in time for breakfast then you can drive us to work."

"Promise?" Skinner sat up and pushed off the covers. "I'll make your favorite breakfast...so don't be long."

"I won't be...thanks, Walter."

Mulder stepped out of the apartment and walked next door, knocking on the door. Agent Boutotte opened it immediately, already dressed for work. "Good morning, Mulder," the older man replied cheerfully.

"Morning, Phil, can I talk to Scully?"

"Dana's still sleeping."

"I need to talk to her...do you mind if I wake her up?" Mulder had no idea why he was asking Agent Boutotte for permission to wake Scully, but it seemed like the appropriate thing to do.

"Mulder, she didn't get to bed until very late. She was expecting the A.D. to call her."

"Phil, it was probably a good thing that he didn't, I've never seen him so angry before. I think it would be better if they stayed out of one another's way until I can find a solution they both can live with."

"Do you think that's possible? They are both extremely strong willed people."

"Mulder, why are you here?" Scully asked, standing in the doorway to the living room. She was wearing a robe over her pajamas, and her hair was still tousled from sleep.

"Scully, I wanted to talk to you about Hope."

"Mulder, I wanted to talk to Skinner last night...why didn't he call?"

"Scully, do you have any idea what Hope means to him? How many years he's wanted to have a child?"

"Mulder, what about me? I've wanted to have a child, too. How can you expect me to give her up?"

"Why did you want us to use your ova if you weren't willing to give the child up? Dana, you knew it would be Skinner's and my baby."

"Mulder, I'm sorry...I thought it would be so easy to let go, but when I found out that it was a girl. Damn, Hope's my daughter...she's going to need me in her life!" Scully sank angrily onto the sofa. Mulder knelt down on the floor in front of her, taking her hands in his.

"Scully, I would like you to be a part of Hope's life, but I can't go against Skinner's wishes. He would never agree to have you overly involved. Can't we work out a compromise?"

"Like what, Mulder?"

"Maybe, I can convince to him to allow Hope to visit you during the summer."

"Not good enough, Mulder. Genetically I'm Hope's mother...I can and will sue for joint custody."

"Scully, please, don't do that to him." Mulder was near tears, realizing he wasn't going to be able to sway his ex-partner. He didn't want to lose her again, but he would stand by Skinner.

"Sorry, Mulder, he leaves me no choice."

“Scully, why do you want to talk to Walter? Do you expect him to step back and let you take our baby? What do you think he'll do? Issue you an invitation to move in with us and help raise her? It's not going to happen. Hope is ours and we're going to raise her. You've obviously made your decision. There's no point in continuing this conversation you don't want to discuss anything or come to a compromise, you want us to comply to your demands,” Mulder complained angrily, his heart breaking.

Defeated, Mulder left and headed back to his apartment next door. Phil Boutotte closed the door after him.

"Damnit! I've lost him again! Why can't Mulder understand how much I need to be a part of my baby girl's life?" Scully was lost between anger and grief.

"Dana, Mulder does understand, but you can't expect him to choose sides between you and Walter Skinner. It's unfair to put him in that position." He sat next to her on the sofa.

She turned to him and buried her face against his chest, sobbing over her most recent loss.

When Mulder opened the door, he smelled the aroma of bacon frying coming from the kitchen. Skinner stood by the counter grating a potato into pancake batter in a large bowl. He was freshly showered and dressed in his suit pants and shirt. His suit coat and tie were draped over one of the tall, counter stools.

Mulder stared sadly at his lover; walking up behind him the agent wrapped his arm around the larger man's waist and rested his head on his broad shoulder.

"It's okay, Fox, I really didn't expect her to listen to you. We'll get through this...I'm only grateful that you're standing by me."

"Walter, I'll always stand by you...don't ever doubt that. I'm only sad that I've lost her again, sometime life really sucks."

"C'mon, sit down and have yourself a cup of coffee. I'll have breakfast ready in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Walter."

Chapter 4 - Homeowners

Viva Towers
Wednesday, January 206:00 p.m.

"Walter, please just try not to lose your temper," Mulder pleaded, he worrying about the meeting between his lover and his friend that was going to take place in a few minutes.

There was a knock on the front door, which Krycek answered and showed in Dana Scully and Phil Boutotte. Agent Boutotte looked particularly ill at ease, he came to provide Dana Scully moral support, but didn't want to end up on Skinner's bad side. He respected the A.D. and had to work for him, he wanted to remain on friendly terms with the man.

"They're in the living room. Dana, don't push him too hard," Krycek warned, he was firmly on his brother's side on this issue. He led them into the living room. Skinner stood proudly with his back to the fireplace; he nodded coldly at Dana Scully, ignoring Agent Boutotte.

Mulder stepped forward. "Scully, would you like to sit down?"

"That's okay, Mulder, I'd prefer to stand." Scully returned Skinner's icy stare. "Shall we just get down to business," she asked.

Agent Boutotte went to stand over by Krycek, who was standing in the entrance to the living room. He didn't want to be in the direct line of fire. This confrontation was going to turn ugly, he'd be there for Scully afterwards, but there was no way he was getting in the middle of this argument.

"For once we agree let's get down to business. First, you are not getting custody of my daughter nor will I permit you to have a say in her life," Skinner stated harshly.

"She is my daughter...and I will settle for nothing less than joint custody!" Scully shot back angrily.

"Scully, no court is going to permit you joint custody. You willingly gave us permission to use your ova, knowing full well that the child would be ours."

"I'm permitted to change my mind...the court will see that I can provide a more stable home and a saner environment for her to grow up in," she countered.

"There is nothing unstable or insane about our home environment!" Skinner hissed at her.

"Ha! Mulder's personnel records speak for itself! He's not mentally competent to raise a child!" Scully countered, not realizing the effect her angry unthinking words would have on her ex-partner.

Mulder paled, he never expected his past to be used against him, and most of the information in his files was sealed. How could she -- why would she choose to hurt him this way?

"How dare you bring Mulder's past into this!" The fire in the fireplace blazed brightly and crackled to match the anger in the man standing in front of it.

"Scully, you have no right sighting his records, all of the incidences you're referring to he was vindicated of...there is nothing in his files you can use against him!" Skinner was seething -- it was one thing to attack him, but to attack Fox...what was she thinking? Didn't she realize how much her words were going to hurt him?

"Scully, it was you who lied to Fox and told him I was dead. It really bugs you that we're lovers...that's the real issue, isn't it? If you can't have him, then no one else can. You've been trying to separate us since you found out about us, it wouldn't surprise me if this were all an elaborate scheme on your part! You really don't want to see him happy!" Skinner accused her loudly, stopping when Mulder caught his attention as he shakily sank into a chair, turning away from the people in the room. The agent's shoulders shook and his arms were wrapped tightly around his middle, he refused to make eye contact with anyone in the room.

Scully noticed Mulder's distress. "I'm sorry, it was wrong of me to bring Mulder's history into to this, but you're wrong, his happiness is important to me. It's your fault that our friendship has been destroyed!" Scully said, wanting to go over and comfort her friend, but thought better of it as she saw Skinner's neck muscles tighten in anger. "Why can't you be reasonable? Hope's my daughter! Damn it .. . . she shares my genes!"

"Don't make me laugh Scully, his happiness is not important to you? You're trying to tear apart the only real family he's ever had. You are the one who brought his past into this...YOU are the one who has destroyed your friendship. You didn't need any help from me to do it. You're selfish...you only wanted the baby now that you know it's a girl...you were willing to give up your rights to the baby if it was a boy. What do you think a judge would say if he found out about that?"

"What do you think the judge would say if he found out you used to work for the consortium?" Scully countered.

"You're bluffing!" Skinner snarled.

"Yeah, try me!" Scully hissed, storming out of the room.

Agent Boutotte followed her, not knowing what he had gotten himself into.

Krycek bolted out the door and into the hallway after them, he grabbed Scully's arms, spinning her around to face him. "Dana...if you ever...ever fucking hurt Fox that way again...I will make you disappear without a trace! Believe me, I can do it! And you'd better drop any thoughts of using Skinner's past against him!" he snarled angrily, close to losing the fragile hold he had on his temper.

Scully gulped, seeing the danger behind Krycek's stormy green eyes. "Alex, I'm sorry...I hadn't intended to say those things about Mulder. It was a mistake, I'll apologize to him later." She was feeling sick to her stomach over letting her anger control her words. She had unintentionally hurt the one man that had meant the most to her in her life.

"Dana...just stay away from him. I don't want you hurting him anymore. Walter is right -- you're jealous of Mulder's relationship with us." Krycek stormed back into the apartment slamming the door.

Scully's lower lip trembled and for the first time in years, she broke down sobbing uncontrollably. Agent Boutotte held her and guided her back into his apartment. "What have I done? Oh, Phil, how could I have said those things about Mulder?"

"Dana, I wish you hadn't...you know how much Mulder borrows guilt. However, what's done is done, you're going to have to apologize to him."

"You heard Alex, they're not going to let me anywhere near him."

"Try writing him a letter -- I'll see that he gets it."

"Thanks, Phil. I'll be flying back home Friday morning, I want to thank you for being here for me."

"No problem, Dana," he sighed.

Krycek walked back into the living room, he briefly watched Skinner as he was attempting to comfort Mulder. The older man knelt in front of their lover lightly caressing his face. "Fox, she's wrong, you'll make a wonderful father...don't let what that woman said discourage you."

"Walter, it wouldn't hurt so much if it weren't true...Scully knows me...I can't be trusted with the welfare of a child. Why did I let you talk me into this?"

Krycek crossed the room in two strides; grabbing hold of Mulder's shoulders none too gently he pushed him up against the back of the chair. He held Mulder motionless as he leaned in angrily, getting into the agent's face. "You listen here, Fox William Mulder! Don't you fucking start on this guilt trip! You know perfectly well that you are good with children! Fuck, you even showed how much better you were with Matthew than me. Hope needs you in her life...I know you're frightened, but you won't be raising her alone...Walter will be there and so will I!"

Krycek's rough handling of Mulder when the agent clearly needed comforting startled Skinner. He was about to intervene, until he noticed the words were having a positive affect on the agent.

"I'm sorry, Alex, it just hurt so much having my past thrown in my face. I guess I got a little nervous." Mulder looked over at Skinner who was still kneeling by the chair. "Walter, forgive me...I'll be there for you and our daughter...I didn't mean what I said."

"Fox, there is nothing to forgive. Fuck, Scully took me by surprise, it never occurred to me she would try to use your past against us. Lucky for us, I've been in charge of your personnel file...there is nothing in it that will prove damaging."

"Walter, are you saying you've been covering up for me?"

"No...I just added my own evaluations to each of your case files. I found valid justification for all of your unorthodox methods of investigation. Besides your case closure rates tend to speak for themselves and you are a living legend after all," Skinner reminded him, throwing the latest magazine featuring an X-Files story into his lover's lap.

"This legend I could do without," Mulder groaned, looking at the cover; it was that Peacock family inbreeding case. The graphic artist had too graphically portrayed the deaths of Sheriff Taylor and his wife.

Krycek kissed Mulder softly on the lips. "C'mon, Fox, get washed up for dinner. I picked up some Chinese takeout when I was out earlier -- it just has to be reheated." He was happy to see another crisis in their short life together diverted.

Mulder visibly brightened. "What did you get?"

"Sesame chicken, egg rolls, shrimp with lobster sauce, pork fried rice, Szechuan beef...oh, and egg drop soup." Krycek grinned.

Skinner watched both men's happy faces, he liked Chinese food too, but he didn't share the same childlike enthusiasm for it that Fox and Alex did.

Skinner watched Mulder leave the room to wash up. Before Krycek could follow, he stopped him. "Alex, thank you."

"Hey, that's what brothers are for, if not to watch out for each other."

The front door buzzer sounded, ending their conversation, and Skinner went to answer it. The buildings new superintendent stood outside holding a large crate. "Mr. Skinner, this package was delivered for you earlier." Skinner took the wooden crate from the man -- it was four feet wide by six feet high and a foot deep. The return address was Krycek's apartment in St. Petersburg. He took it into the living room and grabbed a flat head screwdriver to pry it open with. Krycek had already gone into the kitchen to start heating up their dinner.

When Skinner got the lid open, he slid out the large painting that was tightly packed inside. The painting was of his mother that hung above the fireplace in the parlor of Krycek's St. Petersburg apartment. He read the note that was attached. [I thought you should have this. Alex.] Skinner felt himself get all choked up; his brother must have realized how much he had wanted the portrait.

Krycek walked into the room to ask his brother to set the table, but stopped when he saw the portrait. "I see it arrived."

Skinner, in a move uncharacteristic for him, walked over and affectionately hugged his younger brother. "Alex, thank you...I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"You're welcome," the younger man murmured returning the embrace.

"We'll just have to find a house with a suitable fireplace to hang it above," Krycek replied looking at the exquisite portrait.

"Yeah, that's another feature we'll have to add to the list when we're out looking on Saturday." Skinner grinned.

They were keeping their house hunting as a surprise for Mulder. Since their lover had never come out and told them what he wanted in regards to living arrangements, they had decided for themselves. Neither man wanted Mulder to be commuting back and forth between them, and they agreed it would be better if Krycek was around to help protect Hope. Now they only had to agree on the suitable home for all of them.

Washington D.C.
Thursday, January 21
5:40 p.m.

Phil knocked on Walter Skinner's door it was yanked open by an angry Alex Krycek. "We're not interested in anything you or that woman has to say, so I suggest you just go back to your apartment," he hissed.

"I only wanted to deliver this to Mulder." Phil held out the letter Dana had written.

Krycek was about to close the door on Boutotte when Mulder's voice stopped him. "Phil, what do you want?"

"Mulder, Dana asked me to give this to you." Phil handed over the letter.

Mulder looked at the envelope briefly then tossed it into the wastebasket by the door. "Phil, tell Scully...too little, too late. I've forgiven her the unforgivable once, but never again. Oh and Phil, I don't hold you responsible, I'm sorry you find yourself in the middle of this," he said sincerely.

Krycek bit his lip, he wanted to tell the man to go to hell and take that she-devil with him. However, for Mulder's sake, he kept it to himself.

"Thanks, Mulder, I was hoping you wouldn't let this come between us," Phil murmured sadly as he head back to his apartment next door.

"Alex, it wasn't his fault, he's just being a gentleman." Mulder put his arms around his lover kissing him and leading him away from the door.

Boutotte entered his apartment. Scully was sitting on the sofa, and she stood when he came in. "Sorry, Dana, he wouldn't even read it. He just threw it in the wastebasket. I think you must have really hurt him. He said to tell you...to little, too late, he's forgiven you the unforgivable once, never again."

"Oh God, is there nothing I can do to get him to listen to me?"

"Dana, why don't you give it a rest for a while, try again in a few weeks. The hurt is still too close to the surface for him," Boutotte said, wrapping his arms around her small body.

Washington D.C.
Friday, January 22
8:20 a.m.

"Shit!" Mulder gasped as Walter Skinner quickly swerved his car around several more bleached white corpses. The anti-ghoul virus had acted as promised. In the seventy-two hours after its release, it had started killing the ghoul population in the cities and surrounding suburbs.

Every way the agent looked, he saw another body. There were already large dump trucks and men in decontamination suits collecting the dead bodies. The suits made Mulder nervous, but not for himself. "Walter, maybe we should have stayed home today."

"Don't worry, Fox, if there were anything life threatening from the virus we would know by now," Skinner argued, not taking his eyes off the road.

Mulder glanced over at him in disgust. "Walter, how can you still be so...clueless?"

"What?" He exclaimed exasperated, looking briefly at his disgruntled lover, who had his feet, propped up on the dashboard. "Fox, not everything is a conspiracy!"

"Humph, yeah right," Mulder scoffed, rolling his eyes as they swerved around several more corpses, eventually coming to a halt behind traffic backed up for several blocks.

After they'd spent forty minutes without moving an inch, Skinner sighed, "Maybe, you're right, we should have stayed home."

Mulder turned on the radio and the mayor's office was advising all people to stay home today. After thirty more minutes of not moving, Skinner had enough. "Screw this!" he snarled and did a U-turn heading back toward their apartment building.

Krycek was up and freshly showered, sitting at the kitchen counter drinking a cup of coffee, he glanced up at them when they entered. "Back so soon?"

"It looked like a war-zone out there, we didn't make it more than a few blocks from the apartment. I don't think we'll be going out today," Skinner told him helping himself to a steaming mug of coffee.

They lounged around the apartment most of the day. Skinner finally had the time to sit down and finish reading through his mother's journals. What he found made him sad...his mother was forced into leaving with Ivan Krycek. Ivan blackmailed her by threatening the safety of her family he was too powerful a man compared to Sergei. Aleksandra prayed daily that her son and daughter were safe and happy. It touched Skinner's heart that his mother had never forgotten about him over the years.

Moscow
Friday, January 22
9:00 a.m.

"I'm sorry, my Tsar, I was unable to retrieve your lover for you." Captain Mikhin apologized to the unmoving figure in the bed. He felt that the Tsar was able to hear him and would forgive him for his failure.

"I will try again...after enough time has passed that their guard is down." Mikhin promised, backing out of the extremely cold room.

Totonto
Friday, January 22
10:00 a.m.

Dana Scully handed her bags to her older brother. She turned and made her farewells to the two agents who had accompanied her home. There were two n'thrals waiting for the next flight that quickly stepped back as she passed them. It was discovered, much to the relief of the surviving women and their families, that the n'thrals were repulsed by the smell of the females.

There had been a fear that these sex-crazed mutants might pose a serious threat to the women. However, that fear was instantly squashed when any n'thral that had come in close contact to the women had become nauseated.

"Dana, how are you?" Charlie asked, putting her bags in the back seat.

"I'm fine, Charlie."

"You don't look fine. Dana, has Walter Skinner agreed to joint custody yet?"

"No! The bastard won't even consider it! I filed papers with a lawyer. I have to go back when he schedules a hearing date with the court. He doesn't think there should be a problem with my getting joint custody of Hope, with her sharing my genes it would be easy to prove that I'm her mother." Dana stared sadly out the car window.

"Dana, what's really bothering you? This isn't only about Hope."

"Charlie, I...it's Mulder, we were getting along so well lately. But now...I think I've lost him for good, he was unwilling to stand up to Skinner, although he knew I was right. Then I said something awful about him." She pulled her wool coat around her slight form as she huddled in the cold passenger side.

"Sorry, the heater is broken." Charlie apologized, as he steered the car onto the expressway.

"Figures...just like everything else in my life," Dana sighed.

"What did you say about Mulder?" Charlie asked curious.

"That he wasn't competent enough to raise a child," Dana whispered under her breath, feeling embarrassed still.

"Dana, do you believe that to be true? Bill said Mulder was excellent with Matthew."

"Charlie, I don't know...Mulder use to worry me a lot when we were partners. I was constantly pulling his butt out of one situation or another -- he tends to attract trouble like a bee to honey."

"So, you think a child wouldn't be safe around him?" Charlie murmured looking at her. "Dana, if that were the case why did you offer him your ova to use?"

"I don't know...I...damn! Mulder would make a great father; he's compassionate, caring, and really good with children. Oh, Charlie, what have I done?"

"Dana, you let your own desires and needs get in the way of your friend's happiness," he said softly.

Three weeks later
Friday, February 12
10:30 a.m.

Special Agent Fox Mulder strolled down the halls of the procreation center; he hadn't visited his daughter since that one time almost four weeks ago. Walter made daily visits to check on her progress, he hadn't told Walter that he would be visiting today. Walter had taken the day off work, saying he had an appointment at 11:00 a.m. but he wouldn't tell him what it was about.

Agent Pipino and Agent Sullivan walked beside him down the hallway, there were four other agents at the clinic. Hope had been assigned around the clock security. Doctor Pendrell was in the laboratory with Hope, he smiled at Mulder when he entered. Mulder walked up to the container and stared in, he was surprise by how large the fetus had gotten in just one month.

"She's about the size of a three month old," Dr. Pendrell said as if reading his mind. "Amazing, isn't it? She already has fingers and toes."

"Yes, it is amazing. Walter said she's growing at a much faster rate then the male fetuses."

"Yes, that's true. We think it might be for the same reason she survived."

Mulder noticed that she already had some dark, black fuzz on her head. "For some reason I'd have thought she'd have red hair," he murmured softly.

"Why is that?" Pendrell asked, standing close to the agent.

"Her mother...the woman whose ovum we used is a redhead," he replied sadly, still emotionally hurt by Scully's words to him.

"Oh, there's no need to worry about that. We use a new process here that extracts all of the genetic material from the ovum, so the baby will only have the genes of the two male donors," the doctor informed him proudly.

"You mean technically she doesn't have a mother?" Mulder asked as the doctor's words sank in.

"No, just two fathers."

"So if we were to run a paternity test, the woman who donated the ovum wouldn't register as Hope's mother?"

"Nope, Hope won't have any of the woman's genes. Agent Mulder, has there been a problem concerning the female donor?"

"Yeah, Kyle, she's filed for joint custody. Please, call me Mulder," the agent replied happily.

"Okay, Mulder. If you would like I can explain the process to the woman so she'll understand that there is no way the child is hers."

"I'd appreciate it if you would do that, we're not currently on speaking terms. If I give you her telephone number in Canada, can you to set up a meeting for us? I'd like to be there when you explain it to her," Mulder asked with a deep sense of relief, he couldn't wait to tell Skinner the good news.

"I'll be happy to call her. It's almost lunchtime would you mind joining me for lunch? There's a new bistro down the block -- we can continue our discussion and I can explain more about the processes we use here," the young doctor asked eagerly.

Agent Pipino and Agent Sullivan exchanged knowing looks; this wasn't the first time someone had hit on Mulder in their presence. However, they were shocked when Mulder agreed to go.

"Sure, I'd like to hear more about the processes," Mulder smiled at the young doctor.

"Great, let me grab my coat," Kyle exclaimed happily.

"Vinny, I do think we have blackmail material here," Agent Sullivan said with a straight face.

"Jack, you're definitely right...the A.D. would love to hear of today's exploits." The two agents looked over at Mulder who stared at them in utter disbelief.

"Guys, you're not serious...are you? The A.D. isn't going to mind me having an informative lunch with one of our doctors."

"An informative lunch with the young and handsome Dr. Pendrell, do you think the A.D. would mind, Vinny?" Sullivan smirked at Mulder's distress.

"Oh, I'd say the A.D. would definitely mind. Jack, what do you think we should get for keeping this information off our official report?"

"How about Mulder cooks a five-course gourmet dinner for us and your family?"

"That is an excellent suggestion, Agent Sullivan." Pipino smiled licking his lips.

"Sure, fine, whatever," Mulder sighed, pushing pass them out the door. "However, you two can sit on the opposite side of the restaurant from me and Doctor Pendrell."

Washington, D.C.
South Suburban Title
Friday, February 12
11:30 a.m.

"You're getting an exceptional piece of property here, Mr. Skinner and Mr. Krycek," their real estate agent informed them as they signed the final documents at the closing.

"Yes, we're aware of that," Skinner murmured, the man had been getting on his nerves for the last two weeks.

"It doesn't hurt that the real estate market has collapsed, and homes are selling for ridiculously low prices. Imagine getting an Estate
worth fifteen million dollars for two million dollars," the man gushed.

Skinner clenched his teeth, holding his tongue. Why did he allow Frohike to recommend a real estate agent to him? Skinner and Krycek got up to leave, they were meeting the Gunmen, Yori, Kim and her boyfriend Tony, and Skinner's uncle and his cousins Anton, Andrei, and Lev out at the house. The six men and his secretary had offered to help with the cleaning and repairs. Langly had even volunteered to paint a mural in Hope's bedroom.

They drove almost an hour outside of D.C. before turning on a long private road. There was a van parked at the shoulder and Skinner noticed Frohike up on the utility pole, the little man was installing what looked like a surveillance camera. He pulled the car over behind a van and in the back of the van were Langly and Byers, fiddling with other equipment.

"Guys, what are you doing?" Skinner inquired; staring at the array of equipment they had laid out.

"Installing your new state of the art security system, Walter. We have security cameras, motion detectors, infrared scanners -- no one will be able to get within a mile of your house without you being alerted," Byers claimed proudly.

"That's very thoughtful of you, thank you," Skinner replied.

"It's the least we can do for our future goddaughter," Langly added untangling some cables.

//Goddaughter?// Skinner thought to himself.

*Yeah, Walter. Mulder already asked us,* Frohike informed him telepathically, from on top of the tall utility pole.

*Bro, don't you think the three stooges qualify as godparents for your daughter?* His younger brother chuckled, still sitting in the passenger seat.

*Fox and I are going to have a serious discussion about confiding in each other.* Skinner silently communicated back to his brother as he walked to the car, getting back into the driver's seat.

"Walter, I'd wait until after we surprise him with our new home, he might not see a difference between our not telling him about this and him not telling you about asking his friends to be godparents to Hope."

"You're probably right...do you think he'll be bothered that we went behind his back to buy this estate?" It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Skinner didn't know how Mulder would react.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Krycek shrugged his shoulders, looking out the window at the tree-lined road. Skinner pulled up in front of a large security gate. The wrought iron gate had an intricate pattern of foxes molded into the metal. It was what immediately attracted both men to this mansion. Skinner punched in the security code at the gate and waited for it to open wide enough to pull his car through. He had given the code to his relatives, secretary, and the Gunmen.

They drove up a very long driveway, off to one side was the caretaker's French provincial style cottage. It was nestled away from the road in between trees and shrubs. There was a fairy tale quality to the cottage and its surroundings. It was larger than most single family homes; it even had its own fenced in yard, patio, and gardens that were still covered by snow. There was a stone walkway leading to the main house with trellises covering the path and stone benches. Skinner pulled the car around the five-car detached garage and workshop and parked in front of the main entrance to their sprawling mansion.

The mansion was two stories tall in the front, but in the back it had a bottom level that walked out onto a large patio, outdoor swimming pool and spa. There was also an outdoor kitchen, complete with a large gas grill and full service bar for summer parties.

Skinner noted the other vehicles in the driveway one was his cousin Lev's new catering van. Lev had been in the restaurant business in Moscow, and Skinner had invested money for his cousin to start a new restaurant in D.C., restaurants now had high success rates -- even the bad ones. Lev went into equal partnership with his two brothers and father; he employed many of the family members of the men who had left Russia with them. The restaurant had a successful grand opening on Monday, specializing in Continental cuisine.

Krycek opened the wrought iron gates to the covered porch leading to the two French door entryways. The gates had the same pattern of foxes as the large security gates. They stepped into the foyer that had highly polished light oak floors and a curved staircase that had a balcony that looked down on it from above.

Their footsteps echoed through the large empty rooms. Boris had the contents of Krycek's apartment packaged and shipped to the United States it had arrived this week and was stored in a large warehouse. It was being delivered tomorrow, it wasn't enough to fill the large sixty room mansion, but it was a nice start. Skinner wanted to select special furniture for his daughter's room.

They had rented a U-haul to move Skinner's apartment furniture on Sunday. Krycek, his cousins, and the Gunmen were going to handle the moving while the A.D. took Mulder out for a Valentine's Day brunch. Skinner had reservations at the oldest and most exclusive restaurant in D.C. It had survived after most of the restaurants in the city had to close their doors due to lack of employees. Restaurants and other services were making a rapid comeback, due to the large influx of skilled refugees and the high salaries being offered.

They heard the sound of voices coming from the direction of the large gourmet kitchen. Kimberly was lining the inside of the cabinets with new contact paper, while a tall good-looking man sat cross-legged on the center counter. He watched as a dust rag and can of wood cleaner sprayed and polished the cabinet doors on its own.

"Kim, thanks for coming." The A.D. smiled at her.

"Sir, it feels good to help out -- you have a lovely home here." She smiled back, she was dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and had an apron on, already stained by dirt and dust.

"Thanks, Kim, and it's okay to call me Walter outside of the office. I'd like you to meet my brother. Alex Krycek, this is Kimberly Cook."

"We've met before, when he used to work at the Bureau. It's a pleasure to see you again, Alex." Kimberly held out her hand to him.

"Likewise, Kim."

At the sound of a throat being cleared, all three adults turned and looked at Kim's companion. "Sorry, Tony. Walter, Alex, this is my significant other, Tony Giustino."

"You're a Sorcerer?" Skinner asked, although the answer was already obvious to him.

"Yeah, cool isn't it?" The handsome blonde man replied with the laid-back ease of a surfer, but there was something dangerous behind his deep blue eyes -- appearances can be deceiving.

"Tony used to work as an investigative reporter for the D.C. Post. He used the contacts he made there to acquire the appropriate documents needed to fake my death and hide me until the coast was clear," Kim stated, confirming Skinner's suspicions of how dangerous Tony was -- the man was a reporter.

"You're not still working for the newspaper?" Skinner asked, looking suspiciously at the younger man.

"No, sir. I quit and have been working as a freelance writer. I couldn't chance leaving Kim unprotected for any length of time," Tony answered sincerely, easing Skinner's concerns about the man.

Kim and Tony exchanged looks and a silent conversation. *Kim, please ask him...this would solve our problem.*

*Tony, I don't want to impose on them,* she shot back.

"Kim, Alex and I are both sorcerers, we can hear every word that is passing between you and Tony. Why don't you just ask us?" Skinner murmured, looking at his secretary.

Kim blushed, she had forgotten that they'd be able to listen in to their conversation. She still didn't want to impose, but Tony really thought it would be beneficial to both her and her boss.

"Sir, Tony was wondering if you needed a caretaker for your estate. He would be willing to do all the yard work, gardening, and building maintenance, in exchange to us living in the caretaker's cottage."

Tony spoke up filling in what Kim left out. "Mr. Skinner, I do have experience...I majored in horticulture before switching to journalism. Plus, my father was a carpenter and he taught me everything he knew. It would benefit both of us, as a sorcerer I can help to protect your family, and you can escort Kim to work and home each day," Tony pleaded. He wanted Kim's safety more than anything, it was getting harder and harder for him to protect her alone.

Skinner saw the real reason behind Tony's plea; he also felt concern for Kimberly's safety. "That's an excellent idea, Kimberly. Tony, you're right, it would benefit both of us. I haven't been to the cottage and have no idea what shape it's in, but I'd be happy to pay for what is needed to fix it up."

"Actually, Walter, Tony and I stopped there before coming to the main house. It's in excellent shape; it only needs a fresh coat of paint. Are you sure that we won't be inconveniencing you?"

"No, Kim, Walter and I both agree it is an excellent suggestion," Krycek added his approval to the new neighbors / employees. He hadn't been looking forward to doing any lawn mowing or weeding this summer, but with Tony handling the yard work, he'd never have to -- life was good. Now all they needed was a housekeeper, he smirked.

Skinner looked at him with mischief in his eyes. "I found us the caretaker, Alex, you can find us a housekeeper," the older man challenged happily.

"Walter, you didn't find them, they found us."

"They wouldn't be here if it weren't for me, so there's not really any difference."

"Okay, I'll accept it as a challenge," Krycek responded, racking his brains trying to figure out how he was going to find a trustworthy housekeeper.

"Kimberly, when will you and Tony be moving in?" Skinner asked.

"If it's okay with you, Walter, next weekend."

"That will be fine, we'll help you move. By the way, you didn't see my relatives around, that's their van out front?" The A.D. asked surprised that he hadn't heard his cousins who tended to be boisterous.

"Yes, they're downstairs cleaning the exercise room and indoor pool," Kimberly answered sweetly. She'd found the A.D.'s relatives to be loud and jovial -- total opposites to their stern cousin.

After the A.D. and his brother left, Kim and Tony exchanged a brief kiss. "Tony, I'm so happy. That cottage is beautiful! It's three times the size of our apartment, plus the gardens...god! It will be great to be able to go outside this summer."

"Yeah, sweetheart, I can't wait to move in...your boss seemed like a really nice man. I can see why you wanted to go back to the bureau to work for him."

"Yeah, he's a real teddy bear under that gruff exterior. Most of the agents live in fear of his bark." She grinned, "Except Mulder, he was never really intimidated by him. You'd like Mulder, he shares a lot of your views on the government."

Viva Towers
Friday, February 12
7:30 p.m.

Mulder had been home two hours and still no sign of either of his lovers. He was wondering where they were when he heard a crash in the upstairs bedroom. He quickly rushed to the hall closet and pulled his gun out of the holster and crept upstairs to investigate.

The agent stood outside the bedroom and listened, not hearing a sound he turned on the light, holding his gun in front of him he panned the room. Mulder's eyes came to rest on a picture frame that was smashed against the opposite wall from where it had sat on Skinner's night table.

Mulder checked the bathroom and closet, he even looked under the bed. He went next door to the small study, when he determined there was no one upstairs he walked back into the bedroom. The FBI man knelt and picked up the broken picture frame, turning it over, he noticed that part of the photograph was missing. It had been a photo of Walter and himself; his lover's head had been torn from the photo. Mulder felt a shiver race up his spine, he felt like he was being watched, he turned quickly and scanned the room for a brief moment, his peripheral vision had picked up a movement. However, there was nothing there, he nervously collected the broken glass keeping his attention focused on the room.

Mulder took the broken frame and glass downstairs and into the kitchen, he placed it on the breakfast table. He still couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching him. There was another sound coming from the upstairs bedroom, but he decided not to go to investigate. The agent picked up the telephone to call Skinner's cell-phone number. Holding the receiver up to his ear, he was about to dial the number when there was heavy breathing coming from the other end. He dropped the telephone and backed toward the front door. He grabbed the doorknob with his hand behind him, never turning his back to the apartment.

When he jerked the door open, he ran smack dab into a large muscular body. He let out a startled yelp, before looking up and into Skinner's concerned brown eyes. "Fox, what's wrong?"

"Where the hell have you two been? Haven't you heard of the telephone?" Mulder scolded out of fear and relief.

"We tried to call a couple of times, but the line was busy. Didn't you get the messages we left on the answering machine?" Skinner asked.

"There were no messages on the answering machine!" Mulder snapped, stopping when he saw the answering machine light blinking. "There weren't any messages on the machine," he stated weakly.

"Fox, what is going on? You're as pale as a ghost, and how come you turned down the thermostat? It's freezing in here," Krycek asked, shivering in the cold apartment.

Mulder hadn't noticed until Krycek mentioned it just how cold the apartment was. "I didn't turn down the thermostat. I think we have a ghost," he stated with confidence, there were some of the classic signs of a true haunting.

"Fox, please, what makes you think that?" Skinner wanted to know. He didn't like the fact that Mulder was about to leave the apartment alone.

"I'll show you, come into the kitchen." Mulder walked into the kitchen followed by the other two men, he wanted to show them the broken picture frame and torn photo. However, it was no longer on the breakfast table where he had left it. "It's not here," he murmured and turned to race back upstairs, he was no longer afraid with the other two men in the apartment.

Mulder turned on the light and looked over to Skinner's night table, there was the picture in perfect condition. He walked over and picked it up, he didn't know what it meant much less what was going on.

"Fox?"

"Walter, I heard a crash in our bedroom earlier, when I came up to investigate, this picture frame was shattered against that wall and the photograph was torn."

"It looks fine now, are you sure you weren't dreaming?" the A.D. inquired examining the picture.

Mulder glared at him, "I'm sure I wasn't dreaming. Besides, you felt how cold it was in here...I felt like I was being watched."

"Okay...you're the expert -- what do you suggest we do?" Skinner asked. He didn't really believe his lover he still thought the agent had dozed off and dreamt the whole thing, but since he seemed truly spooked the A.D. decided to humor him.

"I think we should hire a spiritualist, if the place is haunted we should be able to communicate with it," Mulder replied, he knew several mediums he could call.

"How about we wait until Monday to see if we have anymore experiences," Skinner said, knowing they'd be in their new home by then, so this whole experience would be behind them.

"Sure, fine, whatever," Mulder muttered, there was no way he was going to spend anymore time alone in this apartment until then.

Mexico City
Saturday, February 13
8:30 a.m.

Mr. Jones sat behind the desk in his too small office -- he missed his estate in New England. He had to move in a hurry and left a lot of his prize possessions behind. One day, the consortium would be victorious and return to rule the world; he'd get his revenge on all that had challenged them.

The project was making new steps forward since the news of the baby girl reached them and Agent Mulder's involvement in her conception was made known. They were experimenting on their two surviving immortals, so far there was no luck in producing a surviving female embryo, but they were close -- they needed Agent Mulder.

There were new orders out to abduct Agent Mulder. A plan was already in place that would put the FBI man into their hands within the next month. They needed the agent's genetic makeup to test. They weren't able to use the agent's semen sample that they had stolen from the procreation clinic; the sperm was dead when it arrived. They had replaced Mulder's semen sample with one of the other immortal's hoping that the theft would go undetected.

The consortium had found out in recent tests done on their immortals, that their sperm only survived 7
2 hours even when it was properly stored. If the immortal's sperm did prove to be the key, stock piling it was out of the question. They would need to get their hands on all twenty-three immortals, with them the consortium would regain the control it had lost.

Chapter 5 – Haunting

Viva Towers
Saturday, February 13
6:00 a.m.

Mulder decided not to spend another night in the upstairs bedroom until he had a medium go through the apartment. He knew it was childish and very unlike him to be afraid considering some of the X-Files he encountered. However, the agent felt the presence was focused on him. Mulder was surprised how understanding Skinner was when he told him that he wasn't going to sleep upstairs until after the matter was resolved. He thought his lover would have thrown a fit, but Walter seemed not to mind, which bothered the agent immensely.

Mulder had sensed that Walter hadn't believed him about the ghost and was only humoring him. It confused him, since his lover had believed him when he told him Aleksandra talked to him.

Mulder rolled over on his back away from Krycek's warm body. The agent hadn't found out where his lovers had been all day -- his instincts were telling him something was going on between the two men. Over the last three weeks they were spending more, and more, time together and he was starting to feel left out. The A.D. arranged for him to spend the day with Pipino and Sullivan again while he and Alex went to see Bob Robertson, their investment broker. If this kept up, he'd have to take an interest in his finances just so he could see his two lovers.

At least he'd be able to pay off the bribe to Pipino and Sullivan. He'd have them take him to the grocery store today, and would fix dinner for them tonight. If anything, at least he'd be away from the apartment and not alone today.

He turned and looked longingly at Alex, the younger man had been too exhausted last night -- they only made love once. Mulder was feeling depressed, he climbed out of bed and grabbed his clothes. He was going to take a shower in the small guest bathroom then head downstairs for an early morning swim.

Mulder remembered that he hadn't told Skinner about his meeting with Doctor Pendrell yesterday. He had the young doctor fill out the official documents stating that their daughter had only his and Skinner's genetic makeup. The agent decided to save it as a Valentines Day gift for the older man. After all, his lover was leaving him alone again today. He would wrap the document as a gift and give it to Walter at brunch tomorrow.

He climbed out of the shower and walked naked to their small laundry room. Mulder grabbed his Speedo from the drying rack and slipped it on then went back to the bathroom, and pulled on his sweatpants and T-shirt. He headed out of the apartment and got on the elevator, watching as the numbers called off each floor as it descended. All of a sudden, the elevator got colder and he had the feeling he was no longer alone. The agent felt the touch of a hand on his buttocks, spinning he saw no one there. The elevator door chimed and opened, he backed out, glancing nervously around him.

To his relief there were already two other agents taking an early morning swim. Mulder tried to ignore his ghostly encounter as he swam -- hopefully both Walter and Alex would be up when he got back to the apartment.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, February 13
3:40 p.m.

Skinner and Krycek finished supervising the placement of the furniture from the younger man's apartment in St. Petersburg. The large, round kitchen table fit perfectly in the breakfast nook next to the kitchen. The nook had bay windows that surrounded the table; the windows spanned the length of two floors. There was a balcony that looked down over the breakfast area from the second floor game room.

Krycek looked over at Skinner, who was staring, lost in thought out the window overlooking their sprawling backyard. In the distance you could see the frozen lake that was on their large piece of land. Marshes were on the other side of the lake, which produced the legendary foxfire that gave the estate its name.

"Walter, what's wrong? You've been distracted all day."

"Alex...did Fox seem nervous to you this morning?"

"He did seem a little jumpy, but considering last night I really couldn't blame him. I didn't like leaving him with Agents Pipino and Sullivan again. We haven't been spending much time with him over the last three weeks."

"You didn't believe his story yesterday...did you?" Skinner asked hesitantly.

"Yes, every word of it. Walter, this is Fox Mulder we're talking about...when has he not been right about something paranormal?" Krycek was surprised that his brother would even doubt their lover's story.

"Usually I take him at his word, but for some reason that I can't explain the whole thing seemed ludicrous yesterday, but it doesn't today. Maybe we should head back early...I don't want him to be in that apartment alone today." Skinner felt guilty that he'd disbelieved Mulder's story. He hoped his lover hadn't noticed it.

Yori strolled into the kitchen with Skinner's cousin Lev. Since Yori and Lev met yesterday, they never seemed to be far from one another. Lev was a couple of years younger than Yori and they were built completely different. Yori was tall, broad, and muscular -- with his beard and body hair he resembled a Russian bear. Lev was shorter, skinny, and didn't have much in the way of body hair.

"Alexei, Lev mentioned that you are looking for a housekeeper. If the position is still open, I would be honored if you would consider me for it?" Yori asked, he was lonely living in his apartment -- he missed Mulder. The agent had been friendly to him, and treated him with respect -- unlike Slava. He missed being useful and knew that the A.D. and his family would fill that need.

"Are you sure, Yori? You really aren't hurting for money, don't you want to enjoy life for a change?" Krycek asked.

"I'd be willing to work for free, the money isn't important to me...I need to work." Yori explained.

"Okay, we'd be happy to have you working for us. You can move into the apartment off the kitchen," Krycek told him. "Yori, could you lock up...Walter and I are going back to Viva Tower."

"Yes, thank you, Alexei," Yori said happily, he had been in that apartment to clean it. "Come, Lev, I'll show you my new apartment." Yori grabbed the younger man's hand and led him through the butler pantry down a short hallway. A door at the end that opened into his new living quarters.

Lev was surprised at the size of the apartment. They walked into a small foyer with hardwood floors, a coat closet, a French door that opened onto a back porch. The foyer opened into a living room, on the other side of the room there was a dining area in front of a large bay window, behind it was an open kitchen with a center island. A staircase led up to a bedroom loft that looked down over the dining room and living room. The bathroom was in a small hallway just off the living room.

Viva Towers
Saturday, February 13
5:20 p.m.

Skinner and Krycek arrived back at Viva Tower -- the apartment was freezing again. They telepathically scanned the apartment for their lover. Not finding him, they broaden their search to the whole building. They finally located him three stories down at Agent Sullivan's apartment.

*Fox, are you all right?* Skinner shouted telepathically. He had been worried the whole drive back to the apartment, but refrained from contacting Mulder telepathically because his lover didn't like the intrusion into his mind.

*Walter, don't shout. I'm fine. You're back early, usually you and Alex haven't been getting back until after 7:00 p.m.* Mulder had a hint of hurt in his voice that both Skinner and Krycek picked up on.

*Fox, I realize we haven't been paying too much attention to you lately, but I promise that will change. Why don't I come down and escort you back home?* Skinner suggested as he attempted to read Mulder thoughts, but found the agent had become an expert at concealing them.

*Don't do that! Walter, you know I can feel it when you try to scan my thoughts...I'll escort myself home when I done here. I'm cooking dinner for Jack, Phil, Vinny, and their boys.* Mulder had tucked the incident in the elevator away because he didn't want either Walter or Alex to find out. He enjoyed having the freedom to go anywhere in the building alone and wasn't about to jeopardize that.

*Dinner? Why are you cooking them dinner?* Skinner was slightly annoyed. He didn't like sharing Mulder's time.

*It's the least I could do. After all, they had to give up their Saturday to *baby-sit* me again!* Mulder lied skillfully, he didn't want Skinner to find out it was because he had lunch with Doctor Pendrell and the two agents had blackmailed him into cooking dinner for them. He threw in the bit of guilt at the end free because he still felt slighted by his lovers.

*They get paid to protect you, Fox. You don't have to feel obligated to cook for them,* Skinner replied, annoyed.

*Walter, I was lonely! I didn't feel like sitting in our apartment alone waiting for you and Alex to decide to come home. Now, if you'll excuse me...I have to glaze the ham.* Mulder ended their conversation, he didn't respond to further attempts by his lovers to communicate with him.

"Walter, he sounded pissed...it's a good thing we're done house hunting," Krycek sighed. Heading for the kitchen, he turned up the thermostat on his way.

"We'll make it up to him tomorrow. It looks like we're stuck cooking for ourselves tonight," Skinner said, opening the refrigerator.

"Unlike some of us, I do know how to cook," Krycek stated smugly.

"So, what are you going to cook for us?"

Krycek walked into the pantry and came back with a box of spaghetti and a jar of spaghetti sauce. He pulled a package of ready-made meatballs from the freezer. "Spaghetti and meatballs," he said with a smile.

Skinner glared at him. "Even I could make that."

"Good, you make it and I'll prepare a salad."

After dinner, they sat watching television while waiting for Mulder to return. It was after 11:00 p.m. when the agent finally staggered into the apartment -- he was obviously drunk. "Bye, Vvvinny," he muttered, shutting the door.

Mulder noticed them sitting on the sofa. "I'm gggoing...take shower...bed," he stammered tiredly, weaving his way toward the downstairs bathroom.

Skinner exchanged looks with Krycek. "He's all yours tonight, but I get him tomorrow night."

"Gee thanks, I think I'd better help him with his shower -- in his condition he'll probably pass out and crack his skull open," Krycek sighed, standing and heading for the bathroom.

Mulder was struggling to remove his shirt he had one sleeve off, but couldn't figure out how to get the shirt over his head. Krycek stepped forward. "Here, let me do that," he said, unbuttoning the shirt he slipped it over the agent's head.

"Thanks." Mulder staggered almost losing his balance.

Krycek closed the lid on the toilet. "Sit down, Fox," he ordered. Helping the agent to sit, he proceeded to remove his shoes and socks. "Stand up so I can get your pants off." When done, he made Mulder sit while he removed his own clothes and turned on the shower.

"Did you have a nice time today, Fox?" Krycek asked sarcastically, helping him to step into the bathtub.

"No...missed you. Why...don't you...lolove me anymore?" Mulder sniffed and broke into tears; he was too drunk to hide his emotions. He would be embarrassed if he remembered this incident tomorrow.

"Fox, I still love you. Fuck, is that why you've been drinking?" the younger man asked, feeling guilty as he washed the agent's hair.

"Why else...you...void me?"

"Oh, Fox, you idiot." Krycek hugged him close kissing his cheek. "C'mon let's get you to bed, you're going to be feeling this tomorrow."

Krycek dried himself and Mulder off, steering the older man into the bedroom. He noticed the rest of the apartment was dark -- Skinner must have turned in. The younger man pulled down the blankets and helped his lover lay down, then he turned off the lights and climbed in next to him, spooning himself around the agent's body.

"Alex?"

"What?"

"Never mind." Mulder wanted to tell him that he was cold, instead he turned around and cuddled in closer falling asleep, a few minutes later Krycek joined him.

A dark shadow rose out of the floor and loomed menacingly over the two sleeping men. A limb reached out and touched the agent's tranquil face, then the figure dissolved back into the floor.

The Hampton House
Sunday, February 14
Noon

Mulder looked at his companion. Skinner was dressed elegantly in a black tuxedo, similar in attire to many of the other diners, including himself. He still felt slightly woozy, but fortunately not nearly as bad as when he first woke up. They were seated at a secluded table that was adorned with a white linen tablecloth, linen napkins, champagne, and a lovely floral centerpiece.

The waiter came and refilled Skinner's glass with champagne he looked over at Mulder's glass, which hadn't been touched. "Is there something else you would like, sir?"

"Yes, orange juice and coffee, please," Mulder replied.

Skinner glanced at his watch. His brother, cousins, and the Gunmen should have his possessions from the Viva Tower apartment loaded onto the truck by now.

"How are you feeling, Fox?" Skinner asked. He was still concerned, although, his lover was looking much better.

"I'm fine, Walter. Sorry about last night...I didn't intend to come home drunk," he murmured, embarrassed.

"That's okay, no harm done," the A.D. replied, grasping Mulder's hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "I'm just glad you're feeling better today." Skinner leaned over and brushed his lips against Mulder's and the younger man returned the kiss.

The waiter came back with Mulder's beverages and a basket of assorted muffins, returning a minute later with two citrus salads. He returned when they were done and set down steaming plates brimming with a Spanish omelet, corn fritters, and sausage, refilling Skinner's glass of champagne. Mulder attempted to drink his; he was feeling considerably better now that he had eaten.

After they finished eating and the dishes had been cleared away. Skinner ordered a bottle of expensive wine; he wanted to propose a toast.

"To our future happiness and life together," Skinner toasted, clicking his glass with Mulder's.

Mulder reached in his pocket for the envelope he had brought along, handing it to Skinner. "Happy Valentines Day, Walter," he said, kissing the older man.

Skinner weighed the envelope in his hand, looking at it thoughtfully before he opened it. He read the enclosed document and stared up at his lover with a shocked expression on his handsome face. "Fox, what is this? Where did you get this information?"

"I visited Hope on Friday and Doctor Pendrell told me. He printed out that paper so I could show you. I was going to tell you on Friday, but with the ghost, then you telling me you were leaving me alone again...I'm sorry Walter, I was *selfish* because I wanted to be with you after I told you," Mulder sighed.

"Fox, this is the best Valentines gift I've ever received. Don't feel guilty for not telling me sooner, I can understand how you felt. We have been leaving you alone too much over the past few weeks, but that will change after today," Skinner murmured, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Hope's ours...there is no way Scully can win custody of her."

"Hope shares only yours and my genes...legally there is nothing she can do to get custody," Mulder's replied sadly. "Doctor Pendrell is going to call Scully and arrange a meeting for us, so he can explain it to her. Walter, I don't know why, but for some reason I feel sorry for Scully."

"Fox, she was your partner and friend for years. Of course, you'd feel sympathy toward her loss, but remember it was her idea to allow us to use her ovum. She was the one who reneged on our arrangement." Skinner reached out and took his lover's hand in his as he picked up his glass of wine sipping it slowly.

'You're right, Walter. I just feel badly for her," he sighed, squeezing Skinner's hand. "So, what else do you have planned for us today?"

"It's beautiful outside today, the weather reports say it will get up close to sixty. I thought we'd take walk along the mall by the reflection pool, then a drive into the country -- it's been awhile since we've gotten outside of the city."

"Anywhere in particular or are we just going to drive aimlessly."

"I thought we might see if any of the hiking trails are passable yet."

"Walter, we're hardly dressed for hiking. Maybe we should go home and change first."

"Fox, what's wrong with two men in tuxedos hiking in the woods? Where's your sense of adventure?"

"You're serious? The paths will be muddy, we're going to destroy our shoes," Mulder exclaimed at his lover's carefree behavior.

Skinner was supposed to have Mulder at the estate at 5:30 p.m., their guests would be arriving at 4:30 p.m. He paid the check and grabbed his lover's hand. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Sunday, February 14
2:45 p.m.

Kimberly watched as the paper streamers floated up to the beams and attached themselves with thumbtacks. She smiled at her boyfriend Tony, who was using his powers to help her decorate for the surprise party. They centered the decorating in the family room, kitchen area, and the upstairs game room where most of the guests would be.

She walked into the kitchen and watched the two Russians preparing hors d'oeuvres. Lev was showing Yori how to use the icing bag to decorate the different canapés with the cream cheese. They had their bodies pressed intimately close together -- Lev was holding the larger man's hand, showing him how to squeeze it.

Kimberly backed out of the kitchen with a knowing smile on her face. It was obvious that the two men were infatuated with each other. They hadn't even noticed her.

"Hi, Kim, how's the decorating going?" Krycek asked, entering the family room.

"Fine, Alex. Tony is hanging up the last of the streamers. Are you done moving all of the furniture in?"

"Yeah, I just finished hanging Skinner's and Mulder's clothes in their closet," Krycek stated. Walking into the butler's pantry, he opened the small refrigerator and pulled out a beer. "Want one?" he offered.

"Sure, I could use a drink," she answered accepting the beverage.

"Do you need a glass?"

"No thanks, Alex, the bottle is fine," Kimberly replied, taking a sip. She walked over to the fireplace in the family room, looking up at the portrait. "She looks like you...is she a relative?"

"Yes, she's mine and Walter's mother, Aleksandra."

"She's very lovely, Alex."

Mulder watched as Skinner swerved around another pothole; the older man had already run over several that were filled with water from the melting snow.

"If you'd rather, Walter, we can always go back to D.C. and walk around the city parks," Mulder suggested.

"No...don't you think it's *beautiful* out here in the country?" Skinner asked. On the right hand side of his car, he could see their property.

Mulder followed the older man's eyes. "I didn't know there was a lake out here, do you know what its name is?" he asked, noticing the lake in the distance.

"Its called Gulls lake, in the summer you can't see it from the road because of the trees and shrubs." Skinner turned onto the private road.

"Walter, where are you going? That sign back there said that this is private property," Mulder warned.

"That's okay, Fox...I know the owners." Skinner pulled the car up to the security gate and punched in the code.

Mulder was now suspicious, especially after he saw the gate had a pattern of foxes on it. "Walter, who are the owners?" he asked as the car drove through the gate and down a winding road.

"You, me, and Alex. Oh, see that cottage." The older man slowed the car pointing out the French style cottage off to the left. "That's where Kimberly and Tony are going to be living."

"Kimberly? Your secretary?" Mulder had noticed the large cottage and assumed that was going to be their home until the car pulled up in front of the large mansion.

"Walter, I really would have appreciated it if you would have ask me first if I wanted to live all the way out in the country." Mulder was overwhelmed. He felt slighted that they hadn't included him on the decision to purchase this place.

Skinner took in Mulder's sullen expression. "Fox, we wanted to surprise you...Alex and I wanted to find a place that would give you back some of the freedoms you had lost."

Mulder leaned over and kissed Skinner on the lips, accepting his reasoning behind the gift, he would be able to go outside on his own here. He looked back at the mansion, staring at the large structure in stunned awe. "Walter, isn't that a bit big?"

"Well, Alex and I looked at hundreds of homes and we both liked this property the best. It fit all of our needs...don't forget we have a child on the way. In addition, it will allow you the freedom to go running on your own, we're having a jogging path put around the property this spring."

Mulder watched with interest as his lover tried to justify his extravagant purchase, he knew Skinner wasn't big on spending money. Most of their money was invested in different mutual funds, stocks, and bonds.

"C'mon, why don't you show me our new home. When are we going to move in?" Mulder asked, climbing out of the car and noticing all of the other vehicles for the first time.

"We already have...Alex moved our stuff from Viva Tower while we were out today."

Mulder stopped and looked at him. "We're not going back to Viva Tower? Who do all the cars belong to?" he inquired as Skinner steered him toward the front door.

"No, were not going back, this is our home now. The cars belong to friends and family." Skinner opened the front door.

"SURPRISE!" Their guests shouted, coming up to shake their hands.

Krycek came over and pulled Mulder away from the crowd, leading him into the private study. He shut the door, kissing him passionately. "Well, what do you think? Was it a surprise?" he murmured, breaking the kiss.

"Alex, surprise is too mild of a description. So, this is what you and Walter have been doing for the past three weeks?"

"Yeah, we were starting to get on each other's nerves. Anything he liked I hated and vise versa, it was lucky we found this place before we killed each other." Krycek stroked his hands down the agent's body. "You know, Fox. There are a lot of areas inside and outside this estate where we can make love," he whispered nipping the agent's ear lobe and pulling Mulder's body closer.

"Mm, shall we ditch the party and you can show me each and every one?" Mulder moaned. Pressing his groan against Krycek's, he embraced the younger man licking a path down his neck.

*FOX! ALEX! Knock it off and get your *butts* out here, you're not sticking me with playing the host alone!* Skinner bellowed telepathically causing both men to jump apart.

Frohike was sitting at the kitchen counter; he looked up leering at the disgruntled A.D. "I wonder where all the areas are that Alex has in mind?" the little man asked.

"Well, my baby brother isn't going to be the first to explore all of them with Fox," Skinner grumbled without thinking, he blushed red when he noticed Kimberly sitting next to Frohike.

Kimberly didn't have the slightest idea what they were talking about, not having been a party to Krycek's conversation with Mulder. "Tony, dearest, do you want to tell me what's going on?" She asked her boyfriend who was handing her a cocktail.

Tony stared over at Skinner who had a stern look on his face. "Later, honey, this is not the time or the place." He grinned at the older man. "Walter, when Kim is at work this week, I'm going to start painting the cottage if that's okay with you?"

"Sure, Tony, send me the bill for the paint and supplies," Skinner replied. When the younger man was about protest..."I insist, you're doing me a favor by moving in and taking the caretaker's position...it's the least I can do," Skinner replied sincerely, turning when he felt Mulder's arm wrap around his waist.

"Hi, how's the *lord* of the manor doing?" Mulder joked and kissed away the scowl from Skinner's lips, until the older man was smiling.

Jack Sullivan and Phil Boutotte came into the kitchen for more beer. "Sir, I'm happy to hear that things have worked out for you concerning your daughter," Agent Boutotte commented. At Skinner's baffled look, he added, "Mulder told me yesterday over dinner...Vinny had invited me and my son over."

"Thank you, Agent Boutotte. Does Dana know?" Skinner asked.

"I haven't talked to Dana in over a week, sir. I have no intentions on getting involved, this is between you and her," the agent replied.

"Agent Boutotte, I appreciate that. I also want to thank you for being there for Scully. Although I'm as pissed as hell at her, she needs to have a shoulder to lean on. I realize the position that placed you in, and I want you to know it has absolutely no bearing on your position in the bureau," Skinner informed the startled agent, Phil had been nervous about coming here today, but Vinny had convinced him it would be all right.

"Thank you, sir, that is a relief."

Jack handed him a case of beer and both agents departed; they were going back upstairs to the game room. The room had its own bar and refrigerator, but the other guests had already drunk all of the beer up there.

Mulder watched as they got on an elevator just outside the kitchen. "We even have our own elevating! Walter, just how large is this place?" Mulder exclaimed, taking a deep breath he thought he detected the smell of chlorine. "Don't tell me...there's an indoor pool in this place as well?"

"Okay, we have our own elevator, four staircases, indoor and outdoor pools and spa, a sauna, exercise room, wine cellar, a two-story library, eighteen fireplaces, fifteen bedrooms and bathrooms, three powder rooms...not to mention the cottage and housekeeper's apartment," Skinner breathed out exhausted, looking over at Krycek. "Did I leave anything out?

"Only the outdoor kitchen, pool house, three fully equipped bars, a five car garage with workshop, and game room complete with pool-table, and a few secret passageways," Krycek smirked at Mulder who stood opened mouth.

"Secret passageways? Show me, Alex, please," Mulder begged, giving him his best puppy-dog expression.

"Later, Fox." Krycek smiled at him and his older brother.

Yori had been in the family room serving hors d'oeuvres to the guests. He came back into the kitchen to refill his tray. Seeing Mulder, he quickly put the tray on the counter. "Mulder, my friend, it is good to see you again!" the Russian exclaimed, hugging the agent and kissing him on both cheeks.

Skinner glared at Yori in jealousy; he'd have to have a talk with him later. The A.D. wanted Yori to know that he was not allowed to touch Fox in any way.

Krycek took it all in stride, he knew Yori was only interested in Fox as a friend. If there were any romantic thoughts, he couldn't find them. "Fox, Yori is going to be our new housekeeper."

"Really? That's great, Yori, are you already moved in?" Mulder asked. He had missed the Russian's company; there had been few people in his life that had actually liked him for himself -- Yori was one of them.

"I'm moving in tomorrow, have you seen my new apartment, yet?" Yori asked with real enthusiasm.

"No, Yori, I don't even know where I'm going to be sleeping tonight," Mulder stated. Skinner gave him a very hurt expression with his soulful brown eyes that beat his puppy-dog look all to hell.

"Walter hasn't had time to show me our bedroom, yet," Mulder said to pacify the older man. When he received a smile, he knew he was successful.

"Tomorrow then, Mulder. I have to get more food out to our guests," the Russian said, truly enjoying his new friends and the party.

Kimberly came over to Mulder with her boyfriend. "Mulder, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend Tony. Tony, this is Special Agent Fox Mulder." They measured each other up.

"It's nice to meet you, Tony. Walter mentioned that you were moving into the cottage," Mulder replied, accepting the 'White Russian' Alex had made for him. He took a sip as he waited for Tony's reply.

"Yes, I'm going to be the caretaker of the estate. I really enjoy gardening and from the looks of the flowerbeds, there seems to be a lot of perennials. I'll put a budget together for you, Walter, and Alex on what will be needed to maintain the gardens this year." The younger man was excited at the prospect of being part of this estate.

"Tony, let's start off on the right foot. Anything concerning money or budgets give to Walter or Alex. Now, if you should stumble upon any burial grounds or ancient relics in your diggings, see me." Mulder smiled sweetly at him.

For the first time in his life, Tony felt the pangs of arousal for another man. He quickly reminded himself who he was talking to, and refocused his attention on Kimberly. "Sure, Mulder. Kim said that we share the same views on the government. I read several of the articles that were published on you and I have to say I agree with her. Maybe we can discuss the government and conspiracies. I used to be an investigative reporter."

"Tony, have you met Frohike, Byers, and Langly?" Mulder asked, looking at his dearest friends. Frohike was still seated on the kitchen stool, drinking a scotch. Byers sat at the opposite end, sipping a glass of white wine, and Langly was sitting on the counter his long legs dangling as he downed a beer with a whiskey chaser.

"Yeah, we met Friday...they were helping with the cleaning," Tony replied.

"Tony, have you ever heard of the Lone Gunman and the Magic Bullet magazine?" Mulder asked.

"Sure...I have a subscription. It's one of the most in depth and well researched conspiracy magazine around." Tony still didn't have a clue -- for a sorcerer, one might think he'd be more up on things.

"Tony, these are the Lone Gunmen," Mulder said, sweeping his hand to include all three men.

Tony looked at each of the three men closely for the first time. "Oh fuck, they are...how could I've missed it?" His eyes widened with surprise.

"Maybe because you still respect other people's privacy. It's something you're going to have to get rid of -- what if one of us was here to do you or the lovely Miss Kim harm?" Frohike offered.

"Tony, don't listen to him. You only have to focus more on being aware of the people around you, ask Yori to help you. Unlike Frohike, Yori is considerate of other people's privacy," Mulder advised him.

Frohike smirked at his best friend, he couldn't argue with Mulder. After all, he'd be the first to admit that he was a voyeur.

The party lasted until after midnight, luckily there were several designated drivers, and most of their guests still lived at Viva Tower. The few that remained sacked out in the guest bedrooms.

Skinner led Mulder into the master bedroom suite it was over twice the size of their bedroom in Viva Tower. The room dwarfed the king-size bed, and there was even a fireplace. "Fox, this is the main reason I wanted this estate," Skinner said, grabbing Mulder's hand and leading him into a small sitting room attached to their bedroom. At his lover's uncomprehending look, he added, "It's a nursery. Hope's crib will be in here until she's old enough for her own bedroom."

"Oh...won't her crying keep us awake?"

"Fox, she'll only cry if she's wet or hungry. It won't be much trouble to keep her dry and full." The older man stated with an air of knowledge he didn't possess.

Mulder thought //Yeah, right, she'll cry when she's bored, lonely, or just downright mischievous.// The agent grinned, he couldn't wait to see his lover proven wrong.

"Fox, what?"

"Nothing, Walter, I was just thinking about what a great father you are going to make."

"C'mon, let's christen the new bedroom," Skinner said as he started to undress the younger man. Mulder stood passively and allowed the older man to strip him, he knew his lover enjoyed slowly pealing away his clothing there was something so possessive about the process.

Mulder stood naked while the other man walked slowly around his body admiring it. Skinner gently caressed the agent's back then pulled the younger man's body up against his fully clothed chest.

Mulder felt the rough texture of Skinner's clothing against his bare back and the hardness of the older man's erection pressed between his buttocks. The A.D. caressed his hand down Mulder's chest and brought his lips to the agent's ear. "Fox, you're mine...you belong to me...this belongs to me," he said, stroking the younger man's cock until it stood erect.

"God, Walter," Mulder moaned, pushing his hips back against the larger man's groin, getting the desired gasp from him.

Skinner spun his lover around to face him and captured his mouth in a deep exploring kiss. Mulder brought his hands under his lover's jacket, feeling the taut muscles of his chest, caressing his way up to the older man's broad shoulders, he pushed the jacket off them. Skinner lowered his hands to allow the jacket to fall to the floor, never breaking the kiss. Mulder then started working on the buttons of Skinner's dress shirt. Pulling the shirt free of his pants, the agent broke the kiss. He tried to step back so he could remove the shirt, but the older man pulled him even tighter against his chest.

Skinner ground and rotated his hips against Mulder's, rubbing their groins deliciously together. He had his arms wrapped tightly around his lover's body, lowering them until his hands were cupping the younger man's buttocks. Skinner inserted his fingers into the cleft, bringing them down until he felt the agent's puckered opening. He slipped a dry finger inside and felt the sphincter muscle grip it. Skinner explored deeper, angling his finger up until he found the bump of his lover's prostate gland.

Mulder tightened his arms around Skinner's waist arching up against the older man's body as Skinner's finger caressing his prostate shot a wave of pleasure through him. His cock stood unbearably hard against his stomach, which was pressed against the older man's body. "Walter, please...I need you...please, I can't," Mulder moaned.

"Don't come, Fox," the older man ordered, slowly removing his finger. He held his lover's trembling body and toed off his shoes, stepping back briefly to let his shirt drop to the floor then he quickly removed his pants. He stared lovingly at Mulder from his kiss swollen lips to his swollen cock.

Skinner took the agent's hand and led him to the bed, pulling down the covers. He positioned Mulder on his back and crawled between his parted thighs, caressing the smooth skin there. The older man held out his hand, and a tube a lubricant appeared in it.

Mulder sat up and stared in awe. "Shit, Walter, when did you learn that trick? Alex can't even do that!"

"Floating objects from room-to-room seemed too time consuming. I tried for over a week to get an object from one room to the other by just teleporting it," Skinner replied matter-of-factly while he opened the lube. Pushing Mulder onto his back, he placed the agent's legs over his shoulders and applied the lubricant, stretching him.

"You practiced it and...God!" he gasped as Skinner inserted a fourth finger.

"Not even close, Fox." His lover removed his fingers and replaced them with his cock, pushing in. He watched as the tight opening closed around his cock, watching as he sunk deeper into his lover. Skinner brought his finger down to feel the rim of Mulder's taut hole as his cock slid inside.

He really enjoyed possessing his lover this way; it gave him a feeling of total ownership. Skinner wanted that feeling he didn't ever want to lose Mulder, and being buried to the root in the agent was the closest he came to owning him. Again, he ran his finger around their joined bodies, looking down into the younger man's aroused face.

Mulder watched Skinner's emotions flash over his face, the deep love the older man had for him was clearly written on his features. The agent reached up toward the older man's face and Skinner lowered his head toward Mulder's out stretched hand. The younger man removed his lover's glasses placing them on the nightstand.

Skinner smiled at him then pulled out slightly and pushed back in, setting a steady rhythm. Mulder pushed his hips back meeting him thrust for thrust. The older man reached down and stroked the agent's cock, bringing him quickly off. Milky white streams of come shot over his lover's chest. The tight heat of Mulder's rectum clenching around his cock was too much for Skinner and he came filling his lover's bowels.

He watched as his softening penis slipped out of Mulder and a small amount of his come ran down his lover's thighs. Skinner gently removed the agent's legs from his shoulders and scooted up next to him. He pulled Mulder into his arms and they shared a deep kiss before drifting off into a sated sleep.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Monday, February 15 7:00 a.m.

Skinner got silently out of bed; he didn't want to wake his lover, it was still early. He was taking vacation this week and had called A.D. Murphy to get Mulder the day off.

He walked into their bathroom to take a quick shower. It still amazed him how large the rooms in this place were. He thought their bathroom at Viva Tower's was big, but it was nothing compared to this. The large oval whirlpool tub was in front of a bay window, looking out over their front yard. The outside glass was mirrored, preventing anyone from looking in, since the master bedroom and bath were on the first floor.

Skinner stepped under the shower spray it didn't take him long to wash and dry himself. Since their clothes were in a large walk-in-closet in the bathroom, he didn't have to go back into the room to dress, there was even a dressing area next to the closet.

The A.D. pulled out a pair of jeans from the built-in closet organizer. He had to open several of the drawers before he located where Krycek had put them. He noticed that only half of Mulder's clothes were in the closet, well, it would be easier for the agent to dress upstairs when he was sleeping with Krycek.

He pulled on an old sweatshirt he was going to do some woodworking out in the workshop today. The previous owner had left all of the power tools in the workshop to be sold with the estate.

He walked out of the bathroom and crept back up to the bed, looking down at his lover who was still soundly asleep. He kissed the agent on the head then left the bedroom, closing the door softly behind him. After the A.D. had left, the blankets on the bed lifted and an invisible form appear under them, they draped around it showing a human shape.

The entity gently caressed the agent's sleeping body. Mulder drifted toward consciousness, pushing back against the caressing hand. In his half awaken state he assumed it was Skinner.

The entity pushed him onto his side spooning behind him. It forced one of the agent's legs up, so it could access his nether regions, and softly caressed between the young man's parted thighs.

Mulder moaned softly with arousal, he still couldn't pull himself fully awake -- it all seemed dream-like to him. He felt a finger slip into him...then another carefully stretching him. When the cock pushed its way in, Mulder briefly thought that it seemed larger than Skinner's. He felt himself floating in ecstasy from the loving kisses being placed along his back as he was passionately being made love to. Mulder gave up trying to wake up, if this was a dream, he didn't want to interrupt it.

The agent felt his lover's hot release as stream after stream of come shot into his bowels. Again, Mulder thought it was strange that Skinner could have that much semen left after making love to him last night.

He felt the still hard cock being withdrawn from his body and the press of soft lips against his cheek as he drifted back to sleep.

The next thing Mulder was aware of was the delicious aroma of bacon, coffee, and maple syrup. There was another soft press of lips on his cheek and Skinner's voice in his ear. "Wake up, Fox, your breakfast is getting cold."

Mulder slowly opened his eyes and smiled warmly at his lover. "Breakfast in bed...you're going to spoil me."

"I wanted to mark the occasion...and, Fox, you deserve to be spoiled. Now sit up so I can put the tray down."

Mulder gingerly sat up, feeling sore from their early morning lovemaking, he groaned softly. Skinner looked at him questioningly, setting the tray across his lap.

"Still feeling it?" Skinner asked, thinking it was strange since Mulder usually recovered in a couple of hours and shouldn't be feeling a thing.

"Yeah, just a little, but it's the kind of pain I wish would stay around for a while," Mulder murmured, picking up the glass of orange juice.

"Why don't you grab a hot bath when you're done eating, then I'll give you the official tour of our new home," Skinner suggested, snatching a piece of bacon off the plate.

Mulder glanced around the room, it was already brightly lit from the sunlight pouring in through the windows. "This room looks completely different in the sunlight. We are planning to install blinds to keep it out. Aren't we?" He squinted his eyes against the bright glare.

"Why? I kind of like having the early morning sun...it's invigorating." Skinner smiled at the look of disgust on Mulder's face.

"I wonder if Krycek's room has blinds?" the agent muttered.

"Don't even think of using that as blackmail, Fox. Finish your breakfast, I'll be in the kitchen seeing to our guests," Skinner told him, affectionately ruffled his hair then heading out the door.

Mulder finished eating and lifted the tray off his lap. He climbed out of bed and headed into the bathroom. He whistled at the size and beauty of the room. The agent turned on the faucet to the large whirlpool tub, while waiting for it to fill, he checked out the rest of the bathroom. He stepped into a small dressing area, opening the doors to the closet. Mulder looked in amazement at the vastly organized room -- it had shelves, drawers, and rods. Their clothing didn't even fill a quarter of the space.

The agent came back into the bathroom checking on the bathtub, he was surprise to see it filled with bubble soap. He knew he hadn't put any in. He reasoned that there must have been some liquid bubble soap on the bottom of the tub. Mulder slowly eased himself into the steaming bath. Sighing with contentment, he closed his eyes and leaned back. After ten minutes of soaking, he sensed he was being watched and quickly opened his eyes.

"Walter mentioned you were up," Krycek said from the doorway, walking over and sitting on the edge of the tub. He put his hand in the water swirling around the bubbles.

"Yeah, I figured it was about time I got out of bed. I only have today off...I have to go into work tomorrow," Mulder groaned.

"I start back next Monday. I was going to save it as a surprise, but Walter has arranged with A.D. Murphy for me to be your partner again." Krycek smiled at the happy expression on Mulder's face upon hearing the news.

"That's great, Alex. It will make working out in the field less boring," he exclaimed with delight.

"Way less boring, my love. Turn around and I'll wash your back." Krycek picked up a washcloth, dipping it in the water; he poured some liquid soap on it and started washing his lover's back.

Mulder leaned back to soak when Krycek finished. "You're starting to wrinkle...I think you should get out. I'll get you something to wear while you dry off." He stood up and walked into the closet, pulling a pair of jeans out of one of the drawers and taking a soft cotton pullover off the hanger. Krycek went to get Mulder a pair of boxers to wear. When he opened the drawer where he had unpacked the agent's underwear, he made an interesting discovery.

Mulder had finished toweling off and emptying the bathtub. He looked up at Krycek who came back dangling a skimpy garment from one finger. "What's that?" the agent asked.

"You haven't seen it before? My, my...it seems brother dearest isn't a stuffed shirt after all. I found this in your underwear drawer," Krycek said, throwing the small piece of fabric at Mulder.

Mulder held it up and examined it. It was made of black silk, had a cup in front and a small strip of fabric connecting it up the back to the waistband. "It's a thong!" he sputtered. Not in his wildest imagination could he picture Skinner purchasing this for him.

"Put it on," Krycek demanded, dying to see what his lover looked like in it.

"Alex, I can't wear this...what if I get injured at work? What would people think?"

"You're not working today...put it on. You can wear your boxers at work...but at home sexy and skimpy will do nicely," Krycek smirked as Mulder gave in and pulled on the underwear.

"God, this feels so weird," Mulder stated, feeling the thin fabric strip slid between his buttocks. He adjusted himself in front; he was still smoothly shaved so no pubic hair wrecked the look of the thong.

"Fox, that is so hot! I'll have to get you several more...I'm getting hard just looking at you. Too bad we have guests in the house, it would be nice to keep you dressed only in that today," Krycek murmured, running his fingers over the skimpy garment. He handed Mulder the rest of his clothes.

Mulder grinned at the younger man; he was getting used to the feel of the thong. It did feel very erotic with the fabric wedge between his crack. He pulled on the rest of his clothing and sat to put on shoes and socks.

They left the bedroom and headed for the kitchen that was on the opposite end of the mansion. They passed the library, living room, and went through the family room into the kitchen. Yori was there, helping Skinner do the dishes. Frohike, Byers, and Langly were seated at the breakfast table drinking coffee. They all were wearing sunglasses and groaning occasionally. Mulder had never seen Byers looking so disheveled, or for that matter, with a hangover before.

"Hi, guys, how are we feeling this morning?" he asked in a loud cheerful voice.

Byers put his hand over his ears and groaned. Frohike glared up at him.

"Don't you have any respect for the near dead, keep your voice down," Langly complained, leaning back in his chair and smiling up at Mulder. He wasn't in as bad of shape as Byers or Frohike.

"Good morning, Mulder," Yori exclaimed happily, handing the agent a cup of coffee.

"Thanks, Yori," he said accepting the coffee and going over to sit down with the Gunmen. Krycek grabbed his own cup of coffee and joined them.

Watching the touchy-feely way Yori acted around Mulder reminded Skinner again that he wanted to have a private talk with the large Russian.

The Gunmen and Yori had departed at 1:00 p.m. Skinner was in the workshop making a cradle for Hope. He had a picture pasted on the shelf that he had cut out of a magazine. The picture showed a cradle in the shape of a swan, it had a long curving neck and the small bed was nestled between its wings. He was working from that picture to build the cradle.

Skinner glanced at his watch, it was after 5:00 p.m., and he put his tools away and decided to stop for the day. He wondered if Fox was back at the house, Fox and Alex had been over at the cottage helping Tony paint it.

The A.D. entered through the foyer and heard laughter coming from the kitchen. Krycek had Mulder's body trapped up against the counter and the agent's pants were unzipped and pulled partway down, his brother's hands were inside the fabric groping a feel. The agent was squirming and laughing. Skinner was a bit shocked to see the skimpy pair of underwear his lover was wearing. He wondered if they had been a gift from Krycek.

Mulder noticed him and pulled away from Krycek, pulling his pants back up. "Walter, how's the project going?" he asked slightly embarrassed.

"Fine...I see you started dinner," Skinner said, nodding toward the pots on the stove and the aroma coming from the oven.

"Yeah, Alex is helping me...nothing fancy just roasted chicken with a wild rice stuffing," he answered, swatting the younger man's hand away as he pinched his butt.

They were all so engrossed in each other that they didn't notice the dark shadow float across the room and up the back staircase.

Chapter 6 - He's Back

D.C. Procreation Facility
Wednesday, February 17
9:50 a.m.

Charles Scully escorted his sister through the halls of the Procreation Facility they had a ten o'clock meeting scheduled with Doctor Pendrell and Doctor Harris. They entered the waiting room in Doctor Harris' office and gave their name to the receptionist. He called the doctor to announce their arrival and a couple of minutes later the elderly doctor strolled out of his office.

"Dana, thanks for coming down. Did you have a nice flight?"

"It was fine, Doctor Harris. This is my brother Charlie."

"It's nice to meet you, young man," the doctor said, shaking his hand.

"Doctor, I had a phone call from a Doctor Pendrell. He said it was important that we came down to speak with you regarding my daughter. Is she all right?" Scully asked nervously. Since receiving the telephone call from Pendrell yesterday and the doctor not clarifying what it was about -- she feared the worse.

"Hope is doing exceptionally well. However, that is not why we called you down here," Harris stated.

Scully brightened, she had feared that something was physically wrong with her daughter. "Why did you call me down here?"

"Our other clients are waiting in the conference room for us, I think we should discuss this with everyone present. This way, Dana...Charles." The doctor opened the door and steered them down the hallway to the small conference room.

Scully walked in first, she stopped in front of the doorway when she saw Skinner and Mulder seated at the table. The A.D. was sipping a cup of coffee with one hand and his other held Mulder's hand, their fingers intimately laced together.

Mulder was wearing a new brown suit that matched his silky brown hair. His tie was very beautiful, its colors matched the suit and his eyes -- he was perfectly color coordinated.

Mulder noticed Scully's quiet appraisal, he watched her eyes focus on his tie. He smiled softly at her for the first time in weeks. "I'm no longer red/green colorblind -- I ended up throwing out a lot of my ties when I got a good look at them," he quipped.

"How have you been, Mulder? I'm really sorry about what I said last time we saw each other...I was wrong," she murmured, stepping forward to allow the doctor and her brother into the room.

"I'm fine, Scully. Most of the hurt your words caused me is gone. I realized even though you believed the things you said about me...it doesn't make them true."

"No, Mulder...I don't believe them...I was speaking out of anger and jealousy...you'd make a terrific father," Scully stated sitting down next to him. "Friends?" she asked, holding out her hand to him.

Mulder looked at her hand, refused to except it and stared into her deep blue eyes. "Scully, it's too soon. Maybe you should hold off on your offer until after the doctor has spoken," he said with some trepidation, knowing that in a few minutes she would be hurting and most likely hating him.

Scully sadly lowered her hand, she was about to reply when the door opened and a young doctor rushed in his arms weighed down with papers. "Sorry I'm late."

Dana Scully's mouth hung open. It was Pendrell. She watched as he set the stack of documents down on the table.

"Hi, Doctor Scully, I'm Kyle Pendrell...I believe you knew my brother Danny?" he stated shaking her hand.

"Yeah, I used to work with Danny." She thought, //So that's what Pendrell's first name was.//

Kyle looked longingly over at Mulder, ignoring the glare Skinner gave him. The young doctor opened the folder and started passing around copies of the bound documents. "This is the medical report of Hope's genetic make-up and the scientific process used for her conception. If you would each like to take a few minutes to review it, I'll answer any questions you may have."

Skinner opened his bound copy, recognizing the document Mulder had given him on Valentines Day. He couldn't make heads or tails out of the scientific report. The A.D. glanced over at Scully; her pretty face had gone completely white as she clutched the paper in a tight grip. She flipped to the next page, carefully studying the scientific process for errors.

"Why?" Scully asked the doctor when she finished reading the report.

Doctor Pendrell knew what she wanted to know. "Over half of the ova in storage is not labeled or the records have been lost -- we know nothing about the women from whom they were taken. It was decided that most of the men wanting to procreate in this manner wanted children that shared their traits. So, the female donor's genetic make-up is removed from the ovum, making the child entirely that of the two male donors."

"Then genetically Hope isn't my daughter?" Scully asked in a hush voice.

"No...she isn't," Kyle murmured gently.

"Thank you, Doctor Pendrell. I think...we'll be leaving now." She rose and walked quickly out the door, clutching the document in her hands. Charlie followed her, almost running to keep up. Dana stopped at the closet where her coat hung, quickly putting it on. The door to the clinic was held open for her and Charlie by one of the FBI men on guard duty.

Scully climbed into the passenger side and stared blankly out the window while waiting for her brother to take her away from here.

"Dana, are you going to be okay?"

"I'm fine, Charlie," she murmured softly, stifling back a sob that threatened to break lose.

"I'll drive us back to our hotel, then book on us on the first flight out in the morning." Charlie glanced at her with concern.

Mulder stared sadly out the open door after the Scullys abrupt departure. He was concerned. It wasn't like her to run away without challenging any of the information the doctor had presented. "Walter, I need to go talk to her. Can you drive me over to the hotel they're staying at?"

"Fox, let it go...let her go...lately she's only brought you heartache, besides she won't appreciate your concern, she'll probably resent it."

"I'm sorry, Walter, but it's something I have to do."

"Okay, but I'll wait in the lobby for you. I don't want to see her again and she definitely won't want to me again, either."

The two doctors listened to their conversation, waiting for the two men to finish. "I'm sorry, Doctor Scully didn't seem to take that very well. Maybe I should have softened the blow," Pendrell offered.

"No, Kyle...Scully has always appreciated the straight forward and no bullshit approach. It was bound to be a blow to her no matter how you presented it," Mulder said and shook the young doctor's hand. "I appreciate everything that you have done for us, thank you."

Skinner also shook the young doctor's hand. "Thank you, Doctor." The A.D. turned to his lover who was heading for the door. "Fox, let's look in on Hope before we go to the hotel."

They walked down the hallway, stopping in front of the lab door. Walter pulled his keys from his pocket and opened the door. He walked over to the cylinder peering in. "Hi, Angel, how's daddy's little girl doing today?" he murmured softly, running his finger along the glass. The fetus moved as if responding to the sound of his voice. Mulder stared in amazement, wondering if she could truly hear Skinner's voice.

"Walter, do you always talk to her when you come here?"

"Yes. I know she can't hear a word I'm saying, but I feel good talking to her."

Mulder wrapped his arm around Skinner's waist with deep affection for the older man. They stood looking at their daughter. "I think she can hear you, Walter," he murmured.

They remained there talking softly to each other and their daughter for over an hour, leaving reluctantly only when Doctor Jackson showed up to take down Hope's readings.

They climbed into the car and Skinner turned to Mulder. "Do you know what hotel the Scullys are staying at?"

"Yeah, Frohike said they booked a room at the Hilton, three blocks from here."

"Okay, Fox, are you positive you want to put yourself through this?"

"Yes, Walter...I need to see her. If only to close this chapter of my life, forever," he murmured sadly.

Skinner reached over and squeezed his hand. "I'll be listening in from the lobby, if you need me...I'll be there for you." Skinner hated the idea of Mulder being anywhere near Scully. The A.D. still couldn't forgive her for the harsh words she had spoken about Mulder. His lover's heart was too kind and fragile -- the agent forgave quickly and was so easily hurt.

The older man pulled the car into the parking lot of the hotel. They climbed out and strolled to the lobby, obtaining the room number from the front desk and Mulder headed for the staircase. "Fox, they're on the eighteenth floor why don't you take the elevator?"

"I prefer to walk up...I hardly get any exercise anymore," Mulder replied lying, he did not want Skinner to find out about his experience in the elevator at Viva Tower, he was a still a little scared.

Skinner looked at him angrily knowing Mulder had just lied to him. He respected his lover's privacy so he didn't try to read his thoughts. However, he would eventually find out the real reason Mulder wanted to use the stairs.

"Fox, we'll discuss this when we get home...I don't like being lied to. I'll be waiting down here, if you need me, I'll be at your side immediately." Skinner saw the embarrassed look that passed over Mulder's face as he turned and started up the stairs.

//Fuck.// Mulder thought. //Sometimes his lover made him feel like a little kid. He'd have to find a way to steer their relationship back on a more equal footing.//

Skinner took a seat on the lobby sofa, his mind was focused on Mulder, watching his every step and looking for any potential threat to him. He couldn't wait for Krycek to be Mulder's partner again; it would put his mind at ease to have his brother protecting their lover on the out of town cases.

Mulder knocked with some trepidation on the Scullys' hotel room door. Charlie Scully opened it and stepped aside, motioning Mulder in. "Mulder, we weren't introduced. I'm Charlie Scully, Dana's older brother."

"Hi, I'm sorry we're meeting under these circumstances," Mulder replied, shaking the pre-offered hand. He noticed Scully sitting at the small table, she was staring at him waiting for him to make the first move.

"Scully...I'm sorry, I know there isn't anything I can say or do to make it better, if there was..." Mulder trailed off not knowing what else to say to the woman who had been his partner and friend for six years.

"Mulder, it doesn't matter...I was a fool to have interfered in the first place. I'm the one who should be sorry. I've given the situation a lot of thought over the last few weeks. Losing your friendship was harder on me than finding out that Hope wasn't really my daughter." Scully stood up and walked over to him.

"Mulder, your forgiveness and friendship are the most important things to me right now."

He wasn't sure if he could forgive her for what she had said to him, but there was a desperate pleading in Scully's voice that Mulder had never heard before. Her eyes begged and pleaded with him, he found himself unable to refuse her request.

"Scully...I forgive you, and would value your friendship." Mulder smiled weakly at her, hoping he wasn't making a mistake.

Scully wrapped her arms around his slim waist and buried her face against his chest. "Thank you, Mulder. You don't know how much your friendship means to me...what you mean to me," she murmured against his chest.

Down in the lobby Skinner frowned, this was the last thing he wanted. Now Fox would be calling and turning to that woman for advice and there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

He sat there listening in on their conversation for an hour, before his lover left the room and started down the stairs. Mulder walked up to him smiling with relief; he stopped smiling when he saw the frown on Skinner's face.

"Fox, I don't approve of you forgiving her so easily. She's only going to hurt you again."

"Walter, Scully's part of my life. Damnit, she's saved my life countless times...how can you expect me not to forgive her?"

"I just think you forgave her too quickly," he growled. "Do you need to return to the Bureau, Fox?" Skinner questioned harshly, trying to keep his annoyance in check. As they walked out to the car, he looked at the clock; it was already after 3:00 p.m.

"No...I...I'll need a lift to the airport tomorrow morning, I'm going to Chicago. Anderson, Pipino, and Boutotte are meeting me at the gate," Mulder murmured, knowing how much Skinner hated his out-of-state assignments.

Skinner sighed. "Fox, I'll drive you, and walk you to the gate. Please be careful, with the news about Hope...I've become more concerned about your safety."

"Walter, I promise, I'll be careful. The FBI has us booked at the best hotel in Chicago, I think the Director shares your concern."

They were quiet the rest of the drive home. Yori met them at the door, taking their coats. "Walter, Mulder, everything went well today?"

"Things couldn't have gone better, Yori," Mulder replied as the Russian hung up their coats in the hall closet. He came over and embraced the agent.

"That is good news, Mulder. I have dinner started, if you'd like you can help me. Lev has been teaching me a new recipe," Yori talked excitedly; he didn't notice the look of anger on Skinner's face.

"Yori, I would like a word with you in private. Fox, see to dinner until we are through," Skinner ordered both men. He showed Yori into his private office, closing the door.

"I don't know what you hope to accomplish, Yori, but Fox is off limits! You are not to touch him anymore, just keep your hands to yourself!" Skinner hissed angrily.

"Walter, I'm not romantically interested in Mulder, he is a friend...nothing more. Even if I was interested, there is nothing I could physically do about it." Yori was briefly caught off guard by Skinner's anger, it never occurred to him that anyone would be jealous of him. "Walter, when I was younger I applied for a position as Slava's beautician. I was to groom him and his slaves. On my first day working for him, I was rendered unconscious, the next thing I knew I woke up in a small bedroom in extreme pain and discomfort -- I had been castrated."

Skinner sat in shock. The idea that someone could be so cold blooded to do that to another human was beyond him. "Yori, I'm sorry...I didn't know."

"It was a long time ago. I've never talked about it to anyone, before now," Yori sighed. "Walter, Mulder's friendship has meant a lot to me, I will restrain myself from touching him if that is your wish."

"No...I tend to be overly jealous where Fox is concerned if he doesn't mind the attention, then I will over look it," Skinner murmured, noticing the packages on the desk and stacks of mail.

"Not more...when is it going to end," he moaned. They had been receiving presents for Hope ever since news of her conception was announced worldwide. He also had hundreds of marriage proposals for his daughter and she hadn't even been born yet.

"Men are excited over the news, it probably will never end," the Russian stated. "If you'll excuse me, I'll see about dinner."

Skinner watched him go. Then he started weeding through the cards, letters, and packages.

Chicago
Thursday, February 18
8:50 p.m.

Mulder slipped the deadbolt on his hotel room door, Agent Anderson was next door and across the hallway were Agents Pipino and Boutotte. He was exhausted; it had been a long day of working on a profile, and studying the murder scenes. Then the murder had just turned himself into the police, making most of his work meaningless. The killer did match the initial profile he had pulled together. Well, at least they'll be flying back to D.C. in the morning.

The agent shrugged out of his suit coat and draped it over a chair; he did the same with his pants. He walked naked into the bathroom, closing the door he pulled the shower curtain shut, and turned on the water. Testing the water temperature, he climbed into the shower. After bathing, he shampooed his hair then tilted his head back and rinsed the soap from it, enjoying the feel of the hot water pounding against his skin.

Mulder glanced over at the closed shower curtain and saw an outline of a man on the other side. He stepped back, staring at the silhouette in fear. He reached his hand up and pulled the curtain open. To his shock, there was no one on the other side. The bathroom was empty. The door was still firmly closed.

Mulder cautiously stepped out of the bathtub, his heart beating a mile a minute. Grabbing a towel, he was about to leave the bathroom when the steamed over mirror caught his attention. Writing was slowly appearing on it 'Moi krasivy Fox, you're mine now and forever.'

The agent pulled desperately on the slippery doorknob, but he was unable to open the door. Mulder raised his hand to pound on it when his wrist was grabbed and he was spun around. He gasped as he stared into the translucent face of Nikolai Slava.

*Miss me, my pet?* Slava asked telepathically as he ran a transparent hand over the agent's trembling body. He captured the younger man's other wrist and held both hands over the agent's head as he pressed him up against the closed door. The Cossack captured Mulder's mouth with his using mind-control he forced the agent to permit him access.

Slava relished the flavor of his beloved; it had been too long since he had last tasted him this way. He pushed his tongue in deeper exploring and savoring the agent's mouth.

Mulder regained some control over his shocked mind. *It was you at Viva Tower? Is your real body nearby?*

*No...moi love. I'm still how you left me in Moscow. Your blow has left me in a coma that I can't wake up from.* Slava pulled back looking into Fox Mulder's startled hazel eyes.

*I've been watching you for several weeks. At first, I couldn't physically touch or communicate with you. I came to you in a dream, do you remember?*

Mulder nodded his head; he remembered the nightmare he had sleeping on the couch at Viva Tower.

*I've been getting stronger. Now I can make this astral body function just like my corporeal body.* Slava's body was getting more solid as he talked. *I'm no longer bound by the limits of my earthly body, I can go distances that I wasn't able to before.*

*What do you want from me?* Mulder asked, feeling his knees growing weak.

*You are moi lubimij, my beloved. I will never let you go, you are *mine* forever and always.* Slava lowered the agent's arms and pulled him against his now solid chest. Tilting his head back, he returned to passionately kissing him.

By the time the Cossack broke the kiss, Mulder was so light headed he was no longer able to stand on his own. Slava scooped him up in his large muscular arms, opening the door to the bathroom with his powers. Mulder's arms were wrapped tightly around the much larger man's neck to keep his balance, and he whimpered against his shoulder.

Slava stared at the bed and the blankets pulled down on their own, and he gently set Mulder in the center then lowered himself on top of the frightened man. *Ssh, moi love, I do not intend to hurt you. I only want to make love to you. You do enjoy it when I make love to you.*

"No...I don't...please leave me alone," the agent begged.

*Ssh, no talking...if your next door neighbor interferes I will have to kill him.* Slava put a finger to Mulder's lips removing his ability for speech. *You enjoyed it when I made love to you the last three mornings in a row.*

*That was you...* Mulder felt nauseous he had assumed each morning it had been one of his lovers.

*You also enjoyed the present I left you...although, Comrade Krycek seemed to have gotten the most enjoyment from it.*

*The thong...you?* the agent moaned with embarrassment.

*It really looked lovely on you...if I had you back in Russia with me you'd be wearing nothing else.* The Cossack licked a path down the agent's chest, teasing each nipple until they stood pebble hard. He continued down, breathing in the delicious scent that he had missed for so long. Slava stopped at the agent's groin licking around the tender flesh, parting the agent's thighs he took each of his lover's balls into his mouth sucking them. He gripped Mulder's cock slowly pumping it until it stood erect.

Slava took the agent's cock into his mouth, twirling his tongue around the velvet head, savoring the unique flavor of his lover. He took him down deep into his throat, Mulder moaned as he tried and failed to distance himself from the feelings of arousal and pleasure. The agent pushed up into that hot mouth, burying his cock deeper inside.

*You like this, my pet. Come back to me...I will make you feel constant pleasure.*

*NO!* Mulder shouted, but it was too late as he felt himself coming into that hot seductive mouth. Slava swallowed every drop that was pumped out of the agent.

The handsome Cossack pulled back and smiled lovingly down at the drained and sated man. He then raised the agent's legs up onto his shoulders and magically pulled a tube of lubricant out of thin air, he proceeded to prepare the smaller man. Placing the head of his cock at the tight opening he slowly pushed in, watching the beautiful hazel eyes fill with tears. Slava pushed his hips forward hard, sinking his entire twelve inches all the way in as silent tears streamed down his lover's cheeks.

Mulder arched his back and attempted to scream at the intense pain, but no sound issued from his mouth. Slava leaned forward deeply impaled in his lover's beautiful body, licking the salty tears off his face.

*Moi love, you are perfect this way...this is why you were put on this earth to provide me with pleasure.* Slava captured his mouth in another kiss, sucking the air from his lungs. Mulder sank against the soft mattress -- defeated.

Slava started fucking him, thrusting in and out of his body. At times Mulder could see right through him, he shivered at the hopelessness of the situation. His legs were cramping from the position they were in, and he tried to ignore the pleasure that was being forced upon him, his cock stood hard again, swollen and leaking against his belly.

It seemed to go on forever. Mulder felt the large Russian slam hard into his body one final time as he came, pouring his semen deep into his bowels. The agent whimpered; he was still painfully hard, his cock leaking pre-cum against his stomach.

Slava pushed his hips forward wiggling until he was as deeply buried as he could get inside the younger man. He then proceeded to jack the agent off, forcing a second orgasm on the unwilling young man. Mulder rectal muscles tightened around the Cossack's deeply buried cock, causing another orgasm in the handsome Russian.

Nikolai Slava removed his softening penis and moved up to the top of the bed, pulling his reluctant lover into his arms. Hugging him closely, he kissed and caressed the agent's beautiful, sated face. Slava noticed his arms were beginning to lose their substance, he needed to leave and replenish his strength -- sadly he kissed Fox one final time, then vanished.

Mulder only had the strength to pull the blankets over his abused body, before losing consciousness.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, February 203:50 a.m.

Agents Pipino and Boutotte insisted on driving Mulder home. He begged them just to allow him to get a rental and drive himself home, but they wouldn't hear of it.

The case in Chicago ended up dragging on most of the day. The suspect changed his mind and attempted to withdraw his confession. The police needed Mulder to tighten up his profile, because the testimony from the clairvoyant working on the case was not fully admissible in court.

Mulder hadn't known they'd be flying home this early. He told Skinner and Krycek when he talked to them on Friday that he would not be back before Saturday afternoon.

Agent Pipino pulled up in front of the security gate and Mulder told him the numbers to punch in. The gate clicked open and Vinny pulled the car around to the front of the large mansion. The motion detectors set off the lights in the front of the mansion and Mulder noticed lights going on inside of the mansion.

"Thanks for the lift guys. Would you like to stop in for a cup of coffee?" Mulder asked, knowing it was an hours drive back into the city.

"Thanks, Mulder, we'd better be going. Besides, it looks like we woke the boss up," Vinny snickered, seeing A.D. Skinner come out of the mansion in his robe and slippers.

Mulder climbed out of the car and smiled weakly at his lover. He slammed the car door and waved goodbye to Vinny and Phil.

"Fox, you should have called. I would have come to the airport and picked you up," Skinner scolded him then tenderly kissed and hugged him. "God, I've missed you."

Mulder hugged Skinner back. "I missed you, too. I didn't know I'd be coming home until several hours ago. I didn't want to wake you or Alex."

Krycek appeared in the doorway, looking deliciously rumpled from sleep. "Fox, you're back."

Mulder walked through the door with Skinner's arm around his waist. The agent reached out and wrapped his arm around Krycek's waist pulling the younger man toward him he kissed him passionately.

"Can we go into the kitchen and talk? There is something I need to tell you," he said nervously. Mulder had weighed all of his options and decided it was best for him to tell them about his encounter with Slava. He was afraid of their reactions, but he was even more afraid of the Cossack.

Skinner put on a pot of coffee for them. While they waited for it to brew, they asked him about the case. The A.D. stood back up and poured them each a mug of coffee.

"Okay, Fox, what's wrong?" Skinner asked softly.

"You know that ghost problem I had at Viva Tower?" he murmured.

"What? You haven't seen any ghosts here have you?" Skinner exclaimed with some annoyance. This was their new home, and he wanted it to be a warm and nurturing environment for their daughter.

Mulder sadly lowered his head; he did not want his problems to interfere with his lovers' lives. It was a mistake to have even brought it up. He felt his eyes mist over and several tears slide down his cheeks. He started to get up to leave the room, feeling suddenly alone and afraid.

Krycek's hand stopped him. "Fox, sit down tell us what's wrong, we'll listen. Won't we, Walter?" the triple agent glared at his half brother.

"Fox. Shit...I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I just said. Please, tell us what the problem is," Skinner said suddenly, embarrassed by his callous behavior.

Mulder slowly looked back up, opening his mind to his two lovers, so they could see what he had gone through from the episode in the elevator to his rape Thursday evening.

"FUCK! THAT BASTARD...I'LL KILL HIM!" Skinner exclaimed, standing abruptly he spilled his coffee.

Mulder allowed himself to breakdown into tears, Krycek held him as he cried, rubbing his back soothingly. "Walter, we need to try to put up a barrier to keep him out."

Skinner turned to sit back down, but stopped when his chair pulled back on its own and a figure appear in it. "Alexei, just what type of a barrier do you think would keep me out?" The handsome Cossack asked, putting his feet up on the table, he stared lovingly at Mulder.

"YOU! KEEP AWAY FROM FOX! YOU GODDAMNED BASTARD!" Skinner tried to physically strangle the smirking Russian, but his hands went right through Slava's body.

Mulder huddled closer against Krycek, trembling.

"Fox belongs to me...I've shared him with you only because he needs your protection. When I am whole again I will come and escort Fox back to Russia where he belongs -- with me."

"He's not ever going anywhere with you Slava! Fox belongs here with us so you might as well leave and find someone else," Krycek warned. The triple agent used his powers to toss the large Russian from the chair.

The Cossack stopped himself for attacking back; his beloved was sitting too close to Alexei.

Skinner caught on quickly. Seeing what his younger brother had just done, he used his substantial powers to vanquish the Russian from their house. Slava did not see the move coming and was not aware of how strong the bald man was.

The Cossack screamed his rage at being so easily defeated and denied the one thing that he truly loved. He would have his heart's desire the moment their guard was down, but this astral body was not strong enough to go up against two sorcerers.

Skinner sank to his knees and pulled Mulder into his arms. "Fox, please forgive me...I should have listened to you back at Viva Tower. If I had, we might have prevented that bastard from touching you."

"It's not your fault, Walter. I didn't know it was Slava until Thursday evening," Mulder replied, pulling himself back together. He softly kissed the older man. Standing, he pulled Krycek to his feet. "I'm tired, c'mon Alex let's turn in. Walter, consider this bribery over those blinds, Alex's windows face west, and I have no intention of getting out of bed before noon."

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, February 201:10 p.m.

Mulder quickly put on his forest green robe and left his and Krycek's bedroom, he was starving. As he passed the bedroom at the top of the stairs, he heard loud rock music coming from inside. Curious, he pushed open the door and watched Langly as he painted.

The room was impressive and beautiful, the gunman had painted a sky with wispy white clouds on the ceiling and halfway up the walls. On the bottom part of the wall, he painted a garden -- Skinner had installed wainscoting in the form of a white picket fence around the walls. The painted garden showed though the pickets. Langly was currently painting a tree and branches up one side of the room. The whole room looked like a picture out of at storybook.

Langly noticed him and turned off the radio. "Hey, Mulder. What do you think?"

"I'm impressed...it's beautiful, Hope's going to love it when she's older."

"Thanks, Mulder, are you heading down for lunch?" The tall blonde gunman asked.

"Yeah, I haven't had anything since Thursday." Mulder left out that he had also thrown up everything he ate on Thursday.

"Mind if I join you? I could use a break," Langly asked, putting his brush to soak in a container of soapy water.

"Sure, I could use the company. Have you seen Alex or Walter recently?" Mulder inquired, he did not want Langly to know he was afraid to be alone. That was why he didn't take the time for a shower or to find something to wear in the walk-in-closet.

His lovers must have felt his fear, because Skinner walked into the house from outside as Mulder, Langly walked down the staircase, and Krycek came quickly from the direction of the kitchen.

"Fox, how are you feeling today?" Skinner asked.

"I've been better...were you out in the workshop?" Mulder hugged him, allowing the older man to guide him protectively into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I was painting the cradle I made for Hope," the older man replied tightly holding Mulder against his body, his arm around the younger man's waist.

Krycek had walked back ahead of them into the kitchen. He was making lunch for them; Yori had spent the evening in D.C. visiting Skinner's cousin Lev. Mulder broke away from Skinner and walked hungrily over to the stove, looking at what his younger lover was preparing.

"Since you slept through breakfast, Fox, I thought I'd make us omelets," Krycek informed him.

Mulder looked in the medium-sized sauté pan; it contained mushrooms, shrimp, and mussels. "Seafood omelets?"

"It is lunchtime, after all, my love," Krycekstated, pouring the eggs into the omelet pan.

Skinner and Langly sat at the kitchen counter. Mulder poured himself a cup of cold coffee, putting it in the microwave to heat. Krycek looked at him in disgust. "You know that's going to taste like crap, why don't you just make a fresh pot?"

"I'm used to bitter, crappy-tasting coffee," Mulder answered and retrieved the steaming mug. Taking it over to the counter, he sat next to Skinner. They sat watching Krycek as he made the omelets.

He put the first one in front of Mulder, who smiled at him in appreciation. "Thanks, Alex."

After Krycek finished the omelets for Langly and Skinner, Kimberly and Tony walked in through the back door of the kitchen. "Hi, Kim, Tony, have a seat -- there's enough left for the three of us, I just have to scramble a few more eggs," Krycek told them, getting another container of eggs out of the refrigerator.

"Thanks, Alex," Kimberly smiled sweetly at him. "Do you need any help?"

"No, I have everything under control, just have a seat."

Skinner looked at his secretary and her boyfriend as they sat. "How's the moving going?"

"Fine, Walter. Vinny, Jack, Phil, and George helped us load the truck in D.C., like they promised, now it's just up to you guys to help Tony to unload it." She could not help the big smile that came on her face; she was really looking forward to living in that lovely cottage.

"We'll be happy to help after you have finished eating." Skinner smiled, rising, he rinsed his plate and put it in the dishwasher. "Would you like anything to drink, soda, juice, beer?" he asked.

"A diet-Pepsi would be fine," Kimberly answered as Krycek put a seafood omelet in front of her.

"I could use a beer," Tony piped up.

Skinner grabbed a Pepsi and a glass for Kim, then went around the corner to the butler's pantry and pulled out two beers for Tony and himself.

Skinner sat back down at the long counter -- it had six tall stools, and enough room for two more. He sipped his beer and placed his hand on the back of Mulder's stool. The A.D. was really feeling horny; he had not slept with Mulder since Wednesday evening. After they helped Kim and Tony move, he had plans for his lover.

They finished eating and doing the dishes. Langly headed back upstairs to finish painting. Krycek went with Mulder upstairs so his lover could dress, he knew Fox was still worried about Slava. The agent was not convinced that their protective barrier would hold.

"Fox, you don't have to be afraid. Slava isn't strong enough to break through our barrier and with Tony's assistance, there will be no way in hell he'd get within twenty miles of you."

"Alex, what about when we're on a case together, are you strong enough to protect me from him?" Mulder bent down to tie his shoes.

"In his current state, yes. If he were whole and here in person, then I'd have to say no. Walter, on the other hand, is more than his equal . .. . and he is getting stronger everyday." Krycek waited for Mulder to leave the room first and followed him down staircase. They retrieved their coats from the hall closet and went to help their new neighbors move in.

Skinner and Tony had already telekinetically moved several pieces of furniture into the cottage. However, when they had a midair collision between an end table and floor lamp, Kimberly put her foot down and ordered them to carry the furniture in like normal men.

Mulder snickered at the embarrassed looks on both men's faces as he and Alex picked up the sofa from the truck and moved it into the large living room.

"Mulder, Alex, set the sofa here so it's in front of the fireplace," Kimberly directed, there was a large area rug on the hardwood floor; they placed the sofa on top of it.

Mulder stood up and looked around, he loved this cottage. He helped Tony paint it on Monday, he still marveled at how warm and homey it felt. The living room had a large bay window, he thought it was a perfect place for a Christmas tree. He would have to check their mansion when he got back, he wondered if Walter had thought about where their Christmas tree would go. The mansion was beautiful and had everything he could have ever imagined wanting, but it did not have the cozy warmth this place had.

"Kim, this house is...wonderful. I'm happy you are going to be our neighbors," Mulder stated sincerely.

"Thanks, Mulder. I couldn't agree more...I feel like I'm living in a fairytale being in the cottage. Ssh, come over here, look out the back window...slowly, you'll scare them," she said, knowing she had found a kindred spirit.

Mulder stared in the direction she pointed -- there were two young deer grazing out back. Tony came up behind them, looking out. "Damn, I'll have to build a fence to keep them out. They'll eat all the spring plants once they start to sprout."

Kim and Mulder looked at Tony in disgust; some people had no sense of romance.

"C'mon, Fox, we have a whole truck to unload," Krycek barked. He really wanted to get this moving over with; he was starting to feel horny. Fox had been too exhausted to make love this morning and Alex had plans for him once they were back at the house.

They spent the next two hours moving furniture and boxes. Skinner and Krycek were watching Mulder longingly. Mulder, on the other hand, was starting to feel stiff and sore -- it had been a long time since he did anything that strenuous. He decided he needed to start working out more often. They finally finished at 4:20 p.m., and headed back to the mansion.

"I could use a long soak in a hot bath," Mulder complained, once they entered the house.

"C'mon, I'll run one for you..." both Krycek and Skinner said simultaneously, each grabbing one of Mulder's arms.

"Guys! I'm not a Thanksgiving wishbone!" he exclaimed. Pulling his arms free, he saw the hurt expressions on both men's faces. //Shit what was he going to do?//

"I wouldn't mind trying out the spa downstairs," he murmured with a look of mischief on his face.

"Good idea, Alex, we'll see you in the morning," Skinner growled, leading Mulder toward the elevator.

"Walter, stop! I was kind of thinking that all three of us could try out the spa," Mulder smiled seductively at both men.

"Fox, you're not serious...are you?" Skinner asked shocked. Krycek came up, glaring at his older brother for attempting to steal their lover for the evening. After all, it was his turn to be with Fox -- the agent's word hadn't registered with him, yet.

"Why not? We're adults...I want both of you to make love to me at the same time. Is there something wrong with that?" Mulder asked.

Krycek looked at him and grinned. "No, my love, I don't see anything at all wrong with that. Brother dearest, do you?" he replied sweetly. Having participated in threesomes before, he saw no problem in it.

"Well, yes. For one thing we're brothers, for the other it's not...moral," Skinner complained, but got on the elevator for the lower level with his brother and lover.

"Walter, we're already both sharing the same lover, besides we're not going to make love with one another, only to Fox. Is there really anything wrong with that?" Krycek asked, taking a perverse pleasure at his half-brother's discomfort.

Mulder hid his smile, he had had fantasies about Walter and Alex romantically involved over the past three weeks. It would be interesting to see the real thing, but he wasn't about to push them.

There was steam coming out of the spa. Krycek had emptied and cleaned it on Thursday. He refilled it, but never had the chance to use it because he had to go to Quantico at the last minute for exams before he started work on Monday.

Mulder started stripping out of his clothes, he didn't take his morning shower and had a day's growth of beard. Skinner and Krycek were slower at disrobing; they were both watching Mulder with desire. The tall lanky agent had the perfect body, not too muscular and not too skinny, he was perfectly toned.

They watched Mulder put a toe into the steaming water his firm round ass was facing them. Skinner had the urge to just grab him and sink his nine thick inches deeply inside of him. He groaned and continued removing his clothes. Krycek stared at him, reading his thoughts. "Bro, I'll let you have him first...I prefer waiting and stretching out the experience."

"Thanks, Alex, I really don't think I could wait; I'm about to explode," Skinner moaned. Removing the last of his clothes, his swollen erection stood proud against his belly.

Mulder had already sunk to his neck in the steaming, swirling water. He smiled up at Skinner as his lover climbed into the spa. The older man immediately pulled Mulder to him straddling his legs and kissing him. The agent wrapped his arms around the larger man's broad shoulders moaning into his mouth with desire.

Krycek stepped in on the other side of Mulder watching his half-brother devour their lover in a deep kiss. Mulder was moaning continually, fully aroused. Alex took over for his brother kissing and tantalizing the agent's sublime body.

Mulder was in total bliss, the hot swirling water was easing his body's aches and pains, and having the attentions of two lovers -- he was in heaven. He had never felt this good, all thoughts of his past: his sister, his parents, the x-files, and Slava vanished as Alex sucked his tongue into his mouth and he felt Skinner's fingers worked their way inside him.

Skinner was desperate to get off; he had never wanted anyone more than he wanted Mulder right now. He felt the muscles of his lover's rectum clench his fingers as he pushed the lube inside. Krycek had Mulder lost in a deep kiss -- Skinner pushed the agent forward so he could position himself below the agent. He parted Mulder's thighs and pulled the agent down onto his hard erection.

Mulder gasped into Krycek's mouth as he felt the hard, knobby head of Skinner's cock pop into him. Water splashed out of the bubbling spa as the agent sank hard onto the thick pole.

Krycek pulled back, staring at the deeply aroused face of his brother over Mulder's shoulder. The A.D. sat on the seat in the swirling water with the agent impaled on his lap; Skinner's arms were wrapped around Mulder's body. The triple agent reached out his hand to the agent's hard organ and caressed and stroked it. He met his brother's eyes, communicating his intentions. The younger man reached for the lubricant and prepared himself then quickly straddled Mulder's lap. Placing the head of the agent's cock against his anus, he sank down.

Mulder had been blissfully relishing the feel of Skinner's cock buried deeply inside of him, and the pleasant feeling of the water swirling around his body as Krycek's hand stroked him. When he felt his organ engulfed into the hot heat of his young lover's body, his eyes sprang open in surprise. The buoyancy of the water helped distribute their weight so the older man wasn't crushed.

Krycek's feet were on the bench on either side of the A.D.'s body; Skinner's hands were on Mulder's hips. When Krycek pulled up, the older man lifted the agent up, then pulling him back down. They soon reached a rhythm of up and down motions, Mulder didn't last long -- the dual stimulation of being fucked and fucking Krycek brought him quickly over the edge. He held Krycek to him as his orgasm shot into the younger man the agent sought his lover's mouth in a lust filled kiss.

The clutching and squeezing of Mulder's rectal muscles around his cock forced Skinner over the edge as well. He laid his head back against the side of the spa, sighing with sated contentment. The A.D. felt the weight being removed from his body as Krycek climbed off Mulder's lap and the agent lifted up, letting Skinner's soft penis slip from his body.

Mulder reached down and stroked Krycek's swollen cock; he turned around and leaned up against the side off the spa, presenting his ass for mounting. The triple agent quickly complied, taking Mulder from behind hard. He unmercifully thrusted his cock in to the root in one fluid motion. The agent felt the water from the spa pushed into his body with each thrust into his tight hole by the younger man.

Krycek felt the weird sensation of his brother's warm come around his cock that was deep inside Mulder's body. As he thrust forward, the milky fluid was soon forced out of his lover's body by the water being pushed in and out by their fucking motions.

Skinner laid back and lazily watched the two beautiful men; he no longer had doubts about sharing Mulder this way. He looked forward to each new experience that they would share. The A.D. watched as his brother face scrunched up and his orgasm hit. The younger man slumped forward, draping his body over Mulder's. Krycek pulled out and sat next to the agent who was still trying to recover his breath, leaning up against the side of the spa.

Mulder turned around and sat, smiling warmly at both of his lovers. He eased over to Skinner; straddling his lap he kissed the older man with gratitude for consenting to his wishes.

Hoover Building
Walter Skinner's Office
Monday, February 22
10:13 a.m.

Skinner glared angrily at the three men in his office. "The agreement was that Agent Mulder wouldn't be tested until after our daughter is born!" he growled.

"We can no longer wait that long! The samples we have are useless. All the sperm from Agent Mulder's semen sample are dead, we require fresh samples and new tests run on the agent," the military doctor growled back, he would not be intimidated by the larger man.

The FBI Director spoke up for the first time. "Walter, they assure me that it will only be for three days. It's for the benefit of the country, you can understand that."

"Yes, sir, but I'm agreeing under protest. Special Agent Alex Krycek will need the three days off to accompany Agent Mulder to Colorado," Skinner added trying to control his temper.

"No problem, Walter, I'll arrange it with A.D. Murphy." The Director stood to leave, along with the other two men.

The geeky looking bureaucrat in the black suit turned to Skinner and handed him a slip of paper. "Have Mr. Mulder and Mr. Krycek at this private airstrip at 3:00 p.m. today...their flight is scheduled to leave at 3:30 p.m."

Skinner glared angrily at the man, watching them leave his office. He picked up the telephone. "Kimberly, can you have Agents Mulder and Krycek come to my office immediately."

Loftlyn Airfield
Monday, February 22
2:55 p.m.

Krycek parked the car in the private lot and hit the trunk release. He glanced over at Mulder who was nervously looking out the window at the large private jet. "It will be okay, Fox. Walter said it's only for three days at Northridge. If they try to keep us longer than that, you can bet he'll have the place raided," Krycek quipped, trying to cheer his lover up.

"Alex, something just doesn't feel right to me," Mulder sighed. He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he had in the pit of his stomach.

"Fox, the gunmen found that everything checked out." Krycek climbed out of the car, opening the trunk, he handed Mulder his bags and pulled his own out.

The guard at the gate let them through. A steward met them at the steps to the jet and took their luggage. Mulder looked up the steps, feeling extremely uneasy. Krycek wrapped his arm around the agent's waist and guided him up the steps.

They stepped through the hatch and Krycek was immediately grabbed and slammed against the door. He tried to use his powers to fight back, but found himself up against three other sorcerers and a clairvoyant. The triple agent watched in dread as the clairvoyant knelt down and attached a power-damping cuff to his ankle. He looked over to Mulder who was being held immobile by a large n'thral. There was a sting of a needle against his neck and Krycek found himself falling into darkness -- the last thing he saw was Mulder being lead down the aisle of the plane.

The n'thral was surprisingly gentle as he forced the struggling agent down the aisle to the back of the plane. He pushed Mulder into a plush bucket seat and fastened his slender wrists to the armrest that had cuffs built into the arms. The agent's feet were also secured similarly to the floor. When Mulder was completely immobile, the n'thral stepped away.

Mulder looked down at the cuffs holding his arms and feet to the chair. He looked up when he smelled the scent of cigarette smoke, and straight into the cold eyes of Cancerman who smiled warmly down at him.

Chapter 7 - Hopeless

Airborne
Monday, February 22
4:05 p.m.

Mulder looked at the elderly man sitting across from him, sucking endlessly on a Morley cigarette. The old man hadn't spoken since the plane took off twenty minutes ago. He just sat there staring at him, making him feel self-conscious and nervous.

The agent glanced away, looking out the window of the plane. He would not give the bastard the satisfaction of knowing how truly afraid he was. Mulder had tried to telepathically contact Skinner before the plane took off, but the Clairvoyant on the plane had prevented him.

"Fox, it really is good to see you again. I've thought of you often over the past year," the smoking man said, taking a deep drag on his cigarette, then blowing the smoke across the aisle. "I was concerned about you."

"Concerned? You have a really great way of showing it," Mulder scoffed, looking down at the restraints that held him fastened to his seat. "What did you do with Alex?" he asked, looking the old man in the eye.

"Alex is currently sleeping...his continued wellbeing is in your hands, Fox."

"Don't call me that!"

"Why not...it's your name after all. A name that fits you to a tee." The old man looked admiringly at the agent, taking in his enhanced features. "You truly are a sensuous creature...it must be hard on you being an object of lust. My men can't take their eyes off you."

Mulder was uncomfortably aware of the other men on the plane and the ogling looks they gave him. In his present situation it had him extremely worried.

The smoking man noticed the look of fear that flashed briefly across the agent's beautiful face. "Don't worry, Fox, you're safe here with me...I won't let anyone touch you."

"What about you? Does not touching include you, too?" the agent shot back more bravely than he felt.

"Fox, I've no desire to have sex with my own son...no matter how beautiful you are."

"What do you mean...son?" Mulder felt ill, he had suspected deep down that this man might be his real father.

"You know what I mean...you've suspected as much yourself ...that's why you confronted your mother. Teena wouldn't tell you, she was afraid of how you would react. She called me after you left, were you aware of that?" He watched Mulder shake his head no.

"Why are you telling me this?" Mulder asked in a hush voice.

"I promised your mother that while she was alive I'd never tell you that I was your father," he said, staring lovingly at his son. "I want to ease some of your fears. I've protected you all of your life, Fox, I'm not about to stop now." The smoker snubbed out his cigarette, he reached across the aisle and gently caressed the side of Mulder's face.

"If that is the case then land this plane and let me and Alex go," he replied sharply, pulling his head away from the old man's callused fingers.

"I would if I could, Fox, but you're needed by the consortium. I promise you that I won't let anyone touch or molest you."

Mulder looked sadly away, Cancerman's promise of protection wouldn't save him from the experiments, which he knew were waiting for him in the consortium's labs.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Monday, February 22
7:05 p.m.

Skinner had just arrived home; he rushed to pick up the ringing telephone in the kitchen. "Skinner," he answered gruffly.

"Walter, we have a situation."

Skinner recognized the Director's voice and a wave of fear hit him. He sat on one of the tall counter stools. "Sir, what is it?"

"General William Pierce at Northridge called, Agent Mulder's plane never arrived. It's being checked into, but I think you should get back to the Bureau and head up the investigation." The Director knew that Bureau policy would forbid Skinner from being involved in this case, but he also knew the A.D. would become involved one way or another. So, he decided to save everyone a lot of grief and handed the case Skinner.

"I'll be there within the hour," Skinner said hanging up.

Yori rushed into the room feeling Skinner's distress. He had read the thoughts of the Director over the telephone line and knew what was wrong. "Can I help in anyway, Walter?"

"Yeah, Yori, can you call the gunmen and have them start checking into this, unofficially. I can use all the help I can get right now. Have Melvin call me at the office if he uncovers anything, no matter how small." Skinner hastily grabbed his keys and headed back out the door.

Secret Consortium Base
Monday, February 22
9:05 p.m.

Krycek regained consciousness just before the plane landed on the small, secret airstrip. They were ushered off the plane and into the back of a waiting truck. Mulder was allowed to sit next to Krycek, and the smoking man sat on the other side of the agent. Across the aisle were two sorcerers, a clairvoyant, and a n'thral.

"Alex, are you all right?" Mulder asked his lover, noticing him swaying unsteadily in his seat.

"It's the drug they gave me, it still has me a little off balance, and this fucking ankle cuff is only making it worse." Krycek closed his eyes; the movement of the truck only made him feel dizzy. He felt Mulder's hand grasping his, squeezing his fingers reassuringly.

The truck dropped them a quarter mile from the airfield at an underground base.

Several men in white lab coats met them at the entrance, walking around Mulder and looking him over. "Oh yes, he is extremely lovely. I'd say he's even more beautiful than our other immortals," gushed the man Mulder had just nicknamed pizza-man due to his oily and pockmarked complexion.

The clairvoyant snickered, enjoying Mulder's silent appraisal of the Consortium doctors. *He does resemble Jaba the Hut, Agent Mulder.* The man telepathically communicated, reading the agent's thoughts after he laid his eyes on the extremely obese doctor.

*Stay out of my head!* Mulder shouted back.

*Sorry, gorgeous, but I get paid to be inside your beautiful head,* the clairvoyant answered back.

"Doctor Byrd, take Agent Mulder into the examination room and get him ready. Mook, take this man and collect a semen sample, then lock him in their new quarters."

"Take your fucking hands off me, you goddamned n'thral," Krycek snarled as the large n'thral named Mook grabbed his arm. He twisted and struck the man hard, but it had no affect.

"Stop, let him go you bastards!" Mulder broke away, punching the doctor closest to him and breaking the man's nose. Before the agent could do anymore damage, the sorcerers present restrained him using mind-control.

Cancerman stepped forward, seeing the look of concern on Mulder's face over having a n'thral collecting a semen sample from Krycek. "Doctor, let's get one thing straight! These men are under my personal protection; you will have Doctor Malone collect the semen sample from Mr. Krycek. Seeing that Doctor Campbell is currently indisposed," he said, looking at the man holding his broken nose, trying to stop the flow of blood.

"Mr. Foxx, I'm the director of this project...I will not be ordered around," huffed.

Mulder stared over at the old man, hearing his real name for the first time. Another mystery solved, he had always wonder why his parents named him Fox. They never could give him a satisfactory answer.

"Doctor, I've assassinated generals, world leaders, and even an American President...I can easily eliminate you, too. Don't push me," the smoking man replied in a deceptively soft voice, the cold steel look he leveled on the doctor -- froze the man in his tracks.

"Now, you are only to collect a semen and a blood sample from my son. Any other tests will wait until after the initial experiment. Shall we get on with it?"

"Yes, sir," the doctor answered meekly. He hadn't been informed that Agent Mulder was Mr. Foxx's son.

had a sorcerer guide Mulder into the examination room. He stopped and looked at the old man following. "You're coming with us?" the Doctor asked, annoyed.

"

, I don't trust you alone with my son," he replied, stepping into the room.

"Agent Mulder, please remove your clothes," Doctor ordered, spreading a clean white cloth over the examination table and then adjusting the stirrups at the foot of the table. Mulder stared in fear as the doctor pulled out an extremely thick, long dildo, it had raised bumps running down its length. The doctor flicked on the switch at the base and the thing started vibrating, he turned it off, satisfied that the batteries were working.

"Doctor, that won't be necessary." The old man glared at him in disgust.

"Mr. Foxx, we require a semen sample from Mr. Mulder and we've found that this method is the most effective way of acquiring it."

"Mr. Nathan will assist you in collecting a semen sample from Fox." The smoking man turned to the muscular sorcerer who had been standing silently in the corner. "Mr. Nathan can use his powers to make Fox ejaculate without anyone touching him. Isn't that right, Mr. Nathan?"

"Yes, sir," he answered disappointedly. He was looking forward to watching the doctor fuck the beautiful immortal with the dildo.

Mulder was relieved and for once in his life grateful that the smoker was with him. The whole procedure lasted an hour; he was then shown to his quarters.

Krycek was already in the room lying on the small bed, he stood up gingerly and rushed over to Mulder when he entered, hugging him tightly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Alex. They only took some blood and a semen sample," he replied.

"Only! My asshole is still sore, it felt like they shoved a fucking missile up it," the younger man complained rubbing his sore butt.

"Sorry, Alex, Cancerman prevented the doctor from using that thing on me. Want me to kiss it and make it better?" he smirked.

"Would you?" Alex rested his head on Mulder's shoulder and the older man gently massaged his lover's ass, his hand soothing his discomfort.

The red light flashed on the hidden video cameras as it recorded them.

Three Days Later
Secret Consortium Base
Thursday, February 25 10:00 a.m.

Mulder was cradled in Krycek's arms, contemplating their current situation. For the most part, they had been left alone. They were allowed out of their room to shower, eat, and exercise -- all of their activities were closely monitored.

They were allowed to meet the other two prisoners. Mulder had been fascinated by the other two immortals. He was used to seeing his own image in the mirror every morning. However, to see other men who were similarly mutated and completely different in appearance, was strange.

Shinji Takeda was Japanese. He had been a student at Tokyo University in Tokyo before the alien virus struck him. Mulder found out that the young student had lost his entire family to the virus -- his mother and three sisters, Shin's father had died when he was still a boy.

Shinji was slender, five feet, six inches tall. Shin's thick, silky hair was black and halloed his face, he had dark brown eyes. His honey-tinted skin was as smooth as silk -- Mulder felt a desire to run his hands over the younger man's body.

Mulder was surprised that he actually knew the other man: Cory Greene -- he was Phoebe Greene's older brother. He looked a lot younger than when Mulder last saw him -- Cory's hair had already gone gray, now it was a vibrant brown. His face was smooth and youthful, he no longer had wrinkles around his eyes.

Like him and Alex, both men were dressed in white cotton shorts and tank tops with white sandals on their feet. He speculated that the outfits were designed to reveal as much flesh as possible. Mulder realized when he met the doctors that they were all twisted and perverse. After hearing how Shinji and Cory had been raped repeatedly by them it didn't surprise him. Maybe he should send Cancerman a Father's Day card when they got out of here.

Mulder heard the door being unlocked, they quickly climbed off the bed and stood facing it. The cigarette smoking man entered, smiling happily. "Congratulations, boys, you have successfully conceived a female embryo."

Krycek sat hard on the bed. "What...Fox and I?" he stammered.

"Yes, Alex, you and Fox. A baby girl...my granddaughter," the old man smiled, showing nicotine stained teeth.

Mulder showed more self-control than Krycek, the younger man sat on the bed in shock. "What are they going to do with her?" Mulder was deeply concerned for her welfare.

"Fox, I'll see that she's given to you to raise after she's born. We'll be moving you and Alex to a larger more secure location in the near future. Right now, they want to monitor the embryo's progress before taking any additional steps with either of you," Cancerman stated, heading for the door. "Good day, gentlemen."

Mulder sat next to Krycek on the bed. He looked at the younger man puzzled, there were tears running down his beautiful face. He hardly ever saw Krycek crying. "Alex, what's wrong?"

"I...I don't know...if I'm happy or sad...shit, I'm going to be a father. Fox, we have to get our daughter out of here. I don't want her born in this place!" Krycek got up and started pacing the small room.

"Alex, have faith...Walter will find us. Then you, me, and our daughter will go home."

"Faith! What if he doesn't? How can you calmly sit there and rely on faith to get us out of here!"

"Alex, please, calm down." Mulder got up and wrapped his arms around his distraught lover. He realized by Krycek's reaction that this baby meant a lot to him.

Three Weeks Later
Hoover Building
Thursday, March 17
1:00 p.m.

Kimberly walked into the A.D.'s office carrying a tray of food -- her boss wasn't looking well. It had been over three weeks since Mulder and Krycek had disappeared and they still did not have any leads. "Sir, I brought you lunch," she said, setting the tray down on the coffee table.

"Thanks, Kim," Skinner replied absently, not looking up from his papers. He looked like he had lost several pounds. Kim knew he hadn't been sleeping because of the dark circles around his eyes. It was a good thing Yori was at the house, attending to the small day-to-day things.

"Sir, you need to eat...you'll need your strength when you locate them. It wouldn't do for you to pass out during the rescue...Mulder would never let you hear the end of it if you did."

Skinner sighed, putting down his pen, he got up and walked over to the sofa and sat. He started eating, but didn't taste the food.

"We released the story to the press today," Skinner informed her between bites. They had wanted to keep it out of the papers. The public was still outraged by the conspiracy, and they didn't want it to be known that the consortium was still active. The government feared how angry its citizens would be over the news.

"Sir, it might help. Maybe someone will come forward with information." Kimberly hovered over him, making sure he finished everything on the tray.

He finished eating and went back to his desk. As Kimberly took the tray out, his telephone rang. "Skinner," he answered.

"Sir, its Dana Scully...I saw the news about Mulder and Alex a few minutes ago. I'm sorry...please, I'd like to help," she said, speaking so fast that she was breathless.

"There's really nothing you can do, Scully," Skinner replied tiredly.

"Sir, please, let me do something to help."

"If it will make you feel better, Scully, go work with the gunmen, they could probably use your expertise." He hung up, not waiting for an answer. The A.D. was too tired to deal with anyone at the moment.

It angered him that the only progress he'd made on the case was tracking down that bureaucrat that arranged for Mulder's and Krycek's flight. The man was a deep undercover mole with the consortium, he was also a clairvoyant, and Skinner wasn't able to read his thoughts. They had planned to use another clairvoyant on him to get the location of where Fox and Alex were being held, but the man was found hanging in his cell. He couldn't believe he had been that stupid as to allow the man to be alone and unprotected.

Skinner hoped someone would come forward with some information soon. He was getting near the end of his rope. He had a meeting scheduled with some detectives from Scotland Yard. The UK had been conducting their own investigation into the abduction of Cory Greene their immortal, he hoped they had something he could use.

Secret Consortium Base
Thursday, March 17
1:00 p.m.

"We've had success, gentlemen, we have found the key for producing a surviving female!" Doctor Caraway exclaimed before the distinguished men seated around the conference table.

The well-manicured man sat at the head of the table, to his right sat the cigarette smoking man, and around the table were several more high-level consortium members. All were in exile from their homes and were living in third world countries. Most of the consortium had been arrested, and there were weekly televised executions of its former members.

"Doctor Caraway, please, enlighten us. What was the key?" Mr. Jones asked.

"Two elements are needed for an immortal's sperm to enable a female embryo to survive, sex and a sorcerer. The immortals body chemistry changes after having sex with a sorcerer. The chemistry effects their sperm, making them compatible with that sorcerer. It is only the Immortal and Sorcerer combination that produces a viable female." Caraway walked excitedly around the room as he talked.

"It's this change in the immortal's body chemistry that produces the withdrawal symptoms we've seen in Fox Mulder. Our immortals weren't experiencing any of these symptoms until they had anal intercourse with our sorcerers...now they are suffering the same withdrawal pains.

"So, Doctor, what you're saying is if we want to produce female babies, each new sorcerer would have to first have anal intercourse with the immortal?" Mr. Jones asked, staring at the doctor, waiting for his response.

"Precisely, we've already had two of our sorcerers have sex with both Shinji Takeda and Cory Greene, and we now have four healthy female embryos. We would like permission for our sorcerers to have anal intercourse with Fox Mulder," the doctor requested, staring nervously at Mr. Foxx.

"Absolutely not! They are not allowed to touch my son, I forbid it!" Cancerman snarled.

Mr. Jones looked over at him; this wasn't the time for a confrontation with Mr. Foxx. He would arrange for the smoker to be absent at the time the sorcerers had sex with Agent Mulder.

"Doctor, at this time Fox Mulder is not to be touched," Mr. Jones answered. He would speak to the doctor privately after the meeting and arrange Mulder's disposition with him.

Secret Consortium Base
Friday, March 18
1:00 p.m.

Alex Krycek had been granted permission to see his baby daughter. Doctor Malone led him into the lab; they were followed by one of the sorcerers. The man stood by the door as the doctor led Krycek over to the counter on the far side of the large lab. There were five round containers sitting on it, a small fetus floated in the center of one. The other four containers appeared empty.

"That's your child, Mr. Krycek," Doctor Malone stated, showing Alex the container with the small fetus in it. The obese doctor waddled to the other side of the lab, leaving him alone with the fetus.

Alex bent down and stared in awe at his and Mulder's child. She was so small -- about the size of his palm -- she looked totally helpless. He wanted desperately to get her away from this place. Mulder's words came back to him about having faith. "Faith, we'll get you out of here."

The doctor waddled back over and wrote down the reading from the four seemingly empty containers.

"Is there anything in those containers?" Krycek asked curiously.

"Four more female embryos -- Shinji Takeda's and Cory Greene's offspring," he answered dryly.

"Then you've discovered the secret?" Krycek felt nervous, he knew that whatever the secret was for producing a surviving females he wasn't going to like it.

"Oh yes, your boyfriend is in for the time of his life," the obese doctor leered. The large, muscular sorcerer walked over taking an interest in their conversation.

"What do you mean?"

"Only sex between an immortal and a sorcerer can produce a surviving female. In order for Foxy to produce little girl babies by other sorcerers, he'd have to have his cute little ass fucked by them first." Malone smirked.

Krycek angrily went for the man's throat, but the sorcerer quickly subdued him using mind-control. "I'm really looking forward to fucking that beautiful boyfriend of yours. The doctors all like to watch, don't you, Malone?" the sorcerer leered.

"Nathan, you know we like doing more than just watching. Unfortunately, we can't allow our semen to contaminate yours. We'll just have to test drive the lovely Fox ahead of time...then clean him out for you."

"Touch him and I'll kill you...you fat tub of lard!" Krycek snarled unable to move a muscle.

"Now, that wasn't a very nice thing to say. Just for that we'll be moving the lovely Fox to a new room on the opposite side of the base from you."

"You can't do that...he needs me. I want to speak to Mr. Foxx!" Krycek hated the idea of going to the smoking bastard for help. However, the man had always protected Mulder.

"You can't, Mr. Foxx had to go to Rio for a few days. Nathan, please escort Alex back to his room. I want Foxy brought to the examination room. I need a fresh semen sample from him before you have the pleasure of his company." Malone was going to have the pleasure of the agent's company first, after he collected his semen sample.

Krycek was red with rage, he felt totally helpless, not being able to protect Mulder. He would give anything to be able to gut that fat doctor. He walked in front of Nathan back to his and Mulder's room. The sorcerer unlocked the door and shoved Krycek inside, causing him to sprawl out on the floor.

Mulder ran over to Krycek to help him. Before he could bend and assist his lover, his arm was grabbed and he was pulled back against Nathan's broad chest. "C'mon, Foxy, the doctor wants to see you."

"Let me go...you goddamned son of a bitch!" Mulder snarled, kicking back with his leg, catching the sorcerer by surprise as his foot connected with the man's knee. Nathan lost his balance and cried out in pain, he held onto Mulder as both men crashed to the floor.

"You, fucking little shit! I'm really looking forward to reaming your cute little ass!" the man growled as he stood painfully back up and hauled Mulder to his feet. The agent hissed in pain as his weight settled on his right foot, he had twisted his ankle going down.

Krycek attempted to intervene, but Nathan reasserted his control over the younger man's mind, keeping him motionless on the floor.

He dragged Mulder to the door, noticing the agent was having difficulty walking. "It serves you right," he sneered, then bent down and hefted the agent over his broad shoulder.

"Put me down!" Mulder shouted angrily, his sandals fell off his feet as he wiggled trying to break the larger man's hold on him.

After the door to their room slammed shut and locked, Krycek found he was able to move again and he threw himself at the door, pounding and screaming loudly. He was enraged over his inability to protect his lover. After several minutes of useless banging, he slid down the door and sat on the floor trying desperately to get the power-dampening cuff off his ankle. By the time he gave up, his fingers were bloody and all of his nails were broken. Alex lowered his head and prayed for the first time in his life -- tears were streaming down his beautiful face.

Mulder was carried struggling into the examination room, he peered upside-down around Nathan's body and saw the obese doctor, next to him was the pizza-faced doctor whose nose he had broken four weeks ago.

Nathan flipped him down onto the examination table, he frantically tried to roll off, but the large man easily subdued him. The sorcerer ripped the scant clothing from his body, securing his arms in the restraints at the sides of the table. The larger man then pulled each of his legs up and attached them to the stirrups, exposing his private regions. He felt the cool air against his exposed ass; it hung partly over the edge of the table.

The obese doctor waddled over, looking lecherously at the bound man, licking his lips in anticipation. "Foxy, it's so good of you to join us here today. We have a fun afternoon of activities planned just for you," he cajoled, caressing the agent's long, smooth leg. Mulder winced when the hand touched his sprained ankle. The agent gagged at the foul smelling body-odor coming from the obese man, the other doctor smelled just as bad.

Mulder glared angrily at the doctor. "Fuck off!"

"All in good time...work before pleasure. Campbell, do you want the honor of collecting the semen sample?"

"Of course, you know how much I've been looking forward to it," the ugly doctor said, bringing over the large dildo with raised bumps running down its length. He glared evilly at Mulder, there was still a bandage on his nose from when the agent broke it.

Campbell placed the specimen container on a small table next to the agent's legs. He caressed the dildo thoughtfully, standing between Mulder's legs admiring the view. He wanted to punish this beautiful man for hitting him. Mulder gasped as the wide, round tip of dildo was placed against his anus.

Fear made him clench his rectal muscles against the object, which only made it more painful when the doctor, using both hands, thrust the dildo in hard and fast, forcing its entire length in until it was painfully embedded into the agent's body. Mulder screamed in pain, twisting his arms in the restrains and arching his back. He felt like he was being ripped in two, his ass throbbed painfully around the hard object.

"Now that wasn't so bad," Campbell murmured sweetly. Picking up the container, he softly stroked Mulder's limp penis. He reached his hand down and switched on the power to the dildo.

Mulder shrieked as the bumpy dildo vibrated against his prostate, his cock became instantly erect. He writhed on table, and the white cloth underneath him became soaked with his sweat. He pulled harder on the restraints, bruising and scraping his flesh raw. Tears streamed down his face, running into his ears, he couldn't stand the pain and the humiliation. This was ten times worse than anything he'd ever experienced before -- the pain was so intense it felt like his insides had been shredded.

The doctor grabbed the agent's erection and inserted the head into the container, he held it firmly in place as Mulder's orgasm was forced out of him and he pumped the container full of his milky semen.

Mulder went limp against the binding holding him to the table -- he felt consciousness slipping away from him. The obese doctor slapped him hard across the face, cutting his lip. "Foxy, don't fall asleep, we're not done with you, yet."

The agent stared listlessly into the doctor's squinty eyes, gasping as the dildo was roughly pulled out of his body. The raised bumps scraped against his insides, rubbing painfully against torn flesh. Mulder glanced down at the ugly doctor as he held the dildo up, there was blood covering its entire length. He felt the dampness of his blood leaking out of his abused anus.

"We're starting to have fun now, Foxy," the ugly doctor purred, rubbing the inside of the agent's thigh while looking into Mulder's tear streaked face.

Nathan stood watching from his position in front of the door. He felt a ping of sympathy for the beautiful immortal -- but he wasn't about to interfere. He watched as both doctors started removing their clothing. The sorcerer took in the fearful expression on the agent's beautiful face, he knew what was about to happen.

"Please, don't," Mulder whimpered softly, his voice too sore from screaming.

The doctors stood before him naked, stroking their erections. Mulder could barely see the obese doctor's cock, it was covered by his blubbery belly.

"You'll get used to our love making sessions in time, Foxy. Just lay back and enjoy it," the fat doctor advised him as he walked over to the agent's parted legs. He had to push the stirrups further apart to fit his great bulk in between them. Malone caressed the agent's ass, running a finger over the bleeding anus. He positioned his cock against Mulder's opening, his flabby belly draped over the agent's groin.

Malone started to push his cock into the languished body...

Chapter 8 – Help from an Enemy

Secret Consortium Base
Friday, March 18
4:00 p.m.

Malone started to push his cock into the languished body...before he could get the head in he was grabbed by an invisible force. The doctor felt thick fingers around his neck and his four hundred pound body was lifted effortlessly off the ground. The obese doctor struggled for air as the invisible fingers tightened around his throat, and the last thing he heard was his own neck snap.

Doctor Campbell backed away in shock and fear -- it had all happened so quickly. He glanced over at Nathan's body the man had been impaled through the chest with a wooden broom handle. His body was held upright by the piece of wood that went through his chest and the door behind him.

Campbell watched as Malone's head was twisted off his body and his great bulk was thrown across the room. The body crashed loudly into the far wall leaving a large crack in the plaster and a smear of blood as it slid down the wall onto the floor.

The ugly, naked doctor ran toward the door, reaching around the dead sorcerer's body for the doorknob. His neck was gripped from behind and he was lifted off his feet and tossed across the room. Campbell landed on Doctor Malone's body, and he rolled quickly away from the dead man. He looked up into the angry eyes of a tall, menacing entity that he could see right through.

"You hurt my beloved! How dare you maggot!" Slava growled, holding the bloody dildo in front of his transparent body.

To Doctor Campbell's horror the thing grew in the entity's hand, lengthening and thickening until it was over three feet long -- the tip became sharp and pointed. The doctor tried to crawl away, whimpering in fear, but the Slava was on him in a flash.

Slava held the doctor immobile, then with incredible strength he shoved the distorted dildo up the man's rectum. Campbell shrieked as it tore through his bowels. It ripped through the length of his body, piercing his heart. He died in extreme agony. The tip of the dildo could be seen at the back of the dead man's throat -- through his gaping mouth.

In a fog, Mulder had watched the scene unfold before him. His mind was too clouded by pain to make sense of what was happening. He watched passively as Nikolai Slava's nude form solidified and walked over to him. The restraints holding him to the table fell away, and Slava reached up and gently removed his feet from the stirrups.

Mulder broke down sobbing and the Cossack wrapped his arms around the abused body, holding him tightly against his broad chest. "I'm here now, moi love." He cupped Mulder's face in his large hands and delicately kissed him all over, cheeks, eyelids, nose and lips. The agent leaned against him, accepting comfort from the man who had raped and victimized him. He felt undeniably safe and protected in Slava's strong embrace.

Slava projected comfort and security into his lover's shattered and distressed mind. He cursed himself for having taken over a month to track Fox down. He had searched all over the world until he found him here only minutes ago, however, he was powerless to help Fox escape.

"Moi lubimij, I cannot get you out of here on my own. My powers are not strong enough in this form." Already the Cossack's shape was dissolving, he needed to return to his real body and replenish his energy. "I will get you help, krasivy Fox." He kissed Mulder softly, then vanished.

The security guards came crashing into the room, followed by another sorcerer and Doctor Ruben Byrd. They had been banging on the locked door for several minutes. Mulder weakly wrapped the white cloth from the table around his lower body, covering his groin and thighs. Shivering, he realized he was going into shock.

Doctor Byrd rushed over to Mulder's side. He took in the agent's appearance, raising the cloth, he noticed the blood that coated the agent's thighs and felt his temper rise. He didn't approve of the immortals' treatment at the hands of the other doctors at this base. Byrd touched the purple bruise on the side of the immortal's face then examined the scrapes and bruises on his wrists. He shrugged off his lab coat and wrapped it around Mulder's shivering body, helping the younger man off the table and the bloody cloth fell to the floor.

"I'm taking Agent Mulder down to my office," Byrd informed the shocked men who stared at the carnage before them. One of the guards was bent over a wastebasket throwing up. The doctor briefly glanced over at the nude bodies of his fellow doctors -- he didn't feel the slightest bit of remorse.

Stuart Holt followed the doctor and Agent Mulder out the door. With Rex Nathan dead, it became his responsibility to guard the troublesome immortal.

"Mr. Holt, your presence is not necessary. Agent Mulder needs medical attention, not an audience!" The older black doctor had his arm wrapped protectively around the agent's trembling body as he guided him down the hallway. He supported the young man's weight after noticing that he was limping and his ankle was swollen.

"Doctor, I don't approve of the behavior of the other doctors either. Nevertheless, it is my job now to guard Agent Mulder...he is considered dangerous," the sorcerer stated, opening the door to the doctor's office for them.

The doctor guided Mulder over to the sofa, gently easing the young man down. "Then make yourself useful, Holt, get me a washcloth and pitcher of warm soapy water." The doctor walked over and took out some cotton pads and antiseptic lotion then knelt down on the floor next to Agent Mulder.

He looked into the agent's empty gaze as he dabbed the antiseptic on the scrapes on the agent's wrists and ankles. The doctor knew it was not necessary, that the immortal would be perfectly healed within hours and he was at no risk for infection, but it made him feel better providing comfort to this badly abused man.

Doctor came rushing into the office without knocking, just as the Holt returned with the washcloth and container of soapy water, placing it on the floor next to Doctor Byrd.

"Davis informed me we had a problem with Agent Mulder...that Mulder killed Doctors Campbell, Malone, and Mr. Nathan." He looked angrily at the unmoving man on the sofa.

"Agent Mulder didn't kill them," Stuart Holt informed

.

"Then who did? He was alone in the room with their bodies when security arrived."

"I'm not sure, I could feel another presence in the room when we were trying to break in. It was no longer there once we entered -- I can't get a thing out of Agent Mulder's mind." The sorcerer looked worriedly at the agent whose thoughts were tightly guarded.

walked over and knelt down next to the agent, grabbing Mulder's chin and turning his head to face him. He took in the blank gaze. "What's wrong with him?"

"What do you think is wrong with him!" Byrd snarled as he started to clean the blood off the immortal's smooth ivory thighs. He had covered the agent's groin with a towel, trying to provide the man with some privacy.

"Would you both please leave the room...I would like to finish cleaning him up and I'd prefer not subjecting him to an audience!" His brown eyes flashed angrily at both men, waiting for them to leave.

"Of course, Doctor Byrd, we'll be in the hallway until you are through," replied not wanting to anger his best doctor.

They quietly closed the door after them. Doctor turned to the sorcerer. "I want Agent Mulder put into isolation until we can straighten this matter out."

"What about his lover...Alex Krycek?" Holt asked.

"We'll use Mr. Krycek to mate with the other immortals. He's a beautiful man, females sired by him would bring an extremely high price." The doctor looked disappointedly at Holt, who wasn't at all attractive.

Holt nervously shuffled his feet over the doctor's silent negative appraisal of him. "Doctor, should I put him in isolation with Agent Mulder?"

"I don't want them together any longer."

"What about the agent's withdrawal symptoms?" Holt asked with concern, hating this callous doctor. The sorcerer thought angrily, //If

ever treated Shinji or Cory the way he was treating Mulder, he'd kill him. He would not allow anyone to touch either of his lovers -- Shinji and Cory were his.//

"I would ask you to see to the agent's sexual needs, but I know you're busy providing for Takeda and Greene. However, it shouldn't be a problem, Mr. Jones is sending twenty additional sorcerers for our breeding project. They should be here in a day, I'll allow Mulder to choose one of them for his new full-time lover."

"Won't Mr. Foxx object to that? He seemed very protective of his son."

"Mr. Jones is taking care of Mr. Foxx, he won't be of any more trouble to us."

Secret Consortium Base
Saturday, March 19
1:00 p.m.

Mulder was curled in a fetal position on the small cot -- the mattress was hard and lumpy, but he was too dazed to notice. His body was fully healed from his assault yesterday, but his mind was still distressed over the incident. He found safety in a secret place within his mind, shutting out all intruders. He used to go there often when he was a boy and his father would abuse him.

The cell only had a sink, a toilet, and a heavy iron door with a slot for a food tray. It was lit by one small recessed light that didn't fully illuminate the room -- the far corners were deeply shadowed.

Mulder was dressed again in a white tank top and shorts; he lay shivering in the chilly small cell. There were no blankets on the cot to keep him warm. The cell was on the lowest level of the underground base causing the air was stale and musty.

The cell door opened and in stepped Doctor, he walked over to the cot and sat next to Agent Mulder. "Are you ready to tell me what happened in the examination room yet, Fox?"

Mulder had his back to the doctor and didn't respond to his question.

stared at the agent's lean body; he placed a hand on his bare shoulder feeling the cold skin. "Fox, all you have to do is tell me and I'll have you moved into more comfortable quarters. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

The doctor licked his lips trying to stifle the sexual urges that were caused by being this close to the immortal. After the carnage in the examination room, he didn't dare act on his desires until he found out what happened to his people.

When Mulder didn't answer, the doctor started losing his patience. "Fine, stay here and freeze, then! Maybe you'll find your voice once your withdrawal symptoms start." He stood and angrily left the room, closing and locking the cell door. He switched off the light, throwing the small cell into total darkness.

Moscow
Saturday, March 19
4:00 p.m.

Nikolai Slava was still too exhausted to leave his body and return to the only man he loved with all his heart. He cursed the helplessness of his situation. The Cossack wasn't able to communicate with his n'thral captain, yet. He knew his own men wouldn't be much help against the consortium that was holding Fox Mulder, anyway.

There was only one man that could safely rescue his lover from the clutches of those bastards. He would go to him as soon as he had enough energy to leave his body. He would request help from an enemy.

Secret Consortium Base
Sunday, March 2011:00 a.m.

The first pangs of withdrawal drew Fox Mulder back to the real world and away from the sheltered area of his mind. He awoke in total darkness not knowing where he was...groaning softly, he cautiously sat up and reached out into the darkness with his fingers -- they made contact with the cold concrete wall.

The light in the small cell went on unexpectedly. He shielded his eyes against the glare as he peered around the room. The door was unlocked and in stepped Doctor, followed by a large n'thral and Mr. Jones. Mulder was sitting on the small cot, and he scooted back against the concrete wall, glaring up at his captors with hate filled hazel eyes.

"I see you are back with us again, Fox. How are you feeling today?" The doctor crooned softly.

"Don't call me that!" The agent growled, holding his head up in defiance, he pushed the small pangs of pain out of his mind.

"We have a surprise for you, Fox. It will help you overcome the pains of withdrawal that you must be feeling by now. However, first why don't you tell us what happened in the examination room," the doctor asked patiently, knowing it was only a matter of time before the agent told them.

Mulder glared at them refusing to answer.

"Doctor, why don't we allow Mr. Mulder to make his selection first. He won't be able to think clearly in a few hours and I would like his new companion to be his choice." Mr. Jones smiled softly at the beautiful immortal.

"Very well, Mr. Jones. Mook, help Fox to his feet," ordered.

The large n'thral reached for Mulder's arm, grabbing it, he pulled the agent off the cot and onto his feet. Mulder yanked his arm free from the large mutant's grip. "Take your *fucking* hand off me!"

The n'thral started to grab a hold of him again, but Mr. Jones interceded. "That will be all, Mook. Mr. Mulder won't be giving us any trouble."

"Where is Alex? What did you mean by a new companion?" Mulder asked nervously as he was led out of the room. They walked down the long dimly lit hallway to the elevator.

"Right now Mr. Krycek is confined to his room. He's not being very cooperative, but that will soon change. As for your new companion, we decided it would be better if you and Mr. Krycek were separated. So, we're going to allow you to pick your new lover, we have twenty sorcerers for you to select from." Mr. Jones looked over at Mulder as they rode the elevator up three levels. The agent was chewing on his sexy bottom lip, anxiously watching the numbers change.

"You know...he'll kill anyone that touches me, except for Alex or Walter Skinner," the agent informed the men with a new confidence, remembering Slava's rage over his rape in the examination room.

"Who? Who is he?" the doctor asked angrily.

Mulder stare at him dispassionately, he would not tell them. He was afraid if he did they might be able to put up a barrier to keep Slava out. They would never be able to recover the information from his thoughts -- he was now an expert at concealing them. Right now Nikolai Slava was his only hope.

"It doesn't matter, Doctor. We'll find out all in good time," Jones murmured, stepping off the elevator.

"It does matter! You didn't see what was done to my doctors! Whoever he is...he's a threat to the lives of everyone here!" The doctor exclaimed as he opened the door to the large auditorium.

Mr. Jones stopped in the doorway. "Doctor, we'll install surveillance cameras...if he attempts to contact Mr. Mulder again, we'll know."

Mulder stopped in his tracks, looking at the occupants of the room. All the men were ogling him with lust in their eyes, he felt completely naked and exposed in the skimpy outfit he was wearing. The bulges tenting the pants of every man here was very disconcerting, he felt completely vulnerable. He blushed as he was ushered to the front of the room and made to stand on a raised platform.

"Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce Fox Mulder...Mr. Mulder requires a new sexual partner to service him daily. Although each of you has been scheduled to have sex with him within the upcoming weeks, he will be choosing one of you today for his full-time lover," Mr. Jones stated, watching the looks of desire light up on the faces of all the men present.

Mulder blushed a brighter shade of red, but held his head up proudly glaring angrily down at all the men before him as he tried to suppress his troubled thoughts. The last forty-eight hours had been the most humiliating and painful hours he had ever gone through in his whole life, and considering his life that was saying a lot.

Mr. Jones walked up to the agent, staring at his body with admiration. "Mr. Mulder, I suggest you make the choice yourself, it will be a lot easier for you than the choice I would make." He turned and faced the twenty aroused Sorcerers. "I want each of you to step forward one at time and allow Mr. Mulder to get a good look at you and introduce yourselves to him."

Mulder couldn't believe the outrageousness of this situation, they expected him to choose his own full-time rapist. He looked angrily at the man he used to think of as the 'Well Manicured Man', he was beginning to feel sick to his stomach and knew it wasn't from his withdrawal symptoms. There was no way that he was going to do this -- he had never felt so degraded.

One-by-one the men stepped forward to introduce themselves; some even had the nerve to brag about their sexual stamina and cock size. Others fed that information directly into the beautiful immortal's mind, demonstrating how they would make love to him. Mulder felt demoralized until his eyes met the concerned brown gaze of a Scottish sorcerer who introduce himself softly. He displayed none of the brazen bravado of the other men present.

Rory MacIver's heart went out to the young man forced to stand passively so that his fellow sorcerers could lust after him. He felt embarrassed over his own hard erection brought on by the sensuous immortal. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably as he introduced himself to the young man, drowning in his beautiful, soulful, hazel eyes. The physical pain Fox Mulder was in was obvious to everyone present.

Mulder eyes followed Rory MacIver as he walked back to his seat, his mind blanked out the rest of the introductions. As soon as they were finished Mr. Jones walked up to him, he looked in the agent's weary pain-filled eyes.

"Mr. Mulder, have you made your choice?"

"Yes...Rory MacIver," he whispered softly. The pain was getting worse. He shuddered and swayed briefly, but kept his balance.

There were curses from the other men present. MacIver sat back shocked that he had been chosen he wasn't as young or as handsome as some of the other men present. He looked up at Agent Mulder feeling the other man's pain as it coursed through his body.

"Now that wasn't so hard. After you've answered our questions about the examination room incident, then Mr. MacIver will relieve your pain for you, Mr. Mulder." He smiled knowing Mulder wouldn't be able to withstand the pain for long. "Doctor, see that Mr. Mulder is returned safely to his cell."

The doctor stepped forward and helped Mulder step down from the platform, guiding him out of the room.

Hoover Building
Sunday, March 20Noon

Walter Skinner walked back to his office where he spent most of his waking hours. He only went home to sleep the rest of his time he spent searching for his lover and his brother. He couldn't believe that he had had no leads in finding them -- the consortium had taken great care at covering their tracks.

He'd sell his soul to the devil at this point for just one clue. He opened the door to his office, stopping in his tracks at the sight of the large man sitting behind his desk.

"What do you want!" Skinner growled.

"Mulder's safety," Slava replied, staring up at the angrily bald man.

"Why are you here, Slava?"

"I would like to call a truce. I know where those maggots are holding my lover...I would like you to go and rescue him for me." Slava pulled his feet off the desk and lowered them to the floor. He stood to full his six foot, six inches, walking over to the shorter man, he waited for him to respond.

Several emotions flashed over the A.D.'s face: hated, anger, and excitement. "Fox is not your lover, Slava! If you know where he is why don't you rescue him yourself?" He wanted to find out the location of his lover, but he needed to learn more from the man, first.

"Don't you think I would if I could? My body is laying in a coma in Moscow. I have only limited abilities with this one. Do you think it is easy for me to ask you for help? Damnit, Man! We are wasting time here! Fox is not being treated well...I want him away from those...HUMANS!" Slava growled angrily.

"Tell me where is he being held?" Skinner asked anxiously

"Central Mexico, I wrote down the precise location and their defenses for you. Hurry, Skinner! I'm going back to be with Fox...he's been without my protection for too long now." The large Cossack vanished.

Skinner rushed over to his desk and stared at the detailed map, the entrances in and out of the base were clearly marked along with the its coordinates and the number of guards. The A.D. noted that there were landmines buried around the compound.

He picked up his telephone and placed calls to the FBI Anti-terrorist Taskforce and the U.S. military. One way or another, he would have Fox back before dawn tomorrow.

Secret Consortium Base
Sunday, March 202:00 p.m.

Alex Krycek was physically restrained to his bed with leg and arm straps holding him immobile. They had tried to force him to have sex with Shinji and Cory. When he refused, the doctor ordered Stuart Holt to use mind-control on him to make him submit, but to Doctor

's displeasure, Holt had refused the order. The sorcerer didn't want to share Shinji and Cory with any other man.

Krycek thought back to Mulder telling him about the affect he had on Henderson and Slava, both men had become enamoured with him. The triple agent didn't notice it affecting the doctors, but maybe it only affected mutants.

He pulled angrily on his wrist restraints, he'd been held this way since yesterday when he had killed two of his guards attempting to escape. Unfortunately, when he had reached the door, his ex-employer was there with twenty other sorcerers who easily subdued him. The doctors had also restrained Holt because they couldn't determine what, if anything was wrong with him.

The door to his room opened abruptly, pulling Krycek away from his thoughts. Doctor strolled in, looking possessively over his fit body. "Alex, I don't expect that you will be ready to comply with my wishes yet. But, that doesn't matter, we'll use mind-control on you to get you to submit."

Krycek glared at the man but refused to answer him.

The doctor walked over to the bed and sat next to him, running his hand under Krycek's tank top and feeling his taut stomach and firm chest. "You are a beautiful man, Alex, much more beautiful than any of the other sorcerers we have here. You're really going to sire some extremely beautiful daughters. We already have abducted two more immortals, they are being flown to our new facility in the Bahamas."

trailed his hand down to Krycek's groin, squeezing him through his pants. "Soon we'll have all twenty-three immortals, then the world will be at our mercy. Play your cards right, Alex, and you can have a piece of it."

"Take your fucking hands off me! I want no part of anything you traitors touch. What have you done with Mulder?"

The doctor grinned evilly at him. "Fox is currently going through withdrawal symptoms. We plan to allow him to suffer several more hours before questioning him again. Your ex-boyfriend refuses to tell us what happen in the examination room."

rose and walked to the door, opening it he stared back at Krycek. "Fox has already selected a new lover for himself...I suggest you do the same."

"I'll FUCKING KILL YOU...DAMN YOU!" Krycek shouted pulling uselessly on the restraints as Doctor closed the door.

Mulder's Cell
Sunday, March 203:00 p.m.

Mulder lay on his side hugging his stomach against the pain that was ripping through his body. He shivered constantly from the damp coldness of his jail cell, feeling every hard lump in the mattress against his sensitized skin.

Nikolai Slava materialized in front of him after taking the time to adjust the security cameras that were in the cell. The camera only showed Mulder's pain tortured body and didn't show Slava or any of the agent's responses to the Cossack's presence. Slava sat on the small cot and soothingly brushed Mulder's sweat dampened bangs out of his pain-filled eyes.

Mulder looked up at him through the mist of extreme pain. "Please," he begged.

"Moi lubimij, tell me what's wrong? Have those infidels hurt you?" Slava asked with great concern over the pain his lover was in.

"No...I need...I...sex...please...need sex," Mulder begged tears streaming down his beautiful face.

Slava sat back startled. Mulder stared weakly up at him, then opened his mind so the Cossack would understand his needs.

The handsome Cossack delicately removed the agent's clothing. Positioning himself between the younger man's parted thighs he gently prepared him. He placed his large cock against the tight opening, then pushed in. Mulder pushed back with his hips forcing the cock in deeper, clenching his teeth against the painful entry and the burning pain from the withdrawal symptoms.

Slava leaned over his lover's body and kissed his lips tenderly, waiting for the agent's rectal muscles to relax. The small amount of pre-cum seeping into the agent's body eased his pain, loosening his clenched muscles. Slava pulled his organ slowly out, then pushed back in. Mulder wrapped his legs around the Cossack's waist, resting his ankles on the cleft of the larger man's ass and pulling him in with each thrust.

The large handsome Russian didn't last long; he'd never had Mulder when he was as tight as a virgin before. The tight silky grip of Mulder's rectal muscles on the large man's cock pulled Slava over the edge as he shot essence into his lover's body.

Mulder hadn't even gotten hard during Slava's lovemaking; he had been too deeply in pain for his brain to respond to anything other than getting relief from his agony. The feel of the Cossack's hot release pumping into his body brought him instant comfort. Mulder sagged back exhausted against the mattress, smiling weakly at Slava. The older man bent down and captured his mouth in a deep kiss.

"Better, moi love?" he asked tenderly.

"Much, thank you," the agent relaxed into the kiss, returning it only out of gratitude.

Slava pulled back, staring lovingly down at him. "Fox, I contacted that bald man you are misguidedly involved with. He should be here before morning to rescue you." The Cossack ran his fingers through Mulder's hair.

"Nikolai, would you do me a favor?"

"Anything, moi love."

"Remove the power-dampening cuff from Alex's leg, and tell him to rescue our daughter. I'm worried that once Walter arrives with the troops those bastards will try to escape with our child." Mulder look pleadingly up at him.

"You have a daughter by Alexei? How is that possible?" The Cossack asked intrigued.

"I don't know...will you help me?" Mulder sighed.

"Of course, love. I would never let anything happen to you or a child of yours." Slava held the agent tightly, projecting warmth onto the younger man's shivering body. Mulder relax into his arms feeling warm for the first time in days.

Corpus Christi
Sunday, March 205:00 p.m.

Skinner walked to the front of the command center, he was dressed all in black -- the only other color was the large white FBI letters on the back of his flak jacket. He had his team assembled at the Air Force base outside of D.C. within an hour after Slava's appearance. The U.S. Elite Forces was setup and waiting for them when their flight landed in Corpus Christi.

Colonel Joseph Glanville had the satellite photo enlargements of the coordinates A.D. Skinner had faxed him. It clearly showed a small base, airstrip, and military personnel on the ground. He had marked off the areas of the suspected minefields.

"Colonel Glanville, do we have a green light?" Skinner asked.

"Yes, sir, we leave at 18
00 hours."

Skinner nodded, keeping the excitement off his handsome face. In an hour they'd be on their way, within three hours he'd be on the ground at the base.

Secret Consortium Base
Sunday, March 206:00 p.m.

Nikolai Slava left Fox Mulder's side temporarily; he was going to free Alex Krycek. However, first, he made a side trip in search of the child his lover spoke of. He found her in the small cylinder in a lab. He stood there staring in fascination at the small female fetus -- his lover's daughter.

She was already exquisite and he could see many of his lover's features already on the small palm sized fetus. As a businessman, he could see many advantages to having such beautiful daughters. When he recovered from his coma and brought Fox back to Moscow, they would have many daughters together. He would arrange marriages for each of his them to form stronger alliances.

He sighed, looking at her one last time, knowing time was wearing thin for him, he'd be able to free Krycek and go to his lover one more time before his energy was depleted. He disappeared and reappeared at the foot of Alex Krycek's bed.

"Alexei, really, I would have thought you'd learn to be more careful," Slava sneered scornfully at him.

"What do you want, Slava?" Krycek glared up at him.

"Fox asked me to free you. He wants you to rescue his daughter. The bald man should be here soon...and Fox is afraid that the consortium will make off with his child and escape," Slava said, sitting at the foot of the bed, he touched the ankle cuff and it shattered into hundreds of little pieces.

Krycek gasped as the energy flowed back into his body, he stared at the restraints holding him to the bed and they fell away. He concentrated. *Fox, are you okay?*

*I'm fine, Alex. You have to recover our daughter and get her out of the building. Hide with her until Walter gets here.*

*I can't leave you here! I'll get Faith, then come for you.*

*No, I'm too well guarded down here. They have sorcerers stationed on the floor above and throughout the facility. Protect our daughter first, when Walter gets here you can come back for me.*

"Alexei, listen to him...I will protect Fox for as long as possible. No one will dare touch him with me there!" Saying that, Slava disappeared.

Krycek knew Fox was right. He needed to get their daughter out of here. The triple agent crept off the bed and silently left the room, he heard painful moaning coming behind a closed door. He projected his mind into the room, finding Cory Greene strapped down to an examination table and being raped by one of the consortium sorcerers. There was only one doctor present in the room.

The triple agent had had enough of these bastards and decided to intervene. He first scanned the surrounding area for any possible interference or threat then eased opened the door. Both men were too involved in the rape to notice him, by the time they did it was too late -- both their throats had been crushed. Krycek never left his position by the door, watching dispassionately as the men reached for their throats, turned a lovely shade of blue, then dropped to the floor dead.

Krycek went quickly over to Greene's side, freeing him from the table.

"Alex? You killed them...thanks," Greene whimpered, stumbling against Krycek as he helped him off the table.

"Cory, are you all right?" Krycek supported the older man leaning him up against the padded table he went over and stripped the clothing from the body of the sorcerer who was roughly Greene's size.

"I've been better," he sighed, rapidly recovering his strength.

"Here, put these on," Krycek ordered, handing in him the long, black trousers and a pullover.

Cory accepted the clothes, smiling as he pulled on the long trousers, it was the first time in weeks that he had wore anything other than those skimpy shorts and a tank top. He then bent down and pulled on the dead man's boots.

Krycek kept his attention focus around them; he was not going to be taken by surprise again. When Greene finished dressing, he guided the older man to the door, making sure there was no one in the vicinity. They cautiously made their way down the hallway.

*Cory, I'm going to recover my daughter and get her out of the building. There's a rescue team on the way...but I want her safely in my hands when they get here.* Krycek silently communicated to the immortal as they crept into the lab. They quickly rushed across the room to the five small cylinders on the counter.

*Alex, Doctor mentioned that Shinji and I have conceived daughters, I would like to recover them as well.* The older man said, looking into the seemingly empty cylinders, then over at the one with the small fetus floating inside.

*I wouldn't think of leaving them behind, Cory.* Krycek recovered five compact metal containers from the shelf above the counter. *These are battery-powered self-contained cylinders. Disconnect each cylinder then slip it into the container and reconnect it here.* Alex demonstrated with the cylinder containing his daughter, the metal would protect the glass container.

They sealed up all five cylinders and Krycek made sure the power units were working. He then retrieved to insulated carrying case, it was specially designed for carrying the cylinders. There were six round indentations in the foam rubber to slip each of the cylinders into and more foam padding on the lid.

Cory grabbed the case before Krycek could take it. *Alex, concentrate on getting us out of here, I'll carry our daughters.* Greene was physically stronger than Krycek, and had no problem handling the heavy case.

*Okay, just stay close to my back.*

They made their way down the hallway and up the staircase to the main level without incident. They ran into two guards at the entrance that Krycek easily dispatched, by the time they made it to the outside perimeter all the alarms were going off. Krycek looked up at the same time he heard the attack helicopters, knowing at once that their escape hadn't set off the alarms.

Mulder lay on the small cot waiting for Slava's return. He was faking his withdrawal symptoms for the benefit of the surveillance cameras. He felt a strong hand stroking his back.

"You can stop now, moi love. I've taken care of the cameras, again," Slava murmured in his ear.

"Has Alex gotten out, yet?"

"He's currently in the lab collecting your daughter. She's a pretty little thing." Slava eased his naked body behind Mulder's, pulling the agent's shorts down his long legs.

"I never saw her...stop...what are you doing?" he gasped as his shorts were peeled down.

"Making love to you again...before I have to leave." Slava nibbled on the agent's earlobe, smoothing his hands over the round buttocks and parting the cheeks.

Mulder sensed Slava's hurry. "You have a time limit?" he asked, not meaning it as it sounded.

"Sorry, moi Fox, even now my body is pulling me back...I have to make this quick. But, we'll have other times together where I won't be rushed," Slava said, easing his cock into the agent's body.

Mulder lay quietly with his knee bent under his stomach and his other leg straight, sadly accepting the unwanted sex from the man above him. He allowed his mind to drifted, and was surprised when he was pulled out of his body. He followed a bright light back to Slava's body in Moscow. Mulder walked up to the bed staring down at the handsome slumbering figure, reaching a hand out he placed it on the Cossack's forehead.

The immortal pulled in the energy around him and concentrated, sweat appeared on the forehead of his real body back in Mexico. The damage he had done to Slava over two months ago quickly healed. He heard the Cossack's distressed cry at being forcefully returned to his body. Mulder felt himself being yanked back as well.

Mulder briefly opened his eyes, then fell into a deeply exhausted sleep on the small cot.

Rory MacIver couldn't get the beautiful immortal off his mind. He had felt the severe pain Mulder was suffering and he wanted to help the younger man. He had wandered around the whole facility, learning every entrance and exit. He came across a room near the bottom level that contained another immortal -- a young, pretty, Japanese man. Two doctors were putting him through painful testing.

MacIver lost the small hold he had left on his temper, striking out at the two callous doctors just as the sirens sounded throughout the building, drowning out the doctors' pain filled cries.

He rushed over and helped the young immortal to his feet. "C'mon, we need to leave this place." Rory shrugged out of his long coat and handed it over to Shinji Takeda who was wearing only shorts.

Takeda pulled on the coat gratefully and followed the Scottish sorcerer out of the room. They ducted into another room as several men rushed by heading up the staircase. MacIver guided Takeda over to the same staircase and headed down to the bottom level. "I need to get Fox Mulder out of here as well, lad." The sorcerer knew Mulder was in no condition to make it on his own.

He knew the cell that held the agent was on the lowest level of the building. It didn't take long to find the one that Mulder was in. He rushed over to Mulder's side, noticing the agent's exposed bottom and the fresh semen on his buttocks. MacIver gently pulled up Mulder's shorts, covering him, then felt the agent's pulse -- he seemed okay.

"How is he?" Takeda asked with concern.

"He appears to be asleep," MacIver shook the agent, but couldn't wake him. He tried to contact the agent's mind, but found it inaccessible. Mulder appeared to be in a coma-like state. "I guess I'm going to have to carry him." He hefted Mulder over his shoulder and headed back out the door toward the staircase. The sound of gunfire and explosions from above stopped him in his tracks.

Walter Skinner was the first man off the lead helicopter as it landed. He headed directly toward his younger brother who had telepathically contacted him as the helicopter was setting down. He watched over his shoulder as the other six helicopters landed and the U.S Elite Assault Squad headed for the building. The squad was comprised of several sorcerers and humans, they easily overpowered the buildings security guards. The FBI Anti-terrorist Task Force took up a position around the perimeter.

"Alex, where's Fox?" Skinner shouted, looking at the other man, he recognized him instantly as Cory Greene, the British immortal.

"He's still inside the building. Walter, we decided I should rescue our daughter first, then go back for him. He's being held on the lowest level." Krycek looked anxiously around him; he hadn't been able to mentally contact Fox for several minutes now.

"Alex, I can't read him either. There is too much interference from the other sorcerers here." Skinner quickly waved over two armed FBI agents.

"Yes, Sir?" Agent Heinz responded.

"I want Mr. Greene and the case he's holding placed under heavy guarded. I'm going to assist in the raid. Special Agent Krycek requires some clothing," Skinner ordered.

Krycek blushed realizing what his skimpy outfit must look like to these men. "I'm coming with you, Walter," Krycek informed his older brother.

"Not while you're dressed like that, Agent Krycek!" Skinner barked, heading off in the direction of the building. Before he could reach it, the place exploded sending flaming debris pouring down around them. The earth shook violently from the force of the explosion throwing the men off their feet. Greene instinctively covered the case containing the female embryos and female fetus with his body. Agent Ordonez threw himself over Agent Krycek shielding his scantily clad body with his own.

"NO!" Skinner cried as flames shot a hundred feet into the air, lighting up the nighttime sky. The building turned into a flaming inferno, instantly incinerating everyone inside. He staggered toward the building, but the intense heat kept him back.

Chapter 9 - Homeward Bound

Secret Consortium Base
Monday, March 21
5:00 a.m.

Alex Krycek stood dazed staring into the charred black crater where the underground building used to be. The acid smell of smoke wafted over the predawn landscape, burning embers could still be seen in the lifeless crater. Tears trailed down the young man's sooty face as he wrapped his arms around his chest shaking uncontrollably.

The ruins were still too hot to send in a search team, Colonel Granville had taken charge of the operation since the A.D. was too traumatized to continue his leadership. Over half of the colonel's own men from the U.S. Elite Forces had been in the building when it exploded.

"He can't be dead...he's not supposed to die," Krycek's hushed tone could barely be heard by the grief-stricken man standing next to him.

"No one could have lived through that," Skinner whispered sadly to his brother.

"It's my fault...I should never have left without him." Krycek wiped the tears and soot from his face with the bottom of the soiled, white tank top he was wearing.

"Alex, it wasn't your fault...you never could have gotten him out in time. If you had tried, then you and your daughter would have been killed, too." Skinner put a comforting hand on Krycek's shoulder.

"I might have made it if I didn't stop to retrieve Faith first. It was my own selfishness that got Fox killed." The younger man shrugged off his brother's hand, he didn't want comforting -- he didn't deserve it. He turned his back on Skinner as uncontrollable sobs racked his body.

"Alex, there is nothing selfish in wanting to protect your child. If it had been Hope in that lab...I wouldn't have hesitated to save her first." Skinner walked over and took Krycek's sobbing body into his arms, holding the younger man as he cried against his broad shoulder.

Special Agent Trevor Sinclair walked quietly up to the two men. He was carrying a bundle of clothing for Agent Krycek. Sinclair waited patiently, until Skinner noticed him. Letting his brother go, he retrieved the clothing. "Thank you, Agent Sinclair."

"Sir, the flight is ready to take Mr. Greene and the embryos back to D.C. Do you or Agent Krycek wish to speak with the agents in charge of their security?"

"Yes, I would, Agent Sinclair. Alex, come with me, we need to work out the disposition of your daughter and the other female embryos." Skinner stoically pulled himself together -- he'd grieve later.

Krycek hesitantly left the crater -- it felt like he was leaving Mulder .. .. . forever. It was physically painful to walk away from that gaping hole in the ground. Skinner handed him the bundle of clothes, which he accepted unconsciously.

They stopped at a large helicopter; there was a four-member FBI security team waiting for them.

"Agent Heinz, I'll be notifying Doctor Sam Harris at the D.C. Procreation Center to expect the embryos. Agents Sullivan and Boutotte will meet your flight. They are familiar with Doctor Harris and the center and will take charge of the embryos."

"Yes, sir."

Cory Greene stepped forward, holding out his hand to Skinner. "Sir, I'm sorry for yours and Alex's loss. I knew Mulder from Oxford. We became very close friends here -- the world suffered a great loss this evening."

"Thank you, Mr. Greene," Skinner murmured.

Greene walked over to Krycek, hugging him, then kissing him on the cheek. "Take care, Alex. I'll see you when you get back to D.C."

Krycek stared blankly at Greene he was still clutching the clothing to his chest. Skinner noticed how unresponsive Krycek was, he realized his brother was going into shock.

"Agent Sinclair, I'm taking Agent Krycek to see Captain Zamora. If anything comes up, you can find me there." Skinner led Krycek away from the helicopter and over to the mobile medical unit.

Skinner guided him into the mobile unit. The military doctor was treating and stabilizing the last victim for evacuation by helicopter back to Corpus Christi. The doctor indicated by nodding his head toward an empty gurney that Skinner was to put Krycek there. Skinner sat his brother on the bed. Sitting down next to him, he pried the clothing from Krycek hands and set them at the end of the bed, waiting for the doctor to finish.

After the corpsmen carried the stretcher with the wounded man out of the unit, the doctor walked over to them, taking in the younger man's silently-staring eyes and trembling body. He knew immediately what was wrong. "How long has he been in shock?" he asked. Kneeling, he lifted the sodden tank top and placed his stethoscope against Krycek's smooth chest.

"Only for a few minutes, we were communicating just fine...then he suddenly became unresponsive." The older man held his young brother's hand, feeling how cold and clammy it was.

The doctor checked the young man's eyes with his penlight, then took his blood pressure. "Sir, we still have time to get him on the evac-flight to Corpus Christi," Zamora stated, signaling for a corpsman.

"No...Agent Krycek will remain here with me...I'm his only living relative. He doesn't need to be with a bunch of strangers right now." Skinner was not about to let Krycek out of his sight, knowing first hand the mind-shattering grief he was going through.

"A.D. Skinner, it's advisable that he be admitted to a hospital, he needs around-the-clock care." The doctor took out a syringe, filling it from a small bottle.

"Doctor, I'll take care of him myself...he needs me."

"Very well. This sedative will help him sleep," the doctor replied, swabbing the young man's arm and giving him the shot.

"Thank you, Doctor. Do you know how long he's going to be like this?" Skinner stood and stripped the soiled tank top off Krycek then eased his body into a comfortable sleeping position on the gurney.

"It's really up to Agent Krycek...he could be this way for hours, days, or longer." Zamora stared at the soot-covered face and body. "I'll get you some soap and water, he really should be cleaned up."

Skinner looked down at his brother, maintaining his stoic demeanor. His brother needed him so he couldn't give into the grief he was feeling.

Moscow
Monday, March 21
7:00 a.m.

Nikolai Slava sat behind his desk in his large office for the first time in over two months. He'd been healed, but he wasn't happy about it. He no longer had the ability to contact his lover through astral projection. He leafed through the large stack of papers that had accumulated in his absence. He was going to have to reassert his control; his timetable for taking over the government had been thrown off by his injury.

Captain Mikhin stepped into the office. "Moi Tsar, I have received some bad news..." Before he could finish, Slava read his thoughts.

"NO! That's not possible! I would know if Fox were dead!" Slava yelled, looking menacingly at his head of security.

"I'm sorry, moi Tsar, the report stated that no one could have survived the incineration of the building."

"HE'S NOT DEAD! I'm taking a team to Mexico, if his body is in the ruins, I will know it! Captain, have my private jet ready within the hour!"

After Mikhin left, Slava picked up the framed photograph from his desk it hadn't been there when he was last in the office. It was of Fox and himself, he remembered when this photograph was taken -- it was at the auction. They were posed in front of red satin drapes. Fox looked extremely gorgeous in his black tuxedo and green cummerbund. He had his arm wrapped tightly around his lover's slim waist they made a stunning couple. No, he refused to believe that Fox could be dead.

He walked out of his office, heading up to his apartment.

18 Hours Earlier

Doctor Ruben Byrd entered the cell located just around the corner from where Agent Mulder was being held. The cell contained Stuart Holt. Byrd needed the sorcerer's help in freeing the immortals.

"Doctor Byrd, what's happening?" Holt looked at him worriedly as he heard the gunfire many levels up.

"We're being raided, we have to get the immortals out of here. Mulder's down the hallway; after we retrieve him, I'll need your help in freeing Shinji and Cory." The doctor removed the power-dampening cuff from the man's ankle. Standing, he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Holt paused a moment, scanning the building. Now that the cuff had been removed, he had his powers back. "Cory's not in the building, Doctor, he's safely outside with Alex Krycek and the FBI. Shinji is with Agent Mulder and another sorcerer, they're just around the corner from us."

They raced out of the cell and around the corner, running into Rory MacIver, who had the agent's body slung over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. MacIver was about to strike out at the perceived threat, when the doctor spoke up. "We're here to help! Quickly follow me. We can get out of the building through a tunnel on this level. It's too dangerous to make it out the front entrance."

They quickly followed behind the doctor as small explosions sounded from above. He opened a large metal door at the end of a long hallway that opened into an underground cavern there was a long steep flight of stone steps leading downward. Two kerosene lanterns hung by the door, the doctor pulled them down handing one to Takeda and one to Holt. He was searching his pockets for a match when the lanterns lit on their own.

"Thanks," Doctor Byrd said to Holt.

They quickly made their way down the staircase and started across the vast cavern to the tunnel on the opposite side. Halfway across, a massive explosion shook the ground, knocking them off their feet.

Holt and MacIver erected an energy shield around their bodies as rocks started raining down on them. As they got back on their feet, Holt handed the shorter sorcerer the lantern. Then he bent down and scooped up Agent Mulder. They raced toward the tunnel, reaching it just as the ceiling in the cavern caved in.

They ran down the narrow tunnels as more explosions rocked the earth beneath their feet. The group kept moving and didn't stop until they had put a substantial distance between themselves and the first cavern.

The tunnel opened into another smaller cavern. MacIver estimated that they had covered at least five miles through the underground tunnels.

"Is everyone okay?" the doctor asked breathlessly, cradling his injured arm against his chest.

"I'm all right, just of few bumps and bruises," MacIver answered. "Can you check Fox, I think he was injured when we fell in the cavern."

Shinji Takeda held his lantern up so the doctor could get a good look at Mulder. Byrd was unable to move his arm.

"Doctor, did you injure your arm?" Takeda asked.

"I broke it back in the cavern, Shin," he answered smoothing Mulder's hair out of his eyes. Mulder had blood covering the back of his head and running down his neck. The doctor saw several large bruises covering his scantily-clad body.

"He's pretty banged up, but that doesn't explain why he's unconscious. By the way, I'm Doctor Ruben Byrd and he is Stuart Holt," he introduced them as he was wiping some of the blood off Mulder's head.

Holt shifted Mulder's body into a more comfortable position. Staring menacingly at the other sorcerer, he was unable to read the man's intentions.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Doctor. I'm Rory MacIver. It was lucky for you that I sensed you were a good man, unlike those other ruffians that called themselves doctors. Otherwise, I would have killed you on the spot. Mr. Holt, I've heard all about you, the doctors have been talking about you, after you refused to allow another sorcerer have sex with their immortals. It's indeed a pleasure to meet a man who stuck up for his morals."

"I don't have the advantage of reading you, MacIver. What are your intentions?" Holt asked distrustfully. He had been concerned when he ran into the other sorcerer, but he wanted to get Shinji out of the building.

"I won't lie to you. I wanted to protect Mulder and get him away from the consortium," MacIver stated. "But, I also expect to have sex with him, Fox chose me for his new lover."

They studied the good-looking Scotsman he had a rakish swagger about him. He was in his early forties, with long, black hair pulled back in a ponytail, and his soft, brown eyes were open and honest. The man was only a few inches taller than Shinji who was 5 '6" and both men were slim. MacIver's ears were pierced; he had several pairs of silver earrings in each. Holt thought the man resembled a pirate, with his knee-high boots and tight black pants.

MacIver appraised both men, starting with the doctor who was in his mid-fifties. The Scotsman thought the doctor resembled that black American actor from the Lethal Weapons movies he had a full-beard that was peppered with gray hair. Byrd was wearing jeans, a heavy jacket, and combat boots, he had a large backpack, and it was obvious that the man had been prepared in advanced.

The Scotsman turned his appraisal on the other sorcerer. Holt was tall and skinny, he stood at least eight inches taller than MacIver. The man had a very big nose and a protruding Adam's apple. He wasn't ugly, but he was far from handsome.

MacIver turned back to face the doctor. "Doctor, you were prepared for the attack this evening?"

"No, I don't know who those men were that attacked us tonight. Mr. Foxx had arranged for a strike force to raid the facility and rescue his son and the other immortals after midnight. That's why I was dressed and ready. I was suppose to have all the immortals into the tunnels when the raid came. There was a separate tunnel that led up to the surface, but it was buried under rocks and boulders from the cave in."

Byrd turned to Takeda. "Shinji, can you assist me? I have some bandages in my backpack, can you get them, the cotton swabs, and bottle of antiseptic out for me?" The doctor looked at the young Japanese man, he was staring wide-eyed at the cavern they were in and kept sneaking peeks at Rory MacIver.

"Yes, Doctor." Takeda pulled his eyes away from the handsome sorcerer. The young man had never met another man that had aroused him sexually before, he felt an instant attraction to this roguish man. He pulled the swabs, antiseptic, and bandages from the doctor's pack.

Holt was still holding Mulder slung over his shoulders. There was no place in the cavern to set the agent down; the whole floor was covered with jagged rocks and boulders.

"Doctor, allow me, I know some first-aid." MacIver took the cotton and antiseptic from Takeda and started cleaning Mulder's cuts; finally he bandaged the agent's head wound. He put the items back into the doctor's backpack.

"Doc, I think we would move faster if I carried the backpack, we can look at your arm as soon as we find a good area to camp for the night." MacIver helped the doctor remove the pack and slung it around his own shoulders.

"Thank you, Mr. MacIver," he sighed in appreciation. It felt good to get rid of that heavy backpack.

They started to make their way down another tunnel. "Do you have any idea where we're going?" MacIver asked, he was totally lost. He estimated his powers could only penetrate a mile. The mineral laden rocks were preventing him from penetrating them any further.

"Yeah, the consortium had these caves explored and charted. We'll be traveling deeper underground for the next twenty miles then it's all up hill for another thirty or so miles before we exit the cave. There's a deserted farmhouse ten miles from the exit where we could hold up for a day," the doctor answered picking up the pace. With luck, they would be there within three and a half days.

Present Time
Secret Consortium Base
Monday, March 21
6:00 p.m.

Skinner walked into the medical unit to check on his brother who was still sedated. The rescue teams had been searching the crater, but as he suspected, they weren't able to find anyone still alive. The sound of a Lear jet caught his attention. He rushed out of the unit, staring at the large jet that was landing at the airstrip, half a mile from the destroyed base. The jet had Russian markings.

A jeep went to meet the plane. Skinner frowned in anger as he felt the presence of Nikolai Slava on the plane. He watched as the jeep came back with the large Cossack and several large n'thrals. Slava climbed out of the jeep. Ignoring Skinner, he walked up to the large crater. He stared into the burnt out ruins and felt nothing.

"Slava, what do you want here?" Skinner growled.

"My business is personal, A.D. Skinner. I have accomplished what I came to do and will be leaving now," the Cossack replied arrogantly, he knew Mulder wasn't dead -- he would have felt it if he were. He couldn't detect his lover anywhere in the area, so it was pointless for him to remain.

"What have you accomplished by staring into the crater?" Skinner hissed, placing himself in front of the Cossack.

"If you must know...I came to pay my last respects to Fox," Slava lied. He concealed the happiness he felt at finding out Mulder was alive. The Russian brushed past the angry American, getting back into the jeep.

Skinner watched as they drove back to their plane and took off again. Something in the Cossack's attitude had him suspicious, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Krycek moaned in his sleep and broke out into a cold sweat. He dreamt he was back at the base -- it was the first day when they had arrived. He was being led down a dimly lit hallway into an examination room. The triple agent struggled against the mental grip on his mind as he was forced to remove his clothing. The obese doctor ordered the sorcerer to make him get up on the examination table and put his feet in the stirrups. He had absolutely no control over his body.

Krycek's twisted on the gurney as his nightmare continued. He watched the large doctor pull on rubber gloves and move to stand between his parted legs. Malone picked up a bottle of lube, greasing his fingers. Krycek felt a thick finger pushed into his body, stretching him, then a second, and third finger were inserted. When the doctor was satisfied he was properly prepared; he greased up the large dildo. Krycek cried out in pain as the hard object was eased into his body. The doctor was careful not to force it in too quickly, he waited for the young man's anal muscles to relax before pushing it in deeper until he had it fully embedded into Krycek's body.

When the doctor turned on the dildo vibrator, Krycek shrieked as the object rubbed against his prostate. He passed out. He was awakened by a gentle slapping on his face. He stared up into his half-brother's concerned brown eyes.

"Alex, you were having a nightmare. Are you all right?" Skinner asked, holding Krycek's trembling body against his broad chest.

"I'll be fine in a few minutes...I dreamt I was back inside the base," he whimpered, starting to feel safe within his brother's strong arms. He had never had anyone to lean on before, or someone who to care for him and protected him. "Walter, thanks," he sighed as relaxed and fell back to sleep.

"Any time, Alex," the older man murmured. Kissing the top of his brother's head, he eased the sleeping body back down on the mattress.

Caves
Monday, March 21
7:00 p.m.

They had traveled nonstop for the past twenty-five hours. It had been tough going because they had to climb over unstable boulders that blocked parts of the tunnel. They stopped only once to take care of the doctor's broken arm. MacIver and Holt had to fight off some ghouls that were using the cave as a home; the anti-ghoul virus hadn't been used outside of the U.S., yet. After the attacking ghouls went up in flames, other ghouls in the area steered clear of the small group.

They made camp in an underground cavern that had a small waterfall, stream, and pond. The sides of the pond had phosphorescent weeds growing in it. The ceiling and walls of the cavern were covered in crystallite and the floor was smooth stone and sand.

"Holt, lay Mulder down over here," the doctor ordered, smoothing a sandy area free of rocks and pebbles.

MacIver removed the doctor's backpack and leaned it up against a wall. He then sat next to Mulder, taking the agent's head in his lap he brushed the long bangs out of the agent's eyes. It had grown long over the weeks Mulder was held at the base. The doctors would not allow the immortals to cut their hair; it was another one of their perverse quirks. Mulder's silky, chestnut hair had grown a couple of inches. Shinji Takeda's thick, black hair was layered, it halloed his face and went past his shoulders.

"Doctor, do you have any idea what's wrong him?" MacIver asked.

Byrd was concerned that the agent hadn't regained consciousness. "No. I can find nothing physically wrong with him...it might be a psychological problem. He has been extremely mistreated over the past couple of days."

"Holt, there's a kettle at the bottom of my pack and some dehydrated soup mixes. Fill the kettle with water from the waterfall, heat it with your powers until it boils to kill the bacteria, then pour in the soup mix." The doctor smiled, traveling with a sorcerer had a lot of advantages.

Holt did as instructed and filled the kettle, he placed it on a rock and concentrated until the water was boiling. After a few minutes, he poured the soup mix in and the pleasant aroma of vegetable soup filled the air. There were two tin cups and spoons at the bottom of the pack, he filled each with soup, handing one to Shinji and the other to the doctor.

The doctor finished his portion of soup, handing the cup back to the sorcerer, who filled it for himself, he was not planning on offering the Scotsman anything.

Doctor Byrd heard a soft moan and glanced over at Mulder just as he opened his hazel eyes. Mulder met the doctor's concerned look, he realized his head was resting in someone's lap, and he looked up into MacIver's smiling face. He glanced around the dimly-lit cavern, realizing he wasn't at the base any longer. "Where?" he managed to ask with a weak voice.

"You're safe. We had to leave the base in a hurry, you were unconscious so we carried you," Byrd's soothing voice calmed the anxiety that was racing through Mulder's thoughts.

"How long have I been out?" the agent asked.

"A little over twenty-four hours. Mulder, do you know what caused you to be unconscious for that length of time?" The doctor checked his pulse and took his temperature as he waited for the American immortal's answer.

Mulder thought back, it all seemed so dreamlike now. He remembered standing at the bedside of Nikolai Slava's and healing him. Then being pulled back to his own body. "Yeah, it tends to happen after I heal someone. It requires a lot of my energy and I fall asleep immediately afterwards. The more severe the injury, the longer I sleep." Mulder tried to sit up but the doctor held him down.

"Mulder, I think you should rest a few minutes more. This ability to heal, do you know if it's part of your mutation? And would you mind telling me who you could have been healing down in that prison cell?" The whole thing sounded ludicrous to the doctor.

"You don't believe me? If I weren't still exhausted, I'd prove it to you by healing your arm. It's a minor wound so I'd probably only require a couple of hours of sleep," Mulder sighed, seeing Takeda for the first time, he smiled weakly at the young man as an idea came to him. He assumed his ability to heal came from his mutation and Shinji had the same type. "Maybe Shinji can heal you, I'll show him how it's done."

MacIver helped Mulder to sit up; the agent gave him a questioning look. "Shin, touch the doctor's arm with your hands," Mulder instructed the Japanese immortal.

When Takeda was holding the doctor's broken arm, he instinctively knew what to do next. He concentrated on healing the arm and watched as a golden glow came from his hands, mending Ruben Byrd's broken arm.

Holt caught Takeda as he slumped exhaustedly. Mulder stood up with the help of MacIver so Stuart Holt could lay the young immortal on soft sand.

Doctor Byrd stared in amazement at his healed arm, flexing his fingers then he started unwinding the bandages. "This is unbelievable...how long have you known about this ability? What was the first injury you healed? What's the most severe injury you can heal?"

Mulder blushed at the doctor's questions, he vividly recalled the first time he used his powers. He was straddling Alex's naked body, after he had accidentally injured his soon-to-be lover -- he used his powers to heal him. The agent met MacIver's eyes as the sorcerer stared at him with amusement, reading his thoughts that he had forgotten to shield.

"Doctor, I'd rather not talk about my first time...I mean...shit!" Mulder stomped off to the other side of the cavern, looking around. MacIver followed him, catching his hand, and holding it tenderly as he looked into the agent's angry eyes.

"Mulder, why did you pick me for your lover?" MacIver murmured huskily. Bringing the agent's hand to his lips, he started sucking on each of his fingers.

Mulder was briefly stunned by the Scottish sorcerer's behavior, he quickly yanked his hand away. "You seemed to be less of a scumbag than the other men, but that doesn't mean I want you for my lover!" he hissed.

"It doesn't matter, you are going to need me. I know all about the withdrawal symptoms you suffer from, in less than twenty-four hours you will come crawling to me," MacIver said with smug confidence.

"Ha! Maybe I'll ask Holt instead!" Mulder did not like the fact that the smaller man was right -- he couldn't take the withdrawal pains.

Doctor Byrd came over to them, listening to their conversation. He picked up his backpack and pulled out a small container. "Agent Mulder, I was able to reproduce the anti-pheromone drug for you and Shinji. You know its limitations, but it should offer you relief for several more days. Hopefully, we will be rescued before it wears off." The doctor pulled out a syringe and filled it. Mulder came anxiously over to him, holding out his arm.

"Doctor, just whose side are you on!" MacIver huffed.

"Currently my own. Rory, why don't you get Mulder and yourself some soup," Byrd ordered, watching the Scotsman stomp over to the small kettle and fill the two tin cups.

"Mulder, I don't know precisely how long the shot will be good for, it depends on when you last had sex. MacIver told me that when he found you in the cell it looked like you had just had anal intercourse. Shinji hasn't had sex for two days so the drug won't last as long for him. I don't think we'll have you both back home before it wears off," the doctor told him sympathetically.

"I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Doctor, you don't suppose we could find me something less revealing to wear in the meantime?" Mulder pulled the bloodstained tank top away from his body, looking at it with disgust.

"We'll be passing close to Mexico City in a few days, I'll go into town with Holt and pick you up something to wear when I get us food for the rest of the journey."

"Doctor, what happened at the base?" Mulder sat on a boulder he was feeling weak, and gratefully accepted the cup of soup from MacIver who sat next to him.

Holt heard Mulder's question and spoke up. "The FBI and US Military raided it, Mulder. We don't know who won, there was a large explosion."

"Then we must head back! I need to find Alex, he might be injured or worried about me!"

"Mulder, we can't, the only tunnel that led up to the surface anywhere the base is blocked by a cave-in. The only way out is through this tunnel and it will take us over fifty miles from the base. It's safer for us to head for the U.S. border than to chance going back to the base, once we're above ground again."

"I'm heading back!" Mulder shouted.

"No! It's too risky, we don't even know who won." The doctor wasn't about to take the chance.

"Doctor, you can go to the U.S., I'm not stopping you, but I'm heading back to the base!"

"Mulder, no, you're not, it is too dangerous. For your own good you will be traveling with us, when we get to the U.S. you can call your family. Besides, it will take us two more days to get out of these caves, if you were to make it back to the base there wouldn't be anyone there any longer."

Mulder sighed, feeling frustrated. "Doctor, let's make a deal. When we're above ground, if I can make telepathic contact with either of my lovers, we head back to the base. If I can't, I'll go with you willingly."

"Mulder, we'll be over fifty miles from the base, that's an awfully long distance for telepathic communication."

"My lovers and I have been practicing together, we're able to make telepathic contact with each other up to seventy-five miles."

The doctor smiled at him, for once, a reasonable solution. "Mulder, you have yourself a deal, and I pray that you are successful in contacting your lovers," he replied with sincerity.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Wednesday, March 23
11:30 a.m.

Yori carried the food-laden tray up to Krycek's room; the two brothers had arrived back home late last night. They hadn't been able to find a trace of Mulder's body in the ruins, which wasn't surprising considering the intensity of the fire. Most of the bodies had been reduce to nothing but ash. Yori knocked on the door before entering. Krycek sat in a chair in front of the French doors that led to a private veranda, he stared out sightlessly.

"Alexei, I have made you lunch," Yori said, setting the tray on the small breakfast table that was in front of a large bay window next to the fireplace.

"I'm not hungry," he replied sadly.

"Alexei, you can't starve yourself...there are too many people who love and care about you...think of your daughter, she's going to need you."

"Yori, if it weren't for her, Fox would still be alive."

"You don't mean that...I know from your mind that it was Mulder's decision that you rescue Faith first. You have nothing to feel guilty about! Now, get your skinny butt over here and eat!" Yori spoke sternly for the first time in his life, he had already lost one close friend, and he didn't want to lose another.

Krycek rose reluctantly and sat at the table, some of what Yori said got through to him, but he still couldn't stop blaming himself for Mulder's death. At least the large Russian made him something he could eat without guilt. It could almost be construed as punishment, Yori's dreaded stuffed cabbage rolls and fish-head soup.

Yori smiled at him knowingly. There was a slight chill in the room, so before sitting across from Krycek, he took time to light the fireplace. He watched his charge eat, making sure he finished every bite. "Alexei, do you want me to run a bath for you? Or, perhaps a massage?"

"No thanks, Yori," Krycek murmured.

There was another knock on his door and Walter Skinner strolled in wearing his coat and carrying Krycek's coat. "Alex, I'm heading down to the Procreation Center, I thought you might want to come along."

"No, I don't think...I'm...just not up to it, yet," he sighed sadly.

"Alex, you need to see your daughter. Besides, I would like you with me when I see her for the first time -- she is my niece and our last physical reminder of Fox." Skinner's voice was close to pleading. Krycek sat still for a few moments, then stood and walked over to his older brother, taking his coat.

"Okay, Walter, I would like to introduce you to Faith." Krycek pulled on his coat as they walked out of the room and down the curved staircase.

Mexico
Wednesday, March 23
8:30 a.m.

They had exited the cave at seven o'clock in the morning, and Mulder tried for over an hour to make contact with his lovers. He gave up reluctantly; he was deeply worried because his lovers should have been at the base or in the surrounding area looking for him. He knew he would never have left the area this soon if one of them were missing, unless something prevented him from continuing.

"Mulder, I'm sure they're all right. Don't start thinking the worse. They might be looking for you out of your telepathic range, the sooner we get moving and back to the U.S., the better." MacIver tried to ease the younger man's worried mind.

Mulder wanted to head back to the base, but he had given his word. Sighing, he allowed MacIver to take his arm and lead him in the other direction. He had to swat the Scotsman's hand away when it started to explore his body.

"Can't blame a man for trying." MacIver smirked at him.

They made it to the deserted farmhouse at noon. Tumbleweeds blew across the sandy ground and a broken shutter banged against the side of the weatherworn house.

"Be careful, check for snakes and scorpions," the doctor advised as they stepped cautiously into the house. Doctor Byrd walked into the small bedroom off the kitchen. He checked the room carefully and pulled the dusty blanket off the bed. Taking it out onto the porch, he shook it out, sending dust flying. They needed blankets, food, and water if they were going to make it back to the U.S. quickly.

MacIver walked up with Takeda; the young Japanese man had been staying very close to the Scottish sorcerer. Holt glared at MacIver; he didn't like him standing that close to his lover.

Holt walked over to the beautiful immortal and wrapped his arm around Takeda's shoulders. He stared lovingly down at the smaller man. Takeda tried to move away from the larger man whom he wasn't attracted to at all. However, Stuart Holt held him tighter, oblivious to the young man's discomfort.

Mulder had reached down to check out the cupboards when a small stiletto knife buried itself in the floor next to his sandaled foot. He looked angrily over his shoulder at MacIver who stood in the doorway across the room with another throwing knife in his hand. The smaller man shrugged his shoulders, sheathing the knife in his boot. He walked over and pulled the knife from the floor, holding it so Mulder could see the small scorpion impaled on the tip.

"I know you can't be killed by it, but its sting will still hurt like a bitch."

"Thanks. Rory, where did you learn to throw a knife like that?" Mulder judged the distance from the front door through the living room and into the kitchen to be at least thirty feet.

"I used to practice with my brothers back in Scotland, we also played darts. My brother Duncan could hit a fly on the wall with a dart at twenty feet. It became a game with us to out throw each other," MacIver grinned sadly, remembering his three brothers. He turned away from Mulder, not wanting him to see the tears in his eyes.

"Rory, tell me more about your brothers and family," Mulder asked, wanting to learn more about this man.

"There's not much to tell...Duncan was killed during the alien attack. My other brothers were infected with the ghoul mutation. I had to kill them myself. Thankfully, my mother and father had died many years ago and weren't subjected to seeing their sons suffer."

Mulder didn't know what to say, he knew firsthand what it felt like to lose a love one, but to have to kill your own brothers... "I'm sorry for your loss, Rory," he replied softly.

Mulder was more careful gathering supplies from the farmhouse; they were well stocked by the time they left. They had discovered a root cellar under the house with beets, potatoes, and mason jars of preserves, chutneys, and chili peppers. They made bags out of the blankets to put the supplies in, and the sorcerers used their powers to make the heavy bundles weightless.

Procreation Center
Wednesday, March 23
2:00 p.m.

Krycek was appalled by all of the press vans parked around the center; he wasn't up to dealing with reporters. The news was out that there were now six female fetuses at the center. Krycek noted the extra security around the facility; he also noticed the diplomatic license plates.

Skinner pulled around back, parking in front of the back exit. The FBI security team surrounded their vehicle as the A.D. and Krycek exited. They were rushed through the back doorway.

"Sir, we have a situation that needs your attention." Agent Sullivan informed Skinner.

"What situation, Agent Sullivan?" Skinner huffed.

"The Japanese and British Governments have sent their own agents to protect Cory Greene's and Shinji Takeda's offspring. They are flying their doctors over and want to transfer the embryos back to their countries as soon as possible."

Skinner sighed, "And?"

"The American Government has put a stop to the transfer, since the babies alleged sorcerer fathers are American."

"Great, so we have an escalating diplomatic crisis on our hands," Skinner growled, he slowed upon seeing the foreign security team outside of Hope's room. One of the men made a step to stop him from entering. The man was immediately thrown up against the wall and hung suspended in air his feet not touching the ground.

"Let's get one thing straight...no one interferes with me seeing my daughter!" The A.D. barked. Glaring angrily at the men, who suddenly realized their mistake.

"Sorry, A.D. Skinner, Conner didn't recognize you," the elder British agent muttered.

Doctor Sam Harris came out of the lab, after hearing the commotion. "Walter, please come in...how are you doing?"

Skinner turned around, guiding Krycek through the door ahead of him into the lab. The younger man had been hanging back, not particularly anxious to see his daughter.

"Sam, I still can't accept that Fox is dead...maybe after the funeral. It all seems so unreal, I keep expecting him to walk through the front door," Skinner sighed, walking over to the cylinder that contained Hope. She was almost three months old, but she was the size of a six-month-old fetus.

Skinner looked over at Krycek who stood unmoving by the door, he walked back and took his hand. "C'mon, Alex, show me your daughter," he murmured soothingly, understanding his younger brother's reluctance.

Krycek sigh and walked over to the cylinder next to Hope, he stared sorrowfully in at the small fetus -- his daughter. Skinner walked up behind him, resting a hand on Krycek's shoulder. He was surprised how that the fetus slightly resembled Mulder. Hope looked like neither of them. Actually, if he had to say who she resembled the most he would say Krycek, at least it proved that he and his brother did share some of the same genes.

"She's definitely going to be a heartbreaker..." Skinner paused when he felt Krycek tense. "Alex, she's beautiful, don't close your heart to her, she's going to need you."

"I...Walter, she frightens me. All I can see when I look at her is Fox -- he died because of her." Krycek felt a couple of tears run down his cheek, his brother wrapped his arms around his body hugging him close.

"It will be painful at first...but don't let your grief interfere with being a father to her. It wasn't her fault or yours, the blame lies with those bastards that abducted you and Fox."

Krycek leaned back against him. "Walter, thanks for being here for me."

Mexico
Friday, March 23
1:00 p.m.

Mulder sat next to Shinji in their makeshift camp just outside of Mexico City. Doctor Byrd and Rory MacIver had gone into the city for supplies. Stuart Holt stood guard, he was several feet away from them standing at attention, scanning the surrounding area.

"Mulder, can I ask you a question?" Takeda whispered, looking over at Holt. The man was too preoccupied to read his thoughts or listen to their conversation.

"What, Shin?" Mulder leaned back his skin had a healthy tan after two days in the sun. He had discarded his soil tank top yesterday.

"How do you know you're in love?" the young man asked the agent nervously.

"What do you mean, Shin?"

"I...I'm attracted to Rory..." Takeda looked nervously around then leaned over and whispered in Mulder's ear, "I get excited when I'm near him."

Mulder stifled a chuckle. "That may not be love...it might only be lust. Shinji, I don't think Holt would approve. It's a good thing I've taught you how to conceal your thoughts. Otherwise, we might have Holt and MacIver trying to kill each other."

"Yes, I'm aware of that...I just wish that he'd stop touching me. Holt wants sex all of the time...he makes me feel so dirty."

"Shin, when we get back to the U.S. my friends will protect you. No one will be allowed to touch you that you don't want." It saddened Mulder that he had no power to stop the sorcerer from touching his young friend. Maybe he could ask MacIver to intervene.

"Mulder, tell me more about your home and family. What is it like living with two handsome men that you love?" Takeda was fascinated by the description of Mulder's large home, and he wanted to meet the handsome bald lover that Mulder had spoken of.

Mulder smiled brightly. "I've never been more happy in my life." His smile faded as he felt the first pains of withdrawal hitting his system.

Takeda had suffered from withdrawal last night and Holt had serviced him. He knew in only eight hours, he'd be desperate for relief from the pain. It frightened him that he'd have to allow another man to have sex with him. The pain and humiliation the doctors had inflicted on him was too close to the surface.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Friday, March 23
3:00 p.m.

Dana Scully accompanied by her brother Bill and nephew pulled up outside of the large estate. Dana's eyes were still red from crying she hadn't stopped since the news of Mulder's death reached her on Wednesday.

Bill buzzed the house and Yori answered, the Russian opened the gate so they could drive up to the house. He met them at the door. "Dana, Bill, it is good to see you again," Yori exclaimed, showing them into the living room. He had informed Skinner of their arrival telepathically.

Scully was stunned at the size of the mansion. The living room was gorgeous, she loved the twenty-foot ceiling and windows that spanned the whole wall looking out onto the large property. Bill was holding Matthew so the little boy wouldn't get into any mischief.

"Scully, what do you want?" Skinner asked from the entrance.

"Sir, I'd like to help with Mulder's funeral arrangements." Scully held her head up, not allowing the older man to intimidate her.

"Why?"

"He was my partner for six years, helping with the arrangements will help me deal with his death."

"So, you basically want to ease your own pain. Do you care how his death is affecting Alex or me!"

"I do care...but I don't want to interfere with your lives...I'm here for Mulder, like I've always been. Damnit, I loved him too! Why can't you understand that?"

Skinner sighed; he didn't want to deal with this now. "Okay, Scully, for Fox I'll overlook my disdain over your motives. Kimberly is putting together a list of speakers for his service and arranging for flowers, you can work with her. She lives in the cottage on the estate."

"Thank you, sir." The Scullys headed for the front door and walked over to the cottage.

Kimberly answered the door, dressed in jeans and a soft knit top. "Dana, it's so good to see you again," she replied, surprised to see the ex-agent.

"Hi Kim, it's good to see you, too." They shared a brief hug.

"Kim, this is my brother Bill and his son Matthew."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bill." Kim showed them into the house.

Scully looked around the cottage it was warm and homey inside. There was a fire going in the fireplace, the views from the windows were breathtaking. "Kim, this place is beautiful!" She exclaimed as Kimberly showed them into the living room, they sat on the large sofa.

"Thank you, Dana. Would you care for some tea? I was just making myself a cup when you came."

"Yes, please, that would be nice." Scully watched as Kimberly left. She returned a few minutes later with a serving tray, with three teacups a teapot and biscuits. There was a cup of milk for Matthew and some cookies.

"Thanks," Scully replied accepting the cup of tea.

"Skinner said I could help you with Mulder's funeral arrangements, if that is okay with you," Scully asked nervously.

"Dana, that would be great...I could use the help. The whole situation has me so depressed -- poor Walter and Alex. This should have been such a happy time for them; Hope's scheduled to be born in a month and Faith's due five weeks later. Alex is having a really hard time coming to terms with Mulder's death and their daughter's upcoming birth." Kim sighed sipping her tea.

"Alex and Mulder have a daughter?" Scully was flabbergasted.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I thought you knew. Faith was conceived while the Consortium held them. Alex was able to rescue her and four female embryos by two other immortals, but he wasn't able to reach Mulder in time. He's been blaming himself for Mulder's death."

Scully looked away and stared out the far window, she squelched the feeling of jealousy that flared up inside of her. This wasn't the time for her to be thinking about herself; she was here for Mulder.

"No, I didn't know. I'll give Alex my personal condolences next time I see him."

They spent the remainder of the evening discussing the FBI and made plans to get together the next day to organize Mulder's funeral service.

Mexico
Friday, March 23
5:00 p.m.

Doctor Byrd and Rory MacIver made it back to camp three hours before dusk. They were worried about the large ghoul population that usually infested areas this close to the large city. They wanted to travel two more hours before securing a new campsite for the evening.

MacIver handed Mulder a large bag. "Here you go, love, I picked it out myself," he grinned mischievously at the immortal.

Mulder hesitantly opened the bag. He was still dressed in skimpy white shorts and sandals -- anything would be better. He frowned as he took out a tight pair of leather pants, and knee-high, black, leather boots. There was also a leather vest and a long, black duster.

"C'mon, Mulder, dress quickly, we have to get moving," the doctor requested, snickering to himself at the look of displeasure on the agent's beautiful face.

Mulder rolled his eyes skyward, pleading with whatever deity there was to end his life now. He stepped out of his shorts not bothering to cover himself, there was no underwear in the bag and he hadn't been wearing any under his shorts. He wiggled into the skin-tight leather pants -- they left nothing to the imagination. Sighing, he pulled on a pair of socks, then the knee-high boots they were similar to the pair MacIver was wearing. The leather vest thankfully was stud-free. Finally, he pulled on the lightweight, floor-length duster, it was the only article of clothing he didn't find offensive.

"MacIver, I take it you couldn't find a studded leather dog collar?" Mulder groused.

MacIver chuckled and kissed Mulder on the cheek, catching the agent's hand when he tried to hit him. "For you, love, I was thinking we'd stop and get matching nipple rings."

"Only in your dreams, MacIver," Mulder step away from the man, picking up one of the bundles to help carry to the next campsite. He didn't notice the look of envy that flashed across Takeda's face.

"Hey, Shin, I almost -- forgot here, catch," MacIver exclaimed, tossing the young man a smaller bag. It contained a pair of expensive sneakers, blue jeans, a T-shirt, and a bag of sunflower seeds. Takeda's face lit up; he had mentioned to the Scotsman his craving for sunflower seeds that MacIver remembered pleased him.

He quickly pulled on the clothes then put on the comfortable sneakers. Holt stood by the whole time, he wasn't too happy with MacIver giving his lover presents. The American helped Takeda back to his feet, and they headed off toward the United States.

Mexico
Friday, March 23
8:00 p.m.

They found a small cave to set up camp for the night. MacIver helped Mulder inside; the agent had started going through withdrawal pains several hours ago, now he could barely stand on his own.

"Rory, we'll wait outside so you can attend to Mulder's needs," Doctor Byrd said, looking sympathetically at the American immortal.

"Thanks, Doctor," the Scotsman said as he made a comfortable place for Mulder to lie down.

After the others had left, MacIver walked up to Mulder, tenderly removing his clothing. "Mulder, I promise that I won't hurt you. I wish I could make love to you under different circumstances."

"Rory...just...shut up...and fuck me," Mulder moaned leaning against him.

He helped Mulder down on the blanket, then made short work of removing his own clothing. His hand shook as he removed a tube of lubricant and a condom from his pocket.

MacIver knelt down beside Mulder, running a gentle hand soothingly over his body. Mulder looked at him, frowning when he saw the condom.

"Rory, it's really nice that you're concerned about safe sex, but the whole point of this exercise is to get your semen into my body, not to keep it out," Mulder sighed. He was managing to control the pain better now that he was lying down.

"Sorry, I forgot," he replied sheepishly.

"Have you ever done this before?" Mulder asked as he noticed the Scotsman hesitating and his hands shaking. It seemed surreal that the man was more frightened than he was, and he was scared out of his mind.

"Yeah, of course, but you're so delicate that I don't want to hurt you," MacIver sighed.

Mulder closed his eyes briefly as burning pain coursed through his body, clenching his teeth until it passed. He needed to get the Scotsman past his shyness.

"You're not going to hurt me, Rory, bend down." When he did Mulder reached up and pulled his head down kissing him passionately, exploring the Scotsman's mouth with his tongue.

That seemed to do the trick, MacIver draped his wiry body over Mulder's longer lanky one and took over the lovemaking. He sucked on the agent's tongue, before doing some exploring of his own. Mulder tasted wonderful to the smaller man, he moaned into the younger man's mouth, running his hands over the smooth, flawless body.

He traveled down the immortal's body with his mouth, licking and nipping the agent's nipples. He murmured against Mulder's skin, "Fox, can I ask you a question?"

"What?" Mulder kept a tight hold on his thoughts, it wouldn't do for MacIver to know that he found his lovemaking repugnant.

MacIver pushed the agent's legs apart grabbing the lube. "If all that is required is for your body to get an injection of semen from a sorcerer, why don't you just ingest it or have it shot into your system?" He pushed a finger into Mulder's incredibly tight anus, the Scotsman couldn't believe that this wasn't Mulder's first time.

"We've tried it, but it didn't work. The doctors don't know why, but it has to be through the physical act of sex." Mulder arched his back as three fingers worked their way into his body.

MacIver eased his fingers out and replaced them with the head of his cock; he eased the agent's legs over his shoulders. Then he pushed slowly into the beautiful body. When he was fully seated, he waited for Mulder's body to adjust before starting to slowly fuck him.

Mulder was desperate to get this over with he wasn't even getting an erection. He concentrated on clenching his rectal muscles around the object impaling him. MacIver moaned in appreciation and pushed in harder and faster, soon losing control and spurting endlessly into the agent's body. When he pulled out, the Scotsman realized Mulder was crying. He crawled up to him, taking the quivering body into his arms.

"Ssh, Fox, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

It took Mulder awhile to regain control over his emotions; he finally stopped crying enough to explain. "Rory, it's not you. I feel so dirty being sexually dependent on another man that I don't love."

"They really mistreated you at the base, didn't they?" MacIver gently rocked Mulder's body in his arms. "I wish I could remove your pain, Mulder."

"You already have," Mulder sighed. He didn't feel the withdrawal pains any longer.

"No, the emotional pain in your heart and soul," MacIver murmured softly, rubbing the agent's back and kissing his forehead.

Mulder allowed the physical comfort the other man was providing and snuggled closer. He closed his eyes and listened to the gentle beating of the other man's heart, it was the last sound he heard before falling asleep.

Argentina
Saturday, March 26
10:00 a.m.

Mr. Foxx looked out of the window in his high-rise apartment, sipping a bourbon. After receiving news of Mulder's death, he went on a three-day bender. Three days later, he was still drinking to soothe the ache in his heart. He walked over to the sofa. Sitting down, he picked up the photo album the only possession that he had cherished over the years. It had a history of his son's life, Mulder's first haircut the soft chestnut locks were inside an envelope next to the boy's photo at nine months of age.

He had every one of his son's school photos along with copies of his report cards. Birthday and holiday photos, awards and newspaper clippings. It was the arrangement he made with Teena Mulder that he wouldn't interfere in Fox's life as long as she sent him photos and information on his son.

Looking longingly at the smiling young face, his heart broke and he cried his grief into his drink. He had other children, but Fox had always been his favorite.

The front door to his apartment opened. "Father, are you all right?" Jeffery Spender asked, walking quietly over to the old man. He had just arrived back in town from Madrid.

"Your brother is dead," the smoker murmured.

"Brother? I don't have a brother," Spender sighed, smelling the alcohol permeating the apartment. Obviously the old man was drunk. He never should have gotten involved with him -- look where it had gotten him, a refugee from his own country.

"Fox was...yur...your half-brother," the smoker muttered, staring down lovingly at the photos of his son.

Spender was taken aback, he looked down at the album that rested on the old man's lap. He reached for it, taking it over to the dining room table he laid it down and leafed quickly through it. "Fox Mulder! Father, are you telling me that...that arrogant son-of-a-bitch is my brother!" Spender shrieked. Mulder was part of the reason he currently found himself in exile.

"Don't talk...talk that way about your brother. You could have learned a lot from him," the old man sniffled.

Spender snorted, "Yeah, right." He paused on the last two pages of the photo album it showed Mulder as he appeared after his mutation. The very last picture showed him dressed in a white tank top and shorts -- he had a very sad expression on his beautiful face.

"Father, what happened to him?" Spender had heard rumors about Mulder's mutation, but he had never actually seen a photo of him.

"He died when the building he was being held prisoner in exploded. His last days of life had been extremely painful and humiliating for him," the cigarette smoking man sighed.

Somehow hearing about Mulder's death didn't make Spender feel any better.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Monday, March 27
10:00 a.m.

"Alex, you have to at least approve the wording," Skinner pleaded.

"Walter, I'm not approving anything, if I did I would be giving up on Fox," Krycek sighed, pulling his eyes away from the depiction of Mulder's memorial plaque.

"Fox is dead, you're going to have to accept it and get on with your life!" Skinner growled. He was stuck doing most of the planning, he was even beginning to appreciate Dana Scully's help. He had to even okay the press coverage of the memorial service.

"You don't understand! I can't live without him...how can you!" Krycek stormed out of the room heading up to his bedroom.

Skinner ran after him. He burst through the younger man's bedroom door. "Alex, I'm sorry, please...I won't push you...its just that I need you here with me. I'm hurting, too," Skinner sobbed pulling his brother in his arms, he cried for the first time since Fox died.

Krycek hugged him tight and broke down; they comforted each other as best they could.

Mexico
Monday, March 27
Noon

Six days of hiking across Mexico was draining on the men, they had to travel off the main roads. Because of the Mexican gas crisis, walking was the only form of transportation, besides of the railroad, which wasn't an option. No vehicles other than the military were allowed on the road. They couldn't risk stealing a military vehicle -- the last thing they needed was to have the whole Mexican army after them and alerted to their presence. They weren't able to make a phone call either -- all the phone lines were down and Mexico didn't have the manpower to repair them -- over half the population had fled to the United States.

Mulder stumbled on a rock; MacIver quickly grabbed his waist preventing him from falling. The agent smiled gratefully at the roguish Scotsman; there was a certain charm to the man. Beneath all of his bravado, Rory proved to be kind and compassionate.

When his withdrawal symptoms started Friday, MacIver was considerate about his feelings and made gentle love to him. The Scot didn't pester him for sex the next night. The smaller man was completely different from Holt. The American forced himself on Shinji every night only their intervention prevented the young man from being raped. MacIver had proved to be the more powerful sorcerer and he had placed Takeda under his protection -- but the Scot was blind to the younger man's feelings for him.

It had angered Holt to no end. Being in love with Shinji, he didn't like MacIver's interference. If he hadn't been allowed to have sex with Shinji when the younger man suffered from his withdrawal symptoms, he would have killed the Scot. As long as MacIver kept his hands off Shinji, he would respect his young lover's wishes not to have sex with him.

The group was taking a break from hiking, the sun was too hot so they made camp underneath some tall trees next to a small lake. Mulder was soaking wet from sweating; black leather was not the type of outfit to wear in the hot sun. Why couldn't MacIver have had a fetish for cotton?

Mulder pealed off the offending outfit, he was going to take a swim to cool off. He put his foot in the water testing the temperature -- cold.

MacIver walked over to him admiring his body and started to remove his own clothes. "I'll join you...nothing's better than going skinny dipping on a hot day."

Mulder dived into the cool, blue water. He laughed at MacIver as the smaller man tested the water and found it too cold. "What's-a-matter, MacIver, afraid of a little cold water? I thought you were made of tougher stuff."

"No, lad, just worried that I'll freeze my nuts off and I wouldn't be able to service that gorgeous body of yours," MacIver quipped. Getting his courage up, he dived under the water, coming up next to Mulder, sputtering and shivering.

"Oh, so it's my welfare you're concerned about?" Mulder smirked.

"Fox, your welfare has been my only concern since I first laid eyes on you," MacIver murmured, wrapping his arms around the agent's body kissing him.

Mulder reluctantly pulled away. "Rory, I'm sorry, I already have two lovers, they would not approve if I brought home a third."

"Lucky men. How about I get an apartment in DC, and you can sneak away during your lunch hours." MacIver smoothed his hands down Mulder's back, resting them on his buttocks.

"Wouldn't work...I have at least two FBI bodyguards at all times and they're all into blackmailing me at the slightest infraction. Walter would begin to wonder why I'm spending half my week cooking dinner for his agents," Mulder quipped.

"Maybe I should just take you back to Scotland with me," he replied, licking the side of the agent's throat.

"It wouldn't work...Rory, in all seriousness, I won't be seeing you again after we get back to the states. Have you given any thought to Shinji?"

"Mm, what about Shinji?"

"He happens to have a crush on you...you can't say you haven't noticed." Mulder pulled out of the other man's arms.

"He's just a kid, an extremely beautiful kid, but still a kid. I'd feel like I was robbing the cradle!" MacIver exclaimed indignantly.

"Shinji only looks young to you, he happens to be twenty-one."

"Twenty-one? I thought he was sixteen." MacIver looked over to where Shinji was taking a nap. He did find the young lad extremely desirable. "Holt is going to be pissed if I pursue Shin's affections."

"Shin isn't interested in Holt, he finds you attractive...why, I haven't a clue." Mulder ducked as MacIver splashed water at him.

They spent a half-hour swimming and bathing in the lake, they even took the opportunity to shave. Mulder walked out of the lake and laid down in the thick grass, sunbathing nude. After another half-hour Doctor Byrd walked up to him admiring his beautiful nude body. "Mulder, we have to get moving again."

Mulder peered up at him. "Can't we stay here a little bit longer? I really don't want to put that leather sauna back on," he moaned.

"Sorry, Mulder." The doctor held out his hand, pulling the agent to his feet. Mulder walked over and pulled back on the hated leather outfit.

Shinji walked over to him when he finished dressing and offered him some sunflower seeds. He took a handful and slipped them into the large pocket on the duster. "Thanks, Shin. Do we have any beef-jerky left?"

"Uh...sorry, Mulder, I ate the last of it." He had meant to save the agent the last piece, but it was just too good. They had found they shared a lot of the same likes and dislikes in food and they both had photographic memories and were red green colorblind before the virus.

Doctor Byrd had been fascinated by all of their similarities and started writing them down in his journal. The doctor didn't believe it was a coincidence. He wished that Cory Greene were here so he could find out if the Englishman shared any of Mulder's and Takeda's traits.

Mexico
Monday, March 27
7:00 p.m.

Holt was on second guard duty, so he went right to bed when they made camp. It provided MacIver with the perfect opportunity to get closer to Takeda. He led the younger man away from the camp and over to a flat boulder next to the stream, the moon was full, and provided plenty of light to see each other.

"Shin, tell me about yourself," MacIver asked. Holding the young man's hand, he scooted closer.

"What do you want to know?" Takeda leaned up against the Scotsman's body.

"Where you grew up, about your family, everything," MacIver pulled the beautiful Japanese immortal against him and kissed him softly.

Takeda sighed into his mouth. "Hokkaido," he murmured returning the kissed.

"Hokkaido?" MacIver ran his hands down the younger man's back.

"It's where I grew up, it's a northern island in Japan." Much to the roguish Scotsman's surprise, Takeda straddled his lap and pushed him forcibly back until his was lying on his back across the flat boulder. Takeda then proceeded to devour MacIver's mouth claiming a passionate kiss, all thoughts flew out of both men's minds.

Mulder sat in front of the campfire, looking at the two sleeping men. Doctor Byrd was lying a few feet away from Holt's sleeping body. Mulder watched Holt's body-stiffen then he saw the silent tears slip through the closed eyelids and make their way down the man's face.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Thursday, April 1
9:30 a.m.

Walter Skinner, wearing his most expensive black suit and tie stood looking at his image in the mirror. His eyes were red from crying last night; he had finally given in to his grief and accepted that Mulder was dead. It had been ten days since the base exploded. Today was his lover's funeral. There was no body to bury -- they would be placing a monument in his memory at Arlington.

After the service, they were having the mourners over to the mansion. Skinner would have preferred just to retire and grieve in private. However, the party was in Mulder's memory, he would just have to get through it. His cousins were going to cater it for him.

He left his bedroom heading for the foyer. Krycek, Yori, Kimberly, and Tony were waiting for him, all dress similarly in black. Krycek was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses -- the service was going to be held outside in the sunlight. Skinner checked his pockets for his prescription sunglasses.

"Shall we go?" He headed for the front door as the others followed quietly behind -- no one was in the mood to talk. They walked out the door to Skinner's Toyota Land Cruiser. Yori climbed into the front passenger seat next to Skinner. Krycek, Kim, and Tony sat in the backseat, the service started in an hour and a half.

Texas Thursday, April 1
2:30 p.m.

After ten long days, they finally snuck across the Mexican border into Texas and safety. "We'll find the nearest U.S. border patrol station then you can call your family, Mulder." Doctor Byrd smiled at the look of relief and joy on Mulder's face.

"Thanks, I'll do that. They must be worried sick about me by now." It concerned Mulder that he hadn't seen any search helicopters over the last ten days. He assumed his lovers would have been searching for him, unless they were physically unable to do so. He prayed nothing had happened to either of them in the raid.

They trudged over rough terrain for three more miles before coming across the station. The five men that entered their station startled the two guards. One recognized Mulder instantly. "You're Special Agent Fox Mulder! Shit...I just watched your memorial service on television a few hours ago. Damn! You're alive!"

"My...memorial service?" Mulder stammered, shocked that it hadn't occurred to him that his lovers might consider him dead. He had been too worried about whether Walter and Alex were okay.

"Yeah, you had quite the turnout -- even the President was there."

"Where's your telephone...I need to make a call."

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Thursday, April 1
4:00 p.m.

Frohike sat on his preferred counter stool drowning his sorrows in Scotch; Yori sat next to him downing his second glass of vodka. The mansion was packed with guests even the Scullys were present. Most of the FBI agents had their sons with them the little boys rushed up and down the curved staircase. Their fathers had to firmly admonish them several times about the noise they were making. Walter Skinner moved from person-to-person accepting their condolences and thanking them for attending the service.

Krycek sat alone in the corner of the large family room sipping vodka, trying to numb the pain caused by Mulder's memorial service. The finality of it struck him so hard that he did not notice his brother keeping a close eye on him. He distantly heard the telephone ringing and Skinner answering it in that gruff voice of his. Krycek telepathically heard the voice on the other end and leaped out of his chair, spilling his drink in his lap. People near him gave him sympathetic looks.

"Walter, please tell me you haven't given all of my clothes to the Salvation Army, yet," Mulder quipped as soon as he heard Skinner's voice.

Skinner was too stunned to reply he wasn't sure if in his grief he was hearing things.

"Walter? Are you still there?" Mulder asked, concerned over the silence.

Krycek had rushed into the kitchen, grabbing the telephone away from the stunned man. "FOX! You're alive! Where are you?" Krycek shouted into the telephone.

Many of the guests heard Krycek's shout and started gathering in the kitchen. Skinner had to sit down, he was shaking too much to stand -- Krycek looked over at him and smiled.

"Texas, we're at a small border patrol station. We just crossed the border a couple of hours ago."

"Fox, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Alex, only in desperate need of a change of clothes," Mulder smiled, looking down at his outfit, he looked like a porn star.

"Who's with you?"

"Shinji, Doctor Byrd, Stuart Holt, and Rory MacIver."

Krycek knew all of the other men except for MacIver. Before he could ask anymore questions, Skinner recovered enough to claim the telephone from him.

"Fox...what happened? The base exploded...there was nothing left...and I couldn't contact you telepathically," Skinner murmured, he was close to tears and couldn't keep a sob from escaping his lips.

"I was unconscious...I'm not quite sure what happened. Rory told me we left through a tunnel on the lowest level. Walter, I'm sorry to have put you through so much grief, if I could have contacted you sooner, I would have," he replied after hearing the sob in his lover's voice.

"Fox, can you tell me exactly where you are? I want to get the nearest team of FBI agents to your location immediately...Alex and I will be flying down."

"I'm not exactly sure, I'll let you talk to the border guard." Mulder handed the telephone over to the nearest guard and listened as the man gave their location. Doctor Byrd motioned him to the door; he walked out of the station with the doctor and two sorcerers.

"Mulder, you and Shinji are in goods hands, now. Holt and I have to get going, we can't risk being here when the police arrive. We're both in too deeply with the consortium...and I'm not particularly looking forward to spending the rest of my life in jail," the doctor told him, holding out his hand, they shook.

"Thank you for everything, Doctor. I'll put in a good word for you, maybe you and Holt will be given amnesty."

"I wish...I'd give anything to be able to live freely in the United States again," the doctor replied.

"Agent Mulder, take care of Shinji for me. I know he doesn't like me, but I do love him and I only want what's best for him," Holt sighed sadly, heading back toward Mexico with the doctor.

Mulder turned and looked at Rory MacIver, waiting for him to depart, too.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere...I never officially worked for those bastards. I'm strictly a freelancer," MacIver quipped.

Takeda came out of the building watching them. MacIver smiled, he went over and hugged the younger man possessively. They had sneaked away from camp over the last few days, spending time alone getting to know one another. They were now deeply in love with each other. Mulder knew that Holt had been aware of their secret meetings. It was to Holt's credit that he didn't interfere.

"So, what are you two going to do?" Mulder asked curious.

"Well, lad, I thought we'd go back to D.C. and mooch off you for a while. If that's okay with you?" MacIver smirked.

Mulder laughed at the boldness of the smaller man. "Sure, I don't see why not as long as you keep out of Walter's way. He tends to be extremely jealous, but as long as you keep your hands on Shinji, and off me, we'll have no problem."

They wandered back into the building. One of the guards came over and offered them each a cup of coffee. Mulder was extremely grateful; he hadn't had coffee in over a month.

Mulder had buttoned up the long duster he wore -- thankful it covered the tight leather pants. He was extremely self-conscious of how he was dressed. Both guards sat staring at him and Shinji, one came over and refilled his coffee cup.

"Is there anything else you want, Agent Mulder?" the younger guard asked timidly.

"Yeah, there wouldn't happen to be any restaurants nearby that would deliver here?" He was extremely hungry and from the grateful look Takeda threw him, he knew he was, too.

"Yep, we have several restaurants, including one of the best Chinese restaurants in Southeast Texas," the young man smiled.

"Chinese sounds good to me, what about you, Shin, Rory?" Mulder asked.

"I love Chinese food, get me an order of Moo Shu Pork, fried rice, egg rolls, wonton soup, ginger chicken wings, dim sum, and shrimp toast." Rory replied smacking his lips.

"I'll have the same as Rory, but add Kung Bo Chicken," Shinji Takeda replied.

The young guard was quickly scribbling down the order, looking up from his notepad at Mulder, waiting for his order.

"Get me the same as the others, add sesame chicken to the order and have them throw in extra sauces. By the way, Officer Johnson, the FBI will reimburse you when they get here." Mulder grinned hoping the arriving agents had their American Express card handy.

Johnson went to the telephone and called in their order, adding some items for himself and Officer Payne.

Krycek fled the kitchen racing past stunned mourners and up the stairs to his bedroom. He grabbed his carry-on from the walk-in closet, along with clothes for Mulder. Tossing everything on the bed, he packed the suitcase. He walked back into the closet and shrugged out of his dark suit, hanging it up, he dressed quickly in jeans, a T-shirt, and his leather jacket.

He grabbed the suitcase and rushed back downstairs listening to the happy chatter of their guests. The party turned quickly into a celebration, Dana Scully walked up to him. "Alex, I'm so happy for you," she murmured, hugging him.

"Thanks, Dana," Krycek replied, returning the hug. He turned, seeing Yori with tears of joy running down his bearded face.

"Yori, breakout some bottles of champagne for our guests and put some music on," Krycek said, smiling as he headed outside to put his carry-on in Skinner's truck.

*Hurry up, Walter!* he shouted telepathically.

*Alex, give me a few minutes. I had to arrange our flight and Mulder's protection.* Skinner came out the front door a few minutes later, as promised. Krycek heard loud rock music coming from inside, they would probably spend the next week cleaning up after this party.

Skinner climbed in the driver's side, turning to Krycek he smiled reaching over he hugged his half-brother. "I've arranged a military flight to take us to Corpus Christi from there a helicopter will fly us out to Brownsville."

The food arrived minutes ahead of the FBI agents from nearest field office. They squealed their car to a halt out front and raced into the small building. "Agent Mulder, I'm Special Agent Peter Lockrem, these are Agents Jose Rodriguez and Claude Beaumont," the young bald agent stated, holding out his hand. Mulder put his chopsticks down and shook Lockrem's hand.

Mulder picked up his chopsticks and used them to point out each man as he introduced them. "Shinji Takeda, Rory MacIver, and over there are Officers Johnson and Payne." He then continued eating.

"You'll have to excuse our manners, lad, this is the first real meal we've eaten in eleven days," MacIver groused, dipping a dim sum in sauce then popping it in his mouth.

"No problem, sir. A.D. Skinner briefly filled us in on your situation, he mentioned that there were two other men with you. Are they nearby?" Lockrem asked.

"No, they had a pressing engagement elsewhere," Mulder answered, stealing some of Shinji's Kung Bo chicken. Shinji reached over with his chopsticks and snatched some of Mulder's sesame chicken.

"We'll need a statement from you, Agent Mulder, as soon as you're done eating." Lockrem watched the two immortals, sitting side-by-side playfully stealing each other's food.

"It might be awhile," Mulder replied, opening another cartoon, he pulled out an egg roll and opened a small condiment container of hot mustard sauce. He passed the cartoon to Shinji, who removed an egg roll and past it down to MacIver.

"That's okay, we have all night together. Rodriguez, Beaumont, go stand guard out front." Lockrem took a seat across from the trio, settling in to wait.

4 Hours Later.

The sound of a large helicopter landing filled the nighttime air. Mulder rose quickly from the desk where he sat with Agent Lockrem giving his statement of the events that had happened to him since his kidnaping. He left out several embarrassing and humiliating incidences at the base that he couldn't bring himself to talk about.

He rushed to the door, feeling the presence of both his lovers aboard the helicopter. Mulder waited anxiously, watching the lights from the helicopter illuminate the surrounding area as it gently set down. Skinner and Krycek climbed out, the younger man rushed over throwing himself into Mulder's arms, hugging him tightly.

Skinner held back and allowed his younger brother some time with Mulder first. Krycek was sobbing uncontrollably, holding onto him for dear life. *Fox, I thought I'd lost you forever...can you ever forgive me?* He telepathically communicated, the noise from the helicopter made talking nearly impossible.

*Alex, I don't understand...there's nothing to forgive. Did you get our daughter out safely?* Mulder gently held Krycek's head and kissed away his tears.

Krycek rested his hands on Mulder's hips, realizing that his lover didn't understand how he had failed him. *Fox, I wasn't able to protect you! I let those bastards kidnap you...I couldn't stop Nathan from taking you away from me...I put Faith ahead of you.*

*Alex, Walter couldn't have protected me under those circumstances either, and you better put our daughter first -- I'd be pissed if you didn't. God, I've missed you.* Mulder kissed him deeply. Krycek felt his guilt lift, he was happy for the first time in over six weeks.

*Okay, Alex, quit hogging Fox,* Skinner complained, pulling Mulder into his arms and kissing him passionately. The agent moaned into the kiss, sucking hungrily on Skinner's tongue, he felt lightheaded when the kiss finally ended. Mulder was thankful for the long duster he wore over his tight leather pants, there was no way he would have been able to conceal the hard-on he was sporting.

"So, Mulder, are you going to introduce us? Not that we aren't all enjoying watching you kiss," MacIver shouted over the noise from the helicopter, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Uh...Walter, I'd like you to meet Rory MacIver and Shinji Takeda," Mulder said loudly, wrapping his arm possessively around Skinner's waist then reaching out for Krycek's hand. Skinner glared at the good-looking Scotsman, he knew immediately that the smaller man was a sorcerer. The A.D. had been worried about Mulder's withdrawal symptoms, he had been curious why the agent sounded well on the telephone, when he should have been in great pain. He quickly put two-and-two together. He would talk to his lover in length after he got him safely back to D.C.

Takeda smiled briefly at Skinner then hugged Krycek. "Alex, it's good to see you are well! Mulder was extremely worried about you," the young man exclaimed.

"Shin, I'm glad to see that you are alive and well, too." Krycek returned the hug, looking lovingly over Takeda's shoulder at Mulder.

Skinner walked over to the FBI agents standing outside the border patrol station. He motioned the men inside where they could speak without having to shout over the noise from the helicopter.

"Agent Lockrem, did you get Agent Mulder's statement?" The A.D. asked the smaller man.

"Yes, sir, we were just finishing up when your helicopter landed." Lockrem retrieved the statement from the desk and put it inside a large manila envelope handing it to the Assistant Director.

"Thank you, Agent Lockrem. I'm taking Agent Mulder and Shinji Takeda back to D.C. immediately," Skinner stated as he rolled up the manila envelope. Putting it in the inside pocket of his suit coat, he left the office.

Skinner walked back over to his lover and brother, looking at the young Japanese man appreciatively. "Mr. Takeda, your government is anxious for you to be returned to them. We will escort you back to D.C. and see you safely to the Japanese embassy." Skinner saw the sadness in the young man's eyes.

"Walter, Shin will be returning to Foxfire Glenn Estate with us, he and Rory are going to be our guests for the time being," Mulder informed him.

Skinner knew by the tone of Mulder's voice not to challenge him, sometimes his lover could be extremely stubborn. "Fox, I'm not up to arguing with you right now. Your friends can stay at our home if that is what you want, but Mr. Takeda is going to have to talk to his ambassador tomorrow. Shall we leave?"

Mulder smiled when Skinner took his hand and led him toward the waiting helicopter. The other three men followed close behind. Krycek was in a deep conversation with MacIver, it turned out they had a lot in common.

"Really? Leather pants? Hmm, maybe I won't give Fox the clothes I brought for him," Krycek stated, staring at Mulder's back. He could see the black boots under the long duster the agent was wearing, but he was dying to see the leather outfit underneath.

They climbed on board the large helicopter and it lifted off heading for Corpus Christi where a military plane was waiting to fly them back to D.C. Krycek turned to Mulder. "If we're lucky the party will still be going on when we get back."

"God I hope not! All I want to do is go right to bed...I could sleep for a week!" Mulder exclaimed. Yawning, he cuddled up next to Skinner, resting his head on the larger man's broad shoulder.

"Don't worry, Fox. I'll take you right to bed when we get back, even if the party is still in full swing," Skinner murmured, kissing the top of his head.

"Mm, thanks, Walter," he sighed. Wrapping his arms around the older man's warm body, he fell asleep.

Chapter 10 – Having a Baby

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Friday, April 2
4:00 a.m.

Frohike waited outside the mansion as Skinner's truck pulled up; he yanked the passenger door open and pulled Mulder out hugging him tightly. "I hate it every time you get yourself killed!" he exclaimed.

A small crowd poured out of the mansion, each taking a turn hugging Mulder. Many of the guests that had their sons with them had departed several hours earlier.

Dana Scully held back anxiously until most of the men headed back inside. "Mulder..." she broke down crying in his arms.

"Ssh, Scully, it's all right," the agent murmured, holding her and stroking her hair.

"I'm just so happy...I thought I'd lost you forever," she sniffed, stepping back and looking him over. "Mulder, what the hell do you have on?"

He hadn't had a chance to change into the clothes Krycek had brought for him. Ignoring her question he introduced his friends to her. "Shinji Takeda, Rory MacIver, this is Dana Scully."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Scully replied.

"Mulder's told us a lot about you, Dana, it's certainly a pleasure to finally meet you," the Scotsman beamed, kissing her hand.

Skinner had waited patiently for everyone to greet his lover. He knew Mulder was exhausted and he wanted to get him inside, bathed, and into bed. Krycek also stood by waiting; he wasn't going to let their lover out of his sight anytime soon.

Yori came out and walked up to Mulder embracing him, he kissed him on each cheek, realizing the tired agent was barely able to stand. He turned to the A.D. and his brother. "Walter, Alex, I'll say your good-byes to your guests for you...I think you should put Mulder to bed."

Mulder glared briefly at the large Russian, insulted. Yori's comment made it sound like he was a child incapable of getting to bed himself, instead of a man who had just trekked across Mexico. He took a deep breath, and let it go by, he was just too exhausted to make an issue over it tonight.

"Thanks, Yori. Could you show Mulder's friends to the guestroom, they look like they could use a goodnights sleep, too," Skinner instructed. He had been upset at having the Scotsman under his roof at first, but observing him during the trip back, he realized the smaller man was extremely attentive of Shinji Takeda, not Mulder. He still wanted to talk with MacIver in private about his relationship with Mulder, but he was no longer jealous.

"Goodnight, Mulder," Scully said, as Kimberly, Tony, her brothers, and nephews came out of the mansion. Kimberly and Tony were putting them up in their guestrooms for the night.

"Night, Scully," Mulder murmured sleepily as Skinner led him into the house.

The A.D. didn't question his brother as Krycek followed them into his and Mulder's bedroom. He could share Mulder for one night with him, besides, he doubted their lover was up to anything more than sleeping.

"Alex, I'll run a bath for Fox, you can start stripping that obscene outfit off him," the A.D. shook his head after getting a glimpse of the skin tight leather clothing under the duster.

"I'm quite capable of undressing and bathing myself," Mulder complained tiredly as Krycek tossed the duster over a chair and started undoing the buttons on his vest and pants. He was still stinging from Yori's comment a few minutes ago.

"We're aware that you are, but we want to do this for you...just humor us, okay?" Krycek pushed Mulder down onto the bed so he could wrestle the boots off his feet, then he peeled the pants off.

"C'mon, lover, let's wash that trail dirt off you." Krycek led his naked lover into the bathroom.

Skinner had stripped to his waist and knelt by the tub with a bar of soap and a washcloth. Mulder stepped into the warm soapy water and sat, leaning back against the side of the tub, he submerged himself to his neck. The A.D. soaped the washcloth and started gently washing him. Mulder felt uncomfortable at being touched, but he tried to control his uneasiness for his lovers' sake.

Krycek walked back into the bedroom and retrieved the soiled garments, he threw them into the hamper in the bathroom. They would decide later what to do with them. He put the boots in the walk-in closet, then went back into the bedroom and turned down the blankets on the king-sized bed.

He strolled back into the bathroom and waited impatiently for his brother to finish bathing their lover. Skinner shampooed the agent's hair and used the hand-held sprayer to rinse the soap from it. He reached down and pulled the drain, Mulder sighed, not wanting to leave the warm water. Krycek held up a thick, plush, bath sheet and wrapped it around the agent's body as he stepped out.

Mulder stood there nervously, finding the attention distressful. He was still suffering emotionally from the violent treatment he had received at the hands of the Consortium doctors. He knew deep down that his lovers would never harm him, but he felt himself shrinking back from their touches.

"Okay, Fox, let's get you to bed," Krycek said, leading the agent back to the bedroom.

"Alex, if you don't mind, I would like to put on my boxers and sweats!" Mulder snapped. Pulling away, he headed into the closet and quickly pulled on his underwear, sweatpants and a T-shirt. He felt a little more secure with the clothing shielding his body.

Krycek was hurt by Mulder's angry tone; he didn't know what he had done to set the agent off. He glanced at Skinner who also looked concerned over their lover's abrasive behavior.

"Fox, would you like to talk about what's bothering you?" Skinner asked softly.

"Walter, I just need a little space. I'm sorry I snapped at you, Alex, it's not your fault," Mulder apologized. Exhausted he headed into the bedroom and climbed under the covers, falling to sleep the minute his head hit the pillow.

"C'mon, Alex, let's join him. We both could use a good nights sleep, too." They both stripped down to their underwear and Skinner climbed in on his side of the king-sized bed, pulling Mulder into the center so his half-brother could slide in on the other side.

"Walter, is he going to be okay?" Krycek asked stroking Mulder's back, the agent didn't even stir.

"We'll need to give him time, he's been through a lot."

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Friday, April 2
1:00 p.m.

Skinner walked into the kitchen, he had been up for hours -- he never could sleep once the sun was up. He had spent most of the morning helping Yori clean up from the party that ended once they had returned with Mulder. The Russian was preparing their houseguest something to eat, MacIver sat at the counter reading the newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee, looking totally at home.

"Good afternoon, Mr. MacIver," Skinner said solemnly.

"Please, call me Rory. Let's dispense with formality, after all, we're going to be living together for a while," the smaller man grinned cheerfully.

"Okay. Just how long are you planning on staying with us, Rory?"

"Just until I can find myself suitable employment and a secure place to live with Shinji. I can't be too careful where his safety is concerned."

"I can understand that, you must have become very close on your trek through Mexico." Skinner tried to keep from sounding like he was interrogating the man.

"Walter, why don't you just come out and ask me. You want to know if I had sex with Mulder?"

"Did you?"

"Yes, he never would have made it if I hadn't. I care about Mulder a great deal, but I'm in love with Shinji. I have absolutely no intentions of touching Mulder again, he already made it clear his heart belonged to you and Alex, and that I didn't stand a chance with him."

"Rory, what happened to him at the base?"

"I don't know the details. All I know is that Mulder and Shinji were degraded, humiliated, and sexually assaulted. They're both emotionally wounded, it will take them some time to get over it," MacIver said seriously.

"Mulder didn't mention anything that may have happened to him?"

"No," he replied sadly, then switched the subject. "Is there a chance I could get a lift into town? I need to purchase some new clothing for Shinji and myself."

"Sure, I'll ask Alex to take you."

"Oh, by the way. Shinji doesn't want to go to the Japanese embassy, he said if the ambassador wanted to see him, he'd have to come here," MacIver stated, folding the newspaper and picking up the sandwich Yori had just placed in front of him. "Thanks, Yori."

"You're welcome, Rory, is there anything else you need?"

"No this is fine," he smiled. He just realized how sweet of an arrangement moving in here was; it might take longer for him to find that suitable job than he originally planned.

"The ambassador isn't going to like that, are you sure you couldn't talk Shinji into going?" Skinner asked.

"Walter, it's like I was telling you, Shin doesn't feel comfortable around strangers or government officials right now. He wouldn't even go to see your President at the White House if he was invited."

"Okay, I'll call his embassy and explain the situation to them...they are just going to have to live with it."

Krycek lay awake in the sunlit bedroom, staring lovingly at Mulder who was sleeping next to him. He was extremely happy; he had the man he loved more than anything on earth back sleeping next to him. His hand caressed the agent's face, slowly waking him. Mulder peered at him through heavily lidded eyes.

"You're awake," Krycek murmured.

"Yeah," Mulder felt extremely disoriented, he wondered what Krycek was doing in his and Skinner's bed. "Where's Walter?"

"He got up hours ago. It's just you and me, lover," Krycek purred. Rising on one elbow, he bent down and brushed his lips over Mulder's.

Mulder jerked away. "Alex, please...I don't want to have sex...I need some time to myself...please...don't touch me," the agent stammered, moving farther away from Krycek's warm body.

"Sure, Fox...I would never harm you. Can we talk about what's bothering you?" Krycek tried to keep his voice even and the hurt from his eyes, but he was unsuccessful. Mulder shrinking away from him in fear was just too much.

"Alex, I'm sorry...I just need some space...I have some things I need to work out on my own." Mulder sighed, getting out of bed, he avoided looking into Krycek's hurt filled eyes.

Krycek sighed, getting out of bed himself, he pulled on his clothes from last night and left the bedroom. He went up to his own bedroom to shower and change. Determined to give Mulder the space and time he asked for, no matter how much it broke his own heart.

One Month Later
Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, May 1
3:00 a.m.

The bed creaked loudly under the weight of the two men locked passionately together. Skinner slammed hard into his beautiful lover's body, again, and again, making up for nearly a month of celibacy. The only time Mulder had allowed either him or Krycek to have sex with him was when his withdrawal pains hit. Mulder had even moved into one of the guest bedrooms, much to their protests.

Skinner and Krycek tried to be considerate of Mulder's feelings, allowing their lover time to overcome the deep emotional wounds caused from being held prisoner by Consortium. However, a month was an awfully long time to go without the warmth and comfort of Mulder's body. To make matters worse the more space they had allowed him the farther withdrawn he became he even started to avoid any contact with them.

Therefore, they developed a plan to force their lover to deal openly with his feelings. They arranged their time so one of them was always with Mulder. They didn't force themselves aggressively on him, instead they made small romantic gestures, holding his hand while out for a walk together, snuggling on the sofa while watching television, kisses on the cheek, simple hugs.

Their efforts finally paid off big time. Mulder showed up in the A.D.'s bedroom last night, slowly undressed, and crawled underneath the covers nestling next Skinner's muscular body. The agent rested his head on the larger man's shoulder and slowly told the older man everything that had happened to him at the base. Being rape by the doctors and Slava's revenge against them, his mental withdrawal into a secret area of his mind, and being comforted by the large Cossack. Mulder was crying and trembling when he got through with his story, Skinner held him gently kissing his forehead.

"Walter, I want you to make love to me like you use to," Mulder murmured, clinging to him.

"Fox, are you sure?"

"Yes."

Now here they were four hours later and still going at it hard. Mulder had not appreciated Skinner's kid glove approach at first, and took over, forcing the older man to lose control. The agent felt Skinner's teeth bite into his shoulder as the larger man stifled a cry and for the third time, shot his hot release into his body.

They both collapsed exhausted onto the bed; the A.D. withdrew his softening penis, pulling Mulder's back against his chest. He ran his hand over his lover's smooth chest and belly, smearing the sticky semen over the agent's body.

"Fox, you know how much I love you, don't you?" He murmured licking the side of Mulder's throat.

"Yes, as much as I love you. I'm sorry I've been such a pain in the ass the past month," he murmured, grasping Skinner's hand he brought it up to his mouth and sucked each of his fingers, licking the milky semen from them.

Skinner sighed with contentment, "Fox, I want us to make our commitment to each other legal."

Mulder turned around in Skinner's arms and looked into his warm, cocoa brown eyes. "Walter, did you just ask me to marry you?"

"Yes, I have a ring...I was going to ask you New Years Eve, but the whole situation with Slava and Alex sort of threw it out the window. Fox, would you marry me?" Skinner held him tighter, looking pleadingly into his ever-changing hazel eyes, which currently shone a brilliant green.

"Yes," Mulder answered simply.

Skinner beamed happily and captured his mouth in a deeply possessive kiss. This was the happiest day of his life, Mulder agreeing to marry him and their daughter was going to be born today.

There was a brief look of anxiety in Mulder's eyes. "Fox, what's wrong?"

"Alex...it might not be fair to him," he sighed.

"If Alex wants to marry you he can ask you himself. Fox, the Congress has written several new laws dealing with today's society, bigamy is no longer a crime."

Mulder smiled brightly at him. "Does Alex know?"

"Well, I did ask his opinion on the matter," Skinner murmured.

"Then it was all right with him?"

"Well...let's just say he wasn't opposed to the idea."

"So marriage wasn't a scary concept to him?"

"No, he seemed to like the idea, a lot."

"Oh...Ooh," Mulder caught on suddenly to what Skinner had left unsaid. "Does this mean I'll be going on two honeymoons in the near future?"

"I'm not saying anything. C'mon, let's take a shower, then get some sleep, we need to be at the clinic by noon." Skinner couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice.

"We'd better, it'll probably be the last good nights sleep either of us will have for the next two years," Mulder grumbled.

"Fox, it won't be that bad...we'll take turns getting up." Skinner turned on the shower.

"Walter, the kitchen is over a hundred feet from our bedroom," Mulder complained, stepping under the spray.

"The exercise will do you good. Besides, I plan on setting up a schedule. Once we're organized, it should be a piece of cake." Skinner ran a soapy washcloth over Mulder's chest and belly.

Mulder's smoothed his hands down Skinner's torso, stopping at his groin. "I read that book you have on taking care of an infant, it said they require eight to twelve diaper changes a day." The agent leaned in and nipped Skinner's nipple, receiving a moan from the older man. "I know I promised to share the responsibility fifty-fifty, but I didn't have all of the facts at the time, I'd like to renegotiate our agreement."

Skinner chuckled, "Dream on, Fox."

"C'mon, Walter, this really isn't fair...when Faith is born, I'll be changing fifty percent of her diapers, too," he whined.

Skinner couldn't help himself from laughing. He was laughing so hard tears were rolling down his cheeks. "It ...it was...your idea to h...have...two lovers...live with it!" he guffawed.

"I really don't see anything funny about it," Mulder pouted, stepping out of the shower.

Skinner rushed out after him, grabbing his arm he swung the agent around pulling their damp bodies together. "Fox, you're not joking.... this really is bothering you?"

"Walter, it's not really about changing diapers. I reluctantly agreed to have Hope with you, but Faith was unplanned. Having two babies is scaring me to death." Mulder rested his head on Skinner's shoulder.

"You're not raising them alone, Alex and me will be there for both our daughters and you." Skinner grabbed a towel and started drying Mulder and himself.

"I can't help but get a queasy feeling in my stomach just thinking about them. Our lives are going to be completely changed; we're not going to have the freedom to just up and leave when we want. Well, I don't have that freedom anymore, but you and Alex do, what's to stop you from leaving me stuck at home with the two crying babies, while the two of you go out on the town together!" Mulder complained as Skinner pushed him toward the bed.

"Fox, you're acting paranoid. Alex and I aren't going to start painting the town together and leave you stuck at home with the children. Get your butt back in bed, we'll talk about this in the morning," Skinner groused.

"I want it in the prenuptial agreement," Mulder quipped, snuggling up to Skinner's warm body breathing in his freshly showered scent.

"Go to sleep, Fox," Skinner murmured, kissing him, then immediately drifting off to sleep.

Mulder glanced up at his peaceful sleeping face, sighing, he wasn't looking forward to Hope's birth. He didn't understand why his lovers wanted to have children so badly.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, May 1
9:30 a.m.

Mulder was downstairs swimming laps in the indoor pool. He hadn't been able to fall to sleep; he was too wound up. The agent rested against the side of the pool, breathing heavily. He looked up when the elevator doors open. He smiled at Shinji as he stepped out wearing swim trunks and carrying a towel.

"Hi, Mulder, mind if I join you?"

"No, where's Rory?"

"Still sleeping, I think I wore him out last night," the young man smirked.

Mulder laughed, it was obvious who the dominant one was in his friend's relationship. "Shin, you've had him worn out for the past month. Maybe you should consider taking on a second lover...isn't your government sending over some likely candidates for you to choose from?" he joked as Shinji dove into the pool surfacing next to him.

"Yes, they're sending over five sorcerers." Takeda made a face at the thought.

"If it bothers you, why don't you just tell your government to take a hike?"

"Mulder, I have a responsibility for the future of my country. I can't just turn my back on them," he sighed, leaning up against the side of the pool. "The Japanese government doesn't have the technology that the U.S. government has for procreation, so they are going to work with Doctors Harris, Pendrell, and Jackson. At least that allows me to remain in this country with Rory."

"So, you're really going to go through with it? What does Rory say?" Mulder stared into the younger man's troubled eyes.

"Yes I'm going through with it, but it's only for the one time. Rory isn't at all happy about it, he wants me to tell them to shove it...he's so cute when he gets all protective of me," Shinji grinned.

The elevator went back up to the third floor and returned a minute later with MacIver. "Well if it's not my favorite men, I really don't see why either of you bother wearing swim trunks," he stated as he canon balled into the deep end, splashing both men.

"So what are you two discussing?" he grinned, swimming over to them.

"Shin was asking my advice on aphrodisiacs, I'm afraid I wasn't much help, since neither of my lovers have a problem in that area," Mulder replied straight face.

Shinji started laughing, he laughed even harder at the look of embarrassment on his Scottish lover's face. He turned to MacIver and kissed him. "Mulder's just joking with you, Rory."

MacIver recovered quickly from his embarrassment. "I knew that. So, Mulder, today's the big day."

"Don't remind me," Mulder grumbled climbing out of the pool.

"You don't sound excited about becoming a father." MacIver looked up at him.

"Would you be?" the agent asked picking up his towel.

"Well, yeah, someone to carry on your name and bloodline after you're dead...it's a form of immortality...oh sorry, I forgot . .. . you and Shinji don't have to worry about that." The Scotsman shrugged his shoulders sadly.

Mulder knelt down and looked him in the eye. "Rory, neither do you." He smiled at the questioning look that the Scottish sorcerer threw him.

"Mulder, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Ask Alex to explain it to you," Mulder smirked heading for the elevator, he hoped that Skinner was up; he was starving.

Mulder strolled into his and Skinner's bedroom his lover was no longer in his bed. He heard creaking coming from the nursery, stepping into the small room he found the older man sitting in a rocking chair staring dreamily out the bay window. His lover was already dressed in an elegant suit and tie. Mulder glanced around the room; the swan cradle was in front of the bay window, and a crib was in the center of the room with a mobile hanging over it. A small changing table stood against one wall with a covered wastebasket next to it, and a small dresser was next to the door, he knew it was already full of clothing for their daughter.

"Walter, I'm going to grab a quick shower, how about you fix us breakfast then we can head to the Procreation Center?" He kissed the older man's cheek, receiving a slow grin from him.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea," Skinner murmured not making an attempt at getting out of the chair he was still looking out the window.

Mulder left him sitting there, heading into their bathroom. He stripped off the wet swimsuit and laid it over the bathtub to dry. The agent stepped into the shower and shampooed the chlorine from his hair. When he finished with his shower, he dried himself, then stepped into the large closet. He picked out his nicest suit, knowing that this event was going to garner a lot of press coverage.

He hung it on the back of the door while he shaved and dried his hair. He felt a little rebellious so instead of his boxers, he pulled on the black thong Slava had given him. He put on his conservative suit and tie, liking the feel of it underneath.

Skinner was still sitting in the rocking chair. Mulder knelt down next to him. "Walter, c'mon let's go, it's too late for you to make me breakfast now, and we have to be at the clinic by noon."

Skinner smiled at Mulder as he helped him to his feet. "Fox, would you mind driving?" he murmured.

"Walter, you're shaking like a leaf. Did you remember to put the infant seat in the truck?" He guided the older man out of their bedroom.

Krycek and Yori were waiting for them in the foyer; they were accompanying them to the clinic. Mulder tossed the car keys to Krycek and the young man snickered. The A.D. never let anyone drive his precious truck. "Nerves a little frayed, brother dearest?" Krycek asked Skinner.

"Shut up, Alex, just get us to the clinic in one piece," Skinner growled.

Mulder looked at the younger man, kissing him on the lips. "Alex, it's not a good time for joking, I don't want Walter to have a nervous breakdown and leave me all alone with the kid," he whispered loud enough for Skinner to hear.

"Fox, shut up and get in the damn truck," the older man ordered, temporarily getting over his bout of nervousness. Skinner and Mulder climbed in the back seat with Hope's car seat between them. Yori sat up front next to Krycek.

Skinner reached over the car seat and took Mulder's hand smiling as Krycek steered the car onto the main road heading for the clinic.

Procreation Center
Saturday, May 1
1:00 p.m.

Mulder sat flipping through a magazine in the waiting room, glancing up occasionally at Skinner who was pacing back and forth. Yori and Krycek had gone to the cafeteria for lunch thirty-five minutes ago after Doctor Harris had explained the process for removing the baby from the growth cylinder. He said once she was functioning on her own, she would be cleaned. Then have some tests performed on her. The whole process would take about an hour and they weren't allowed in the lab at all, which suited Mulder just fine.

The door opened and Krycek and Yori strolled back in. "Here, Fox." Krycek handed him a sandwich and an ice tea.

"Thanks, Alex."

"How, much longer?"

"About twenty minutes," Mulder replied, taking a large bite from the sandwich. Skinner had refused their offer to bring something back for him.

The three men sat waiting, watching the A.D. pace nervously. Mulder finished the sandwich and ice tea throwing the trash in the proper containers. Thirty minutes later the door opened, Doctor Pendrell walked in with their daughter wrapped in a soft pink blanket Harris followed him in.

"Mr. Skinner, she's perfect," Pendrell told him as he handed the baby over to her father.

Skinner beamed as he held his infant daughter in his arms for the first time, he smiled lovingly down at her tiny face she had thin black hair.

"Walter, she really is a beautiful baby," Doctor Harris said as all the other men gathered around him for a closer look, with the exception of Mulder who stayed back.

Krycek pushed back the blanket and placed his finger into Hope's small hand, watching as the infant clutched it. "She has a strong grip, she must get it from our side of the family," he smiled at his brother, who beamed proudly. The younger man looked around for their lover. "Fox, why are you standing all the way over there? Come over here and see your daughter," Krycek admonished.

Mulder nervously stepped forward and stared down at his child. He chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip, before cautiously reaching his hand out to touch her.

"Fox, would you like to hold her?" Skinner offered.

"No...that's all right...you keep her."

Skinner gave his lover a speculative look he would get Mulder to hold her when they got home, no use forcing the issue here.

"The press photographer is waiting in the lobby, Walter," Doctor Harris informed him.

"C'mon, Fox, we might as well get the photos out of the way, then we can take Hope and go home," he murmured softly, comfortably holding Hope cradled in one arm, he put his other hand on his lover's back and guided him over to the doorway.

"Walter, while you and Fox are having your pictures taken, I'll be checking on Faith," Krycek said, heading off toward the lab.

"Wait up, Alexei, I'll join you." The Russian hurried out of the room after him.

Mulder sighed, following Skinner down the hallway to where the news photographer had set up his equipment for the photo shoot. The A.D. had refused to allow more than one photographer because of concerns for his daughter's safety.

The man posed them in a number of positions, Mulder's temper flared once when the man wanted a shot of him sitting submissively on Skinner's lap with his arms around the A.D.'s muscular body and his head resting on Skinner's shoulder. Hope was to be no where in the shot. The photographer wanted a romantic photo for the cover of the magazine. Skinner glared at the man and told him no way would his lover be posed in an inferior position to himself.

The photo shoot finally ended after over thirty shots. Krycek and Yori were standing in the doorway watching with amusement. Hope had behaved perfectly throughout it, well she had slept during the entire thing.

"Are we ready to leave, yet?" Krycek asked as Skinner and Mulder strolled up to him.

"More than ready," Mulder sighed, hugging the younger man and sharing a brief kiss. "How's Faith doing?"

"She's doing really well, just five more weeks to go." Krycek hooked his arm around Mulder's waist. He glanced back at his brother who had Hope nestled possessively in his muscular arms. "They'll be almost as close as twins growing up," he said as they walked out the back door toward the truck.

Skinner smiled, "Thank god. I was concern when Hope was first conceived that there wouldn't be another little girl around she could play with. I couldn't have prayed for a more perfect solution than Faith...she really is a blessing."

Doctor Pendrell ran out of the building before their truck could leave, handing Skinner a baby bottle through the rolled down window. "You should feed her every two to three hours, don't worry about a schedule she'll let you know when she's hungry."

"Thanks, Doctor," Skinner said, gratefully accepting the bottle. He gently placed the nipple against Hope's lips; the baby opened her tiny mouth and started sucking on the bottle.

"Take care, I'll see you in a couple of weeks for her first checkup." Pendrell waved and watched as the truck eased it's way out of the lot.

The FBI had the parking lot cordoned off, keeping the reporters at least a hundred feet away. They received a police escort out of D.C. until they were halfway home. They finally pulled through their front gate and parked the truck. Tony and Kim rushed over, Tony had been transplanting perennials and pulled off his leather gloves stuffing them into his back pocket.

Skinner handed Hope out of the truck into Kim's waiting hands. "Walter, she's gorgeous," Kim cooed, breathing the wonder baby scent, Hope squinted her small eyes and stared at the new person holding her.

Shinji met them at the door, he looked at the new member of the household. Kim passed the baby to him; he cradled her murmuring softly in Japanese. Hope yawned, closing her eyes, she fell back to sleep. Skinner reached over and retrieved his daughter. Walking into the family room, he placed her into a bassinet he had set up. "There you go, angel, daddy will be right here if you need anything," Skinner murmured quietly to his sleeping infant.

"Rory and I are making dinner, I hope you are hungry," Shinji informed them.

"Shin, you and Rory don't know how to cook." Mulder looked at him worriedly.

"Mulder, we are quite capable of cooking hot dogs, baked beans, and potato chips," Rory grumbled when Mulder stepped into the kitchen. The Scottish Sorcerer was teleporting small dishes of diced onion, tomatoes, and relish to the lazy Susan on the round breakfast table. There were already hot dog buns and potato chips on the table.

"Sorry, do you need any help?" Mulder offered.

"No, just sit your butt down at the table and dig in," MacIver replied as he emptied the baked beans into a serving bowl and carried it and the platter of hot dogs over to the table.

Mulder sat and Krycek joined him, they filled their plates. Yori walked over, looking regrettably at the food. "I'm meeting Lev for dinner in two hours. I'd better get ready, it's over an hour drive to his restaurant," the Russian stated.

"You've been seeing a lot of Lev lately, are you two getting serious?" Mulder asked, taking a bite of his dog.

"Yes and no. Mulder, when you have some time I'd like to ask your advice on a personal matter," Yori requested, looking imploringly at the agent.

"Sure, anytime, Yori."

"Thank you, Mulder, you're a good friend," he replied, leaving the kitchen.

Skinner and Kimberly were still watching Hope as she slept in her bassinet. Tony, Shinji, and Rory sat at the round table and helped themselves to dinner. Mulder glanced over at Krycek, who was shoveling beans into his mouth. The agent held his hotdog in one hand and reached under the table with the other, trailing his hand up Krycek's leg coming to rest on the younger man's groin, he squeezed him through the fabric.

Krycek dropped his fork looking over at Mulder who continued eating his hotdog as if nothing was happening. *You're driving me crazy, I hope you have something in mind?* Krycek silently pleaded.

*Dessert, there's a can of whip cream in the refrigerator, do you know what I want to do with it?* Mulder opened his thoughts up briefly so Krycek could see what he had in mind.

Tony and Rory had both taken a sip of beer when they inadvertently intercepted the image Mulder sent to Krycek, they both spit out the beer choking. When MacIver recovered enough to speak he looked at Mulder. "Please tell me that's not the only can of whip cream in the refrigerator," he begged, glancing over at Shinji.

Krycek broke down laughing hysterically at the look on his lover's face after he realized that everyone at the table except Shinji had just read his thoughts.

"Ah, no, there are three cans, I was planning on making banana splits for dessert tomorrow night," Mulder answered sheepishly.

"Mulder, I'll pick up more cans of whip cream at the store tomorrow . .. . but can I borrow one of them?" Tony asked, staring across the kitchen and into the family room at his girlfriend.

"Sure, Tony, help yourself."

Krycek quickly finished the rest of his meal, grabbing his and Mulder's plates. "Hey! I wasn't finished eating, yet," the agent grumbled.

"Yes you were," Krycek snapped, rinsing off the plates and putting them into the dishwasher. He opened the refrigerator and removed the can of whip cream, going back to the table he pulled Mulder to his feet, just as Skinner and Kim were sitting down to eat.

"What's going on, Alex?" Skinner asked.

"Dessert," Krycek smirked, pushing Mulder ahead of him toward the back staircase. He was extremely horny a month of not having passionate sex with Mulder had left him desperate.

They made it to their bedroom, Krycek tossed the can of whip cream on the bed and both men peeled off their clothing, kissing and groping their way into the bathroom for a quick and thorough shower.

They stumbled out of the bathroom lips locked tightly together, and blindly made their way to the bed, collapsing on it. They wrestled for the dominant position, Krycek allowed Mulder to win. The agent straddled the younger man's body, his thighs resting on each side of Krycek's waist. Mulder felt his lover's cock slip between his buttocks. He smiled down at him. Krycek reached up with his hands caressing Mulder from his waist to his hips.

Mulder leaned back, forcing more of younger man's cock in between his buttocks, he picked up the can of whip cream shaking it. Krycek groaned and squirmed underneath him, wiggling his hips, rubbing his cock up and down between Mulder's ass cheeks. The agent pulled away and crawled up his lover's body and brought the can to Krycek's mouth. "Open up." When his lover complied, he squirted some of the whip cream into his mouth, immediately clamped his mouth over Krycek's and swirled his tongue around tasting sweetness and his lover's unique flavor. He deepened the kiss, the younger man held him in a tight embrace as he reluctantly pulled back to breathe.

Crawling down his lover's body, Mulder squirted a dollop over each of Krycek's nipples -- the younger man squirmed as cold cream touched his hot flesh. The agent leaned forward and sucked the whip cream off his lover, scraping his teeth over the younger man's nipples until they stood pebble hard and Krycek was moaning and writhing.

Mulder squirted a trailed down to Krycek's groin, following it with his mouth. He then decorated his lover's long, thick cock, peering up at him. "We really should have brought cherries," Mulder murmured admiring his handy work.

Mulder started licking it off as if he were licking a Popsicle, he brought his whole mouth over Krycek's cock and sucked it in to the base, relaxing his throat muscles to accommodate the younger man's width and length. Krycek gasped as he felt Mulder's throat muscles squeezed his cock, the triple agent grabbed the older man's head and slowly fucked his mouth. Mulder fondled his lover's balls when he felt them creeping up he sucked harder, swallowing the semen as it spurted from his lover's body. When Krycek's penis softened, he allowed it to slip from his mouth, the younger man's body was limp and he was breathing hard.

Mulder patted him on the hip. "Roll over on your stomach," he murmured. Grabbing a couple of pillows, he placed them under Krycek's stomach elevating his hips. Smoothing his hands down Krycek's back, he brought his thumbs between the cleft of the younger man's ass. Mulder pulled his cheeks apart and licked down the crack and over Krycek's anus.

"Oh god, Fox," Krycek moaned pushing his hips back.

Mulder, with a lustful look on his face, picked up the can of whip cream and inserted the nozzle into the younger man's anus and squeezed the trigger.

"Fuck! God! That feels so weird!" Krycek bucked his hips groaned at the sensation of cool liquid filling his rectum.

Mulder pulled the can free, watching as the cream leaked out of Krycek's body. He lowered his mouth and placed it over the younger man's anus, pushing his tongue in. The agent tasted the sweetness of the cream mixed with his lover's earthy flavor, he felt his cock harden over the sensations of tasting, smelling, and feeling Krycek's sphincter muscle clenching his tongue. He held the younger man's hips steady as he pushed in and out of him with his tongue.

"God, Fox, stop! I'm going to come again!"

Mulder was greatly satisfied when he felt the sphincter muscle spasm around his tongue. After Krycek's body relaxed, he pulled his mouth free and put his cock against Krycek's anus. Pushing in, he found no resistance and easily sunk all the way into his lover's beautiful body.

"Shall we try for three times, lover," Mulder whispered huskily into Krycek's ear as he held him pressed tightly against his chest. He sucked the side of Krycek's throat leaving a red hickey. He reached under the younger man's hips he stroked his limp penis, making it jump in his hand. He pulled his cock out, feeling the squishy sensation of the whip cream in his lover's rectum as he pushed back in. He stroked Krycek's cock as he pumped in and out of his tight, hot passage.

"Alex!" Mulder moaned and dug his fingers into the younger man's sides as his muscles clenched up and his orgasm hit, his release poured out of him.

Mulder collapsed on top of Krycek, breathing hard, he gently eased out and rolled off his lover. "Alex, have I told you recently how much I love you?" he murmured quietly, wrapping his arms around the younger man, leaning over to kiss him.

"No...you've been rather distant the past month." Krycek grinned against the agent's mouth, smoothing his hand down Mulder's back. He pulled the pillows free and tossed them up to the head of the bed.

"I love you, Alex." Mulder grinned back, yawning as exhaustion started to overtake him. "And, I'm sorry that I was a total prick the past month. I do plan on making it up to you."

"Just having you with me already has. I love you, Fox." He held Mulder as his lover fell asleep in his arms. Then rearranging their bodies so they both were laying on their sides, Krycek snuggled closer. Wrapping his arms around Mulder's body, he fell asleep, too.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, May 1
10:30 p.m.

Skinner rocked his baby daughter while feeding her a bottle, humming softly to her. Hope peered up at him through thick eyelashes as she suckled; she already recognized his scent. When she finished drinking, he place a cloth over his shoulder and positioned her so her tiny head rested on the cloth, he gently rubbed her back until she burped, spitting up a little of the formula. He checked her diaper before tucking her into the crib. Shutting off the light, he walked into his bedroom.

He wondered where Mulder was, he was supposed to help him with their daughter the first month. Shaking his head in disgust at his lover's behavior, he climbed into bed. Before he could fall asleep, Hope started crying from the next room.

Mulder sat nervously in the family room; he couldn't bring himself to go into his and Skinner's bedroom. After he had woken up next to Krycek in their darkened bedroom, he realized how late it was and started to head for Skinner's bedroom, but only made it this far. He got cold feet; he didn't know why he was so frightened of their daughter.

The cushion on the sofa depressed next him and the scent of Lily of the Valley filled the room. "Aleksandra?"

"Now, precious, haven't I asked you to call me mom?" The whispery form of Aleksandra appeared next to him.

"Sorry, mom, why are you here?"

"Fox, don't close your heart on your child, she needs you."

"What if I lose her, how would I deal with the pain?"

"Fox, shame on you, think of your daughter...her needs come first! Now go and help my son with my granddaughter!"

Mulder looked down embarrassed, he didn't realize how selfish he was being. Being scolded by your dead and future mother-in-law didn't help matters any. "Sorry, mom," he replied sheepishly, getting off the sofa.

As Mulder neared his bedroom, he heard the baby crying. Opening the door, he peered in and saw Skinner pacing with the baby trying desperately to get her to stop crying.

Skinner glared at Mulder as he walked into the room. The A.D. was dying to yell at his lover for being so inconsiderate. "Where have you been?" he snarled softly not wanting to upset the crying baby further.

"I was with Alex...I ah overslept...I meant to get down here earlier. I'm sorry, Walter. What's wrong with her?" he stammered.

"I don't know...she's not hungry or wet...she just won't stop crying. Fox, you hold her...I'll go check the book," Skinner exclaimed, easing the baby into his lover's arms. Hope stopped crying immediately, looking up at her other father for the first time. She had smelled Mulder's comforting scent that lingered in the room, and wanted him to hold her.

"She stopped," Skinner whispered.

"Why?" Mulder stared down at the tiny face, he touched her small hands and she clenched his finger pulling it toward her mouth.

"I think she wanted you. Fox, sit down on the bed, we need to talk." Skinner left the room and came back with a velvet box.

"I had these made for us last year." Skinner opened the box revealing two identical silver wedding bands. "I would like us to set a date," he said, handing his lover the box, allowing him to examine the rings.

"Did you have a particular day in mind?" he asked, shifting his daughter so he could look at the rings.

"Ah, next Saturday, the cherry trees are blooming and all the spring bulbs are in full color, it's the perfect time. We could be married in the gazebo out back and my cousin Lev has already volunteered to cater it," Skinner stated quickly.

"Hm, what about a cake?" Mulder inquired, somewhat relieved realizing it would be too late to invite too many people. He really didn't want a large formal wedding. Just a few friends and Skinner's family was fine by him.

"The cake has already been taken care of ...Alex helped me send out the invitations two weeks ago," he replied sheepishly.

"Walter, you must have been pretty sure I'd say yes. What if I hadn't?"

"My uncle and cousins would have made you...ever hear of a shotgun wedding?"

"Walter, your family are Russian immigrants not hillbillies," Mulder snorted. Hope kicked her feet, sucking on Mulder's fingertip.

"Well, you said yes, so it's not debatable." Skinner leaned over and kissed him then stroked their daughter's cheek. "Do you think we can get her to bed?" he asked as he saw her yawning and closing her eyes.

"Yeah, after I change her diaper...she feels wet." Mulder stood up carefully and carried her into the nursery, placing the infant on the changing table. He removed the wet diaper and setting it aside, he pulled a wet-wipe from the container and gently cleaned her, then powder her bottom and put a new diaper on her. Mulder placed her in the crib, tucking a blanket around her, he leaned down and kissed her goodnight.

Skinner stood in the doorway watching smiling softly, his concerns about his lover's hesitation to touch their daughter were evaporating. He watched as Mulder opened the covered wastebasket and tossed the soiled diaper in.

"That wasn't too disgusting," Mulder whispered quietly to Skinner, turning off the light and walking out of the nursery. He headed for the bathroom with the older man following him. Skinner leaned up against the sink as Mulder washed his hands and removed his clothes, throwing them into the dirty clothes hamper.

"I'm happy to see you've gotten over your fear of getting too close to our daughter." Skinner reached out and stroked a thumb over Mulder's cheek and down to his lips.

"Your mother scolded me, she told me how selfish I was being," Mulder said, wrapping his arms around Skinner's waist.

"She was here?"

"Yeah, she did say she'd look out for our children. Well, if we're going to be haunted at least it's your mom and not mine," he sighed, resting his head on the A.D.'s shoulder.

"Fox, you loved your mother...how can you say that?"

"Walter, she lied to me all of my life. Mom couldn't even tell me the truth about my real father or Samantha. She knew what it was doing to me, but she kept quiet...damn her!"

Skinner held his lover tighter. "Fox, you can't doubt that your mother loved you."

"Yes...I can. Walter, for the first time in my life I feel loved and wanted, thank you," Mulder sighed.

"Well, you seem to have my mother's love, do you suppose she would ever consider talking to me?"

"Maybe if you didn't behave yourself so well, she'd show up to scold you, too. It must be tough being so perfect," Mulder muttered, climbing into bed.

"Hey, look who's talking," Skinner whispered, climbing in next to him. He traced Mulder's lips with his finger, then leaned down and kissed him, rubbing his erection against the agent's hip.

Mulder moaned into his mouth, squirming until he was under the larger man, he wrapped a leg around Skinner's hip pulling him down on top of him. Skinner gasped as their erections pressed together and the bed creaked loudly under their grinding motions. A little too loudly, the baby started crying from the next room.

"Oops." Mulder started giggling at the look of frustration on his lover's handsome face.

Hoover Building
Wednesday, May 5 10:30 a.m.

Skinner and Mulder walked into the FBI Hoover Building, the A.D. carried their infant daughter -- Yori had accompanied them. The A.D. discovered on Monday how good the Russian was at taking care of Hope, now he was determined to get the man a job in the FBI Daycare Center. He wanted Hope in the best hands possible while he and his lover were working, he also wanted his daughter as close to him as possible.

Skinner handed Hope to Mulder as he signed Yori in at the guards' desk. He handed the Russian a visitors pass to wear. "Here, Yori, clip this on." The large man took it attaching it to his lapel.

"Good morning, sir," Agent Nelson said as he strolled up to the three men, he looked over at the infant in Mulder's hands. "So, this is Hope, she certainly is a beautiful baby. She looks like you, Sir," the man informed Skinner.

"See, Walter, I told you she looked more like you than me." Mulder smiled at the look of discomfort on the older man's face.

"Oh yes, sir, Agent Mulder is definitely right, there's a strong resemblance," Nelson gushed. He was in his late twenties and had been hired to replace Pendrell after he was killed.

"Ah, thank you, Agent Nelson," Skinner replied, taking Hope from Mulder and cradling her in his muscular arms.

"Have a good day, sir," the agent said cheerfully as he left.

"Shut up, Fox," Skinner snapped.

"I'm not going to say a thing," Mulder chuckled.

"Good."

"Walter, while we're here...maybe I could stop by my office and get a few things done," Mulder asked hesitantly.

"No! We're only here to enroll Hope in daycare. Afterwards we're going to have lunch at my cousins' restaurant, they're all dying to see our child," Skinner admonished sternly, receiving many stares from agents passing them in the hallway. No one dared approach them; they glanced sympathetically at Mulder. Hope started crying at her father's loud voice. Skinner glared at Mulder. "Now look what you've done."

Mulder blushed at being yelled at in front of the other agents. He reached over and took the crying infant into his arms, soothing her until she stopped crying. "I'm sorry, Walter. But this really isn't fair .. . . I don't see why the Bureau has mandatory paternity leave for both fathers. Besides which, a week after I'm finished with this leave, Faith will be born. Then I'll be forced to take another month off," Mulder replied softly not wanting to startle their daughter.

"Fox, I'm sorry I snapped at you, but please understand that there are some things in life more important than work." Skinner deeply regretted losing his temper, he hadn't been getting much sleep the last few days and he was tired and grumpy.

They entered the daycare, Mulder looked around the facility, he knew many of the little boys from Viva Towers, they all came running up to him.

"Fox, Fox," they shouted, holding up their little hands to be picked up. The boys were all between the ages of three and five. Mulder handed Hope back to Skinner and bent down to hug each of the boys calling them by name, he asked them about their families and what they were learning at the center.

The A.D. watched proudly knowing his lover had a knack with children. The manager of the daycare came over to them anxiously; it wasn't often that someone at Skinner's level in the Bureau came into his facility. He had seen the news stories about the A.D. and his daughter, he was excited that he would have the first female child under his care and guidance.

"Sir, I'm John Wells I run the daycare."

Skinner looked the smaller man over carefully, probing his mind. He wasn't going to take chances with anyone whose care Hope would be placed into. "Mr. Wells, it's a pleasure to meet you, this is my partner Fox Mulder, and a family friend Yori Ysak. We're here to enroll our daughter into your facility and see about getting Mr. Ysak a position here."

"Of course, did you notice the post on our Intranet page that we were looking for a qualified person to hire?"

"No, Mr. Wells. Yori is a clairvoyant...I would like him hired to provide added protection and care for our daughter."

"Our staff has all gone through thorough background checks, A.D. Skinner," Wells huffed.

"Mr. Wells, I don't doubt that your staff is well qualified. However, even you will have to admit that our daughter requires additional security and personal care. I want Mr. Ysak providing for her day-to-day care."

"I'm sorry, A.D. Skinner, of course you're right. If you feel confident that Mr. Ysak can provide the specialized care that your daughter requires we will certainly hire him."

>From his kneeling position on the floor Mulder looked up at the daycare administrator. "Mr. Wells, Yori won't just be taking care of Hope, when my other daughter is born, he will be providing for her daily care as well." Mulder set the little boy he was holding down and stood up, looking over at Yori who was beaming with pride.

"Very good, Agent Mulder. Let me give the three of you a tour of our facility, then we can fill out the proper paperwork."

Moscow
Thursday, May 6
2:30 p.m.

Slava sat listening to one of his many officers, his troops were all in place. Saturday morning he would seize control of the Russian Government and become the first Tsar in over eighty years. Over the past two months, Russia had fallen into a civil war and needed a strong ruler to pull it back together.

Captain Mikhin opened the door and walked into the room, he walked up to the Slava and handed him a note. The Cossack smiled reading it, his present had been delivered to Fox for his lover's daughter. He had decided on a campaign of kindness to win his lover back after his clairvoyants had informed him of the high probability for their reunion if he treated the beautiful immortal with kindness and respect.

He would have loved to see Mulder's face when his exquisite present was delivered.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Thursday, May 6
1:00 p.m.

Mulder sat on the beautiful antique bed, the frame was intricately carved with a pattern of flowers, the wood finish was white washed. It had tall posts and a sheer canopy overhead, it was a perfect bed for a little girl's room. The fact that it perfectly matched Hope's bedroom, the agent knew was no coincidence. Nikolai Slava must have seen the bedroom in his astral visits to the mansion.

The agent glanced around his daughter's future bedroom as he held Hope cradled in his arms. The room was very colorful with the beautiful floral mural Langly had painted and the matching plush floral rug on top of the hardwood floors. The bed was the perfect match for the rest of the room. Skinner had spent weeks searching for a bed for the room and hadn't found one that fit the decor. Mulder was afraid of his lover's reaction when he found out that this beautiful bed was a present from Nikolai Slava.

Well, at least it would be an hour before Skinner was home. He was in town with Krycek sampling items his cousin was preparing for their wedding on Saturday.

"Hey, Mulder," Frohike said as he entered the room. Walking over to the bed he sat next to his friend, looking at the infant for the first time. "She looks just like Alex, are you sure she's Skinner's?" he stated bluntly.

"Hi, Frohike, actually she looks like Skinner's and Krycek's mother, and yes I'm sure she's Skinner's." Hope had been sleeping, but woke up at the sound of Frohike's voice.

"Can I hold her?" the little man requested holding out his hands.

"Yeah, I thought you'd be out to see her sooner," Mulder replied, carefully handing the infant over to his friend, making sure the little man held her properly. Hope stared up at Frohike with a discontented expression on her face.

"We thought we'd give you some time to get comfortable with being a father first," Frohike replied softly before starting to make silly faces at the baby. Hope became even more distressed looking over at her father, Mulder saw she was on the verge of crying and rescued her.

"Sorry, Frohike, she's still a little shy around new people," the agent cuddled his daughter against his chest and she calmed down immediately.

"No problem, she'll get use to me in time. You know how much kids love me," he replied grinning.

Mulder smiled at his dearest friend. "You said we, are Byers and Langly with you?"

"Yeah, they're down in the kitchen talking to your houseguests. By the way, Mulder, how long are they planning on staying?"

"I don't know. I've been enjoying their company...so I haven't pressed the issue. I think Rory would leave if it weren't for Shin, he doesn't seem like the type to stay in one place for too long." Mulder stood up, looking down at Frohike. "Let's go downstairs, I want to talk to Langly about painting Faith's room."

"Oh, by the way, nice bed," Frohike grinned.

"Thanks," Mulder frowned.

They strolled into the kitchen; Byers and Langly came over immediately to see the baby. "She looks like Krycek," they both informed him.

Mulder sighed. He really wanted the baby to look like Skinner, but it seem that the A.D. had gotten his looks from his father, Sergei, and the baby looked like his mother Aleksandra.

He heard a snort and a laugh behind him, turning he saw Walter and Alex in the doorway carrying bags. "Fox, next time you see Agent Nelson you can tell him that our daughter looks like your other lover -- that out to shut him up," Skinner laughed. Setting his bags on the counter, he walked over and kissed Mulder then their daughter.

"What's in the bags?" Mulder asked, ignoring the comment.

"Samples Lev sent with us. He wanted your approval, he knows you're the gourmet among us." Skinner looked at the Gunmen and Rory, Shinji, and Yori. "There should be enough for everyone...Lev packed extra."

Krycek had placed the large bags on the counter, while making a stack of plates and silverware float over to the counter, he opened the bags pulling out the Styrofoam containers wrapped in aluminum foil.

"What did he send?" Mulder asked, breathing in the delectable aroma as Krycek opened the different containers.

"A smoked fish platter, caviar, and pickled herring, borsch, meat and cheese blini, meat filled dumplings with sour cream-dill sauce, spicy lamb shish kebab, chicken Kiev, and pirogi," Krycek answered. Reaching for the last bag, he pulled out a gallon jug. "Not to forget, their homemade vodka."

Skinner took Hope from Mulder so his lover could eat and be with his friends. "Alex and I already ate so you go ahead and enjoy yourself. Lev expects a phone call if you approve or disapprove of his dishes."

"Thanks, Walter," he replied, filling his plate with samples of each of the dishes. The other men dug in and joined Mulder at the round breakfast table. Krycek brought the jug of vodka and filled each of their glasses, including his own then sat at the table.

Skinner sat at the counter feeding his daughter a bottle. "I see Tony cleaned and filled the outdoor pool. Did anything else happen while we were gone?" he asked, sensing something was bothering Mulder.

"Ah, we got another present for Hope," Mulder replied hesitantly.

"Hmm, what was it?" Skinner asked, removing the bottle and putting Hope over his broad shoulder to burp her.

"It's in her bedroom, why don't you go up and see for yourself," Mulder replied, savoring the flavor of the meat dumplings, no longer caring if his lover lost his temper. He took a sip of vodka and smiled seductively Skinner.

Skinner looked at him quizzically and walked into the family room, he placed his baby girl in the bassinet then headed upstairs to Hope's bedroom and stopped, shocked at the beautiful bed in the room. It was exactly what he had been searching for the past few months.

He came back downstairs and into the kitchen. "Fox, tell me it wasn't from him," Skinner pleaded, knowing that the only one who could have sent the bed was Slava, it was obviously made by a fine Russian craftsman.

"Sorry, Walter, but it was. Try thinking of it as a peace offering. After all, he did save Alex's life and mine, and it is the perfect bed for Hope's room."

Skinner sighed and walked up to Mulder, kissing him. "Okay, for your life and Alex's life, I'll accept his gift. Damn, Fox, I love you so much."

Chapter 11 - Honeymoon

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, May 8
5:30 a.m.

Fox Mulder sat in the rocking chair in front of the bay window with his infant daughter in his arms feeding her a bottle. He was dressed in a short terrycloth robe he had pulled on when he got up to see to her cries. Mulder glanced at the clock. Skinner was in the other room soundly asleep, he should be getting up shortly he seldom stayed in bed past six o'clock even on the weekends.

Mulder watched the landscape lighten outside the nursery windows, casting shadows around the small room. The birds were already singing outside -- it was going to be a perfect day. He felt a hand combing through his hair and stopped rocking looking up into his lover's warm, cocoa-brown eyes. Skinner was still deliciously rumpled from sleep, wearing only his white, cotton briefs.

"Morning. Have you been up long?" Skinner whispered and bent down to kiss Hope on her forehead.

"No, only about twenty minutes," he murmured. Skinner's lips claimed his, and the older man's fingers wove through his hair holding his head steady as his tongue slipped through eagerly parted lips. The younger man tilted his head back allowing his lover to explore deeper; the older man's tongue swirled around his mouth possessively before slowly pulling out as he caressed his fingers over Mulder's face.

"Mm, I'm going to grab a quick shower. Then I'll make you breakfast .. . . would like anything special?" the A.D. asked.

"Just cold cereal would be fine...I don't think my stomach could handle anything more." Mulder removed the bottle and set it aside on the floor.

"Nerves?" he asked concerned.

"It's not every day one gets married...aren't you the least bit nervous?" The agent replied, positioning his daughter over his shoulder and rubbing her back.

"No...I've never been happier or more contented in my life," Skinner answered sincerely.

Mulder watched him leave the room, hearing the small burp emitted from the infant he smiled. "We're both very lucky to have such a wonderful man in our lives."

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, May 8
7:30 a.m.

Mulder sat at the kitchen counter reading the newspaper dressed in his old sweats and barefooted. Hope was soundly asleep in her bassinet on the counter next to him. He had four hours before the first guests started to arrive -- then he'd have to get dressed in his formal wear.

He still didn't know what possessed his lover to invite over four hundred guests. He knew because of Skinner was in a high position in the bureau it was expected of him to entertain, but he hardly thought of his wedding as entertainment. Actually, Mulder had his suspicions that this was Skinner's way of permanently staking his claim in front of the world. He still didn't fully understand the older man's insecurities and fears.

"Hey, lover." Krycek wrapped his arms around Mulder's waist, nuzzling his throat.

"Mm, you're up early." The agent turned around so they could share a kiss. Hope kicked and made noises in the bassinet at the sound of Krycek's voice.

"Hey, mouse, how's my favorite niece," Krycek murmured, scooping the infant up in his arms; he sat on the stool next to Mulder. The agent got up and went to pour his lover a cup of steaming coffee while laughing at the faces Krycek was making trying to get the baby to smile.

"I think she's still too young to be find you at all amusing." Mulder placed the coffee mug in front of him.

"There, you see, Fox, she just smiled." The younger man kissed her and passed her to Mulder.

"That's not a smile, she probably has gas," Mulder informed him, placing the baby back in the bassinet. "Are you going to be okay helping Yori and Kim take care of her for the next three days?"

"Fox, it's only for three days, and it will be good practice. In a month I'll be taking care of our child. So, Skinner's taking you to his cabin for wild sex in the wilderness of Virginia," Krycek smirked, sipping his coffee.

"God, I hope so. I also hope the cabin is still standing, he hadn't checked on it for almost two years. We'll probably spend the whole time repairing and cleaning it."

"Don't forget who you're marrying. Walter just has to snap his fingers and the cabin will clean itself." Krycek smiled, holding his hand up as a pastry floated into it.

"How can I forget with both of you reminding me constantly. I would have to get stuck with the humiliating mutation while you two got the cool one," Mulder grumbled, watching as the coffeepot floated over and refilled both of their cups.

"I happen to love your mutation," Krycek murmured, caressing his lover's ass through the sweat pants. "Besides, being able to heal is nothing to sneeze at."

Skinner strolled into the kitchen through the back door with Yori and Tony. They had started setting up folding chairs for the service and tables for the buffet. Tony had cleaned and filled the swimming pool two days ago. The weather had been unseasonably hot for this early in the year with the temperatures in the eighties for the past four days; it was expected to hit ninety-five today. The A.D. had informed the guests with sons that the pool would be available for swimming.

"So, I see you've finally decided to get up," the older man griped at his younger brother.

"Hey, it's only eight o'clock in the morning," Krycek griped back, he usually slept in until after ten o'clock on the weekends.

"You're going to have to get used to getting up early when Faith is born," Skinner smirked, knowing full well what his brother was in for, it was not the piece of cake he'd thought it would be.

Rory MacIver came strolling in with Shinji Takeda at his side they were both wearing sunglasses, baseball caps, cutoff jeans, and T-shirts. "What a beautiful day, lads," the Scotsman drawled. "Did you know the lake is full with walleyes?"

"Really?" Skinner's eyes lit up, he hadn't had a chance to explore down by the lake yet, and one of his favorite pastimes was fishing.

"Yep, seen several jump while Shin and I were walking down there this morning. Do you like to fish, Walter?"

"I love fishing, my dad and I used to go all the time. That's one of the reasons I purchased my cabin, it's on a lake that has excellent fishing. Fox, maybe we can get in a whole day while we're up there."

"Ah, sure, Walter, whatever makes you happy." Mulder couldn't help the look of disappointment on his face. He never went fishing with his father, and he didn't see what the fascination was about sitting in a boat all day.

Hope started whimpering. Mulder checked her diaper and picked up the bassinet. "Excuse me, she needs a diaper change. Walter, would you heat up a bottle for her? I want to see if she'll sleep for a few hours before the guests start arriving." Mulder carried the baby back to their bedroom.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, May 8
10:50 a.m.

Mulder adjusted his collar and buttoned the vest that went with his charcoal-gray tuxedo. He was going to be miserable wearing this today; at least he had the satisfaction of knowing his lover would be, too. For that reason he knew there was a possibility he'd be able to convince Skinner to allow them to change into something more comfortable after the service.

He walked into Hope's nursery and picked her up, she needed another diaper change. Mulder wonder briefly what happened to the fifty-fifty deal they agreed upon. He removed her undershirt and diaper, cleaned her with a wet-wipe, and smoothed baby oil into her skin then powdered and diapered her bottom.

There was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Mulder?"

"Scully, I'm in here," he shouted.

Scully walked into the nursery taking in the décor, before walking up to Mulder and seeing his daughter for the first time. "She's lovely, Mulder."

"Would you like to hold her?" Mulder smiled at her. It had been a victory when Skinner agreed that Scully could stand up for him as his best man. The A.D. had chosen Frohike, much to Mulder's surprise, he knew the two men had become close friends, but didn't realize how close.

"Yes, I'd love to," Scully replied as Mulder placed the baby into her arms and walked over to the dresser and removed a pretty white lace dress and a matching bonnet.

Scully watched him as moved gracefully between the dresser and the changing table. The tuxedo had been tailored to fit his body perfectly, and the vest made him look even taller and slimmer. She had never seen anyone more gorgeous than her ex-partner. She glanced down at the baby who was peering up at her with the brightest green eyes she had ever seen and squelched the envy she felt toward Skinner at having these two beautiful people in his life.

"Scully, I'm glad that you were able to come today at such short notice," he murmured. Taking back his daughter, he placed her on the table to dress her.

"Thanks for inviting me, Mulder, it's an honor to stand up for you."

"Were your brothers and nephews able to make it?" he asked as he finished dressing Hope, picking her up he placed her back in Scully's arms.

"Yeah, they're out back. Tony really has done a beautiful job with the gardens...I've never seen so many spring flowers blooming at one time," she stated as they walked back into the main bedroom. Mulder snapped on his cufflinks and picked up his jacket, putting it on.

Krycek walked into the room. "Hi, Dana. Mulder, everyone's waiting and Walter's starting to melt in his tuxedo."

"The plans is working then," Mulder smirked. Taking Hope from Scully, he handed her to Krycek. "Alex, take your niece," he ordered, then held out his arm for Scully to take.

They made their way through the mansion and out the kitchen door, following a path that led to the gazebo. Mulder took a deep breath as he heard the loud murmur of the crowd of guests Skinner had invited.

There was a hushed silence when they stepped into view, Mulder glanced nervously around at the faces of his co-workers, superiors, various politicians, and friends. He looked up at Skinner who was sweating and uncomfortable in the heat, the A.D. wiped a handkerchief across his brow, but stood straight, proud, and handsome in an identical charcoal-gray tuxedo.

When Skinner caught sight of his lover, his heart skipped a beat at how beautiful Mulder looked. His eyes wondered briefly over to Dana Scully, who was looking extremely lovely, dressed in an elegant blue sleeveless sundress and short jacket. He met Krycek's eyes as his brother strolled to the front row with Hope, she was dressed in a white lace dress that hung past her feet and a broad brim bonnet designed to keep the sun off her delicate skin. Krycek sat next to Skinner's relatives.

Mulder walked up and stood beside Skinner in front of the minister, he smiled at Frohike. The little man had shaved and was dressed in an elegant tuxedo. The agent couldn't remember seeing his friend looking more together, he even outclassed Byers.

Skinner reached over and took his hand, smiling softly at him. Mulder lost himself in Skinner's warm, chocolate eyes as the minister started speaking. Before he realized it, they were to the final part of the ceremony.

The minister looked at him. "Do you, Fox William Mulder take this man to love, cherish, and honor for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"You may place the ring on his finger."

Skinner placed the ring on Mulder's finger.

The minister looked at him. "Do you, Walter Sergei Skinner, take this man to love, cherish, and honor for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"You may place the ring on his finger."

Mulder placed the ring on Skinner's finger.

"Then by the power vested in me by our lord God and the state of Virginia, I pronounce you united in the holy bonds of matrimony."

They kissed and their guests applauded. Skinner wrapped his arm around Mulder's waist and led him down the steps with Scully and Frohike following behind. They formed a reception line just before the buffet tables, and their guests formed a line congratulating them.

Mulder stared enviously at the men dressed in light cotton pants and short sleeve shirts. He glanced around for Krycek and Hope, and smiled when he saw the younger man had moved to a table with a large umbrella shielding the baby from the sun. Hope seemed to be alert and looking around at all of the people, many came over to the table to see her.

Finally the last of the guests came through the line and they were free to join the party. Skinner watched his cousins at the buffet tables, answering questions about the different Russian dishes.

"Say lover, what do you say if we slip into the house and find something more comfortable to wear?" Mulder whispered into Skinner's ear.

The A.D. grinned at him. "I wondered how long it would take you to ask. C'mon, I'm roasting alive in this suit, I think cotton pants and polo shirts would be presentable."

"I was thinking more in the line of cutoffs and a T-shirt," Mulder muttered.

"Forget it, Fox, there are over three hundred men here who are drinking, I don't want them getting any ideas. You're mine and I don't feel like killing anyone for touching you." They stepped into their bedroom and walked into the large bathroom. Skinner opened the closet door and tossed Mulder a pair of cotton slacks and polo shirt.

"Walter, I hope you get over this he-man attitude by summer. I will be wearing shorts, and little else, around here." Mulder kissed him and laced their fingers together, looking at their rings.

Skinner massaged his thumb over the agent's palm. "Fox, I'm never going to get over being overly protective and jealous where you are concerned...I love you too damn much. However, I will allow you your independence to dress any way you want, but I will deck anyone that touches you." He stepped back and started changing clothes.

Mulder shrugged his shoulders. "Well I guess I can live with that, but I get the same deal -- I've noticed several men checking you out." The agent pulled the polo shirt over his head.

"Fox, get real, no one was checking me out," he stated as he zipped up his chinos.

"Walter, you can be so naïve. Did you think I was only attracted to you because of your brains and personality?" Mulder kissed him hard then pinched his ass. "No, it was also your gorgeous brown eyes, muscular body, and great ass. Mm, and let's not forget the way you fill these chinos," Mulder murmured huskily, stroking Skinner through his pants.

"Oh, damn! Fox, how am I suppose to rejoin the party?" Skinner moaned, shifting on his feet as his pants became uncomfortably tight.

Mulder knelt down before him and eased down the zipper, sliding the pants off his hips, he pulled down the briefs his lover was wearing. The agent licked his tongue over the A.D.'s erect cock. "Walter, would you like me to take some of the pressure off?" Mulder teased, staring up at his lover as his tongue swirled around the velvet head of the larger man's cock, removing the pre-cum from it before pushing at the small opening.

"Fox, please," he moaned.

Mulder cupped his heavy sacks and took him in his mouth, relaxing his throat muscles, taking him in all the way. Then he pulled back scraping his teeth along Skinner's length, trailing his tongue along the large throbbing vein in his lover's cock. He felt the A.D.'s fingers twine through his hair, holding him steady as he pushed his cock back into his mouth, slowly and forcefully fucking him. Mulder relaxed his throat muscles to accommodate his lover's thrusting. He caressed Skinner's scrotum as he felt it creep up, the A.D. thrust deeply into his throat and came. Mulder was barely able to swallow fast enough to keep up with the flow of semen spurting from his lover. Finally, the flow stopped and the older man's softening penis slipped from his young lover's mouth.

Mulder grinned up at him and licked his sexy lips, puffy from the abuse they just took. Skinner reached down and helped the agent to his feet, kissing him passionately. "Fox, I love you."

"You better, we just had a baby and got married," Mulder quipped.

"Let's get you looking more presentable, then we'll rejoin the party." Skinner was not about to allow Mulder to go back to the party looking so delectable. He pulled a washcloth from the cabinet and soaked it under cold water then pressed it to his lover's face.

Mulder chuckled, "Walter, c'mon, no one is about to jump my bones with you nearby."

"You're forgetting the band I hired, I don't think I'll be able to prevent anyone from dancing with you."

"Walter, what ever possessed you to hire a band?" Mulder groaned. "We've never danced in public, and most of the men at the party were straight up until the virus, it will probably take a lot of guts for any of them to dance together."

"I wanted to dance with you today, so everyone will know just how much in love we are." Skinner kissed him gently, hugging him tightly. "Besides, I get the added pleasure of watching our best men dance together."

"Walter, you're evil, Scully is not going to like it."

"I know," he grinned. "Let's get back to the party, I want to see how Alex is doing with Hope." They headed out of their bedroom and took the elevator down to the bottom level that opened onto the lower patio. There were steps leading up to an upper patio that extended the length of the mansion with French doors that led out from the kitchen, family room, living room, library, and master bedroom suite. The band was playing from above.

The pool was located away from the large bottom patio, and was already full of screaming children. The pool house was next to the pool complete with three changing rooms and a restroom. Surrounding the patio were stone benches, and a dozen round tables with umbrellas were scattered around its surface.

Krycek sat with his niece at one of the tables, sitting with him were Skinner's uncle, Doctor Harris, and Senator Matheson. On the table in front of Krycek was a plate of food that Yori had brought over for him, he was eating while listening to the older men talk.

Skinner walked up to his brother, looking down at his baby girl who was sleeping peacefully in his arms. "How's she doing?" He knelt down next to Krycek's chair.

"She's been very good, but watching all of the people wore her out," he whispered.

"You have a beautiful baby, A.D. Skinner, have you and Fox given any thoughts to having any more daughters in the future?" the Senator questioned.

"I think one is enough for now...Fox is feeling somewhat overwhelmed at the moment. It's too early to even consider having any more children." Skinner looked affectionately across the patio at his lover, who was over chatting with the Scullys.

"Maybe you should seriously consider it...it would be in the best interests of our country. I hear Mr. Takeda is helping his country by making himself available to propagate with Japanese sorcerers," Matheson replied, looking meaningfully at Skinner.

Skinner and Krycek were taken aback by the Senator's comment, they stared at him too shocked to speak.

"Senator, you're not suggestion that Mulder make himself available to have sexual intercourse with American sorcerers?" Doctor Harries asked outraged.

"Doctor, I'm want to avoid Fox having sex with anyone other than the men he's in love with. As long as they are willing to have additional daughters, the Senate's Procreation Committee will be pacified." The Senator took a sip of his wine.

Skinner glanced quickly over at Mulder who had taken a seat at the Scullys' table and was deeply in a conversation with Bill and Charlie. The A.D. pulled up a chair and sat between the Senator and Dr. Harris.

"Senator Matheson, are you saying that this topic has been discussed in the Committee?" Skinner asked in a hushed tone not wanting to attract any attention to their conversation. It would not do to have Mulder get wind of their topic of conversation.

"I'm sorry, A.D. Skinner, this was an inappropriate time for me to bring this issue up. You should be happily celebrating your marriage today."

"You already brought it up, now answer my question!"

"Fox and our country's other two immortals have been thoroughly discussed during closed door meetings of the Committee. Your daughter and Mr. Krycek's daughter have given this country its first glimmer of hope since the virus...this country needs females."

Skinner noticed Mulder getting up from the table and heading toward their table. "Senator, we'll discuss this topic later," he hissed under his breath. Looking up at Mulder as he reached the table, he smiled at him. "Would you like something to eat and drink, Fox?"

"Sure, Walter," Mulder replied, he pulled over a chair next to Krycek and snatched some of his smoked fish and crackers. The younger man appeared troubled. "Alex, what's wrong?"

"Um, nothing, Fox. I think our little mouse needs a diaper change," he stated standing up, holding her securely in his arms.

"Do you need any help?" Mulder asked.

"Fox, I'm perfectly capable of changing a diaper...I'll be right back with her." Krycek headed in through the patio door, making instant telepathic contact with his brother. *Okay, Walter, what are we going to do?*

Skinner was at the buffet table preparing two plates of food. *There are only a few things we can do, Alex. One, hire a lawyer to make sure Mulder's rights are protected. Two, discuss this with Fox, we don't want to keep this a secret from him. Three, we might seriously have to look at having more children.*

Krycek walked into the nursery with Hope, laying her on the changing table, he pulled up her lace dress, and removed her soiled, messy diaper. *Yuck, what have you been feeding this kid?*

*She's only on formula...get used to it...you're going to be changing many a diaper,* the A.D. scoffed.

*Look who's talking, I happen to know that Fox has been changing about eighty percent of Hope's diapers.*

*Is not!*

*Ha, is so! How did we get off topic? We were discussing the Procreation Committee,* Krycek sighed.

*You got grossed out by a gooey, smelly diaper,* Frohike offered.

*Don't you ever stay out of other people's private conversations?* Skinner grumbled, making the plates of food disappear and reappear in front of Mulder and his place at the table. He grabbed two glasses of wine.

*No...that's why I'm so up on what going on,* the little man replied.

*Frohike, what do you know?* Krycek asked, putting a clean diaper on Hope.

*It's a lot more serious than Senator Matheson has let on. The committee wants to take away immortal's rights and require them to propagate with American sorcerers on a weekly basis. They already have a long list of American sorcerers and some of them are even felons. Three of them Mulder was responsible for putting behind bars.*

*Those bastards, they can't do that...the public will be outraged!* Skinner snarled, sitting down angrily at the table. Mulder stared at him with concern.

"Walter, what the hell is going on?" Mulder asked, picking up his fork and stabbing a meat dumpling.

"Sorry, Fox, it's nothing that can't wait until later. I'll explain it to you at the cabin." He glanced up at Krycek who was carrying a bassinet with his daughter in it. His brother placed the bassinet on the table.

"So, Fox, how has it been taking care of a baby?" the Senator asked.

"It's been easier than I thought it would be," Mulder said. At the sound of her father's voice, Hope started whimpering. Krycek reached in and picked her up, trying to allow Mulder to finish eating, but she just cried louder.

Skinner came over and took her from his brother, but she still wouldn't stop crying, he looked imploringly at Mulder who put down his silverware and reached up to take the baby from his lover. She immediately stopped crying, much to the amazement of the other men at the table.

"Alex, are you sure you're going to be okay taking care of her?" Mulder asked, positioning her in the crook of his arm, he picked up his fork and went back to eating.

"I'll be fine."

"You've always had a natural knack with children, Fox. Are you looking forward to your other daughter's birth?" the Senator inquired.

Skinner glared at the man, he knew there was a hidden agenda behind the Senator's questions.

"Yes, sir. May I ask why you're asking me all these questions?"

"Just making casual conversation," Matheson replied smiling.

"Fox, let's go mingle with the rest of our guests." The A.D. walked over and pulled his chair back so he could get up with the baby.

They walked past Scully and Kim who were chatting pleasantly with several agents. Mulder stopped when he saw Frohike making a beeline toward them.

"Hey, guys, I think its time for that dance with the lovely Dana Scully," he leered heading over to her.

"Dana, it is tradition for the maid of honor and the best man to share a dance together. I'd be honored if you would join me in keeping that noble tradition alive." Frohike held out his arm for her.

"I hate to break it to you, but I'm Mulder's best man -- not his maid of honor," Scully smiled sweetly.

Mulder and Skinner came over to throw their support behind the little man. "Scully, it's also traditional for the two best men to dance together," Mulder said, smiling at her.

"Okay, Mulder, but only after the newly married couple has danced together." She smiled, positive there was no way that her surly ex-boss would dance in front of hundreds of people with Mulder.

"Fox, would you care to have the next dance with me?" Skinner asked.

"Sure, Walter. Kim, would you hold the baby please?" Mulder handed the baby over to Kimberly, kissing Hope on the forehead, he said, "Don't cry, I'll be right back."

"Come along, Scully," Mulder smirked as they made their way up the staircase to the upper level patio.

Skinner walked over to the band and requested that they play 'The Rose.' He walked back to Mulder and pulled him into his arms aggressively, he brushed his lips over the agent's lush mouth. He linked the fingers of his right hand with Mulder's, wrapping his other arm around his lover's slim waist. Mulder looked disconcerted for a moment, being made to follow as Skinner guided their movement.

Mulder sighed softly, accepting the older man's need for ownership and control. He relaxed into the dance, allowing his steps to be guided. The agent rested his head on the A.D.'s board shoulder as they swayed in time to the music. Skinner's cheek rested against his head, and he brushed his lips against the agent's ear, the hardness of his cock pressed into Mulder's.

The warm comfort of having Mulder's sweet body in his arms and breathing in his delicious scent was making Skinner incredibly horny. "Mm, you feel so good," he murmured, caressing Mulder's back. "We should dance more often."

"Walter, remember where we are," Mulder whispered into the older man's ear as he felt the hand caressing his ass.

"You're now legally mine, Fox, I can touch you any where I please, even in front of four hundred men," he replied huskily, pulling Mulder tighter against his body.

Much to Mulder's relief the dance finally ended. He was surprised to see a number of men getting up to dance, and smirked at Scully as Frohike led her to the center of the patio. Skinner still had his arm wrapped around his waist and scared off several men that came to request a dance.

Kimberly met them at the bottom of the steps, the baby was crying loudly. "Mulder, Hope's been crying since you left!" Kim exclaimed, handing the baby back. Hope sniveled briefly then stopped as she looked up into her father's face.

"Walter, how are we going to leave her for three days?" Mulder cradled her protectively in his arms as Skinner reached over and stroked her cheek.

"She'll be fine. She needs to get use to other people. When we're back at work you're not going to be there for her all the time, especially when you go out on field assignments." Skinner looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "Unless you want to consider staying at home to take care of her? I could arrange for you to work out of our house as a consultant," Skinner suggested wishfully.

"Walter, in your dreams! I love my job...please don't lay the guilt trip on me," he grumbled, heading over to sit down next to Takeda. MacIver was up at the buffet table getting them food and drinks.

Skinner sat, picking up a napkin he wiped the sweat from his brow. "I'm sorry, Fox, I just want you to be safe. I worry about you every time you go out of town on a case," he murmured, leaning over he kissed Mulder gently.

"You shouldn't worry, Alex is there to watch my back," Mulder replied softly, returning the kiss.

"And your butt," Krycek said, pulling up another chair and squeezing between Takeda and Mulder. Doctor Kyle Pendrell sat across from them nursing a beer.

Takeda turned excitedly to Mulder. "I'm going to be working for Doctor Pendrell at the Procreation Center." He grinned as MacIver placed the plate of food in front of him.

"No, you're not!" MacIver snarled, sitting down next to him.

"Yes, I am! I have majored in the Human Genome project and biology, it is the perfect position for me," Takeda argued back.

"I don't want you working...it's not safe," the Scotsman hissed, glaring at Pendrell for having made the offer.

"Rory, there is probably no place safer for Shinji to work than the Procreation Center...we have around the clock security, now. And, he is more than qualified for the position," Pendrell stated, smiling sweetly at Takeda.

"He doesn't need to work. I can provide for all of our needs," MacIver replied harshly, pushing the food around on his plate.

"Rory, we can talk about this later. I'm sorry, Walter, Mulder, it's rude of us to be arguing on your wedding day." Takeda was embarrassed over arguing with his lover in front of their friends.

"Don't worry about it, Shin. A job at the Procreation Center would be perfect for you," Mulder replied, smiling at MacIver who glared angrily at him.

"Fox, stay out of it," Skinner admonished. He understood MacIver's concerns, but knew better than to get in the middle of a lover's quarrel.

Hope whimpered softly, Mulder recognized her cry to be fed. "She needs a bottle." He started to stand feeling a little put out; after all, it was suppose to be his day.

"Fox, let me take her," Krycek said. Standing, he reached down for the baby. "Okay, mouse, let's get you fed and down for a nap."

Krycek took her in through the lower level and rode the elevator up to the main level, entering the kitchen he pulled a bottle out of the refrigerator and used his powers to heat it to the proper temperature. Hope quieted down the moment the nip touched her lips, suckling contentedly. Krycek carried her into the family room, seeing Skinner's uncle sitting on the sofa watching the television. The old man had an angry expression on his face.

Kostya Danko had taken refuge from the afternoon heat in his nephew's air-conditioned house. He looked up and met Krycek's eyes as the younger man sat on the sofa next to him with the baby. "What's wrong, Kostya?"

"Alexei, there was a news bulletin just on the television...Nikolai Slava's armed forces just seized control of our government."

"Damn, I knew he would try something like this...the man's a power hungry egomaniac. Did the news say if there is still fighting going on?" he asked.

"No...there's a total news blackout in Russia...the bulletin only stated that Slava's army had taken control of various government facilities." The old man reached over to touch the baby. "I have many friends and family there, I hope they are safe."

"I'll call Boris and find out what the situation is. Don't worry, Slava won't indiscriminately kill innocent people, he'd try to win their support." Krycek set the bottle aside and placed the infant on her stomach to burp her.

Nine Hours Later
The last of their guests finally departed, Mulder walked tiredly into the kitchen in search of an ice tea. The air conditioner had quit working and the house was becoming stifling. Yori sat at the counter sipping a hot cup of tea.

"Yori, is there any ice tea?" he asked strolling over to the refrigerator.

"Sorry, Mulder, they cleaned us out," the Russian sighed.

Mulder sensed something was bothering the large man. "Yori, we never had that personal talk you wanted. I'm available now if you still want to talk."

"Yes, I would, if you don't mind. This is sort of embarrassing for me to talk about, but I would value your advice."

Mulder sat next to him after settling for a glass of ice water. "Shoot, I'm all ears."

"You know I've been seeing Lev for quite some time. In fact, we have been getting rather serious...I haven't felt this way about another man in a very long time. Lev wants to take our relationship to the next level. However, I have a problem that I haven't been able to tell Lev about...I'm afraid he'll leave me when he finds out." Yori nervously took a sip of his tea. "I don't know if Walter told you, but when I first went to work for Slava, he had me castrated. So, you see my problem, I don't know if Lev would be happy with half a lover."

After Mulder recovered from his initial shock, he thought deeply about his friend's dilemma. "Yori, are you sure that Lev wouldn't be understanding? He seems to be very thoughtful and considerate."

"Mulder, I had a long time lover before I went to work for Slava. I thought we were in love. After Slava castrated me...Feodor would no longer touch me or look at me...he eventually left me. I don't want to lose Lev...but I'm beside myself at what I should do."

Mulder felt sadness over his friend's situation. "Yori, I'd like to see if I can heal you. I'm not sure if it's possible to fix such an injury, but I would like to try."

"Mulder, you are a good friend. I'd be honored if you could try, but not until after you return from your honeymoon." He reached over and hugged Mulder.

Skinner came into the kitchen carrying the baby. "Fox, I'm going to pack the truck so we can leave first thing in the morning." He handed the baby to Mulder and started to leave the room. "Oh, I think she needs a diaper change," he informed the agent as he headed out the door.

"Stop! Don't you dare take another step!" Mulder stood up, cradling their daughter and walked over to Skinner. "Walter, if you knew she needed to be changed why didn't you do it?"

"I...ah thought you enjoyed changing her," he mumbled sheepishly.

"Fifty-fifty, Walter, take your daughter back and change her." Mulder ordered and gently placed Hope in his lover's arms -- she started crying immediately. "Oh, Shiii...Damn," he muttered, taking her back. "Go pack the truck...I'll change her."

Procreation Center
Sunday, May 9
1:20 p.m.

The British officials secured the growth cylinders that contained Cory Greene's female offspring, they were being sent to London. They had won the custody case after Stuart Holt showed up in London at the request of his lover, Greene. The two men had taken up residence together and requested that their daughter be returned to them. When it was proven that the other female's American father Rex Nathan was dead, Greene got full parental rights of her, too.

The status of fetuses belonging to Shinji Takeda was still unresolved. The young man hadn't made a decision as to who would receive guardianship of his daughters. He didn't want custody himself, but he wanted to see them as they grew up.

One of the British officials looked in the cylinder that contained Alex Krycek's and Fox Mulder's baby, she was one month away from being born. He turned to his colleagues. "I've seen photographs of the baby's fathers, they are both extremely beautiful men, this child is bound to be breathtaking. I wonder if anyone considered offering the two men money for the use of their sperm?"

"Agent Mulder is far too moral to accept any such offers," Agent Sullivan informed them interrupting their conversation. "Now if you would step away from her cylinder and get back to your own business."

"We meant no disrespect toward Agent Mulder," one of the British diplomats stated, returning to supervise the transfer of their countryman's daughters.

Skinner's Cabin Sunday, May 9
6:20 p.m.

They finally cleaned the last of the trash from the cabin. Mulder was happy that he married a sorcerer, since Skinner ended up doing most of the work. The disposing of the four ghouls' shriveled up bodies they found inside the cabin was solely the older man's responsibility. The A.D. levitated them outside to a clearing, then incinerated them until they were nothing but ashes. The Ghouls had taken refuge in the cabin during the day; the shuttered windows prevented light from penetrating inside.

The cabin was smaller than Mulder thought it would be. It had a large stone fireplace that divided the living room from the kitchen and dining area. The fireplace was open to both rooms, there was no bathroom, and instead they had an outhouse in back. There was a generator for electricity and a pump out back for water.

Mulder was currently up in the loft making the bed with sheets and blankets they brought with them. Skinner had taken the mattress outside earlier to beat the dust from it and remove the mildew smell.

"Fox, I'm going to cut some firewood, it still gets cold up here at night," the A.D. called from below. "Why don't you fix us something to eat?"

"Okay, as soon as I'm finished up here. Did you unpack the grill from the truck?" he yelled down, tucking the corners of the sheets under the mattress.

"Yeah, it's out back next to the kitchen door. I left the bag of charcoals and the lighter fluid next to it. I'll see you in a bit, babe."

Mulder finished and climbed down the ladder, he was sweaty and dirty and desperately wanted a hot shower. He decided to wash himself in the lake before cooking dinner -- grabbing a towel, a bar of soap, and a washcloth, he stripped off his shirt, shoes, and socks. Dressed only in his denim shorts, he walked down to the lake and waded into the frigid water next to an old wooden dock. He placed the towel on the dock and proceeded to clean himself with the washcloth and soap. As he became more acclimated to the cold water, he waded out deeper and dunked his head underwater, then washed his hair with the soap.

He rinsed his hair and waded back over to the dock, he reached up to retrieve his towel when a shadow fell over him, and he looked up into the cold, gray eyes of the largest n'thral he had ever seen.

"Well, what have we here?" the giant asked softly.

"Don't come near me," Mulder said, backing away in the water as he called out telepathically to Skinner.

The older man came running, stopping when he saw the immense n'thral looming over his lover. "Get the hell away from him!" he shouted. He was about to strike out when the n'thral turned to face him. "Duff?"

"Walt." The man stared back down at the immortal. "Does this exotic creature belong to you?"

"He's...we're married. Duff, I didn't know you were affected by the virus." The bald man stared at the large n'thral in awe. Duff had always been a large man, as a human, he stood close to seven feet tall, now he was at least nine feet high.

"Married? You always were a sucker for a beautiful face," Jason Duffy murmured in an incredibly deep voice. "Tell him it's safe to get out of the water, I won't touch him if he's yours."

"Fox, it's okay, this is an old friend of mine." Mulder cautiously waded out of the lake, keeping well away from the enormous n'thral. "Jason Duffy, this is my partner Fox Mulder."

Mulder nervously stood behind Skinner, unconsciously seeking the older man's protection. He had an extreme distrust of n'thrals, it didn't matter to him that this man was a friend of Skinner's.

"It's okay little one I have no intention of harming you," the giant said taking a step forward.

Skinner felt Mulder's fear and thought it better for his lover not to be subjected to any stress, the agent was still not fully recovered from his experience at the hands of the Consortium. "Fox, go back to the cabin and get dressed, I'll be there shortly."

Skinner watched as Mulder backed away and made it up the hill to their cabin. He turned back to his friend. "Sorry, Duff, he's not comfortable around Neanderthals."

"He's smart...if you hadn't shown up I would have fucked him the minute I got my hands on him. Maybe it's better if you don't relax your guard around me...I still have an uncontrollable urge to have him." The large man glared down at his old friend. Skinner noticed the bulge tenting the man's too small homemade pants.

"Duff, if you so much as look at him wrong...I'll kill you with my bare hands," Skinner hissed. Not believing this was the same man he had known for most of his life.

"I believe you would at that," Duffy chuckled. "How long do you plan on staying up here?"

"Three days...we can't be away from our baby longer than that. Are you going to be able to control yourself?"

"Walt, I meant what I said...I don't want to touch him, but he is causing me to lose control...I can't promise anything. It is better that I return to my home...it might be advisable for you never to bring him up here again. I'm not the only n'thral that has taken refuge up here."

Skinner watched sadly as his old friend left, he followed him with his mind making sure Duffy was heading back to his home as he had promised. The A.D. walked back to his cabin. Mulder was dressed and stood staring out the freshly washed window.

"Walter, please don't leave me alone again. I know that man's a friend of yours, but he makes my skin crawl." Mulder wrapped his arms around the larger man's waist and rested his head on his broad shoulder.

"No, you're right to be afraid...do you want to head back now?" The older man hugged him tightly, waiting for his answer.

"I'm sorry, Walter, for being so unreasonably afraid...I know you can protect me. Besides, I'm armed -- I can take care of myself. C'mon, go get the firewood, I'll start the barbecue."

"Fox, are you sure you'll be okay?" Skinner asked, taking a seat on the back stoop. He watched as Mulder spread the charcoals around the bottom of the grill.

"I'll be fine. Now go back to collecting the firewood," he muttered, squirting lighter-fluid on the coals and lighting them.

"I'm not leaving you alone...besides, I'm collecting the wood as we speak." Mulder glanced up as large chunks of wood floated out of the surrounding dense forest. "I found several fallen trees around the cabin," he grinned. Getting up, he stripped off his shirt then grabbed an ax and headed over to the large pile. "I will have to chop it up, which I prefer doing the old fashion way."

Mulder watched him start chopping away at the large pieces of dried wood, stacking the smaller chunks a couple feet away from the side of the cabin. The agent glanced down at the grill. Seeing that the fire was hot enough, he went into the kitchen. He opened the large cooler and pushed aside the bags of ice, he removed two T-bones, a container of potato salad, and then opened a can of baked beans and poured the contents into a saucepan. He went back outside and place the saucepan and the steaks on the grill.

A sweaty Skinner came over to him. "That ought to keep us for the time we're up here, I'm going to quickly cleanup in the lake. Will you be okay up here for a few minutes?"

"Walter, you're only going to be fifty feet away and within view...I think I'll be fine," he snorted. "Don't be too long, though, the steaks should be ready in a few minutes."

Skinner grabbed a towel, soap, and a washcloth. Stripping off all of his clothes, he stepped into the cold water and quickly washed the dirt and sweat from his body. He started worrying about the talk he needed to have with Mulder regarding the Senate's Procreation Committee.

He dried off and carried his clothes back to the cabin. Mulder had the plates already on the small rustic kitchen table. He looked him over admiringly as he entered the cabin. "Are you planning on dressing for dinner? Not that the 'naked hunk look' doesn't look good on you."

Skinner grabbed a robe from his bag. "I was planning on having dessert as soon as we're done eating and didn't want to waste any time." He pulled Mulder into his arms and kissed him passionately. "Unfortunately, I heard you and Alex used all of the whipped cream. I'll just have to settle for you plain."

Mulder chuckled, pulling away to sit down at the table. "Who told you?" he asked, picking up his fork.

Skinner sat across from him. "Rory...he wanted to know if you had anymore interesting sexual kinks. I had to tell him that I wouldn't know -- you're only kinky with my brother. Why is that, Fox?" he asked, cutting his steak.

"Walter, since we've been lovers you've only allowed me to top you once, but Alex enjoys giving up control to me...we have an equal relationship in bed." Mulder reached out and grabbed Skinner's hand, looking him in the eye. "I enjoy having sex with you, but sometimes I would like to control of our lovemaking," he murmured.

"Fox, I'll admit that I have a hard time turning over control. You usually drive me so wild, making you come is all that is on my mind. I'll try to be more considerate in the future." Skinner smiled softly, then went back to eating.

"Don't be too considerate, most of the time I love being controlled and used by you. I particularly love it when you lose control and drive that gorgeous cock of yours into me hard," Mulder replied huskily, running a bare foot up Skinner's thigh and caressing his groin with his toes.

The older man reached under the table and grabbed his lover's foot, stroking it with his thumb. "Would you like me to be in control tonight? Or, do you want to be in charge?"

"I want you to be in control...I want to feel safe tonight," Mulder murmured. Chewing on a piece of steak, he swallowed, and took a sip of beer. He looked up at Skinner with concern. "Walter, you don't think the scent of our lovemaking will reach your friend, do you? I would hate to have a sex-crazed n'thral breaking down our door in the middle of the night."

"That's something to be concerned about...I'll put up a shield around our cabin to keep the scent of our love making inside." His eyes sparkled and he chuckled, "The shield will disappear as soon as we leave and the smell of our lovemaking will drive every n'thral in the area crazy -- I hope the wildlife is safe."

They finished eating in companionable silence. After dinner, Skinner went out back to fill a bucket of water from the pump. He brought it back inside and filled the washbasin then did the dishes while Mulder made a fire in the fireplace, it had started to get chilly outside.

Mulder sat cross-legged and watched as the logs caught fire. Skinner walked up behind him kneeling down, rubbing his back. "Fox, let's go outside and look at the stars," he murmured.

Mulder looked over his shoulder at him; the older man had taken time to pull on his jeans an old sweat shirt. Skinner helped him up from the floor, handing Mulder his jacket "I need to tell you something, and you're not going to like hearing it."

Mulder stared at him with concern as they headed out the doorway. "What?"

Skinner sat in the grass looking out over the lake as the moonlight shimmered across its surface. Mulder scooted down next to him and took Skinner's hand, interlacing their fingers together. The crickets were chirping around them and the sound of a loon could be heard across the lake.

Skinner pulled his hand free and wrapped his arm around Mulder's shoulders pulling him closer. He brushed a kiss across his brow. "I had a conversation with Senator Matheson during the party yesterday. Fox, I don't know how to tell you this...you've been through so much already," the A.D. sighed, searching for the words.

"It's about the Senate Committee dealing with procreation, isn't it? They want revoke my constitutional rights along with the other two American immortals," Mulder replied sadly, taking in his lover's anguished expression.

"How did you find out?"

"Walter, I may be closely protected, but I still have my informants," he stated, throwing a leg over the larger man's and resting his head on Skinner's shoulder.

"Frohike, Langly, and Byers?"

"No...they've started to keep things from me," he sighed. "I think they're trying to protect me ...I've been a basket case lately, if you haven't noticed."

"Who have you been talking to? Fox, please tell me...I need to know."

"Sorry, Walter, but I need to keep my informant's identity a secret. If they found out I told you, I'd never get another piece of information from them."

"Fox, they may be dangerous!"

"Walter, please...we were talking about the Senate's Procreation Committee. What are we going to do about it?"

"We'll hire an attorney and fight them, it's the only thing we can do. Unless you want to start thinking about expanding the size of our family."

"What if we lose?"

"Fox, I'll never allow anyone to touch you! I'll kill anyone who tries!" Skinner stood up, pulling Mulder to his feet, c'mon I want to make love to you all night." They headed into the cabin closing and locking the door behind them.

Chapter 12 – Home Life

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Wednesday, May 11
1:00 p.m.

"Fox, I know Yori's a friend, but could you possibly put this off a little while longer? We just got back...Hope needs you, she cries every time you put her down," Skinner argued, knowing it was next to useless to argue with Mulder once he made up his mind to do something.

"Walter, I promised...I don't even know if it's going to work. I never tried healing that type of injury before." Mulder sat cross-legged on their bed holding the baby, who stared up at his face.

Skinner walked over and sat next to him. "Fox, even if it doesn't work, you'll be dispensing a lot of energy; you're going to need to sleep afterwards." He caressed their daughter's cheek with his finger; she glanced away from Mulder's face, for an instant, to focus on her other father. "She won't understand why you're not there to hold her. Alex said she cried herself to sleep wanting you, we never should have gone away for three days...it wasn't fair to her."

"Walter, just lay her on top of me while I'm sleeping, you've done it before to get her to stop crying," he smiled, remembering waking up and staring at his daughter's small head, Skinner's large hand on her back supporting her as she lay on his chest.

"Yeah, that did get her to stop crying," he smiled. "Okay, Fox, I'll go and get Yori and you can try to heal him. Why don't you remove your clothes and put on a robe? It will be easier for me to put you to bed afterwards."

After Skinner left, Mulder carefully eased himself off the bed, not wanting to jostle Hope who had fallen asleep in his arms. He carried her into the nursery and placed her in the crib, then went into the bathroom to strip down to his boxers, brush his teeth, and wash his face.

As he pulled on his robe, he walked back into the bedroom just as Skinner arrived with Yori in tow. He knew his lover had wanted a word with the large Russian. Otherwise, Skinner would have used telepathy to summon him. Mulder wanted to know what had passed between the two men; he prayed Skinner had controlled his temper.

"Mulder, I really appreciate that you're trying to heal me," the large man murmured.

"Yori, I want to help you...you're my friend." Mulder walked over to the bed and sat. "Yori, stand in front of me and lower your pants . .. . I need to touch your injury."

Skinner walked over with Yori, and sat on the bed next to Mulder as Yori stood in front of him and unfastened his pants lowering them to the floor.

Mulder brought his hand under Yori's limp penis and touched the ragged scar where the Russian's testicles used to be. He didn't feel the immediate tingle he usually got when touching an injury -- the wound was too old. Mulder closed his eyes and concentrated hard, pulling the energy from around him. He finally felt the faint electrical tingle course through his body and a glow appeared in front of his closed eyelids. He saw the image of cells splitting, multiplying, redeveloping -- the face of Jeremiah Smith flash before his eyes. Was this how the morphs healed? Before it had been so easy...it hadn't been this extremely draining or physically painful. The sound of the Russian's surprised gasp reached his ears, muffled by the pounding of his own heart -- it was too much for his body to handle. He continued as the flesh under his hand swelled and healed. He fell backwards, strong arms catching and holding him -- blackness claiming him.

Skinner cradled Mulder against him, brushing his sweat soaked bangs out of his eyes. He glanced at Yori, who stood looking down, and touching his fully healed scrotum. "Yori, now it's your turn to uphold your end of our deal. I really hate to see you leave, but it is for the best," the A.D. sighed. He effortlessly lifted Mulder while the blankets on the bed pulled down on their own and he laid his lover gently down. Removing the bathrobe, he pulled the blankets over him.

"Walter, I would never touch Mulder even now that I'm a whole man again, but if it eases your mind...I will keep my end of our agreement. Do I still have my job at the FBI Day Care Center?" he asked, fastening up his pants.

"Yes, if you still want it." He sighed, "Yori, you have to understand that I'm doing this for Fox. You might not be able to control yourself around him any longer."

"Walter, I'm a clairvoyant not a n'thral, and I happen to be in love with your cousin Lev. You trust your agents around him...aren't you worried they'll lose control? What about Rory? Or is it the fact that I was a gay man before the virus?"

"The agents I have guarding Mulder all knew him before the virus.... they would never try anything with him. Rory has Shinji." Skinner looked down at Mulder's beautiful face, reinforcing his resolve. "I was bisexual before the virus. So, no...it's not because you are gay." Skinner knew how he had lusted over Mulder for years even before the virus changed him; it was unconceivable to him that anyone could resist the agent.

"If Mulder's not awake before I leave...tell him goodbye for me. I will start packing," he said sadly, heading out the door. The large man felt empty inside, he should feel happiness at being healed, but instead he felt only sorrow and loss.

Skinner sat on the bed next to Mulder, he felt miserable, but he was sure that it was the right thing to do. Never again would he take a chance where his lover's safety was involved.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Thursday, May 12
4:00 p.m.

Krycek glared angrily at his older brother. He had gone out of town on a case yesterday, leaving Yori to take care of Hope until Mulder and Skinner arrived home. He returned this morning and ran into Yori as he was loading a U-haul with his possessions. Lev and Rory were helping him. All that he was able to find out was that Skinner had asked Yori to leave, and that it didn't involve Hope.

Skinner was inside taking care of his daughter. He was sitting in the family room feeding her a bottle and reading to her. He refused to look up to meet his half-brother's accusing eyes. Finally, he couldn't take the silence any longer. "Alex, what else was I supposed to do?"

"Walter, why don't you tell me what happened? By the way, where's Fox...what did he have to say about you throwing Yori out into the street?" Krycek asked, then scanned the house, finding his lover asleep, he became concerned. "What's wrong with him?"

"Fox healed Yori yesterday and he's been sleeping ever since. He doesn't know about Yori leaving, yet."

"What was wrong with Yori?" He was bewildered, this wasn't making any sense.

"Slava had him castrated when he worked for him. Don't you see, Alex? Now that he's a whole man again, he might not be able to control himself around Fox. I couldn't take the chance."

"Walter, when we first hired him to work for us, we didn't know he was castrated. At least I didn't. What's the real problem?"

"I never liked the way Yori was always hugging and touching Fox. I confronted him about it...that's how I found out about his injury. It helped me accept that he wasn't a threat to Fox...now..." his voice trailed off. Lifting the baby and placing her over his shoulder, he slowly rubbed her back.

"Sometimes you can be so blind, brother dear. Yori is the gentlest, most caring man I've ever met. He would never force himself on Fox." Krycek sat on the sofa, next to Skinner.

"What if you're wrong?"

"I'm not. Walter, he was there for you when Fox and I were abducted .. . . and for both of us when we thought Fox was dead. I think you owe Yori an apology, and if I were you, I'd do it before Fox wakes up. Now give me the mouse, I'll take care of her until you get back." Krycek gently took the baby away from her father.

"Okay, here, I was on page 5 ." He handed Krycek the book he was reading to her.

Skinner took a deep breath, knowing Alex was right, that he owed the Russian an apology. Sometimes he could be so blinded by jealousy where Mulder was concerned -- he didn't see things clearly. He walked outside and up to Yori, ignoring the glare his cousin threw at him. "Yori, can I please have a word with you, alone."

"Of course, Walter," the Russian answered jovially. He held no grudge against the A.D. for throwing him out, which only made Skinner feel worse.

They walked down the path along the side of Yori's rooms. "Yori, I owe you an apology...I'm sorry. I admit sometimes my jealousy gets the better of me. I would like it if you'd consider staying."

"No," Yori took a deep breath. Looking around at the gardens, he again realized how really beautiful it was here -- he was going to miss it. "It's better this way...I'm moving in with Lev." He stopped walking and faced Skinner. "Walter, I do appreciate your apology, and it's good that you're overprotective of Mulder...the man could tempt a saint," the Russian grinned.

Skinner smiled and held out his hand. "No hard feelings, then?"

"None." Yori grinned shaking his hand.

Skinner wandered back into the house, relieved and less guilt-ridden. Not finding Krycek in the family room, he did a quick scan of the house and found him in the nursery. He quickly walked to his and Mulder's bedroom, glanced briefly at the agent's peaceful sleeping face and stepped into the nursery.

"It's really amazing how you seem to always get out of changing a diaper. Is this a new psychic ability you have, Walter?" Krycek grumbled as he put the fresh diaper on the infant.

Skinner chuckled when he saw the yellow stain on Krycek's white dress shirt. The younger man hadn't had time to change out of his work clothes, yet. "Alex, I've been changing her since Fox fell asleep."

"Well, now I know why her diaper leaked," he quipped, picking up the infant as she started to whimper. "C'mon, mouse, let's go see your daddy." Krycek walked past Skinner and up to the king-sized bed. Sitting down, he laid the baby on top of her father's slumbering body; she quieted down instantly.

Skinner walked over and sat next to him. "I apologized to Yori...but he doesn't want to come back...he's moving in with Lev. I'm sorry, Alex, I really was a jerk."

"That's okay, Walter, he would have left eventually anyway. I don't know where we're going to find another housekeeper. Is Yori still going to work at the daycare?" He reached over and pried Hope's fingers out of Mulder's light dusting of chest hair.

"Yes, thank god, at least I didn't screw that up."

"You're being too hard on yourself, you were only thinking about protecting Fox. By the way, how long has he been asleep?"

"About twenty-seven hours. It really did him in, he passed out in my arms immediately afterwards." Skinner reached over and rubbed his daughter's back, she closed her eyes and a yawn escaped her small lips.

"Shall we put her in the crib?" Krycek asked as the baby fell asleep.

"No...let her stay where she is for awhile...I'll watch her."

"Then I'll see about fixing us something for dinner."

FBI's Hoover Building
Friday, May 13
10:00 a.m.

Rory MacIver muttered under his breath, looking sideways at Shinji Takeda, who sat next to him. The younger man had dressed in his nicest suit, the one he had asked Krycek to purchase for him. "Shin, I really don't see why you insisted on dressing up...for these men?" He waved his hand at the two-way mirror pointing at the small group of men on the other-side who were gathered around a conference table answering a variety of questions.

"Rory, Ssh! I'm trying to hear their answers," Takeda snapped. He had submitted the questions himself, if he was going to have to have sex with one of these men, he wanted to know everything about him.

"Sorry. You'd have thought your government would have at least had the decency to send good looking and semi-intelligent men," he grumbled.

"Numbers one and four are extremely handsome and they all are extremely intelligent. Look at the profiles my government provided," he stated, trying unsuccessfully to pass the manila folders over to his lover.

"I'd prefer not to," MacIver replied, sinking into his seat.

MacIver sat quietly, listening to the men in the other room speaking in Japanese for another half-hour, not understanding a word that was spoken. "This whole thing smells like a set-up. Look at them, every one of your choices happen to be in the military, why is that?"

"Rory, please. They're almost finished, just be quiet for a few more minutes."

Ten minutes later the interview broke up, and the men in the small interrogation room filed out. The door opened and a Japanese diplomat entered, followed by Walter Skinner. "Mr. Takeda, I hope we provided you with enough information for you to make your decision."

"Yes, thank you. I will let you know tomorrow...I would like some more time to review their files."

"Very well, I'll wait for your phone call."

"Sir, Agent Sullivan will escort you back to the lobby," Skinner informed the diplomat, stepping aside to allow the man to leave the room. After he left, Skinner closed the door and sat next to MacIver.

"Did everything go okay?" he asked.

"Yes, Walter. Thank you for arranging the use of the FBI's facility for our meeting. I really wouldn't have felt safe anywhere else," the Japanese immortal answered.

"It's the least I can do. Let's head back home. I really need to get back to Mulder. I'm concerned that he hasn't woken up, yet. It has been almost forty-eight hours," the A.D. said, standing up.

"Maybe you should have Doctor Harris look at him," MacIver suggested as they headed out the door.

Skinner prayed that it wasn't serious, he couldn't stand being without Mulder for much longer.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Friday, May 13
noon

"Yori, thanks for watching Fox and Hope for me," the A.D. said as he entered the mansion and ran into the large Russian who was carrying a tray. "Is he awake?" he asked when his eyes focused on the tray.

"Yes, he woke up about ten minutes ago...he's still pretty woozy."

Skinner reached for the tray. "Here, let me take that to him."

Yori passed him the tray. "Walter, now that you're back, I'll be leaving. Call me if you need me to watch Hope again," he said, heading for the front door.

"Thanks, Yori. I will."

Skinner carried the tray into the bedroom, stopping in the doorway. He looked lovingly at Mulder, who was curled up on his side with the baby lying next to him. The agent was murmuring softly to the baby, who seemed to be listening intently. Skinner couldn't make out what he was saying.

"Fox, how are you feeling?" Skinner walked over and set the tray on the small breakfast table, then made his way to the bed and sat next to him.

"I'm fine. Yori said I was sleeping almost two days...I guess that's a new record."

"Yeah, I was starting to worry," he smiled, brushing the bangs out of Mulder's eyes. "Did Yori tell you anything else?"

"Mm, no, he went to fix me something to eat. Why? What's wrong?"

"I did something really boneheaded." Skinner hung his head, embarrassed. "I told Yori he had to leave after you healed him...I was afraid to have him around you."

"But it's okay now? You left him here to watch me and the baby while you were out. Walter, please tell me you apologized?"

"I apologized, after Alex made me see what an irrational jerk I was. But it was too late, he had already made plans to move in with Lev. Fox, I'm sorry."

"I can't leave you alone for a minute..." Mulder muttered angrily, but seeing the pained look in Skinner's eyes, he decided not to add to his misery. "It's okay, Walter, what's on the tray?" he asked, scooting into a seated position in bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping baby. Skinner immediately propped the pillows up behind him.

"It looks like leftovers from dinner last night," Skinner said, seeing Mulder's apprehensive look. He quickly added, "Fox, don't worry, Alex cooked last night." He carried the tray over and laid it across his lap.

"Mm, Fettuccine Di Mare." He smiled, picking up a fork. "I was thinking, Walter," he said, taking a bite. Savoring the flavor, he picked up a slice of garlic bread and dunked it in the seafood white sauce. "There are a lot of cooking courses at the community colleges and high schools in the evenings...maybe you, Rory, and Shinji can attend."

"Fox, I really don't have a lot of free time. With you, Hope, my job, and maintaining this large mansion...I don't see how I could possibly squeeze it in."

"Hmm, maybe we could hire someone to come to the house and teach you. It would require less of your time...I'll look into it," he stated, not allowing Skinner to object. He had the perfect someone in mind. Skinner would probably hate the idea, but the little man really was an excellent teacher and cook.

"Whatever makes you happy, Fox." Skinner bent down and lifted their sleeping infant off the bed. Carrying her into the nursery, he placed her in the crib.

"How about I run your bath?" he asked, strolling back into the room.

"Only if you're planning on joining me."

"I would love to join you." Skinner smiled, stealing an olive from the small salad and sitting back down on the bed.

"Anything else I should know about?" Mulder asked, finishing the last of his meal.

"We have a meeting scheduled for Monday with the attorney I hired, and Alex has a surprise wedding gift for you when he gets home from work. Now, why don't you go into the bathroom, while I take this back to the kitchen."

"What type of gift?"

"It's Alex's surprise...you're going to have to wait for him to get home," Skinner said, carrying the tray back to the kitchen.

Mulder sluggishly climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. He looked at his tired face in the mirror. There was two days worth of stubble. Pulling down a can of shaving cream, he smeared it over his face. The agent picked up his razor and started shaving, glancing up as Skinner came in the room. The A.D. walked over to the whirlpool tub and started filling it. He poured in the last of the scented bath oil.

"Fox, we're out of bath oil...remind me to pick some up next time we're at the store." The older man shrugged out of his suit. Hanging it in the closet, he tossed his underwear into the hamper. He checked the tub, then walked up behind Mulder. Hooking his thumbs in the waistband of the agent's silk boxers, he pulled them down. Mulder stepped out of them as he finished shaving.

Skinner wrapped his arms around Mulder's warm body. Hugging him tightly, he nuzzled his cock between the agent's buttocks as he kissed the side of his lover's throat, rubbing his cheek against Mulder's smoothly shaved one. "God, Fox, I love you so damn much it hurts."

"Yeah, it feels like it could be painful," Mulder quipped, wiggling his hips and eliciting a deep moan from his lover.

"C'mon, into the tub with you." Skinner smiled happily as he dragged his gorgeous lover over to the bathtub. He reached down and shut off the water, putting one foot into the steaming tub.

He pulled Mulder in with him. "Shit! Ouch! You couldn't get it any hotter, could you?" the agent exclaimed, waiting for his legs to get accustomed to the hot water, before he attempted to ease the rest of his body down into the tub.

"It's not that hot...we have the air conditioner set too low, your body will adjust," Skinner said as he eased himself down, sighing as the hot water eased his aching muscles. Leaning back, he purred with contentment. "It's been awhile since we indulged in a bath together in the afternoon."

Mulder smiled down at him, then cautiously lowered himself into the steaming water on the opposite side of the tub. He hissed when his butt made contact, and waited for the initial sting to ease before easing the rest of his body in. "Mm, it does feel good...we should indulge more often." Mulder ran his foot up the older man's leg until his toes found their target and caressed his lover's scrotum.

"Fox...would you...get your ass...over here," he gasped.

"What?" Mulder smiled sweetly, running a washcloth over his arm.

"Don't ask me what. By the way, your nails need clipping," the older man said. Reaching down, he grabbed his lover's foot and pulled.

Mulder had to grab the sides of the bathtub to keep from falling backwards into the hot water as Skinner pulled him forward. The A.D. let go of his foot and grabbed his arms to pull him the rest of the way until they were groin to groin. "Never tease me after you've been asleep for two days, I happen to be very horny."

"That's what I'm counting on." Mulder smiled, wrapping his arms around the A.D.'s neck and claiming his mouth, he scooted up closer, his legs on either side of the larger man's hips.

Skinner sighed into the kiss, lacing his fingers through Mulder's thick, silky hair. His other hand was caressing Mulder's long, smooth back, made even smoother by the bath oils. When his hand reached his lover's pelvis, he pulled the agent even further on his lap until Mulder's buttocks rested on top of his hard cock. "Fox...lover.... I want...I want to watch you fuck yourself on my cock," he murmured breathlessly as he pulled his lips away from Mulder's.

"Hmm, you want me to do all the work while you just lay back enjoying yourself?" Mulder purred, kneeling with his shins resting against Skinner's outer thighs.

"That was sort of the plan," the A.D. admitted while smirking up at his lover. Mulder was massaging his fingers over his scalp and gently kissed his way down to Skinner's lips. The older man's hands caressed the agent's ass then he slipped a finger into the tight puckered opening.

"Ah...so you decided to help out after all," Mulder quipped, pushing back as a second finger entered and stretched him.

"I'm not totally selfish," Skinner murmured, rubbing his finger over his lover's prostate.

"No...you're not," Mulder gasped with pleasure, arching his back and tossing his head back. He sighed as he felt the older man withdraw his fingers. The agent shifted his body until he was over his lover's cock. Skinner used one hand to position his cock against Mulder's anus; his other hand was on the agent's hip.

Mulder sank down on the large cock, moaning in pain as the large head forced its way past his sphincter muscle. Closing his eyes, he held still while his body adjusted to the invasion, before sinking the rest of the way down on the thick shaft.

Skinner laid back in the water, watching Mulder's face go briefly from pain to pure ecstasy. "Fox, don't move...I want to enjoy being inside of you for awhile," the older man murmured, feeling the delicious pressure on his cock that was sheathed in the agent's tight rectum.

"I have no intention of moving any time soon," Mulder purred. Leaning down, he captured Skinner's lips, kissing him passionately. Dueling with the older man's tongue for dominance and winning, he explored the lush mouth, then he leaned back and reached for a washcloth. He soaked it under the water, lifting it, he poured liquid bath soap on it and started washing Skinner's hairy chest.

As Mulder scrubbed the older man's shoulders, he said, "We should at least get clean while we're in here; after all, that's the purpose of a bathtub."

"That's the purpose of the shower...this is the purpose of our bathtub," the A.D. stated wiggling his hips.

Mulder groaned. "Does this mean I don't have to hold still any longer?"

"I'd appreciate it if you moved," he answered, his large hands on the younger man's hips.

Mulder shifted, raising his body, he felt the cock rub against his sensitive insides as it slid part way out of his body. He sank back down, angling his body so the mushroom shaped head of the older man's cock made contact with his prostate. He went up again, then back down, twisting his hips and squeezing his internal muscles.

Skinner cried out, making erotic noises. "Oh, God! Where'd you learn that move?"

"Your brother...he's a wealth of information," Mulder chuckled, repeating the move and picking up the pace.

"I bet." Skinner caressed the agent's straining cock. His own cock was going through the most enjoyable sensations being deeply buried in the younger man's body.

They set a bruising pace of pushing and pulling, up and down, with the occasional corkscrew motion. Mulder soon found himself unable to hold back. As his orgasm took him over the edge, he spurted his milky white come over the larger man's chest. The constricting muscle of the agent's rectum brought Skinner over the edge as he poured his release into his lover's body.

"Oh, yeah! Fuck!" Skinner exclaimed, sinking back into warm water feeling totally sated.

Mulder raised his hips and allowed the larger man's penis to slip from his body. With a washcloth, he washed the milky come off the A.D.'s chest. He turned and sank into his lover's arms, kissing his cheek. "Mm, thanks, Walter. Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?"

"It's been at least two days," Skinner replied, caressing Mulder's back.

"I've been asleep for the last two days," he stated, resting his head on the larger man's shoulder.

"That explains it," the A.D. smiled against his hair. "Do you want to get out?"

"No...not yet...the water's still warm," he murmured. Closing his eyes, he relished the closeness and contentment he was feeling. He nuzzled closer to Skinner's naked body, smiling as the strong arms wrapped around him holding him closely.

Foxfire Glenn Estates Friday, May 13
5:40 p.m.

Skinner was in the family room watching the evening news, drinking a beer and cursing at the television. He had been feeling sated and happy, but Nikolai Slava ruined that. The Cossack had cemented his control over Russia and declared himself Tsar. There were only a few scattered pockets of resistance left, and they were quickly being eliminated.

He looked up as Mulder strolled in with the baby. The agent had dressed in soft sweatpants and a T-shirt after their shared bath.

"She's freshly bathed and..." Mulder stopped in his tracks when he saw Slava's face on the television screen. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Meet the new Tsar of Russia," Skinner scoffed.

"Really? When did this happen?" Mulder asked, flabbergasted.

"The day of our wedding...Uncle Kostya told me before he left. I didn't want to ruin your day by telling you."

Before Mulder could respond, MacIver stormed into the room and threw himself down on the sofa. "He's absolutely the most pig-headed, stubborn, infuriating..." He noticed the two other men staring at him then noticed the beer in the A.D.'s hand, he concentrated briefly and a bottle of beer floated to him from the refrigerator. He downed half the bottle before turning to Mulder. "Hi, Mulder, it's good to see you up."

"Are you and Shinji still arguing about his working at the Procreation Center?" Mulder inquired, placing Hope in Skinner's arms.

"No...I lost that disagreement," he mumbled. "It's because he can't see how his own government is manipulating him. Do you think they are going to be satisfied with having him breed...with one of those bastards?"

"You're probably right, but it's Shinji's decision to make." Skinner tried to reason with him.

"Oh come on, Walter...as if you'd allow Mulder to make that type of a decision." MacIver downed the rest of his beer and another one floated to him.

"That's different, we're married," the bald man stated, ignoring the hostile look Mulder shot him.

MacIver sighed, "Look, Walter, maybe you could talk to Shinji, he looks up to you. I just want him to be careful. He's still so young and naïve. I'm worried the man that he chooses will mislead and deceive him."

"I'll talk to him, Rory. We'll set up some safeguards to make sure that he is protected. I believe your fears are justified, we're having a problem with some members of our government wanting to take Mulder's rights away."

"Thank you, Walter. For what it's worth, I'll be here for you and Mulder if it comes down to a fight against your government," MacIver said slowly, nursing his second beer.

"Is Shinji in your room?" Skinner asked. Getting up, he placed the baby back into Mulder's arms, pecking his lover's cheek. He didn't see the danger signs flashing in those expressive hazel eyes.

"Yeah, he's going over those blasted profiles...you'd think he was searching for a husband ...not someone for just a one night stand," MacIver grumbled.

"I'll go up and talk to him, now." Skinner left the room heading for the back staircase. On the second floor, he walked down the long hallway, then turned down a smaller hallway -- at the end was Shinji and Rory's room. He rapped on the door and entered. "Shinji, can I have a moment of your time?"

Shinji looked up from the bed where all of the folders were spread out. He was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and was sitting cross-legged. "Sure, Walter."

The A.D. walked over and stared down at the different pictures attached to each of the open folders. "Have you made your decision, yet?"

"Yes." He picked up a folder and passed it to the Skinner. "Major Kazuo Sawada."

Skinner glanced through the folder, before handing it back. "Are you planning on meeting him beforehand?"

"Yes, my government would like me to spend time with the man at their embassy." Takeda looked down and wrung his hands together. "I really don't like the idea...Rory thinks they're trying to set me up, but I see no other way to meet this man."

"If you're nervous about it, we could have him over to the house for a few days so you can get to know him. I happen to agree with Rory, I think they might be setting you up. After all, your government wants you back...you saw how angry your ambassador was when you refused to return with him. I wouldn't put it pass them to try to abduct you. It would be better if you allowed me to deal with your government for you."

The young man shook his head. "You're sounding just like Rory, he doesn't think I can make my own decisions."

"You really should listen to him...he's older and has more experience than you." Skinner walked over and stared out the window. The view overlooked the front of the mansion, he could see the roof of Tony and Kim's cottage in the distance. The surrounding foliage it was nestled in blocked the view of the cottage.

"Does Mulder listen to you?"

"Fox listens to me most of the time...he respects and accepts me as the head of our family." Skinner smiled confidently.

"Oh...I thought you were both equal partners," Takeda stated, giving him a puzzled look.

"We are," Skinner stepped back over to the bed, glancing around the rest of the room. "Are you and Rory comfortable up here?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, it was nice of you to allow us to stay here."

"I was thinking since the housekeeper's apartment is available, you and Rory could move in there. It would give you a lot more room and privacy."

"Thank you, Walter, I'll talk to Rory about it."

"Let me know what you decide...I'm going to help Fox with dinner."

"Fox, we could just put in a couple of frozen pizzas," Skinner suggested, noticing that Mulder was still rundown.

"No, Alex has been working hard all day...I want to have a decent meal for him when he gets home. Besides, you can consider this your very first cooking lesson." Mulder grinned, handing Skinner the packets of chicken breasts. "First thing, always wash the meat and clean off any excess fat."

Mulder walked up behind Skinner as he stood in front of the sink cleaning the chicken. He retied the A.D.'s apron, which had come undone in back. "Okay, we need three shallow dishes. In the first dish combine 6
tablespoons of flour and 3 teaspoons of lemon-pepper seasoning. In the second dish pour the buttermilk. In the third bowl pour 1
cup of corn flake crumbs and 6 tablespoons of cornmeal." Mulder placed a large greased baking pan on the counter next to the last dish.

"Okay, Walter, take the first breast and dip it into the flour mixture to coat it, then dip it in the buttermilk, finally dip it in the crumb mixture, then place it in this pan." Skinner followed the instructions and repeated it with the other seven chicken breasts.

"Okay, you can put to pan in the oven. It's already preheated, just set the timer for twenty minutes. Then you can start making the salad.

Mulder checked the potatoes that he had boiling on the stove and placed the pan of honey glazed carrots on another burner, setting the flame to medium. As Mulder was setting the kitchen table Krycek walked in.

"Hi, lover, miss me?" Krycek asked, wrapping his arms around Mulder's trim waist and kissing his neck.

"Mm, I always miss you." Mulder turned around in his arms, kissing his scrumptious lips, he ran his fingers through Krycek's thick hair.

"What's for dinner?" Krycek asked, watching Skinner removed a pan from the oven.

"Buttermilk Oven-Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, and carrots. Alex, can you call Rory and Shin, while I finish setting the table?" Mulder asked, placing the silverware on the round kitchen table.

*Hey, Rory, Shin, time to eat!* Krycek yelled telepathically. As he plopped himself down in a chair at the table and grabbed the beer that floated to him from the refrigerator while he loosened his tie.

Skinner carried the salad and an assortment of bottled salad dressings to the table.

MacIver and Takeda strolled into the room and sat at the table, Rory reached for a slice of bread from the breadbasket. "So, Alex, how your day?"

"Tedious...I did nothing but fill out expense and case reports." He sighed, taking the breadbasket from MacIver.

Mulder walked to the refrigerator and removed a bottle. Krycek could hear Hope softly whimpering in the family room. Mulder held the bottle under the hot tap water until it was the right temperature. Skinner and Krycek knew better than to offer to heat the bottle using their powers, Mulder had set them straight about helping him that way, without him requesting their help first.

Skinner placed the remaining bowls of food on lazy Susan in the center of the table. He opened a bottle of wine and filled each of their glasses before sitting down. Mulder came back carrying the baby, he sat at the table feeding her and smiled at Skinner, who filled a plate of food for him. He watched as the other men hungrily wolfed down the food.

"Alex, I'm hiring a cooking instructor to teach Walter, Rory, and Shin how to cook." Mulder grinned at the shocked expression on Takeda's and MacIver's faces.

"Now, lad, I'm a bit too old to learn how to cook. Shin, on the other hand, is the perfect age," MacIver argued, taking a bite of the glazed carrots.

"Rory, if I'm going to learn to cook then you are, too! And, don't try to use your age to squirm out of it. After all, Skinner's learning, and he's at least four years older than you," Takeda snapped.

"Guys, stop making it sound like it's a punishment...it's only fair that you learn. With Yori gone...Alex and I are going to need help with the cooking...we can't continue to do the majority of it. There will be times when we're both out of town on a case, and I would like to know that my daughters are going be fed a healthy meal," Mulder admonished. He placed the bottle on the table and turned Hope over. He gently burped her, then settled her snugly in the crook of his arm. He picked up his fork and started eating.

"Fox, it's going to be at least eighteen months before the girls will be eating what we're eating. What's the hurry?" Skinner asked, cleaning the rest of his plate.

"It's going to take you at least that long before your cooking is good enough to feed to our child," Mulder quipped.

Krycek chuckled, "Walter, he has you there and for the record I agree with him, I don't want to chance your cooking on my daughter."

"Okay...you've both made your point...we'll take the blasted cooking lessons," MacIver grumbled. "So what's for dessert," he asked. Getting up, he took his and Shinji's dirty dishes to the sink, rinsing them, he put them in the dishwasher.

"There's ice cream in the freezer," Skinner informed him, also rising he rinsed his plate too, and start clearing the table. Mulder was still eating and slowly sipping his glass of wine. The A.D. paused a moment to study him, he looked so beautiful with their child in his arms.

"Walter, shin told me about you offering us the use of the housekeeper's apartment, we'd love to move in there. I'd be willing to pay for our keep by doing the housekeeper's job around here," MacIver stated as he helped to cleanup the kitchen. He knew that with his powers he could do all of the daily cleaning in an hours time, which left the rest of the day for relaxing by the pool or fishing down at the lake.

"I'd appreciate that Rory," Skinner murmured, filling the dishwasher. He walked over and pulled two cartons of ice cream from the freezer. "Hey, Fox, what would you prefer, butter pecan or rocky road?"

"Butter pecan," Mulder answered as Krycek stood and grabbed their empty plates taking them to the dishwasher.

Shinji looked over at him smiling, "Mulder, I have some good news."

"What?"

"Kim and Tony have asked me if they could adopt my two daughters. I told them yes...now I can watch them as they grow up, and I won't have to worry about them being raised by strangers."

"Shin, are you sure that's what you want? You and Rory could raise them yourselves."

"No. I don't want to be reminded about the time I spent as a prisoner of the Consortium. This way I still get to see them occasionally, but I won't have the responsibility for their care and upbringing."

"I'm glad that you found a solution that works for you. Kim and Tony must be thrilled, they've always wanted children." Mulder smiled at Skinner as he placed a dish of ice cream in front of him. He picked up the spoon and started eating, looking down at Hope who was staring up at him. Mulder took a tiny amount of ice cream, careful not to get any of the pecans, and placed the spoon against her lips. She sucked at the small amount of ice cream scrunching up her face against the cold. The agent dabbed a napkin against her chin to clean up the drips.

"Did you like that, princess? Would you like a little bit more?" He scooped up another thimble-sized amount on his spoon and offered it to her, she eagerly opened her mouth for more.

"Fox, you shouldn't be feeding her anything other than formula this soon," Skinner admonished. "She can't even hold her head up on her own and here you're force-feeding her ice cream."

"A little ice cream isn't going to do her any harm, besides she likes it," he said, dabbing her chin with the napkin. He looked up into Skinner's stern expression. "Okay, if it will make you happy I won't give her anymore," Mulder pouted.

"Fox, finish up, I have a surprise for you," Krycek murmured, trying to ease the tension.

"I'm done," Mulder said, pushing the unfinished bowl of ice cream away. He stood up and handed Hope to Skinner. "You can watch her...seeing that you're such a great father."

"Fox, stop acting childish," the older man admonished.

"Then quit treating me like a child," Mulder grumbled, following Krycek out of the room. He steeled himself against the sound of Hope's crying as he left.

"Fox, do you want to go back and get her? She only cries that way when she wants you," Krycek asked, looking over his shoulder.

"No...he's been treating me like the little woman lately...I've had about enough of it. Let him try to manage her without me for awhile, maybe he'll come to his senses," Mulder huffed angrily.

"Maybe you should tell him what's bothering you. Fox, I'm sure he doesn't have a clue," Krycek advised, steering him through the upstairs library and up four steps to a locked door. He removed a key and unlocked it, then flung it open to the room beyond.

Mulder stepped in and looked around the room in awe, it contained a lot of his furniture from his old apartment in Alexandria. "Where did you get all of this?"

"Skinner had it in storage...I thought you needed a private place to get away from us every now and then. The computer is new it's the latest model on the market." Krycek walked over to the desk at the far end of the room.

Mulder followed, looking around. The room was used previously for storage, the floors were unfinished planking, the walls were covered in pine paneling. It had one large window that the desk was in front of. The room was about twenty feet wide and twenty-five feet long. "Alex, I love it," he said, walking over to his old leather sofa and plopping down.

"That's not all." Krycek walked over to the paneling and pushed a hidden button and a secret door popped open.

Mulder hopped up from the sofa and strolled over to the opening, looking down a steep flight of steps; a boyish grin lit up his face. "Where does it go?"

"There are two exits. One leads into the library and the other into yours and Skinner's bedroom. Do you want to go check them out?" Krycek asked, flipping a switch that lit up the small passageway.

"No...not now, later. Show me where the release is to open the panel from the passageway." Mulder watched as Krycek demonstrated the hidden switch.

The sound of a baby crying pulled their attention from the passageway. Skinner walked through the doorway with an extremely distraught, shrieking baby. "Fox, how can you be so insensitive? It isn't healthy for her to be crying like this!" he exclaimed harshly.

Mulder rushed over and took Hope from him. Hugging her against his chest, he sunk down on the sofa. She quieted down almost immediately, staring up at him with puffy swollen eyes and a small blotchy red face.

Skinner was about to launch into a lecture on responsibility when Krycek roughly grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room.

"Don't be a complete asshole...Fox is having a problem with how you've been treating him lately...don't make matters worse by yelling at him and laying on the guilt," Krycek whispered harshly.

Skinner looked up the few steps into Mulder's new office. "What do you mean? I'm not treating Fox any differently now than I've always treated him."

"He seems to think you're treating him, and I quote, 'like the little woman'. You should sit down and talk to him," Krycek advised, heading back up the steps and into the room.

Mulder was sitting huddled in the corner of the sofa. His feet were on the coffee table in front of him, the baby laid curled on his chest, and he had a far away look in his eyes.

Skinner walked up behind Krycek, seeing the dazed expression on Mulder's face. He walked around the coffee table and sat next to him, placing his hand over Mulder's where it rested on their daughter's back. "Fox, tell me what's wrong?"

Mulder's eyes focused, he stared deep into Skinner's eyes. "Oh pleeasse, don't act like you don't know!" He pushed Skinner's hand away from him and the baby.

"I don't," he said, looking pleadingly at his lover with a hurt expression on his face.

"You've snapped and belittled me more than once since our daughter's been born. You yelled at me in front of other agents at the Hoover Building, at your cousin's restaurant, and in front of my friends. You've made it known that you are the man of the house...what does that make me...or Alex?" Mulder kept his tone low, not wanting to disturb the baby.

"Fox, I didn't realize...you should have said something." Skinner reached for his hand and Mulder pulled it away.

"How can you not have realized...what do you see when you look at me?"

"I see the man that I love with all of my heart...my lover, my companion, and my friend. Fox, you mean more to me than anything in the world...I would never knowingly hurt or humiliate you. Tell me how I can make it up to you?"

"Walter, if you really understood then you'd know what would make it up to me. When you figure it out, get back to me. Until then, I'll be sleeping with Alex; you don't have to worry about taking care of Hope, she'll be staying with me."

Skinner was taken aback, he thought it was clear that he was sorry. He didn't have the slightest clue what Mulder expected from him. He glanced over to Krycek for a suggestion. *C'mon, Alex, do you know what he wants?* he pleaded telepathically.

*Sorry, Walter, I haven't a clue...if you figure it out, let me know .. .. . I might be in your shoes someday.*

"Fox, please...this is childish," Skinner stammered, knowing instantly that he had chosen the wrong word.

"That's twice now you've referred to me as a child...if that is what you think of me, why did you marry me?"

"Frankly, Fox, I don't know what I think of you right now," Skinner grumbled. Standing, he quickly walked to the door, pausing and glancing back. "I married you because I love you...I would think you'd know that by now," he toned softly. Turning, he left the room.

Skinner took the steps back down to the kitchen, muttering to himself.

"Walter, what's wrong?" MacIver asked from his position in front of the television set -- Takeda was curled up against him.

"Nothing," the A.D. muttered, heading into the kitchen just as Frohike came through the back door.

"Melvin, what are you doing here? It's getting kind of late," Skinner asked, glancing at the clock. It was close to nine o'clock in the evening.

"I needed to talk to you in private. I had one of those weird visions again, and this one has me worried." The little man glanced nervously around. "Where's Mulder?"

"Upstairs with Alex and the baby. We can go into my study," he said, leading the smaller man out of the kitchen, through the butler's pantry, and down a small hallway into his study.

"You've had a falling out with him, haven't you?"

"Fox is angry with me. I tried to apologize, but he wouldn't accept it. He refuses to tell me what I can do to make it up to him. He said I should already know," Skinner sighed. Walking over to his small liquor cabinet, he pulled out two tumblers and poured some bourbon into each one.

"Now tell me about this vision you've had and why it has you so worried?" Skinner asked. Handing him the drink, he sat next to Frohike in a wingback chair.

"Visions...I've had two different ones. I'm not sure of the timeframes...in the first one Mulder was in a large, elegant, dining room, he was sitting at the end of a long table when Slava walks up to him. Mulder looked up and smiled, tilting his head back, he accepted a kiss from the man. The second vision might have been in the same timeframe or later, Mulder was sitting on the floor surrounded by beautiful little girls, they looked to be about seven or eight years old. He was reading to them, again Slava walked up to him and leaned down to kiss him."

"Are you suggesting that at some future date, Fox is going to return willingly to Slava and have children by him?" Skinner asked aghast.

"So far, my visions have always been accurate, but there is too little information to make such a black and white statement. I don't know if Mulder returns willingly to him or even if those were Mulder's and Slava's daughters."

"But at some point in the future Fox is with that bastard. How can I prevent that from happening?"

"I don't know...if I had a vision that lasted more than a minute I'd be able to pinpoint just what is going to happen." The little man took a sip of his drink. "What are you and Mulder fighting about?"

"He says I've been treating him like a child, that I've humiliated him in front of other people. Melvin, I didn't know I was treating him that way. You know how reckless Fox is, he doesn't always think about the consequences of his actions. I've only been trying to modify that behavior...I don't want him harming himself or the baby. Maybe, I went a little too far and should have been more considerate of his feelings. I just wish I knew what he expects from me in a way of an apology."

"Mulder's not the sentimental type so I doubt flowers and candy is what he's looking for," Frohike sympathized.

"Maybe not...but it couldn't hurt. He could just be feeling cooped up, I suppose dinner and dancing might help," Skinner replied, putting his feet up on the footstool.

"Maybe you need to spice up your sex life," the little man suggested.

"He's not going to let me get close enough to have sex with him until I apologize the way he wants me to. I just wish I knew what way that is," Skinner sighed. He was blind as to what his lover expected from him.

Chapter 13 - Hot Spring Days

Scully's Ranch Canada Sunday, May 15 5:00 p.m.

Dana Scully set the large platter of fried chicken on the table next to the steaming bowls of mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans, then walked back into the kitchen for the cornbread and honey butter. She was dressed in faded blue jeans and a white T-shirt, with her short hair pulled back in a ponytail.

She walked to the back door and called out, "Boys, dinner's ready!"

A few seconds later Charlie, Bill, Randy, and Trevor came stomping in from outside. They had been working in the yard feeding their assortment of farm animals and cleaning out the chicken coop.

"Take your shoes off...I don't want mud tracked through my kitchen!" Scully admonished as she placed Matthew in a booster chair at the dining room table and fastened a bib around his neck. She prepared his small plate of food by cutting up a chicken breast into bite sized pieces for him.

"C'mon, boys, let's wash up before we sit down...we don't want to upset your Aunt Dana," Charlie whispered to his two sons. They had been walking on pins, and needles around her since they returned from Mulder's wedding. They all left their muddy shoes out on the service porch and hurried into the bathroom to wash up.

Dana was already eating by the time they returned and sat quietly at the table. "Looks really good, Aunt Dana," Trevor murmured.

"Thanks, Trevor," she said, smiling softly at him.

"Yeah, Dana, everything looks delicious," Charlie chimed in, kicking Bill under the table.

"Yeah, Sis, looks great," Bill piped up.

She gave them a sad smile and reached over to clean the mash potatoes off Matthew's face. "I talked to Phil Boutotte today. He says there's a condominium available at Viva Towers." She looked up from cleaning the toddler.

"Dana, what are you saying?" Bill gave her a stunned look, setting his silverware down.

"That I'm thinking about going back to the U.S. and to my job at the FBI." Her look challenged him to object.

"Dana, it's not safe for you to be living on your own! Do you seriously believe that the FBI will give you back your old job?" Bill asked harshly.

"Billy, I talked to the Director at Mulder's wedding; he guaranteed me my old job back if I wanted it," she argued. "There is only one slight problem...I'd have to report directly to Walter Skinner, and I won't be working with Mulder."

Bill barked out a harsh laugh. "Walter Skinner is not going to like that any more than you do, sis." Bill got up and went over to the refrigerator, pulling out a gallon jug of homemade wine. "Would either of you care for a glass?"

"Sure, Bill, why don't you leave the jug on the table," Charlie said, accepting a glass of wine from Bill and passing it to Dana.

"Dana, it's your life and you have every right to live it as you see fit. However, if you move back to D.C. then Bill, the boys, and I are going to be moving with you," Charlie stated plainly, sipping his glass of wine as Bill sat next to him. "Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, you need our protection and we Scullys stick together."

"Charlie, you and the boys are building a new life here...I don't want you to feel obligated to follow me. It's my life and my dream. I can take care of myself!"

"Dana, you're part of our life...don't shut us out!" Bill snapped.

"Okay, fine, whatever! I already told Phil to put a deposit on the condo for me. If you really want to move back, you'll have to find somewhere else to live...the condo only has two bedrooms."

"So that's it? You were going to move back without discussing it with us first!" Bill hissed angrily.

"Bill...I'm a doctor and a trained FBI agent! I want to go back to that life!" She waved her hand around to encompass the room. "This isn't me..."

"Bill, Dana, stop it! We'll discuss this after dinner. What would mom and dad say if they saw us fighting like this?" Charlie interrupted, putting an immediate end to his siblings' bickering.

Washington D.C.
Lawyer's Office
Monday, May 16
2:40 p.m.

Skinner glanced over at Mulder; the fear he saw in his lover's eyes was heartbreaking. They had been here almost four hours and spent half the time reviewing the transcripts from the Senate Procreation Committee's closed door sessions. Their attorney, Hans Meyer, had procured the documents under the newly revised freedom of information act.

"Mr. Meyer, we have to leave," Mulder said nervously looking at his watch. "Can we get copies of these documents made and sent to our home?"

"Of course, Mr. Mulder, I'll have a copy sent by courier tomorrow."

Skinner stood, holding out his hand. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Meyer." The A.D. shook the old attorney's hand and turned to his lover, who was rising tiredly from his chair. Skinner wanted to comfort him, but Mulder was avoiding contact with him since their fight Friday. Instead, he walked to the door and held it open for the younger man to pass through and followed him to the elevator.

"Fox, it will be okay...I won't allow anyone to lay their hands on you."

"It's not just anyone, Walter, it's our own government. You read those transcripts...they weren't even referring to me as a person . .. . but as an object. If it weren't for Matheson..." Mulder voice caught.

The chime sounded and elevator doors opened. Stepping inside, Skinner pushed the lobby button as Mulder moved to the corner and stood with his arms wrapped around his body, trembling slightly.

"Fox," he toned softly, then went over and wrapped his arms around his lover's lanky body; the agent tensed. "I gave a lot of thought about us and how I've been treating you. I haven't been showing you the respect you deserve...instead, I've treated you like a child and not as my equal partner. After everything you've suffered through and lost...you have every right to be angry with me. I'm sorry.... please accept my apology?"

Mulder relaxed in his arms; sighing, he rested his head on the older man's broad shoulder. "It took you long enough to figure it out...yes...I'll accept your apology. As long as you promise to treat me like an equal." He turned his head and kissed Skinner softly on the lips just as the elevator dropped them in the lobby.

"I promise, Fox."

They made their way out to the truck that was parked around the corner. Mulder climbed in and pulled out his cell-phone. "I promised Alex I'd call him," he said, dialing the number.

"Krycek."

"Hey, lover. How's your day going?" Mulder purred.

"Better, now that you've called...I was getting worried. How was your meeting with the attorney?"

"Poor to dismal," he sighed.

"What's wrong?" Krycek asked concerned.

"I'll tell you when you get home. Would you please stop and pick up three pizzas for dinner? I'm not feeling up to cooking tonight."

"Sure, Fox. I'll see you in a few hours."

Skinner pulled the truck on to the highway that headed to their country estate. Reaching over, he claimed Mulder's hand holding it tenderly in his lap.

Mulder smiled at him and wished they weren't sitting in bucket seats with a gear stick separating them. "I've missed you, Walter." The agent squeezed his lover's hand affectionately. "Hopefully our munchkin will be taking a nap when we get home."

"I hope she's wide awake, maybe she'll sleep longer tonight. It will be nice once she starts sleeping through the whole night." Skinner glanced thoughtfully over at his lover then back to the road. "Fox?"

"Hmm?"

"You are planning on sleeping in our bed tonight...aren't you?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, I was planning to," Mulder toned softly.

"Good."

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Monday, May 16
4:00 p.m.

Skinner pulled his truck into the garage and found Tony working in the wood shop. "Hey, Tony, how's it going?" He looked around with interest at the pieces of furniture scattered on newspapers throughout the large room. The window was open; the smells of paint thinner hung heavy in the air.

"Fine, Walter. I'm restoring some antique furniture that Kim and I picked up for the girls' room." He smiled.

Mulder walked up behind him admiring the light oak missionary style furniture. "It's great."

"Kim has excellent taste...I've often wondered what she saw in me," Tony grinned.

"Well, she's worked for Walter for ten years..." Mulder yelped as his ass was swatted.

"Fox, don't say it," Skinner chuckled.

"Hey...I thought we agreed you weren't going to treat me like a child!" The agent admonished with a gleam of amusement in his eyes.

"I'm not...that was a love tap...besides I would never spank our munchkin." he stated, pulling the agent into his arms and kissing him. "Let's go see our baby, Yori probably could use the relief by now."

"In a sec. Tony, why don't you and Kim come over to dinner tomorrow night...I plan on barbecuing ribs on the grill out back. I'm also going to bake a couple of deep dish apple pies tomorrow."

"Sounds good, Mulder, would you like us to bring anything?"

"Well, now that you mention it...if it isn't too much trouble, could Kim make her three bean casserole?"

"That's no trouble at all...Kim taught me the recipe, so if she isn't up to cooking, I'll make it myself," Tony grinned.

"Good, see you then," Mulder said as he followed Skinner out of the workroom.

"So, I hope this means you're planning on continuing my cooking lessons," the A.D. teased affectionately, putting an arm around Mulder's waist.

"Yeah, cooking and baking...but your real cooking instructor is starting on Wednesday. Tomorrow's dinner will be the last meal I prepare for at least a month," Mulder smirked. "For the next month it's going to be you, Rory, and Shinji."

"God...I hope you hired a decent cooking instructor," Skinner grumbled.

"Only the best...after all, Alex and I are going to have to eat what you guys cook."

They walked into the mansion, listening to the pleasant silence. There was a splash out back, and Skinner walked to the French doors leading out on to the upper patio. He saw Shinji pulling himself out of the water, and getting on the diving board, and performing a perfect swan dive. Rory was lying on his stomach on a lounge chair sunning in the late afternoon sun. In the shade under the eaves of the pool house, Yori sat holding Hope tenderly in his massive arms.

Mulder looked out over his shoulder, smiling. "Yori does have a way with our munchkin."

"Yes...he does. I think babies are able to sense when someone is pure of heart...I wish I had that ability," Skinner murmured. He leaned over and kissed Mulder on the cheek. "Shall we change our clothes and join them?"

"Might as well enjoy my freedom while I still have it," Mulder murmured, leaning against Skinner and grasping his hand.

"No one is going to touch you...I give you my word on that." He pulled Mulder against his chest and rested his chin on the agent's shoulder while he ran his hands over his lover's chest and stomach. "I've been practicing with Alex, Rory, and Tony. It will take the whole fucking U.S. army to get you away from us."

"Walter, I wish I shared your optimism, but the other side has Sorcerers, too. Besides, I'd rather turn myself over to them, than chance any of you getting hurt on my account," he sighed.

Skinner angrily spun him around to face him, clutching his lover's upper arms in a steel grip. "Fox, I will never allow you to turn yourself over to those fucking bastards! I don't care if you never speak to me again because of it! Your safety and welfare is all that matters to me!" he hissed into to agent's startled face. "DAMMIT! Can't you see what losing you would do to me?!"

"What if you got killed protecting me...how do you think I'd feel?"

"Fox, I know how you'd feel...but that won't stop me from protecting you. We're a family, and families fight and protect each other." Skinner wrapped his strong arms around him kissing his cheek. "We have time, the injunction our lawyer put together should prevent them from doing anything for at least two months."

"Okay, Walter, you win," Mulder whispered softly. "Let's get our swimsuits on." He walked into the bathroom and opened the walk in closet, shrugging out of his suit.

He turned and looked at Skinner with a mischievous grin on his face as they changed into their swimsuits. "Maybe we could get Alex to watch Hope for us tonight while we go for a midnight swim...without the swimsuits."

"You sound like you have more in mind than just swimming," he replied hopefully.

"Oh yeah, I do, I thought we'd christen the swimming pool," he murmured. Wrapping his arms around the larger man's trim waist, he licked his tongue along Skinner's lips.

"That sounds wonderful...if Alex doesn't mind watching Hope for us." He kissed him back.

"Alex enjoys watching the munchkin, he says its good practice." Mulder backed away and retrieved two beach towels from the bottom of the linen cabinet.

"Well, I wouldn't want to deprive my dear brother," Skinner replied, taking one of the towels from Mulder. "At least he knows what a joy it will be to have a child of his own. Did I tell you Hope smiled for me while I was bathing her?"

"No, you didn't. That seems rather early...are you sure it was a smile?" Mulder asked as they headed for the elevator.

"Yes, Fox, I know a smile when I see one," he grinned. "She hasn't smiled for you or Alex, yet?" Skinner inquired, feeling privileged.

"Nope...I would like to see you make her smile." Mulder grinned as they stepped off the elevator and headed toward the backyard.

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I don't. I think what you mistook for a smile was gas."

"Damn, you're sounding like Scully...is it so impossible to believe that she smiled?"

"Walter, she's only two and a half weeks old...I think it's virtually impossible," Mulder replied smugly as they made their way across the patio toward the outdoor pool.

"Do you want to place a small wager on it?" Skinner asked, holding the gate open for Mulder to pass through.

Stopping, he asked, "What type of wager?"

"The loser gives the winner a full body massage and serves him breakfast in bed for the next week." Skinner stated, waiting patiently for Mulder's answer while watching the other three men in the pool area.

"Okay, fine, you have yourself a deal...and, Walter, I expect one of the breakfasts you'll be making me to be potato pancakes. Oh, don't forget the freshly squeezed orange juice, and the fresh-cut flowers on the tray," Mulder smirked.

Skinner walked over to Yori and looked down lovingly at his daughter who was wide awake drooling and kicking her little feet. "Yori, hand me my little angel, please."

Skinner cradled her softly in his arms and strolled back over to Mulder who was spreading the beach towels over two lounge chairs. The agent looked up smiling. "Any time you're ready, Walter."

Skinner lowered his mouth and kissed her nose making a smacking sound. The baby, much to Mulder surprise, smiled delightedly, it was definitely a smile on her face as she gazed rapturously at Skinner.

"Now, let's see, tomorrow morning...I think...I'd like waffles, a soft boiled egg, and bacon," the A.D. smirked, kissing the top of his daughter's head.

Mulder grinned. He walked up to them. Throwing his arms around Skinner, he leaned down to kiss Hope on the forehead, then his lover on the lips. "It was worth losing the bet to see her smile for you! It really is a thrilling thing...don't forget to record it in her baby book." He stepped away and walked to the edge of the pool, testing the water with his foot.

Shinji swam over to him, looking up. "Hey, Mulder. Beautiful day isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," he replied, diving in. He surfaced and swam back over to Shinji. "So, have you made arrangements for our houseguest, yet?"

"Major Sawada had to return to Japan, he'll be coming back to stay with us for the week of June 12th...at least, that's what my government told me." He frowned. "I think there is a problem that they're not telling me."

"Like what?" Mulder asked, watching as Skinner dragged his lounge chair into the shade next to Yori, then sat with Hope cradled protectively against his bare chest.

"It just seems odd that they are so anxious for me to start producing female babies with this man, but it will be at least a month before I meet him."

"You're right, it is strange...I'll have the boys check into it for you. If something is fishy, Frohike should be able to sniff it out." Mulder looked over at MacIver who was soundly asleep with the late afternoon sun beating down on him. "Maybe you should wake Rory . .. . it looks like he's getting a sunburn."

"Thanks, Mulder," Shinji stated, climbing out of the pool, walking over to his lover. "Hey, Rory, wake up." He noticed the red shoulders and legs.

"Hmm. Oh...Shin, what time is it?" MacIver mumbled.

"Time to get you inside," he replied, touching the Scotsman's shoulder lightly.

"Fuck! That hurts...I guess I've been out a little too long," he said. Looking over his shoulder, he pulled himself off the lounge chair being careful not to bump his sunburned limbs.

"I suppose you expect me to heal you?" Shinji asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, that would be awfully kind of you, love," MacIver murmured, kissing him on the cheek.

"What do I get in return?"

"Ah...bribery...that's what I love about you, Shin, you're a man after my own heart." The Scotsman grinned, grabbing the immortal's hand and leading him toward the house. "Let's negotiate in our bedroom."

Mulder chuckled, watching them, he had never met two people more perfectly matched. He glanced over at Yori, who was getting up from his chair. "Yori, thanks for watching Hope, again." He swam to the side of the pool, looking up at the large Russian. "How are you and Lev doing?"

"Great, Mulder, I've never been more happier. Lev and I have been doing volunteer work at one of the orphanages three nights a week. Now that I'm living with him, we've been talking about adopting some of the boys." He beamed enthusiastically.

"You'd make a great father, Yori. Just how many boys were you thinking of?"

"I would like to adopt all of them...it breaks my heart to see them growing up in an orphanage. However, we do not have the means to support and take care of that many. So, I thought we'd start off by adopting seven, we have enough room in Lev's house for that many."

Mulder whistled. "Do have any of the boys picked out yet?"

"Yes, there are five boys who are brothers...I wanted to keep them together. The youngest is three, and the oldest is fourteen. Then there are Timmy and Shane...Father Joseph has been worried about them, neither one has spoken since coming to the orphanage."

"Yori, it sounds like you have your work cut out for you. I'd like to meet your new family once you get them settled in."

"They would be thrilled to meet you, Mulder. You're a hero to most of the boys...you should visit the orphanage when you have time, it would make the boys' day. Well, I had better get going...Walter, Mulder, call me if you need anything," he said, heading toward the gate.

"Thanks, Yori, have a safe drive back," Skinner replied, leaning back in the lounge chair feeding Hope a bottle of formula.

"That's awfully nice of Yori and Lev. Did you know Frohike, Byers, and Langly are also doing volunteer work at the orphanage?" Mulder asked, climbing out of the pool and lying down on his belly on a lounge chair in the sun.

"No, I wasn't aware of that. I've heard that several of the agents at bureau were adopting boys. I think they felt it was safe now that they can test the boys for the Ghoul strain of the virus before adopting them." Skinner shifted the baby, looking lovingly down at her small face. "Hey, Fox, come over here...have you ever seen her doing this before?"

Mulder stood up and walked over. Looking down at the baby, she was sucking the bottle in the corner of her mouth with one eye squinted shut. The other eye was watching her father's face. "No, that's another first...she must like the view. She doesn't want to take her eye off you...I can't say that I blame her," Mulder whispered.

The agent walked back to his chair. Lying down, he fell asleep within seconds. What seemed like only minutes later, Skinner was shaking him awake.

"C'mon, Fox, wake up. I don't want you getting sunburn...I have plans for that gorgeous body of yours tonight."

Mulder squinted through one eye staring up at him. Skinner laughed. The expression was identical to the one their daughter had made earlier. "God, you're so adorable, let's get you and the baby back inside the house. Alex should be home any second with the pizzas."

"Great, I'm starving...I'll remember your promise for later," Mulder said. Standing up, he took the baby from Skinner. "She feels like she needs a diaper change."

"I'll do it when we get back in the house," Skinner replied, putting his arm around the agent's bare waist as they walked toward the house.

"It still amazes me that this little baby is a part of both of us," Mulder murmured as the elevator deposited them on the first floor. "I wouldn't mind having more children with you in the future."

Skinner blinked, shocked, then smiled mistily at him. "Thanks, Fox, I've always dreamed of having a large family. Maybe we could try for a boy next time."

"Sure, Walter, I could see a little Wally junior running around this place," the agent smirked.

"We're not naming our son Wally," he quipped, taking Hope from Mulder. He placed her on the changing table and gently removed the soiled diaper. The younger man leaned against the wall watching him.

"You're starting to become quite the expert diaper changer, Walter," Mulder smirked. "It will come in handy when Alex and I are out of town on a case and you have to change Faith's diapers, too."

"I don't look forward to your out of town cases, but I will definitely enjoy taking care of my niece while you're gone," Skinner murmured, fastening on a new diaper.

*Hey! Mulder! Walter! I'm home!* Krycek's telepathic shout startled both men.

"Good, the pizzas are here, let's continue our discussion in the kitchen," Mulder suggested, tossing Skinner a T-shirt to put on over his swim trunks. He did likewise, then waited for the older man to pick up the baby and follow him out of the room.

Krycek was setting paper plates and napkins out on the long kitchen counter as MacIver opened the pizza boxes. "Shinji's sleeping, so I'm going to set a few slices aside for him," the Scotsman drawled, taking a paper plate and a slice out of each box.

Mulder noticed the lack of a sunburn on MacIver's arms and legs, and put two, and two together. "So, Rory, how much did it cost you?" he snickered, sitting down at the counter and taking a slice of pizza.

"Dinner, a movie, and dancing," he sighed. "Which brings up a small favor I would like to ask Walter and Alex." MacIver added, while wrapping aluminum foil over the plate and putting it in the refrigerator.

"What's that, Rory?" Krycek asked, sitting down next to Mulder. Skinner walked into the kitchen after putting Hope down for a nap in the bassinet in the family room.

"I can handle taking Shin to dinner okay by myself, but the movie and especially dancing might be a problem. I'm afraid I won't be able to adequately protect him, so I was wondering if you and Walter would come along to provide added security for him?" MacIver asked, walking around the counter and sitting down at the end.

Mulder sadly watched his two lovers, he didn't like the idea of being left at home, but he accepted the fact that Shinji needed their protection.

"We wouldn't dream of leaving Shinji under protected, let me call Yori and arrange for him to watch Hope. I'll ask Tony and Kim if they want to go; we can make a whole evening of it." Skinner grinned, grabbing a slice of sausage pizza.

Mulder looked at him expectantly. "Walter, you're taking me, too?"

"Fox, I've been dying to take you out on the town...I would never dream of leaving you at home," he soothed.

"Are you sure that you'd be able to protect Kim and Shinji? You know how crazy those nightclubs get," Mulder asked.

Krycek spoke up. "No problem, Walter and I can easily protect all of you. Fox, you have nothing to worry about," he replied smugly.

Mulder gave him a weak smile; it didn't do his ego any good being so dependent on his lovers. "I hope so, since I'm planning on wearing my black leather pants and silk shirt."

"I thought you hated those pants?"

"Alex, not the leather pants Rory gave me...I wouldn't be caught dead in those again. The pair Frohike gave me as a wedding gift." Mulder snickered at the stunned looks on his lovers' faces.

"Melvin gave you leather pants for our wedding gift? How come I haven't seen them?" Skinner asked, picking up a bottle of beer that appeared from thin air in front of him, and passing it to Mulder.

"Thanks," the agent replied, opening the bottle. "It was during the bachelor party the gunmen threw for me...Byers gave me a matching leather tie."

"Bachelor party?" Skinner was even more baffled.

"Yeah, they came over and surprised me. It was the day you went to the bureau for the quarterly budget meeting with the director."

"Oh. How come you didn't mention it before?"

"You weren't in a good mood when you got home. Afterwards, it sort of slipped my mind." Mulder picked a shrimp out of his slice of pizza and popped it into his mouth.

"What did Langly give you?" the older man grumbled, he didn't like it when Mulder kept things from him.

"A tie tack."

"A tie tack? I wouldn't have thought Langly would have known what a tie tack was." Skinner reached for another slice of pizza.

Krycek laughed. "Oh, so that's where you got that ball and chain tie tack."

Mulder grinned over at him. "Yeah. Did you see Faith's room? Langly finished painting it yesterday."

"I did. He did a remarkable job. I picked up some lead crystal snowflakes to hang from the ceiling. I'll show them to you after we're finished eating," Krycek said, reaching for the last slice of pineapple and shrimp pizza.

"Did you find out when the bed will be delivered?" Mulder asked. They had picked out the most exquisite sleigh bed from an online catalog.

"They said Wednesday afternoon." Krycek turned to Skinner. "Walter, would you or Rory be around on Wednesday to take delivery?" he asked. He felt Mulder stiffen next to him, but he didn't want his lover around the deliverymen, a lot of whom were n'thrals.

"I'll be happy to show the deliverymen where to put the bed, Alex," MacIver answered.

Skinner sensed Mulder's darkening mood and quickly changed the subject. "Alex, Fox and I were wondering if you'd watch Hope for us tonight?"

The young man looked over at his brother. "Sure, I'll look after the mouse for you. So, you two have finally made up?"

"We're planning on making up tonight." Mulder smirked, caressing Skinner's leg. "Isn't that right?"

"Yeah, the whole night." Skinner grabbed Mulder's hand squeezing it affectionately.

Krycek wanted to find out about their visit to the lawyer's office, but he sensed it was a sore subject and he didn't want to spoil their evening. Instead, he rose, walked into the family room, and looked down at his niece. "Has she been fed, yet?"

"It's been at least two hours, you might want to hold off, she'll let you know when she's hungry," Skinner advised him.

"Okay, I'm taking her upstairs to my room, you two have a nice evening," Krycek said, scooping the sleeping infant up gently in his arms. He carried her upstairs, laying her in the small crib that Mulder and he had set up in their room. They had to remove the small breakfast table to make room for it.

He smiled tenderly down at her peacefully sleeping face. He walked into the bathroom to change out of his work clothes, hanging the suit up in the walk-in closet. He pulled on shorts and a T-shirt. Walking barefooted back into his bedroom, he propped a pillow up against the headboard and laid down on his bed, turning on the television. Just as he got comfortable, the baby started whimpering. He got up and went over to the crib.

The minute she saw Krycek's face peering down at her, she stopped whimpering and looked up at him and smiled. "Mouse, you want to watch some TV with me?" he asked. Picking her up, he walked over to the bed and sat. He arranged her comfortably in his arms so she could see the television and leaned back against the headboard. The television didn't hold her interest; instead, she became more interested in the watch on her uncle's wrist, batting at it with her little hands.

Skinner and Mulder helped MacIver clean the kitchen before they headed down to the wine cellar. The A.D. wanted to select a bottle of wine for their evening together. Mulder loved the cellar -- it was large, gloomy, and dusty. There were rows of wine racks and the walls and floor were heavy stone. The room was chilly; the previous owner had installed a climate control in the room. Mulder had discovered a secret door behind one of the wine racks that led into an underground tunnel that exited in the basement of Kimberly and Tony's cottage.

"What are you in the mood for? Merlot, Bordeaux, Pinot Noir..." the A.D. asked, walking down a row of wine bottles.

"You're the connoisseur, Walter, you choose."

"Okay, the Gewurztraminer it will be," he replied, pulling a bottle from the wine rack.

Mulder ran his hand along the back wine rack with the secret entrance into the tunnel, he hadn't told Skinner about it. He briefly considered telling him, but it was a secret only he knew. The agent figured it was only a matter of time before Tony discovered the secret door in his basement that opened to the tunnel that joined their two houses.

He startled when he felt Skinner's hand on his shoulder; he looked up with a weak grin. "Sorry, Walter, I was thinking."

"What about?"

"Nothing important...I would like to go upstairs to see Alex for a second, he was going to show me the crystal snowflakes he bought for Faith's room," he murmured, leaning back against the larger man's sturdy body.

Skinner teleported the wine-bottle from his hand onto the small table by the outdoor pool, so he could wrap both arms around Mulder's body. "Three more weeks and your second daughter will be here...are you looking forward to Faith's birth?"

"Yes, but I'm not looking forward to another month away from work." Mulder placed his hands over Skinner's where it was caressing over his chest and stomach. "I meant what I said earlier about wanting more children...although...I'm worried about losing more of my independence."

"Fox, I promise to take a more active role in looking after our child . .. . I know I haven't been upholding our agreement. I'm sorry." Skinner rested his chin on Mulder's shoulder, his free hand roamed down between the agent's thighs, he caressed up his inner thigh to the agent's groin. "Forgive me?"

"Walter, we're both new to this parenting business...just be more attentive from now on, after all, she's both of our responsibility." Mulder pushed into Skinner's stroking hand.

"I plan to be very attentive...but not only to our daughter," he murmured, kissing the side of Mulder's neck.

"Oh god, Walter...STOP!"

"What?" Skinner gasped, startled as the agent pulled out of his arms.

"This," Mulder snickered, sweeping his leg behind Skinner's and throwing him off his feet. The older man landed on his butt on the hard stone floor and his lover quickly settled on top of him. Mulder pushed him back and claimed his mouth in a hard possessive kiss. "I want to fuck you," he voiced huskily.

Skinner's cock twitched at Mulder's request and the weight of his young lover straddled across his hips. "God, Fox...I want you to . .. .. please...hurry up." The older man squirmed beneath him, staring up into lust-filled hazel eyes.

Mulder chuckled. "I intend to go really slow...I want to thoroughly enjoy your body, but I suggest we take this outside by the pool. This stone floor is anything but enjoyable."

Skinner smiled up at him; he hadn't even noticed the rough stone floor digging into his back and butt; the sweet pleasure of Mulder's hot body sitting on top of his was too much. "I thought you wanted to see Alex before we headed out to the pool," Skinner murmured.

"Alex will have to wait until tomorrow...I have a more pressing engagement right now." He stood up and helped Skinner to his feet, watching with amusement as the older man rubbed his sore buttocks. "I'll kiss those and make them feel better later," the agent grinned wickedly.

"Much later...I don't want you falling asleep on me until well after midnight."

St. Petersburg The Winter Palace Monday, May 16
7:20 p.m.

The sound of thunder and glass shattering could be heard throughout the large elegant palace. Nikolai Slava had wasted no time claiming it for his home; the Winter Palace gave his self-proclaimed title of Tsar added weight. He closed down the Palace to tourists who had been almost non-existent anyway since the failed alien invasion. He moved his new capital to St. Petersburg.

Captain Mikhin shuddered as another thunderous boom sounded rattling the walls and windows. The large crystal chandelier that hung over the sweeping staircase swung back and forth, precariously close to falling.

Marat Fyodorov, the Tsar's lead Clairvoyant, stood next to him and turned angrily to face the large n'thral. "From now on, you come to me first with news for the Tsar! Especially if it concerns Fox Mulder!" he snarled. He was a short trollish looking man with thick glasses that magnified his eyes.

Standing behind Fryodorov were Georgii Kim, Leonid Apostol, Ivan Dynkin, and Bogdan Sidorov. They were the other clairvoyants in Slava's employment. Marat turned to them, "Let us return to our chambers, the Tsar will want our predictions once his rage has ended."

"Marat, what has the Tsar so angry," Apostol asked, looking nervously up the steps toward Slava's throne room.

"The Tsar found out his lover has married another man. We better have some good advice ready when he calls us," Fryodorov informed them.

"But, Marat, we have already seen the Tsar and his lover together in the near future...how could he have married another man?" Sidorov exclaimed.

"We've only seen one possibility for the future. Bogdan, the future isn't set in stone, it is our duty to shape it. We must provide our Tsar with the best path to follow toward obtaining his goals." They entered a large chamber, in the center was a round concrete reflection pool. They gathered around it and held out their hands until the tips of their fingers touched forming an unbroken circle around the pool.

A soft chant rose from the men and soon the water in the reflection pool shimmered and scattered images flashed across its surface. Fryodorov was the only one present that could divine the meaning from the fragmented images shown to them. They were so deeply entranced that they didn't hear the door open.

"Fryodorov!" Slava bellowed.

"Moi Tsar," the short, older man stammered, bowing his head before his ruler. The other Clairvoyants supplicated themselves, falling to their knees and bowing their heads down before the Tsar.

"Why weren't you able to see moi Fox marrying this American sorcerer?" the large Cossack growled.

"Moi Tsar, it was for the simple fact that it does not interfere with yours and Fox Mulder's future together. As long as you follow the course I've laid down for you, he will come back to you, willingly." The older man murmured.

Slava smiled thinly, "Then we shall keep to the course that you have set for me, Fryodorov, but I expect results. If Fox has not returned to me by February, your head will decorate the palace gate."

"He will as long as you do as I advised...you must collect his sperm on Halloween evening. After your daughters are conceived, he will return to you. When they are born it will bind him to you -- forever. He'll stay with you out of love for them." Fryodorov took off his glasses and nervously cleaned them on his robe.

Nikolai Slava glanced around the room with unshielded disdain; he did not like these small, weak men. It angered him that he needed them, was dependent on them for the power he now held over Russia. He strolled to the door without another word, leaving it open in his wake.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Thursday, June 3
8:50 p.m.

Mulder cried out as his lover's rectal muscles milked the last of the come from his body. It was almost too painfully tight around his cock, he slumped exhausted on top of his lover's broad back. Breathing in the scent of sandalwood from the massage he had given Skinner earlier, he kissed the back of his lover's neck, sighing softly. Mulder gently lifted off and out of the heavily breathing body below his.

"Oh...god...Fox..." Skinner breathed, fully sated and exhausted, turning on his side on the lounge cushions that were spread out on the concrete patio by the pool. Mulder sunk down beside him, Skinner wrapped his arms around his lanky body and held him close. They soon fell into a sweet, contented sleep with Mulder's face buried in the crook of the older man's neck.

Skinner came slowly awake, looking up at the nighttime star speckled sky. He looked over toward the mansion and saw the faint glow of fireflies, he tried to follow the on and off glowing bugs with his eyes. He remembered catching them as a boy with his sister and being paid a nickel for every hundred bugs caught.

Mulder moaned softly in his sleep. Skinner looked down at his distressed face. He was deep in the throes of a nightmare. After the day they had with the lawyer, it didn't surprise the older man.

"Fox, wake up." He shook his lover gently. Mulder slowly opened his eyes looking blearily up at him.

"Walter?" he mumbled. "Wh...what time is it?"

"Time for that midnight swim, if you're up to it?" the A.D. smiled. Brushing the bangs off Mulder's forehead, he leaned down and kissed his lush mouth.

"I'm always up for it...but I think I'm stuck to the cushions...we're going to have to hose these suckers off," he snickered, peeling himself up from the sticky, vinyl, lounge cushion.

Mulder walked to the side of the swimming pool, testing the water with his foot. Lights around the inside of pool softly illuminated his beautiful naked body. He stilled, closed his eyes and breathed in the nighttime air. "Mm, you can really smell the lilac bushes from here." He opened his eyes to find Skinner staring quizzically at him. "What's wrong?"

"I...you looked totally at peace for a moment...I want to see you like that more often, Fox," Skinner whispered softly. "I really hate the pain and fear you've been feeling lately."

Mulder smiled at him then looked around their property, seeing a fading glow way off in the distance by the marsh. "We should spend more time outdoors...I would like to checkout the marsh some evening and see if there's really foxfire there."

Skinner walked up behind him and wrapped his strong arms around his lanky, naked body. Pressing their bodies deliciously close together. "We can always take the camping gear and spend a weekend down by the lake, fishing and exploring the marsh. I have an extra large sleeping bag, we could snuggle really close..."

"Walter."

"Yes."

"Let's go swimming," Mulder replied, pulling them suddenly over the edge and into the cool water with a splash. Skinner came up sputtering. Clearing his eyes, he dived toward Mulder, but his lover was the better swimmer and easily avoided him, laughing. Luckily for Skinner, he was able to corner the younger man and grabbed him before he could dive past him.

Mulder peeled with laughter as the older man's arms wrapped around him shoving him against the side of the pool. "You think that was funny, do you?" Skinner smirked. Reaching down, he captured Mulder's cock in his hand and slowly and lovingly pumped it.

"No fair," Mulder groaned. Wrapping his legs around the A.D.'s waist, he felt the larger man's hard cock brush against his ass.

"All's fair in love," Skinner murmured huskily. Capturing the agent's mouth in a deep kiss, pushing his tongue into the warm delicious wetness. His hand dropped down to his cock and he positioned it against Mulder anus. Pushing, the mushroom shaped head popped through the tight ring of muscles. He continued pushing forward until he was in as far as their present position would allow. The agent gasped into Skinner's mouth and wiggled his hips to take as much of the A.D.'s cock into his body as possible -- his legs wrapped tighter around the older man's waist.

Skinner deepened the kiss as his hand snaked between their tightly embraced bodies to claim his lover's cock; again, he rubbed thumb over the crown of Mulder's penis pressing against the small slit. The agent's body writhed, he pushed forward into the A.D.'s stroking hand. Moaning into Skinner mouth, he gasped as the large man's cock pulled slightly out the then pushed forcefully back in.

Skinner rotated his hips, wanting to go deeper, but was hindered by their present position. He pulled out and ended the kiss. "Lean against the side of the pool," he instructed huskily, unwrapping Mulder's legs from his waist. The agent quickly complied, bending over and spreading his legs making himself more attainable. Skinner remounted him in one swift thrust and tightened his arms around his young lover's body.

The older man pulled out then pushed back in; Mulder squirmed as water from the pool was forced into his rectum with each upward thrust. Skinner gripped his lover's cock and started pumping it in time with his thrusts into that tight, silky passage.

Mulder clung onto the side of the pool quickly losing control, pushing back against Skinner's large cock he cried out each time it stroked over his prostate gland. The next time was too much as his orgasm rocked through his body, he spurted his milky come into the pool and felt the hot gush of liquid filling his bowls as his lover also fell over the abyss.

Skinner clung tightly to his trembling body keeping him standing as his legs threatened to give out on him. They both were breathing heavily from the exertion. "I think it's time for bed, do you think you can make it back to the house?" he asked, pulling out of his lover's languished body.

"Yeah, just give me a second," Mulder said, turning in his arms to kiss him tenderly. "Thanks."

They climbed out of the pool and toweled off, picking up their clothing. Mulder went to grab the empty wine bottle and glasses.

"Fox, leave it. I'll pick it up tomorrow when I clean the pool area."

They made their way back to the mansion, up the concrete steps to the upper patio, and entered their bedroom through the French doors. They dropped their clothing on the nearest chair then collapsed into the softness of their bed, wrapped in each other's arms.

Mulder woke early the next morning, peering around the lightening bedroom. They hadn't even bothered to get under the bedcovers last night. He remembered his bet with Skinner from yesterday and quietly eased out of the larger man's arms.

The agent pulled on his robe then headed for the kitchen where he took the waffle iron form the cabinet. Ten minutes later, he had the batter mixed, an egg boiling, and bacon frying on the stove. He placed the large serving tray on the counter, setting silverware and a napkin on it.

Mulder then poured the batter on the waffle iron and closed the lid. He went to the stove and turned the bacon and scooped the egg out of the water, placing it in an egg holder on the tray.

Tony walked into the kitchen from the back door, carrying a bouquet of freshly cut flowers. "Kim sent me over, we're out of eggs, mind if I borrow some?" he asked. Taking a vase out of the cabinet, he filled it with tap water and started arranging the flowers in it.

"No, help yourself to as many as you need," Mulder replied, removing the waffles from the griddle he placed them on a plate. He hurriedly removed the bacon from the heat, placing three slices on Skinner's plate.

Tony placed the flowers on the breakfast table. Opening the refrigerator, he got out four eggs. "Thanks, Mulder, see you later," he said cheerfully, leaving the kitchen.

Mulder stared over at the flowers. He quickly got a bud vase out of the cabinet, pulled three tulips and a sprig of babies breath out, transferring them in the other vase, placing it on the tray. Lastly, he poured a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice. He picked up the tray and started to head back to their bedroom when he ran into Krycek carrying the whimpering baby.

"G'mornin," Krycek mumbled tiredly. He was wearing only white silk boxers and his hair was mussed up from sleep. Hope was wearing only a diaper and had an impatient look on her face. Seeing them both together, Mulder was amused by how much the baby looked like Krycek.

"Good morning, Alex," he said smiling. Letting them pass, he watched as Krycek removed a bottle from the refrigerator.

"You can bring the munchkin back to Skinner's bedroom," Mulder told him. Heading down the hallway, he entered the bedroom to find Skinner sitting up in bed with the pillows propped up behind his back. The older man smiled lovingly at him as he placed the tray across his lap.

"Ah, six more mornings of breakfast in bed...a man could get spoiled," Skinner smirked, picking up the coffee cup.

Krycek came into the bedroom and sunk into a wingback chair by the fireplace. Hope was contentedly drinking her bottle. "So, Fox, what bet did you lose to my dear brother?" he asked glancing at the food-laden tray.

"Walter made Hope smile...and I didn't think he could," Mulder replied, sitting down on the bed watching his lover eat.

"Oh, you mean like this?" Krycek removed the bottle then lowered his face to the baby's belly kissing it, again the baby smiled up at him, but stopped when her uncle offered her the bottle. Krycek looked smugly up at Mulder.

Mulder sighed, "I'm going to finish making breakfast, would you like waffles, Alex?"

"Sure, Lover, call me when it's ready. I'm going to keep Walter company while he eats," Krycek replied, watching Mulder leave the room. After the agent was out of earshot, Krycek turned back to his brother.

"Okay, Walter, what happened at the lawyer's office yesterday?"

The older man sighed, "It was worse than we suspected...they already had a schedule drawn up, when and where Fox would have sex with these other sorcerers. They also had a list of men that would be adopting Mulder's daughters; not surprisingly, all of the Senators were on that list."

"Those bastards! No wonder Fox was so upset yesterday," Krycek stood and paced the room with his niece, who started crying after his loud outburst. "Ssh, sorry princess," he soothed. "Walter, what are we going to do?" whispering. "We'll fight it in court first, if that doesn't work, we'll have to find another place to live," Skinner chewed thoughtfully on a piece of bacon.

"You do realize that if we lose, we'd have to fight our way out of the country. They will never allow Fox to leave with us."

"Then we'll fight...because they're not getting their hands on Fox," Skinner replied hotly. "Alex, we have at least two months to explore our options, I suggest we use that time productively."

Krycek quietly paced deep in thought while the older man finished his breakfast. A short time later, Mulder returned. "Alex, your breakfast is on the table, here, give me the baby. You're running late -- you have to be to work by 8:30."

"That's what I get for agreeing to buy a house in the country," Krycek grumbled, handing the baby to Mulder he left the room.

MacIver and Takeda were at the kitchen counter eating and chatting as he sat in front of his breakfast. He didn't have much of an appetite after talking to Skinner, he picked at his food, only managing to eat part of a waffle before pushing the plate away.

"If you're not going to finish that, lad, mind if I?" the Scotsman drawled.

"No...go ahead. I have to go and get ready for work." Krycek slid the plate down the counter to MacIver.

Mulder turned to Skinner. "Alex seemed upset. You told him about our visit to the attorney's office yesterday, didn't you?" He sat on the bed and placed the baby on her belly and gently rubbed her back.

"Yes, he needed to know what we were up against." Skinner climbed out of bed and walked naked into the bathroom, turning on the shower.

Mulder picked up the baby after she burped and followed him. "I know Alex needs to know...I just wanted to wait until he got home tonight. I didn't want this distracting him, he's part of the assault team that's going to raid that slavery ring in Baltimore today."

"Sorry, Fox, I didn't realize the raid was scheduled for today," Skinner murmured, stepping into the shower.

"That's okay, not much we can do about it now," Mulder sighed, walking over to where they had the small bathing table. "Okay, princess, let's get you bathed and dressed." Mulder cradled her in one arm while filling the basin with warm water.

Skinner finished his shower and toweled off, walking into the closet he dressed in shorts, a T-shirt, and sandals.

He watched from the doorway as his lover bathed their child before walking over to him. "Fox, here, let me finish washing her, you go and grab a shower and get dressed. Did you have breakfast yet?"

"Thanks, Walter. No, I've been too busy...I'll grab something later." He slipped off his robe, hanging it the back of the bathroom door next to Skinner's then he stepped into the shower.

Skinner finished washing the baby, then gently wrapped her in a towel and carried her into the nursery. He dressed her in a one-piece sun-suit complete with bonnet. "When your daddy Fox is ready, we're going to take you for a buggy ride down by the lake. Would you like that, angel?" he murmured.

Krycek stepped into the room. "I'm on my way to work. Do you want me to pick up dinner in town, again, on my way home tonight?"

"No...Fox is barbecuing ribs for dinner." Skinner looked at him thoughtfully. "Alex, be careful today, don't allow our conversation earlier to distract you."

"Don't worry, Bro, I have absolutely no intention of getting myself killed...not while Fox needs me," he sighed and walked out the door.

Chapter 14 - Happy Birthday

Scullys' Ranch Canada Tuesday, May 17
10:00 a.m.

Dana sat in the family room looking at the photos taken at Mulder's wedding, there were several of her holding the baby. She could still remember the infant's scent of baby oil, powder, and formula. It made her more determined than ever to talk to Skinner about getting permission to use her own ova so she could have a child. Skinner had the clout required to intercede with various bureaucrats that she didn't.

She no longer cared if it was a girl, she'd be happy with a boy. There was only the question of the father. She couldn't ask Mulder, she didn't want to risk shattering their fragile peace.

"Hi, Dana, I found a real estate agent to list the ranch for us," Charlie said, sitting next to her.

"Are you or Bill going to fly to D.C. to start house hunting?"

"There's no need...Mom and Dad's house in Baltimore is available .. . . and we still hold the title on it. Plus, it's close enough to D.C. that we can be there for you if you need us."

"Thanks, Charlie." She reached over and squeezed his hand.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Tuesday, May 17
11:30 a.m.

Skinner and Mulder had returned from their walk by the lake an hour ago. They were in the kitchen preparing food for the barbecue this evening. The A.D. finished filling the last pie crust with apples and was in the process of lacing the dough strips over the top. He wiped his hand over his face leaving a white streak of flour.

Mulder sat on the other side of the counter drinking a cup of coffee and supervising him. "Walter, don't forget to sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar on top before you put it in the oven, and do the same for the leftover dough."

"Fox,...you don't have to keep pointing things out...wait until I actually forget something before reminding me," he huffed.

"Sorry, babe," the agent smiled and reached up to wipe the flour from Skinner's face.

"Hey, Mulder, do you want to taste the dressing for the potato salad before I pour it on?" Shinji asked with a pleased expression on his beautiful face. He walked over to the counter with the bowl of dressing.

"Sure, Shin," Mulder replied, dipping his finger in and licking the dressing from it. "Perfect. Are you sure you've never cooked before?"

"No, but it does help to have a photographic memory. I've already memorized part of Alex's 'Joys of Cooking' cookbook," the young Japanese immortal stated proudly.

"How are you doing, Rory?" Mulder inquired, glancing over at the Scotsman.

"I'm doing stupendously...this cooking business is easier than I thought it would be," the Scotsman drawled. He was filling a watermelon basket that he had carved and hollowed out with honeydew, cantaloupe, pineapple, grapes, kiwi, and watermelon.

"Rory, just wait until you actually have to use the stove," Mulder smirked. He walked over to the refrigerator, took out the leftover ham from Sunday's dinner, and placed it on the counter. Then he pulled out two types of bread, rye and pumpernickel, putting them on the lazy Susan on the round breakfast table. Out of the refrigerator he got mustard, horseradish, butter, and mayonnaise, and placed them on the table, too.

"Do you need any help, Fox?" Skinner offered after placing the pies in the oven.

"Yeah, do you want to carve the ham while I cut up the tomato and shred the lettuce?" Mulder started rifling through the refrigerator. "Did you remember to pick up some Swiss cheese on Saturday?" he asked.

"Yes, here." Skinner reached past him and behind a carton of milk pulling out a packet of pre-sliced Swiss cheese.

"Thanks."

Takeda placed the cellophane-covered bowl of potato salad into the refrigerator then went to help MacIver finish the fruit salad. When done, the older man carried it delicately over to the refrigerator.

"Blast! Mulder, there's no damn room in this refrigerator for my masterpiece," the Scottish sorcerer complained.

"I made room for it in the refrigerator in the butler's pantry," Mulder replied, setting the sliced tomato and shredded lettuce on the table.

"What did you do with the beer and ale that was in that fridge?" MacIver asked anxiously.

"I moved some of it up to the refrigerator in the game room. Don't worry, Rory, there's still plenty of beer left down here." Mulder grinned. Grabbing a bottle of ice tea, he sat at the table just as Skinner set the platter of ham down.

"Thank god," MacIver replied, walking out of the kitchen and into the pantry, he returned seconds later with an ale. "Nothing goes better with ham sandwiches than a good ale," he drawled as he sat next to Takeda and grabbed a couple of slices of pumpernickel.

Tony walked through the back door; smiling, he grabbed an ice tea then sat at the table to make a sandwich. "Walter, I picked up some more supplies at the hobby store in town for the doll houses," he said, smearing mustard onto a slice of rye.

"Did you pick up the electrical kits for them?" Skinner asked, sipping a beer.

"Yes, I also picked up some mock stained-glass supplies for Alex."

"Aren't you three getting a little bit carried away?" Mulder asked.

His lovers had started building dollhouses for their daughters a month ago and each of the houses had become more, and more elaborate as each man tried to out do the other. Tony had started building one last week after Shinji had agreed to allow them to adopt his daughters. He was building a French cottage house similar to the one Kim and he lived in. Skinner was building a large country farmhouse and Krycek a three-level Victorian.

"Nope. Fox, you should come out and help, it's fun and fulfilling work creating something beautiful," Skinner replied.

"I wouldn't know what to do...I'd probably screw it up," the agent sighed.

"Nonsense, I'll teach you," Skinner soothed. "Say, Tony, did Alex mention what he was going to do with the mock stained-glass?" Skinner inquired.

"He said if you should ask, not to tell you," Tony snickered.

"Do you think there will be any of the stained-glass paint left?" the A.D. asked sheepishly.

"Walter, there's enough there to paint a hundred dollhouse windows. Are you thinking of painting one for Hope's house?"

"I thought I'd ask Langly. If I'm going to out do my brother, I need someone who can paint. I just have to decide on a pattern. Are you sure you won't give me a clue about what Alex is painting?"

"I think you'd be better off asking Langly...Alex already talked him into painting it for him," Tony laughed. He never met two men so set on outdoing each other.

They finished the remainder of their lunch in companionable silence.

Mulder put the leftover ham back in the refrigerator. He would have Frohike show them how to make soup with it tomorrow. He smiled when he thought of how annoyed Skinner was going to be when he found out he hired Frohike to teach him how to cook.

Hope started shrieking loudly from the family room and Mulder rushed to pick her up. "It's okay, princess, daddy has you," he murmured, softly holding and swaying her.

When she didn't stop crying, Skinner came hurrying in. "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know, maybe we should call Doctor Carter," he replied as the baby continued to shriek loudly. Mulder gently rubbed her belly, feeling how hard and tight her tummy was. "Tell him her stomach feels hard and tight, and there's a slight rumble I can feel under my hand."

Mulder held her close and sat in a rocking chair, rubbing her back as she cried. Skinner knelt down next to them, lovingly brushing her cheek with his finger. She gazed at him through red puffy eyes as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the tears and mucus from her face. Hope turned her small face into her father's shoulder, crying hysterically, clutching his shirt with her small fingers.

"Fox, I'll go call the pediatrician," he said and hurriedly stood up, racing for the telephone.

Mulder held and rocked the baby as she continued crying, at times shrieking in pain. He was relieved when Skinner came back a few minutes later, carrying a small bottle and a dropper.

"The doctor says she must have gas, he told me to give her Mylicon. Luckily, I had purchased some after reading that baby book." The older man filled the dropper with the recommended dosage. "Fox, can you turn her around, I need to try to get her to swallow this."

Mulder positioned the screaming baby on his lap and watched as Skinner squirted the liquid into her mouth, blowing gently on her face. She stopped crying and swallowed half, but the other half dribbled out. "I'll give her a little bit more," Skinner sighed, refilling the dropper.

It took a while before the baby started to quiet down.

"Where did you learn that blowing on a baby's face will get her to swallow?" Mulder asked, while repositioning the baby on his lap.

"I remembered my sister doing that to one of my nieces when I was visiting one summer. It's strange what you'll remember when you need to," Skinner replied sadly.

"Do you want me to relieve you?" the older man asked standing up.

Mulder knew Skinner was looking forward to spending an hour after lunch working in his study. "No, I'll be fine with her for a while, but would you bring me an ice tea and the remote for the TV?"

Skinner came back a few minutes later handing him a glass of ice tea with a slice of lemon in it. "Here you are, Fox, call if you want me to take over for you," he said softly, kissing both of them.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Tuesday, May 17
7:30 p.m.

Mulder smiled over at Skinner, the older man was holding their little daughter, softly humming to her. The agent looked back at the ribs barbecuing on the grill, he brushed some more barbecue sauce on them and closed the lid looking around at all of their guests.

They had four tables set up on the lower patio. Tony, Kim, Shinji, Rory, Skinner, and Frohike sat at one. Skinner's two cousins Anton and Andrei sat with Alex, Byers, Langly, and Uncle Kostya at another. Yori, Lev, Father Joseph, and Timmy and Shane, two of the boys Yori and Lev wanted to adopt, sat at the third table. The final table was used for the buffet with the large fruit filled watermelon as a centerpiece.

Frohike excused himself and walked over to help Mulder. "How's it going?"

"Almost ready...can you bring over the plates? I'll put ribs on each plate and you can hand them out. They can serve themselves at the buffet table."

Frohike retrieved the stack of plates, setting them on the table by the large gas grill. Mulder used a knife to divide the racks of ribs into equal servings.

"Leave Skinner's, I'll fix his plate for him," Mulder said, looking affectionately over at his older lover who was holding their daughter nestled in his strong arms. Hope seemed to have quieted down and appeared to be sleeping.

Their guests started getting up and serving themselves at the buffet table. Yori assisted the two little boys, while Mulder heaped Skinner's plate full and placed it in front of him.

"Walter, try putting her in the bassinet...I think she'll sleep for a while."

"Thanks, Fox," he replied, gently placing the infant in the bassinet by his feet. He held his breath, letting it out only when she continued sleeping. The older man picked up a fork and started eating hungrily.

Mulder went back and filled his own plate and sat between Father Joseph and Lev.

"So, Mulder, how's being married to my bossy cousin working out?" Lev asked between bites.

"He's not that bossy, Lev, he just needs to feel in control. We've reached an understanding at just how much control is allowed," Mulder grinned, putting down his fork when the baby started shrieking loudly. "Excuse me," he said, getting up.

Skinner was already scooping up the infant, trying to soothe her.

"Walter, let me have the munchkin, you continue eating. I'll take her for a walk, maybe she'll quiet down." Mulder reached for the infant.

"Fox, that's not necessary, I can walk with her, go back to your meal," Skinner groused.

"Walter, please, I insist...you've been watching her the whole afternoon," Mulder murmured, taking the crying baby into his arms.

"Okay, I'll let you have her only until I'm finished eating, then I'm taking her back," he grumbled, watching as Mulder walked off with her.

Mulder walked away from the patio and down a garden path that led toward the woods. The sun was just beginning to set; the sky was a brilliant red. There was supposed to be a thunderstorm later this evening. He held Hope snugly in his arms and used a small amount of his healing powers to relieve her discomfort; he didn't want to cause himself to fall asleep by expending too much energy.

A pair of inhuman eyes followed Mulder's progress; the morph got excited as the one he was ordered to capture got closer, carrying the female infant he'd been ordered to kill. The morph sank back into the dense foliage waiting to strike, but he didn't expect the intoxicating scent of the immortal to be so arousing. He blew his own cover when he became uncontrollably sexually aroused, causing him to drop his shield as he became erect and hard with desire.

All four sorcerers and the two clairvoyants stopped eating and jumped out of their chairs, startling the others on the patio. Krycek was first up and raced toward Mulder's location with Skinner close on his heals, MacIver and Tony were only a few steps behind followed by Yori and Frohike.

The morph felt the four enraged sorcerers racing toward his concealed location and took off in the opposite direction, placing a new shield around himself as he ran.

"FOX!" Krycek cried, reaching him first. It had been less than a minute since they felt the morph's presence.

Mulder stared at them baffled. "What is it?"

"Tony, stay with Fox," Skinner ordered as Krycek, MacIver, and he raced into the foliage searching for the menacing alien presence they had all felt. The presence was still there but was fading fast as the morph quickly out distanced them.

The morph had a means of escape parked just outside the fence, which he quickly scaled. He jumped into the truck and raced off. He cursed his own foolishness, he knew how vital it was for him to remain undetected. Now the sorcerers were aware of his presence and could easily detect him in the future.

He cursed the careless Grays who engineered the virus; the sorcerer mutation had not been planned, it was an unexpected mistake brought on by some genetic makeup in the human's body. There were only supposed to be the Neanderthals, Ghouls, and a handful of Immortals. The Grays were even surprised at how many human males didn't mutate. On other planets the virus had mutated the whole population, leaving it ripe for their rule. On his planet only 15 percent of the population didn't mutate.

These sorcerers were a formidable enemy with powers far beyond what he was capable of, and he hadn't foreseen the arousal he would feel for the immortal.

The morph glanced through the rearview mirror as his truck raced down the deserted highway. He grinned. The Grays were furious when they found out about the female child conceived between their immortal and this new race of sorcerers.

The immortals had been meant for the mysterious alien overlord of the planet. They were to be used for breeding and procreating a new hybrid race. Eventually, the Neanderthals and ghouls would die out and the new race would take over the planet. Just like they were doing on his planet -- he was one.

The Grays did not have a foothold on this world like they did on his planet. His world was not as fortunate as the earth. There were still some of his people raging a useless resistance. He didn't know what they hoped to accomplish, they had no way to repopulate their race. He turned his thoughts back to Mulder, what would sex be like with the human immortal? Would he be able to breed with him like the overlord?

The humans were using an artificial way of producing offspring that his planet did not have; even if they had, the Grays would have destroyed the technology. He had been working with the Consortium, behind the backs of the Grays, to get his people the technology. Now it was useless, the Consortium was being hunted; he had nothing left but to follow the orders of the Grays if he ever wanted to return to his home world.

"He got away. Damn!" Skinner swore, returning to Mulder's side. Hope was screeching at the top of her lungs and Mulder was holding her protectively against his chest -- she had sensed his fear and anxiety.

"Who, Walter? What the hell's going on?" His eyes darted around nervously.

"There was an alien here...we all felt its presence. Fox, he wanted you," Skinner murmured sadly, hugging his lover and daughter.

"Shit! Walter, please, tell me that he was here to kill me and he wasn't sexually..." his voice trailed off at the confirming look on his lover's face. Mulder sighed, feeling physically ill.

Krycek came up to them, putting away his cell-phone. "The state police are going to put up roadblocks, I don't know what good it will do. We have no description of the alien or his mode of transportation." The young man wrapped his arms around his lover and his brother. "I'm sorry, Fox. After everything that has happened, we should have been more alert."

"Alex, please lay off the guilt trip...we all thought the aliens were gone, how were you to know to watch out for them?" Mulder groused, leaning his head against Krycek's, he was beginning to shake. This was all he needed after everything else...to be abducted by aliens, that would be the icing on the cake. "Walter, could you take Hope...I'm a bit too shaky to hold her."

"Sure, Fox," Skinner soothed, taking the crying infant.

Mulder leaned against Krycek, seeking comfort and security. "Let's return to the party, everybody's probably wondering where we've gone," he said, thankful when Krycek put his arm securely around his waist.

"Mulder, are you going to be all right?" Yori asked as they made their way back.

"I've been better...don't worry...I'll be fine." He was visibly trembling.

Yori and Frohike exchanged concerned looks as they trekked back to the patio. Once back, Skinner explained what had happened, minimizing it so he didn't scare the two little boys.

"Fox, let's go inside, I'll run you a hot, relaxing bath. Walter can take care of our guests and the mouse for a while," Krycek soothed.

"No, I don't want to leave Hope out here...I don't want her out of my sight. Besides, you don't need to treat me like I'm fragile, I can take care of myself!" Mulder admonished.

"I know you can, Fox, please, just humor me. And, don't worry about Hope, she's not in any danger, that thing wanted you not her. However, if it will ease your mind...we'll bring her in with us, she can sleep in the crib in our room tonight." He hugged Mulder and kissed him hard.

"Okay, Alex, if it will make you happy...I'll let you baby me, but only for one night," Mulder sighed, returning the embrace.

Krycek walked over and whispered to Skinner; letting him know where they were going, he took the crying baby from him.

Skinner put on a strong front for the benefit of their guests, but he really wanted to be inside to comfort his lover. He managed to salvage what was left of the party, being the perfect host. The guests settled into a nervous banter, speculating about how the alien managed to get onto the estate without being detected.

Upstairs, Mulder relieved Krycek of the crying infant. He placed her on her belly in the center of their king-sized bed and gently rubbed her back and she started to quiet down. The younger man went into the bathroom to start the bath.

Returning to the bedroom, Krycek asked, "How is she?"

"Sleeping. Hand me the blanket from the crib, she'll be okay on the bed." Mulder gently turned the baby onto her back and tucked the blanket around her. He glanced over at the French doors leading out onto their private veranda, his instincts told him to guard her closely; he didn't believe his lover's claim that she was safe. "On second thought, I don't want her out of my sight," he said. Picking the infant up he placed her in the small bassinet and carried her into the bathroom with him.

Placing the bassinet on the floor near the bathtub, Mulder walked into the closet and shrugged out of his clothing. He threw the soiled garments into the hamper. Krycek came up behind him, wrapping his arms around the agent's firm body.

"Fox, mind if I join you in the tub?" he asked softly.

"No, as long as we keep it down...I don't want to disturb the munchkin." He paused, considering how strange his life had become. "God, I'm a father," he groaned.

"Get used to it, lover, in three weeks there will be two babies in the household." Krycek shrugged out of his clothes and joined Mulder in the bathroom, he glanced warmly down at the sleeping infant. "How old does she have to be before we have to stop walking around naked in front of her?"

"I don't plan on hiding my body from her or Faith. I want our daughters to grow up in a loving and caring family, no shame, no guilt, and no embarrassment. We are not going to stop showing open affection for each other in front of them." Mulder stepped into the large bathtub waiting for Krycek to climb in beside him. He embraced him and kissed him deeply. "Of course, we aren't going to have sex in front of them," he quipped, sitting down in the warm, fragrant water.

"That's a relief, you had me worried there for a moment," Krycek teased, turning he laid back and relaxed against Mulder's chest.

"Mm, this is nice," the agent murmured, enfolding Krycek's warm body in his arms.

Krycek turned and captured Mulder's lips with his. Exploring the warm haven of his lover's mouth, he started to get aroused. Then the baby started bawling, interrupting them.

Mulder snickered against Krycek's mouth. "Looks like we're going to have to go without sex this bath, sorry. The water isn't hot..., can you snag the bassinet? Hope needs a bath, too."

Krycek leaned over and grabbed the bassinet, pulling it up against the bathtub. He pealed the clothes from the infant; lifting her up, he gently laid her on Mulder's chest. She stopped crying immediately as she was immersed up to her neck in the warm water. She nestled against her father's chest, cooing happily.

"Alex, get the baby wash," Mulder requested, rubbing the baby's back. He smiled as the bottle appeared in the younger man's hand, along with a soft washcloth.

"Mouse, don't get too used to this," Krycek grumbled, running a soft, soapy cloth over the baby's back and butt.

Mulder turned her around so Krycek could wash her front. "Don't listen to your Uncle Alex, princess, he's just being grouchy."

Hope smiled up at her uncle, kicking her feet excitedly. Krycek's heart melted under her adoring gaze. "Okay, you win, mouse," he murmured. Leaning down, he kissed her nose.

Two Weeks Later
Viva Towers
Thursday, June 3
10:00 a.m.

Phil Boutotte and his fourteen-year-old son helped Dana Scully and her brothers move the last of her furniture into the apartment.

"Thanks, Phil. It's convenient that you're working security this evening at the clinic and were available to help me move in today," Dana said, smiling sweetly at the handsome agent.

"No problem, Dana. It's going to be good to have you back at the Bureau. Do you know when you're going to start?" he asked, leaning against the counter watching her unpack a box of dishes.

"Monday...I'm really looking forward to going back to work. I've been reassigned to the X-Files. However, it won't be the same working there now that Mulder's working for the VCU." She stacked the plates on the counter, looking sad for a moment.

"It would have been different even if Mulder was there, it has over forty agents working in it now," he murmured.

Phil's son came into the kitchen with Charlie's two boys. "Dad, I'm going to show Trevor and Randy the game room and pool area," Scott informed his father as the three teenagers headed toward the door.

"Don't be gone too long, remember we're taking Dana and her family out to lunch."

"Don't worry, Dad, we'll be back in an hour," the boy replied as he closed the door to the apartment.

Hoover Building
Thursday, June 3
5:40 p.m.

Skinner thought he'd never get done with the mountain of paperwork that had piled up during his month of paternity leave. It's been two days since he had been back at work and he finally hit the bottom of the pile.

Mulder had been overjoyed to get back; although, it was only for a week. Faith was scheduled to be born June 9
and his lover would be forced to take another month off. Skinner grinned at that, another month where Mulder was safely tucked away at home. He felt a twinge of guilt at wanting his lover home and safe, he knew how much Mulder wanted to return to work.

He glanced at his watch, he was running late. He was supposed to meet Mulder and Krycek down at the daycare to pick up Hope twenty minutes ago. He stood, grabbed his suit coat pulling it on as he made his way to the door. He jerked it open and startled Mulder who was in the process of knocking.

"Sorry...I'm ready to leave. Kim are you ready?" Skinner asked, glancing at his assistant as she pulled her purse from the bottom desk drawer.

"Yes, sir," she smiled, putting the purse strap over her shoulder.

Krycek stood by the outer door holding the infant. She was dressed in a lightweight sun dress and bonnet. He held the door open for Kimberly to step through, followed by Mulder. Skinner stopped in front of him, holding his arms out for his baby.

"How's she doing?" he asked, taking her and looking at her alert face.

"Yori said she's tolerating the attention she's been receiving at the daycare." Krycek informed him, following Skinner down the hallway toward the elevator.

"Walter, we need to stop at the dry cleaners, then at your cousin's restaurant. I ordered some Russian takeout for dinner tonight," Mulder said, holding the elevator door open for Skinner and Krycek.

"I hope you ordered extra; I'm starving, I worked through lunch," Skinner licked his lips, stepping into the back of the elevator.

"We can order more when we get there, but you know your cousin, he probably already added some new entree he wants to test out on us." Mulder glanced over at Krycek with a knowing gleam in his eyes.

"Do you need anything Kim? We could stop at the store on our way home," Skinner asked, stepping out of the elevator in the parking garage, looking around at all the empty spaces.

"No, Walter, Mulder placed an order for me with Lev." Kimberly smiled at Mulder as he opened the car door for her. Krycek walked around to the other side and climbed in, he took Hope from Skinner and fastened her in the infant seat. Skinner started the truck, pulling out of the lot.

Thirty minutes later, after stopping at the dry cleaners, he pulled his truck into the full parking lot of his cousin's restaurant. "That's strange, I wouldn't have thought they'd be this busy, so early on a Thursday." He parked in the ten minute parking space the restaurant provided for its takeout customers.

"Walter, you know most people have taken the whole Memorial Day week off," Mulder stated, opening his door and climbing out.

'Yeah, you're right. We're down to a skeleton crew at the bureau this week." Skinner waited for Krycek to pass Hope to him, but Mulder stepped forward and took her away from him.

"I'll take her." He grinned. "This way your relatives won't be able to hug and kiss me."

They held back allowing Skinner to enter the restaurant first.

"SURPRISE!" Rang out in the packed restaurant as Skinner stood in the doorway shocked. There was a large banner reading 'Happy 4
7th Birthday Walter Skinner!'

He blushed, bright red, turning back to his lover and brother. "I'll get even with both of you for this," he snarled under his breath.

"It was his idea," they said in unison pointing at the other.

His cousins rushed over hugging and kissing him. Anton turned toward Mulder and kissed the baby then planted a big wet one on his cousin's husband's lips. Lev, Yori, and Andrei followed suit. Mulder backed away when some of his fellow agents attempted to kiss him, too.

Krycek wrapped his arms around Mulder's slim waist. "Well, I guess the baby didn't offer much protection, maybe you should hide behind me or Walter next time," he snickered.

"Hey, Mulder, we're having a carnival to raise money for the orphanage. Why don't you volunteer to man the kissing booth, we'd make a killing," Frohike leered.

"Yeah, think of the poor children," Langly agreed, straight faced.

"Mulder, it is a very good idea, we would make lots of money. The building needs repairing and several of the children need operations," Yori added seriously, not picking up on the fun the gunmen were having at Mulder's expense.

Father Joseph was listening to their conversation and saw the profit potential of having the beautiful immortal manning a kissing booth. "Mr. Mulder, think of the orphans, we could easily charge $25.00 a kiss."

Mulder shot a glare over at Frohike who was doubled over laughing hysterically. He turned to the priest. "Father Joseph, it wouldn't be safe for me to be at your carnival; otherwise, I'd love to do anything to help the orphans."

"Don't worry, Mulder. Vinny, Phil, Ron, and myself will provide security for you," Jack Sullivan smiled innocently at him.

Skinner who was looking for a way to get even with his lover added, "No need, Agent Sullivan. Mr. MacIver, Agent Krycek, and myself will provide the security for Agent Mulder," he smiled at their stunned expressions.

"WHAT?" Mulder squeaked.

"It's for charity, Fox. Of course we'll have rules, no n'thrals, no French kissing, and no longer than say 3
0 seconds," Skinner added.

"Ah, couldn't we charge extra for French kissing?" MacIver smirked, walking up with Takeda who kicked him in the shin to shut him up. He didn't appreciate seeing a fellow immortal being ganged up on. "Ouch! What was that for, Shinji?"

"If you don't want to sleep on the sofa tonight, I suggest you mind your own business!" Shinji snapped.

Mulder smiled at him. "Thanks, Shin, I might be sleeping on the sofa in my home office for the next few nights."

"Hey, I didn't do anything!" Krycek blurted out.

"Yeah, that's the whole point." Mulder glared at him. Pulling away, he stormed across the room to sit at a small table with Hope.

"Oops, I think we've bruised his ego...I better go apologize," Skinner sighed, walking over to his angry lover. He knelt down next to him. "Fox, I'm sorry, I was only trying to get back at you for this party. Sometimes I forget how hard your mutation has been for you, my behavior really was immature...please, forgive me?"

"Okay, Walter, since it's your birthday and you did have every right to try to get even with me, I'll over look it this time as long as you try to enjoy yourself tonight. I knew how much you were going to hate having a surprise party. I swear, I did try to talk your cousins out of it, but you know how impossible that is."

"I'll try, Fox." He leaned over and kissed his lover. "So, which one of them suggested it?" Skinner asked, looking menacingly over at his Russian cousins.

"Lev...I think he's still ticked at you over Yori," Mulder informed him as Frohike and Langly came strolling up.

"Mulder, we want to apologize for the group. We were only trying to have some innocent fun at your expense...I guess we just got carried away," Langly said.

"Yeah, Mulder, we've forgotten how sensitive and delicate you've been lately," Frohike fumed, hurt that his best friend couldn't take a joke.

"Fuck off, Frohike, you'd never understand."

"You're right, I don't. Maybe later you can explain it to me," the little man snapped. "But, I don't want to ruin Walter's party, so let's give it a rest for now."

"Okay, we'll save it for later," Mulder sighed. He met Krycek's eyes from across the room; his heart was torn by the deep hurt he saw in their emerald depths. "Walter, can you take Hope for a while?"

Skinner took the baby and glanced around the crowded restaurant, everyone was joking, drinking, and having a good time, with the possible exception of them. He decided to make an effort to enjoy himself and strolled over toward a large table to join Kimberly and Tony.

"Happy birthday, sir!" Agent Andrew Nelson exclaimed waylaying him.

"Ah, thank you, Agent Nelson." Skinner looked at the young man blocking his way and tried to be cordial. "Are you having a nice time, Agent?"

"Yes, thank you, sir," he beamed up at him. "Your daughter is almost twice the size as she was the I last time I saw her. She's extremely pretty; you must be very proud of her."

"Yes...I am. Although, it's been pointed out that she resembles Agent Mulder's other lover," Skinner replied solemnly, smirking inwardly, because only a few close friends knew that Alex Krycek was his half brother. He enjoyed the shocked expression on the young lab technician's face as he glanced from the baby across the room to Krycek and Mulder.

"Oh, sir, I'm so sorry. You are truly a saint to raise another man's child," the agent gushed.

"Agent Nelson, she is my daughter...you're not suggesting that she isn't?"

"But...you just said...no...I'm not, forgive me, sir," he sputtered, confused.

"Enjoy the party, Agent," Skinner said. Stepping pass him, he walked over and sat with Tony and Kimberly.

"So, have you and Mulder made up?" Kimberly asked, happily taking the baby.

"Yes, it was a really stupid thing for me to do to him," Skinner sighed, glancing over at Mulder to see him and Krycek sharing a deep, passionate kiss. All the other guests were also watching them getting turned on. "Damn, I wish Fox would show some common sense."

Across the room, the two lovers broke off the kiss. Krycek murmured into Mulder's ear. "I don't think we should continue this here, it looks like the natives are getting restless."

"Then you forgive me for overreacting?"

"Fox, there really is nothing for me to forgive. You were right to be pissed off at me...I should have said something in your defense," he replied, not meeting Mulder's eyes.

Mulder sensed there was a deeper problem here. "Alex, what's wrong? You've been withdrawn lately...is it something I've done?"

"No, Fox, it's me. I ran into an old acquaintance from the UN last week. We both handled undercover assignments together; he's still working as a spy. He thought that I had become soft...that I was too domesticated." Krycek shuffled his feet nervously.

"What's the real problem? That this man has that opinion of you, or that you think it of yourself?" Mulder took Krycek's hand and led him to a quiet corner.

"Fox, I don't know. I don't want to think of myself as becoming soft or weak, but after that alien nearly attacked you in our own backyard .. . . " Krycek sighed.

"Ha, tell me about it." Mulder shook his head in amusement. "You have no idea how it really feels to be defenseless and dependent on others," he sighed. "Alex, don't you like the life you have with me? Do you want to go back and work as a spy for the UN?"

"Fox, I love my life with you...I'm really looking forward to next week...when our daughter's born. It's just that I feel like I'm becoming soft...I'm losing the hard survival edge I've honed over the years."

"We could install some boxing equipment in the gym, maybe an outdoor obstacle course and a shooting range. It would help both of us keep in better shape. Besides, I could use the target practice now that I'm not able to make it to the FBI shooting range on a normal basis," Mulder suggested.

"That would help...a lot," he grinned, hugging the agent. "Thanks for understanding, Fox."

Mulder snickered, "The next fight Walter, you, or me have we could resolve it in the gym."

"Fox, I don't think that's a very good idea...Walter out weighs us by at least forty pounds and it's all muscle. We'd only end up adding to his ego and having him think he's our lord and master," Krycek snorted.

"Oh, that brings up a real problem. Walter's been getting pretty tight with the money ever since I mentioned wanting more children. Plus, he spent a small fortune installing additional security devices around the estate after that incident with the alien. I don't dare say anything; if I did, he'd insist I get involved with paying the bills."

"I know what you mean, Fox. I don't mind helping with the investments, but I draw the line at bill paying. So how do you suggest we get him to open up his wallet without getting roped into paying the bills with him?"

Mulder glanced over at Skinner as a nasty idea came to him. "Let's join Lord Walter," Mulder grinned wickedly.

Skinner looked up at them as they approached. He was contentedly sipping on a cold beer and munching on caviar. Mulder snatched the cracker out of the older man's hand and ate it, then grabbed and guzzled his beer.

"Fox, you can get your own beer and food, you don't have to steal mine," Skinner complained.

"That's okay, I like stealing your food," he replied and rubbed Skinner's firm stomach. "Besides, you're starting to get flabby."

"Fox! I'm in tiptop shape...there's not an ounce of flab on me," he grumbled.

"Walter, it's all right, I sort of like your love handles. They give me something to hold onto when we..." Mulder noticed Kimberly sitting at the table holding Hope. "Oops, never mind," he grinned sweetly.

"You've never held onto me there," he barked, exasperated.

"Walter, if a little flab bothers you so much, we could install some additional equipment in our gym." He walked around the table and sat next to Tony and Frohike.

"Yeah, Walter, I could help you work the flab off with the right equipment," Krycek offered with a serious expression, trying desperately not to laugh as he squeezed in between Skinner and Kimberly.

"I am not flabby!"

Frohike glanced up from his over-flowing plate. "You really should exercise more, a man of your years should be more careful and avoid adding those extra pounds. Of course, some of us just have the right metabolisms and can eat whatever we want without gaining weight." He added, while stuffing his face.

"Oh great, that's all I need is exercise and diet advise from you." Skinner glanced over at his lover who had a satisfied grin on his face. "Brat! Wait till we get home, Fox, I'll show you just how fit this old man is!"

"Oh god, Walter, can I get that in writing?" Mulder snickered merrily.

Krycek stood up. "C'mon, Fox, let's go through the buffet line. Walter, would you like us to bring you back anything?" he asked sweetly.

Skinner glared at him. "Yeah, have the bar send me over a double Scotch."

Mulder frowned and walked over; leaning down, he kissed the older man thoroughly. "Don't get drunk...I'm looking forward to you showing me what great shape you're in."

An hour later Krycek escorted Mulder to the washroom; they stopped in the doorway. Skinner was in the room admiring his image in the mirror, he held his suit coat open and turned sideways, studying his physique -- he startled when he saw them.

"Not that I believe that I'm out of shape, but we can look into getting some more equipment for the gym. Is there anything else you think we need?" the A.D. asked gruffly.

Mulder walked over and hugged him, kissing his lips. "Alex and I will make a list and get back to you." The agent grinned, satisfied. "And, Walter, you are in perfect shape," he replied. Stepping over to the urinal, he unzipped his pants.

"I know...I wasn't fooled for an instant by the routine the two of you put on," the older man stated. Coming up behind him, he waited as his lover emptied his bladder.

Krycek stood at the other urinal. "I don't know, Walter, from the shade of red you turned I believe we had you hook, line, and sinker," he smirked, zipping up his pants and going to the sink to wash his hands.

"I think it's time to open the presents," Mulder replied quickly as he attempted to stop any further discussion on the subject, he joined Krycek at the sink.

"I hope you both were tasteful in buying me presents -- something an A.D. can open in front of a room full of agents." Skinner gazed sternly at the two younger men.

"Walter, I really think you should be more concerned about what Frohike and your cousin Lev bought you," Mulder smirked, walking out of the restroom.

They walked over and sat at the guest-of-honor table that was piled high with tastefully wrapped presents. The other guests started gathering around the table to watch. Skinner reached for the first gift -- it was from the agents in violent crimes. He shook the box and it made a clanging sound. Unwrapping it, he opened the lid and pulled out two sets of fur-lined handcuffs.

Skinner groaned and handed the box to Mulder, the agent lifted one of the handcuffs out of the box. "Walter, not even in your wildest fantasies," he quipped, dropping it disdainfully back in the box.

"Fox, my fantasies about you don't usually involve restraints, they're more along the line of chocolate sauce and strawberries," he quipped back, picking up another box.

He looked at the card, it was from his lover and he shot Mulder a warning look before opening the package. Skinner closed the lid quickly before anyone else could see what it contained.

"Hey, Walter, let the rest of us see!" Frohike exclaimed, although, he already knew what was in the box from scanning Skinner's thoughts.

"It's too personal...I'm positive Fox meant to give me this at home and just grabbed the wrong package. Isn't that right, Fox?" Skinner glared over at his lover.

"Oh, did I bring that package? I thought I grabbed the one with the silk, dress shirt." He chuckled, then leaned over and whispered in Skinner's ear. "You are going to wear them for me, aren't you?" He breathed huskily.

"Yes, Fox," Skinner replied, softly kissing him.

Skinner reached for another package -- it was from his cousin Lev and Yori. It felt like a book, he ripped the paper off, 'Equality in the Bedroom by Dr. Marvin Night'. He groaned.

Krycek snickered, taking the book from Skinner and flipping through it. The A.D. grabbed another present, looking with contempt at the remaining pile. He frowned; this one was from Frohike and it was very heavy. Visions of bondage equipment sprang into Skinner's mind as he cautiously opened the box and revealed a tasteful selection of cookbooks by Lee Bailey.

"Thank you, Melvin, this was very thoughtful of you," he replied sincerely, glancing through one of the books.

Skinner had been piqued at first when he found out that Mulder had hired the little man to teach him how to cook. But after two weeks of cooking lessons, the A.D. was happy with his lover's selection. Frohike was a very good teacher; he made learning to cook actually fun and enjoyable.

Mulder, Byers, and Langly all looked at the little man with surprised expressions. The agent reached over and passed another present over to his lover. It was from MacIver and Takeda, he peeled off the paper to reveal a cellophane-wrapped basket. The ribbon attaching the cellophane had several brightly colored cock rings dangling from it. Through the plastic, he could see tubes of flavored lubricants, a large butt plug, and scented massage oils. He blushed. "I'll open this at home, ah...thanks."

Before he could open another present, his cell-phone rang. "Excuse me, gentlemen," he said, pulling out the phone. "Skinner," he barked.

"Walter, there's been an attack at the Procreation Center. One agent is dead and Agents Mulder and Krycek's daughter has been injured," the Director informed him evenly.

"Sir, what happened? Do you have any details?" Everyone in the restaurant quieted at the tone of shock and anxiety in the A.D.'s voice.

"Only that it was a morph; Agent Boutotte was able to drive him off, but not before the morph had critically damaged the growth cylinder containing Mulder and Krycek's daughter...Agent Boutotte was killed in the attack."

"Is she..." his voice caught.

"The doctors are removing her from the cylinder, they don't know how much damage was done, but she was still alive at the time I received the call. I think you should get Agents Mulder and Krycek to the Procreation Center immediately."

Krycek recovered from his shock and jumped out of his chair, he had been telepathically following his brother's conversation with the Director. He grabbed Mulder's hand and pulled him quickly to his feet. "C'mon, we need to get to the Center...I'll explain in the truck," he murmured, close to tears.

Skinner watched them race out of the restaurant, he hurriedly wrapped up his call with the Director as his mind was planning his next course of action. He knew he couldn't take Hope to the Procreation Center. He didn't want to chance exposing her to any contaminants left behind by the morph. She needed to be protected, MacIver and Tony would be more than able to guard her -- still he hated to leave her.

Krycek climbed into driver's seat. Starting the truck, he squealed out of the parking lot.

Mulder looked over at him. "What happened, Alex? Is our baby okay?"

"Fox, a morph broke into the center and tried to kill her. The doctors are removing her from the growth cylinder -- that's all I know. We'll find out more when we get there...DAMN!" He angrily pounded the steering wheel as he sped through a red light.

Chapter 15 – Houseguest

Procreation Center
Washington, D.C.
Thursday, June 3
8:40 p.m.

The streets were blocked off around the clinic as Krycek steered Skinner's truck pass another checkpoint. The manhunt for the morph had spread citywide and into the surrounding suburbs. The officer waved them through with a sympathetic look in his eyes after he recognized Agent Mulder.

"She's going to be all right, Alex. You know I can heal her when we get there...don't worry." Mulder rested his hand on his lover's thigh.

"You can't heal her if she's already dead," he said with tears running down his cheeks as they squealed to a stop. They were still several blocks from the center, but they couldn't get any closer because squad cars and military vehicles surrounded the place. A helicopter roared by overhead as they jumped out of the truck. Krycek raced after Mulder toward the center, passing agents, police detectives, and military personnel working frantically.

Once inside, Doctor Jackson met them in the hallway outside of the surgery. "Thank god, you're here! Doctor Pendrell and Doctor Harris are in surgery with her. Please take a seat, I'll let them know you've arrived."

"Doctor, wait. How is she?" Krycek asked frantically.

"I'll have to let Doctor Pendrell explain her condition to you, Agent Krycek," he replied sadly, stepping into the surgery and closing the door.

Several long stressed filled minutes passed before the door opened and Sam Harris stepped out. "Mulder, we need you ...we can do nothing to save her life," he admitted, leading them into the small operating room.

Harris had spent the last several minutes arguing with his colleagues who had been unaware of the immortal's healing skills. It was decided early on to keep the immortals' healing ability a secret so it wouldn't add to the burden they already carried. The two younger doctors watched doubtfully as Mulder walked into the room.

Krycek and Mulder gasped upon seeing their infant daughter. Her tiny nude body was lying submersed in ice water; there was a red rash and scarring completely covering her face and body. Her eyes were swollen shut and there was a plastic bubble covering her head feeding her oxygen.

Mulder rushed over to her, looking with anguish at Doctors Jackson and Pendrell who stepped out of his way. "Alex, I'm going to need you," he replied hastily, looking at his shocked lover.

Krycek recovered and rushed over to his side. "What do you need, Fox?" he asked.

"A chair for one thing and for you to take the baby from me when I lose consciousness," he replied. He took a deep breath and gathered the energy that was in the air around him, then he picked up Faith's ice cold body. Mulder felt an immediate charge of electricity course through him upon touching her. He sat in the wheelchair that appeared from thin air behind him and concentrated on her. Feeling her weak heart beat, he started healing her from the inside out.

The doctors gathered around them, awed by the golden glow that formed around both bodies. Krycek knelt beside Mulder's chair placing one hand on the agent's thigh and the other on his daughter. He felt the energy tingle under his hands and stared with fascination as the scars and rash started disappearing from the infant's body.

Krycek's cell-phone chirped, interrupting his focus. He answered it, annoyed. "Krycek!"

He smiled sadly at the sound of Skinner's concerned voice. "Alex, how is she?"

"Walter, Fox is healing her now...she should be fine," he sniffed, watching as more scars vanished from the infant's body. "He, on the other hand, will probably sleep for days."

"Thank god! I'm sending Agents Sullivan and Pipino to drive you back to the estate. And, Alex, I'm anxious to meet my niece," he replied huskily, disconnecting the call.

Krycek smiled at the deep emotions he heard in his surly brother's voice. Skinner had a warm side that he didn't allow too many people to see. The younger man felt privileged to have made it pass the older man's shields.

It seemed as if time moved in slow motion around them. As the infant in his lover's arms healed, becoming serenely beautiful, all outward signs of injury vanished. The glow faded. Krycek eased Faith out of Mulder's arms as his lover slowly lost consciousness.

Doctor Harris rushed to the agent's side, keeping him from falling out of the wheelchair and did a quick examination of him.

"Agent Krycek, if you would place the infant on the examination table, I'll give her a complete checkup," Pendrell ordered as he snapped on a clean pair of plastic gloves.

The infant was crying loudly as the young doctor poked and probed her. Krycek looked on anxiously, keeping one hand on his daughter at all times, not wanting to sever contact with her.

"She's seems to be in perfect health, her lungs sound clear and her heartbeat is normal. As a precaution we'll want to keep her for observation for the next twenty-four hours." Pendrell wrapped her in a blanket and handed the crying infant back to her father.

"No, she's leaving with us," Krycek stated firmly. The look of menace in his emerald eyes had the young doctor backing down.

Doctor Jackson left the room, returning a few minutes later with a bottle of formula that he handed to Krycek. "Would you like to feed your daughter, Agent Krycek?"

Krycek beamed with happiness, accepting the bottle from the doctor. He cradled the infant lovingly in his arms and moved over to where Mulder sat slumped in the wheelchair, sleeping. The younger man knelt beside the wheelchair, smiling softly at his lover's serene face. "You did it, Fox, thank you," he murmured; leaning over, he kissed Mulder softly on the lips.

He sat on the floor and fed his daughter the bottle, watching joyously as her little mouth clamped onto the nipple and sucked it greedily.

"Verochika, this is one birthday, that we'll never forget," he murmured.

Doctor Pendrell brought another chair for him to sit on while they waited for their lift home.

Danko's Continental Restaurant Washington, D.C.
Thursday, June 3
9:00 p.m.

Skinner decided that for his daughter's safety he could not leave her, even in the care of Tony and Rory, to go to the center. He had explained to the party guests what had transpired at the center, including the unfortunate death of Agent Boutotte. He was meeting Agent Underwood at Viva Tower. The A.D. was going to have to break the news to Scott Boutotte. Ronald Underwood had volunteered to stay with the boy until arrangements could be made for his care. This was the hardest part of the Skinner's job, made even harder by the fact that he was breaking the news of an agent's death to a mere child.

He rode over to Viva Tower with Tony and Kimberly; the couple had installed two infant car seats in their van for their future daughters. Skinner placed Hope in one of the car seats and squeezed in the back next to her. He had not let her out of his sight since receiving the call from the Director. The A.D. had decided against allowing anyone else to take care of her, even for a few minutes.

If he ever laid eyes on that morph the EPA would have to use bulldozers to clean-up all of the toxic green blood that would be spread over a mile from its exploding body. Maybe he'd form an airtight bubble around the alien before blowing it up and save the taxpayers some money.

"Walter, I would definitely go with the airtight bubble, but instead of blowing it up, I recommend a slow fire," Tony suggested, glancing back at him through the rearview mirror.

"A slow fire...good suggestion, Tony," Skinner grinned evilly.

They met Ronald Underwood in the lobby. Kimberly carried the baby as they rode the elevator up to Skinner's former floor, Agent Boutotte had been his next door neighbor. The A.D. had gotten to know Scott fairly well over the months they lived next to each other.

Skinner rapped softly on the door and was surprised when Dana Scully answered it. She was just as surprised. "Sir?"

"Scully, what are you doing here? Where's Scott?"

"I live down the hall, now. I'm here making dinner for Scott while his father is working at the Cente...has something happened to Phil?" she gasped, reading the sad expressions on everyone's faces.

"He's dead, Scully. Is Scott here?" Skinner sighed.

"He's in his room listening to music...I'll get him," her voice caught.

Kimberly and Tony elected to wait out in the hallway with the baby as Skinner and Underwood stepped into the apartment. Scully came back a few minutes later with Scott.

"Mr. Skinner, it's about dad, isn't it?" the teen blurted out, he was near tears.

"Scott, your father gave his life in the line of duty tonight. He is a hero and will be always remembered as such," Skinner murmured softly.

"Did...did he die protecting the baby girls?" Scott stammered with tears running down his cheeks.

"Yes...they're all alive tonight because of his bravery. I'm truly sorry for your loss, Scott. Agent Underwood has offered to stay with you until your relatives can be contacted."

"I don't need a babysitter, sir. Agent Scully can check in on me," the teenager protested.

"I'm sorry, Scott, but you're too young to be left by yourself. It's either Agent Underwood or a group home until your relatives are contacted," Skinner interjected sadly.

"Some choice. Okay, I'll choose Ron, but he sleeps on the couch...not in my dad's bedroom," he sobbed. Turning, he ran back to his bedroom, slamming the door.

"Sir, what happened at the Center? Are the female babies really okay?" Scully asked, hiding the grief she felt.

"It was a morph. Agent Boutotte died of the retrovirus...they couldn't get to him in time. Faith was exposed when the glass on her growth cylinder was broken...but the fluids leaked out slowly and the doctors were able to get to her in time. However, she was in critical condition...Fox healed her when he arrived at the clinic. Takeda's two daughters were not affected -- the seal on their cylinders remained intact."

"How's Mulder doing?" Scully knew how much this child meant to him. The thought that he nearly lost her would be devastating to her former partner.

"Fox is currently suffering from the side-effects of the healing, but I'm hopeful that when he wakes up and realizes that Faith is alive and healthy, he'll be happy," Skinner replied doubtfully, knowing how much his lover borrowed guilt. "Speaking of which, I have to get home to him and Alex...I'll see you at work on Monday, Agent Scully," he hastened, quickly leaving the apartment.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Thursday, June 3
11:40 p.m.

Skinner carried Hope upstairs to his brother's bedroom. He entered quietly. "Hi. Hope wanted to meet her new sister and cousin," he murmured softly, smiling at his younger brother, who sat cross-legged on the bed feeding Faith a bottle.

Krycek was wearing only white cotton briefs. Mulder lay buried underneath the covers sleeping soundly.

"That's so weird to think that they're both sisters and cousins," Krycek wondered, smiling back at his brother.

Skinner walked around the bed and sat next to him. "She's beautiful, Alex."

The younger man beamed proudly. "She is, isn't she? I think she looks like Fox. She's been so well behaved," he replied. Setting the bottle aside, he turned her on her stomach to burp her, rubbing her back softly.

Skinner gently laid Hope on the bed, she was wide awake, kicking her feet, and trying to roll over. "Keep trying, angel, you'll figure it out," he teased.

Skinner watched Krycek clean up the small amount of formula the infant burped up. The older man held out his hands for his niece and Krycek placed her in them, he watched contentedly as Skinner cooed and fussed over her.

"Alex, how did we get so lucky?" He smiled as the infant clutched his finger.

"What do you mean?" The younger man reached for Hope, helping her roll over on her stomach. The baby cooed happily, lifting her head for the first time on her own.

"Two beautiful daughters, a gorgeous, intelligent lover, a lot of close friends, and a beautiful home."

"Do you think it was luck? It seemed like a lot of hard work to me," Krycek said, recalling all the circumstances that led them to this point in their lives.

"We're lucky we didn't kill each other and that Fox stayed with us after everything that happened."

"Okay, maybe we were lucky." Krycek took Faith back from Skinner; she had fallen asleep. He carried her over to the crib and placed her inside. "There's enough room in the crib for Hope if you'd like to sleep up here tonight, Walter."

The older man smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that. I really wanted to be with you and Fox at the Center this evening...you can't begin to know how worried I was." He lifted Hope off the bed and placed her next to Faith in the crib. She turned her head and stared at her sleeping sister curiously. "Be good, she's smaller than you, angel. Alex, are you sure it's a good idea to have them in the same crib together?"

"Yes." He paused considering. "Are Hope's nails clipped?" he asked. Looking down at her, he checked her fingernails and toenails, satisfied. There was enough room between them and neither baby could roll over yet.

Skinner walked over to a chair and stripped out of his suit, neatly draping it over the chair. He left on his white cotton briefs and climbed in on the right side of the bed, shifting Mulder's sleeping body toward the center.

Krycek shut off the lights and climbed in on the opposite side. Turning on his side, he draped an arm across the agent's waist, brushing up against Skinner's arm that was also draped across their lover's middle. He snuggled in closer, throwing a leg over Mulder's. "You know, Fox is going to wake up hot and sweaty with both of our bodies wrapped around him."

"Well then we'll just have to give him a shower to cool him off," Skinner sighed contentedly. He listened to his daughter's cooing coming from the crib and fell to sleep with her happy sounds in his ears.

Mulder opened his eyes aware of a heavy body wrapped around his right side. There was a soft light coming from the opposite side of the room, he raised his head and saw Krycek sitting in a rocker feeding Hope. He eased himself out from under Skinner's heavy frame and climbed out of bed.

Krycek smiled at him as he walked over to look in the crib and stared down at his new daughter's peacefully sleeping face. "I was worried there for a second," he replied huskily. Going over to Krycek, he leaned down and kissed him.

"She's perfect, Fox. Doctor Pendrell gave her a complete physical after you healed her. He couldn't find anything wrong with her. Doctor Carter is stopping by today to have a look at her, too." He put the bottle down and turned Hope over his shoulder to burp her. "I thought you would have slept longer after healing her."

"I think because of her small size I didn't use too much energy," he murmured tiredly.

Skinner stirred in bed and looked blurry-eyed over at his lover's nude body. "Fox, you're awake. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, fine, Walter. I'm just a little light headed and still tired." He yawned, climbed back into bed and snuggled into the older man's arms. He rested his head on Skinner's chest and the older man combed his fingers through Mulder's silky hair.

"Walter, how did Scott take the news?" Mulder asked. He had been shocked when Krycek told him of Agent Boutotte's death, he knew Skinner would have to deliver the news to his son.

"As well as could be expected," Skinner sighed. "Scully was at his apartment when we arrived. I wasn't aware they were seeing each other."

"Yeah, Phil and Scott went to Canada for a week to visit them at their ranch. Phil is the one who encouraged her to get her job back in the FBI and found her the apartment at Viva Tower." Mulder glanced up at Skinner. "I think Phil was in love with her, but I don't know how Dana felt about him."

"Damn, I didn't know," the older man blurted out.

"Would it have made a difference if you had?"

"Yes, I would have broken the news to her more tactfully."

"Scully prefers the direct approach...she doesn't like being coddled. I'll call her today and see how she's doing. Do you mind if I invite her and her family over for dinner Saturday?"

"No, Fox, whatever you want is fine by me. Would you like me to cook? Melvin is suppose to come over...I still have two weeks left of cooking lessons." He looked up as Krycek climbed back into bed.

Mulder smiled against Skinner's chest. "You're getting really good, that would be nice of you. Do you think you could make something out of one of the new cookbooks Frohike gave you?" Mulder hinted.

"Why? Is there something wrong with the Gilligan's Island Cookbook he's been teaching me to cook from?" Skinner smirked.

Krycek moaned. "Yes, we've already been forced to eat every single goddamn coconut cream pie recipe in that blasted book."

One of the babies started crying from the crib.

"My turn," Mulder murmured. He eased off Skinner's body and climbed out of bed.

The agent looked down at Hope, she was smiling up at him and next to her Faith was crying. He felt her diaper first, before determining that she was hungry. He scooped her up in his arms, looking over at the two men closely watching him.

"Walter, please, get me a bottle," he ordered. Holding out his hand, he smiled when a heated bottle appeared in it. Mulder climbed over Krycek and back into the center of the bed. He sat up against the headboard with the small infant cradled possessively in his arms, feeding her the bottle.

Skinner climbed out of bed and retrieved Hope; she had started crying when she was left all alone. He climbed back into bed with her, and she smiled brightly at him.

Krycek yawned, scooted under the covers, and fell to sleep. Mulder looked down affectionately at him, then glanced over at Skinner who was lying on his back with the baby playing on his chest. He wondered how he'd ever gotten so lucky. A sad shadow passed briefly over his eyes as his thoughts touched on another subject.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Friday, June 4
th 7:10 a.m.

"What's wrong, Shin?" MacIver asked, gently rubbing the younger man's back and holding him close.

"They could have been killed, Rory. Why would anyone want to kill them? Am I making a mistake agreeing to have more daughters? What if their lives are endangered, too?" he sobbed sadly, burying his face against the older man's shoulder.

MacIver felt the wetness of tears on his skin. "Shin, you're doing the right thing! I didn't think so before, but I do now. Don't you see? The aliens are afraid of your daughters...that's a good thing, not bad," he soothed, kissing the top of his young lover's head.

"But, is it right to bring them into a world where their lives will be in constant danger?"

"Yes! Now that the world knows the threat exists, it will take steps to protect them. Shin, they're this planet's future, nothing will be allowed to happen to them."

"God, I hope you're right," Takeda murmured sadly. Turning on his back, he stared up at the ceiling.

MacIver bent over him, kissing him tenderly. "I'm always right, you should know that by now. C'mon, love, let's go and have breakfast. If we're lucky, Mulder's cooking."

"What happened to the two weeks of cooking lessons we both had?" Takeda asked, climbing out of bed.

"That's only for emergencies, love. You know, if there's no one else around to cook then we have to," he smiled.

"Rory, I don't think that's how it's suppose to work. Besides, I enjoy cooking." Takeda pulled on a pair of cutoffs and a T-shirt.

"Good, then you can cook me up some eggs and bacon." The Scotsman smiled, holding the door open for him.

The young immortal pushed him up against the doorframe and wrapped his arms around MacIver's neck, kissing him hard and possessively. "I'd love to cook for you, old man. After all, I need to keep up your strength," he purred, fondling his lover through his pants.

"Then you better feed me often, love, because you're insatiable," MacIver drawled happily.

They entered the kitchen to the smell of bacon frying. Skinner sat at the counter sipping a cup of coffee; his suit coat was draped over the back of the chair. Mulder was dressed in soft sweatpants and a T-shirt. He stood at the range, making breakfast for the older man.

Takeda smiled at Krycek, the triple agent sat at the breakfast table with two bassinets in front of him. He was feeding the newest member of the family.

Mulder turned to them after placing a plate brimming with food in front of the A.D. "Good morning, Rory, Shin. I'm making omelets, sit down and I'll make you each one," he smiled happily.

"Thank you, Mulder, you are a saint," MacIver grinned and sat next to Skinner.

"Do you need any help?" Takeda asked, leaning up against the counter.

"Sure, can you put more bread in the toaster." Mulder poured more eggs into the omelet pan.

"Mulder, you seem to be in an awfully good mood," the Scotsman stated, somewhat surprised, considering the near tragedy of last night.

"Why shouldn't I be? I have two healthy and beautiful daughters and two handsome, caring men whom I love with all of my heart. My life couldn't be better." The joy he felt was visible on his face.

Skinner glanced affectionately up at him. Mulder never looked more beautiful than when he smiled. The A.D. was grateful that his young lover wasn't feeling angst over almost losing Faith. He hated having to leave him to go into work and was seriously considering retiring from the bureau. However, he knew Mulder would never quit his job and he'd be left at home worrying about him and Krycek. Besides, the new department and his promotion held promise as a possible way of protecting his family.

The A.D. finished eating and stood up. "I'm off to work...do you want me to pick up anything for you on my way home tonight, Fox?" he asked. Coming up behind the agent, he wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed his cheek.

"Yes, we're out of KY and we need more diapers...lots of diapers," he murmured, leaning back against Skinner's broad chest.

"We have a whole basket full of lubricant that Rory and Shin gave me," he quipped, kissing Mulder softly then grabbing his suit coat. He paused, then kissed the two infants and Krycek goodbye. The younger man looked up at him, pleasantly surprised. "Take care of them, Alex," he said brusquely as he headed out of the room.

Japanese Embassy Friday, June 4
th 10:20 a.m.

Major Kazuo Sawada paced nervously around the office, he had reluctantly agreed to return to the US to meet the young immortal that his government wanted him to have sex with. He had angrily left the country after being informed for the first time what his government expected from him.

He had never had sex with another man before -- the whole notion didn't appeal to him. He would rather remain celibate.

However, his government had appealed to his patriotism to get him to return, but he only agreed to meet Shinji Takeda and spend a week in the young man's company. He had no plans on having sex with him.

Sawada glanced up at the clock, waiting for the ambassador to finish his telephone call. The elderly man was on the line with Assistant Director Walter Skinner of the FBI.

The ambassador hung up. "It has all been arranged, Major Sawada. A.D. Skinner is sending a car for you and he's called his estate to inform them of your arrival." The ambassador stared at him sternly. "I expect a report from you daily. And, Major, keep in mind that this assignment is critical to the survival of our country."

"Yes, sir." The major stood straight meeting the man's eye, bowing curtly, he left the office to wait for his ride.

Krycek hung up the telephone, looking out the window into the backyard at MacIver and Takeda. The two men were relaxing by the pool. This was really going to ruin the Scotsman's day.

"What is it, Alex?" Mulder asked, walking into the family room and placing Hope in her bassinet. They had Faith's bassinet set up next to it where she was already soundly sleeping.

"Shinji's countryman, the mysterious Major Kazuo Sawada, is arriving a week early and will be here within an hour," Krycek informed him, picking up Hope. She had started whimpering the minute Mulder had set her down.

"Oh, Rory isn't going to like that," Mulder stated, heading into the kitchen.

"What guestroom do you want to put him in?"

"I think the one at the top of the main staircase; it's less isolated than the others, and it has a beautiful view of the backyard off the veranda." Mulder started pulling out the fixings for lunch, looking up, he asked, "Are you planning on informing Rory and Shinji that he's coming?"

"No, I think I'll wait until he gets here, then take him out to the pool area and introduce them. From what Frohike found out about the Major, it sounds like the man could use a bit of an eye opener, and seeing Shinji in that thong swimsuit should open them really fast," he snickered.

"I think it's nice the man had enough morals to be outraged that his government had expected him to have sex with a stranger." Mulder started peeling the hard-boiled eggs.

"I wonder why they didn't tell the man up front what was expected of him, instead of waiting until after Shinji had chosen him?"

"They probably arrogantly assumed he'd jump at the opportunity or be the good little soldier and follow orders." Mulder reached over and caressed the baby's cheek, she cooed happily at the attention. "She's starting to stay awake longer and she likes to be held when she's up. We probably should get one of those things to strap her to our chest...it would be nice to have our hands free."

"We have two, it's called a Snugli. It's in the pile of baby things Walter keeps bringing home. You're right, Fox, the mouse does like being held when she's up. I'll go and dig it out and see if she'll be content in it."

Krycek left, coming back into the room five minutes later wearing the baby against his chest. She was quiet and happy to be so close to him. "It works, Fox. Look, no hands!" Krycek joked, turning around.

Mulder smiled, stepping up to him he placed a hand on the baby's back. "You're both so cute." He looked deeply into the younger man's emerald eyes. "Alex, I want to make love to you so badly. How about after we get the major settled in, we feed and put our munchkins down for a nap, then I'll kiss and suck every part of your body?"

"Mm, Fox, I love your plan...Faith will probably be no problem, she seems to be sleeping constantly. Hope on the other hand, will most likely refuse to take a nap. Do you think the major is good with kids?" He kissed his lover softly.

"Forget it, I wouldn't even trust Rory with Hope. If she doesn't want to take a nap, we'll just have to wait until Walter gets home from work. Besides, I'm grilling steaks outside this evening, that should put him in a good mood to watch the munchkins."

"Fox, you know he'd watch them anyway. You should have seen him last night...he was so happy to see Faith that his smile could have lit up downtown DC." Krycek smiled, sitting at the counter, he looked down at Hope's peacefully sleeping face snuggled against his chest.

Mulder grinned, scooping egg salad onto a slice of bread then topping it with lettuce. "Yeah, Walter really is a pushover. Our one month wedding anniversary is Wednesday...I want to do something special for him. Would you mind babysitting?"

"No, I wouldn't mind. It seemed like Hope slept better with Faith in the same crib next to her." Krycek watched as Mulder placed the platter of sandwiches on a tray and got a pitcher of ice tea from the refrigerator. He placed it and plastic cups on the tray, too.

"Alex, can you zap this out to the pool area? I'm going to collect Faith and join Shin and Rory by the pool. Would you mind waiting for Major Sawada?"

Krycek teleported the tray out to the pool area. It appeared on the small round table. "Fox, go ahead and join them, but don't tell them he's coming, I want it to be a surprise," he smirked slyly.

Mulder kissed him. "Be nice," he ordered, snagging a hooded bassinet to put Faith in for their trip outside. He also grabbed a bag with diapers, wet-wipes, and baby powder. He pulled out a bottle from the refrigerator and warmed it under the faucet for her.

Krycek admired his lanky body as he moved to collect all the items needed for an afternoon out by the pool. Mulder was wearing a tank top and cutoff shorts with his black Speedos on underneath them.

Mulder arrived at the pool and gently placed Faith's bassinet in the shade, he joined MacIver and Takeda at the table to eat. "Mulder, love, you really know how to spoil us," the older man drawled, munching on a sandwich.

"Rory, better enjoy it while you can...in a month I'll be back at work," he smirked.

"That's okay, Shin has promised to feed me," he smirked back.

"Yes, Rory, but there's a price to my feeding you," the young man leered seductively at him.

"A price I'm more than happy to pay, love." He caressed down the young man's near naked body. Stopping suddenly, a dark look crossed over his handsome features as he detected the car at the front gate telepathically. "Blast, he's a week early!"

"Who? Rory, who's early?" Takeda asked, grabbing another sandwich.

"That military *whore* you selected! That's who!" MacIver growled. Losing his appetite, he tossed the sandwich down on the plate.

"Rory, it's *you* I love. I'm not interested in this man, but I promised my government. So, please, try to be civil to him...it's only for a week." Takeda knelt beside MacIver's chair, looking up at him pleadingly.

The older man sighed. Leaning down, he kissed Takeda softly. "I cannot deny you anything, Shin. I'll attempt to be civil for your sake .. . . I only pray that this week ends fast."

As the black sedan pulled up in front of the mansion, Sawada stared out the window of the car in awe. He didn't realize that the American A.D. owned such a large estate. He wondered briefly how much money Assistant Directors made. The major climbed out of the car and waited for the driver to hand him the suitcases from the trunk. He smoothed and straightened his navy blue dress uniform.

The front door to the mansion opened and a handsome man, around the major's own age, stepped out. He had an infant strapped to his chest in a sling-like contraption and was dressed simply in shorts and a T-shirt. "Major Sawada, I'm Alex Krycek," he said, holding out his hand.

The major shook it and bowed politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Krycek."

"It's Alex. Come in, I'll show you to your room," he replied, taking one of the major's bags and showing him into the mansion. Krycek guided him up the main staircase and stopped at the first door, it opened into a large guest bedroom. Placing the suitcase on the bed, Krycek showed him around the room. "The room overlooks the backyard and has a private veranda and bath," he replied opening the door to the bathroom.

Sawada glanced in the room, then walked over and stared out the French doors. The veranda had a small table and two chairs on it, he looked out over the large backyard. He noticed the men by the pool, but he was too far away to get a good look at them. Well, at least he was going to get a nice vacation out of this stay, if nothing else.

"Alex, how many people live on this estate?"

"Nine, counting the two babies."

"Are any of the people sorcerers, clairvoyants, or n'thrals? My government informed me about A.D. Skinner, but I can sense that you, too, are a sorcerer."

"N'thrals are not allowed on the estate. The estate's caretaker is a sorcerer. Shinji Takeda's lover, Rory MacIver is also a sorcerer."

Sawada gave him a surprised look. "Shinji Takeda has a lover?" he asked surprised.

"Yes, I'm surprised your government didn't inform you." Krycek gave him a puzzled look. "Has your government mentioned that Fox Mulder lives on the estate?"

"Yes, I'm aware of the fact that Special Agent Fox Mulder is married to Assistant Director Walter Skinner, and that they have a daughter together. Is that her?" Sawada asked, trying to get a better look at the infant.

"Yes, this is Hope Skinner-Mulder." The baby started cooing softly and Krycek rubbed her back, smiling down at her.

"I don't understand how two men could be attracted to each other...let alone get married. After all, the virus didn't change our sexual orientation," he commented abruptly.

"Major Sawada, have you ever met an immortal?" Krycek inquired, knowingly. He was a little put off by the man's opinions.

"No, I haven't, and you may call me, Kazuo. Alex, what is your position in this household?" He thought the young man must be a servant, possibly a nanny.

"I'm part owner of this estate and Fox Mulder's fiancée."

"I thought he was married to A.D. Skinner?"

"He is." Krycek was looking down at Hope's wide-awake face and didn't see the outraged expression on the major's handsome face. "Kazuo, do you want to change into something more comfortable before I take you out to the pool to meet Shinji?"

"No, I don't plan on staying outside long," he stated, heading for the door. The sooner he got this visit over with, the better. He wonder if A.D. Skinner knew what was going on under his roof...fiancée indeed.

Krycek showed the major into the kitchen, where he grabbed a bottle for Hope, then took Sawada down in the elevator. The major admired the spacious rooms with the high ceilings. Krycek gave him a quick tour of the lower level. The indoor pool, exercise room, and wine cellar impressed him. The young major considered himself a connoisseur of fine wines.

They finally made it across the yard to the pool area. Takeda was swimming and climbed out of the pool when he saw them. His lean, toned body glistened in the sunlight. Sawada froze. He was shocked by the instant arousal he felt for the beautiful young immortal. He had never seen anyone more beautiful in his life. The major became further aroused when another exotic creature stood up. This tall leggy beauty had a cute infant in his arms. The pale ivory flesh of the baby contrasted sharply against the tanned chest of the immortal.

Krycek grinned smugly as he introduced Sawada. "Major Kazuo Sawada this is Shinji Takeda, my fiancée Fox Mulder, and our daughter Faith. The man you see sulking on the other side of the pool is Rory MacIver." Krycek draped his arm possessively around Mulder's waist.

Mulder gave Krycek a raised eyebrow look. *Fiancée?*

The triple agent grinned at him fondly. *Yeah...do you have a problem with it?* he asked silently.

*No, as long as we elope.* Smiling, he leaned over and softly kissed Krycek on the lips.

The major shifted uncomfortably, feeling lust course through his body at their public display of affection.

Mulder turned and studied the major. The man looked extremely uncomfortable. However, he cut a handsome figure in his stylishly navy blue uniform, standing tall and proud -- only the growing bulge in his pants ruined the straight cut of his uniform.

Sawada was blushing under the two immortals' appraising looks.

"Major Sawada, it's a pleasure to meet you." Shinji held out his hand, the major's handshake felt cold and clammy -- nerves. The younger man took pleasure in the handsome, older man's discomfort.

Mulder noticed the major's unease and took instant pity on the man. "Major Sawada, would you like to go inside and freshen up? You must still be tired from your trip."

"Yes, thank you, Agent Mulder," he replied gratefully. Turning, he quickly made his way back to the mansion, frowning angrily as the Scotsman's comments reached his ears.

"You really picked a winner, love," MacIver drawled loudly. "Looks like he can get it up okay, but I doubt that he'd know what to do with it," he snickered.

"Shut up, Rory," Takeda grumbled.

The young major made it back up to his room, sighing with relief as he closed the door. He allowed his posture to relax. What had come over him? Agent Mulder was right, he was tired from his flight. It was affecting his perception. He needed a shower and a nap before he could face them again.

Sawada shrugged out of his jacket; searching around for the closet, he located it through the large bathroom. He hung up his jacket and stripped out of the rest of his clothing. Then, he took the time to put away the rest of his clothing in the walk-in-closet. The major glanced around the opulent bathroom; it had white marble floor and walls, gold fixtures, three skylights in the high ceiling, a whirlpool bath and a separate shower. It was a far cry from the military quarters he was assigned to.

He turned on the shower and stepped in, letting his hand snake down to his painfully hard cock. Sawada jerked off, closing his eyes, his thoughts turned back to Shinji. The way the young man looked with water glistening off his perfect body. Dark, chocolate brown eyes with tiny flecks of gold under thick, black eyelashes. Sensuous lips, high cheekbones, and a long graceful neck made for...The force of his orgasm surprised him; he came hard, spurting against the shower wall. The major blushed, realizing where his thoughts had wandered.

Finishing his shower, he toweled off and pulled on a pair of cotton briefs, and then strolled back into the bedroom. He shut the curtains and walked over to the bed. Lying on top of the covers, he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to claim him.

Mulder bundled Faith back into the bassinet and pulled on his shirt. "Doctor Carter is going to be here in a half hour, I'm taking Faith back inside."

"I'll come with you." Krycek was holding Hope in his arms, feeding her a bottle. He stood up and followed Mulder back to the mansion.

"Alex, that wasn't very nice bringing Major Sawada outside to the pool. The poor man...I thought he was about to explode in his pants," Mulder whispered softly, there was a slight hint of smile on his lips.

"Rory would have loved it. I wonder how long before our Scottish friend loses his temper and kills the major?"

"Shinji would never allow it. Did you notice he seemed to be a bit smitten with Kazuo? You don't suppose he could fall in love with him?" Mulder carried the baby into the bathroom, setting the bassinet on the counter, he filled the small baby bath with warm water.

"My money would be on Kazuo falling in love with Shinji," Krycek replied.

Mulder removed Faith's diaper and lifted her from the bassinet, setting her gently in the warm water. She startled and her little face scrunched up as she started crying. "It's okay munchkin, a little water's not going to hurt you," he soothed softly.

Glancing up at Krycek, he asked, "What do you want to bet, Alex?"

"The winner picks the time and place we get married," Krycek smiled, placing Hope in the empty bassinet, the infant had fallen asleep.

"And also, who we invite," Mulder added, liking the idea, not that he thought Krycek would try to out do his brother, but he couldn't be too careful.

Mulder finished bathing Faith; Krycek stepped forward taking her from him. She stopped crying when he placed her on a soft towel. "See, cutie, that wasn't so bad," he purred as he dried her. He rubbed baby oil into her delicate skin. "She's really beautiful, Fox," he stated. Picking her up and cuddling her against his chest, he breathed in her fresh baby scent.

"So are you, Alex," Mulder smiled warmly at him.

The buzzer sounded from the front gate and for the briefest second Krycek's eyes grew distant. "It's Doctor Carter...I've opened the gates for him. Why don't we lay our princesses on the bed?" he suggested, carrying Faith into Mulder and Skinner's bedroom.

Mulder picked up the bassinet and followed him into the bedroom. Hope woke up as he lifted her out of it. She grinned toothlessly up at him. Mulder leaned down, kissing her nose as he placed her next to Faith in the center of the bed.

"I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year, they should both be crawling, it's going to be perfect," Mulder sighed, remembering his few happy family memories were of Christmas. His dad never beat him around the holiday. But, then Sam disappeared and they didn't celebrate it any longer, or celebrate anything for that matter, not even birthdays.

How many years had it been since he had last received a Christmas present or sat in front of a Christmas tree? Twenty-five or was it twenty-six years. Of course, Scully and her mom had given him a gift every year they were partnered. Then there was the present Alex gave him this past Christmas and of course the pile Walter had waiting for him when they got home from Russia. However, he hadn't had a Christmas tree, this year would be different. His daughters would never grow up feeling unwanted and unloved, he'd see to that.

Krycek embraced him lovingly, pulling Mulder away from his pensive reflections. "Fox, we'll have the most beautiful Christmas tree this year. I'll cut it down myself," he promised.

"I'll help you...we'll make a family day out of it," he grinned, kissing Krycek passionately. He kept the pain he was feeling buried deeply inside. The rap on the door interrupted them.

"Mulder, Alex," the young pediatrician greeted them as he stepped into the room. He walked up to the bed, gazing down at the newest member of the family. "So, this is Faith. She looks like you, Mulder," he stated; sitting down he picked up the infant.

"Jonathan, there's only a slight resemblance. She has Krycek's nose and ears." Mulder replied, sitting next to the young doctor.

"She has your facial bone structure," the doctor replied jovially. He reached into his bag, pulling out a stethoscope he listened to the infant's heart. "Has she been eating okay?"

"Yes, but we have to wake her...she doesn't always cry to be fed."

The infant remained completely quiet as the doctor examined her. She only whimpered once, when he used a thermometer to take her temperature. "It looks like she has Walter's stoic personality," the doctor quipped.

Krycek chuckled, "So, Jonathan, who's personality do you think Hope has?"

The doctor looked at the other infant on the bed. The baby was cooing happily, kicking her feet and drooling. "Yours, Alex," he replied without even having to think about it.

Krycek was a bit taken aback, he thought the doctor would have said Mulder. "Why do you think that?"

"Alex, it's really too early to tell what their personalities are going to be like. I was only guessing." Carter handed Faith to Mulder. "She's in perfect health, Mulder."

"Thanks, Jonathan. Can you stay for dinner?" The agent cuddled the infant. He didn't care if the baby looked like him or had his personality. He didn't understand why it mattered to Krycek and Skinner so much.

"I'd love to. You are my last appointment of the day." The doctor's dark brown eyes sparkled with delight. "I really could use a swim," he hinted.

"Jonathan, our guestroom is always available for you. If you can stay for breakfast tomorrow morning, Alex is making crepes." Mulder smiled at the tall, handsome black doctor.

"Thanks, Mulder, I'll do that," the man smiled. "What are you making for dinner?"

"Barbecued steaks, baked potatoes, and green beans."

"Anything for dessert?"

"Coconut cream pie," Mulder replied, grimacing.

"Mm, sounds great. I'll get my bag from the car and take it up to my room. How's Hope been doing?" he inquired, standing up.

"She still gets gas pains almost everyday at around the same time, like clockwork. I've been able to relieve her pain almost immediately, though." Mulder smiled down at the baby. "I really hope she gets over it soon. I would hate to go out of town on a case knowing that she's at home suffering."

"Don't worry, Mulder, she'll get better soon. This condition never lasts more than one or two months," Carter replied.

"It could last six more weeks?!"

The doctor smiled gently. "The joys of parenthood," he chuckled, walking out of the room.

Mulder sighed, looking at the two infants in the middle of the large bed. Hope yawned, closing her eyes, falling asleep next to her already sleeping sister. He smiled, looked over at Krycek, then motioned with his head over to the plush rug in front of the fireplace and started peeling off his clothing. The two men learned quickly to take advantage of any opportunity for sex when the baby was asleep. Hope never seemed to sleep more than two or three hours at a time, often waking at the slightest noise.

Krycek caught on and quietly shrugged out of his clothing. The younger man walked quietly over to Mulder, smoothing his hands down the agent's long back. He cupped and kneaded his lover's firm buttocks, bringing their groins together.

Mulder kissed him passionately, lacing his fingers through Krycek's hair, groaning his desire into the younger man's mouth. Krycek hooked a leg behind Mulder's and swept him off his feet, lowering him down onto the thick rug; lying on top of the agent, he humped against his hip. His weeping cock smeared pre-cum over Mulder's tanned skin. They fell into long minutes of deep kissing and heavy petting, rubbing sensuously against each other's body.

The older man finally ended the kiss, breathing heavily. He hugged Krycek's body closer to his, wrapping his legs over the top of his. Relishing the closeness, the feel of flesh against flesh -- cock against cock. "Mm, I love you so much, Alex," he murmured contentedly.

"I love you, too, Fox." Krycek looked down into Mulder's bright, hazel eyes and kissed the agent's forehead, eyelids, nose, and lips. His fingers pinched his lover's nipples and Mulder arched up into the touch.

"Alex, please...fuck me slow, hard, and deep. I want to feel it for the rest of the afternoon and evening," he breathed huskily and nipped the side of Krycek's throat. The younger man growled deep in his throat. Plunging down to reclaim Mulder's mouth, he forced his tongue pass the hard ridges of teeth and into the moist interior. He rolled them on their side, breaking the kiss to climb behind Mulder. The sorcerer rested against the immortal's back, his cock nestled between firm buttocks. He bit and sucked the side of his lover's throat as his hand teased the agent's nipples.

Mulder raised one leg toward his chest giving his lover better access to his ass. He writhed with lust, trembling under Krycek's assault. The younger man pulled a tube of lubricant out of thin air; he flipped open the cap, squeezing some down Mulder's ass and into his anus. He rubbed his cock up and down the older man's cleft, coating it with lubricant. Krycek then pushed a finger into Mulder's body. "God, you are so tight...how long?"

"You...yesterday morning..." Mulder gasped, pushing back as Krycek pushed another finger into him.

"Thirty-two hours...no wonder you're tight," he murmured contentedly. It wasn't often that his immortal lover went without sex long enough for his body to heal, making him a virgin again. He scissored his fingers in and out; angling them up, he brushed the his lover's prostate. Mulder moaned, burying his head in the rug trying to muffle his cries. Krycek pulled his fingers free and positioned his cock, easing his way pass the resistant muscles. He noticed a shadow out of the corner of his eye; turning his head slightly, he saw Skinner in the doorway watching them.

Skinner quietly shut the bedroom door, turning to watch his brother as he pushed his cock all the way into their lover's body. He glanced briefly over at the two sleeping infants on the bed; grinning, he slowly shrugged out of his suit coat. Unclipping the gun from his belt, he carried it into the walk-in closet placing it inside of the lock box. He hung up his suit coat and toed his shoes off, stripping out of the rest of his clothing.

He returned naked to the bedroom, watching Alex's round, firm ass as it pumped up and down pounding his cock into Mulder's perfect body. The slapping sound of flesh against flesh resounded in the room and the agent's muffled moans of passion drove the A.D. to full arousal. He stroked his painfully hard cock, it was throbbing with desire. Mulder hadn't noticed his presence, he was too deeply in the throes of passion. Both bodies stiffened as they came simultaneous the younger man collapsed on Mulder's sweat dampened back.

Panting, Krycek eased out and rolled off to the side, allowing his brother access to their lover's body. Mulder lay lethargic not realizing Skinner was there until his large frame draped over him and he thrust hard into his languishing body. Mulder startled at the sudden and unexpected invasion. He unconsciously tried to move away, but the larger man wrapped a muscular arm around his waist holding him pressed firmly against his back. Skinner mouth licked and nipped the agent's shoulder already marked by Krycek. "Mine," he breathed huskily.

Skinner was totally enraptured at being sheathed inside his lover's hot body. His cock throbbed and his balls hung heavy, it had been over two days since they last had sex. He remained still, relishing the sensations. The older man could feel the quick beating of his lover's heart against his chest. The beating slowed as the agent relaxed against him, the shock at being taken so unexpectedly wearing off, turning instead to pleasure.

Krycek lay beside Mulder and captured his mouth in a long passionate kiss as his hand snaked down and stroked the immortal's swelling cock.

Skinner eased out part way, then corkscrewed back in, slamming his balls against the agent's tight ass. Mulder screamed into Krycek's mouth as his older lover bumped against his prostate, sending intense jolts pleasure soaring throughout his body. Mulder's nails dug into the older man's arm, where he had it wrapped around his waist. Skinner started thrusting in and out of his body, setting a steady rhythm. The A.D. reached for Krycek's cock and started jerking him off as well, the younger man pushed up into that firm grip, while his hand matched Skinner stroke for stroke on Mulder's cock.

Mulder's orgasm surged out of him, and his milky white semen hit his chest and neck, he felt blackness surround him as he briefly lost consciousness. Skinner forced his cock in harder and deeper against the tightening muscles clenching it. He wasn't ready to end this yet! He wanted it to go on, and on as he bent down and licked the semen from the side of Mulder's throat. He slammed in harder, holding Mulder's slumping body up while he thrust into him. Skinner's other hand was stroking Krycek's cock, the younger man moaned softly and climaxed, his semen joined Mulder's on the agent's tanned chest.

Krycek curled up against Mulder's body, feeling the force at which Skinner was drilling into him. Mulder was definitely going to feel this the rest of the evening. The A.D. stiffened, he pushed in as far as he could get and came hard, filling his lover with his passion. The agent moaned softly as the hot fluid pumped into his bowels, then he groaned at the dead weight across his back as Skinner collapsed on top of him.

They lay in a tangle of arms and legs. No one wanted to move. Unfortunately one of the babies started crying, forcing them to slowly separate. The A.D. eased off and out of Mulder, he stood looking affectionately down at his lover and half-brother.

Mulder rolled onto his back refusing to get up. "Walter, its Hope, go take care of your daughter and let me die in peace."

Skinner smiled, reaching for the younger man's hand he pulled him to his feet. Mulder sagged against him exhausted and Skinner rubbed his back tightly hugging and kissing him. "Fox, you and Alex go take a shower, I'll see to the babies," he murmured, slipping on a robe. He went to the bed and scooped Hope up into his arms. She stopped crying. "How's daddy's angel today?" he purred.

Mulder helped Krycek to his feet, and they stumbled into the bathroom. The agent started laughing as they stepped into the shower. "Next time, warn me when Walter's in the room, he could have given me a heart attack," he quipped.

"Sorry, Fox, you should have seen the look on your face," Krycek snickered.

Mulder moaned as the water pounded his abused body. "Looks like I'll be eating standing up tonight."

"You won't even feel it in a few hours, enjoy it while you can." Krycek ran a soapy washcloth over Mulder's chest and groin; kneeling, he soaped and cleaned the semen from his lover's thighs and ass.

Mulder closed his eyes, soundly enjoying the pampering. He opened them when Krycek wrapped him in a tight embrace, kissing him lovingly. "C'mon, let's go relieve Walter...I think I can hear Faith crying."

They quickly toweled off and dressed, stepping back in the bedroom. Skinner was holding Faith feeding her a bottle, and Hope was crying, feeling neglected. Mulder picked up Hope, hugging her, and she slowly quieted down.

"Walter, why are you home so early?" Mulder inquired, sitting down on the bed next to him.

"I wanted to be here for you and Alex," he sighed. "Agent Boutotte's funeral is going to be Sunday. Scully has asked for custody of Scott, he has no relatives, poor kid."

"Yeah, I know. I talked to Scully on the phone this morning. She told me about seeking custody of him. It will be tough raising a teenager." Mulder played with Hope. "She's bringing him to dinner tomorrow night. I thought it would be good for him to meet Faith and see who his father gave his life protecting," he murmured sadly.

"That's a good idea, Fox," Krycek replied gently, taking Faith from Skinner.

Mulder handed Hope to the older man. "Walter, I'm going up to work in my office for an hour before starting dinner, would you mind watching Hope?"

"No, you go ahead."

They watched as Mulder used the secret passageway to go up to his office. Skinner turned to Krycek. "Alex, can you watch both of them while I grab a quick shower?"

"Sure, Walter, go ahead."

Mulder stepped into his office and shut the secret panel. He leaned up against it and burst into tears. He had held in his grief, not wanting to cause his lovers any distress. Mulder wanted the remaining time he had with them to be happy, not filled with sadness and grief. At times, he had even started to convince himself that he had a happy future with them.

He walked over to his leather sofa and sank down, wincing as his sore backside made contact with its surface. Picking up the folder from the coffee table, he opened it and reread paragraphs he had already memorized. The lawyer had sent it over two days ago. He had wanted to show it to Skinner yesterday, after his party. The Senate Procreation Committee was making more demands; after that alien attempted to abduct him two weeks ago, they felt he should be more closely protected. They wanted to place him into protective custody because he was vital to national security. The Committee even approved the building of a state-of-the-art facility to house him and the two other American immortals. Much to his disgust, it would have a procreation facility and a secure area where they were expected to have sex with American sorcerers.

He read the statements from different members on the committee for and against. The vote had been extremely close with Senator Matheson leading the opposition. He called the facility a glorified prison/cat house and was outraged that his colleagues had the nerve to suggest locking up American citizens in it. Senator Stone stated it went against everything this country stood for. But, Senator Mooney's side won the debate, stressing that the aliens had wanted the immortals for the mere fact that they were the means to this planet's survival, and as such, they must be protected at all costs.

Mulder found out from the report, that witnesses had described a morph as the abductor of a Brazilian immortal. Two people died of the retrovirus in that abduction. The other two American immortals were already under heavy guard. It was only Skinner and the FBI that prevented them from locking him away, too. However, it was only a matter of time -- the legal documents were already being filed on the grounds of national security. He knew that would guarantee the end of his freedom. Tears fell freely down his cheeks at the thought of losing his lovers and daughters.

He didn't know how much longer he could keep up his front by pretending everything was all right. He allowed Krycek to read his thoughts about Christmas earlier; deep down, he still had hope that he'd be with them.

He closed the folder and sat at his computer wiping the tears away from his eyes. He checked his email -- a new one from Byers and the older one from Nikolai Slava. Mulder couldn't bring himself to delete it, although it was clearly a love letter. Slava had found out about the American government's threat, and had offered him asylum. The letter was laced throughout with Slava's romantic declarations of his love for Mulder.

Mulder weighed the options over in his mind, Slava or forced imprisonment and being raped by hundreds of American sorcerers. He sighed, realizing he could never go to Slava because it would be a betrayal of the two men he loved with all of his heart. He would never do that to Skinner or Krycek, being forcefully locked away was one thing, but going willingly into the arms of another man was another.

He typed a reply to Byers' email; his friend had started his first male/male relationship and wanted his advice. This was the fourth man in a month that had sought out his love advice. Byers didn't mention who his male companion was, but wanted some answers to some pretty basic questions. Mulder responded as best as he could, then attached an URL to a page specializing in advice for men having their first sexual experience with another man. He closed down the computer and left the room, taking the folder with him.

Mulder knew his eyes were still puffy from crying, and he wanted to get to the nearest bathroom to conceal that fact. He bumped into Major Kazuo Sawada coming out of the guestroom.

"Agent Mulder...how are you?" he stammered, as he felt the stirring of arousal.

"Fine, Major Sawada, and please it's just Mulder."

The major noticed that the agent had been crying recently, being courteous, he didn't mention it. "Please call me Kazuo. I thought I would introduce myself to A.D. Skinner, I sense that he is home."

"Yes he is. You can probably find him in the kitchen," Mulder replied, knowing Skinner should be marinating the steaks.

"Thank you, Mulder," Sawada walked hastily down the main staircase.

Mulder quickly made a beeline for the nearest bathroom. Closing the door, he took out a washcloth and soaked it in cold water. He cleaned his face and laid it over his eyes. Being an immortal helped to quickly hide the fact he had been crying; when he removed the washcloth his eyes were no longer pink.

He picked up the folder and walked down the back staircase and into Skinner's study. Mulder placed the folder on the A.D.'s desk, knowing his lover would see it in the morning. He didn't want to ruin his weekend, but he couldn't keep this from him any longer. Leaving the office, he headed for the kitchen.

Doctor Carter and Major Sawada sat at the counter talking to Skinner, they both were sipping wine and discussing its bouquet. Mulder walked up to his lover, smiled brightly and kissed Skinner passionately. The major was a bit taken aback, not so much by this open display of affection, but by how happy Mulder appeared. When only fifteen minutes ago he was clearly distraught?

"How are you feeling, Fox," Skinner grinned, kissing the agent back and massaging his butt.

"Still pleasantly sore, but more than ready for round two after dinner. Walter, don't forget your promise of showing me what great shape you're in," Mulder smiled sweetly.

Takeda and MacIver walked into the room, they were dressed similarly in shorts, tank tops, sneakers, and baseball caps.

"Did you have a nice nap, Major?" MacIver drawled sarcastically.

"Very," Sawada replied softly. He stared longingly at Takeda. He had had a very erotic dream involving the young man. The young major studied Takeda's face; his full lips and smile reminded Sawada of his fiancée she had been killed by the alien virus. He blushed when he realized he had been staring, mesmerized by him.

Takeda smiled broadly, thrilled by the older man's admiring stare. "Good, now that you're rested I would like to show you around the estate. That is, if you would like me to?" he coaxed, leaning up against the counter seductively.

Major Sawada swallowed, nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak. Setting his wineglass down, he stood up, meticulously straightening his polo shirt and cotton slacks.

MacIver glared at Takeda. "Shin, honey, what do you want us to show the major first?"

Krycek stepped into the room, listening with amusement. He was carrying a bassinet under each arm and gently set them on the breakfast table. "Rory, it's your turn to help with dinner," Krycek replied, wanting the major to have time alone with Shinji.

"I thought Mulder was cooking tonight?" the Scotsman whined.

"Nope, Fox needs a break! He's already prepared two meals today," the triple agent admonished harshly with a predatory look in his eyes, stopping further complaints.

Mulder looked at Krycek questioningly; it wasn't often that the younger man asserted his authority around the mansion, but when he did, he made Skinner seem tame. There was an underlying menace to Krycek that came out at these rare moments, making Mulder recall his lover's dangerous past.

Sawada looked at the man in a whole new light, now here was someone to be dealt with cautiously. He'd seen that look before in the eyes of trained killers. Krycek's motives surprised him, it was obvious that besides his concern for Mulder, he was also helping Takeda by stopping the Scotsman from interfering with them.

Takeda didn't seem to notice the tension in the room as he walked over and kissed MacIver softly. "I like my steak medium-rare, lover," he grinned. Taking Sawada's hand, he led him out of the room.

"Shinji, are they always like that?" the major inquired, following the younger man outside where the late afternoon sun blazed down on them.

"Like what?" Takeda asked, adjusting his baseball cap to shield his eyes.

The major put on a pair of mirrored sunglasses to conceal his eyes from the younger man walking next to him. "Protective of Mulder and you," he replied.

"Yes, we've become a very close knit family. Walter, Alex, and Rory would never allow anything or anyone to hurt us," he smiled. Walking under an arbor, he sat on the bench, the major sat next to him, but not too close. "I've never felt safer in my whole life than I do being here."

"Do you know anything about Alex's past?" Sawada inquired.

"No. Why?"

"No reason, he just fascinates me." The Major was becoming aroused being this close to the immortal. He didn't want to give into his desires because the thought of having a sexual relationship with another male deeply disturbed him. They sat silently for several minutes with Sawada becoming increasingly aroused. "I think we should head back now," he replied hastily, standing on shaky legs.

Takeda smirked, knowing the affect he was having on the stoic major. He intentionally brushed up against him on their way back, staying in the other man's personal space. It excited him to have someone trying to resist the desire they felt for him -- it had never happened to him before. He thought about going without the anti-pheromone shot to see how much control the Japanese officer really had.

MacIver seemed in good humor upon their return. The disagreement he had with Krycek didn't seem to be bothering the Scotsman, since the two men were joking and talking amicably.

Sawada took in the other people on the patio; to his surprise, there was a female present. "Kazuo, I'd like you to meet our neighbors, Kimberly and Tony, and our pediatrician Doctor Jonathan Carter," Skinner said, introducing them.

He shook their hands politely, concealing his surprise. His government really left out a lot of information regarding this Estate
and its residents. He took a seat at the table between the A.D. and the doctor. Sawada didn't want to sit in empty chair between Kim and Mulder, he allowed Shinji to have it. His nerves were already frayed. He was going to need another long shower before going to bed tonight.

The evening passed pleasantly, everyone was in a good mood and the meal was delicious. Krycek assisted MacIver with the barbecue, while Mulder and Skinner took care of the infants. The two fathers took them inside four times to feed them or change their diapers. Sawada was amazed at the gentleness the large man showed for the babies.

Sawada felt instant jealousy as MacIver hugged and kissed Shinji, the two lovers said goodnight to everyone and headed inside. Tony and Kim left immediately after them and the major said goodnight, heading up to his room. His mind was deeply troubled over the feelings he was developing for the young Immortal.

Mulder startled awake to a loud crashing sound, then the baby woke up crying frantically. Skinner was no longer in bed. He glanced at the clock while climbing out of bed it was only four o'clock in the morning. The agent quickly pulled on a robe covering his nude body. He rushed to pick up the shrieking infant as another loud crash filled the mansion. He cradled her fearfully against his chest, not knowing what the noises were.

Mulder cautiously opened the door and made his way silently down the hallway, holding the baby protectively. He met Krycek as the younger man came stealthily down the main staircase carrying Faith, she was crying at the top of her lungs, too. Major Sawada and Doctor Carter followed close behind.

Another loud crash sounded, it came from Skinner's study. The four men met MacIver and Takeda at the door. The air was pulsating with electricity and they could hear the A.D. cursing at the top of his lungs.

Mulder knew instantly what was wrong, he licked his lips nervously. "I guess he read the report," he murmured sadly.

"Fox, what report? What's going on?" Krycek asked.

Mulder sighed, stepped away from the door and headed for the family room. The other men followed him and waited to be informed why Skinner was angrily destroying his study.

Mulder sat on the sofa with Hope nestled against his chest, his lover sat next to him holding Faith. The protection of their fathers' arms calmed and quieted the two infants. Krycek stared at him waiting, but the agent sat quietly with a faraway look in his eyes.

Tony and Kimberly appeared in the room, they had heard the commotion from their cottage. Everyone turned to face Skinner as he walked into the room and crossed quickly over to Mulder.

Skinner sat next to Mulder and pulled him into his arms kissing him. He cupped Mulder's face between his hands and stared deep into their sad hazel depths. "I will kill anyone who tries to take you from me!" he stated bluntly.

Mulder shifted the baby into a more comfortable position between them. "Walter, our daughters come first, please, don't jeopardize their chance for happiness. They can't lose both of us...you and Alex can raise them without me."

"Walter, what is he talking about? Damnit! What's going on?" Krycek snapped angrily.

"That fucking bastard Senator Mooney is trying to by-pass the law by claiming that Fox is vital to our national security, he's using that to take Fox away from us," Skinner growled.

The other people in the room were shocked by Skinner's words.

"Fox, how long have you known about this?" Krycek asked, staring at his lover.

Mulder glanced down, refusing to meet his eyes. "Since Wednesday."

"Three days! You've kept this to yourself for three days!" Krycek snarled. "Fox, why?"

"Alex, I'm sorry. I didn't want to spoil Walter's birthday party on Thursday. Then Faith was almost killed. I couldn't tell you afterwards, you were so happy that she was alive and safe."

"So, you suffered silently with this hanging over your head!" Skinner grabbed Mulder's chin forcing his head up so he could look into the younger man's eyes. "Damnit, Fox, next time you get one of these reports I expect to you to show it to Alex and me, immediately! No, better yet, I'm calling Hans Werner, all future reports are to be sent directly to my attention!"

Mulder was too startled to protest, he had never seen Skinner or Krycek so angry at him before.

"Kim, will you please watch Faith. I need to talk to Alex alone," Skinner requested softly. Kimberly stepped forward and took the infant from Krycek.

Mulder watched dejectedly as his two lovers left the room without him. He felt the hot trail of tears make their way down his cheeks; embarrassed, he turned away from the other people in the room as he broke down sobbing, cuddling his daughter close to his heart.

Chapter 16 - Hurt and Comfort

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, June 5 4:50 a.m.

"Walter, I thought you had better control over your temper than this," Krycek said. Shaking his head, he looked around the shattered remains of his brother's study.

Skinner snarled, tossing him the folder and watched with satisfaction when the younger man's face darkened with rage as he read the Senate Committee's recommendations. "Those bastards!" Krycek closed his eyes, regaining control over his temper. "Fox carried this information inside of him for three days?"

The A.D. brushed the glass and plaster off his leather desk chair before sitting. "Alex, we need to present a united front when we talk to him. Somehow, we have to get it through that thick head of his that he is not alone in this," Skinner fumed.

"He was only trying to protect us," the younger man murmured sadly.

"That's the whole damn problem! He would allow them to take him away from us in order to protect us! He still doesn't understand what that would do to us," Skinner grumbled.

"Fox was thinking about our daughters, too, Walter. He doesn't want anything to happen to them." Krycek uncovered a chair from the rubble, it was missing a leg, he concentrated briefly and the chair became whole. He carried it carefully over to where Skinner was sitting, walking cautiously to avoid stepping on any glass or sharp objects with his bare feet.

Skinner watched as he sat, his sweat pants were riding seductively low on his hips. "The last thing I want is to leave our daughters fatherless," the older man sighed.

"Walter, I suggest that we drive over to Senator Mooney's house and hang the asshole up by his feet from a nearest tree, then slowly flay the skin off his body..." A sharp stiletto appear in Krycek's hand as he spoke.

"Alex, no matter how attractive that thought is, there's a better way," Skinner grinned, feeling a surge of confidence for the first time in weeks.

"What?"

"This country is still under partial martial law and the FBI is the top law enforcement agency. After my recent promotion, I'm the third highest in the chain of command," he stated, looking extremely pleased.

"Walter, what's your point?"

"The FBI has authority over all other agencies, including the military. They can't take Fox away from us and put him under another agency's protection."

Krycek grinned as the implication of what Skinner was saying sunk in. "Very sneaky, so the Senate can order Fox placed into protective custody, but it's the FBI who determines who handles his protection. That's a good solution for the short term, but it doesn't resolve his rights being taken away or the threat of locking him in that facility they're building."

"It will provide us time to work something out...I will never allow them to get their hands on Fox!" Skinner looked around at his ruined study. Sighing, he closed his eyes and concentrated...blue energy flowed around him and throughout the room. Soon all signs of destruction vanished as the study was returned to its former state of meticulous neatness.

"So how do you want to handle our reticent lover?" Krycek asked, putting his bare feet up on the clean desk.

Skinner smiled at him slyly and started explaining his plan.

Takeda sat next to Mulder on the sofa, putting his arm around the taller man's waist. "Walter will think of something, Mulder. He would never allow anyone to touch you."

Mulder leaned against him trying to control the sobs that threatened to break free again. "That's the problem, Shin. I don't want Walter or Alex to place themselves in danger because of me. They need to take care of our daughters. Who would protect them if anything happened to us?" Mulder rubbed Hope's back as he looked down at her small head resting against his chest.

Major Sawada watched the two men intently; he had never witnessed such tenderness and concern. There was so much love and passion in this household. It saddened him to think that some outside force was attempting to take it all away. His heart went out to Agent Mulder and his plight, he wished there were something that he could do to help. He watched silently as MacIver sat on the other side of Mulder.

"Mulder, Walter and Alex won't be fighting this alone. I intend to be by their sides at all times. We'll make those rangy bastards pay big time if they try to take you away from us!" MacIver drawled, placing a comforting hand on the agent's thigh.

Mulder smiled weakly. "Thanks, Rory, but I don't want anyone placing their lives in danger to protect me."

"Mulder, Love, I will protect you whether you want it or not."

Takeda smiled affectionately over Mulder's shoulder at his Scottish lover. "Mulder, we love you like family. You can't expect us to sit back and allow someone to take you away from us."

"Yeah, Mulder, there's no way anyone is getting on this Estate
without a fight!" Tony stated; taking Faith away from Kimberly, he held her safely in his arms.

Skinner's voice interrupted them. "Fox, we'd like to speak with you now," he requested softly, waiting by the door.

Doctor Carter stepped forward, taking Hope from Mulder as the agent stood up nervously and walked over to his lover. Skinner stepped aside allowing the agent to proceed him down the hallway and into his study.

Mulder glanced around in amazement at the immaculately cleaned study. Krycek was leaning up against Skinner's desk. The younger man had gotten dressed since he last saw him. He wore black jeans, a pullover, and hiking boots. Skinner was also fully clothed. It made Mulder feel exposed, dressed only in a short terrycloth robe with nothing on underneath.

"Fox, sit down," Skinner ordered. He was standing in front of a small wooden chair with a cloth-covered seat that was positioned in the center of the room.

Mulder did as ordered. He pulled the fabric of his robe together as he sat, trying to cover his bare legs. Skinner stood next to the chair and placed his hand on the agent's shoulder.

Krycek stood and walked slowly around the chair; kneeling in front of it, he took Mulder's hands in his. "Fox, do you love us?" he asked tenderly.

"Alex, you know I do."

"Then why did you want to hurt us so badly?"

"I don't understand what you mean...I would never harm either of you." Mulder looked into Krycek's sad green eyes.

"Keeping this from us for three days was more painful than you can imagine, it showed your lack of trust in us," Skinner replied, dropping the folder in Mulder's lap. "Why can't you understand that your pain and sorrow is ours, too?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you by not telling you both right away." Mulder lowered his eyes and chewed on his lower lip.

Krycek ran his hands under Mulder's robe and caressed up his thighs. "Don't keep secrets, Fox. You need to tell us when something is bothering you," Krycek murmured softly, kissing him on the lips.

"We cannot protect you otherwise," Skinner whispered, replacing Krycek's mouth with his.

Mulder blinked back tears as Skinner ended the kiss. "Walter, Alex, please, there's no way of preventing them from taking me. If you try you'll only end up getting yourselves killed," he sighed. A tear slipped free and rolled down his cheek.

"Fox, we have a plan that may work, but I need to make some phone calls to get the proper approvals." Skinner smiled reassuringly.

"What plan, Walter?"

"Having the FBI take over the protection for the immortals in the United States," Skinner soothed.

Mulder looked up at him and blinked. Slowly, a smile lit up his beautiful face. "Damn, why didn't I think of that?" He felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Fox, that's why it's so important that you come to us." Skinner smiled, kneeling beside his chair, they shared a three-way hug. "We haven't resolved the problem of them trying to take your rights away, but this will give us more time."

"Walter, Alex, thank you."

"Fox, go back to bed. It's still early and I think you could use a few more hours of sleep. Don't worry about the babies Walter and I will take care of them," Krycek advised.

After Mulder had left, Skinner and Krycek went out to tell the other residents what their plan was. Most of their friends were relieved; except MacIver, he wanted to get revenge on the Senator.

"C'mon, lads, let me at least carve the Senator a new belly button," MacIver pleaded.

"Rory, no! I know your heart is in the right place, but I'd rather not resort to violence at this point," Skinner admonished. "Please, everyone, I apologize for waking you up, now why don't you all go back to bed," he murmured retrieving Hope from Doctor Carter. Tony handed Faith to Alex and they all filed out of the room.

Skinner and Krycek sat in the family room after everyone had left. They cradled their daughters in their arms. "I think you should have let Rory loose on the Senator. The man's a professional, there's no way they'd trace it back to us," Krycek stated.

"Alex, it's our job to maintain the law! Not break it. However, if I ever have the unfortunate pleasure of running into that fucking Senator at some function, he will definitely end up on his ass with a few teeth missing," Skinner growled.

Skinner looked over at Krycek who had been silent for several minutes. "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

"The Fourth of July barbecue and party we're having...I'm thinking of inviting Senator Mooney," he grinned.

"Ha-ha, very funny, Alex." Skinner looked at his watch. "I think I'll go and wake up the Director. I want to get this situation resolved as quickly as possible, would you mind watching Hope for awhile?"

"Walter, I'll always be willing to watch the mouse for you and Fox."

"Thanks, Alex." Skinner gently placed the baby in Krycek's free arm, then leaned down and tenderly kissed his baby brother on the lips.

St. Petersburg The Winter Palace Saturday, June 5 8:00 a.m.

Marat Fyodorov stood before the Tsar's throne. Nikolai Slava had remodeled Peter the Great's throne room to meet his own modern needs. The large wall before the throne was a covered with monitors that the Tsar controlled from his throne. Tsar Nikolai could control all the parts of his government that were out of reach of his telepathy. Built into the throne were a telephone and a computer.

"Fyodorov, I want more information on these men that threaten moi Fox! This Senator Mooney and his cronies, I want to know their weaknesses," Slava hissed, while rereading the report he had been given three days before from his clairvoyant spies at the Russian embassy in Washington D.C.

"Of course, moi Tsar. Is there anything else you require?" the mousy little man asked. He rung hands together nervously, looking up at the extremely handsome man on the throne.

"Yes, I need a present to send for moi Fox's daughter's birth...something beautiful and expensive...check the museum." The Tsar looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "Have the Americans made any progress in tracking down the alien that tried to kill her?"

"No, moi Tsar, it seems to have eluded them."

Slava snarled, "The sooner we get Fox and his daughters here under my protection the better. Fyodorov, are you positive I shouldn't just snatch them?"

"Yes. Moi Tsar, you need to win your lover's trust. He will return to you willingly when the time is right." the clairvoyant smiled reassuringly.

"Very well, Fyodorov, you are dismissed." The Tsar flipped on his monitors to view his subjects, but his mind was on his Fox. He pulled out the photo of his lover that he always carried over his heart on the inside pocket of his tailored suit coat. "Soon, moi love, we will be as one, together forever," he murmured longingly.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, June 5 8:50 a.m.

Skinner looked around at their guests -- everyone had finished eating. Takeda was going to show Sawada the lake and the rest of the mansion. MacIver was sullen, he didn't like Takeda spending time with the major, but he had promised his lover that he would not interfere.

"C'mon, Rory, why don't we spend the morning fishing," Doctor Carter suggested, seeing the anger in the older man's eyes.

"Sure, Jonathan, that's a splendid idea," he murmured without his usual enthusiasm.

Skinner sat at the counter feeding Faith. He watched his brother move around the kitchen. Krycek had changed into shorts and a tank top and the A.D. was admiring the younger man's toned body.

Krycek turned and looked at him. "With the additional guests moving in on Wednesday, we're going to run out of guest bedrooms. So I was thinking, why don't I move down into the master bedroom with you and Fox?" He waited for Skinner to come up with some sort of an excuse why he shouldn't, but the older man surprised him.

"That's an excellent idea, Alex, it will definitely benefit both of us." Skinner smiled warmly.

"Good. I'll fix Fox his breakfast, then you can give him the news from your chat with the Director," Krycek replied, smiling. He poured some batter into the crepe pan.

Twenty minutes later, Krycek carried the tray laden with food into the master bedroom.

Skinner had carried the babies into their nursery five minutes earlier. He stood briefly in the doorway watching his brother carry the tray to the bed.

"C'mon, beautiful, it's time to get up," Krycek purred softly into his lover's ear.

Mulder woke to the wonderful smell of coffee, cinnamon, and apples. He smiled lazily up at Krycek. Then he noticed Skinner as the older man propped the pillows up behind him and kissed him lightly. "We figured you could do with some pampering this morning," he murmured sweetly.

"Where are the babies?"

"In the nursery sleeping, so we have to be quiet," Krycek whispered, placing the breakfast tray across Mulder's lap.

Mulder smiled contentedly. Krycek had made apple filled crepes sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar and three strips of bacon. He picked up the fork and dug in while his two lovers watched, pleased. Skinner opened the French doors and the sound of birds singing filled the room.

"It's going to be a beautiful day. Why don't we all take a walk down by the lake with the babies, later?" Krycek suggested, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"Sounds good to me, I could use the fresh air and exercise," Mulder answered, munching on a piece of bacon.

Skinner sat on the other side of the bed. "I'm making a Prime Rib for dinner tonight. I thought we'd eat in the formal dining room. We'll need to put in the extra leafs in the table to accommodate all of our guests," Skinner informed him.

Mulder sipped his coffee, feeling truly happy for the first time in days. "Do we have a booster seat for Matthew?"

"We have a highchair, I figured we'd put Bill on one end of the table and the highchair next to him. That way there will be enough room for everyone at the table...with Jonathan staying the weekend, and Frohike coming that makes sixteen," Skinner replied.

"How's everybody doing?" Mulder asked nervously. He was embarrassed by his display of emotions earlier that morning.

"They're doing fine, Fox. It showed us what really good friends we have. We'll have to keep an eye on Rory though, I'm afraid he might pay our not so favorite Senator a visit," Krycek answered.

"I'm afraid you're right, he would do something like that," Mulder stated. Finishing the last of the meal, he put his napkin down and Krycek took the tray away setting it on the small table. The agent leaned back against the pillows, closing his eyes.

After several minutes had passed, Skinner walked over to the bed and stared down at Mulder.

"Fox, we're going to have two new houseguests, the FBI is bringing them to the estate on Wednesday," Skinner murmured.

"Who, Walter?"

"This country's other two immortals, Justin Cody Blaise and Joseph Shadow Hawk," he replied softly.

"Oh. When did all of this happen?" Mulder asked, smiling softly. He closed his eyes, again, feeling safe and protected; the weight of the last three days had been removed from his shoulder.

"While you were sleeping I called the Director and explained the situation. He was more than willing to help, it seems he has a grudge against Senator Mooney." Skinner smiled wickedly down at his lover.

Mulder's eyes flew open when Skinner snatched the blankets off him revealing his beautiful nude body. The older man grabbed his lover's ankles and pulled him down so he was lying flat on his back. Mulder laughed happily as the older man's fully clothed body covered his, pressing him down into the soft mattress. The agent reached up; removing his lover's glasses, he set them on the nightstand. Skinner captured his mouth in a deep luxurious kiss, he rubbed his jean-covered erection against his lover's exposed cock. Mulder moaned into the older man's mouth; holding onto Skinner's shoulders, he pushed his hips against the rough fabric.

Skinner rolled them on their sides. Reaching down, he unzipped his jeans, releasing his straining erection. Mulder felt the warmth of Krycek's naked body press up against his back, then the firm pressure against his anus as the younger man pushed lubricant into him gently stretching his opening, preparing him.

In the meantime, the older man had stripped off his jeans and took Mulder's cock into his mouth swirling his tongue around the velvet head. He turned repositioning his body so Mulder could return the favor. The agent lapped up the pre-cum leaking from the larger man's cock, nudging the small opening with his tongue. He took more of his lover's cock into his mouth, sucking hard before pulling out and scrapping his teeth along his length. He felt the large vein throbbing against his tongue. Skinner copied him move for move.

Mulder moaned, shifting his leg up so it was positioned on Skinner's shoulder, exposing more of himself to Krycek's exploring lips. The feel of the younger man's tongue pressing into his anus was driving him wild. Mulder couldn't hold back, he took all of the older man's cock into his mouth deep-throating him.

Skinner's body spasmed over being so firmly held down his lover's tight throat. He pulled out then slammed back in.

Mulder relaxed his throat muscles as the A.D. slammed forcefully into his mouth. Skinner was too far gone to remember to return the favor on his lover's cock. The older man closed eyes as he thrust in and out of the delicious wet heat. Skinner nestled his cheek against Mulder's thigh, moaning softly.

Mulder would have cried out if he could have when Krycek pushed into him and started slowly fucking him. The younger man angled up with each thrust, bumping his prostate sending shivers of pleasure throughout his body. Forgotten by his lovers, his cock was straining painfully against his belly.

Skinner thrust one more time into Mulder's hot mouth and came hard pumping his seed down the younger man's throat. Mulder swallowed fast, trying to keep up with the flow, but the milky semen leaked out the corners of his mouth and down his chin. As his orgasm came to an end, his penis softened and slipped out of Mulder's mouth. The agent panted heavily, gasping for air. Krycek kissed the side of Mulder's throat, holding still with his cock buried deeply inside his lover's gorgeous ass waiting for Mulder to recover before he resumed fucking him.

Skinner rested his head on Mulder's lower thigh, the agent's other leg was on his shoulder giving him a perfect view of his brother's cock as he started thrusting in and out of their lover's tight hole. He breathed in deeply, luxuriating in the delicious scent of Mulder, he felt himself becoming painfully erect again. Skinner turned his head slightly and sucked his beautiful lover's balls into his mouth feeling them pull up and harden.

The taste of Skinner's come and the feel of Krycek's relentless thrusting was driving Mulder mad with arousal. When the A.D.'s mouth claimed his balls, it was his undoing. He exploded, screaming as he orgasmed, his semen hitting his chest. His rectal muscles clenched and milked the younger man's cock until Krycek spurted his hot release into Mulder's body.

All three men slumped exhausted onto the bed. Skinner pulled himself around so he could gently kiss Mulder's sex swollen lips. He tasted himself on the other man's lips, he licked his lover's face free of come. Krycek hugged Mulder from behind. Skinner gazed lovingly at his brother and they shared a deep kiss with Mulder lying peacefully between them. The agent smiled up at them, happy that they had finally overcome their inhibitions with each other.

The older man's erection pressed into Mulder's hip, he reached down and stroked it. "Would you like to take care of this?" Mulder asked huskily. Lying seductively on his back, he spread his legs invitingly.

"Mm, definitely, babe," Skinner breathed. He climbed between his legs and caressed Mulder's thighs and ass. The agent raised his legs up onto the larger man's shoulders, spreading himself open for his lover's caresses.

Skinner slid his thumbs down the younger man's cleft to his anus, pushing them into the agent's well-lubed and stretched hole. Mulder gasped as Skinner pulled him open and inserted his large cock between his thick thumbs. Without removing his thumbs, Skinner pushed in. The agent's brief cry of pain was muffled when Krycek's mouth clamped over his.

When Skinner was halfway buried in his lover's beautiful body, he pulled his thumbs free. Chuckling deeply as Mulder pushed back wantonly, trying to take more of his large cock into that gorgeous ass.

Krycek ran his hands over Mulder's smooth skin, twisting his nipples as he ravished his mouth. His hand trailed lower until he was caressing the flat planes just above the agent's groin. He felt a vibration under his hand; pressing down, he realized it was Skinner's cock. The younger man could just feel the movement of the larger man's penis as it plowed deeply inside their lover's bowels. "I can feel him inside you, Fox," he whispered teasingly into the agent's ear.

"Oh, God," Mulder moaned; thrusting up, he opened himself wider to the older man. He relished the feel of the large cock filling him -- owning him.

Skinner thrust harder and faster into his lover, wanting Mulder to feel this for the rest of this day. He wanted Mulder to know how much he loved and needed him. "Fox, I love you!" he cried out as he came hard, slumping down on top of his lover. He slowly recovered and pulled out of the younger man's body. Skinner sank down between Mulder and Krycek pulling both men into an affectionate hug. He never wanted to lose this -- their love felt so right.

Mulder rested his head on Skinner's broad shoulder and wrapped his arm around the larger man's chest. Krycek curled up on the other side of Skinner's body, sighing contentedly.

"God! That was unbelievable!" Mulder exclaimed.

"Fox, for you to say something was unbelievable that really makes it remarkable," Skinner joked.

Mulder smiled and relaxed into the older man's arms, he listened to his lover's breathing and heartbeats. The agent became concerned by what he didn't hear. "Do you hear that?" he asked worriedly.

"No, I don't hear anything," Skinner replied.

"Me neither," Krycek piped in.

"After all the noise we just made, Hope should be crying for attention." Mulder quickly pulled away.

The other two men panicked and they all rushed into the nursery looking into the crib. Staring back up at them were two pairs of emerald green eyes, both infants were wide awake. Hope smiled happily at the three men peering down at her. Faith looked around not quite focusing, her lower lip quivered and she started crying.

Mulder picked her up. "She needs a diaper change," he murmured, relieved that was the only problem and set about the task.

"Hope seems to like her company," Skinner replied, picking up his daughter.

Krycek started laughing.

"What?" Skinner looked at him puzzled.

"Us! Look at us! We're naked, hot, and smelling from just having mind-blowing sex, and we're taking care of our infant daughters...god, I love my life," he smiled delightedly.

Skinner grinned, looking around. "We're not your typical Norman Rockwell family...are we?"

"Who is anymore?" Mulder smiled. "We all could use a bath before our hike to the lake. What do you say, Faith, do you want to try another bath?" he murmured softly, hugging her tenderly against his bare chest.

Senator Mooney's Estate
Saturday, June 5 2:00 p.m.

A paunchy, middle-aged Senator angrily slammed down the receiver. "That sneaky, mutant freak!" he bellowed.

"What's wrong, Milford?" The Senator's benefactor looked up at him, the man was sipping a cup of tea.

"Reverend Xsavior, your holiness, that devil's spawned mutant has interfered with God's divine plan for saving this planet from the sinners that are infesting it," Milford Mooney huffed angrily.

"Be more specific, Milford!" the dignified man admonished.

"Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner!" the Senator snarled. "He has seized control over God's chosen ones! In a week, we would have had Fox Mulder safely away from his corrupting, foul touch! But now he has taken control of the other angels!"

"Milford, it is only temporary. Once the facility is built, Satan's spawn will no longer have control over any of them. They will be sent to do God's work by repopulating this world with the Lord's daughters."

"Your holiness, could you please enlighten me? I still don't comprehend why God allows his chosen to be soiled by committing the most unholy of sins?" the man asked, sweating, his toupee shifted slightly. It deeply disturbed the Senator that the only way a healthy female baby could be conceived was by God's beautiful angels having sex with those foul mutants.

"God's ways are not always clear to us, Milford, it is not our place to question him."

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, June 5 2:30 p.m.

Major Sawada luxuriated by the outdoor pool, wearing his swimming trunks. He watched hungrily as Takeda dove into the cool, clear water. He had dreamt about the younger man last night, it distressed him that he longed to taste Takeda's lips.

The major was feeling even more aroused after accidentally hearing Mulder, Skinner, and Krycek making love this morning. He was walking outside with Takeda this morning and passed by the men's bedroom, their moans of passion could be heard from the open French doors.

The Scotsman glared at him from the other side of the pool, but the major paid him no mind. He was intent on watching the beautiful younger man, he didn't even notice as Doctor Carter sat next to him.

"It's hard not to want them, isn't it?" the doctor said.

"Pardon me, Doctor. What do you mean?" The handsome, young major reluctantly pulled his eyes away.

"When I first came out here to give Hope a checkup, Mulder was present. I had never felt more aroused before in my entire life. I asked Skinner if he could have Mulder leave the room...he refused, telling me to get a grip on myself if I wanted to remain Hope's pediatrician."

"I take it you did?" Sawada asked, looking at the young doctor seriously. "How do you control your desire for them?"

"Lots and lots of cold showers. It will become easier when you get to know them better, but the desire never goes away," he sighed, watching Shinji step back on to the diving board.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, June 5 5:30 p.m.

Mulder steered Frohike up to his office. He was dreading the private conversation he was going to have with his dearest friend.

This was the first time the older man had been in Mulder's new office. "It suits you, Mulder," he said, looking around at all of the familiar furniture. He strolled up to the small fish tank looking in at the small variety of brightly colored fish.

"Alex salvaged most of my old apartment furniture...this office was a wedding gift from him," Mulder smiled.

"Alex doesn't seem like the sentimental type," Frohike murmured, sitting on the black, leather sofa. "Mulder, I'm sorry...I didn't realize the emotional stress you were under when I pulled that kissing booth joke on you. If I'd known about the Senate Procreation Committee's latest report, I never would have made that suggestion. Please, Mulder, accept my apology," the smaller man groveled.

"Fro, there's nothing to forgive. I never should have allowed that bastard Mooney to get under my skin the way he did. You were right, I have been too sensitive lately...it's just that I've felt so totally helpless." Mulder sat next to him placing his head in his hands. "I've never been happier in my life...it would kill me to lose all of this," he murmured.

"Mulder, you're not going to lose anything. Walter came up with the perfect solution. I heard it totally pissed off Senator Mooney." The older man placed his hand on Mulder's.

Mulder gasped when he noticed the tattoo on his friend's right hand. It was the mark to indicate that the man was a clairvoyant.

"I was caught off guard..." Frohike sighed. "It wasn't that bad."

"I thought the ACLU had stopped the government from branding its citizens!" Mulder exclaimed, surprised.

"Mulder, don't be so naïve," the older man sighed.

"Do you want me to make it disappear?" Mulder asked smugly.

"You can do that?"

"Yes. I'll do it after dinner if you want me to?"

"No. That's okay, they'd only tattoo me again." Frohike looked solemnly at his friend.

"Frohike, there's one thing that is bothering me," Mulder replied, looking at him.

"What, Mulder?"

"Why you didn't know about the Senate's Procreation Committee's latest report?"

"I...I've been distracted this week," Frohike said blushing. "You see, um...Byers has gotten himself a boyfriend and I was ah..."

"Spying on them. Frohike, have you no decency?"

"Nope. C'mon, Mulder, I'm dying to see your new daughter. Walter says she looks like you."

"She does a little, but she has Alex's ears and nose," he replied and opened the secret panel.

The secret passageway surprised Frohike. "Cool, does this lead to the bat cave?" he joked, staring down the pitch, black staircase.

"Some place much better, mine and Walter's bedroom." Mulder flipped on the light switch and allowed Frohike to proceed him down the staircase. He showed the little man the release switch that opened the secret panel.

"Hi, Alex," Mulder smiled at the younger man sitting in the middle of the king-sized bed reading a paperback novel. Both infants lay sleeping next to him.

"Fox, have you two resolved your differences?" he asked, smiling back at his lover.

Frohike walked over to the bed, staring down at the two sleeping babies. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure, Melvin." Krycek gently picked up the sleeping infant and handed her to the older man. Frohike sat on the bed cradling her in his arms. Faith woke up and stared at him, yawned, and fell back to sleep.

"Hey, she didn't cry!" he exclaimed. "Hope cries every time I try to hold her." The older man's face lit up happily.

"Fox, we're going to have to teach Faith to be more weary of strange men," Krycek smirked.

"Hey, I'm not strange!" Frohike huffed, holding the infant lovingly.

"Gentlemen," Skinner said, strolling into the room.

"Hey, Walter. Look, she likes me." The infant enraptured the small man.

"It looks that way, Melvin." The A.D. smiled. "I finished making dessert and was just about to start dinner. Melvin, can you give me a hand?"

"Sure, Walter," he replied. Handing the baby to Mulder, he followed Skinner out of the room.

Major Kazuo Sawada buttoned the last gold button on his dress uniform; he wanted to look his best for dinner this evening. He was trying to impress Shinji Takeda. The major found himself lusting after the younger man, he thought somberly how his feelings had done a 18
0 degree turn since he first met the younger man over twenty-four hours ago earlier.

There was a knock on his door, he walked over and opened it. "Alex, is there something I can do for you?" He looked at the handsome man dressed in black dress slacks, a polo shirt, and loafers. Krycek was carrying his daughter in his arms.

"Our guests have arrived; if you're ready, I thought I'd introduce you to them," he replied innocently.

Sawada couldn't help reaching out to gently caress the infant's cheek. "I'd like that, thank you, Alex."

"Would you like to hold her?" the triple agent asked.

"Yes, please." The major took the infant into his arms smiling softly at her, she was so small and delicate.

Krycek opened the door for them, smiling deviously behind the young major's back. He was going to win that bet with Mulder, and he already knew when and where they would get married.

Takeda was sitting in the living room talking to Dana Scully. He glanced up as Sawada entered carrying Faith. His heart leapt to his throat at the look of tenderness in the young major's brown eyes as he held the infant.

Krycek noticed the look of warmth in Takeda's eyes. He hadn't counted on the younger man being aroused by the major carrying the infant. Damn, he had wanted Sawada to know how good it could be to have a baby with an immortal. He should demand that the Japanese government compensate him for his efforts. After all, he was doing more to bring these two men together than they were, even if it was for strictly selfish reasons.

Mulder stood up and took the baby from Sawada, guiding the young major into the room. He smirked briefly at Krycek, he was well aware of what his lover was trying to pull. "Major Kazuo Sawada, I'd like you to meet Special Agent Dana Scully and her brothers Bill and Charlie.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Agent Scully, Bill, Charlie." The major bowed politely to each of them. Scully smiled up at him. She was holding Hope in her arms, the infant was playing with the gold cross that hung around her neck.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too. Shinji was telling us some interesting things about your background." She smiled, prying the infant's tiny fingers free from her cross.

"Such as?" the major asked, sitting down across from Scully.

"That you're part of your country's elite strike force against terrorists, and that you've personally eliminated several possible nuclear missile threats to Japan from China and North Korea," she stated simply.

Sawada stared thoughtfully at Takeda; his missions weren't suppose to be part of common knowledge, he wondered how the younger man had acquired his information. Before he could reply, the young doctor stepped into the room.

Scully stared up at him, drowning in the handsome doctor's kind, brown eyes. Her heart beat faster as she studied his handsome features: cocoa brown skin, high cheekbones, and elegant hands. He had on a stylish, light gray suit and burgundy tie. The doctor stared at her with similar appreciation.

Mulder smiled, he had never seen his ex-partner stare at another man this way. "Scully, this is Doctor Jonathan Carter, he's Hope and Faith's pediatrician."

The young doctor stepped forward. "It's truly a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Scully. Mulder has told me so much about you that I feel like I already know you." He smiled, placing his hand on hers where she held the infant. Hope look up at him, smiled and excitedly kicked her feet.

"You're a pediatrician?" she asked with interest.

"Yes," he replied, taking the baby into his arms. "It was really a privilege that Mulder, Walter, and Alex hired me to be their daughters' pediatrician." Hope grabbed his finger pulling it toward her mouth. "No you don't, little one. Mulder, I think your munchkin could use a pacifier."

Mulder handed Faith to Krycek and went to retrieve Hope from the doctor. "I didn't want to get her started on sucking a pacifier," he complained.

"It's either that or she's going to start sucking her thumb. Believe me, Mulder, a pacifier will be a lot easier on her teeth," Carter advised.

"Damn, I suppose you're right," Mulder sighed, looking at Krycek. "Okay, Alex, does Walter have any pacifiers in that pile of baby things he's been buying?"

"Fox, sweetheart, Walter has purchased every single baby product on the market. Hope can have her choice of pacifiers, he has at least a dozen," Krycek chuckled. He held Faith gently cradled in one arm and wrapped the other around Mulder's waist and guided him down the hallway.

Takeda stood and went over to Sawada. "Kazuo, Walter wanted me to take you down to the wine cellar so you can select an appropriate wine to serve with dinner. He said you were a connoisseur of fine wines," Takeda murmured, looking at him admiringly. He took the major's arm and led him out of the living room.

"I do have an appreciation for it," Sawada stated, allowing the younger man to lead him.

MacIver was talking with Bill and Charlie when he overheard his lover's conversation and noticed the way Shinji had looked at the major, it made him extremely jealous. Six more days and the major would be out of here, one way, or another. Pulling himself together, he plastered a fake smile on his handsome face. "Would you and Bill be interested in a game of darts, Charlie?"

"Sure, Rory," the eldest Scully replied and all three men headed for the upstairs game room, leaving Jonathan and Dana alone in the living room.

"May I call you Dana?" the doctor asked, sitting down next to her on the sofa.

"Yes, if I'm allowed to call you Jonathan," she flirted. "It must be satisfying work being a pediatrician and taking care of children."

"Yes, although this past year and a half has been extremely hard. All of the older children are still suffering emotional traumas from losing their mothers and sisters," he murmured sadly. "I spend Mondays and Tuesdays at the orphanages, there are so many little boys that have been left parentless. The government is making great progress lately on finding them adoptive families, now that the dust has settled. Dana, I hear that you are going to be adopting Scott Boutotte."

"Yes, I feel it's the least I can do...his father and I had become really close friends. Scott's the same age as my nephew Trevor, he's Charlie's youngest son."

"I met the boys in the kitchen, they were talking to Walter. Trevor and Randy seemed to be staying pretty close to Scott...I found it touching. The toddler...Matthew, he's Bill's son?" The doctor knew all about the Scullys from Mulder.

"Yes, I probably should go and retrieve him from the boys," she replied, standing and straightening her cocktail dress.

"I'll go with you," he offered, holding out his arm to her.

Krycek unearthed several wrapped pacifiers from the pile, tossing them on the washing machine. Mulder selected one and removed it from its packaging, then stepped up to the laundry tub and rinsed it under hot water. He offered it to the baby and she sucked on it greedily.

"You are getting really easy to please, Hope," he murmured, kissing the top of her head.

"Fox, give me something to suck on and I'll be pleased, too," Krycek leered.

Mulder kissed him softly. "You're so sexy, I'll keep that offer in mind for tonight. C'mon, Walter wants us to set the dining room table."

Sawada appraised the selection of wine on the racks, he settled on a Per Sempre 19
94 Cabernet Sauvignon. "This will be perfect with the prime rib. Shinji, we'll need at least four bottles," he stated. Turning around, he looked for the younger man. He startled at the seductive look the young immortal was giving him. Takeda was incredibly sexy in his tight, black leather pants and a silk shirt.

"Kazuo, do you think you could teach me about wine?" Takeda asked; walking into his personal space, he brushed up against the major.

The sorcerer nearly dropped the bottle of wine as he felt an electrical charge of lust race through his body, he couldn't stop himself as he clumsily grabbed the younger man and kissed him passionately. He savored the delicious taste of Shinji's lips and mouth. Only the need for oxygen made him break the kiss.

"I take it that was a yes?" Takeda replied breathlessly; licking his kiss-swollen lips, he stepped back. He took the bottle of wine from the startled major's hand, turning, he walked out of the wine cellar. The young immortal stopped at the door and smiled briefly at the stunned Japanese officer before heading for the elevator.

After the elevator doors closed Takeda sagged against the wall, he hadn't predicted the lust he would feel for the major when he kissed him. He had just wanted to mess with the older man's head. Takeda realized that he had a serious problem, he was starting to fall in love with the conservative officer.

The major leaned against the wine rack attempting to recover his breath, he was grateful that the cellar was so chilly. He spent the next ten minutes getting his composure back. The major grabbed three more bottles of the wine and headed out of the cellar.

Frohike leered at Sawada when he stepped into the kitchen. "Nice moves, Major. I thought for sure that you would have dropped the wine bottle you were holding. Don't worry, I won't tell Rory," he grinned, sipping a beer.

Sawada blushed. He didn't know how the little man had known that he had kissed Shinji. The major was mortified by the fact that Dana Scully, Jonathan, Kimberly, and Tony had over heard him. He noticed the doctor was trying to stifle a laugh.

"Melvin, mind your own business!" the A.D. snapped. "Sorry, Kazuo. Frohike is a clairvoyant and he has a problem with sticking his nose in other people's business," Skinner apologized, taking the wine from the major. "Per Sempre 19
94, excellent choice," he smiled.

He handed the bottles to Frohike. "Melvin, would you mind filling the wineglasses in the dining room?"

"Will do, Walter," he replied, snagging the wine bottles and leaving the room.

Frohike walked into the dining room, finding Mulder and Krycek in the room. "Hey, guys, Walter threw me out of the kitchen," he complained. Opening a bottle of wine, he filled half the wineglasses, then opened the another bottle, and finished filling the rest of the glasses.

"What did you do now?" Mulder looked up from the floor, he was placing Faith in a bassinet next to Hope's bassinet.

Frohike opened the other two bottles of wine and place one at each end of the table. "I was teasing your Japanese major, he's been kissing a certain immortal in the wine cellar."

"Yes!" Krycek exclaimed. "I think that means I win, Fox!"

"Not so fast, lover. Frohike, exactly what happened?" Mulder asked.

"Shinji has that man wrapped around his little finger. You should have seen him! First he invaded the major's personal space then very subtly rubbed up against him. BAM! That was all it took," Frohike snickered with delight.

"Fox, that doesn't prove that Shinji is in love with him. I think he was just messing with Kazuo's head," Krycek grumbled while lighting the candles. He startled as platters of steaming food appeared on the table. "Damn, Walter's good!"

Their guests started arriving in the dining room and Krycek showed them to their assigned seats. Bill scooped Matthew up, placing him in the highchair.

Krycek watched Mulder tuck Hope into her bassinet in the corner of the dining room. He hoped both babies would sleep through dinner.

Skinner walked up to Mulder, wrapping his arms around his lover's waist, he stared down lovingly at the two sleeping infants. "They're so beautiful, just like their father," he murmured, kissing the agent on his cheek.

Mulder smiled, breathing deeply. "Mm, the food smells delicious," he said, looking over at the dining room table.

Mulder sat at the head of the table with Skinner on his right hand side and Krycek to his left. He glanced around the table at their friends. Krycek had seated Doctor Carter next to Scully and next to her was Scott, Trevor, Randy, and Frohike. Bill was at the foot of the table with Tony, Kim, Charlie, Rory, Shinji, Kazuo, and Krycek.

Mulder looked at Charlie. "Charlie, would you do us the honor?" he requested.

Charles Scully smiled at him. "I'd love too, Mulder. If you would all please bow your heads for a moment of thanks," he stated, then proceeded to say grace. After he had finished, they passed the large platters of food around.

"Walter, this is truly delicious," Scully said, savoring the garlic-roasted potatoes.

"Thank you, Dana. Melvin's hard work is finally paying off." He grinned, pleased with his efforts and that everyone was enjoying the meal.

"I'd say they are! Melvin Frohike, the new age miracle worker," Krycek joked. "Now if only he could do something with Rory."

"There is only so much I can do, some people just aren't teachable," Frohike sighed.

"Hey, I resent that. Haven't I mastered salads and grilling?" MacIver drawled.

"Of course you have, dear," Takeda patted his thigh lovingly. "What about you, Kazuo, do you know how to cook?"

The major bristled with pride. "One of my uncles is a chief, he taught me how to cook."

"Mm, is there anything you don't know how to do?" Takeda flirted shamelessly, rubbing his thigh up against Sawada's.

"I could think of one," MacIver muttered angrily under his breath.

Takeda kicked him under the table to shut him up. "Rory, can you pass me the bread?"

"There are a lot of things I've never tried, but I find myself looking forward to learning them," the major smiled, satisfied by the curse that escaped the Scotsman's mouth.

Mulder set his napkin down; standing, he walked over to Takeda. "Shin, can I have a word with you, please?"

The young immortal looked at him with confusion. "Sure, Mulder." He followed the older man out of the room.

"Shin, I really didn't want to get involved in your love life, but I think it would be better if you didn't flirt with the major in front of Rory."

"Why?" he seemed a bit mystified.

"Shinji...I don't want to have two jealous sorcerers fighting in the mansion!"

"Mulder, Rory promised me that he was going to control his temper around Kazuo."

"I doubt Rory thought you'd be hitting on the man right in front of him."

Takeda sighed, "Sorry, Mulder, it's just that I feel so in charge of my life for once."

Mulder smiled softly, "I know exactly how you feel, but it won't do you any good if they end up killing each other."

"Okay, I'll promise to show some restraint, but they're both so hot and sexy," he smiled.

"Shall we go back?" Mulder grinned, heading for the door.

"Yes, but I want to ask your advice later," the young man stated, following him.

Everyone stared at them when they returned. Skinner smiled softly at Mulder. "I kept your food warm for you, babe," he murmured.

"Thanks, Walter."

Conversation resumed quietly. "I saw on the news that the n'thrals have formed a political party," Bill said. "They want to run their own candidates for office."

"That's not good. N'thrals make up 25 percent of the damn population. In some districts they account for more than half the population, they're bound to get quite a few seats in congress," Krycek huffed.

"They've taken over some towns in the southwest. The town residents evacuated once the n'thrals started moving in. I'm constantly worried about my boys going anywhere alone," Charlie grumbled.

Krycek placed his hand over Mulder's on the table, he knew his lover had an intense fear of n'thrals. The agent looked up meeting his eyes. "I'm fine, Alex," he replied.

"Are you sure, Fox?"

"Yes, as long as there isn't one on the estate or working for the FBI, I'll be fine," he grinned weakly.

"Well, if the n'thrals have their way they'll force the government to remove the recent hiring bans on them that restrict them from law enforcement. I hear they're working with the ACLU," Tony replied.

Skinner noticed Mulder stiffen uncomfortably and decided to interrupt the conversation. He looked around at everyone's empty plates and concentrated, the dishes vanished reappearing in the dishwasher. Ice cream dishes with homemade peanut brittle ice cream appeared before each person.

The Scullys sat stunned. They weren't used to being around sorcerers and definitely not one with Skinner's abilities. Sawada was equally taken back, he had never encountered a sorcerer that could perform this feat before. He wondered if the A.D. could teach it to him.

"Show off," Mulder chuckled, picking up a spoon and digging in.

They finished eating and retired to the living room. Mulder carried Faith, he sat next to Scott on the sofa. "Would you like to hold her, Scott?"

"Yes, can I?" Scott asked, looking at the tiny infant.

"Sure you can," Mulder murmured, gently placing Faith in the young teenager's arms.

"She's so tiny," the boy whispered.

"If it weren't for your father's bravery she would have died," the agent told him.

"When I'm older I want to be an FBI agent just like dad," Scott replied, never taking his eyes off the baby.

"I'm sure you'll make an excellent agent, Scott," Skinner replied, sitting on the other side of him.

The rest of the evening past quickly. The Scullys excused themselves early. They wanted to be rested for Agent Boutotte's funeral the next day.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Sunday, June 6
4:30 p.m.

Mulder fell back exhausted onto the bed. His tie was undone, and he had dropped his suit coat carelessly on the floor. "God, I hate funerals," he sighed.

Skinner and Krycek came back into the room after putting the babies in the crib. The older man picked up Mulder's suit coat, while the younger man knelt and removed the agent's shoes.

"We've been to so many funerals in the last year and a half, you'd think it would get easier," Skinner murmured. Walking through the bathroom and into the closet, he hung Mulder's suit coat on a hanger. Smiling mischievously, he watched with satisfaction as the matching suit pants appeared on the hanger. He heard Mulder cry out, startled.

"I can get undressed without your hocus-pocus," his lover complained. He was dressed only in a linen shirt, tie, and black boxers, he was still lying on his back.

Krycek sat next to him, leaning over, he kissed Mulder's lips while his hands removed the agent's tie and unbuttoned his shirt. "Sure you can, Fox."

"Alex, please, I'm not in the mood," he sighed.

"Sweetheart, I know you're tired. We just buried a good friend...I want you to relax. I'm only trying to make you more comfortable," Krycek murmured. Unbuttoning the cuffs on Mulder's shirt, he eased it off his lover. He smiled up at Skinner. The older man had changed into jeans and a T-shirt.

"Go change, Alex. I'll take care of him," Skinner said, sitting on the bed.

"Really, I don't need taking care of," Mulder grumbled, watching Krycek go into their bathroom. "Where's Alex going?"

"To change," Skinner replied.

"His clothes are up in our bedroom, not down here." The agent looked perplexed.

"Fox, Alex and I moved all of his stuff down here this morning. We're going to have another sorcerer moving in here to help protect the two new immortals. I talked with Alex and we decided his bedroom would be the best location for Special Agent Gabriel Hunter," Skinner informed him.

"Hunter's moving here?" Mulder looked pleasantly surprised.

"Yes. Fox, I know you have a history with him," Skinner said, resting his hand on Mulder's belly.

"Walter, you know I've never had a male lover before you. Hunter was the first agent I was partnered with. I learned a lot from him in that short month. Then he was injured in that explosion," Mulder sighed.

"Fox, I wasn't trying to imply that you were romantically involved with him. It's just that you've stayed close friends with him for over ten years. I know you went to basketball games and football games with him. I'm rather surprised you never had him over to the house," Skinner murmured, lying back on the bed next to Mulder.

"Hunter's been staying in Hawaii for the past year helping his brother. He only returned three weeks ago." Mulder looked briefly sad. "I wanted to call and invite him over, but I've been embarrassed about my mutation. I know it's stupid, after all, he's blind and won't be able to see me," Mulder hastened.

"It's not stupid, Fox. He an old friend, you've known him longer than Frohike. Hunter's changed, too. He's not the same man you've known for all these years. He's a sorcerer now, and from what I've heard, one of immense powers." Skinner turned on his side and pulled Mulder into his arms.

"Walter, I know he is. I've still tried to keep in touch with him...it's been tough, though." Mulder closed his eyes and rested his head on Skinner's shoulder. "So, does this mean Alex is going to be sleeping with us?" Mulder murmured softly.

"It seemed only logical. We both hate sleeping without you; this way we don't have to." Skinner kissed the top of Mulder's head.

"Good...I don't have to feel guilty anymore." Mulder yawned.

Skinner smiled, listening to his lover's even breathing. He pulled Mulder closer. The A.D. was worried; he had met Special Agent Hunter for the first time last week when he was put in charge of the newly formed Department of Sorcerers and Clairvoyants. It concerned him that they would be having this relative stranger living under the same roof with them.

Chapter 17
-- Happiness and Heartaches

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Tuesday, June 8
4:30 a.m.

In his sleep, Mulder rolled away from Skinner's warm body and wrapped himself around Krycek. The A.D. unconsciously turned on his side, following his lover, and curled up behind the agent's body.

The beeping of the alarm clock woke the older man. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and turned off the alarm. Climbing out of bed he walked into the nursery, he held out his hand and a heated bottle appeared in it. Hope was sucking on her pacifier in her sleep, and he smiled tenderly at her as he picked up Faith. The infant slowly came awake as he placed the nipple against her lips he sat in the rocking chair. The three men took turns every two hours feeding Faith. Hope was fed every four hours, but unlike Faith, she cried loudly when she wanted to be fed. While Faith usually had to woken up, she rarely cried.

"Sugar, how like your daddy you are," Skinner murmured to the little infant. She peered up at him through thick lashes; her hazel eyes appeared golden-brown in the dim light. She sucked contentedly on the bottle. "You do have a good appetite."

In the bedroom Krycek nudged Mulder awake. "Hey, love, I got an itch that I need you to scratch," he purred, kissing the agent's eyes, nose, and lips.

"Mm, where?" Mulder asked sleepily, running his nails over Krycek's back.

"Lower," he murmured as Mulder's hand moved down to his ass. "A little bit lower," Krycek directed as the agent's fingers slipped between his buttocks. "Now up about nine inches," he moaned as Mulder's fingers nudged his asshole.

"Mm, nine inches...I'm going to need something longer than my fingers," Mulder breathed huskily.

"And thicker," Krycek advised, handing the agent a tube of KY. They shared a deeply passionate kiss while Mulder flipped open the lubricant.

"Turn over, lover." Mulder pulled away and allowed his lover to turn on his side with his back facing him.

Krycek raised one leg, exposing his anus to his lover. Mulder wasted no time preparing him. Mulder smiled up at Skinner as he came back into the bedroom and climbed in bed behind him. He passed the tube back to him. "Do me, Walter," he purred as he guided his cock into Krycek's anus.

"With pleasure, babe," Skinner murmured. He opened the tube and applying lube to Mulder -- his lover was already slick from earlier.

Krycek moaned as he felt his lover's large cock slide deeper into his body. "Yes, that's just what I needed," he groaned, pushing back against Mulder's cock, taking it deeper.

Mulder's hand caressed Krycek's chest and he pinched and twisted his nipples. The agent's mouth nipped the soft skin behind the younger man's ears. Mulder felt Skinner's cock entered him. He sighed with contentment when the older man was fully sheathed inside of him.

They stayed attached and unmoving for several minutes, just relishing the closeness and warmth of each other's body. At first, the lovers were clumsy at trying to set a rhythm, but they soon settled for a slow easy fucking. They didn't want this moment to be over too soon.

Mulder was completely blissful, he had never experienced the sensation of fucking and being fucked at the same time. The feel of Krycek's ass muscles clenching tightly around his cock as it was buried within the hot, velvet interior was mind-blowing. He wondered if Krycek could feel the electric wave coursing throughout his body when Skinner brushed against his prostate. He didn't have to wonder for long as the younger man's body arched against his and they both screamed as the sensations of pleasure overcame them.

Skinner followed them over the edge as Mulder's contracting muscles milked him. Sweaty and exhausted, all three men collapsed on the bed. The older man pulled out and rolled on his back. "God, I have to get up and get ready for work," he moaned.

Mulder turned and wrapped his arms around Skinner's chest, kissing him. "C'mon, I'll share a shower with you and wash your back. After your morning workout, I'll make you breakfast."

Skinner smiled, hugging him tightly. "Fox, you're going to spoil me, do you know that?"

"No, I just don't want you going to work hungry. I know from personal experience what a grouch you can be on an empty stomach. Besides, I promised the other agents that I'd see to it that you came to work in a good mood. After all, they're paying me good money," he quipped.

Krycek rolled over, pulling the covers over him. "Oh, so that's where all those five dollars bills have been coming from." he chuckled, burying himself deeper under the blankets.

"Ha-ha, very funny." Skinner climbed out of bed. Pulling Mulder with him, they stumbled into the bathroom.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Exercise Room Tuesday, June 8
6:00 a.m.

Skinner wanted to get in a quick workout before he changed for work. He was not surprised to see the Japanese major already up and working out in the room. They had worked out together the last three mornings.

"Good morning, Kazuo," the A.D. greeted, walking over to the bench press.

"Good morning, Walter." The major hesitantly walked over to him. "Ah, Walter, can I ask your advice?"

Skinner strapped on the leather wrist supports and looked up at the nervous younger man. "Sure, Kazuo."

"I...I find myself wanting to explore a deeper relationship with Shinji, but I don't know how to proceed." The major looked pleadingly at him.

Skinner slowly removed the wrist supports. "C'mon, let's go up and have this conversation in my study." They rode the elevator to the main level.

Skinner stepped into the kitchen. Mulder was at the counter feeding Hope a bottle he looked up concerned. "I thought you were working out, I haven't started breakfast yet."

"Don't worry about it, babe. I'm just going to grab a couple of mugs of coffee for Kazuo and me," he replied. Filling two mugs with coffee, he added cream to the major's cup, knowing how he liked it.

Mulder smiled at Sawada. The major stood nervously in the doorway.

Skinner guided the man into his office. After the major was sitting in a wingback chair by the fireplace, Skinner handed him a steaming mug of coffee. The A.D. sat in the opposite chair.

"Kazuo, there is something important that you need to know before you get anymore involved in your relationship with Shinji."

"Walter, I hope you're not going to tell me he's your lover, too!" he exclaimed.

"No! Fox is all I can handle." Skinner chuckled. "What I want to warn you about is the side effects. It's not like having sex with a normal male, the moment you exchange bodily fluids with an immortal your body chemistry is altered. You become hopelessly in love with him. There is no way that you will be able to live without him," the A.D. stressed.

Sawada looked thoughtful for a few minutes. "Walter, I haven't even had sex with him and already I don't want to leave him. What about you? What are your feelings for Shinji?"

"I'll admit that I find Shinji very attractive, but I have Fox, so Shinji's beauty doesn't affect me like it would other men. Kazuo, I've been in love with Fox for many years, long before the virus affected him. I don't love him because he is an immortal. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure if his mutation has an effect on me," he sighed. "Kazuo, you realize that Rory isn't going to like it if you fall in love with Shinji?"

"I don't think that will be a problem. Shinji will realize that MacIver isn't good enough for him once he has a dependable, honorable man in his life," the major said with confidence.

"Kazuo, exactly how much do you know about immortals?"

"That they cannot die, they're all extremely beautiful, they give off an extremely arousing scent, and that they can change into females during a full moon."

Skinner couldn't stop himself from laughing at that last comment; he'd heard it himself recently, it was a myth that seemed to grow with the telling of it. "Kazuo, that last part is purely myth, they don't change during the full moon," he chuckled.

"Oh." The major looked embarrassed.

"There are things about them you should be aware of, and another side effect you should know about." Skinner looked thoughtful.

"What?"

"Immortals are fragile, they need to be constantly protected from predators. They require an anti-pheromone shot every five days. The immortals that have sorcerer lovers cannot go without anal sex for more than 4
8 hours when they're not on the drug or 5 days when they are on it. We have to always be compassionate toward them; they are totally dependent on us both sexually and socially. Immortals are under constant stress of having their rights taken away or being attacked. It's our responsibility to make sure they always feel safe and loved." Skinner looked at the major making sure the man was following his words carefully.

"I don't want you to think you should treat immortals like 'the little woman'. You shouldn't! You have to remember that they are independent men who have been forced into dependency. Sorcerers who love immortals have to walk a fine line between letting their lovers have the freedom to be as independent as possible and at the same time be close enough to protect them when necessary. I won't tell you that it's easy. There are times that I've wanted to, *tried* to, smother Mulder with my protection because of my fear for his safety. He's had to remind me to step back and let him breathe.

"Kazuo, if you have sex with Shinji you'll find that your sex drive will increase and you'll be able to have more orgasms within an evening." Skinner sighed, "However, your immortal lover has an even a higher sex drive, and he will wear you out. I'm happy that Alex is in our lives. If anything ever happened to me...he'd be there for Fox. You have to realize that your life will have to change to accommodate Shinji...you cannot leave him alone for longer than 5 days at a time. You don't want him suffering from sexual withdrawal; it is extremely painful for him. I'd suggest that you overcome your disdain for Rory, it really is better for an immortal to have two sorcerer lovers."

The major sat stunned for several minutes. "I didn't realize how dependent an immortal is on us for his day-to-day existence. However, I think I can handle Shinji without the help of another sorcerer, after all, isn't that what MacIver's been doing?"

"It's not as simple as that...Rory is already physically bonded to him, he won't be able to let Shinji go!" Skinner stressed.

"So, what you're saying is if I have sex with Shinji, it will become my responsibility to provide love and protection for him, and I will be physically bonded to him." Sawada leaned back in his chair and sipped his mug of coffee. His hand trembled ever so slightly.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"I already don't want to leave him. Walter, I think that I've fallen in love with Shinji." He looked embarrassed and uncomfortable. "I don't know how it happened. I want to make love to him, but I've never had sex with another man...I don't know how to go about it," the major stammered.

"First, you have to ask him...if he says yes, then talk to Fox. He'll help you plan the perfect romantic evening. The rest will just happen naturally," Skinner smiled warmly at the nervous man.

"Thank you, Walter," he replied, somewhat relieved, but worried about what a great responsibility it would be to have an immortal for a lover.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Mulder's Office
Tuesday, June 8
10:20 a.m.

"Hey, Mulder," Takeda greeted as he walked into Mulder's home office.

"Hi, Shin." Mulder looked up from his computer.

The younger man threw himself down on the leather sofa. He lay with his back against the armrest, and his feet propped up on the cushions. Takeda reached for the bag of sunflower seeds on the coffee table, placing it on his lap. "Kazuo has asked me to spend the evening with him tonight," he informed the agent. "He was really cute and nervous."

"That's what you wanted, isn't it?" Mulder looked back at him.

"Yes. Mulder, I need your advice?" he asked, crunching on a seed.

"Sure, Shin." Mulder logged off the Internet. He sat on the opposite end of the sofa from the younger man.

"When did you first realize you were in love with Walter and Alex?" Takeda asked.

"I once had a misunderstanding with Walter, I thought he had betrayed me, I wouldn't listen to anything he had to say in way of an explanation. I was devastated. I realized later that it was because I had fallen so deeply in love with him that it hurt so much. I really didn't know for sure that I loved him until that moment." Mulder reached for some seeds. "Alex was a different story. I've been in love with him since the first day I worked with him...I never wanted to admit it though."

"Yeah, that's how it was with Rory and me. The moment he came through that door and rescued me from those Consortium doctors, I fell in love with him." Takeda smiled. "I'm falling in love with Kazuo, he fills an emptiness in my heart that Rory can't. I didn't realize how much I missed Japan, it's so nice having someone I can speak Japanese with and talk about our country to. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Do you still love Rory?" Mulder asked, concerned.

"Yes, more than ever," Shinji sighed. "I don't want to lose him, but I find myself needing Kazuo, too."

"Shin, do you love Kazuo?"

"Yes. It's weird, I haven't even had sex with the man and already I'm in love with him."

"You just said that you fell in love with Rory before you had sex with him so it's not so weird." Mulder smiled. "What you need to do is make sure Rory knows how much you love him, you don't want him thinking you're dumping him for Kazuo."

"Was that what you did?" The young man looked questioningly at Mulder.

"No, both my lovers were deeply guilt-ridden. Alex was willing to give me up, but I couldn't let him go. Walter was the tougher sell. I had to promise to have a child with him before he would agree to share me with his brother, he needed that added bit of security." Mulder looked into the younger man's eyes. "Shinji, it's going to hurt Rory a lot to have to share you with another man, are you sure that is what you want?"

"I don't want to hurt Rory, but I can't lose Kazuo."

"I just want you to know what you're getting yourself into. Rory and Kazuo don't like one another -- this is bound to make them hate each other more. I'm worried they may even try to kill each other."

Shinji placed the bag of sunflower seeds back on the coffee table then crawled up the sofa and into Mulder's arms. He hugged the agent and cried softly against his chest. "I don't want them to hurt each other, Mulder, what am I going to do?"

"Ssh, I'll ask Alex and Walter to watch them, they won't allow them to fight inside the mansion. In time maybe they'll learn to accept one another," he murmured, holding Shinji and rubbing his back soothingly.

The soft knocking at the door interrupted them. Shinji pulled away and wiped his eyes, while Mulder went to answer the door. "Hi, Kazuo, what can I do for you?" Mulder asked, blocking the view of his office from the young major.

"Walter said I could ask for your help...do you have a moment?" Sawada tried to see into the room.

"Sure, let's go down to the kitchen," Mulder replied. Stepping out of his office, he closed the door.

Mulder had Sawada sit at the breakfast table. He brought over a pitcher of ice tea and two glasses. "Alex and Rory have taken the babies for a buggy ride down by the lake, they should be back in a half hour," Mulder informed him as he sat at the table, pouring the tea into their glasses.

"This shouldn't take long. Shinji has agreed to spend the evening with me...I want to make it special for him. Walter said you could help me plan the perfect evening." Sawada looked timid and uncertain.

Mulder smiled warmly at him. "I'd love to help you out. I'll even cook you a romantic dinner for two that I'll have waiting in your room when you take Shinji up. Walter has several bottles of champagne stashed away that will go perfectly with your evening, but first we'll need lots of candles and some scented bath oils."

"Candles? Bath oils?" Sawada asked confused.

"Kazuo, even with a woman, haven't you ever shared a bath together?"

"Oh, yes," he blushed.

"Okay, plan on having Shinji up to your room at eight-thirty o'clock tonight. I'll have everything set up and waiting for you." Mulder grinned.

"Thank you very much, Mulder. " The major smiled back, relieved.

"Hey, Mulder, this package just arrived for Faith. It's from the Tsar of Russia," Tony stated as he entered the kitchen. He placed the package in front of Mulder on the breakfast table.

"Oh, great. At least it's too small to be a piece of furniture," Mulder stated as he unwrapped the package.

"You know Tsar Nikolai Slava?" Major Sawada asked, intrigued. Japan had been trying to form an alliance with Slava against Kong Woo Long, a fierce Chinese sorcerer Warlord.

"Not by choice," the agent sighed, pulling out an exquisite antique music box. The box was a rich polished mahogany with silver gilding. Mulder opened the lid and delicate music filled the room.

"That's very pretty, Mulder," Takeda said, coming into the kitchen.

"It's a present for Faith," Mulder replied. He had to admit the tune was beautiful and soothing.

Shinji walked over to the refrigerator. "I'm going to make lunch. I thought I'd grill hamburgers outside and make some coleslaw." He started pulling ingredients out for the coleslaw.

"May I give you a hand, Shinji?" the major offered. Taking the cabbage from him, he went to the sink to wash it.

"Yes. Thank you, Kazuo," Shinji murmured softly. He suddenly felt shy around the older man.

Winter Palace St. Petersburg Tuesday, June 8
1:20 p.m.

Tsar Nikolai strolled down the passageway in the lowest level of the Winter Palace where the air was damp and musty smelling. He stopped in front of a wooden door and his n'thral guard opened it for him. The room beyond was a large windowless workshop; it had a small cot against the far wall and only one occupant.

Masataka Izumi sat huddled over a workbench; he had a large magnifying glass set up in front an object he was painstakingly carving. He was too involved in his work to notice the Tsar and his large n'thral guards. He paused occasionally due to uncontrollable coughing.

Slava stood quietly watching the Japanese man work, he didn't want to startle him so he allowed him to continue working. After a few minutes the man became aware of their presence. Izumi looked up and met the tall Cossack's dark black eyes. "Tsar Nikolai." He stood and bowed. He covered his mouth as another spasm of coughs racked his slim body. Izumi was in his early fifties and the dank air in the cellar of the Palace was affecting his health. He recovered his composure and back away from the bench to allow the Tsar to view his work.

"How are the carvings coming, Izumi?" Slava asked, walking up to the workbench. There were three Netsuke carvings in various stages of completion, and sketches for four more. The Tsar had traded a beautiful Nordic slave to a Hutu n'thral warlord for the hippo ivory that the carvings were being made from. Slava picked up the completed one. It was three inches high, and the detailing was exquisite.

"I should have another one finished by the end of the week," the older man replied sullenly.

"This is really beautiful, Izumi, you are doing a marvelous job. To show my appreciation I'm having your quarters moved to the top floor."

The Tsar marveled at the likeness of Fox Mulder and himself on the carving. It showed them embracing and sharing a deeply passionate kiss. Both figures were fully clothed. He was bent over the agent's body with one hand squeezing Fox's ass and the other on his back, holding him pressed against his chest.

The figures became more erotic with each carving. The next one, that was nearly finished, had Fox's nude body leaning back against his fully clothed one. The agent's back was pressed against his chest, he had his trousers undone and his large cock was pressed against Fox's bare hip. One of his hands held the agent's cock while the other was splayed across the smaller man's belly. Fox's head was leaning back against his broad shoulder the look of arousal was clearly etched on his beautiful face. Slava was kissing the side of the agent's throat.

Slava was planning to send them to his lover one at a time. The first was for Fox's birthday. He smiled when he imagined the look of pleasure that would be on his Fox's beautiful face when he received this intimate gift.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Tuesday, June 8
8:30 p.m.

Major Kazuo Sawada had never felt more nervous in his life as he opened the door to his bedroom suite and allowed Shinji Takeda to proceed him into the room. As promised, Mulder had an elegant dinner waiting for them. The table was covered with a fine linen tablecloth on it was a short vase of red roses and two lit candles in sterling silver candlestick holders. There was a sterling silver ice bucket with a bottle of champagne standing next to the table.

Takeda walked over to the table and lifted the silver lid off one of the plates. "Mm, it looks delicious." He smiled.

Sawada smiled, pleased to see the gourmet meal Mulder had prepared for them: poached salmon with a dill sauce, julienne vegetables, and a simple citrus salad with chunks of fresh pineapple.

Shinji sat at the table while Sawada set the lids aside on a tray Mulder had left for them. "Would you like some champagne, Shin?" the major asked, popping the cork off the bottle.

"Yes, please."

Sawada filled both of their glasses, then sat across from Takeda. "Shinji, what's so funny?" he asked, noticing the broad smile on the younger man's face.

"Mulder...he's thought of everything. Did you know that eating fresh pineapple before bedtime will make your semen taste very much like pineapple in the morning?" the younger man asked, popping a chunk of pineapple into his mouth.

"No. I didn't know that." Sawada blushed.

"Tell me about your family, Kazuo," Takeda requested.

Sawada was relieved by the change of subject. "I was raised by my father Gou and my Uncle Takeshi. My mother died when I was three," Sawada said sadly. "There was only one woman in our family, my Uncle Takeshi's wife Megumi, they had no children. My other two uncles Shinobu and Masataka were never married. Shinobu is a tattoo artist in Tokyo, he's only five years older than I am. My Uncle Masataka is an artist and traveler...I think he's somewhere in Europe...I only see him once or twice a year." Sawada smiled, thinking about his eccentric uncle.

"What does your father and Uncle Takeshi do for a living?"

"My father was a law enforcer with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, he's been retired for several years. Uncle Takeshi is a world famous chef. He appeared on an American television program featuring Japanese cooking, and he had a cookbook published," Sawada told him proudly.

"Then most of your family survived the virus?" Shinji asked. He was a bit envious, because his mother and three sisters all died, leaving him all alone.

"Yes, everyone except my aunt. Shinji, I'm sorry, I know you lost your whole family," the major murmured, reaching for the younger man's hand.

"There is no reason for you to feel guilty, Kazuo." He squeezed the older man's hand then went back to eating.

They finished eating and Sawada put the dirty dishes on the tray and carried it outside the room, setting it down on the floor. Mulder had told him to leave it there and he'd retrieve it later.

Sawada walked over to Shinji and pulled the young man into his arms. He started kissing him passionately. "Let's go into the bathroom...I have a surprise for you," he breathed huskily.

"What?" Shinji smiled as the older man pulled him toward the bathroom.

Before entering, Sawada used his powers to light all of the candles in the room.

"Wow!" Takeda gasped, he was amazed at how romantic the bathroom was with candles flickering on every surface.

Sawada went over to the bathtub and turned on the water, he added some bath oils. He then went back to Shinji. "I think you're a bit over dressed." His hands shook as he removed the younger man's shirt.

"Here, Kazuo, let me," Shinji murmured. He removed the rest of his clothing then helped Sawada out his. Takeda stepped back to appraise the older man's body. He felt suddenly vulnerable by Sawada's powerful, muscular body. Unlike MacIver's lean and agile one, the major's body was immaculately chiseled with large well-defined muscles. "Mm, very nice," he murmured, admiring Sawada's cock, it was longer than MacIver's cock but not as thick. He felt extremely thrilled at the prospect of being made love to by such a powerful and handsome man.

They stepped into the full whirlpool bath and Takeda reached over, shutting off the water as he turned on the jets. He sank down into the warm swirling water. "My family never had money for such luxuries, it cost my mother and sisters all of their savings to send me to college. I now wish they had used the money for their own pleasures instead...life is too short," he sighed.

Sawada sank down next to him. "Shin, you can't bemoan the past...you didn't know what the future would bring." He reached behind the younger man and pulled the tie out of his ponytail freeing his long hair. He fingered Takeda's earrings, they reminded him of MacIver.

"You wear your hair and dress like a gangster...is that what you want to be, Shinji? Do you want to be like MacIver?" the major asked harshly.

Takeda pulled away. "I love Rory...I want to be like him, strong, brave...free." Takeda let his hand roam under the water, stroking Sawada's cock. "What do you want, Kazuo?"

Sawada inhaled sharply as his cock jumped under Takeda's hand. He quickly grabbed the younger man's hand and pulled him against his chest, forgetting his anger. "God, you are so beautiful...I never thought I'd feel this way for another man." He kissed the side of the immortal's neck as his arm wrapped around the younger man's back. The major's hand roamed lower, and he pulled Takeda up on his lap.

Takeda wrapped his arms around the older man's body and kissed him deeply. He turned his body around so he was straddling Sawada's lap and he deepened the kiss. The younger man chuckled into the major's mouth when he felt the hotness of Sawada's semen splash against his ass.

The major blushed. Merely being kissed had never brought him off before, and he was embarrassed by his lack of control. "Shin, I...I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"I have never had sex with a man before...I was hoping to...ah." The major's blush deepened.

"You want to fuck me?" Takeda grinned saucily, enjoying the older man's embarrassment.

"Well...yes. I was hoping you would show me what to do, but I guess I spoiled it," he sighed.

"Kazuo, we have all evening...I'm sure you're capable of getting it up more than once." Takeda reached down and stroked the major a few times before he felt his cock starting to respond. "Rory can come six times in one evening."

"Shinji, please don't talk about that man when you're with me," Sawada ordered. He grasped the younger man's cock for the first time feeling its girth and length. It felt strange to touch another man this way.

Takeda sucked in his breath, pushing into the major's hand. "Rory is a part of my life, Kazuo. I love him."

"Do you think you'd be able to love me, too?" Sawada asked.

"Yes, it's possible," Takeda smiled sweetly. He relaxed against his body, resting his head on Sawada's shoulder he let the warm whirling water soothe him.

After several minutes had passed, Sawada kissed the top of Shinji's head. "I think I'm ready again...do you want to go to the bedroom?"

"Sure, Kazuo, we'll take it really slow and I'll show you exactly what to do." Takeda stood and climbed out of the bathtub. The major pulled the drain; standing, he accepted a towel from the younger man. He watched nervously as Takeda walked naked into the bedroom. He couldn't pull his eyes away from the younger man's firm buttocks.

Sawada hurriedly dried himself and put out the candles. When he walked into the bedroom, Shinji had the blankets pulled down and he was lying on his back with his legs spread giving the major an unashamed view of his anus. He was stroking his cock with one hand, in the other was a bottle of lubricant that he tossed to the older man.

"Kazuo, I like to be well-lubricated and stretched before I'm made love to. Normally, I like a lot of foreplay, but we can forgo that until you're better able to control yourself," he directed huskily.

Sawada bent and picked up the tube from the floor nervously licking his lips, he walked over to the bed. He spent several long seconds drinking in Takeda's beauty. The younger man was fully aroused and giving off a delicious scent that was driving the young major mad with lust, his cock was straining against his belly as he climbed onto the bed. He knew Shinji was right he would not last long.

The major opened the tube and squeezed out a generous amount of lube. He slowly coated the younger man's ass then inserted a shaky finger into his anus. Sawada felt the sphincter muscles clench tightly, he didn't know how he was going to get his large cock into such a tight space without exploding prematurely.

Takeda was purring contentedly and pushing back against the major's finger. "I'm ready for another; don't be afraid, you're not hurting me," he soothed.

Sawada pushed another finger into Takeda. To his surprise, he was finding the whole experience very erotic. "Shin, I don't think I'm going to be able to last much longer," he moaned. His cock was leaking against his belly.

"Then go for it, stud," the younger man quipped.

"Don't you have to turn over?" the major asked.

"No, I want to watch your face," he purred, placing his shins on the major's shoulders.

The young Japanese officer caught on quickly. He lubricated his cock and positioned it against the younger man's anus. Sawada started pushing, he moaned when the head of his cock popped in. He groaned as he pushed in further as his cock was being gripped in an unbelievable tightness. Sawada tried to stop himself from coming as he felt his balls creep up. He only made it in halfway when he lost his battle and came hard, crying out.

He blushed over his lack of control, but to his amazement, he was still hard inside the younger man so he pushed in deeper. His semen made it easier to slide all the way in.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to come again so soon," he apologized.

"You know, Kazuo, you are very handsome," Takeda murmured; lowering his legs, he wrapped them around the older man's waist.

Sawada bent down and captured Takeda's mouth in a deeply passionate kiss, trapping the younger man's cock between their bodies. The immortal rocked against the major's body, smearing pre-cum onto their bellies.

"Oh, please fuck me," Takeda begged.

Sawada pulled out slowly then pushed back in; he enjoyed the way his cock was firmly held by the younger man's hot interior. He started thrusting in more forcefully as Takeda's legs forced him to pick up his pace. He worked up a sweat from thrusting in and out for over fifteen minutes, dripping onto the younger man. The major watched as Takeda threw his head back, crying out as he came, his milky semen hitting his chest. He was shocked as the muscles in the younger man's anus started clenching his cock and forcing another orgasm from him. He spurted deep into Takeda's bowels. Sawada collapsed on the younger man, still buried deeply inside of him.

After several minutes had passed, he eased out of Takeda's body, and crawled up to lay beside him. He pulled the immortal into his arms cradling him against his chest. Sawada was sated and truly happy for the first time in almost two years.

"Well, Kazuo, what do you think?" Takeda murmured.

"That was the most mind-shattering experience I've ever had. Thank you, Shin," he murmured, hugging the younger man tighter.

Takeda reached down and pulled the blankets over their bodies. They fell asleep wrapped in one another's arms, waking up several more times during the evening to make love.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Wednesday, June 9
9:30 a.m.

Sawada was in an extraordinary good mood as he took the back staircase down to the exercise room. He stopped in the doorway when he saw the Scotsman was working out. MacIver was shirtless, and his upper body was lean and muscular. He was glistening with sweat as he performed several martial arts moves. The older man spun once, jumping high in the air. As he kicked out with his foot, he broke several one-inch boards that were set up in a vise.

Sawada ignore him as he walked over to the parallel bar and started doing chin-ups.

MacIver glared at him, then walked casually over to where Sawada was working out. "So, Major, you'll be going back to Japan now that you have fulfilled your commitment to your government."

"I have no intention of leaving just yet. When I do go back, Shinji will be returning with me." Sawada did not hide the contempt he felt for the roguish Scotsman, whom he considered to be a bad influence on Shinji.

MacIver turned red with rage. "You'll be leaving today, you fucking whore! You've done your goddamn duty! If you so much as look at Shinji again, I will cut your bloody heart out!" he hissed.

"I suggest you take your own advice and leave. Shinji needs someone honorable to look after him...not a lowlife like yourself!" the major snapped. He didn't move quickly enough as the Scotsman's fist made contact with his face.

Sawada recovered quickly and kicked out with his foot, MacIver easily deflected the blow. The Scotsman grabbed a metal pole off the wall and swung it at the Japanese major's chest. Sawada jumped back, the pole missing him by a breath. He grabbed a similar pole and deflected several more blows by MacIver. The younger man was surprised by the agility of the Scotsman.

They fought for fifteen minutes before Sawada was able to sneak under MacIver's defenses to deliver a hard blow to his ribs -- he thought he heard one snap. MacIver cried out in pain; swinging back with the pole, he caught the major in the knee, knocking him off his feet.

"STOP!" Krycek shouted as he came racing into the room.

When MacIver attempted to bring the metal pole down on the major's head, Krycek used his powers to remove both of the weapons from the men's hands.

"I SAID STOP!" He stormed over to the two men, surveying the damage. There was a large bruise forming on MacIver's side, and Sawada had blood running down his chin from a cut lip and his knee was swelling. Both men were panting heavily.

"What the hell are you two doing?" he asked, glaring at both men.

"Alex, I was just advising the major that since he has performed his duty, he isn't needed here any longer," MacIver drawled.

"Alex, I'm in love with Shinji. I'm not leaving him," the major said, attempting to stand. Krycek helped him to his feet.

"I think you're both out of line...it isn't your decision to make." Krycek put an arm around Sawada's waist and headed for the door, with MacIver following.

"Whose decision is it?" MacIver grumbled.

"Shinji's. If he wants Kazuo to stay, he stays. If he wants to throw you both out, you both leave. It's as *simple* as that," the triple agent told them, ignoring the hostile looks they threw at him.

They stepped off the elevator and walked into the kitchen. Krycek helped Sawada onto one of the tall stools. Takeda rushed over seeing the blood on the major's face and his other lover's bruised side. "What's going on?"

"Your boyfriends were fighting over you. It seems they both would like the other to leave. Shinji, you need to make a decision," Krycek told him as he walked over to the freezer and took out a tray of ice. He soaked a towel then placed several ice cubes inside; walking back over to the major he laid it on his injured knee.

"Decision? Rory, you promised me that you'd treat Kazuo nicely." Takeda looked at him angrily.

"Shin, this was only suppose to be a one time deal! He wasn't supposed to stick around after having sex with you! I want him out of here!" the Scotsman yelled.

"Rory, please. I love you, but I've fallen in love with Kazuo, too." Takeda had tears streaming down his face. MacIver never raised his voice at him before, and Takeda realized how deeply he had hurt him.

"NO! You promised me, Shinji!" MacIver spun around, holding his side. He angrily left the room.

Takeda tried to run after him, but Krycek grabbed his arm. "Shin, let him calm down first. He's not going to listen to you in his present state."

"But he's injured, Alex. He needs me to heal him."

"He'll be fine. You take care of Kazuo...I'll go and talk to Rory."

Krycek found the older man in the apartment he shared with Shinji.

"Rory, drinking isn't going to make this go away," Krycek commented, watching as the Scotsman pulled out a bottle of whiskey.

"Mind your own bloody business, Alex!" he snarled. He gasped in pain when he sat and his injured ribs rubbed together. He downed two fingers of whiskey, then poured himself another, quickly downing that as well.

"Here, let me take a look," the triple agent said. Kneeling down next to MacIver, he felt the man's ribs. "It looks like you have one broken rib, Rory. Would you like me to get Fox to heal it for you?"

MacIver ignored the question; he had bigger problems than his health to worry about. "Fuck! I've lost him, Alex. What am I going to do without him? I can't live without him." He cried into his glass, tears streaming down his handsome face.

Krycek felt his heart go out to his friend, he had never seen MacIver so heartbroken. "You haven't lost him. Shinji still loves you...he's only asking that you share him with Kazuo."

"Alex, just because it works for you and Walter to share Mulder, that doesn't mean it will work for us. I can't stand that arrogant bastard! He already told me that he's taking Shinji back to Japan with him!"

"Shin isn't going anywhere without you, Rory. The major is going to find out the hard way what the cost of being in love with an immortal is," Krycek soothed. "C'mon, at least let me wrap your ribs."

MacIver grabbed the bottle and allowed Krycek to lead him into the large bathroom. The triple agent searched for something to wrap the older man's ribs.

"Shinji, he had no right to yell at you that way!" the major growled.

Takeda was pacing back and forth, wringing his hands nervously. "Kazuo, please, stay out of this...Rory had every right to be mad at me. I broke my word to him...I have to see if he's all right," he murmured. Leaving the kitchen, he didn't notice the devastated look on his new lover's face.

Krycek could not find any bandages to wrap MacIver's ribs. The Scotsman continued to drown his sorrows, while the triple agent searched the bathroom. Krycek was about to rip a towel into strips when he was interrupted.

"Alex, you can leave now, I'll take care of Rory. That is, if you'll let me, Rory?" Takeda asked softly; walking up to his Scottish lover, he brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"Shin, I'm sorry...I yyellled at you," he muttered.

"Rory, you have every right to be angry with me. Come here, I'll fix your side, then we can both sleep for the rest of the morning." Takeda took the bottle from his lover's hand and passed it back to Krycek. The triple agent poured the contents down the drain before leaving the apartment.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Wednesday, June 9
11:00 a.m.

A large armored van pulled up in front of the mansion. Mulder strolled out to meet their new guests. He nodded to two agents he knew from the bureau as they unloaded the luggage.

"Fox!" A handsome, tall, blond man walked over and hugged him. Although his thick, blond hair was peppered with gray, he still looked younger than his forty-six years.

"Gabriel, you can see!" Mulder exclaimed, looking into his friend's bright blue eyes, he frowned with confusion as he noticed they were still sightless.

"Yes, but not with my eyes," he smiled. "Damn, Fox. You always were a beautiful man, but now. Wow!"

"How can you see me, if not with your eyes?" Mulder asked, ignoring his friend's other remarks.

"With my mind...I project a part of myself outside my body to see, it's remarkable. The colors and details are more brilliant than I was ever able to see with my eyes," he explained. He hooked his arm through Mulder's and steered the agent over to meet the other men waiting outside the van.

"Fox, this is Justin Cody Blaise. Justin was a Texas Ranger," Hunter informed him.

Blaise was a tall beautiful redhead with gray eyes. Mulder estimated that he was around his age.

Mulder shook hands with the man. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Cody. Please call me Mulder," he said.

"Mulder, thanks for having us here, it sure beats the last place they had us locked up in," Blaise replied.

"Fox, this is Joseph Shadow Hawk. He's an Ojibwa from Minnesota."

Mulder smiled at the younger man, he was around Shinji's age. His eyes were deep, black pools and he had long, silky, black hair. "It's nice to meet you, Joseph."

"You too, Mulder. I prefer being called either Joe or Hawk, but Gabriel insists on calling me Joseph no matter how annoying I find it," the young man sighed.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Mulder smirked.

The other two agents in the van had deposited the luggage inside the front foyer. They climbed back into the van and drove off.

"C'mon, I'll show you up to your rooms," Mulder replied. He helped them upstairs with their luggage. The first room they stopped at was Krycek's old suite. Hunter deposited his bags inside. He followed Mulder and his two charges down another hallway to two bedrooms at the end.

"I'll let you get settled in. Come downstairs when you're ready. My fiancée is making lunch, it should be ready at noon," Mulder informed them before leaving.

After he was out of hearing, Hawk turned to the others. "Wow! This place is awesome!" he exclaimed while looking out the window at the end of the hallway. "I wonder how many acres their estate covers? It will be so nice to be able to go outside without worrying about being molested."

"Gabriel, how come you didn't tell us we were moving into a mansion?" Blaise complained. They had developed a close friendship in the three short days that Agent Hunter had been assigned to guard them.

"I didn't know myself," he stated. "Fox never was interested in material things, it must be his life partners that purchased this place for him. I'll admit that I'm anxious to see his two daughters and meet his fiancée." The handsome FBI agent smiled.

"Okay, let's unpack, get washed up, then go meet our new family," Hawk grinned, feeling completely at home.

Mulder strolled into the kitchen and hugged Krycek from behind. "How's lunch coming?"

"Fine. Kazuo is helping me by watching the babies."

The baby bassinets were on the counter in front of the Japanese major. Mulder walked over and sat next to him, then looked into the bassinets at his two sleeping daughters. He turned his attention to the man watching them and saw how miserable Sawada looked.

"Kazuo, Shinji is in love with you...he's not about to dump you, but you're going to have to accept that he loves Rory, too." The agent rested a healing hand on the younger man's injured knee, expending just enough energy to relieve the swelling and pain, but not enough to make himself tired. "After lunch I'll finish healing your knee."

"Thanks, Mulder. Is it okay if I stay here longer? I know that I was only suppose to stay a week, but I just can't leave Shinji," he sighed.

"Kazuo, you're welcome to stay as long as you want," the agent smiled reassuringly. "Please, try to get along with Rory, he's really a good and dear friend."

Sawada smiled for the first time all morning, he had been worried that Mulder was going to take MacIver's side and throw him out.

"Thanks, Mulder. I plan to earn my keep...I don't expect to be treated like a guest," he replied, picking up Hope as she started crying for attention.

"What about your duties as an army officer...isn't your country going to expect you to return?" Mulder asked, pleased to see how delicately the major handled his daughter.

"I'm going to have to return eventually, but I have at least a month of leave accumulated. Then I'm going to request reassignment to the Japanese embassy here, and handle any assignments they have for me from there," the major stated firmly.

"Do you think they'll approve your reassignment?" Krycek asked, leaning back against the counter.

"My government might object at first, but I have something that they want. They'll eventually see things my way," he replied with confidence.

"Why, Major, I didn't think you had it in you to blackmail your own government," Krycek quipped.

"Alex, I'm still loyal to my country, but if it takes blackmailing them into letting me stay here with Shinji that is what I will do," he replied seriously.

Before they could discuss it further, their new houseguests walked into the kitchen. "I hope we aren't interrupting anything," Hunter replied. Walking over to the counter, he wrapped an arm around Mulder's shoulders. "Fox, would you like to introduce us?" He smiled.

Krycek was taken aback by the man's familiarity with his lover, that Mulder allowed him to call him Fox and touch him intimately made the triple agent jealous.

Mulder noticed the look in his lover's eyes. "Alex, this is Gabriel Hunter. Gabriel was my first partner when I joined the FBI," he replied hastily.

"Fox, I thought Reggie Purdue was your first partner?" Krycek asked.

Hunter interrupted. "Fox and I were only partners for a month. Our partnership ended suddenly, when I was critically injured in a bomb blast that left me blind and with partial hearing," Hunter explained. "We've remained close friends throughout the years."

For the first time, Krycek noticed the man's unseeing eyes. "Sorry, I didn't realize."

"Don't worry about it...my blindness is no longer a problem for me," he stated, smiling at the younger man.

A beautiful redhead stepped forward. "Alex, I'm Justin Cody Blaise and this is Joe Shadow Hawk. You have a beautiful home, I'd like to thank you for allowing us to stay here."

"You're welcome...Justin. Please feel free to make yourselves at home. If you need anything, just ask," Krycek replied.

The young Ojibwa was goggling over the infants. "Mulder, may I hold her?" he asked, looking down at Faith who had awakened from her nap.

"Sure, Joe. Just remember to support her neck," Mulder advised him.

"Don't worry, Mulder, I used to baby sit my sister's kids," he replied, tenderly cradling the infant in his arms.

"This is Major Kazuo Sawada, he is also staying with us," Mulder replied.

The major studied the men, liking them instantly. He was surprised that he didn't feel the arousal toward them that he had felt when meeting Shinji and Mulder for the first time. Maybe, it was because he was now Shinji's lover that he wasn't affected by the new immortals. "It is a pleasure to meet all of you," he replied, bowing slightly. He was still holding Hope, nestled in his arms.

"It's a pleasure to meet you also, Major." Hunter reached out and caressed the baby's cheek. "Your daughters are beautiful, Fox."

"Thank you, Gabriel," Mulder smiled proudly.

"Rory, please believe me! I would never lie to you...I love you," Takeda begged, hugging the older man's body close to his.

"If you loved me, you wouldn't need this other man," MacIver said quietly.

"It is not that simple, my love. I need both of you. What would happen to me if anything happened to you? If you really loved me you would be willing to share me, so I wouldn't ever be left alone," Takeda murmured, kissing his brow. "Rory, you will always be my first true love...I will never stop loving you," he stressed.

"Shin, how would you feel if I started seeing one of the new immortals that is moving here today?" MacIver grumbled.

Takeda was a bit taken aback by that remark, he got up on his elbows and stared into his lover's eyes. "I...I thought you lloved me." His bottom lip quivered and his eyes misted over.

"That's what I thought, too." The Scotsman caressed a thumb across Takeda's cheek, wiping away a tear that broke free from the younger man's eye.

Shinji wrapped his limbs around his Scottish lover's body. "Rory, I love you, please, don't leave me," he begged. Shinji had never been unsure of MacIver's love for him before, it made him feel totally vulnerable. The older man was his protector, his shield against the outside world. He felt ill and sick to his stomach as fear crept back into his life. Takeda clung tighter to MacIver, he buried his face against his chest and cried trembling with fear.

MacIver was totally undone by his lover's tears, his heart temporarily thawed. He hugged him tightly. "Shin, I love you. It breaks my heart to share you, but you know that I'll do anything to make you happy. However, don't expect me to call this man my friend that will never happen!"

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Wednesday, June 9
6:00 p.m.

The two men hung their heads in shame before the larger man's scolding. "If either of you fight inside the mansion again, you both are out of here! You might have killed the babies and the other residents of the estate! Don't you have enough sense to realize what would have happened if you lost control of your powers?"

"Walter, we didn't use our powers..." MacIver started to explain.

"YOU WOULD HAVE!" Skinner shouted, slamming his hands on the desk in his study. "If Alex hadn't interrupted you, you both know damn well that you would have resorted to your powers!"

Skinner glared at the two men. "Come with me," he said, walking out of the study. They followed him outside and down the path toward the lake, he stopped a hundred feet from a large boulder.

"Watch," Skinner snarled. He pointed a finger at the boulder a bolt of blue light leaped from the tip and struck the boulder and it exploded into thousands of tiny fragments.

"I...I ddon't have the power to do that," Sawada stammered.

"Both of you have the power...you just haven't tapped it yet. Now do you see why I'm so furious with you? If you'd gotten angry enough you might have tapped a tremendous amount of energy without even realizing it!" Skinner growled.

"Walter, I'm sorry...I'll not fight on the estate again. You have my word on it," MacIver murmured.

"Me too. Sir, please accept my apology," Sawada murmured.

"Gentlemen, I'll take you at your word. Now if you'll excuse me I have to get ready for dinner," Skinner replied, leaving them to look at the shattered pile of rubble.

The Wild Orchid Restaurant Wednesday, June 9
9:00 p.m.

Mulder smiled over at Skinner, this was their one month wedding anniversary. The restaurant was on the top floor of the downtown Hyatt, they were seated at the restaurant's best table -- it had a view of downtown D.C. The agent had made the reservations for dinner and a hotel room for the evening. Krycek was watching the babies for them.

"Walter, I was thinking that as soon as we clear my rights with the government, that we can try to have a son." Mulder leaned back and allowed the waiter the place his dinner down in front of him.

"The chef selected the most succulent lobster tails for you and Mr. Skinner," the waiter informed him as he laid another plate in front of the A.D. "Is there anything else you gentlemen need?"

"Thank you, Mark. We're fine for now," Mulder smiled sweetly at him, making the waiter blush. He headed back towards the kitchen, nearly colliding with another waiter.

"Fox, be careful, I really don't want Mark hanging around outside of our estate," Skinner quipped, slicing off a chunk of sweet lobster meat from the tail and popping it in his mouth.

"I had to lay down the law with our foreign guests today," Skinner complained.

"Walter, no one is better at laying down the law than you. How did Kazuo and Rory take it?"

Skinner chuckled. "Like two guilty school boys. They did promised not to fight on the estate anymore...we were lucky they both had enough common sense not to use sorcery when fighting today. At least it gave me hope that they'll honor their promises."

Mulder chuckled. He picked up his wineglass. "Walter, I'd like to propose a toast. To you, a handsome lover, husband, and father...may we always be together as one." They clicked their glasses together.

"Thank you, Fox. This evening is so wonderful, I'm glad you surprised me with it. We should get out more often," he replied, smiling.

"We still haven't gotten around to doing the evening on the town with Rory and Shinji. Remember you promised Rory that you and Alex would help provide security when he took Shinji out for a movie, dinner, and dancing."

"I've apologize to both of them. I really didn't want to leave Hope in only Yori's care after the morph. We could plan something now, I feel comfortable with Agent Hunter and Kazuo being at the house to watch the girls with Yori. I've studied Hunter's records he really is a powerful sorcerer...I think he's even better than I am," Skinner replied.

"Walter, it doesn't bother you that Gabriel calls me by my first name and touches me, does it? We've been friends for so many years and he's always been physical in showing his affections," Mulder murmured.

"Fox, I trust you."

"Thanks, Walter."

"Excuse me, Fox Mulder, I'm Reverend Xsavior. I hope you don't mind my interrupting your meal, but I had to introduce myself. You have been an inspiration to my followers and me, it is truly a privilege to finally meet you," the dignified man gushed.

"Ah, thank you,...Reverend. If you don't mind, this is a private celebration," Mulder replied, keeping the annoyance out of his voice.

"I apologize, but before I leave, please accept this gift." The older man handed Mulder a small jewelry box.

Mulder opened it with trepidation, inside was an exquisite lapel pin. It was silver and in the shape of a small flower. The pedals were made out of amethyst. The agent looked at it, puzzled -- something about the small purple-red flower rang a bell with him.

"It's an amaranth," the reverend informed him as he turned to walk away.

Skinner glared at the man's back as he left. "Fox, I wasn't able to read him...but he wasn't a sorcerer or a clairvoyant. What's wrong?"

"That man...do you know what an amaranth is?" Mulder asked, studying the pin.

"Isn't it a wild flower with small purple blooms?"

"Yes, it's also a mythical flower that never fades. It is everlasting and eternally beautiful," Mulder sighed, setting the pin aside.

Skinner quickly scanned the restaurant, but the reverend was no longer there. "He's gone now, babe. Let's forget about him and enjoy the rest of our evening."

"Sure, Walter." Mulder smiled weakly. Reaching out, he grasped the older man's hand.

They ate for a while in silence. Skinner looked up at Mulder, licking his lips. "Fox, when is the next full moon?"

"I think it is June 28 or 29
...why?"

"I want to check to see if the myth has any validation," Skinner replied, smiling softly.

"What myth?" Mulder picked up his glass of wine.

"Sawada told me that it is a well known fact that immortals turn into females during a full moon," the older man told him seriously.

Mulder choked on the sip of wine he had taken and started laughing. "Thanks, Walter...you really know how to cheer me up. A female, God, what's next?" he chuckled.

Three Weeks Later
New York State Unknown Location
Monday, June 28
11:50 p.m.

Only moonlight and candlelight lit the large room. The full moon shone through the skylights in the forty foot ceiling above. Tall candle holders that stood between each pillar. The marble in the room was a purplish gray, and large vases of flowers with small purple-red blossoms filled the room.

The room was in the shape of an icosahedron -- in the center was a stone altar. Standing in each of the twenty corners was a marble statue, carved from the same purplish-gray marble. Most of the statues were incomplete; the six that were finished showed beautiful young men with little girls held protectively in their arms.

On the altar in the middle of the room was tied a nude male, he wore only a metal cuff attached to his left ankle. Around the altar was gathered fifty men dressed in long, hooded, woolen purple robes.

A man with an ornate robe stepped up to the altar staring down compassionately at the bound man. "Franklin, tonight you will be delivered from the devil's clawed hands, back into God's loving embrace. Your return to God will guaranty that the future offspring from your seed will be pure."

Franklin's terrified brown eyes looked up at the priest as he frantically tried to twist free from his bindings. His naked body was marked with old and new scars from a month of torture. His eyes were puffy and red from being deprived of sleep and his ribs stuck out from lack of food.

Two men stepped forward, one forced Franklin's mouth open while the other inserted a thick metal tube down his throat. The tube was connected to another metal tube coming out of the floor; it led down to the basement below. With a nod from the leader the valve was thrown open, causing Franklin's body to jerk up in extreme pain, he thrashed around for several seconds, heat blisters formed on his chest, then he laid still -- dead. The sickening smell of cook meat filled the room.

"Prepare his body for the final ceremony," the leader said. Lowering his hood Reverend Xsavior looked down at the body twisted in pain. "You will be in God's hands soon, Franklin, your sacrifice will benefit mankind."

Five men stepped forward and untied the body. One man removed the metal cuff from the ankle. Four of the men wore gloves because the body was too hot to touch. They smoothed out the limbs before rigor mortis set in, then lifted it off the altar and carried it out of the room.

Chapter 18 -- Amaranthine

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Sunday, August 29
1:00 p.m.

"Mulder, I don't know what I'm going to do," Takeda whined. "It's been eleven weeks and they haven't said one word to each other. Rory and Kazuo won't even try to be civil!" he complained, pacing around Mulder's home office.

"Shin, did you expect them to become good buddies? Rory and Kazuo are total opposites...I can't think of one thing they have in common," Mulder, who was curled up on his sofa, commented. The case file that A.D. Murphy had sent over lay open in his lap, abandoned, Mulder hid the gruesome photos from Takeda's sight.

"I thought that they'd at least try to get along for my benefit," Takeda grumbled.

"Not everything revolves around you, Shinji. They have needs, too." Mulder glanced over at Takeda when he didn't answer. The young man stood frozen, looking out the only window in the room that faced the backyard.

Setting the folder aside Mulder went over to his friend, looking over Takeda's shoulder to see what had his interest. The agent noticed MacIver walking with Justin Blaise, the two men were on the path heading for the lake. They were carrying fishing poles. Mulder could hear the Scotsman's laughter through the open window.

"Mulder, I'm afraid...of losing Rory! Perhaps… to Justin," Shinji's voice quivered.

"Shin, Rory loves you, he's not about to dump you for Justin. They just have some similar interests," the agent replied softly.

"Rory threatened he'd leave me if I didn't let Kazuo go!" The younger man turned away from the window and threw himself down on the sofa.

"Rory didn't mean what he was saying...he only wanted to hurt you as much as you had hurt him. Rory loves you." Mulder sat on the coffee table, brushing the hair out of the younger man's eyes.

"Shin, if you're concerned...you have to talk to Rory about it."

"He's been so happy lately, I don't want to upset him." Shinji's eyes misted over. "He's thrilled that Kazuo is leaving in a few days. I think Rory is hoping that he doesn't come back," Takeda sighed.

"Why don't you grab your fishing pole and go down to the lake and join them?" Mulder suggested, picking up the discarded folder.

"Thanks, Mulder, I think I'll do that...at least it will give me a chance to spy on them before I let them know I'm there," he said, standing and heading for the door.

Mulder shook his head in dismay. His young friend's love life was becoming a trial on the rest of the household. It wasn't good that MacIver and Sawada were avoiding each other, it was only adding to the hatred they felt for each other. He feared the two men would come to blows again. The agent rubbed his temple and went back to studying the case file.

FBI Hoover Building
Monday, August 3
010:00 a.m.

As Mulder flipped to the next slide, the light from the slide projector illuminated the room showing the intense faces of the other four agents gathered at the table.

"Franklin Jones was the first victim, black male, age 28
, truck driver. His body was discovered June 3
0 on a wooden raft that had banked off the Mohawk river forty miles outside of Utica, New York." Mulder advanced the projector to show the body on the coroner's table, it was sliced open showing a metallic substance in the chest cavity. "He was killed by having molten silver pumped into his body, he was literally cooked to death from the inside."

He advanced to the next slide showing a close up of the corpse's back. "There were signs of torture before he was killed, he had whip marks covering every inch of his body. Some marks were older than others -- it was estimated that he was held for at least a month before he was killed."

Mulder advanced the projector to show another victim. The body was still strapped to a raft. "Zachary Lefevre, white male, age 5 0, dentist. His body was discovered floating on a raft on the Mohawk River 15 miles outside of Utica. He was murdered the same way as the last victim." He advanced to the next slide. "The most recent victim was Jose Lopez, age 17
, Hispanic male, high school student. His body was discovered yesterday 5 5 miles outside of Utica, again on the Mohawk River. His death was identical to the other two victims." Mulder advanced the projector to show another close-up of the man's ankle. "All victims showed signs of extreme bruising around their right ankle, it is assumed that a power-control cuff was used on them...all three victims were believed to be sorcerers."

Mulder shut off the projector and flipped on the light switch. Krycek looked up at him. "What's your feeling, Fox?"

"I think they were all cult killings."

"The local bureau has listed them as hate crimes, what makes you feel they're cult killings?" Agent Donald Anderson questioned.

"Don, you pinpointed the approximate time of death for each victim during the autopsy. Each victim was killed during a full moon and their bodies were laid out on the raft in a ceremonial fashion."

"But, Mulder, that doesn't necessarily mean that they were cult killings. That part of New York is known for being extremely hostile to mutants and all of the victims were sorcerers. You know the myths that are being spread around about mutants. One of them is that the only way to successfully kill a sorcerer is during a full moon and using a weapon made of silver," Anderson replied, leaning back in his chair.

"I'd say that the killer or killers took that myth a little overboard," Pipino quipped.

"I've heard that myth. What Don forgot is that the silver weapon will not kill a sorcerer if it pierces his skin, I guess our killer found away around that one. How do you think the killer gained access to the power-control cuff?" Krycek asked, concerned.

Mulder got an uneasy look on his face, licking his lips; he sat next to Krycek. "Frohike found a site on the Internet that was selling them along with other devices that protected against mutants. They had a spray that smells like the human female, it's supposed to keep n'thrals away. He ordered it...it didn't work for me, but it does work for humans. The Gunmen gave me a spray bottle to give to Charlie Scully for his boys. As long as they don't turn out to be mutants it should provide some protection for them." Mulder looked thoughtful. "Sorry, Alex, I got sidetracked. The power-cuff turned out to be authentic, we tested it on Gabriel."

"Shit! Now every damned asshole can get his hands on one!" Krycek growled, standing and pacing the office. He stopped and stared at his lover with a worried expression on his handsome face. "Fox, just how did you test that anti-n'thral spray?"

Agents Sullivan and Pipino glanced nervously at each other and Mulder. Mulder looked up at the ceiling not meeting his lover's eyes. Finally he sighed. "Alex, I was never in any danger. I had Jack and Vinny drive me down to the D.C. PD. The police had several n'thrals in the holding cells. The officers allowed me to go down and stand outside their cells to see what effect the spray had on them."

Mulder swallowed nervously. "The n'thrals all threw themselves at the bars trying to get to me. The spray had the opposite effect on them. I think it enhanced my body's pheromones to make me even more arousing to them. We then tested it on several of the officers.... while I stayed upstairs in one of the interrogation rooms. The human officers caused the n'thrals to back off and become physically ill. However, the clairvoyant on the force had the same effect I did only to a much lesser extent." Mulder finished, glancing at Krycek. He had left out that most of the officers had been extremely aroused by him too, and that he was lucky to get out of there without being molested.

Krycek glared at him. "Jack, Vinny, the next time Fox has one of these self-destructive impulses, please, come and get me," he replied very softly.

"Alex, I was in absolutely no danger..." Mulder started to lie.

"Fox, don't! We've had this talk before about you keeping things from us! And you'd better believe we will discuss this later!" Krycek scolded angrily.

The anger in his lover's voice caused Mulder to back down, he did not want to have a scene in front of the other three men. "Okay, fine, whatever," he replied sullenly.

Krycek looked at his lover's pouty face and sighed. "So, when are we flying out to Utica?"

"I have us booked on a three forty-five flight this afternoon. I thought we could go home now and pack, then meet back at the airport at three o'clock," Mulder stated, angrily shoving the papers back into a folder.

Krycek pulled on his suit coat. "This is our first assignment out of town since our daughters were born...do you think Walter will be able to handle both babies?"

"Walter should be fine! He does have help...Kazuo and Joe are excellent with them," Mulder snapped.

"But, Kazuo is leaving on an assignment for his government on Wednesday," Krycek replied, ignoring the anger in his lover's voice. He held open the office door and the other men quickly filed out of the room.

"Gabriel and Justin are also good with the babies...they'll be fine."

Mulder frowned sadly, heading for the door. Krycek put his arm across the door preventing him from leaving.

"Fox, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you in front of the other agents. But, you know it drives me crazy when you take careless risks with your own safety! Just don't assume that I'd stand in your way of testing a possible retardant against n'thrals. I would have accompanied you to the police station to test the spray."

"You're right, Alex, you shouldn't have spoken to me like that in front of them. You're compromising my ability to do my job! Damnit, I don't need them to think that I have to have my boyfriend's permission before I can do anything! If you can't separate yourself from being my boyfriend on the job, and start treating me professionally, I'm going to need a new partner!" Mulder snapped.

"Fox, I was wrong. I shouldn't have compromised your authority in front of the men. I'll have a talk with them and tell them that my reaction with inappropriate," Krycek assured. "I just can't help worrying about you, especially when you intentional go around n'thrals," he admitted, knowing that he had overreacted, but he was still upset over the risk Mulder took.

Mulder chewed nervously on his bottom lip. "Alex, I don't know why...but I'm more afraid of n'thrals today than I ever was before. I wanted to find a way to deal with it. I know it was stupid not to take you or Walter with me, but I wanted to try to face my fear on my own."

"Fox, you don't need to face your fears alone! I'm here for you, let me help you! Please, don't shut me out of your life...it's too dangerous for you to do anything by yourself," Krycek pleaded. Closing the door, he trapped Mulder against the office wall.

Mulder stared into Krycek's emerald green eyes, the younger man had his body pressed firmly against his, not allowing him room to move away. The agent raised his hand and caressed the side of the younger man's face as he gently kissed his sensuous lips.

"Alex, you'd think that I'd be used to being totally reliant on you and Walter for my life by now. The fact is I hate it. I want to be independent...I don't like the fear that has crept into my life. Even Joe and Justin are more independent than I am...they don't suffer from sexual withdrawal pains," Mulder grumbled sadly.

"Do you blame me for that, Fox?"

"No. Alex, I love you. I'm happy with our life together, it's only that I miss the freedom I used to have." Mulder wrapped his arms around Krycek's waist and rested his head on the younger man's shoulder.

"I wish I could give you back your independence, my love. I want your happiness as well as your safety," Krycek murmured, hugging Mulder tightly and kissing the side of his neck.

They stayed that way for several minutes until Mulder pulled away. "Do you want to see if Walter is free for lunch?"

"Sure, but he's not going to be too thrilled with us going out of town, especially to Utica, after all of the recent press that city has gotten for their anti-mutant laws," Krycek griped.

"The ACLU is taking them to task for it, too." Mulder opened the door and headed for the elevator, Krycek kept stride beside him.

"Well at least there is one positive aspect of Utica," Krycek replied.

"What?"

"No n'thrals."

The elevator dropped them on Skinner's floor and they wove their way through the bullpen toward the A.D.'s office.

Kimberly was on the telephone when they entered. "Kiss them for me, Tony. I love you, too. Bye," Kimberly murmured into the receiver, placing it back on the hook.

"Hi, Kim. How are your two daughters doing today?" Mulder asked, stopping at her desk.

"Fine, Mulder. It's hard to believe we've already had them for seven weeks. Tony is really amazing with them. We're sorry that he's not able to do as much around the estate as he used to."

"Kim, don't worry about it. Gracie Mari and Emi Mercy are more important than ground maintenance. Although, I haven't noticed that Tony hasn't been doing a good job of it recently," Krycek assured her.

"That's because Rory has been helping him with it." Kim smiled. "Don't tell Rory I told you...he has an image to maintain."

Krycek snickered. "Yeah, he loves playing the lazy freeloader. It used to drive Walter nuts, until he caught on that Rory was really doing a lot of work around the mansion. Now Rory's playing the freeloader for Kazuo's benefit."

Mulder smiled. "Yeah, I'm surprised Kazuo hasn't caught Rory working yet. Kim, does Walter's schedule leave him free for lunch?" he asked.

"Sorry, Mulder, he has a meeting in fifteen minutes. He's free now. I'll let him know you're here," Kim replied.

Skinner's office door opened before she could buzz him. "Fox, Alex, come in," the A.D. said, holding the door open for them.

Mulder walked in and leaned against his lover's desk. "Walter, we have an out of town case. Our plane takes off today at 3:45 p.m. and we're going home early to pack. I thought we'd take the munchkins with us, Kazuo and Joe can watch them until you get home."

"What case are you on?" Skinner asked.

"The Mohawk River killings," Mulder replied.

Skinner's jaw clenched tightly. "Damn! Couldn't Murphy have assigned another profiler to that case?" he snarled. "It's clearly a mutant hate crime! The residents in that area are not going to appreciate having you or Alex in their community. Murphy should have assigned a human team of agents."

"Walter, we can't avoid going into areas of this country just because some people are prejudiced against our kind," Mulder murmured.

"Fox is right, Walter, we can't allow these people's hatred to interfere with our job. I promise we'll be extra careful," Krycek added.

Skinner pulled out his keys tossing them to Mulder. "Here take the truck, I'll get an agent to drive Kim and me home tonight. I expect a telephone call from both of you at least twice a day," he grumbled.

"Only twice?" Krycek smiled, heading for the door.

"I don't want to push my luck. Be careful," Skinner groused.

"Don't worry, Walter, we will be." Mulder kissed him softly then followed Krycek out the door.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Monday, August 3
01:40 p.m.

Mulder dropped his bags on the kitchen counter and grabbed an ice tea from the refrigerator. Hope was strapped into a highchair and Hawk was feeding her pureed carrots.

"Don't worry about your daughters, Mulder. I'll help Walter take good care of them while you and Alex are gone," the young man stated.

"Thanks, Joe. I really appreciate your help. If you have any problems, please, call my cell phone number." Mulder walked over to the highchair and kissed his daughter on the top of her head.

She smiled up at him, slapping her hands excitedly on the highchair's tray, babbling, "dabdabdabdabdab!"

Mulder laughed. "You don't say, sweetheart?"

Krycek walked in carrying Faith. She was laughing at him as he made funny faces at her. "Isn't your daddy a character?" he beamed at her. He then handed Mulder an envelope. "The girls' photos have arrived from the photographer. Fox, would you clip apart the wallet-sized ones so we can take them with us?"

"Sure, Alex. I have frames for the larger ones, I'll go get them."

As Mulder passed the library he saw Sawada in the room, the young major was using the computer. "Hi, Kazuo. Is Shinji working at the Procreation Center today?"

"Yes. MacIver took him there this morning," he grumbled. He did not like Takeda working; he felt it wasn't safe for the younger man to leave the protection of the estate. Allowing Shinji to work was another point of contention he held against the Scotsman. The man should have put his foot down and told Shinji no instead of giving in to the younger man's whims.

"Alex and I are going out of town on a case. I wanted to wish you well on your assignment; I doubt we'll be back before you leave," Mulder said.

"Mulder, I wish you well, too. Please be careful," the major murmured. He didn't understand how Skinner could stand having Mulder out from under his protection.

"I will be," the agent said leaving the room.

In his bedroom, Mulder pulled out the frames for the pictures. He put one of the framed photos on the nightstand on Walter's side of the bed. The agent clipped the wallet sized photographs apart and took two photos of each baby for his and Alex's wallets and one framed photo of both girls together. Looking at his watch, he quickly left the bedroom it was time to leave for the airport.

Utica Monday, August 3
05:30 p.m.

Mulder kept his eyes forward, ignoring the lecherous looks and wolf whistles. Krycek bristled with irritation next to him, shooting angry looks at the crowd. "Fox, you seem to be an exception to this town's hatred of mutants."

"Oh joy," Mulder muttered, shifting his hold on his suitcases, frowning.

More men stopped and stared in awe as the beautiful immortal strolled past them into the hotel. The four agents made sure no one got within touching distance of Mulder.

The agents stopped at the front desk. "We're with the FBI, we have reservations for three adjacent rooms," Sullivan said gruffly.

"Yes, sir, rooms 9
15 , 9
16
, and 9
17
," the desk clerk replied. His eyes were focused on Mulder the whole time as he handed them three keycards. The clerk watched as a handsome, dark haired agent took the key to room 9
16 and passed it to the immortal.

"I need an additional key to room 9
16
," Krycek stated, wrapping his arm possessively around Mulder's slim waist. The clerk passed him another key.

"We should stop and see the sheriff after we unpack," Mulder said, picking up his suitcases and heading for the elevator.

"Agreed. I would like to get this case over with as quickly as possible," Krycek grumbled, looking at the men staring into the hotel's lobby through the windows.

Utica City's Police Department Monday, August 3
06:10 p.m.

Chief Noah Logan combed the thick, gray hair that made him look older than his thirty-seven years. He was the youngest police chief in Utica's long history. Logan had received the news of the FBI agents' arrival in his city and was surprised to find out that Fox Mulder was among them. It had been twelve years since he had last seen Mulder, when they both had been home visiting their families on the Vineyard.

The chief knew all about his friend's mutation, he felt extremely nervous about seeing him again. Logan wasn't sure he could hide his attraction to Mulder like he had in the past. He had realized in high school that he was gay. The hardest part of his teenage years was hiding that fact from his friends and family. He managed to fake it pretty well, he even doubled dated with Mulder a few times. He chuckled, remembering looking over at Mulder's sweet face and wishing they could dump their dates.

There was a knock on his office door. "Chief, the FBI agents are here to see you," Sergeant O'Brien announced.

"Show them in, Sergeant," Logan ordered.

Logan couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips when Mulder walked into his office. He didn't even notice the other two men that had accompanied him. His old friend didn't look any older than his mid-twenties and to describe him as beautiful would have been an understatement. When Mulder smiled at him, he felt his heart skip a beat.

"Noah, it's good to see you again," Mulder murmured, offering his hand to shake.

"Mulder, it's been too long. How have you been?" the sheriff inquired, shaking his hand, but not releasing it.

"Let's just say my life has been interesting lately," the agent smirked, prying his hand free of his friend's sweaty grip.

"Noah Logan, I'd like you to meet Agents Alex Krycek and Don Anderson." As the men exchanged handshakes, Mulder answered Krycek's questioning glare. "Noah and I went to the same high school, we were on the basketball team together and used to double date."

"Maybe we can play a game of pick up while you're here, Mulder, there's a court out back," Logan stated, walking on shaky legs to sit behind his desk.

"It's been a while since I've played, we were talking about putting in a court where I live," Mulder replied.

"Chief, Fox won't have time to play, we'll be too busy solving this case," Krycek grumbled. "So, I suggest we get down to business. It's getting late and I'm sure you must want to get home to your family," he stated harshly, taking the chair next to Mulder.

The chief glared at him. "I have no family to go home to...but you're right it is getting late. I've arranged for two of my detectives to work with you tomorrow." He pulled out several folders and passed them over to Mulder. "Here are the latest reports on the murders. Mulder, there's a new religious group in Utica and the surrounding communities. They preach against homosexual relationships, and they're also extremely prejudiced against mutants."

"Noah, do you think they might be behind the recent murders?"

"I think they are very capable of it...their leader is a zealot in his beliefs, and his followers are growing in numbers...I think there may even be a few on my police force," he stated angrily. "They're calling themselves the Amaranthines."

Mulder's face went white at the name; all of his warning bells were going off. "What is their leader's name? Do you know where they meet?"

"He goes by the name Reverend Xsavior. They meet on his estate it's about thirty miles west of Utica. I've heard rumors that he has a large temple within his mansion where he holds secret ceremonies. His congregation has also taken over the old Catholic church on the north side of the city." Logan finished looking over at Mulder's startled expression.

Krycek also saw Mulder's stunned look. "Fox, what's wrong?"

"I've met Reverend Xsavior...he gave me a lapel pin, it was of an amaranth," he replied.

"I remembered -- you told me about that incident. Do you still have the pin?"

"It's in my office...I have a box that contains all of the presents I've received from deranged lunatics," Mulder admitted, shivering.

"Maybe we should have Walter send it to us, the pin might come in handy. Chief Logan, have you noticed any of the congregation wearing a pin in the shape of small purple flowers?" Krycek asked.

"Yes, I've seen that pin being worn around the city," the chief replied. "Mulder, I don't understand why Reverend Xsavior would give you the pin...he hates mutants."

"Did he mention that he hated immortals or is it just sorcerers, n'thrals, and clairvoyants?" the agent asked softly.

"I don't know, Mulder. I've never been to one of his services. I'm gay, and his followers all know that. They hate gays almost as much as mutants. The Amaranthines believe that two men having sex together is a sin," Logan sighed. "I've received hate mail from them and the man I was seeing at the time couldn't handle the threats, he moved to New York City."

"Noah, I'm sorry to hear that, do they still harass you?"

"No. Not since Frank left me. However, I'm sure they will if I started seeing someone else, but that isn't very likely; most of the open-minded citizens have started moving away from here," the chief murmured. "It's getting late, have any of you eaten dinner, yet?"

"No, we came straight here after we unpacked," Mulder replied.

"Good. I would like to take you and your men out to dinner if it's okay with you, Mulder? There's a nice seafood restaurant across the street," Logan said, looking pleadingly at his old friend.

Before Krycek could object Mulder spoke up. "We'd like that, Noah. We have two other agents standing guard outside your office...I know they love seafood."

Logan beamed happily at his friend. "Good, let's leave then."

St. Petersburg Monday, August 3
08:00 p.m.

"Izumi, would you like some more wine?" Slava offered, nodding to the servant standing at attention. The man came over instantly with the wine bottle.

"Yes, please," the middle aged Japanese artist replied, watching as his glass was filled.

The Tsar sat at the head of the long table in a full dining room. The Cossack held the Japanese artist Masataka Izumi in high regard and had him sitting on his right. The other guests included Slava's top generals and several foreign diplomats including the American ambassador Thomas Carlson.

"Mr. Carlson, I plan on visiting the U.S. in October. I would like to have a reception at my Washington D.C. embassy on October 3
1
. I will provide you with a guest list of the people I would like invited," the Tsar stated.

"Of course, Tsar Nikolai, the U.S. government wishes to make your visit pleasant." The elderly diplomat smiled insincerely. The U.S. was courting Slava's goodwill; most of the world was in turmoil and they needed the Russian alliance to stave off threats from China.

"I expect my lover Fox Mulder to be at the reception and I would like to see him privately on October 13
. You will arrange that meeting for me...I would like to keep it secret, even from Fox," Slava commanded.

"I'll see what I can do, Tsar," Carlson replied, picking nervously at his meal.

The Wharf restaurant Monday, August 3
09:00 p.m.

"Mulder, tell me about your daughters," Logan requested. Leaning back in his chair, he brushed up against Agent Sullivan who sat next to him. The table was covered in newspaper, crab legs and lobster shells filled several coffee tins in the center. All the men were pleasantly full.

"If you'd wipe the butter off your fingers, Noah, I'll show you pictures of my girls," Mulder smiled.

The chief cleaned his hands with a wet wipe and took the photos from his friend. "Mulder, they're beautiful. You and Alex must be really proud." He smiled, holding the two pictures out side-by-side. "Which one is which?"

The waiter came over and started to clear the table. The young man looked over the chief's shoulder at the photos. He felt extremely honored that he had been allowed to serve the immortal and to see photos of God's daughters was an added privilege. He wore an amaranth pin under his jacket.

"This is Hope and the other is Faith." Mulder pointed out. "Faith is Alex's daughter and Hope is Walter's."

"It must have been hard for you both to leave them," Logan said sincerely.

"Extremely," Krycek sighed, looking at his watch. "Fox, we should get back to the hotel...we promised Walter we would call him. Besides, I'm dying to check on the babies."

Mulder smiled softly at him. "You're right, I'm anxious to check on them, too, and to find out how everyone else is doing. Noah, thanks for the meal, it was delicious. I really enjoyed reminiscing about high school."

"Mulder, it was my pleasure...you can't begin to know how lonely it is here." He grinned, licking his lips he met Jack Sullivan's eyes -- the older FBI man smiled back.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Monday, August 3
010:30 p.m.

Skinner tried desperately to get the babies to stop crying. He rocked them, sang to them, made faces at them, but nothing seemed to work. For some reason, they were totally distraught. He glared at the telephone when it rang.

"Skinner!" he growled.

"Nice way to answer the phone, lover," Mulder admonished. Hearing the babies screaming in the background, he became concerned. "Is there something wrong with the munchkins?"

"Fox, they won't stop crying. I was about to call Doctor Carter...I'm at my wits end," Skinner admitted.

"Put me on the speaker, I want to talk to them," Mulder replied.

"Okay, babe." Skinner flipped on the speaker.

"Hey, what's wrong, sweethearts?" Mulder purred softly. "How are my beautiful princesses?"

At the sound of their missing daddy's voice, the babies stopped crying, and looked around for the source of his voice. Krycek put his head against Mulder's so he could speak to them, too. "Mouse, cutie, what's the problem? Be good for daddy Walter, we'll be back as soon as we can."

Hope cooed and kicked her feet at the sound of Krycek's voice. Faith looked puzzled at hearing her father's voice, but not seeing him.

"I think you solved the problem, they missed both of you. I should have realized they'd wonder where you were, we haven't been apart since they were born," Skinner replied. He looked at the two babies. They both seemed to have settled down after hearing their other fathers' voices.

"Fox, Alex, how's the case going?"

"We have a possible lead. There is a new religious group in the area that hates mutants and male sexual relationships. You might recognize the leader, he goes by the name of Reverend Xsavior," Mulder stated.

"That bastard who interrupted our one-month anniversary dinner?" Skinner growled.

"That's him," Mulder replied. "Walter, I need you to send us that pin he gave me...it's in an old steamer trunk up in my office.

"Sure, Fox. Please, be careful, I wasn't able to read that man. There was something about him that makes me nervous."

"Don't worry, Walter, we will be. Kiss the babies good night for us, we're going to turn in," Krycek said.

"I love you, Walter, see you soon," Mulder murmured, disconnecting.

After Skinner placed the telephone down the babies started crying again. He looked at them with exasperation. Walking over to the laundry hamper he pulled out Mulder's old, soft sweatshirt. He gently lifted the babies out of the way so he could spread the shirt on the bottom of the crib, fastening the sleeves under the mattress so the babies wouldn't get tangled in them. He placed the crying babies back down on top of the sweatshirt and they immediately stopped crying. "I didn't make assistant director for nothing," Skinner quipped. Turning off the lights, he tiredly walked out of the nursery and climbed into bed, falling asleep instantly.

Mulder climbed into bed next to Krycek and hugged him. "Alex, this case worries me...there is something evil going on here."

"Don't worry, Fox, I'll protect you," he replied, kissing the agent tenderly.

"But who will protect you, my love?" Mulder sighed against his lips.

Mulder startled awake, he had been feeling strange for the past month. He looked up at the ceiling, watching as neon patterns of light danced across it from lights outside the hotel room window. Krycek had his arm wrapped across Mulder's chest and his head rested on his shoulder. The older man gently lifted his lover's arm off and crawled out of bed. He walked naked into the bathroom, flipping on the light switch, he squinted against the bright glare. After relieving his bladder, he stood in front of the full-length mirror he looked the same as he had for the past sixteen months. However, there was something wrong with him, he had a weird feeling in his belly and at the area around his navel.

Caressing a hand over his belly, he touched an index finger to his bellybutton and pushed. Mulder gasped as his finger slipped inside of him. There was no pain. He looked down and examined the area as he pulled his finger free, his navel looked perfectly normal. Pushing his finger back in, he moaned as waves of pleasure raced throughout his body. His cock became instantly erect.

"Damn!" he swore, pulling his finger out. He stumbled over to the sink and splashed cold water on his face as terror gripped him, causing him to lose his erection. He wasn't sure what was happening.

"Fox, whatsamatter?" Krycek slurred, stumbling into the room.

"Nothing, Alex. Go back to bed. I just have an upset stomach...I shouldn't have used so much Tabasco sauce on the shrimp during dinner." He smiled weakly.

Krycek walked over to the toilet bowl and emptied his bladder. "I warned you to go easy on that stuff," he murmured.

"Well, I guess I should have listened to you, love," Mulder replied, heading back into the bedroom, he climbed under the covers. When they returned to D.C. he would have Doctor Harris run some test on him to confirm what was happening to his body. Mulder's thoughts turned to Shinji, he wondered if his friend was experiencing the same change.

Krycek came back and snuggled up against him. "Fox, tell me?"

"I...I was thinking about why the aliens engineered the mutations . .. . I was trying to figure out what the purpose was. I have a theory on all except ours," he replied. Feeling it was too soon to tell his lover about the new changes his body was going through. He hated keeping another secret from Alex and Walter, but he didn't know how they would react.

"Do you want to tell me what your theory is?" Krycek ran a hand down Mulder's body, but the agent grabbed it before it reached his belly. He brought Krycek's hand up to his mouth and tenderly kissed and licked each finger.

Holding his lover's hand securely, he explained. "I think n'thrals were meant to be used as laborers, to do any mindless dirty jobs the aliens needed done. Ghouls are your scavengers, picking off the weak and sick. Clairvoyants would have been used as a police force finding any resistance or threats against the aliens."

"Couldn't the Grays have used sorcerers for that?" Krycek asked, nesting closer, he knew there was something deeply troubling Mulder.

"Alex, I don't understand why the Grays created the sorcerer mutation. Your powers are too great, you could easily destroy them. Chip implants could easily control any clairvoyant, including Frohike, but they wouldn't control a sorcerer; you could easily destroy the chip. The power-cuff defeats the purpose of the mutation."

"Do you have any theory on immortals?"

Mulder sighed. It was very tempting to tell Alex his suspicions. Instead he merely turned on his side, resting his hand over his belly. "No. Let's try to get some sleep, love."

"Not just yet, Fox." Krycek spooned behind him, placing a hand on his hip. "Could it have been possible that the aliens knew before hand who the immortals were going to be? If so, it could explain a lot."

"What do you mean, Alex?"

"There was a no kill order on you by the consortium. I thought at first it was because of your father...but after his death it was still in effect," Krycek replied.

"That smoking bastard was really my father, it was probably because of him."

"I thought of that. However, it was still enforced even during the period of time he was presumed dead. Fox, I think the order came from the Grays. I believe immortals were vital to their plans, look at the recent threat we've had from the morph."

Mulder stiffened. "Do you have a theory why?"

"No...I wish I did."

Mulder shivered, he had his own theory and it scared the hell out of him. There was no way he could tell his lovers what it was when he didn't want to believe it himself.

Amaranthine Compound Tuesday, August 3
1
5:10 a.m.

After three long weeks, the withdrawal pains had finally run their course. Hans Schatz huddled fearfully against the headboard of the bed. He was in a posh bedroom that he had been his prison for the past four months. He had been abducted in Miami after he and his friends arrived in the U.S. from Argentina in hopes of a safer life. They had helped him escaped from an evil n'thral warlord. They heard about a church providing shelter and aid to illegal immigrants. The church's clergy were the ones that imprisoned him.

Since then, he had been forced to have sex during elaborate ceremonies. Afterwards, he was pampered, bathed twice daily, and tenderly held throughout his agonizing withdrawal pains.

It was the same cycle: forced sex, three weeks of withdrawal pains, one week with no pain, and then it started all over again. He felt fine now, that meant he had a week before he would be forced to have sex again then suffer miserably for another three weeks. Schatz never saw the men that were forced to rape him again -- he wondered what had become of them.

The immortal prayed to be rescued, he could not bear another month of agony. He hated Reverend Xsavior! Now that man even invaded his dreams.

The bedroom door opened and a large man carrying a tray entered followed by the reverend. "You're feeling better, Hans?" Xsavior asked. "Come, you can eat outside on the veranda, the fresh air will do you good." The reverend stared compassionately at the immortal. Hans Schatz was wrapped in a silken white robe, his skin was very pale and he was too thin. Even so, he was still breathtakingly beautiful; he had high cheekbones, a straight nose, and full lips. His thick honey-blonde hair flowed past his shoulders and he had the most stunning blue eyes.

"Letting me go would improve my health even more," Schatz replied huskily. His voice was still sore from weeks of screaming.

"Don't be obstinate, Hans! Now up with you or would you prefer being carried?"

The young immortal sighed. Knowing it was useless to argue with the man, he climbed out of bed and followed him out the door.

Schatz sat on the cushioned patio chair looking out over the grounds form the veranda that was two stories above the ground with no way down. He reached out and picked up the glass of cold orange juice sipping it slowly.

A man stepped out onto the veranda carrying a cell-phone. "Reverend, Dr. Chung is on the phone for you, he says it is an emergency."

Xsavior took the phone and walked over to the far corner of the veranda. Schatz listened in trying to follower the one way conversation.

Doctor Chung paced nervously around his lab, he passed four growth cylinders with tiny embryos growing in them. He stopped in front of two dozen more cylinders that had only been install two days ago. "Reverend, the semen you sent us yesterday from Hans Schatz is no longer compatible with the stored semen from Jones, Lefevre, and Lopez."

"What do you mean it's no longer compatible, Doctor?" Xsavior snapped.

"I have a theory, Reverend. We were able to use the semen right away from Jones and Lefevre to conceive the four female embryos we have. The semen we used from Schatz was before he went through withdrawal, ridding his body of its physical bond with Jones and then Lefervre." The doctor walked back over to the cylinders and looked at the fetuses in different stages of development. "We didn't have the new growth cylinders installed until yesterday."

"Doctor, Hans just finished going through withdrawal symptoms yesterday. So what you're saying is that it makes Lopez's semen useless, too. Damn! Why was this only discovered now? If I had known about this sooner I would never have sacrificed those three sorcerers." Xsavior paced back in forth deep in thought.

"Reverend, this whole area of science is new to us. All of the immortals with sorcerer lovers are still with them. They've never gone completely through withdrawal to rid bodies of its physical bond to the men," the doctor interjected.

"Very well, Doctor. I need to find a new sorcerer before the next new moon...and I will not make the mistake of killing him!"

Hans shivered as he pieced together what he could hear of the conversation.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Tuesday, August 3
1
6:00 a.m.

Skinner spooned a teaspoon of warm rice cereal into his baby daughter's mouth. Hope really seemed to like the cereal; she opened her mouth wide for another spoonful. He wiped some of he dribble from her chin as she grinned toothlessly up at him.

"Gee!" she squealed and opened her mouth wide.

"Gee!" Skinner exclaimed back at her, causing Hope to laugh delightedly. Skinner beamed and stroked her cheek; she really was a treasure.

Joseph Shadow Hawk had woken up early to help Skinner with the babies. He sat with Faith feeding her a bottle. Faith was still too young for anything but formula, although she was eyeing Hope's cereal closely. "It won't be too much longer, cutie, and you'll be eating cereal, too," Hawk murmured to the baby.

"Thanks for helping me with the babies, Joe," Skinner said sincerely.

"No problem. Do you know how long Mulder and Alex will be out of town?"

"No. But, it sounds like they may have a good lead, so I'm hoping they'll be able to wrap it up quickly." Skinner wiped a damp cloth over Hope's face and hands then took the bib off. "C'mon, angel, daddy's going to change your diaper, then we'll put on a pretty outfit for you to wear to daycare."

"Walter, can I ask you a question?" Hawk set the bottle aside, swinging the baby up in the air -- Faith squealed happily.

"Sure, Joe."

"How come Mulder was able to go out of town on a case? I thought all of us immortals were under government protection," the Native American inquired.

"I obtained special permission for him to go on cases as long as there are four other FBI agents along to protect him."

"Do you think you could get me special permission to go to Quantico? I have a degree in law and I worked part time at the police station on the reservation," Hawk asked.

"Joe, if that is what you want...I'll see what I can do, but don't get your hopes up," Skinner replied. "I'll bring home an application for you to fill out, and you'll have to take an admissions test."

Utica Tuesday, August 3
1
10:00 a.m.

Detectives Luke Cameron and Garrett Mackenzie pulled up in front of the Blessed Amaranthine's church on the north side of the city, and the FBI's SUV pulled up behind them. Mulder climbed out and stared up at the recently remodeled old church. The old stained-glass had been replaced with new scenes depicted the recent alien attack and the deaths of earth's females. The agent walked around the building to view the rest of the windows, he stopped in his tracks when he saw the last stained-glass window. It was of him, holding a little girl in his arms and at his feet hugging his legs were two more little girls.

Detective Cameron came up next to him. "They must have just installed that window, it wasn't there two days ago. Not a bad likeness though, Agent Mulder."

Several men came out of the church and started gathering around Mulder. Krycek quickly rushed to his side, putting up a barrier around him as one of the men reached out to touch the agent.

"Well at least that answered the question I had about how they felt about immortals," Mulder stated, backing away from the men.

Several of the men glared menacingly at Krycek who had exposed himself as being a sorcerer. The blue light danced around his body as he circled an arm around Mulder's waist protectively. "Stay back and no one will be hurt," he threatened.

"We don't allow your kind in our town, Demon! Remove your foul touch from God's angel!" One man growled stepping forward.

Krycek pointed a finger at him and the man was lifted off the ground, hanging suspended.

"Let go of me Satan's spawn!" he shrieked.

Mulder watched as the crowd grew larger and the men started to circle around them. The other agents pulled their guns, staying between Mulder and the growing crowd.

"We're with the FBI." Mulder pulled out his badge. "We need information involving a recent series of murders we're investigating," he pleaded. Mulder knew Krycek would be able to protect him from the angry crowd, but he wanted to avoid his lover injuring anyone.

"STOP!" A small man in a flowing purple robe stepped forward, he appeared to be of East Indian decent. The crowd parted allowing him through. "Fox Mulder, it is an extreme honor to be blessed with your presence at our humble church. Excuse our church members, they were only trying to protect you from Satan's son." The man stared pointedly at Krycek.

"Agent Krycek is no more a son of Satan than I am!" Mulder replied hotly.

"Your innocence is understandable. It is well known that God has blinded his immortal angels from seeing evil. He has given us that responsibility for you," the priest replied.

"Look, Mr.?" Mulder paused.

"Reverend Khaled," the man offered.

"Reverend Khaled, I would like to ask you some questions about the Mohawk River murders. We can do it here or down at the police station," Mulder replied.

"Whatever you wish, blessed one. However, the church cannot be fouled by his presence." The reverend nodded at Krycek.

"Fine, we'll go to the police station then. But, if you don't mind I would like Agents Anderson and Pipino to stay here and have a look around your church," Mulder growled, irritated.

"I have no objections to their presence as long as they are humans," he murmured.

Mulder rolled his eyes in disgust. He purposely leaned against Krycek and kissed him softly on the lips. Something they never did while on duty with other people present. He got the satisfactory muttering of anger from the crowd.

"Reverend, you may ride with Detectives Cameron and Mackenzie," Mulder stated, lacing his fingers with Krycek's, he headed toward their truck with Agent Sullivan.

"Mulder, that wasn't very nice," Sullivan grinned. "You know the A.D. would have a fit if he found out that you assigned part of your security detail to search the church."

"Are you going to tell him, Jack?" Krycek asked, holding open the car door for Mulder.

"That depends on Agent Mulder," the man replied.

"Dinner?" Mulder asked.

"You know me too well, Mulder," Sullivan drawled, smiling brightly.

"Fox, it sounds like you and Jack have done this before." Krycek looked pointedly at both men.

"It's a cheap price to pay for getting away with some innocent things, Alex," Mulder replied. "Jack, do you mind if you, Vinny, Don, and the boys come over to the estate for dinner this time. It's almost impossible for me to get away in the evening with the babies and the new restrictions."

"No, if you can think up an excuse that would satisfy the A.D. Besides, Vinny's kids love the game room at your estate," the older man replied.

"I can't believe you two...if Walter finds out he'll be furious!" Krycek exclaimed.

"Alex, how would Walter find out?" Mulder purred, placing a hand on the younger man's groin and squeezing softly.

"Not from me...I'm no snitch," he squeaked as Sullivan pulled up in front of the police station.

Thirty-five minutes later Mulder was growing more, and more, disgusted. Reverend Khaled was spewing all sorts of religious rhetoric and not answering any of his questions.

"Reverend, I'll ask you again, have you ever seen any of these three men?" Mulder spread the photos out in front of the reverend.

"Jose Lopez was in our congregation until he was touched by Satan," the reverend replied sadly.

"You mean he mutated into a sorcerer. Reverend, what happened to Mr. Lopez?"

"He was excommunicated. It broke his father's heart that his son fell under the control of the devil. He requested that we perform an exorcism on the boy."

"Did you?"

"No. There is only one way to save the boy's soul and return him to god, and that would have involved killing him. The Amaranthines are not a violent religion we would never take a life, even one as evil as a sorcerer. That is God's responsibility."

"Reverend Khaled, how exactly would someone go about saving a sorcerer's soul?" Mulder asked.

"The demon possessing him would have to be weakened first. It would be given very little food and sleep. The demon would be forced to suffer pain as a means to encourage it to leave. At the end of that time the man would be returned to God's hands."

"How would he be returned to God's hands?" Mulder looked over at Krycek, who was standing by the door. The younger agent had an angry look on his handsome face.

"After his purification, he would be sacrificed during the full moon then placed upon the water at dawn. The devil fears the water so he would not be able to reclaim the sorcerer's soul before it returns to God," Khaled spoke softly.

"Reverend, you possess a lot of knowledge for someone who doesn't practice this belief," Mulder replied.

"Blessed one, we are schooled in all aspects of our religion -- even areas we do not practice. We are especially schooled in how to protect ourselves from mutants. The Amaranthines spend long hours learning how to shield our thoughts from the evil sorcerers and clairvoyant devils."

"Do you have any literature on your religion?" Mulder asked, leaning back in his chair, he glanced at his watch.

"Of course, if you come back to the church with me, I will retrieve it for you."

"That won't be possible. Reverend, can anyone at the church give the material to Agent Anderson?" The agent pulled out his cell-phone.

"Yes, Brother O'Connell can get it for him," Khaled replied disappointedly.

After they had arranged for Agent Anderson to collect the literature from the church, Mulder dismissed the reverend. "Thank you for your time, Reverend Khaled."

"If you need anything else, Blessed One, just ask." The reverend bowed and left the room.

Amaranthine Compound Tuesday, August 3
1
3:00 p.m.

Two people sat in the opulent living room at the sprawling estate. The first was Hans Schatz who was curled up in a plush armchair; he glared with hatred at Reverend Xsavior who sat across from him sipping a cup of tea. The door flew open and a small man rushed into the room, he was one of the many religious zealots that followed Xsavior's preaching.

"Reverend Xsavior, God's first and most beloved angel is in Utica," the man gasped out breathlessly. He turned respectfully toward Hans Schatz and bowed deeply. "Blessed One."

"That is excellent news, Brother Barnabas," the reverend smiled pleasantly, looking over at Schatz. "You will soon be united with your brother, Hans. Unfortunately, Fox will not be able to stay with us just yet. He is being too closely guarded by our enemies, but once the Amaranthines numbers are greater we will take Fox from them."

"I don't understand who you are talking about -- I have no brothers," Schatz sighed.

"You have twenty-two brothers, Hans. They are from nearly every continent on earth. At first there were twenty-five of them, but evil men killed two of your brothers, and the other one was abducted by aliens. We have records on all of God's blessed immortals -- most are being held against their wills as sexual slaves of n'thrals and sorcerers. In time we will rescue them from the evil mutants holding them."

"HA! I'd rather be back in Argentina with the n'thral warlord that held me prisoner than here with you!" Schatz snapped angrily.

"Hans, you and your brothers were sent to earth by God for only one purpose and that is to repopulate this planet with females. While sorcerers are wicked creatures, they are necessary in procreating females with you. N'thrals have no redeeming qualities whatsoever . .. . they are an abomination!" Xsavior stood and walked over to the door, opening it, he called to the guards waiting outside.

"Return the Blessed One to his room, he is feeling tired. Have him bathed and put to bed," he advised the guards.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Wednesday, September 1
7:00 a.m.

Shinji Takeda cuddled deeper into Sawada's strong arms. "Kazuo, I'm going to miss you, please be careful."

The older man hugged him closely. "Shin, don't worry, you've given me something to come back to. I love you so much, I really hate the thought of being apart from you."

"Then why don't you resign? You can find other work in this country," Takeda stated.

"Shin, it's not that simple. Japan needs me...I have a duty to her." He kissed his young lover's forehead. "Come, let's get up...my flight leaves at noon."

"We still have five hours," Takeda whined.

"It's going to take me an hour to get to the airport. Plus, I want to stop at the Procreation Center to see our daughters," the major replied, heading into the bathroom.

"Why? We're not keeping any of them -- they're all being adopted by families back in Japan," the young immortal commented, stepping into the shower to join his lover.

"Shinji, love,...I...I asked our government to let me have one of our daughters to raise. I know you don't want the responsibility and I promise to do all the work. I don't want you to feel any obligations toward her...she's solely my responsibility." Sawada looked sheepishly at his lover.

"Kazuo, if she's under our roof then she's everyone's responsibility, not only yours! How could you make such a decision without even talking to me about it? What about the family...what is Walter going to think about having another baby under his roof?" Takeda raised voice echoed in the shower.

"Walter thought it was an excellent idea. He told me not to worry about her care when I'm out of town on assignments...he'd see to it that she receives the same love and attention that his daughter does. Walter understands the importance of a family, Shinji," the major countered gently.

"Oh, you went behind my back...you couldn't even discuss it with me first," the younger man gasped, hurt.

"Shin, you already made your feelings on the subject known. But, I want a child...I want our child. Please, try to understand! I don't expect you to be attached to her or even care for her. She's a part of me...you can consider it selfish on my part, only please don't be angry with me," he begged, pulling the younger man into his arms.

"How did you choose her? They have fifty of our offspring in those cylinders," Takeda asked. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared down at his feet.

"I picked the infant in cylinder eight, since we first made love on June 8
. She is the symbol of our love for each other," the major murmured. Lifting up the younger man's chin, he planted a kiss on his lips. "Don't hate me because of it."

"I could never hate you, Kazuo, you are my heart...I love you. I just don't like you very much right now," Takeda whispered. He attempted to leave the shower.

"Shinji," the major sighed, grabbing the young man's arm, pulling him into an embrace. "I really want to have this child, please, try to understand," he begged.

"Kazuo, we will discuss this further when you get home from your mission. I don't want you to think you can make decisions behind my back," the younger man admonished angrily, pulling away he stepped out of the shower.

Room 916
Wednesday, September 1
8:00 a.m.

Mulder buckled his belt and adjusted the gun at his left hip, concealing it underneath his suit coat. He smiled at Krycek who came out of the bathroom. "I'm starving, do you want to chance the hotel's restaurant or should we opt for room service?"

"They have a breakfast buffet in the dining room, let's do that." Krycek hugged Mulder's slim body from behind. "Besides, I think you could use the added calories...you seemed to have lost some weight in the past month," he murmured, concerned.

"Life's been a bit hectic lately between work and the babies, I'm constantly busy. And I don't have magic powers to do it for me, unlike some people," Mulder smirked.

"Fox, I think Walter and I should take some of the responsibilities off your shoulders. I don't like seeing you lose weight. It's not healthy," he replied.

"Alex, I'm fine...I don't want you coddling me." Mulder walked over and knocked on the connecting door. Agent Anderson answered.

"Don, Alex and I are going down to the dining room for breakfast, are you ready?" Mulder asked.

"Yeah, let me ring Vinny and Jack's room," Anderson replied, picking up the telephone.

Mulder felt Krycek's concerned eyes following him. "Alex, really, I'm all right...don't worry."

"I'll always worry where you're concerned, lover," Krycek replied, hugging him tightly and breathing in his lover's delicious scent.

After breakfast, they made their way back to the police station. The sergeant at the front desk informed them that Chief Logan wanted to see them when they arrived.

"Mulder, I got the search warrant for Xsavior's estate. I was rather surprised the judge signed it; we really didn't have enough evidence to back it up, yet." Logan passed the paper to Mulder. "There is something fishy going on here...I don't think you should go in with only four agents. I'll assign a team of my men to you."

"Fox, I think the chief is right, this is too easy," Krycek replied.

"We'll just have to be extra cautious then. Noah, I want to have a talk with Carlos Lopez first, can you have him brought in for questioning?" Mulder asked, pacing the office.

"I'll send two officers to pick him up." Logan picked up his telephone and arranged for Lopez to be brought down to the station.

Mulder turned to Krycek. "Alex, why don't you take Noah's men and start searching the estate...I'll join you later."

"Fox, I don't think it's wise for us to separate," Krycek replied.

"Alex, don't worry, Sullivan and Pipino will be with me. As soon as we're done interviewing Lopez we'll join you and Anderson at the estate," Mulder murmured reassuringly.

"Okay, Fox. Chief, I would like to get started right away, can you get your team together?" Krycek headed for the door, waiting for Logan to proceed him out.

Logan turned to Mulder first. "Mulder, I'm leaving Detectives Cameron and Mackenzie with you, they'll drive you out to the Estate
when you're ready."

Mulder nodded vaguely in agreement, he was deeply lost in thought and didn't notice the worried look on his lover's face. Outside the office Krycek turned to Agent Sullivan. "Jack, take care of him for me...don't let him do anything reckless."

"Don't worry, Alex. Vinny and I won't let anything happen to him," Sullivan stated reassuringly.

"Thanks," Krycek replied. Turning he followed Agent Anderson and the chief of police to the elevator.

Amaranthine Compound Wednesday, September 1
10:30 a.m.

Four police vans pulled up to the gates of Reverend Xsavior's estate. As the officers and FBI agents climbed out, Krycek noted all of the tents and shacks outside of the gates and hundreds of men milling around. It reminded him of the Northridge Research Facility where a ramshackle tent city had been erected outside of the facility housing earth's surviving females.

A group of men approached the gate, coming from the mansion. They were dressed in robes and carried rifles. "What do you want, Demon?" the leader asked Krycek.

"We have a warrant to search this property," Krycek snarled, passing the paper through the gate to the man.

"You're not welcome on this property, Demon," the man said, tearing the paper in half. A small mob started surrounding Krycek, Agent Anderson, Chief Logan, and the ten police officers.

Krycek glared at the men then started to gather his powers to strike.

"Brother Barnabas, stand aside," Xsavior commanded as he stepped passed his men. "Agent Krycek, you and your men have my permission to search the estate." He nodded to one of his men and the man unlocked the gate pulling it open.

Krycek stared into the reverend's dark eyes; he shuddered at the menace in them, they reminded him of a snake ready to strike. He tried to read the man's mind but was unable to. "Agent Anderson, take four of the officers and start searching the grounds. I'll search the mansion with the chief and his men," Krycek ordered, taking control of the search.

An hour later, Krycek stopped in front of a pair of locked, intricately carved wooden doors. Two Utica police officers flanked him as he reached a hand toward the doorknobs and flung the doors open. They walked into a large temple; the room was almost round in shape with twenty corners. Directly across the room from the door stood a life-sized statue of his lover on a raised pedestal, in the arms of the statue was a baby that was the spitting image of Hope.

Krycek walked up to the statue staring at it in amazement; he glanced over at the other statues. One was of Shinji Takeda. The sound of the wooden doors slamming closed startled him. Almost immediately he felt light-headed; turning, he was shocked to see over fifty robed and hooded figures. The mob parted and the body of Agent Anderson was dumped on the floor.

Blind rage tore through the triple agent's body; he tried to pull the energy around him to strike out at the hooded figures, but found himself sinking to his knees. Krycek held his head as throbbing pain exploded behind his eyes.

"Chain him," Xsavior ordered.

Two men stepped forward attempting to grab Krycek, the agent struck out blindly at them killing one instantly by striking the man's nose and driving the bone through his brain. He drove his elbow into the other man's groin, disabling him. Krycek managed to free his gun and level it at several more men that had rushed toward him.

"Stop!" Reverend Xsavior commanded.

The men backed away from Krycek, and he shakily regained his feet.

A badly beaten Noah Logan was dragged into view, and Xsavior raised a gun to the Chief's head. "Demon, surrender or he dies."

Krycek looked into the Chief's fear-filled eyes and tossed his gun on the floor. He allowed two men to drag him over between two pillars. They chained his arms and legs to each pillar, stretching him between them, with his back facing the room.

A cultist pulled a lever on the wall and a trapdoor was raised up from the marble floor revealing a dark hole. A foul stench of decay and death rose out of the hole. Krycek watched over his shoulder as four men carried the bodies of the dead cultist and Agent Anderson to the hole and tossed them through it, there was a loud splash several seconds later when the bodies hit bottom.

Chief Logan was dragged over to the opening. "Please, don't!" he cried out as he was thrown down the dark, smelly hole.

"You bastards!" Krycek shouted, pulling uselessly on the chains binding him, bruising his wrists. He looked over his shoulder and watched helplessly as the trapdoor was lowered over the hole sealing off Logan's screams for help.

A shudder ran down Krycek's spine at the sound of the door banging shut. "What did you do with the other police officers?" he asked angrily.

"The ones that aren't members of my church are locked up. They will be given a choice of becoming followers of the church or death." Xsavior walked around the pillar to stand in front of Krycek. "Aren't you wondering why you're not able to use your powers or what I have planned for you?" he asked. Reaching out a hand, the reverend removed his prisoner's tie.

"I'm an FBI agent! You will never get away with this!" Krycek glared.

"Of course I will...as far as anyone will be concerned you are dead. Officers Jenkins, Savage, O'Ryan, Moran, and Toma will be reporting your death back to the FBI. Unfortunately, you were killed by the same serial killer you came to find, he disposed of your body along with Agent Anderson and Chief Logan by burning them, then tossing the ashes into the Mohawk River." He smiled.

"They will never believe that!" Krycek snarled.

"Why wouldn't they? The police captured the killer and he confessed to killing you, Agent Anderson, and Chief Logan," the reverend murmured, unbuttoning Krycek's shirt.

"You're fooling yourself, Xsavior." Krycek pulled on the restraints, trying to move away from the reverend's hands.

"This room was designed to prevent you from using your powers, it works similarly to the power-dampening ankle cuff." Xsavior nodded to one of his men who came over with a knife and started cutting away Krycek's clothing.

"What are you going to do with me?"

"We discovered a problem with procreating female babies," the reverend murmured.

The reverend stepped back and watched as the agent's body was revealed. "We knew that the immortal's sperm could only be stored seventy-two hours. But, we discovered two days ago, that a sorcerer's sperm is no longer compatible with an immortal's sperm after the immortal has gone through withdrawal symptoms. The sperm we had stored from Franklin Jones, Zachary Lefevre, and Jose Lopez is now useless." Xsavior ran his hand over Krycek's exposed flesh.

The reverend admired Krycek's toned muscular body. "You and Hans will produce some beautiful baby girls together."

The agent shrank away from his touch. "What do you mean? Are you holding an immortal captive here?" Krycek asked, surprised. He wanted to find out more about the immortal's withdrawal symptoms.

"One of God's chosen has turned himself over to us. After we purify you, Demon, you'll be allowed to bond with him." Xsavior walked behind his prisoner and took a whip from one of his men. "The new moon is a week from tomorrow, by that time, your soul will have been cleansed of the evil possessing it."

"You'll never get away with this! Agent Mulder will never buy your story," Krycek snarled. He then shrieked as the whip made contact with his back.

"It doesn't matter, Demon, he will not be able to find anything. This room will prevent him from making contact with you. In addition, within two weeks the facility for housing this nation's immortals will be ready and Fox will be confined there. He will not be allowed to interfere again, the Blessed One will be too busy performing his God given duty." Xsavior brought the whip down again across the agent's smooth back raising another welt and drawing blood.

"Fuck you! Touch him and I'll kill you!" Krycek growled, clenching his teeth against the severe pain.

Earlier Utica City's Police Department Wednesday, September 1
Noon

"Please, Mr. Lopez, get up off the floor," Mulder sighed with exasperation at the man prostrating himself at his feet. The man rose, but kept his eyes lowered. "You may make eye contact with me, it won't hurt you."

"No, Blessed One, it is forbidden for any of us lowly followers to look upon your beauty," the man replied sincerely.

"By whom?"

"The Amaranthine clergy," Lopez replied. He sat in the chair across from Mulder, but never raised his eyes off the surface of the table.

"Mr. Lopez, I read the literature from your church and I can guarantee you that I was not sent here by God to save the world," Mulder stated. "I'm as..." He sighed, "I'm human, like you."

"Blessed One, you are not human...you're God's angel."

Mulder sighed and gave up on trying to convince the older man that he wasn't sent by God. "Mr. Lopez, I want to ask you about Jose."

"My son is with God now," Lopez stated.

"Who murdered your son?" Mulder asked.

"Jose wasn't murdered...he was saved." Lopez smiled softly. "He died so his daughter, my granddaughters will be born without sin."

Mulder kept the surprise from showing on his face. "Mr. Lopez, tell me about your granddaughters' immortal father."

"I've been told that he is very beautiful, he lives at the estate with Reverend Xsavior," the older man replied.

"You never saw him?"

"It's forbidden, only the clergy may look upon him. Blessed One, you shouldn't be walking around among us common men. The Reverend would offer you protection and a comfortable place to live."

"Mr. Lopez, was it Reverend Xsavior that saved you son's soul?"

"Yes, he is a very holy man."

Mulder stood suddenly and left the room. He pulled out his cell-phone and punched in his lover's number. "C'mon, Alex, pick up," he muttered. Mulder cried out and fell to his knees as a sharp pain lashed across his back.

Agent Sullivan rushed over. "Mulder, what's wrong?"

"We need to get out to the estate, Alex is in trouble," Mulder gasped as he felt another sharp lashing pain across his back.

Sullivan helped Mulder to his feet. "Mulder, I'll call the nearest field office for backup."

"Jack, we don't have time we have to get to him now!" Mulder exclaimed, heading for the office door.

Pipino stepped in front of Mulder preventing him from leaving. "We'll call for backup first, then we'll head out to the estate. Mulder, the field office is sixty-five miles away in the opposite direction. They'll arrive at least forty-five minutes after we arrive there."

Mulder glared at the older man and listened impatiently for Sullivan to finish his call to the field office. He tried to block out the pain, knowing he was feeling the pain his lover was in. The link he shared with Krycek was stronger than ever, but he was unable to make telepathic contact -- something was blocking him.

"All's set, let's roll," Sullivan hastily replied, disconnecting the call. "C'mon, Mulder, shake a leg," he said rushing out of the office.

Mulder quickly followed, Pipino was right behind him. On the main floor, Detectives Cameron and Mackenzie intercepted them. "What's going on?"

"There's trouble out at the estate," Pipino informed them, opening the outside door.

"What trouble?" Cameron asked as he and his partner followed the three FBI agents out of the police station.

Mulder bit his lip and everyone noticed the agony in his bright hazel eyes. He quickly climbed into the back of the SUV, slumping in pain against the door.

"There's no time to explain!" Sullivan shouted as he climbed in the driver's seat. Pipino sat in the back next to Mulder trying to comfort him. The two detectives got in their car and followed the FBI agents the thirty miles out to the estate.

Hoover Building
Wednesday, September 1
12:40 p.m.

"Skinner!" the A.D. barked into his speakerphone.

"Sir, Agent Pipino here." The middle-aged agent brushed the bangs out of Mulder's pain-filled eyes as he shifted the cell-phone to a more comfortable position.

"Agent, what's wrong?" Skinner sat up straight in his chair, feeling his lover's pain through the telephone connection.

"We're on our way out to Reverend Xsavior's estate. Agent Mulder says that Agent Krycek is being brutally beaten, he is experiencing the pain that Agent Krycek is suffering."

"Agent Pipino, how many men are in your rescue team?" Skinner barked.

"Ah, Agent Sullivan, two Utica detectives, and Agent Mulder. We have a backup team coming from the closest field office," Pipino murmured.

"Do not attempt rescue until backup arrives! I'm leaving immediately by helicopter!" Skinner disconnected.

Skinner flipped the switch on his intercom. "Kim, inform Agent Davis that I need him to fly me to Utica."

He then contacted Agent Gabriel Hunter at his estate and asked him to come immediately to the Hoover Building with Joseph Shadow Hawk and retrieve Hope and Faith. He placed MacIver in charge of protecting Blaise and Takeda.

"Sir, Agent Davis is waiting for you at the helicopter pad," Kimberly replied.

"Thank you, Kimberly." Skinner disconnected. He grabbed his coat and rushed out of the office.

Amaranthine Compound Wednesday, September 1
1:00 p.m.

Krycek was unconscious; his back was covered in blood and welts. The temple doors opened and Hans Schatz was escorted into the room. The cult members all bowed respectfully toward the immortal. Schatz's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the severely beaten man chained naked between two pillars.

"Blessed One, step around to the front of the demon, I wish him to take in your beauty," Xsavior commanded.

"What have you done to him? You've beaten him unconscious!" Schatz snarled his anger at the Amaranthines. "How can you treat a fellow human being this way?"

"Hans, this man is not human. Stand closer to him," the reverend advised.

The Argentinean glared at him, but stepped forward wanting to comfort the injured man. He reached out his hand to touch Krycek's face.

"Stop! No touching...he has not been purified yet!" Xsavior's bark made the young immortal jump back.

Krycek began to stir from his stupor, awakened by the scent coming from the immortal. "Fox?" he groaned.

"Alex!" Mulder stared at the closed gate to the estate and the milling men that gathered around their truck. "Sullivan, ram the gates, we have to get to Alex immediately!"

"Mulder, A.D. Skinner told us to wait for backup to arrive from the field office."

"Jack, by then it will be too late!" Mulder closed his eyes as an image appeared in front of them. "Noah doesn't have much time left . .. . he'll be dead before backup arrives. We need to get to him now!"

"Fuck!" Sullivan shifted the vehicle into gear and rammed through the locked gates. The older agent had had dinner alone with Noah Logan last night he was attracted to the younger man.

The truck screeched to a stop in front of the large mansion as the FBI agents jumped out. Detectives Cameron and Mackenzie pulled up beside them, drawing their guns as they climbed out of their car.

"Where to, Mulder?" Pipino asked, scanning the area around the mansion for any threats.

"There's a temple in the center of the mansion...Alex is there. I still can't communicate telepathically with him," Mulder murmured, heading into the opulent home.

The hallways of the large building were completely deserted. "Don't worry, everyone is in the temple. Don't ask me how I know, but they're not expecting us, we can take them by surprise," Mulder whispered, walking up to the large carved wooden doors.

There was a control panel on the left-hand side and the agent pulled all the switches down, shutting off power to the room. At the same time, the police detectives threw open the door and they all rushed into the room with their guns drawn.

Three of the cultists pulled guns, but hesitated when they saw Agent Mulder. Agents Pipino and Sullivan instantly gunned all three men down. Mulder had his gun leveled at Reverend Xsavior as he advanced into the room.

"Get away from him you bastard!" Mulder snarled, moving toward his lover, he looked at the blonde immortal standing in front of Krycek.

"You may have won today, Fox, but in two weeks you will lose your freedom by orders of the U.S. Government," Xsavior stated, backing up toward the wall.

Panic flashed briefly in front of Mulder's eyes at the thought of being sent to the government facility. He pushed the feeling down refusing to give into it just yet. "Raise your hands where I can see them!" he ordered.

Hans Schatz stood frozen in place; the force with which the five men had taken over the temple shocked him. By the looks on the cultist faces they had been equally surprised. Then his eyes gazed upon a fellow immortal, the man carried himself tall and proud. Schatz stared in amazement as Xsavior backed away from him with fear in his dark eyes. This immortal was someone who could rescue and protect him; whatever he did he could not lose this man.

"Alex," Mulder murmured softly, walking up to his lover's side, but never taking his gun off the reverend. He shivered at the amount of blood covering Krycek's torn back.

"Fox?"

"Yes, lover. I turned off the device preventing you from using your powers...can you free yourself?" he asked softly.

Krycek aroused himself enough to use his power to unlock the cuffs securing him to the pillars. He started to collapse to the floor, but Schatz caught him and tenderly lowered him. Blood stained the pristine white robe the immortal was wearing as he gently held Krycek in his arms.

Mulder smiled briefly with appreciation at the younger immortal. His eyes were turned away from Xsavior just long enough for the reverend to open a secret panel in the wall and slip out, closing it behind him and securing it.

After being deserted by their leader, the other cultists fled from the room, the agents and detectives chose not to pursue them; they did not want to leave Mulder unprotected.

Mulder sank to the floor and pulled Krycek's naked body into his arms. "Alex, where is Noah and Don?"

Krycek groaned in pain, turning his head toward the trapdoor, he used his powers to pull the lever on the wall. The trapdoor opened and the stench of decaying corpses filled the room, a very weak cry could be heard from within the dark pit. Krycek concentrated harder and Noah Logan floated up from the depths toward the opening. Sullivan quickly knelt next to the hole and pulled Logan to safety. Slime and muck coated the chief's clothing and hair. Sullivan gagged at the smell, but he didn't move away, instead, he held the younger man as Logan emptied the contents of its stomach on the temple floor.

Schatz knelt down next to Mulder grabbing his hand. "Please, don't leave me here! Please, take me with you!"

Mulder squeezed the frightened young man's hand. "You're under our protection now. What is your name?" he asked.

"Hans Schatz." The young immortal smiled at his good fortune.

"My name is Mulder." The agent smiled back.

There was shouting coming from outside the room and Mulder glanced up, relieved, as their backup from the field office arrived. He was now free to heal his lover.

Mulder looked at the young man holding onto his hand for dear life. "Hans, can you help those men over there? They need to find a washroom to clean up and they need some clean clothes."

At the young man's hesitation at leaving his side, Mulder added. "Don't worry, Hans, no one is going to hurt you. You'll be coming home with me and Alex," he soothed.

Hans hugged Mulder quickly then rushed over to Sullivan's side, glancing quickly over his shoulder at his savior. He turned back to the two men beside the dark hole. "Mulder wants me to show you where you can clean up." The young man made a face at the smell, but most of his inhibitions fled at the warm appreciative smile Sullivan gave him, he was beginning to feel safe around these men.

Sullivan gently helped Logan to his feet, mindless of the smelly grime that was getting on his suit as he supported the younger man. Schatz showed the two men to a bathroom with a large shower. Sullivan removed Logan's clothing then shrugged out of his own filthy suit. He helped the chief into the shower; the younger man sagged against Sullivan and started crying against his chest.

"Ssh, Noah, it's going to be all right. If you'll let me, I'll help you get over this," he soothed. "Would you be willing to move back to D.C. with me?"

"God, Jack." He shuddered. "There's nothing left for me here...thank you." He sighed as Sullivan washed the filth from his body. The images and memories of the dead and bloated bodies in the dark pit would stay with him for a long time.

"Good, Noah, you'll enjoy D.C. we don't have the hatred and bigots that this area has." Sullivan softly kissed Logan.

"Damnit, Jack, this area used to be progressive. What's to stop these bastards from spreading their hatred to D.C.?"

"Us...we will stop them. Keep the faith, Noah."

Schatz placed the clean clothing down on the counter, he had spent the last few minutes listening into their conversation. He silently left the bathroom deep in thought as he hurried back to Mulder. Schatz carried a robe for the badly beaten man that was in Mulder's care.

The young immortal was shocked to find Mulder lying unconscious in the arms of a beautiful, naked, young man. Schatz realized suddenly that he was the man beaten by the Amaranthines. Schatz took in his blood stained, but unblemished back as he knelt down next to the two men. He handed Krycek a robe then took Mulder's limp hand in his. "What's wrong with him?" he asked softly.

Krycek smiled at the concern in the young immortal's voice. "He's only asleep, it happens after an immortal heals someone, he requires time to regain his energy." He gently eased Mulder's limp body off his lap, standing he pulled on the robe. He then bent down and scooped his lover's body into his arms, carrying him out of the way of the team of agents from the field office. Schatz never released Mulder's hand, sitting next to Mulder when Krycek lowered him against the wall.

They sat watching the team of agents work. The agents had erected a pulley over the hole to help recover the bodies down in the watery pit. Krycek sadly closed his eyes, as Agent Anderson's body was the first to be pulled from the pit. He opened them quickly at the sound A.D. Skinner's voice.

Skinner rushed into the room. The FBI's large, attack, turbo helicopter had set down just outside the front door. "Alex, how's Fox?" he knelt down next to his younger brother, caressing the side of Mulder's sleeping face.

"He's fine, Walter. Thanks to Fox, I am, too," Krycek murmured. He glanced over at Schatz, who was still holding Mulder's hand. "Walter, this is Hans Schatz. Hans, this Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner of the FBI."

Schatz stared in fear of the large stern man and he clutched Mulder's hand tighter.

"Don't worry, Hans, I don't bite," Skinner toned softly after seeing the frightened look in the young man's blue eyes.

"Ha! Don't believe him, Hans. If it wasn't for Fox's recent healing, I'd still have a large bite mark on my left buttock," Krycek whispered smugly.

Hans raised his eyebrows in surprise; he wasn't sure what to make of these men.

"You're scaring him, Alex!" Skinner admonished.

"Walter, do you think we can leave here? The local field office has everything under control," Krycek replied.

"Yeah, the helicopter's out front. Where are Agents Anderson, Pipino, and Sullivan?" Skinner asked.

Krycek sighed. "Don's dead. Vinny is providing the local SAC with a report of our findings. Jack is taking care of the Utica Chief of Police. I'll tell them to meet us at the helicopter." Krycek sent a telepathic message to Sullivan and Pipino.

Walter scooped Mulder's sleeping body into his muscular arms. He met Schatz's terrified eyes. "C'mon, Hans, you're welcome to stay at our home for as long as you like. You will be absolutely safe there, no one will touch you," Skinner murmured softly. He was relieved to see some of the terror leave the pretty immortal's eyes.

Winter Palace St. Petersburg, Russia Thursday, September 2
10:00 a.m.

Marat Fyodorov stood waiting for the Tsar to comment on the report he handed him. He watched as the corners of the Cossack's mouth turned up in a smile.

"This is excellent, Fyodorov!"

"Tsar, it is important that your lover does not know that this information comes from you," the small man advised.

"Why? Fox would be very appreciative if he knew," the Tsar reasoned.

"He wouldn't be appreciative enough to return to you. However, if he found out that you selflessly sent this information without expecting anything from him, he will start to trust you and will return to you willingly when the time is right."

"Very well, Fyodorov, we will continue to do it your way, but I expect results come February!" Slava handed the little man the documents.

Marat Fyodorov tucked the papers and photos under his arm. One photograph was visible. It was of Senator Milford Mooney and Reverend Xsavior having dinner at the Senator's Washington D.C. home.

Chapter 19
-- Frightening Changes

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Thursday, September 2
8:00 p.m.

As Mulder slowly drifted toward consciousness, he became aware of a small body resting on his chest and a little hand tugging at his nose. There was another small body next to his head and tiny fingers poking into his ear.

Hope was babbling, "Babababa." She pulled harder on her daddy's nose.

"Mouse, I don't think you'll be able to get it off." Krycek snickered softly. He was sitting on the bed watching the two babies play with their daddy's sleeping body.

"Ouch. Alex, you need to clip Hope's fingernails," Mulder complained, opening his eyes, he stared lovingly at his two little girls' faces mere inches from his own. He wrapped his arms around the two small babies hugging them. Both made happy squealing noises, "eeee! a-gaa!" that their daddy was awake.

Skinner came into the room with bottles for the babies, passing one to Krycek. He smiled, seeing Mulder was finally awake. "How are you feeling, Fox?" The A.D. picked up his baby girl and nestled her in his strong arms.

"Fine, Walter," he spoke softly, still drowsy.

Krycek grinned, scooping Faith into his arms. "Come here, cutie, it's your bedtime. Fox, it's a good thing you're rested, we're planning on wearing you out tonight." He cradled his daughter, feeding her the bottle. Both men were too preoccupied with the babies, so they didn't notice the look of dread cross Mulder's face as he remembered his body's frightening changes.

Mulder felt self-conscious and exposed when he realized he was naked underneath the covers. "I'm still a little tired." He was extremely worried that his lovers would accidentally discover his body's recent change.

"Fox, are you feeling okay?" Krycek gave him a concern look.

"Just tired," Mulder replied softly, climbing out of bed, he padded naked toward the bathroom. "Would it be too much to ask that next time you have to put me to bed that you at least leave my boxers on me?" he grumbled.

"Why? You've always slept in the nude," Skinner questioned. Carrying Hope into the nursery, he laid her in the crib then wandered into the bathroom and waited for Mulder to finish relieving himself.

"I used to sleep in my sweats and T-shirt before I became your lover," Mulder informed him, washing his hands then removing his toothbrush from the holder.

"Okay, next time you fall asleep after healing one of us, we'll leave your boxers on," Skinner stated brusquely.

"Thanks," the agent mumbled, brushing his teeth. He looked in the mirror at Krycek who had strolled into the bathroom shrugging out of his clothing. The younger man threw the dirty clothes into the overflowing hamper.

"Whose turn is it to do the laundry?" Krycek asked as he walked over to the bathtub and started it filling.

"Mine," Mulder sighed.

Krycek came over to him, caressing a hand down Mulder's long spine. "Fox, you need to relax more...I'll do the laundry."

"Alex, we share equally in the household chores...I intend to continue to carry my own weight around here."

"Fox, we aren't sharing equally in the household chores now...you're doing way too much. Alex and I are able to do things in a fraction of the time it takes you just by using our powers," Skinner argued.

He took Mulder's arm turning him to face him. Skinner took a long look at his lover before meeting Mulder's eyes. "Look at you! Fox, you're exhausted, and it isn't from this recent healing. You've been this way for the past month, you're even losing weight!" Removing his clothes, he took his glasses off placing them on the counter.

"I'm fine..."

Krycek placed his hand over Mulder's mouth, interrupting him. "No, you're not fine, you're wearing yourself out...Walter and I are going to take over some of your chores. C'mon, into the bathtub with you," Krycek murmured.

"So, you're planning on spoiling me?" Mulder asked angrily, stepping into the steaming water of the large whirlpool tub.

Skinner stepped in next to him, lowering his large frame down he hissed as his bare ass made contact with the hot water. He reached for Mulder's hand and pulled him down onto his lap. Krycek grabbed a bottle of bath gel and a washcloth from the cabinet. He climbed into the tub and sat opposite his two lovers.

"We're going to spoil the hell out of you," Skinner growled.

Skinner nipped Mulder's earlobe then slowly worked his way down as his hand pinched the younger man's nipples. Mulder moaned, arching back against the larger man's chest while keeping one hand over his navel.

Krycek knelt between Mulder and Skinner's legs soaping up the agent's body. He pulled Mulder's long legs up on his lap and ran the soapy cloth up to his groin. Krycek brought the cloth down between his lover's parted thighs and gently washed his scrotum, squeezing gently. Mulder closed his eyes and rested his head on Skinner's shoulder as he pushed up into Krycek's hand when the washcloth circled his penis.

"Do you like that, lover?" Krycek purred, running the cloth over the agent's inner thighs.

"Oh yeah, it'd be perfect if you weren't using strawberry scented soap," Mulder complained mildly, then opened his eyes as the scent of vanilla filled his senses.

Krycek looked equally surprised, the bath gel had changed to vanilla scented. Skinner took the bottle from him and sniffed it. "Impressive, Alex, matter manipulation, we'll have to see what else you can do tomorrow," the A.D. replied, astonished. Skinner ran his hands over Mulder's body, stopping when the agent's hand blocked him from touching his belly.

Mulder turned around quickly and kissed the older man's mouth, reaching down he grasped Skinner's throbbing cock, stroking it. "I want to feel you in me...not here...bed," the agent stammered.

"Hey, Fox, we've only just started...the water is still hot," Krycek complained as Mulder climbed out of the tub.

Krycek and Skinner exchanged puzzled looks as Mulder quickly toweled himself dry. They lustfully watched his firm, round ass as he walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

"Shall we join him?"

"What do you think?"

Both men quickly climbed out of the bathtub. Krycek grabbed a towel and started drying himself, his erection was painfully hard against his belly. "I can't remember the last time Fox had me this aroused from his presence alone. Did you remember to give him the anti-pheromone shot?"

"I gave it to him this morning...maybe there's something wrong with this batch," Skinner replied, also extremely aroused.

Mulder pulled down the covers on the bed. Lying on his stomach in the center, he spread his legs seductively.

Skinner and Krycek padded into the bedroom, stopping to admire their lover's *come fuck me* position. "Nice view, do you want to take him first or shall I?" Krycek leered.

"I'll take his ass and you can have his mouth," Skinner replied huskily.

"That works for me," Krycek replied, climbing on the head of the bed and scooting in front of Mulder. "Suck me, lover," he murmured, offering his cock to the agent.

Mulder raised himself to his knees and lowered his mouth to Krycek's cock, licking around the thick velvet head, savoring the creamy pre-cum leaking from the slit. Mulder felt Skinner pull his legs further apart as he moved between them, the warm weight of the older man settling across his back. The A.D.'s teeth raked across his shoulder to the side of his throat.

"Continue sucking him, Fox, I want to watch as you take him all the way in," Skinner murmured breathlessly. His hands caressed the agent's shoulders and arms; his cock was nestled between Mulder's buttocks.

Mulder returned his attention to Krycek's cock, taking him in part way then pulling out, he ran his tongue over the throbbing vein on the underside of the large organ. Krycek moaned, losing control he laced his fingers through Mulder's hair holding his head steady and thrust into his hot mouth. Mulder controlled the impulse to gag, relaxing his throat muscles, he took all of the younger man.

Krycek set a brutal rhythm thrusting his cock in and out hard. He writhed as the muscles in the older man's throat bore down on him.

Mulder was slightly hurt at being used this way, but he understood the affect he sometimes had on his lovers, especially after a couple of days of abstinence. However, lately his lovers seemed to be forgetting his needs more, and more. He would have cried out if he could, when Skinner's teeth nipped the side of his throat a bit too hard. It hurt just enough to bring tears to his eyes. He felt the older man ease off his back, and his ass cheeks being spread as Skinner pushed a lubed finger into him. As fast as the first finger entered him, a second finger quickly joined it, pushing roughly into him.

*Walter, please, it hurts,* Mulder shouted telepathically. His lips and teeth were beginning to feel sore from Krycek's merciless thrusting.

"It's only two fingers," Skinner responded, distantly.

*I know, but it's been two days.* Mulder sighed, when would his lovers remember that his body healed if he went longer than twenty-four hours without sex? He felt Krycek stiffen, then the hot liquid gushed out, hitting the back of his throat. Mulder swallowed fast until the flow stopped, he sucked and licked the younger man's cock clean.

Krycek had his head thrown back, groaning as he emptied his passion into his lover. "Oh god, Fox...I love you so fucking much," he blurted out. As he orgasm subsided he withdrew his penis and bent down. Lifting Mulder's face, he kissed him passionately, enjoying the taste of himself on his lover's tongue.

Mulder gasped into Krycek's mouth as Skinner pushed slowly into him. To Mulder's relief, the older man was extremely gentle as he buried himself to the hilt in his ass.

Skinner eased back, staring lovingly at Mulder. He always enjoyed the view of his cock vanishing between those two ivory buttocks. Unable to hold back any longer, he started thrusting in and out of his lover's body. Mulder's moans of passion encouraged him to increase the speed and force of their love making.

Skinner wrapped an arm around Mulder, holding him against his chest as his other hand found the agent's swollen cock; he stroked it in time with his thrusts. Sweat dripped down his back and neck, the skin making contact with Mulder's back was hot and slick. Skinner pumped harder on his lover's cock speeding him to orgasm, before himself, relishing the sensation of the creamy, white cum shooting out of his lover. His perfect body writhing beneath him. The A.D. cried out as his orgasm ripped through him pumping his seed into his lover's hot depths.

Both men collapsed onto the bed, breathing heavily. Skinner recovered enough to pull out of Mulder's body, rolling off him. He smiled softly at Krycek as the younger man pulled the covers over their sated bodies.

Mulder turned his head to share a deep kiss with Skinner, but stayed lying on his stomach, even when his lover tried to roll him on his side. He allowed exhaustion to pull him into sleep again.

Krycek smoothed a hand down Mulder's back resting it on his ass. "What do you think is wrong with him, Walter?" he asked tiredly.

"I wish I knew, Alex," Skinner replied, spooning around Mulder's body, he soon joined him in sleep.

Skinner sleepily wandered into the bathroom searching for Mulder. His lover stood naked in front of the full-length mirror lost in thought. The A.D. walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around the warm, lanky body, resting his chin on Mulder's shoulder. "What's wrong, Fox?"

Mulder placed his hands over Skinner's, leaning back against his muscular chest. "We haven't been able to find a way to stop the government from locking Justin, Joe, and myself inside that new facility. Walter, we have less than two weeks left to be together...I .. . . I don't want to leave you," he sighed softly, tears running down his cheeks.

"Ssh, it's going to be all right, Fox. I've already arranged for us to leave the country. We've had secret offers of asylum from several different nations. I didn't want to mention it before, because I still had hopes that we'd be able to convince our government not proceed with this outrage," Skinner sighed, hugging Mulder tighter.

A sleepy Krycek walked into the bathroom. "Hey, what's going on?" He yawned, walking over to them.

"I'm explaining our plans for fleeing the country to Fox," Skinner replied.

"Walter, we agreed not to mention it until we were ready to leave," Krycek replied, glaring at his half-brother.

Mulder stared aghast at Krycek. "Oh, thanks a lot! I'm an equal member of this family...and I don't appreciate being kept in the dark!" He shrugged off Skinner's comforting hands.

Skinner pulled him back into his arms, holding him firmly against his chest. "Fox, we're all being monitored by the NSA's clairvoyants! I know you're good at shielding your thoughts, but I didn't want to take a chance that they might be better!" The A.D. tightened his hold on his lover's squirming body; he wanted Mulder to listen to him and not storm off in a rage. "I'm sorry, but we've only discussed this among us sorcerers."

"You mean Rory, Kazuo, Gabriel, and Tony know?" he asked, irritated.

"Yes, they all know," Skinner replied softly.

"I'm as good at concealing my thoughts as they are!" Mulder huffed, realizing that it was pointless to argue with his lovers, they could be extremely stubborn. He gave up temporarily, but did not intend to forget their lack of trust in him. "Are they coming with us?"

"Yes. We agreed that it would be in every ones best interests to remain together. I hadn't accounted for Hans being with us at the time, but I've made arrangements for him to come too if he wants." When Mulder relaxed in Skinner's arms the larger man loosened his hold. "Fox, don't be angry with us for not telling you up front."

"Walter, Alex, I'm hurt that you didn't involve me in the decision...I'll accept your reasons...but it still doesn't make it right. Next time you better include me or else we're through!" he snapped. "Can you at least tell me what country we're fleeing to?"

"England, it was the only country that still had a strong enough defense. They'd be able to offer us major protection in case the U.S. tries to get you and the others back by force," Krycek replied.

"What does England get in return for us living there?" Mulder asked, as he walked over to the shower. Turning on the water, he stepped in.

"It wasn't a very big demand, they want us to continue having children together. Besides, I've always wanted a large family," Skinner replied. He stepped into the shower and picked up a washcloth, squeezing some shower gel on it, he started washing Mulder's back.

The three men showered in silence for several minutes, taking turns washing a nights worth of passion from each other's bodies. Mulder decided it was the best time to tell them his latest problem.

"I need a lift to the hospital this morning. I've made an appointment with Doctor Harris to run some tests on me," Mulder blurted out.

Krycek's hand stilled from soaping Mulder's chest. "Tests? What's wrong, Fox?" he asked, worried. He had been concerned about his lover's recent weight loss.

"Can we talk about this after I see Doctor Harris?" Mulder blushed, lowering his eyes to the shower floor.

Skinner turned off the water. "Fox, does this have anything to do with you not allowing us to touch you on your stomach last night?" Skinner asked. At Mulder's baffled look, he added. "You thought I wouldn't notice how you protected that area of your body?"

Mulder chewed his lower lip. "Walter, remember that myth about immortals turning into females during the full moon?"

"Yes. What does that have to do with your medical problem?"

"I think that I might be turning into a hermaphrodite," Mulder blushed even redder.

"Fox, that's ridiculous! If you were turning into a hermaphrodite, don't you think Alex and I would have noticed? After all, we know your body even better than you do," Skinner replied, chuckling at the absurdness of Mulder's belief.

Mulder brought his hand to his belly and pushed a finger into his bellybutton. Both of his lovers gasped in surprise as it went into his body.

Krycek knelt down and studied his lover's navel as Mulder pulled his finger free. It closed up, looking perfectly normal. Krycek felt an instant wave of arousal course through his body, thickening his penis. "Does it hurt?"

"No...um...actually it feels very pleasurable. That's what has me worried," Mulder shuddered, unable to stop his own erection from forming.

"You think that this is...?" Skinner asked, stunned, backing up and not touching Mulder.

"That's why I'm going to see Doctor Harris to find out." Mulder noticed the look of abhorrence on Skinner's face. "Walter, are you repulsed by me?" he murmured sadly.

Skinner gulped, and tried to recover. "No, I'm just shocked."

"Fox, I'll take you to see Doctor Harris this morning," Krycek replied huskily. He looked lovingly up at Mulder from where he knelt as he caressed his lover's flat belly. He wasn't sure why his body found Mulder's change arousing.

"We'll both take you, Fox." Skinner stepped forward and hugged him, then turned back on the water. He found his close contact with Mulder was sending a fire of hot lust to his groin. Maybe his lover's change might turn out to be a good thing.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Friday, September 3
6:30 a.m.

Hans Schatz waited nervously for Mulder to come out of his room for breakfast. The young immortal was hungry and he was getting his courage up to search for something to eat. He sat at the kitchen counter afraid to touch anything; he was unfamiliar with most of the appliances. Even before the virus Schatz never had to cook, his family's servants did everything for him. After the virus, civil war broke out and n'thrals took over his country and he became the personal property of the fieriest n'thral warlord. His remaining family had all been killed trying to protect him. The warlord treated him with reverence most of the time except for when he went into a sexual frenzy. Which only occurred when they were apart longer than a couple of days. Schatz felt a sense of remorse for the men who guarded him, knowing the n'thral warlord would have held them responsible for his escape. He had personally witnessed the brutality of the n'thral when dealing with his enemies.

Schatz shuddered and pulled his thoughts back to the present. He was comforted by the presence of the other immortals in the mansion, but he didn't feel safe or protected by them as he did with Mulder. He was afraid of all of the sorcerers that he had met since coming here two evenings ago. Schatz figured it was only a matter of time before one of them demanded sex from him.

Gabriel Hunter stood silently in the kitchen doorway, admiring the beautiful blonde immortal. He studied the long, slender, graceful figure, sitting nervously on the tall kitchen stool. His heart went out to the younger man as he noticed the slight, fearful, trembling of his body. Hunter was filled with longing; it had been years since he had felt romantically attracted to anyone.

The other immortals were extremely desirable, but they hadn't touched his heart the way this young man had.

"Hans, you're up early," Gabriel Hunter smiled warmly, coming into the kitchen. He noticed the fear in the younger man's cerulean blue eyes. He quickly walked over to the coffee maker and started making coffee, deciding that a normal routine might calm Schatz. "Hans, you have nothing to be afraid of...no one will harm you here," he soothed.

Schatz didn't trust the handsome, blonde sorcerer. Gabriel Hunter's sightless blue eyes scared him most of all; they seemed to look right into his soul. He thought it might be safer to wait up in his room, he was about to escape when his savior walked into the kitchen. "Mulder!" he smiled, relieved. Hopping off the stool, he embraced the older man.

Mulder returned the hug, bemused by the adoration and relief he saw on the young immortal's face. "Good morning, Hans, have you had breakfast yet?"

"No," Hans sighed. "If you teach me how I'll make breakfast for you tomorrow," he grinned, clutching Mulder's hand.

"I don't have time today, Hans, I have an appointment at the hospital," Mulder replied softly, caressing the side of the young blonde immortal's face, trying to ease the disappointment his words brought.

"I can teach you, Hans," Hunter offered gently.

Schatz ignored the older sorcerer, looking only at Mulder. "Please, take me with you. I don't want to be here alone, Mulder," he begged.

"Hans, you're not alone. Gabriel's here, and so are Rory, Shinji, Joe, Tony, and Justin." Mulder knew the younger man had been extremely traumatized by months of abuse and forced captivity, it would take a while for him to start trusting the others. However, Mulder was determined not coddle Schatz too much. Maybe just a little, though, it felt good having someone look toward him for protection for once.

"Mulder, please...I don't feel safe with them," he whined.

Mulder sighed, looking pleadingly over Schatz's shoulder at Hunter. The older agent had taken out bread, eggs, and a frying pan. "Hans, lets discuss this after breakfast. Gabriel is making French toast for us," the agent smiled reassuringly. Sitting at the counter, he hoped that Schatz would become comfortable around Hunter. The Argentinean sat next to him and watched the sorcerer closely as he prepared the French toast.

"Good morning," Skinner greeted as he entered the kitchen carrying Hope. Krycek followed with Faith in a snugli™ strapped to his chest. Krycek got himself a mug of coffee and noticed that Mulder didn't have any coffee yet. He pulled two mugs off the rack and placed them in front of his lover and Schatz. "Hans, how do you like your coffee?"

"Ah, with cream and sugar," Schatz murmured timidly, watching as Krycek retrieved cream from the refrigerator, placing it and a sugar bowl in front of him. "Thank you, Alex," he replied.

Skinner placed Hope in the highchair buckling her in and snapping a bib around her neck. He walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a package of instant barley cereal, which he emptied into her baby bowl and added formula to it.

Schatz's trepidation started to subside when the sorcerers didn't leer at him and did not attempt to touch him. He relaxed adding cream and sugar to the mug of coffee Krycek had poured for him. Schatz smiled at Takeda when the young Japanese immortal strolled into the kitchen. He noted that Takeda carried himself with confidence and showed no fear of the other men in the room.

"Good morning, guys," Takeda greeted cheerfully.

"Morning, Shin," the others murmured.

Takeda walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of orange juice, grabbing a glass, he walked over to the counter and sat next to Schatz. He poured the juice then set the pitcher aside. MacIver stepped into the kitchen, whistling happily, he walked behind Takeda hugging him. He kissed the side of the younger man's neck then sat next to Takeda and snatched his glass of juice drinking half of it.

"Hey! It's your turn to make the next pitcher of juice, old man," Takeda teased. He knew how much their age difference irritated his forty-two-year-old lover.

"Hey, I'm not the oldest man in this family, Walter and Gabriel are both older than me," MacIver quipped good-naturedly.

Hunter placed a plate piled high with steaming French toast in front of Schatz, next to it he placed a jug of maple syrup and a tub of butter. "Yes, Rory, but Walter and I don't look anywhere near our age," Hunter replied with a smirk.

"Thank you," Schatz murmured shyly, quickly spreading butter and pouring syrup over of the French toast.

Hunter gave him a friendly smile. "You're welcome, Hans."

Schatz was hungry; he only had dinner yesterday. He had been too afraid to leave his room, since Mulder was still sleeping off the effects of healing Krycek the previous afternoon. Schatz had stayed all day in the guestroom located in the far back corner of the mansion it was next to a door that led to the unused west wing.

Shinji Takeda had come upstairs accompanied by Joseph Shadow Hawk yesterday, and they had tried to talk him into coming down for dinner. He had asked about Mulder and when he found out the older man was still asleep, he told the two immortals that he wasn't hungry. After they had left, much to his surprise, a bowl of beef stew and crusty bread appeared on the small table in front of the fireplace.

Mulder sipped his coffee and smiled as the young man hungrily wolfed down his breakfast. The agent wasn't hungry himself, although he had eaten nothing for over a day. Anxiety over his physical condition had taken away his appetite.

"Ah, French toast, my favorite, Gabriel, you're a saint!" Justin Cody Blaise announced loudly, stepping into the noisy kitchen. Hope was babbling and cooing, hitting the highchair tray with a rattle, and Faith was making gleeful squealing noises as her daddy bounced her up and down.

"How, many slices do you want, Justin?" Hunter asked as he placed plates with French toast in front of Mulder and Shinji. Mulder passed his plate down to MacIver, the Scotsman looked at him questioningly. Mulder mouthed that he wasn't hungry.

"Four slices should do me, Gabriel," Blaise replied, taking a seat at the counter next to MacIver. "Hey, Rory, what say you and me go target practicing after you return from the Procreation Center this afternoon?" he asked.

"Sure, Justin. Have you been practicing with the throwing knives like I showed you?" MacIver asked, not noticing the annoyed look Takeda threw him.

"Yep, I have it down to a tee," the beautiful redhead stated smugly.

A half-hour later, Joseph Shadow Hawk came strolling into the kitchen. Hunter put his fork down and started to rise, in order to fix Hawk's breakfast. "Gabriel, that's not necessary, sit, finish eating! After all, I'm late." Hawk turned to Schatz, explaining. "Hans, that's one of the rules of the house. If you're late for a meal...you're on your own. Also, we take turns with the cooking."

Schatz looked at him uneasily. "I don't know how to cook," he confessed.

"Neither does Rory, even after a month of cooking lessons," Krycek laughed.

"Yeah, we usually get cold cereal for breakfast and takeout for dinner when it's his week to cook," Hunter joked, turning serious at the troubled look on Schatz's face. "Don't worry about it, Hans, I'll teach you."

Schatz timidly lowered his eyes; he wasn't sure what to make of this man.

Shinji Takeda watched as Blaise rinsed his plate and placed it in the dishwasher. When the Texan headed for the elevator the Japanese immortal quickly followed him, making it into the elevator before the doors closed.

"Justin, I want a word with you!" he spoke harshly, not keeping the anger from his voice.

"Is something bothering you, Shin?" Blaise asked, stepping off the elevator on the lower level.

"Keep your hands off Rory, he's mine! How dare you try to steal him from me! You can't have him! If you continue to try, I'll..." Takeda stopped, when he noticed that Blaise had doubled over laughing.

"Damn you! This isn't funny!" Takeda advanced angrily on the other immortal, striking out at Blaise, he quickly found himself held immobile in the larger man's steel grip.

"Yes, it is -- very funny!" Blaise chuckled, tightening his hold on the struggling body -- ten years as a Texas Ranger had taught him how to restrain a criminal. "I'm not romantically interested in Rory, even if I were I wouldn't stand a chance! He's in love with you, Shin. If you weren't so wrapped up in your own little world you might have noticed. Besides, Joe and I are lovers...everyone else in the family knows that, just ask them."

"You're not trying to steal Rory away from me?" Takeda asked, not believing the older man's assurances. He was sure he would have noticed if Justin and Joe were lovers.

"No. But, I'm happy to see that you're willing to fight for him, it has improved my opinion of you because he's worth fighting for." Blaise let Takeda go. "To be perfectly honest with you, Shinji, I haven't liked the way that you've been treating him."

"It's really none of your business how I've been treating Rory. He knows that I love him," Takeda hissed, rubbing his wrists.

"I think it is; Rory is my friend and I don't like seeing him hurt. Shin, if you really loved him you never would have taken another lover. I love Joe and I would never cheat on him or expect him to share me with another man."

"Justin, you have no idea what you're talking about. It's not that simple...I didn't expect to fall in love with Kazuo," Takada sighed, sitting on a bench outside the exercise room.

"Shin, you could have let him go...but you were thinking of your own needs. You didn't even stop to think about what you were doing to Rory."

"What about Kazuo? Do you realize what effect making love to us has on other men? Look at Mulder...he has two lovers, and the Tsar of Russia is pursuing him, he sends Mulder presents for his daughters," the Japanese immortal argued.

"Kazuo volunteered, he should have realized what he was getting himself into, and Mulder has a flair for getting himself into trouble. I'm only surprised that Walter and Alex haven't locked him up in a tower and thrown away the key," he joked.

"That's not funny! It's easy for you to joke! You've never been held a prisoner and raped by other men," Takeda snapped. "You have no idea what it's like to be totally dependent on your lover for protection and security."

"I'm sorry, Shin, you're right. You and Mulder have gone through a lot. I shouldn't have made that comment it wasn't funny. I do know what it's like to be dependent on others for my protection, but I didn't have to sleep with them to get it."

Takeda paled, his body tensed with anger and irritation at the older man's attitude. He didn't choose to become addicted to having sex with a sorcerer it was forced upon him by the consortium. "You can't judge me! You've never suffered the withdrawal pains from not having sex! Until you do, you won't understand! Justin, what do you expect me to do? Tell Kazuo to leave, that I don't want to see him any longer?"

"No, Shin," he sighed, realizing he might have been a little insensitive. "It's far too late for that now. Besides, I like Kazuo, and I don't want to see him hurt either. I only wish you could try placing yourself in Rory's or Kazuo's shoes occasionally."

Takeda smiled weakly, still angry, but seeing some logic in Blaise's suggestion. "You think I've really screwed everything up don't you?"

"Shin, you're still young and entitled to a few mistakes. When you're my age I'll expect a hell of a lot more from you," Blaise quipped.

"So, I have fifteen more years that I can fuck up?" Takeda smirked. His irritation over Blaise's sharp criticism was tempered by the knowledge that the Texan might be telling him the truth about his relationship with Hawk. Takeda was determined to find out later by asking Hawk if they really were lovers. "Then again, Justin, seeing that we are never going to age, which means I'll never physically reach your age, so I can continue screwing up."

"Don't push it." The Texan grinned back. "C'mon, let's work off breakfast." Blaise opened the door to the exercise room and allowed Takeda to proceed him in.

"Justin, can you teach me that hold you used on me? I want to try it on Rory tonight." Takeda grinned saucily over his shoulder at the Texan.

"Agent Hunter, Alex and I are taking Fox to his doctor's appointment this morning. I need you and Joe to watch the babies for us while we're gone," Skinner instructed.

"Yes, sir," Hunter replied, looking questioningly over at Mulder. He sensed there was something deeply troubling his friend lately, he hadn't even eaten breakfast.

Schatz turned to Mulder, giving him an anguished look. "Mulder, please?"

"Okay, Hans, you can come with us. Besides, Doctor Harris needs to give you a physical, might as well kill two birds with one stone," Mulder smiled reassuringly.

"A physical?" The young man was nervous at the thought of being touched and probed. Maybe accompanying Mulder wasn't such a good idea. "You won't let him hurt me, Mulder?"

"Hans, Doctor Harris is a very gentle man, he would never harm one of his patients."

"Fox, now that you're awake, I would like to take Hans' statement before we go to see Dr. Harris," Skinner commented. He was carrying Hope, who had her hand wrapped around his tie putting it in her mouth.

"Sure, Walter, you want to go into your office?" Mulder stood, reaching out to loosen Hope's hand from Skinner's tie.

MacIver looked on amused. "I can watch the lass for you, Walter," he informed them.

"Thanks, Rory," Skinner replied, passing him the baby.

"Alex, do you want me to take Faith?" Hunter walked over to the younger agent.

"Sure, Gabriel." He loosened to straps to the snugli™ and gently handed Faith to the older man then followed Skinner, Mulder, and Schatz out of the kitchen.

Once in the office, Skinner arranged the chairs to face each other. "Have a seat, Hans, we need to get some information from you," he stated.

"Yes, sir," Schatz said, taking the seat next to Mulder.

Knowing Hans was afraid of him and Alex, Skinner decided to allow Mulder to do the questioning. "Fox, go ahead," Skinner said, sitting on the other side of him.

"Hans, I want you to start by telling us how you fell into the cult's hands," Mulder murmured softly.

"I fled Argentina with some friends. My friend Gomez was a pilot with a small airplane there was enough room for four passengers. Gomez had heard of a church in Miami that was helping illegal refugees get settled. So he flew us to Miami and we landed in a field outside the city. We found the church and were treated extremely well. After two days, Reverend Xsavior showed up and he...he forcefully separated me from my friends. I haven't seen them since," Schatz informed them sadly.

"Hans, how long have you been at Xsavior's estate?"

"I think it was about four months."

Krycek retrieved a file from Skinner's desk and handed it to Mulder. The agent pulled several photos out of the file, selecting only the driver's license photos of the victims. "Hans, I want you to look at some photos and tell me if you recognize the men in them." Mulder passed the photos to the younger man.

Hans studied the photos Mulder had handed him. "All of these men were forced to have sex with me," his voice quivered.

Mulder placed a comforting hand on his arm, taking the photos back. "It's going to be all right, Hans, you're safe here. Do you know what happened to those men?"

"No, I never saw them again," he murmured.

Krycek interrupted. "Hans, Reverend Xsavior mentioned that you were able to overcome the withdrawal symptoms caused by having sex with these men...can you tell us about that?"

Puzzled, Hans looked at him then remembered the severe pain he suffered, and assumed that was what Krycek was talking about. "Oh, I wasn't sure what caused the pain. I suffered horribly for at least three weeks...at the time it seemed like forever, but one of my guards told me how long it was. It started again after each ceremony where I was raped."

Mulder shuddered, recalling the few times he had experienced the withdrawal pains. It was incomprehensible for him to imagine going through three weeks of such pain, then being force to experience it over, and over, again. "Hans, you felt fine after the three weeks?"

"Yes, for about a week, then they'd have another ceremony and I went through the pain again."

Mulder felt a sense of elation, knowing he could overcome the withdrawal pain and he wasn't totally dependent on his lovers. He started to feel equal to his lovers, something he hadn't felt since suffering the first pangs of withdrawal and realizing his whole life depended on them.

Skinner and Krycek exchanged looks, neither one realized they were having almost the exact same thoughts. They secretly had enjoyed the fact that Mulder was physically dependent on them and now that he no longer was, they felt insecurity and dread at the prospect that he could leave them one day. However, they were also relieved that Mulder would be able to survive on his own if anything ever happened to them.

Skinner glanced at his watch. "Fox, I think we'd better head for the hospital if we want to make your nine o'clock appointment."

Procreation Center
Friday, September 3
11:00 a.m.

"Shinji, why are we here? You've never shown an interest in your babies before...what gives?" MacIver asked, walking next to his young lover as they strolled around fifty growth cylinders. Each cylinder contained a small fetus. Takeda stopped at a cylinder with the number eight on it; he stood silently studying the palm-sized fetus inside.

At Takeda's silence, MacIver did something he had never done before he reached out with his mind he read Takeda's thoughts. He saw the discussion Takeda had with Sawada before the major left on his mission two days ago. So, the whore-bastard went behind Shinji's back and requested to have one of their daughters to raise.

Briefly, possibilities of how to use this information to put a permanent wedge between the major and his lover flashed through the Scotsman's mind. MacIver studied the sadness on his lover's beautiful face, sighing, he couldn't hurt Shinji that way. His lover had been extremely sad lately and it wouldn't be fair to use this little innocent baby to get back at Sawada.

"Shin, she's your child...she's welcome in our family," MacIver murmured softly.

"He didn't ask me first, Rory," Takeda whined, not questioning how MacIver knew that this child was going to be a part of their family.

Takeda stopped, recalling what Mulder and Blaise had both said to him about his lovers having needs too, and standing in their shoes. Sawada wanted this baby, why should he stand in the way of his lover's happiness? MacIver had never denied him anything he gave and gave, never asking for anything in return. Takeda realized that he hadn't done anything for either of his lovers. Now here was MacIver unselfishly accepting another man's child into their household -- into their life.

Takeda couldn't help the tears that slipped down his cheeks as he realized how truly selfish he had been.

MacIver totally misread the meaning behind his tears. "Shin, love, do you want me to have a talk with Sawada?" he asked, clenching his jaw, hating the major even more for hurting Shinji.

"Rory, you don't understand, I want Kazuo to keep this baby. I'm crying because he isn't here and I can't tell him how selfish I've been."

"Oh." The Scotsman turned away, hurt, not looking at Takeda.

"Rory, what's wrong?" Takeda came over and wrapped his arms around his Scottish lover's waist. "I love you," he purred.

"Shin, I love you, too...there is nothing wrong." MacIver pulled the young immortal into his arms, kissing him deeply. How could he tell him that he'd wanted a child of their own, but never brought it up knowing how Shinji felt on the matter? He hated the major even more for stealing another part of his life with Shinji. "C'mon, say goodbye to your daughter and let's get down to the lab so you can earn your keep," the Scotsman murmured sadly.

"Thanks, Rory. I think that I might have discovered a new aspect of the immortal's procreating abilities," Takeda informed him as they left the room.

"And that would be what, love?"

"I'll show you in the lab."

D.C. General Hospital Friday, September 3
2:30 p.m.

The four men waited in Doctor Harris' office. Schatz sat staring sadly out the window. He hadn't expected some of the tests that the doctor ran on him. When the elderly doctor pushed his finger through his bellybutton, he panicked, if Mulder hadn't been there holding his hand, he would have fled.

"Hans, it's going to be all right. Doctor Harris has finished testing us and we'll be going home soon," Mulder soothed. Kneeling beside the young man's chair, he tenderly held Schatz's hand. Deep down Mulder didn't feel that it was going to be all right, he was scared to death, but he didn't want to worry the younger man.

They had been at the hospital since 9:30 that morning. Krycek sat through all of Mulder's tests. Although Mulder didn't want either of his lovers in the examination room, they argued that it was their right to be there to comfort him. They finally agreed that Krycek could stay while Skinner waited outside with Schatz. Afterwards, Mulder sat through all of Schatz's tests.

Doctor Harris walked into the office carrying two large envelopes. He stepped over to a light box turning it on. "Mulder, you're not turning into a hermaphrodite," he stated, clipping the x-rays onto the box. "However, you and Hans have developed a new organ that is totally different from anything I've ever seen before."

Mulder, Skinner, Krycek, and Schatz all gathered around the light box, studying the x-rays of Mulder and Schatz's stomach regions.

"Doctor, what's the function of this organ?" Skinner asked, noting the long canal that connected Mulder's bellybutton to a pear shaped organ that displaced other organs.

"I haven't determined what the function is, we need to run further tests. I did discover, when the entrance is stimulated the organ excretes an enzyme that is high in nutrients, there's also some other substances that we haven't identified yet." Doctor Harris held up a vial of pink milky liquid that he had extracted from inside Mulder's mysterious organ. "We also became aware of the extremely arousing scent that was giving off. Isn't that right, Alex?"

Krycek had been uncomfortably erect for the past two hours. In all of that time, his erection had remained painfully hard. "Can we cut to the chase, Doc?" he growled, short-tempered.

Doctor Harris smirked at his discomfort. "It makes me believe that this organ could possibly be some sort of womb, but it is totally alien compared to a human female's."

Mulder turned white and sat quickly. "Doctor, you just said I wasn't turning into a hermaphrodite?"

"You're not, Mulder. You'd need to be able to become pregnant, which you're not capable of. I haven't been able to discover any sort of ovaries within this organ. It's possible that an implanted embryo might grow inside of you, but that isn't necessary or practical. Since we have the growth cylinders, they make this organ totally useless, if that is really its function."

Schatz walked over and sat glumly in the corner, he didn't like this conversation. He had had enough change in the past eighteen months.

Krycek sat next to Mulder taking his hand. "Fox, nothing has changed you're still a man...a man with one new extremely hot erogenous zone." The younger man licked his lips thinking of the possibilities. He recalled the length and thickness of the tube the doctor had inserted into his lover's bellybutton to extract the enzyme.

Mulder looked at him appalled, noticing the lustful look Krycek was giving him. "Alex, don't even think about it! You're not going to fuck me there!"

"Of course not, Fox," he purred soothingly, while wondering what it would feel like; he really needed to get off bad.

"Alex, forget it. It would be just my luck to get pregnant from your sperm alone," Mulder answered harshly.

Doctor Harris looked at him sharply. "Hum, I wonder, the organ has a few unique traits that are totally alien...it might not be improbable. It would be worth performing some tests to see if it is a possibility."

"Fuck it! I knew it! I am turning into a hermaphrodite! Mulder exclaimed.

Skinner took in Mulder's wide-eyed look of shock. "Sam, what would these tests entail?" the A.D. asked, walking to stand next to Mulder.

"Ah, one of you would have to have intercourse with him through his .. . . ah, for want of a better word navel. We'll then monitor how your sperm is affected once it's inside of him."

Mulder shot up from his chair. "Absolutely not! Doctor, find another guinea pig!" Mulder stood angrily, heading for the door.

"Fox, STOP!" Skinner ordered, holding the door shut with his powers. Mulder pulled fruitlessly at the doorknob and glared back at him. "Fox, we won't do any testing until you're ready, but we need to find out more about this organ," Skinner murmured softly.

"NO! No fucking way, Walter!"

Schatz cringed in the corner. //Would they want to test him the same way? Could Mulder protect him from these men, too?//

Skinner looked solemnly at his totally pissed off lover, knowing there was no way that he could make Mulder see reason. Still, he was determined to find out if it was a possibility for his beautiful lover to become impregnated by only their sperm. "Okay, fine, whatever," he muttered insincerely.

Doctor Harris sat behind his desk and pulled out an appointment book. "We'll need to test the other immortals at the estate to see if they are also developing this organ. I'll schedule them for Monday at nine o'clock in the morning."

Mulder noticed Schatz cowering in the corner. Taking a deep breath, he managed to get his temper under control and walked over to the blonde immortal. "Hans, no one is going to touch you, I promise. C'mon, we're going home now." He wrapped an arm protectively around the younger man's body, glaring at his lovers as he proceeded them out the door.

"Wait up, Fox," Krycek shouted. He looked enviously at Schatz who was wrapped protectively in Mulder's arms. *Fox, you don't suppose that Hans could ride up front with Walter on the way back?* Krycek telepathically pleaded.

*Why, Alex? So I can relieve a little pressure from your tight jeans?* Mulder grumbled. Skinner stepped into the elevator and pushed the down button.

*Fox, c'mon, just a simple blowjob. Is that asking too much? Besides, it's your fault that I'm in this condition,* Krycek accused, looking down at the hot bulge in his jeans.

*I asked you to wait outside, but did you listen?* Mulder huffed.

Skinner snorted, glad he wasn't in his brother's present condition. Being made to sit out in the waiting room during Fox's examination had at least one big benefit, but it was going to be a long drive home.

Schatz looked at the three men, by their expressions he knew they were communicating telepathically.

They exited the elevator and Mulder stopped in front of the restroom. "Alex, we'll wait for you out here," Mulder informed him.

"Couldn't you come in and hold my..." Krycek started to suggest.

"GO!" Mulder ordered, cutting him off.

"God, it must be that time of the month," Krycek muttered under his breath.

Overhearing his lover's insensitive remark, Mulder paled. How could Alex joke about his condition? Didn't either of his lovers realize how absolutely terrified he was?

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Friday, September 3
5:00 p.m.

"Okay, Rory, you win as usual," Blaise muttered, removing the clip from his gun. He placed the weapon in the metal gun case and locked it.

"Justin, when are you going to accept that I'm the superior marksman," the Scotsman drawled happily.

"Never," Blaise stated, walking up to the straw wall he removed the paper target. "By the way, did I mention that I had a run in with your boyfriend?"

"Shin? What about?" MacIver asked.

"Shinji thinks we're doing more than target practicing together. He told me to keep my hands off his man," the Texan laughed.

MacIver's face clouded over, how dare his lover interfere with his friendship with Blaise. How could Shinji be so selfish?

"Hey, Rory, what's wrong?" Blaise asked, noticing the angry look on MacIver's usually jovial face.

"Shinji...he should never have confronted you. I thought he trusted me," MacIver grumbled.

"Rory, it was no big deal. I thought it was rather endearing that he loves you so much, he was willing to fight for you."

"That's beside the point. I've given him everything, and he can't stand to let me have one relationship that doesn't involve him!" The Scotsman slammed the lid on his gun case. "C'mon, I could use a drink," he mumbled.

A worried look crossed Blaise's face as he followed MacIver back to the mansion. He had never seen the Scotsman angry before and he hoped that he hadn't done something to ruin Shinji and Rory's relationship.

Four hours and several whiskies later, MacIver stumbled into his and Takeda's apartment. Takeda was up in their bedroom putting away the clean laundry.

"Shin, get your butt down here!" MacIver shouted angrily.

Takeda startled at the sound of MacIver's loud voice. He looked down over the railing of their loft bedroom at his lover, standing in their living room. "Rory, what's wrong?"

"We need to talk...No...you llisten...I taalk!" he slurred, swaying on his feet.

Takeda climbed down the spiral staircase. "Rory, you're drunk," he admonished.

"Damn right! Shin, ho...how could you?"

"How could I what?"

"Ya try t' make Jus'in stop bein' ma fren!"

"Rory, I'm sorry, I was afraid that you were more than just friends with him. I love you, I didn't want to lose you!"

"You culdcome to me a...about...this...if ttthat's what you thought! Don't rr...respect me enough...to trust me!" MacIver plopped down on the sofa, his body shaking with anger.

"Rory, I was wrong not to trust you...I'm sorry, it won't happen again. I love you." He reached out to touch his lover's handsome face.

MacIver grabbed Takeda's wrist, stopping him from touching him. "No, you don't! If you did t...tthat be our bbaby at the Center. You don't care bout mmy needs!" He shoved the younger man away from him, causing Takeda to lose his balance and fall on the ground.

Takeda crawled on his knees back over to the Scotsman. "Rory, you never mentioned wanting a baby...we can discuss it if you want to? Just forgive me, please," Takeda begged, reaching out for MacIver.

MacIver turned his back to his lover. "No, not today...I nedtime think. Leave me alone," he growled.

Takeda shakily stood and walked away, opening the back door he stepped outside. He walked down the moonlit path, stopping, he sat under the arbor and broke into tears.

Skinner was out in the backyard, breathing in the cool nighttime air, and contemplating life when heard his sobs. "Shinji, what's wrong?" he asked, sitting down next to him.

The distraught young man threw himself into Skinner's arms and cried against the larger man's chest. "Rory, he hates me. I don't know what to do to make him love me again!"

"Shin, Rory doesn't hate you. Tell me, what was your fight about?" he soothed, rubbing the younger man's back.

"I was jealous of his relationship with Justin...I tried to interfere," he sniveled, pulling away. "Walter, now I know how much it hurt Rory when I started seeing Kazuo. I never should have agreed to my government's request...I didn't know that I'd fall in love with him. Now I've ruined everything I had with Rory. I love him so much it hurts...I don't want to live without him," he sobbed, breaking into uncontrollable anguished crying.

Skinner pulled him back into his arms, rocking the younger man. "Ssh, it's going to be all right. Rory can't live without you either, he loves you, Shin," he murmured softly. A cold rain started falling. "C'mon, Shin, let's go back to the house. I'll fix you a warm toddy to drink."

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Friday, September 3
11:00 p.m.

Mulder kissed his daughter then tucked her into the crib next to her sleeping sister. "Princess, you be good tonight for Walter and Alex," he murmured.

Krycek sat in front of the fireplace reading and sipping a vodka. He glanced up as Mulder walked out of the nursery. "Hey, Fox, are you ready for bed?

"Yeah," Mulder replied, walking into the bathroom, he opened the linen cabinet and pulled out a blanket. He walked over to the bed and removed his pillow, then went to the secret panel, opening it. "See you in the morning," he said.

"Fox, where are you going?" Krycek rose, heading over to him.

"I'm going to sleep on the sofa in my office," Mulder replied brusquely, starting up the stairs, but Krycek grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Why are you doing this?"

"That you don't know is part of the problem! Let go of my arm, Alex!" he ordered, pulling free.

"Fox, c'mon, this is childish! It's Friday night...I had plans on spending Saturday morning in bed with you," Krycek whined, looking over at Skinner who had walked through the door.

"Alex, what's going on?"

"I don't have a clue! Fox, says he sleeping in his office tonight."

"I'm sleeping in my office for as long as it takes!" Mulder snapped.

"For as long as what takes?" Skinner growled irritated.

"Until you and Alex get a *fucking* clue! Goodnight," Mulder snarled slamming the panel closed he quickly headed up to his office. He didn't bother locking it -- if his lovers wanted to get in they could do it easily.

Sighing sadly, he walked over to the leather sofa and threw the pillow down then spread out the blanket. He grabbed the remote, flipping on the television. Kicking off his shoes he laid down. A sense of déjà vu washed over him as he shifted around to get comfortable. A tear ran down his cheek when he remembered how lonely he had been before the virus had changed his life forever. He closed his eyes and fell to sleep to the comforting sound of the television.

Mulder woke up an hour later, uncomfortable and lonely, he missed having Skinner and Krycek's body snuggling up against him.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, September 4
10:40 a.m.

Takeda pulled the covers over his head to block out the sunlight seeping through the closed blinds; he didn't want to get out of bed -- he didn't see the point. Without his Scottish lover, his life felt empty.

He cried softly and didn't hear the bedroom open. The mattress depressed as someone sat on it, arousing him from his grief.

"Shin, love, I think we need to talk. I'm sorry I got drunk yesterday -- I shouldn't have talked to you in that state," MacIver murmured.

The Scotsman felt awful; he never wanted to cause his lover any pain. Seeing Shinji crying and huddled under the blankets tore at his heart. "Shin, please, forgive me...I can't remember everything that I said to you. I was such a jerk." He placed his hand on the form under the blanket.

Takeda turned and pulled down the blanket so he could see MacIver. "You weren't the jerk, Rory, I was. I treated you so poorly. I never realized how much I've been hurting you. I'm sorry, I can't blame you for hating me now," he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Oh, Shinji, for someone so smart you can be extremely dense at times," he smiled softly, pulling the younger man into his arms. "I can never stop loving you. You're my heart and soul -- my whole life revolves around you, lover," MacIver soothed softly.

Takeda wrapped his arms tightly around MacIver's waist and buried his face in the older man's lap crying. "Rory, I love you, too."

Sunday, September 5 10:00 a.m.

The man Mulder called Cancerman glanced around his unorganized apartment searching for an ashtray, he settled for a coffee cup on the table in front of him and flicked his ashes into it. They had been forced to flee Argentina after a crazy n'thral warlord went on the rampage, killing all foreigners that he blamed for his immortal lover's disappearance. Now his son and he were stuck in an Eastern European country on the verge of a civil war. He picked up the telephone and called his Hungarian operative in the U.S. who had been assigned to keep an eye on his son and the other immortals at Foxfire Glenn Estate. The man was one of the most talented clairvoyants around.

"Mr. Bartok, I expected a report from you two weeks ago, what is the hold up?

"Sir, I've haven't been to the estate since August 7
th. I just can't start going there on my own without John, they'd become suspicious," Leo Bartok replied, exasperated. He didn't like what he was forced to do in order to protect his family back in Hungary.

"I expect results! Not excuses!" the old man hissed. He opened the last report he'd received from the Hungarian spy. He looked lovingly at pictures of his granddaughters and son. "The babies would be three and four months old now...I want photos of them," he murmured distantly.

"They had studio photos taken of the girls...I might be able to get my hand on a set," Bartok replied hastily.

"Send them. If you want to see your family alive again, I'd suggest that you try harder, Mr. Bartok," the man ordered. Hanging up the telephone, he took a puff of his cigarette.

Leo Bartok sat angrily staring at the telephone in his hand. Entering the room, his lover interrupted him from his dark thoughts.

"Leo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, John. Are you ready to leave?" he asked, replacing the receiver, he stood up and walked over to his lover. Bartok kissed him and admired how immaculately groomed he was, as always. He wore a dark black suit and tie, his beard and moustache neatly trimmed.

"Yes, I really didn't know Agent Donald Anderson well. I've only met him at a few parties Mulder and his partners had given. At least he had no sons or family left," John Byers sighed, hugging his lover back. "C'mon, Leo, let's go."

Hoover Building
Monday, September 6
11:00 a.m.

Kimberly was entering the figures into the spreadsheet program when Brad from the mailroom showed up at her desk.

"Hey, Kimmy. I got a priority package for the A.D.," he informed her.

"Leave it on my desk, I'll see that he gets it when he's free," she replied, continuing to enter more data.

"No can do, Kimmy. I need his signature on this," Brad said, standing his ground.

"He's in a meeting, can't you leave it and come back later for his signature?" she asked, annoyed. It had been a tough weekend. Both her babies had gas pains, thank god for Blaise and Hawk offering to relieve their pain using their healing powers. To top it off Agent Anderson's funeral was yesterday; burying another friend had her totally depressed. She didn't want to deal with this jerk this morning.

"I can't do that, Kim. This package is suppose to be delivered directly to the A.D.," Brad argued. A man had slipped him a one hundred dollar bill to deliver it directly and he meant to do just that. However, he wasn't stupid, he did stop to have it scanned for explosives before bringing it up.

Kimberly glowered at him; she didn't like Brad the Weasel. Reaching over she buzzed the A.D.'s office. "Sir, there is an urgent package here requiring your signature."

"Send him in, Kim," Skinner growled.

Kimberly smiled sweetly when she noticed Brad cowered slightly at the tone of the A.D.'s voice. "You may go in."

Brad stepped into the office, noticing Agents Pipino and Sullivan standing at attention in front of the A.D.'s desk. He walked over and nervously handed Skinner the thick envelope, holding out the clipboard for his signature. After Skinner signed for the package, Brad quickly fled the office.

Skinner sat back in his chair, ignoring the two agents standing uncomfortably at attention, while he opened the envelope. He pulled out the documents and the accompanying photos. Leafing through them, he stopped and stared in amazement at a photo of two men, the photo had the negative clipped to it. Whoever sent this wanted to make sure that they could prove it was authentic. There were other photos with different members of Congress. Skinner passed the photo to Pipino and Sullivan.

"Damn, that's Reverend Xsavior and Senator Mooney!" Sullivan exclaimed.

To the A.D. it was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He controlled the euphoria he felt, hoping this information would help win Mulder his freedom back. If he could prove their chief opponents in the house and senate was part of this murdering cult, it would force a new vote, minus these cult members.

"Agents, I'm taking you off suspension. I want you to check out this report and substantiate everything that it claims," Skinner directed, pressing the intercom. "Kim, can I see you a moment?"

"Yes, sir?" Kimberly replied, stepping into the office.

"Accompany Agents Pipino and Sullivan to the copy center. I want two copies made of this report along with the photos, send one copy to Agents Mulder and Krycek and bring me the other copy. Agents dismissed," Skinner replied gruffly.

Skinner leaned back in his chair after they left, he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had been tense all weekend. Mulder had refused to sleep with either Krycek or him. Their lover was totally pissed at how he perceived they had treated him during and after his examination with Doctor Harris. Skinner knew Mulder would start experiencing withdrawal pains by tomorrow night, but he wouldn't put it pass his stubborn lover to bear the withdrawal pains the three weeks needed to be totally free. It disturbed him that he had been upset when he learned that it was possible for Mulder to become withdrawal free. He realized that it was purely selfish on his part to want Mulder totally dependent on him. So he decided that tonight would be different, he was going to put his foot down over this childish behavior, if that didn't work, he'd apologize.

While Sullivan was waiting for the copies he leaned up against the counter and sighed, "I was really looking forward to my two weeks of suspension."

"Speak for yourself, Jack. I cannot afford to lose two weeks of pay, I have five kids to feed," Pipino complained.

"Sorry, Vinny, I just want to be at home with Noah," Sullivan replied.

"Why don't you use some of your vacation time?" Kimberly asked.

"Because, I thought for sure the A.D. would have suspended us, we went against his direct order to wait for backup. I don't see why he doesn't assign another team of agents to this case."

"The A.D. trusts you and Vinny, Jack," Kimberly replied. "But, don't worry, I'm sure that he'll suspend you after this case."

Hoover Building
Monday, September 6
11:35 a.m.

Mulder was reviewing the latest reports on the Mohawk River killings. What started out as an investigation into the killings of three sorcerers, had turned into an investigation of the sacrificial murders of dozens of women spanning more than three decades.

He looked up from the report, glancing over to Krycek's desk where Hans Schatz sat typing on his computer. Mulder hadn't had the heart to leave Schatz at the estate after the younger man pleaded with him again to take him along. Since he only had reports and a profile to write he gave in and allowed Schatz to accompany him to work.

"Hans, are you hungry?" Mulder asked, tucking the report back into the folder.

"Yes."

"C'mon, let's go down to the cafeteria for lunch," the agent replied, standing.

"Shouldn't we wait for Alex to return?" Schatz asked, stretching.

"No, Alex is down in the lab." Mulder pulled on his suit coat and straightened his tie. He looked over at Schatz, he had loaned the younger man one of his suits -- they were exactly the same size.

"Hi, Mulder. How about having lunch with me?" Scully asked, stepping into the office. She stopped looking over at the young immortal standing next to her former partner. She had heard rumors about him, but this was the first time she laid eyes on him.

"Sure, Scully, Hans and I were just heading down to the cafeteria."

"Hi, Hans, I'm Dana Scully," She greeted smiling.

"Hi, Dana, it's nice to meet you," Schatz murmured.

Scully was struck at the beautiful contrast between the two men, chestnut brown hair and hazel eyes beside blonde hair and blue eyes. Both men had lanky bodies, full lips, long-legs, eloquent hands...Scully startled when she realized she was staring.

Mulder put a hand on the younger man's back, steering him out of the office and down to the cafeteria. They received stares as they picked up the plastic lunch trays and waited in line. Scully raised an eyebrow as both men chose the highest cholesterol items from the warming trays.

Mulder caught her disapproving look. Smirking he replied, "Give it a rest, Scully, this can't kill us. We can't even get fat -- our metabolisms are too high, it's all we can do not to lose weight." He grabbed a slice of pecan pie adding that to his tray.

Scully looked down at her own meal: a turkey sandwich on wheat, tomato, lettuce with fat free mayo, and an apple for dessert. "Mulder, I hate you," she quipped.

As they set their trays down at a corner table, they had the attention of every agent in the lunchroom. At the opposite end of the room sat the FBI's sorcerers and clairvoyants.

"I wonder if we could convince A.D. Skinner that he could use a larger security force at his estate?" Agent Lars Johnson sighed, staring longingly at the blonde immortal across the room.

"Yeah, Hunter landed the plum assignment...there are three more of them at the estate. Can you imaging the orgies they must be having out there?" Agent Dakota Jones drawled.

"Somehow, I can't picture the A.D. participating in an orgy," Johnson laughed.

"Get a life, Jones, they're not having orgies at the estate," Agent Jared Austin snorted.

"I can dream, can't I?" Jones stated, staring longingly across the lunchroom at the two immortals. "God, can you imagine what it would be like to have one of them in your bed?"

"It'd be fucking fantastic...I've heard you could achieve multiple orgasms while having sex with one of them," Austin added wistfully.

"I think I'll go over there and introduce myself," Johnson murmured, standing. He quickly sat back in his chair when he noticed Alex Krycek carrying a tray and heading for Mulder's table. "Damn," he grumbled. No way was he going to cross paths with Agent Krycek; the younger man's dangerous reputation proceeded him.

Krycek looked unhappily at Mulder. As he set his tray down on the table, he smiled at Scully. "Hi, Dana, how are the autopsies coming?"

"Tedious, it's like putting a jigsaw puzzle together -- most of the bodies are nothing but bones." She had been assigned to oversee the autopsies and reconstruction of the bodies found at Xsavior's estate.

"Were you able to ID any of the victims, yet?" he asked, stealing a look at Mulder who lowered his head, refusing meet his eyes.

"Yes, three of the male victims were vocal opponents of the cult." Scully noticed the tension between the two men, she had sensed something was bothering Mulder.

Mulder glanced over at Schatz's tray he was relieved to see that his young friend had finished eating. "Scully, if you'll excuse me I have a lot of work to finish in the office. Hans, are you ready?"

"Yes, Mulder."

"Wait, I'll come with you," Krycek replied hastily, he had had enough of Mulder avoiding him.

"Alex, why don't you keep Scully company?"

"Mulder, that's not necessary. I've finished eating, and I need to get back to work, too." Scully stood, picking up her tray, she wasn't about to get between Mulder and his lovers again.

In the elevator going back up to the office, Krycek turned to Mulder. "This has got to stop, Fox," he spat angrily, blue sparks danced across his body.

Schatz backed away, while Mulder remained unfazed. "Or what, Alex?"

The elevator deposited them on their floor before the younger man could reply. They walked silently past other agents on the way to their office. Agent Sullivan was waiting for them when they arrived.

"Hey, Jack, you're still here. I thought you'd have left on suspension by now," Mulder replied, relieved by the older agent's presence.

"No such luck, Mulder. A.D. Skinner assigned Vinny and me a new case, he asked that I drop off a copy for you and Alex to review. I heard A.D. Murphy postponed your suspension, too."

"Yeah, they still need me on this case," Mulder murmured, reaching out to take the report from Sullivan.

Krycek teleported the folder over to himself, before Mulder could take it. "What type of case? Doesn't he know we're buried up to our eyebrows with the Amaranthine case?" he grumbled stopping as he opened the folder and stared at the photocopy of Reverend Xsavior and Senator Mooney. "Jack, is this for real?"

Mulder's ears perked up at Krycek's sound of surprise. "What is it?" He hurried over to Krycek and looked over his shoulder at the photo.

"Yeah, it's for real, we have the film negatives that go with all of the photos in the folder. We've taken them to the lab, Andy Nelson is running tests on them to establish they're authenticity," Sullivan assured them.

"Do you realize what this means, Fox?" Krycek exclaimed.

"Yeah, we have a real chance of getting my civil rights back. Jack, where did this information come from?" Mulder smiled, relief showing on his face.

"Vinny is down in the mail room now interviewing Brad Parks. So far, we haven't been able to find out who sent it. We'll keep you posted, Mulder," Sullivan said, heading out the door.

"I better get that profile done on Xsavior," Mulder interjected excitedly, sitting behind his desk, he looked up at Krycek. "Alex, we'll talk tonight at home."

"Sure, Fox. I'm going to lab to see how Andy is doing with those tests, I'll be back in a bit," Krycek murmured.

At five o'clock Skinner and Krycek strolled into Mulder's office carrying the babies. Fox, it's time to leave," Skinner announced. Schatz stood, pulling on his suit coat and looking over at Mulder.

"Walter, I need to finish this," Mulder grumbled, typing on his PC.

"Fox, save it on a disk...you can work on it at home," Skinner sighed unhappily, knowing that Mulder would be up all night working on the profile. His plans for coaxing Mulder back into their bed vaporized at the look of relief that appeared on his lover's beautiful face.

"Thanks, Walter," Mulder replied, pulling a diskette from his drawer.

*Swift move, bro, he'll be up all night working on that profile,* Krycek telepathically complained.

*Alex, Fox needs to finish it,* Skinner shot back.

*Yeah, I know, Walter, but I really miss him,* Krycek grumbled.

Mulder sensed his lovers' growing frustration with him. "Walter, Alex, I'll make time so we can talk tonight...I want to resolve our differences as much as you do," Mulder assured them softly. He picked up his briefcase, turning to Schatz. "C'mon, Hans, let's go home."

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Monday, September 6
6:30 p.m.

There was an unhappy atmosphere at the dinner table. Doctor Harris had examined Blaise, Hawk, and Takeda and discovered that they had same organ developing in their bodies that Mulder and Schatz had. The organ wasn't as fully developed as it was in Mulder and Schatz, Harris estimated that it would be within the next four to five weeks.

"Well at least we haven't grown breasts," Blaise muttered.

"What makes you think we won't?" Hawk grumbled.

"God, I don't even want to consider that as a possibility!" Takeda pushed his plate aside, losing his appetite.

"Guys, what's really changed? Outwardly you still appear and act the same and I highly doubt that you're suddenly going to develop breasts," Hunter soothed.

"Gabriel, you don't understand how frightening this is to us," Blaise interjected. "It was bad enough that we sexually arouse every male on this blasted planet, now there's a very good possibility that we could become pregnant! That scares the shit out of us!" He leaned back and studied the other faces around the table. Mulder was the only one missing. Blaise didn't miss the guilty looks Krycek and Skinner exchanged, he wondered what that was about.

Krycek was holding his daughter on his lap, cuddling her closer as he contemplated what Blaise said. Was Mulder as frightened as these men? He knew Fox was upset and worried, but scared of becoming pregnant? Sighing, he realized that if his body had gone through the same radical changes even the merest possibility that he could become pregnant would scare the shit of him. Now he realized why Fox did not want him or Skinner touching him -- Fox didn't trust them.

Hans Schatz was the only one at the table to clean his plate. He had the whole weekend to accept this latest humiliation that life had dealt him. Besides, he didn't intend to have sex ever again, so there was no way he'd become pregnant. He looked up to see Hunter staring lovingly at him and blushed.

"I'm glad someone enjoyed my cooking," Hunter replied softly. He had secretly scanned the younger man's mind to find out what his favorite meals were.

"Yes, it was very good, thank you," Schatz replied politely. He turned his thoughts away from the handsome sorcerer and back to Mulder, he was planning on going up to the agent's office after dinner.

Senator Mooney's Estate
Monday, September 6
8:30 p.m.

The senator watched the television news in shock as the body bags were pulled out of Reverend Xsavior's mansion. His patron was a serial murderer. If anyone found out this would ruin his career.

At a sound behind him Mooney spun around, staring into the dark eyes of the Reverend. "What are you doing here? Did anyone see you come in?" The senator asked, running around the room, he closed all of the curtains.

"Don't worry, Milford, no one saw me," the reverend replied. Walking over to the liquor cabinet, he poured himself a sherry.

"Did you do it?" he asked, looking back at the news report.

"How old do you think I am, Milford?" Xsavior asked, sinking into an armchair in front of the fireplace.

"What does that have to do with anything? Damnit, man, did you kill those innocent women?" he sputtered.

"Milford, sit down and answer my question," Xsavior toned harshly.

The senator stared over at the reverend in shock, he was sitting in a chair across from him, and he didn't remember sitting down.

"How old?" the reverend asked again.

"58," Mooney guessed, his voice taunt.

"I was born in New Orleans, in the year 18
95," Xsavior informed him.

"You're 104 years old? How?"

"Before turning back to God I worshiped Satan, but he betrayed me." Xsavior sipped his sherry, returning to the past. "I was a completely loyal servant to my Dark Prince for nearly a hundred years, and what did it get me? Nothing, only a few paltry mystical powers and slowed down aging. He gave his new servants powers that far exceed anything I've ever seen before, and eternal life!"

"What are you saying? That the only reason you returned to God is out of jealousy? Is everything you preached a lie? Were the immortals not sent here by God?" Mooney yelled.

"Everything...I've preached is the God given truth! I am living proof that Satan and the powers of darkness exist. Who better than I would know the difference between GOOD and EVIL!" The reverend hissed. The fire in the fireplace flared up at his words, emphasizing them.

The senator shrank back in his chair, his face chalky white, and his hands trembling in fear. "What do you want here? There's a nationwide manhunt on for you," Mooney's voice quivered.

"I need a place to sleep tonight. Tomorrow I'll be heading back to New Orleans. I need to regroup." The exhausted reverend leaned back, closing his eyes. "Milford, this is but a minor setback -- the Amaranthines are still growing in number. We have ministers spreading our gospel over in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Our people will be staffing the new facility for housing the immortals. We will be victorious in the end!"

"Very well, Reverend, you may use the guest room." The senator rang a small bell on the end table.

"Yes, Sir," his butler replied, entering the living room.

"Bentley, show the reverend to the guest room. See that he is made comfortable," Mooney ordered the elderly man.

"Reverend, this way, sir." The butler bowed, guiding their guest out of the room.

The senator wasn't a fool. He couldn't let this deranged man ruin his career. He planned to call his contacts in organize crime tomorrow to arrange a hit on the reverend.

Chapter 20 -- Second Chances

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Monday, September 6
8:50 p.m.

Han Schatz was curled up against the corner of the leather sofa watching television while Mulder worked on his computer. "Mulder, can I ask you a question?"

"If you can wait a few minutes I'll be done with my report then we can talk," Mulder mumbled.

Schatz returned his attention to the television set. He enjoyed American TV shows. In Argentina, his family had a satellite dish that received all of the American channels. The much-publicized new season had begun; there hadn't been any new shows made in two years. It seemed rather dark that they had remade "Friends" without Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe. Seeing Joey sleeping with Ross just didn't seem right -- now Chandler he could picture.

Several of the networks were using transvestites in roles calling for women. But most of the new programs were simply geared at helping men understand the changes in the New World. Maury had replaced Oprah as the number one talk show host.

"Okay, Hans, what do you want to know?" Mulder asked, sitting on the sofa next to the younger man, holding out his hand for the bag of sunflower seeds.

Schatz passed the bag and flipped off the television. "Why do you allow yourself to be treated like a piece of property by Alex and Walter? I don't understand why you would even want a sorcerer for a lover. You know, they can make you do anything they want without you even realizing it."

"Hans, my lovers and I have an equal relationship, they treat me with respect...not like a piece property." Mulder's voice didn't convey much conviction; he hadn't felt equal to them in a long time. "I'm in love with Walter and Alex is that so hard to understand?" he replied with more conviction -- at least he knew that was still true.

"I think they cast a spell on you, and you don't even know it," the younger man interjected, taking some seeds from the bag on Mulder's lap.

"That must be a pretty powerful spell then," Mulder smiled softly, hearing Skinner telepathically request to be allowed into his office his smile widened. He looked up as the older man entered his office carrying a tray of food.

"Fox, how's the profile coming?" He set the tray on the coffee table in front of his lover.

"I finished it a couple of minutes ago. Mm, I didn't know Gabriel knew how to prepare German cuisine," Mulder commented, grinning knowingly over at Schatz. He picked up a fork and cut into the wiener schnitzel then he sampled the potato dumplings.

"That's a relief, Alex was afraid you'd be up all night working on it," Skinner replied, looking around the office. He sat down next to Mulder, watching him eat for a few minutes. "Fox, are you coming downstairs soon? We really need to talk," Skinner asked, looking over at Schatz, he didn't want the younger man to hear their personal problems.

"Walter, I'm coming downstairs to talk, but I'm not promising that I'll sleep there tonight," Mulder replied, picking up the stein of beer on the tray and taking a large gulp. "God, I'm thirsty."

Schatz watched the two men intently; he didn't know what Mulder saw in the bald man. Skinner made him feel uncomfortable and he thought it would be better if he left. "Mulder, I'm going back to my room, goodnight," he murmured, standing he headed for the door.

"G'night, Hans," Mulder mumbled, with a mouth full of food.

After he had left, Skinner turned to Mulder. "Fox, I think our young guest has a crush on you."

"Hans? No, he's just lonely and frightened. He needs a shoulder to lean on," Mulder replied.

"Does it have to be yours?" Skinner complained.

"For now, yes, it does. I'm hoping that Gabriel will take him under his wings eventually...he's been trying hard enough, but so far Hans isn't responding to his advances." Mulder finished eating, picking up the beer, he leaned back against the sofa.

"I wasn't aware that Gabriel was interested in Hans. It would help a lot if Hans would go to him for guidance and protection instead of you. You know Hans is never going to lose his fear of us as long as he has you to cling to, don't you? Fox, he's using you like a security blanket, I'm surprised he hasn't asked you to sleep with him," Skinner grumbled.

"Walter, he's been sexually abused! The last thing he'd want right now is to sleep in the same bed with another man." Mulder drained the rest of his beer, looking longingly at the empty stein. "Walter, I could use another," he coaxed, smiling as the stein was refilled to the brim. He ran his hand over the leather cushion, smiling softly. "I used to fantasize about you at night while lying on this sofa. Back then, you were my security blanket."

"Tell me about your fantasies, Fox." Skinner leaned back and draped an arm around Mulder's shoulders. He reached for the stein and took a sip.

"You would come through my front door, standing in the shadows studying me for several minutes as I lay watching you -- waiting. Not saying a word, you'd slowly strip out of your clothes, slowly revealing that finely chiseled body of yours. You'd walk over to where I lay and pull me roughly into your arms, letting me feel the evidence of your desire for me rubbing against my hip." Mulder leaned against Skinner as he talked, taking a large swig of beer, he passed the stein to his lover. "Then your mouth would claim mine, shooting a bolt of lightening straight to my groin. Mm, you tasted like fine aged scotch and kissing you would making me tipsy with desire." Mulder kissed under his lover's jaw, feeling the day's growth of beard against his lips.

"God, then what, Fox?" Skinner leaned into Mulder lips and the beer stein vanished from his hand as he wrapped his arms around the agent's lean body. His growing arousal was straining uncomfortably against his chinos.

"Mm, then the phone would ring waking me from my fantasy and I'd be off on another secret rendezvous with my informant," Mulder chuckled, pulling away. He grinned mischievously at the older man.

"You're a bastard, you know that?" Skinner grumbled, pulling Mulder back against him, he claimed his mouth in one long and passionate kiss.

Mulder suddenly became nervous and tried to pull free. "I think we should go down and have that talk now."

Skinner tightened his hold, his kiss becoming bruising as he tore forcefully at Mulder's clothing.

"Walter, STOP!" Mulder shouted, struggling. He gut punched Skinner, knocking the air from his lungs and quickly jumped off the sofa backing away toward the door. Mulder watched nervously as Skinner's glazed over eyes regained their focus and a puzzle frown appeared on his handsome face.

"Fox, how did you get over there?" Skinner asked mystified, rubbing his sore stomach. The last thing he remembered was kissing Mulder.

"You don't know? Walter, I think we need to have that talk now." Mulder walked cautiously over to his lover, helping him to his feet and steered him toward the secret passageway.

"Okay, Fox, it's your party," Skinner grumbled.

The two men made their way down the narrow staircase and into their bedroom. Krycek sat rocking Faith in the nursery, reading to her. For once, Hope was soundly asleep in her crib, sucking on the pacifier in her mouth.

"Hey, are you finished with the profile?" Krycek whispered.

Mulder took Faith from the younger man's arms, hugging her and sniffing the wonderful baby scent. She peered at him tiredly, yawned, and closed her eyes. "Yeah, it's all done." Mulder kissed the top of the baby's head, placing her next to Hope in the crib. "They're both getting so big, we really should set up another crib in here," he replied softly.

"There's not enough room," Skinner stated, looking around the small crowded nursery.

"We could move the rocker, cradle, and changing table into our bedroom then it would fit." Mulder stepped out of the nursery and went to sit in front of the fireplace. Krycek had built a fire earlier; the temperature was dropping to the low sixties this evening. Mulder looked at the small pile of wood beside the fireplace. "We're going to need a few cords of wood before winter," he casually informed them.

"We know, Fox. Walter and I are renting a truck to drive up to his cabin at the end of the month to cut some dead-fall," Krycek replied, sitting next to him on the love-seat, Skinner took the wingback chair across from them.

"We'll rearrange the nursery tomorrow," Skinner replied.

Mulder gazed sadly into the fire, he was running out of small talk and he didn't know how to broach his fears or how to make his lovers understand why he was worried about sharing a bed with them.

"Fox, we're sorry. We never considered how this was affecting you," Krycek murmured, placing a comforting hand on Mulder's arm. "Tell us what it will take for you to come back to us?"

Mulder took a deep breath, looking from Alex's emerald green to Walter's sable brown eyes. "I want a promise from both of you. I want you to promise me that you'll never touch me here, or even think about having sex with me there," Mulder replied, touching his belly.

"Fox, how can we promise that? We might accidentally touch your stomach area while we're making love," Skinner griped. He enjoyed every inch of Mulder's body and didn't like being restricted from touching any part of him.

"Walter, that's not what I meant. I don't want you to touch my bellybutton, now that shouldn't be too difficult to avoid! God, how can I trust you? This whole thing is like one big joke to you!" Mulder complained. Standing abruptly, he walked over to the French doors and stared out into the darkness.

"Fox, we don't find anything funny about your situation," Krycek assured him.

"Yeah right, then what was that *crack* about it being that time of the month?" Mulder snapped.

"Sorry, Fox, I was an insensitive jerk...I really didn't mean it. We give you our word that we won't touch your bellybutton. Don't we, Walter?" Krycek glared over at Skinner.

"Yes, of course. Fox, we would never do anything you don't want us to do, you can trust us," Skinner told him irritated at his lover's apparent lack of trust in them.

"I used to believe that, but lately in the heat of passion you both seem to forget about my needs! It's been happening more often lately," Mulder informed them, watching their reflections through the window and seeing the look of incomprehension clearly etched on their faces.

Skinner walked up behind him and placed his hands on Mulder's shoulders. "Fox, we've always put your pleasure before our own! How could you think such a thing?" Skinner asked a tinge of hurt in his voice.

"Easily, Walter, during the past three weeks I've felt more like an object being used for your sexual gratification than as your lover. Twice I hadn't even gotten off and neither of you even noticed!" Mulder turned around to face Skinner and Krycek -- his words had clearly been a slap to both their faces.

"God, Fox, if we've been treating you this way why didn't you tell us? You must know we'd never knowingly treat you like that," Krycek exclaimed.

"I should have mentioned it, but I've been feeling so weird this past month...everything seemed dreamlike...distant. Maybe your strange behavior was caused by my body's changes...it did affect you strongly during and after my examination, Alex," Mulder replied.

Skinner paced around the room deep in thought -- he finally stopped, reaching a decision. "Fox, I think we should see Doctor Harris tomorrow, if you're causing our recent behavior we need to do something about it." He pulled Mulder into an embrace, hugging him tightly against his chest. "God, I love you so much...I can't stand to think that I've unconsciously hurt you. Until we can get a handle on our behavior, maybe it is better that you continue to sleep up in your office," he said with great difficulty, he was growing uncontrollably aroused by the closeness of Mulder's body, it was making him lose control.

Mulder felt waves of desire wash through him from Skinner's passionate embrace. His belly and groin were pressed tightly against the older man's body. There was a warm pleasant feeling spreading out from his navel, throughout his stomach area and down to his groin. "Oh, god, let go! Fuck, I have to get out of here!" He pushed Skinner roughly away and dashed up the secret staircase to his office. He closed the panel behind him, then slipped to the floor with his back against it shaking uncontrollably.

Skinner closed his eyes; he was trembling with desire and painfully hard. He now realized what Mulder was talking about, it was all that he could do not to rush after him and take his pleasures from that gorgeous body. Images of him selfishly using Mulder's body over the past few weeks flooded back to him. He walked shakily over to the bed and collapsed on it. "Damnit, Alex, what the hell have we done?"

"Walter, I think you're right, we need to see Doctor Harris...maybe he needs to strengthen Mulder's anti-pheromone shots. I'm going to take a cold shower," Krycek replied hastily, walking stiffly to the bathroom.

D.C. General Hospital Tuesday, September 8
7:50 a.m.

Skinner was grateful that Doctor Harris had agreed to see them so early, because Mulder had started to feel withdrawal pains and he hated to see him suffering. They had already gone over the whole situation from the night before with the doctor. He glanced over at Mulder, who was sitting on the far side of the room away from him and Krycek, MacIver was sitting with him. Mulder had asked MacIver to drive him here because he did not feel comfortable being in the close confines of the SUV with Skinner and Krycek.

"Walter, Alex, it is imperative for Mulder's safety that you do not have sex with him alone -- the situation needs to be controlled. I've wanted to run tests on his withdrawal symptoms for some time now. Something happens between an immortal and sorcerer that involves more than just exchanging bodily fluids. If we could find out what that is, it might be possible to make a drug to control future withdrawal symptoms. These tests can also determine why his recent changes are affecting you and Alex so strongly. Have you noticed if they're affecting anyone else at the estate?" Harris asked.

"Doctor, I drove Mulder here and I've not experienced anything more than the usual arousal from being close to him," MacIver inform him.

Mulder took a deep breath closing his eyes to control the pain that was lancing through his body. "Doctor, what exactly would these tests entail?" he asked through tightly clenched teeth.

"I would like to have one of your lovers have sex with you while you're both wired to various equipment to monitor your bodies' reactions. My lab technicians will record your lovemaking with heat sensitive scanners...we're aware that sorcerers put out an energy field, we'd like to see if that's involved during your love making," Harris replied.

"I'm not having sex in front of strangers! No way, no how! There has to be another way," Mulder snapped. He was agitated by the fact that he was also too afraid to have sex with Skinner or Krycek alone. Mulder sensed that if they lost control they'd try to have sex with him through his new orifice, it seemed to be the main-focus behind their most recent problems. Mulder considered briefly riding out the withdrawal symptoms like Schatz had, but there was too much work on the Amaranthine case to do, and it would be just his luck to wake up afterwards and find that he had been confined to the government facility.

"They're trained specialists...Mulder, you need someone there to protect you in case your lover loses control," the doctor advised.

Mulder turned to MacIver, looking pleadingly at him. "Rory, would you do it, please? I'd feel comfortable with you there. I don't want to have strangers watching," he begged. He couldn't keep his body from shaking.

"Mulder, of course, I'd do anything for you," MacIver assured him.

"Thanks," Mulder sighed.

Krycek was itching to comfort Mulder, but knew that would not be wise. "Doc, when will the tests be ready?"

"It should take 4
hours to have the lab set up, I'll hook up the electrodes and operate the scanner myself if that is okay with you, Mulder?" Harris asked, leaning back in his chair watching Mulder closely.

"Doctor, let's just get this over with, please," Mulder replied, near tears.

"Okay, Mulder, I'll have my assistant show you to a waiting area while I make arrangements for the lab." Harris picked up his telephone and called in his assistant. "Frank, show Agent Mulder and Mr. MacIver to the green room."

"Fox, it will be okay," Skinner said soothingly as Mulder walked to the door, he was leaning heavily on MacIver for support.

After they had left, Krycek turned to Doctor Harris. "I'll do it, Doc," he stated firmly.

"No, Alex, I'll do it," Skinner replied sharply.

"Walter, you do realize that although it will only be Rory and myself in the room your sexual coupling is going to be filmed at every angle?" Harris asked.

"Fuck the cameras! This is Fox we're talking about, I'd do it live on national television if it would make him better!" Skinner grumbled.

"Okay fine, Walter, we'll cut cards. Doc, would you?" Krycek asked.

Doctor Harris pulled out a deck of cards from his bottom desk drawer and laid them on the desk in front of the two men. Krycek reached first cutting the deck he turned over a Queen of hearts, he sighed relieved. The A.D. glared, he desperately wanted to be the one to comfort and protect Mulder, cutting the deck turning over a King of clubs.

"Damn!" Krycek exclaimed.

Four hours later Harris showed Skinner to the lab. Mulder was already there, sitting on the examination table dressed only in a thin hospital robe. MacIver was talking softly to him, brushing his sweat soaked bangs out of his pain filled eyes.

"Fox, how are you feeling," Skinner asked, coming over to him, but stopping suddenly when he felt himself becoming uncontrollably aroused.

MacIver noticed the bulge forming in the larger man's pants and the lustful look on his face, and he quickly erected a protective shield around Mulder's body. The shield blocked in the scent Mulder was giving off.

Skinner sighed, recovering. "Thanks, Rory, I...I wouldn't have been able to control myself. Please, make sure I don't hurt Fox," he appealed to the Scotsman.

"Don't worry, Walter. Mulder is my number one concern...I'll kick your butt if you try to hurt him in any way," he replied.

"Sam, let's get this over with," Skinner stated, shrugging off his clothing and draping them over a chair as Harris helped MacIver with Mulder.

"Mulder, I'm going to take the robe off...I need to attach these electrodes to your forehead and chest," Doctor Harris spoke slowly making sure Mulder understood him through the painful haze he was in. Mulder held MacIver's hand tightly as the doctor attached the electrodes. "Okay, Mulder, I need you to lie down on the examination table," he murmured soothingly.

"Doc, you go get Walter ready I'll help Mulder," MacIver ordered, he didn't want Mulder to be exposed for longer than was necessary.

MacIver assisted Mulder in lying down on the heavily padded examination table -- it was slightly smaller than a twin size bed. He watched as the doctor hooked the electrodes to Skinner, while he kept the shield around Mulder's body. He'd only seen the A.D. nude a couple of times before, but never this close. The man was massive, MacIver hoped he wouldn't have to physically restrain him.

Mulder groaned, trembling as another pain laced through his body. He was lying half on his side with one leg bent up and the other straight. He wanted to make it easy for Walter to have anal intercourse with him, getting it over with quickly. He also didn't want to take a chance of him touching his belly.

"Rory, I'm going to flip on all of the monitoring equipment then I want you to remove the shield you have around Mulder's body," Harris stated, walking around the room flipping switches.

Skinner got into position by the table, he was blushing bright red with embarrassment, and starting to have second thoughts. Maybe he should have let Alex do this; his half-brother didn't seem to have any hang-ups or modesty involving sex.

"Walter...it...it's going to be okay...please, just hurry and get it over with," Mulder begged, staring back at him through tear filled eyes.

"Fox, I love you...never forget that," he murmured softly.

Doctor Harris looked over at MacIver. "Okay, Rory, you can lower the shield. Walter, here's the lubricant...are you okay?"

"Yeah, Sam, this is really embarrassing..." he grumbled, stopping as a wave of arousal slammed into him. His eyes glazed over and all rational thought flew from his brain. He quickly climbed onto the table, dropping the lubricant on the floor he mounted his lover dry.

Mulder cried out in pain as Skinner forced his way into his body, he felt like he was being ripped in two. His lover didn't stop to allow his body time to adjust to his size -- he just kept on pushing forward against his resisting muscles. Mulder thought he would pass out from the pain, but to his relief he didn't, he wanted to remain conscious.

"Fuck, Walter, you're hurting him, stop!" MacIver shouted, but was powerless to do anything as the larger man sank to the root in his lover's body. "Damnit, Doc! Next time...I think you had better plan this more thoroughly!" the Scotsman growled.

Skinner breathed in deeply, enjoying the feel of the warm, pliant body under his. Mulder's skin was smooth as satin, he licked behind his lover's ear, nipping the lobe. "God, you're such a fucking beautiful bitch, you're mine, all mine," he growled in a voice deeper than normal. His hand snaked to Mulder's belly and he quickly inserted a finger into his lover's navel, feeling the tightness of the new orifice as it clenched his finger. "Your cunts are so wonderfully tight, babe, they feel so good squeezing me...you're so fucking hot inside."

Mulder was outraged and shocked by Skinner's words, but the fat finger probing into him was sending sharp waves of pleasure flowing through him. He couldn't help the instant arousal that lanced throughout his pain-filled body, and he arched back against the larger man who was penetrating him front and back. "God, Walter, please don't do this to me," he begged through the haze of pain and pleasure.

"Why? You know you love it, bitch, this is your purpose...to pleasure your man," he growled deeply as he started thrusting harder into Mulder's body.

Mulder shuddered -- the voice wasn't Walter's, it sounded like some demented demon. He prayed that this would end quickly, his ass felt like it was on fire and he wondered if his body had been injured. He felt a second finger enter his navel, and additional waves of pleasure washed over him, he slowly started to lose himself to the sensations as he felt Skinner's body stiffen and hot fluid shoot into his bowels.

Skinner bit down on Mulder's shoulder as his passion flowed out of him. However, it soon occurred to him that he was still painfully hard inside his lover's body even after shooting endless amounts of semen inside of him. He quickly realized what was wrong.

"Wrong end," Skinner snarled. Pulling out, he flipped Mulder roughly over onto his back and straddled his body. Positioning his cock against the younger man's bellybutton, he started to push in when he felt a sharp pain against his side and he went flying off the table.

MacIver kicked Skinner off the table and he quickly put up another protective shield around Mulder's body. The agent curled onto his side in a fetal position and broke down in tears, shaking and quivering. MacIver covered his body with a blanket. "Doctor, would you help Walter get dressed and get him out of here, please. I'll take care of Mulder, I don't think he's hurt too badly. It's going to be all right, Mulder, I won't let anyone hurt you again," he soothed.

Skinner was on the floor, appearing dazed and confused. Harris helped him to his feet, handing him his briefs and pants. Skinner started to dress in a haze, looking constantly over at Mulder with puzzled expression on his face. "Sam, did I? I can't remember..." he asked baffled. He did not know why his side hurt and his hip felt bruised.

"Walter, what's the last thing you remember?" Harris asked softly, handing his friend his socks and shoes.

"I was standing next to the table feeling embarrassed about having sex with Fox in front of you," he replied.

Harris stood next to Skinner and before he could pull on his shirt, he said, "Let me check your ribs, Walter; you took a pretty good blow to them." After feeling along Skinner's sides, he said, "It appears that nothing is broken, but they will be sore for a couple of days."

"How did I bruise my ribs, Sam?" Skinner asked, pulling on his shirt, he became aware of Mulder's quiet sobs in the background. "Sam, what did I do? Is Fox all right?"

"You had sex with your lover and slightly lost control. Rory was able to interfere before you had time to hurt Mulder," Harris replied, meeting MacIver's angry, brown eyes. "C'mon, Walter, let's leave Rory to help Mulder -- the change has made him highly emotional," Harris replied. He did not want Walter to know how badly he had hurt his lover.

Skinner walked out of the examination room fastening his belt. "Sam, that was extremely embarrassing. Couldn't we have done this back at the mansion?" he grumbled.

Krycek looked up from pacing the hallway. "Hey, I volunteered! We didn't have to cut cards if you felt uncomfortable about doing it." The younger man didn't know what had transpired inside the examination room. MacIver had put up a barrier around the room protecting Mulder's privacy from any sorcerer or clairvoyant that might try to pry. Krycek reached up and touched a small, red circle on Skinner's temple. "So, how many electrodes did he attach to you?"

"Alex, stick it!" Skinner growled. It was bad enough that he had to have sex with his lover in front of MacIver and Harris. But to be hooked up to equipment that monitored his heart rate, blood pressure, brainwaves, and various other bodily responses, while heat sensitive scanners record every angle of their coupling was far beyond humiliating, and to make matter worse he couldn't remember anything that had happened.

Doctor Harris looked on. "The equipment is here...besides this test wasn't just to determine why Mulder's pheromones are affecting you so strongly. We also wanted to know why sexual contact with a sorcerer is needed to stop the immortal's withdrawal symptoms. Life would be so much easier for Mulder and the others if we could develop a drug to control their withdrawal symptoms," Harris replied.

"Okay, Sam, I'll defer to your superior wisdom. How much longer until Mulder is ready to go?" Skinner asked, sitting on the chair outside the examination room.

"I want to keep him here until the new drug is ready to test," Harris replied softly. After what he just witnessed he feared for Mulder's safety at the mansion.

"Sam, that is not acceptable. Fox is coming home with us...I'm not leaving him here!" Skinner snarled.

"Walter, you lost it in there! If it weren't for Rory, you could have injured Mulder. I think it would be better if he remains here. I'll have a new drug to test on him on Friday, hopefully, it will control your behavior."

"Sam, what about you and your assistants...do you expect me to believe that you'll be able to control yourselves around him?" Skinner barked.

"Walter, I don't have time to argue now! Go with Alex and get yourselves a cup of coffee! Don't come back here for at least a half-hour. We will discuss it then, I need to see to Mulder," Harris huffed, going back into the examination room.

"C'mon, Walter, let's go...you can tell me why the Doc seemed so pissed," Krycek murmured, looking questioningly at his older brother.

"God, Alex, I don't know...I really can't remember what happened in there," Skinner muttered.

Mulder had his face buried against MacIver's chest -- the older man was hugging him and trying to soothe him. Mulder felt the throbbing in his belly as his body tried to calm down from the sexual stimulation it had received. He also felt Skinner's semen leaking out of his body onto the white cloth of the examination table. His lover's harsh words kept racing through his mind. //bitch, cunt//

"Mulder, I would like to examine you to make sure that there was no tearing. I also need to take some samples to test," Harris murmured softly.

"Sure, Doc, just give me a second," Mulder sniffed, willing himself back under control. "Thanks, Rory." He pulled away and laid back down on the table.

"Would you like me to wait outside, Mulder?" MacIver asked.

"No. Please, Rory, stay with me...I have no one else right now." Mulder blushed at how needy his voice sounded.

"Mulder, we've been through a lot together...I'll always be there for you...we're family now," MacIver said.

Doctor Harris checked Mulder over thoroughly and was relieved that he didn't receive any serious damage from Skinner's assault on him only some minor tearing. "Mulder, Walter doesn't remember anything that has happened in here. He would be devastated if he knew how close he came to seriously hurting you," Harris stated gently as he inserted a tube into Mulder's navel to collect a sample.

Mulder closed his eyes against the pressure. "Doctor, I don't want Walter to know, he has enough on his mind right now...can we keep this just between us?"

"Sure, Mulder, if that's what you want."

MacIver glared at the doctor, he was well aware of the fact that Doctor Harris wanted to protect Skinner...even if it was at Mulder's expense.

"Okay, Mulder, all done you can get dressed now," Harris replied.

Five minutes later there was a knock on the door; Skinner and Krycek walked in. Mulder was just lacing up his dress shoes, sitting as far away from the examination table as he could get. MacIver walked over to him, putting up another protective shield around his body.

"Walter, this newest pheromone his body is producing seems only to be affecting you and Alex. I really think it would be best if Mulder remains here for the time being."

Krycek strolled over to them, swaying as the smell of the recent sexual activity attacked his senses. "Doctor Harris, we're not leaving Fox here!" he snarled between clenched teeth.

"What's going on, Alex?" Mulder asked, walking hesitantly over to them. MacIver kept the shield around his body firmly in place.

"The doc wants to keep you here until Friday, he's worried about us being around you right now," Krycek informed him.

"Doctor Harris, there's nothing to worry about...I've been sleeping in my office, and anyway it's not like they can do me any permanent damage," Mulder replied, trembling slightly. He hated hospitals and was not about to be stuck in one.

"Mulder, it's just that I've never seen Walter lose control before...it worries me," Harris replied. "However, if you think you can avoid close contact with them you should be okay. I want you here back here on Friday. Until then...I do not want you leaving the mansion," Doctor Harris ordered.

"But, Doc, you said yourself that I am only affecting Walter and Alex. I really need to go to work!" Mulder griped. "I'm in the middle of an important case!"

"You can telecommute for now, Mulder, it should only be for a few days," Doctor Harris replied, walking with them to the elevator. "Now remember...no touching, no kissing, absolutely no close contact of any type!" he admonished.

"Yes, Doctor Harris," the three men replied.

MacIver glanced at them with concern, making sure that he was between Mulder and Skinner and Krycek, and that Mulder was as far away from them as possible in the elevator.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Tuesday, September 8
3:50 p.m.

"Come in," Mulder muttered sullenly while sitting on the sofa in his home office.

"Hi, Fox," Hunter replied softly, sitting next to Mulder on the leather sofa. "Rory told me what happened...do you want to talk about it?"

"Remind me to talk to Rory about blabbering about my personal problems," Mulder grumbled.

"Fox, Rory is worried about you and he knows that we're close friends. He thought you'd be more willing to talk to me than anyone else," Hunter murmured.

Mulder got up and started pacing angrily around his office. "God, Gabriel, look at me! I can't go anywhere alone without the fear of being attacked, now I'm not even safe in my own home! Walter and Alex were my shield against the outside world...DAMNIT I DON"T WANT TO BE AFRAID OF THEM!" Mulder sank dejectedly onto the sofa with tears streaming down his face. "I love them too much. Why do these things keep happening to me?" he blurted out.

Hunter pulled Mulder into his arms and Mulder wrapped his arms around the older man and buried his face against Hunter's shoulder.

"You don't have to be afraid of Walter and Alex, I'll be there to protect you. Besides, Doctor Harris will invent a new drug that will control the effect you're having on them. After all, he invented that anti-pheromone, shot didn't he?" Hunter rubbed Mulder's back soothingly. "How many years have I known you? In all that time you've always landed back on your feet. Shit, I've seen you get through tougher situations than this alone...but, Fox, you're not alone now, we'll get through this together -- as a family."

"Gabriel, thanks...I'm glad you're here, and tell Rory thanks, too. Sometimes I've forget about all that I have gained these past months," Mulder sighed. "I'm not alone anymore."

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Wednesday, September 8
3:00 p.m.

Mulder guzzled the bottle of water; he was feeling extremely hot and parched. He set the empty bottle on the floor next to several others that he had drank early. There was a tightness in his gut, and he prayed that he wasn't going to get another erection; he'd already had to jerk off twice this afternoon. He didn't know what was wrong with him now. He picked up the report that he had been working on, and settled back on the sofa to read what he had written.

"Hey, Mulder, turn on CNN," Takeda shouted, barging into his office, followed closely by Schatz, Blaise, and Hawk.

Mulder glanced up at them from his report, startled. "What is it?" he asked, reaching for the remote, he flipped on the television.

The sounds of angry protestors filled the air seconds before the picture appeared on the tube. It showed hundreds of protestors outside of the United States Capital carrying signs demanding that Senator Mooney and ten other Congressmen and Senators involved in the Amaranthine scandal step down. Some even called for their arrests.

A group of reporters had Senator Matheson corned on the steps of the capital building. "Gentlemen, please, it is too early for us to pass judgment; the evidence is all still circumstantial," Matheson replied.

"There's a rumor about photographs that directly link Senator Mooney and others to the Amaranthines. That sounds like more than circumstantial, wouldn't you agree Senator Matheson?" a reporter questioned.

"The alleged photographs are in the hands of the FBI's crime lab. If they are authenticated as real, then yes, I will agree that it is extremely damning," Matheson replied softly, keeping the elation he felt from showing on his face.

"Senator, can you substantiate reports that the new facility to house our country's immortals was discovered to be staffed primarily by Amaranthine cultists?" another reporter asked, dogging the Senator down the steps and through the angry mob of protestors.

"As you gentlemen know, I fought strongly against taking the civil rights away from this country's immortals and the proposed inhuman treatment of them! If the reports are true that a group of murdering extremists could gain access to them, then I conclude that this is indeed a dark day in this nation's history. I will propose a new vote to return the liberties to our immortals once these usurpers and traitors have been removed from the United States Congress," the Senator stated loudly with conviction. His security guards cleared a path for him to make it to his limousine.

The crowd took up the chant down with the Amaranthines traitors.

Mulder turned the volume down, sinking back against the cushions of the sofa -- a smile lit up his face. "The vote that took away our rights was close -- we only needed seven votes opposed and we'd be free right now."

Joseph Shadow Hawk looked up at Mulder, smiling, he was sitting on the floor next to the coffee table. "Yeah, and with ten of those bastards eliminated for the next vote we're bound to regain our freedoms," he replied happily.

His lover, Justin Cody Blaise, was sitting on the floor next to him and didn't look as convinced. "Don't get your hopes up, Joe. We don't know what the new members taking their place will vote. I, for one, will believe it, when I see it," Blaise groused.

"Lighten up, Justin. This is the best news we've had since you and Joe arrived here," Takeda snapped.

"I don't see why you care, Shinji. It's not as if your freedom is in jeopardy," Blaise shot back.

"I care because you're my friends and as close to a real family that I have," Takeda replied softly.

"Yes, he's right, we're brothers," Schatz informed them.

"That's a nice thought, Hans, and families stick together," Hawk replied. "I have no real family members left. Before the alien attack I had one sister and three nieces, my parents had died years ago."

"There's no one left for me either, Joe. I had three sisters and my mom," Takeda murmured sadly. "What about you, Hans?"

"I only had sisters, too. My dad and uncles survived the alien attack, but they died protecting me afterwards," he replied huskily.

"That's strange, I had four sisters and nine nieces, no brothers, nephews or children from past relationships. I wonder if that is significant?" Blaise asked.

"Not unless you have the urge to take my head," Mulder quipped.

"There can be only one!" Hawk exclaimed, laughing.

Blaise snorted. "Seriously, we've heard all about your family, Mulder, but do you have any information on the other immortals?" he asked, intrigued.

"I know Cory Greene, the British immortal, only had a sister, too. He never had any children, although, he had been married twice. I've never checked on any of the others," Mulder replied, suddenly curious about others of his kind. "I'll call my contact in the UN, he's compiled data on all of the known immortals."

"Thanks, Mulder, I'd appreciate it," the Texan drawled, looking forward to a new project to occupy his time.

"Justin, what are you and Joe going to do once you regain your freedoms?" Takeda asked.

"If it's okay with Mulder and his partners, we'd prefer to continue living here. This is the safest I've felt since becoming an immortal," Blaise replied softly.

"Justin, you and Joe are family now, I'd be honored if you continue living here," Mulder said without hesitation.

"Me, too, Mulder?" Schatz asked nervously, still unsure about his future in this household.

Mulder reached over and pulled Schatz into a brotherly hug. "You, too, bro, forever."

"Thanks."

"Hey, I put up the basketball hoop this morning. Do you want to go down and play a game?" Blaise asked.

Mulder stared down at the report he'd been working on, reaching a decision. "Sure, Justin, it's been too long since I played," Mulder replied, standing and stretching.

"Mulder, let's make it interesting, Joe and me, against you, Shinji, and Hans. The losers cooks dinner during Rory's week to cook," the Texan replied with confidence.

"In other words, it's a win, win situation," Mulder quipped.

"Yeah, the losers will be doing this family a great service," Takeda snickered.

Mulder noticed Schatz's puzzled expression. "Hans, if you ever tried to eat anything Rory cooked you'd understand," he informed him.

Mulder looked them over carefully, Blaise was two inches taller and thirty pounds heavier than he was and all of it muscle. Hawk and Schatz were his size and Takeda was seven inches shorter, but extremely athletic and agile. He knew that the two Americans knew how to play b-ball, but Takeda and Schatz? Still, three against two were pretty good odds. "Okay, Justin, you have yourself a game."

Hoover Building
Wednesday, September 8
3:30 p.m.

Jack Sullivan strolled briskly into Mulder and Krycek's office knowing he'd find Krycek there; Mulder was still telecommuting from home. "Hey, Alex, I've got some good news and some bad news, which do you prefer first?"

"Jack, always give me the good news first," Krycek leaned tiredly back in his chair.

"Good, all of the photographs are authentic. We have those bastards by the balls," he grinned wickedly.

"Jack, has anyone ever told you that you look and sound exactly like De Niro?" Krycek quipped.

"Yeah, lots of people. Now on to the bad news...we were able to trace the package. Courier records show that it was picked up at the Russian embassy, in addition, there was one distinct thumb and index finger print on one of the photos. Interpol's database showed it belongs to one Tsar Nikolai Slava."

"Oh fuck! Is there anyway we can hide that information?" Krycek groaned. It bothered him that Mulder might feel even the slightest bit of gratitude toward Slava.

"Sorry, Alex, we need to keep this above board even if it turns Slava into a fucking hero."

"That's okay, Jack. I want nothing more than to regain Fox's freedom, even if it makes Slava out to be one of the good guys," he replied without conviction.

Sullivan headed for the door, shouting over his shoulder. "I'm going to drop off the latest report to A.D. Skinner, he could use it to get the press off his back. They've been barking at his door all day, it should give them something to gnaw on."

Krycek picked up the telephone and called Skinner. "Walter, Jack's dropping off the latest report. After you take care of the press, let's stop at Lev's and pick up some takeout. I think we have something to celebrate, for once. I'll call Gabriel and tell him not to cook anything."

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Wednesday, September 8
5:30 p.m.

MacIver and Hunter had set up lawn chairs next to the improvised basketball court. The hoop and pole had been installed next to the detached garage/workshop and the blacktop in front of the garage was the court. Blaise had taken the time to paint the free-throw line and centerline with white paint earlier that morning. Both men were enjoying watching the intense game between the immortals.

Hawk had proven to be the best basketball player with Mulder a close second. Blaise used his larger size to guard and block Takeda and Schatz, who had turned out to be more than passable players. With a little practice the two young men could become as good as Mulder. Mulder's team was up by six points and two points away from winning the tie breaking fifth game of 21
. All five men had discarded their T-shirts after the second game and were dripping with sweat.

"This is the life," MacIver drawled, taking a swig of ale. He admired the immortals' beauty and grace. "Do you know how much money men would pay to sit here and watch them?"

"A lot. Why? Are you thinking of selling tickets?" Hunter joked.

"No, lad, I'm just counting my blessings," the Scotsman replied, smiling. "C'mon, Shin, you're all clear! Yeah, that's the way, love!" he shouted as Takeda sank the final basket ending the game.

The young Japanese immortal smiled affectionately at him. "Hey, old man, next time it's the five of us against you, Gabriel, Walter, Alex, and Tony. We'll kick your butts," he replied confidently.

Mulder, Schatz, Blaise, and Hawk all sank exhaustedly onto the grass next to the court and watched with amusement as Takeda baited his lover.

"Cocky little thing, aren't you?" MacIver chuckled.

"Damn straight! However, we need to come up with a better bet this time. Not that I'm complaining about being spared your cooking for a week, Rory," Takeda replied happily, straddling the older man's lap he planted a wet kiss on his lips.

"So, what do you and your teammates want to bet?" the Scotsman asked, aroused. Stroking his hands down the younger man's back to his butt, he pulled Takeda further up on his lap until he was straddling his groin.

"We'll have to talk it over and get back to you." Takeda leaned forward to continue kissing him, they were interrupted by Skinner's SUV pulling up.

Mulder stood up and retrieved his T-shirt, slipping it on over his sweat soaked body. He walked over to the truck and smiled at Krycek who was sitting in the backseat between the two infant seats. Mulder reached in to unfasten Faith from her car seat, but before he could, his wrists were grabbed, and Krycek pulled him into a bruising kiss that nearly caused him to fall on the baby. "Damnit, Alex, let go!" Mulder felt instant dread when he looked into Krycek's eyes, they were full of lust and completely devoid of any comprehension of what he was doing. He turned to Skinner for help and met the same lust-filled stare. Krycek ripped the T-shirt from his body and the older man lunged over the seat for him.

Mulder was scared to death that the babies would be injured if he tried to fight his lovers off in the close confines of the SUV. "Please, stop! The babies!"

"Shit!" Hunter swore and raced over to save Mulder from being raped by his own lovers, everyone else was leaping up to help. Hunter pulled Mulder free from Krycek's vise-like hold, throwing him to the ground away from the truck. MacIver dumped Takeda off his lap as he rushed over to assist Hunter; he quickly put up a protective barrier around the agent. The barrier sealed in Mulder's scent, breaking the spell it had over Skinner and Krycek.

Kimberly climbed shakily out of the front passenger seat. "Kim, take Fox over to your cottage," Hunter ordered, keeping a close eye on Skinner and Krycek -- the two men appeared dazed.

"No, I need to get my daughters," Mulder blurted out. He heard the two babies crying loudly from the truck.

"Fox, go with Kimberly! Joe and Justin will bring the babies to you," Hunter ordered sharply.

Kimberly helped Mulder to his feet, the shield expanding to cover both of their bodies as they made their way shakily toward the cottage. Schatz rushed after them, glaring back briefly in anger at the two men that had caused Mulder harm. His eyes caught Hunter's. Schatz felt appreciative toward this handsome man who had gone up against two powerful sorcerers to protect his brother. He turned and continued to follow Kimberly and Mulder to the cottage.

Both babies were shrieking loudly as Hawk and Blaise went to retrieve them from the truck. Faith had a small bruise on the side of her face, a testament to the mindless lust her father had become a victim of. Hawk placed a tender hand over the bruise, which required very little energy to heal. "Ssh, cutie, I'm going to take you to see your daddy Fox. That's what you want isn't it?" he soothed, hugging the crying baby against his bare chest as he headed toward the cottage. Blaise trailed behind him carrying Hope and the babies' diaper bag, she was distressed and shrieking, too. By then, Skinner and Krycek seemed to be recovering from their stupor.

"Oh god! Fox!" Krycek cried out, looking around for him. "Gabriel, where is he?" he noticed Blaise and Hawk with the babies on the path to the cottage and attempted to follow them.

"He's safe. Now I suggest that we go into the mansion and leave him be," Hunter replied softly, blocking the path to the cottage. Tony had rushed out to join Hunter in case he needed help.

"Gabriel, where are Hope and Faith? They're okay, aren't they?" Skinner asked nervously, deeply embarrassed by the gap in his memory. The last thing he remember was having an uncontrollable urge to make love to Mulder, but he couldn't remember anything else that happened after that. Skinner scanned the area for his daughter and niece, he relaxed when he found them safely entering the cottage under Hawk's and Blaise's care.

"They're fine, Walter, although Faith did receive a minor injury in the scuffle," Hunter informed him sharply.

"Faith...what happened to her?" Krycek asked, anxiety and guilt bringing tears to his eyes.

"She had a bruised cheek. Don't worry, Alex, Joe healed it. Now let's go into the mansion," Hunter repeated.

Takeda watched them intently. "God, Rory, is my body's changes going to cause you to go berserk, too?"

"Don't worry, love, Doctor Harris will have a new treatment before you're far enough along for it to affect me," MacIver replied, draping an arm over Takeda's shoulders, they followed the other men into the mansion.

Mulder paced around the living room in the cottage. "Damn, I was an idiot...what was I thinking? I'm sweaty and smelly...I should have known to stay away from them. It's not their fault, damn, damn, damn!" Mulder looked up as Hawk and Blaise strolled into the room. Faith was crying pitifully against Hawk's chest. Hope had quieted down when they entered the cottage and she heard Mulder's voice.

"Oh, Faith, come to daddy," Mulder soothed, setting aside his self-blame to comfort his daughter. He cuddled the baby against his bare chest, murmuring softly to her. Faith settled down immediately looking at him with angry, puffy, hazel eyes. "Yeah, your daddy was an idiot, sorry, cutie."

"Mulder, I'll show you to the bathroom so you can take a shower. Would you like to sleep here tonight?" Kimberly asked, concerned, showing him to the upstairs bathroom.

"No. I should be fine once I shower. Kim, it was my fault, Doctor Harris warned me to be careful. I should have taken him more seriously," he sighed. He tried to hand the baby to her, but Faith started crying immediately. "Maybe, I should wait until Faith settles down."

"I've made a fresh pitcher of ice tea, why don't we go back downstairs to the kitchen," Kimberly replied.

"Sounds good. Where are your munchkins, Kim?" Mulder asked, glancing around the upstairs.

"They're both taking a nap. Tony's been able to get them on a pretty good schedule, they've even started sleeping through the night now," She informed him as they entered the cozy kitchen, pulling out the pitcher from the refrigerator.

The other three immortals were in the kitchen, sitting at the small breakfast table, they wanted to be there for Mulder. Hope was laughing gleefully at the three men, who were all trying to keep her amused. "Hey, Mulder, that was a fast shower...ah, I don't know how to tell you this, but you still smell," Blaise chuckled.

"Stick it, Justin," Mulder replied, giving him the finger. He sat at the table. "Faith is still pretty upset, we must have really scared her." He accepted the glass of ice tea from Kimberly who then poured tea for the others, too.

Hawk held his tongue; he didn't think that it would be a good idea to tell Mulder that Faith had been injured during the scuffle. Since the agent was already blaming himself for his lovers' attack.

Back at the mansion, Krycek was pacing the kitchen while Skinner was on the telephone to Doctor Harris. The other men sat around watching them.

"Sam, it was awful...we didn't even know what we were doing. Do you have anything that you can give him, yet?" Skinner pleaded.

"Walter, I don't have anything, yet. However, I did make an interesting discovery. I checked the samples we took from Mulder on Friday against the ones taken yesterday. It appears his body is putting off higher dosages pheromones and there is an added buildup of chemicals in his new organ over the last week. If I were to make an educated guess, I'd say that he is going through a cycle that is reaching its peak." Harris took a deep breath and then continued. "Walter, the new pheromones are definitely keyed only to yours and Alex's DNA patterns. What I believe is happening is that Mulder's body is letting your bodies know that he is ripe for fertilization. Similar to a female animal when she's in heat," Harris informed him.

"Damn," Skinner sat heavily on the kitchen stool. "Then you've determined that this organ is for reproduction?" he asked.

"Yes. Although, we still haven't determined how it works, it's clearly a reproductive organ," the doctor stated.

"Sam, can you do me a favor? Whatever you do don't use 'the bitch in heat' analogy in front of Fox. This cycle, how long is it suppose to last?" Skinner met Krycek's anguished eyes aware that he was following along telepathically.

"I have no idea, Walter. I'm going to have to run more tests and collect samples from all the immortals at the mansion every other day to establish a time-frame. This is all still mostly speculative on my part," Harris sighed. "I think it's important that you avoid all contact with Mulder until the new drug is tested Friday."

"Okay, Sam," Skinner murmured, disconnecting the call. "Shit! We can't even see Mulder long enough to apologize to him!"

"You can tell him telepathically," MacIver replied.

"Yeah, but it's not the same," he sighed. "Tony, we stopped at Lev's for takeout, would you mind taking it back to the cottage with you? We picked up some of Fox's favorite dishes," Skinner told him sadly. "We were planning on celebrating, we have a real chance at winning Fox's, Justin's, and Joe's civil rights back."

"Sure, Walter, I'll take it right over to him," Tony replied.

Mulder shifted uncomfortably on the vinyl covered kitchen chair. He felt weird sitting here in Kimberly's kitchen with only his shorts on. His skin was sticking to the vinyl and to make matters worse, Faith's diaper had leaked staining his shorts. Oh well, at least she was finally calming down. "Kim, my munchkin needs a diaper change, can you show me where I can change her?" Mulder asked, picking up the baby's diaper bag.

"Sure, Mulder." Kim snickered when he stood up, noticing the yellow stain on his light gray shorts. "She's not the only one that needs a change."

Blaise lifted Hope off his lap and quickly checked her diaper; it appeared to be firmly fastened. "You're not going to leak on your Uncle Justin? Are you, precious?" he murmured, hugging her.

"Don't worry, Justin, from here it looks like Alex changed Hope's diaper. My educated guess is that Walter was the last person to change Faith. I think he worries about the munchkins' comfort and that's why he never fastens the diapers too firmly," Mulder replied, grinning. "What's weird is that he is never holding the babies when their diapers leak, it's usually Alex or me," he chuckled, following Kimberly to the downstairs bathroom.

"I think you have yourself a new X-File, Mulder. An Assistant Director of the FBI that can accurately predict when babies are about to soil their diapers," Kimberly quipped. She took out a box of wet wipes then spread out a plush towel. The sound of her babies crying upstairs pulled her away. "I'm going to check on my girls, Mulder, call if you need anything."

"Thanks, Kim," Mulder replied, placing the diaper bag on the toilet seat, he pulled a clean diaper out and set it aside.

*Fox.* Krycek telepathically contacted him.

*Alex, how are you feeling?* Mulder asked. Lying Faith down on the towel.

*I feel like a total jerk. Fox, please forgive me,* he begged.

*Alex, it wasn't your fault. I was the idiot; it was solely my fault. I should have realized what an effect I'd have on you and Walter,* Mulder replied, pealing off Faith's diaper.

*Fox, it wasn't your fault! You didn't attack us...we attacked you!* he replied hotly.

Mulder ignored his outburst. *Yuck, you should see the mess your daughter made, Alex. She had something to eat other than formula today, didn't she?* Mulder wiped the thick, smelly, mustard colored poop from her bottom. Faith squealed happily, the faces her daddy was making amused her. Kicking her little feet she smeared some of the mess onto the towel. "Hold still, squirt."

Krycek saw her through Mulder's eyes, he couldn't help the grin that lit up his face. *Yeah, we started her on pureed peaches today.* He was relieved that his daughter seemed perfectly fine, after today's incident. *How's she doing, Fox?*

*She's fine, Alex. Although our cutie wouldn't let me put her down, so I haven't been able to take a shower, yet.* He finished cleaning her up with another wet wipe. *But, as soon as I take a shower, I'll be coming back to the mansion, then we can have a long talk.*

*Fox, you can't come back to the mansion just yet.*

*What do you mean? We should be fine once I wash the sweat and smell from my body.*

*Walter talked to Doctor Harris. Our reactions weren't only due to you being sweaty and smelly. He thinks you're going through a cycle and that you are nearing its peak, once the cycle is over it should be safe. However, he doesn't know how long it will last or when the peak is. He wants you to stay with Kim and Tony until Friday, by then, he'll have a new drug ready to test.*

Mulder finished diapering his daughter, picking her up and hugging her against his chest, he sat down on the tub. *Cycle? So what does he think...that I'm in heat or something?* Mulder grumbled, agitated.

*Fox, please, don't get yourself all worked up, there's still a lot we don't know,* Skinner replied, stepping into their conversation. *We were lucky today that our friends were able to intervene and no one was hurt. Who knows what might have happened to you if we hadn't taken this situation seriously and seen Doctor Harris on Tuesday.*

Mulder sighed, tears filling his eyes. *Yeah, I'd probably be pregnant with one or both of your children.* He shuddered at that horrifying image.

*Fox, we'd still love you, especially if you were carrying our babies,* Skinner soothed.

*Walter, I don't find that at all reassuring. Let me make myself perfectly clear...I AM NOT GOING TO GET PREGNANT! Any future children we have together will be procreated the old fashion way in test tubes and growth cylinders.* Mulder glanced up as Schatz entered the bathroom, carrying some clothing.

"Mulder, I'll take care of Faith so you can take a shower. Tony says dinner should be on the table in about ten minutes," Schatz murmured softly placing the T-shirt, boxers, socks, and sweatpants on the counter.

"Thanks, Hans. Be good, cutie," Mulder replied, passing Faith to Schatz. He held his breath hoping that she wouldn't put up a fuss, letting it out when she seemed content to have the young immortal holding her.

Schatz grinned at him, hugging the baby as he left the bathroom.

Mulder untied his running shoes and stripped out of his soiled shorts and boxers. He turned on the shower, waiting for the water to heat up.

*You know, Fox. Your outward appearance shows no real indication that you have changed at all,* Skinner replied, watching Mulder lovingly through the agent's eyes in reflection from the mirror and shower door.

Mulder glanced down at his body, running a hand over his belly. *It's enough that I feel differently inside,* he replied, stepping into the shower. *Well, at least it confirms what I've suspected those fucking Grays meant to use immortals for.* He soaped up, washing the sweat and oils from his body. *We're nothing but fucking breeders!*

*Fox, you don't know that for sure,* Krycek replied.

*Damn, if I don't!* Mulder snapped. *It's the only way that it makes sense.* He leaned tiredly against the tiled wall, he felt emotionally devastated.

Krycek felt his heart leap to his throat. He wanted to be there with Mulder to comfort him. *Fox, even if it were true...they lost the war. You're our lover, not some breeder.*

Mulder sighed, rinsing the soap from his body. *It scares me so much...I think that's what the morph was doing on the estate...he wanted to abduct me and return me to the grays. Fuck, I don't even have the luxury of being able to kill myself!*

*Fox, don't worry! If they come back, we'll kick their Gray butts,* Skinner growled. *We'll always be there for you.*

*Thanks, Walter, Alex. God, what I wouldn't give to be there with you right now.*

*Soon, lover,* Krycek murmured.

Senator Mooney's Estate
Wednesday, September 8
7:30 p.m.

Xsavior 's angry voice resounded around the room from the speakerphone. "Milford, that wasn't a very wise move you made, sending a hit man to kill me."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Reverend," Mooney stammered.

"The man was very informative before he died," the reverend purred menacingly over the telephone line.

"Damn you, Xsavior, you've ruined me! I have protestors and reporters outside of my home! They're talking about having me expelled from the Senate because of you!" Senator Mooney shouted angrily.

"You have more to worry about than your pathetic career, Milford," the reverend threatened.

"You don't scare me, Xsavior. You wouldn't dare show your face in D.C.! You're a wanted man and it's only a matter of time before you're captured and put away for the rest of your life!" Mooney barked, slamming off the speaker. There was only one thing left for him to do, he'd resign from the Senate with dignity and not be thrown out like some common criminal.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Friday, September 107:00 a.m.

"Good morning, Mulder," Tony greeted as the agent walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I suppose," Mulder grumbled, sinking onto one of the kitchen chairs. He watched Tony as he fed both his daughters simultaneously. The babies were in their bassinets on the kitchen table and Tony had a bottle in each hand.

"Do you need any help?"

"No. Why don't you go pour yourself a cup of coffee? There's a fresh pan of cinnamon rolls on the stove, help yourself."

"Thanks, Tony." Mulder cut two rolls out of the pan and grabbed a bowl of frosting next to it. He juggled all three items carrying them back to the small table, setting the steaming cup of coffee down first.

"It's nice to see that your appetite is back," Tony grinned.

"You know I can't resist your cinnamon rolls," Mulder replied, spreading a generous amount of frosting on both rolls.

Kimberly walked into the kitchen. "Yeah, me too, Mulder, that's why I moved in with him, for his cinnamon rolls and homemade pastas," she smiled. She was pristinely dressed in a taupe business suit. "So, today's the big day?"

"Yeah, I really would like to return home today. Walter has assigned a FBI sorcerer and clairvoyant to accompany me and Hans to the hospital for our appointments today," Mulder replied, sipping his coffee.

"I hope your appointment goes well, Mulder. Not that I haven't enjoyed your company, but the A.D. has been in a sour mood all week. If it weren't for the charges filed yesterday against those four senators and six congressmen in the Amaranthine's case, he'd be completely unbearable," Kim replied.

Mulder smiled, looking up as Schatz knocked on the kitchen door. Kimberly opened it, letting him in. He was dressed in blue jeans and a T-shirt, similarly to how Mulder was dressed except only he was wearing a white T-shirt, instead of red. He carried the newspaper under his arm.

"Hi, Kim," he sheepishly murmured to her. "Gabriel asked me to drop off the newspaper."

"Thanks, Hans. How are you?" Kim asked.

"I'm okay." He grinned then walked over and sat next to Mulder at the kitchen table, placing the newspaper in front of him.

"Have you had breakfast, yet?" she inquired, pouring herself a mug of coffee. "Would you like some?" She held up the coffeepot.

"Yes, please," he replied, to her offer. "Tony told me yesterday that he was making cinnamon rolls this morning and to come over."

Tony smiled at him. "They're in the pan on the stove. Help yourself, Hans, the dishes are in the first cabinet."

"Thanks, Tony." Out of all of the sorcerers on the estate, Schatz felt the most comfortable around Tony. He thought it was because the older man was living with a woman. There was absolutely no indication that Tony was attracted to him at all.

Mulder picked up the newspaper and read the headline 'Senator Milford Mooney Resigns In Disgrace!' his heart skipped a beat. He had been worried that the expulsion hearings would drag on for weeks. Although there was no longer a threat that they'd be sent to the new living facility, he wanted to get his freedom back and it wouldn't happen until all of the accused had been removed from office and a whole new vote was taken. Mulder had talked to Senator Matheson by telephone yesterday and was happy to hear that the Senator already had convinced 16 Senators that had initially sided with Mooney to change their votes. There were more than enough votes to overturn the original vote.

"I think this calls for a party," Mulder smiled, showing Kimberly and Tony the headline. "If Doctor Harris' new treatment works, how about we celebrate tomorrow? I'll stop at the grocery store on the way home and pick up enough food for a real feast," he exclaimed happily. Making plans in his head to call and invite his friends and Skinner's relatives, he decided he could use Frohike's help with some of the dishes. He looked over at Schatz; the young man was staring at him with a funny look on his face. "What, Hans?"

"We're stopping at a real grocery store? Are you sure that's a good idea? What about all of the people that will be there?" he asked nervously.

"Don't worry, Hans. We'll have Agents Sullivan, Johnson, and Austin with us. Lars Johnson is a sorcerer and Jared Austin is a clairvoyant, they'll be more than enough protection for us," Mulder assured him. "I'm inviting some friends to the party tomorrow and I want to warn you up front about Frohike, he's a pervert, but he's perfectly harmless." Mulder held out his arms and Tony placed Grace Mari into them, he gently held the tiny, two-month-old baby.

"I don't know if I'll feel comfortable around too many people, Mulder," Schatz replied, trembling slightly.

"It will be okay, Hans. If you're nervous just stay close to me," Mulder reassured him.

"Okay, Mulder."

A horn honked from outside and Kimberly quickly grabbed her purse and kissed Tony and her daughters. "I'll see you tonight," she replied, heading out the door.

*Walter, Alex, have a nice day,* Mulder telepathically communicated. *And don't tire yourselves out! Hopefully we'll have a very long evening together tonight!*

*You too, Fox, we have a week to make up for,* Skinner replied, smiling warmly at Kimberly as she climbed in the front passenger seat.

*Fox, love you,* Krycek shouted as the SUV sped down the driveway.

*You, too,* Mulder grinned. *See both of you at the hospital at ten o'clock, don't be late!*

*Don't worry, lover, we have a lot riding on Sam's new drug, we'll be on time!* Skinner replied gruffly.

Viva Towers, Crystal City
Friday, September 107:30 a.m.

Agent Jared Austin, pounded on the door to Lars Johnson's apartment. "C'mon, Lars, Sullivan's waiting down in the garage for us!"

"Hold your pants on, Jared, I'm coming," he replied, opening the door, he stepped into the hallway.

Austin stepped back and stared at the younger agent in surprise. Johnson had on a new suit, new tie, polished shoes, new hair cut, and a manicure. "This isn't a date, Lars."

"You're a fine one to talk, Jared...what is that cologne you're drenched in?" Johnson inquired, pushing the garage level button on the elevator.

"Stetson. Do you think it's too strong?" he asked, sniffing himself.

"A bit. Look, we both know he's not attached to anyone, yet. I think it would be better for this country if I were his lover. After all, I'm a sorcerer and we can produce female offspring together, where you could not," Johnson reasoned.

"Forget it, Lars. May the best man *me* win," Austin smirked, walking up to Sullivan's SUV and climbing in the front seat.

"Jack, you've met Hans Schatz...what's he like?" Johnson asked from the backseat.

"He a sweet kid, who's been through hell and back. He doesn't need the two of you fighting over him," Sullivan admonished, turning the SUV onto the highway heading for Foxfire Glenn Estate.

"Jack, he's an immortal, he needs a sorcerer in his life to protect him and produce female offspring with," Johnson reasoned from the back seat.

Sullivan rolled his eyes. "Lars, he has five sorcerers on the estate to protect him and it's his decision if he wants to become romantically involved. Don't come on too strong, he needs time to adjust to his new life here," he advised.

"Don't worry, Jack, I'll try not to scare him," the young agent promised.

They arrived at the estate fifty minutes later. Sullivan stopped short of the basketball court where six men were playing. "Hey, Guys, long time," Sullivan greeted exiting the car.

"Jack, it's good to see you again," MacIver replied.

"Good morning, Jack," Takeda greeted, smiling. He passed the basketball to Hawk.

"Mulder will be out in a second. Jack, you and the others have been doing a remarkable job on the Amaranthine case," Hunter replied leaning against the car he nodded to the other two agents. "Lars, Jared."

"Thanks, Gabriel," Sullivan replied, sighing he decided to get the introductions over with. "Agents Lars Johnson and Jared Austin, I'd like to introduce Joe Hawk, Justin Blaise, Shinji Takeda, Rory MacIver, and Hans Schatz," he stated nodding to each man in turn.

The two agents exchanged handshakes with the four immortals and one sorcerer. They were at a loss for words; with the exception of Schatz who was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt all of the other immortals had on shorts and were shirtless. Neither man was ever going to forget this experience. Johnson had just gotten his courage up to speak when Mulder ran out of the front door of the mansion.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Hans, you ready?" Mulder asked, heading for the car.

Jared Austin went to hold the front passenger door open for him, but Mulder climbed into the backseat and slid to the middle, allowing Schatz the window seat. Johnson slid in next to Mulder, and Austin reluctantly took the front passenger seat. Sullivan smirked at him, and put the car in reverse. Turning around, he headed for the hospital.

"Did you hear the reports that Senator Mooney has stepped down, Mulder?" Sullivan asked.

"I read about it in the newspaper this morning, Jack. If this new treatment proves to be affective, I'd like to celebrate the news of Mooney's resignation tomorrow. Would you and Noah be free to come to the estate tomorrow afternoon?" Mulder asked enthusiastically.

"We'd love to, Mulder," Sullivan answered.

"Agent Johnson, Agent Austin, you're both invite, too," Mulder informed the younger men in the car with them.

"Really? We'd love to come, Agent Mulder, wouldn't we, Jared?" Johnson replied excitedly.

"Yeah, Agent Mulder, thanks for the invite," Austin replied, trying for laid back and cool, he was inwardly smirking to himself when he pictured of the look of envy that would be on Dakota Jones' face when he tells him where they were going tomorrow.

They arrived at the Hospital at 9:45 a.m., going right to Doctor Harris' office. "Mulder, Hans, how are you feeling today?" Harris greeted them.

"I'm feeling better today than I did yesterday," Mulder replied.

Han looked at him puzzled, I feel fine, Doctor," Schatz replied. He knew something had been wrong with Mulder the past few days, but he didn't know what. Doctor Harris had come out to the Estate
Wednesday and Thursday to collect samples from Mulder and him. Mulder had informed him that the reason they had come here today, instead of Doctor Harris coming to the estate was because the doctor wanted to test a new drug on Mulder with Skinner and Krycek in attendance. The drug was suppose to modify the behavior the two sorcerers were having when they were with Mulder.

"Mulder, I think your cycle might have peaked yesterday. I'll take some samples to verify it, when Walter and Alex get here we'll test the new drug. Unlike the anti-pheromone drug this is uniquely keyed to your lover's DNA, we'll have to do the same thing for Shinji, Kazuo, and Rory. I'm not sure how Joe and Justin will be affected by the change. However, Hans, has nothing to worry about unless he takes a lover. It seems to only affect men that are bonded to you through sex," Harris explained.

Agents Johnson and Austin were leaning against the door outside the office telepathically listening in -- they shifted uncomfortably over the visual images the doctor's words conjured up.

"Let's get this show on the road," the doctor replied, standing, he led them out into the hallway and down to the examination room where two of his assistants were waiting.

Mulder turned to the two agents following them. "Sorry, guys, but you're going to have to wait outside."

"Ah, okay, call if you need us," Austin stammered, backing out of the room, he looked over at Agent Sullivan who was smirking at them.

Doctor Harris chuckled. "Hans, you have a fan club. To be young and in love."

"What?" Schatz asked, sitting in a chair, he watched as Mulder stripped.

"Hans, Doctor Harris is referring to Agents Johnson and Austin. They are clearly infatuated with you, but don't worry they're professionals and won't let it interfere with their job." Mulder chuckled, hopping up on the examination table, he laid down on his back. He was still wearing his boxers.

A few minutes later Skinner and Krycek came strolling down the hospital corridor, stopping outside the examination room where Agents Sullivan, Austin, and Johnson were waiting.

"Agents," Skinner barked.

"Sir," the three agents replied, coming to attention.

"How long has Agent Mulder been in with Doctor Harris?" Skinner inquired.

"About 5 minutes, sir," Sullivan replied. "If you and Agent Krycek would like to wait in the lounge, I'll come and get you when the doctor is ready for you." Sullivan was aware of the affect that Mulder was having on the two men and thought it would be best that they were not this close to him during his examination.

Skinner was aware of Sullivan's concern. "Okay, Agent Sullivan, we'll be down the hall in the lounge."

Forty-five minutes later Krycek was nervously pacing the lounge. He had long past gotten on Skinner's nerves. "Alex, would you please sit down?" the A.D. asked for the third time.

"Damn, what if the drug doesn't work? I can't take this, Walter, it's been over a week since I've been with him," he snapped, his body trembling with frustration.

"It's been the same amount of time for me, Alex," Skinner groused.

"At least you were with him on Tuesday," Krycek commented, making another circuit around the room.

"You can't be serious? Rory and Doctor Harris were present at the time and I can't even remember having sex with him!" Skinner rose, walking over to his half-brother. "Alex, it's going to be okay," he replied, embracing him.

"Sir, Doctor Harris is ready for you and Agent Krycek," Sullivan stated, interrupting them.

They headed back down the long hallway to the examination room. In the room, Mulder was behind a glass barrier, rubbing his arm. Schatz was sitting on the only chair in the room. Doctor Harris stood in front of barrier, shielding Mulder from his lovers. Agent Johnson stood next to him. Doctor Harris had told him that if the A.D. or Agent Krycek showed that they were losing control he was to put up a protective shield around Mulder's body.

Both men looked lovingly at Mulder, feeling instant desire for him without the uncontrollable lust.

"Walter, Alex, I've combined the new drug with Mulder's anti-pheromone medication. I would like to monitor your reactions to him, if you'd please remove your shirts my assistants will attach electrodes to monitor your vitals." Doctor Harris nodded to his assistants.

"Is this really necessary, Sam? I can tell you right away how I feel without being hooked up to the monitoring equipment," Skinner grumbled.

"If we were going to have a negative reaction to him, we would have already had one already," Krycek reasoned, pushing past Skinner and walking closer to Mulder. He took a deep breath, expelling it. "See nothing, he's not driving me into a sexual frenzy," Krycek replied, then stepped around Doctor Harris and Agent Johnson and made the glass barrier disappear, he pulled Mulder into his arms hugging him tightly. "Fox, I've missed you," he murmured, kissing him softly.

Agent Johnson watched silently, he was overwhelmed at the information he had found out about Agent Mulder. He glanced nervously over at A.D. Skinner, who had warned him and Austin before hand not to talk to anyone about this.

Mulder returned the hug and kiss enthusiastically. "Mm, I've missed you, too. You really do feel okay, don't you?" he questioned, still not totally sure.

Skinner had walked up to them. "We feel fine, Fox."

Mulder relaxed when he saw his lovers had retained control. "Alex, Walter, when you get home tonight I have a special evening planned for us. A very special evening," Mulder emphasized, licking into the kiss, possessively claiming Krycek's mouth.

"Walter, you can go back to work without me; I'm taking the rest of the day off," Krycek announced breathlessly.

"Sorry, Alex, we have a meeting with the Senate Committee at two o'clock this afternoon. Fox, we'll see you tonight," Skinner replied, pulling his lanky lover into his arms. "I'm looking forward to whatever you have planned for this evening," he murmured.

"Good. Seeing that the new medication appears to be working, we're going to have a party at the estate tomorrow to celebrate Mooney's resignation," Mulder replied cheerfully.

"Don't you want to come back to work with us today?" Skinner asked.

"Nope, I'm starting to enjoy telecommuting." Mulder grinned mischievously. "Don't worry, Walter, I'll be back Monday. There's too much I need to get done today," he replied.

Doctor Harris stood back watching closely. "Mulder, I still need to take samples from you and Hans every other day. Once the other three immortals have progressed far enough, I'll need to take sample from them, too."

"Okay, Doc," Mulder replied. "I really appreciate everything you have done for me and the others. Thank you." He held out his hand to the doctor.

"You're welcome, Mulder," Harris replied, shaking his hand. "I'll get your prescription so you can leave."

Skinner turned to Agents Sullivan, Austin, and Johnson. "Agents, see that Agent Mulder is driven to wherever he requests," he ordered. "Fox, see you at home tonight." He kissed him gently and stepped aside so Krycek could say goodbye.

"Later, Fox," he purred, hugging his lover.

"Bye, Alex, Walter." Mulder grinned, his mind racing through all of the items he needed for tonight and tomorrow.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Friday, September 106:30 p.m.

The kitchen was warm and homey. The delicious scent of a fresh ham roasting filled the air. Mulder went about the task of preparing what he considered comfort foods. Caesar salad, broccoli with a cheese sauce, sweet potato/peach/pecan casserole, and corn bread, he smiled at Schatz who was helping him.

"Mulder, I'm finished setting the dining room table. What else should I do?" the young man asked.

"We need a highchair set-up in the dining room for Faith," Mulder informed him, remembering that they only had one highchair in the dining room and now that his littlest had started on pureed foods, it only seemed right that she had her own place to sit. "You can take the one next to the breakfast table in there."

Takeda, MacIver, and Hunter sat at the counter watching.

"It feels good to have things back to normal around here," Rory MacIver commented, licking his lips as Mulder removed the corn bread from the oven.

"I'll say, it's been weeks since Mulder has cooked for us. I'd almost forgotten what heaven could be like," Takeda replied.

"You're smooth, Shin," Mulder chuckled. Removing a vegetable tray from the refrigerator with a bowl of creamy cucumber-dill dip he placed it in front of the three men.

Takeda grabbed a carrot stick and dunked it in the dip. "Yeah, well it is the truth," he grinned.

Blaise and Hawk strolled into the kitchen carrying two bottles of wine. "Mulder, do you want us to fill the glasses in the dining room?" Blaise asked.

"Yes, thanks, Justin." Mulder glanced up at the clock and was beginning to wonder what was taking his lovers so long getting home when he heard them entering loudly through the front door.

"Mm, something smells damn good," Skinner said, entering the kitchen with Hope cradled in his arms. Her face lit up when she saw her daddy Fox. "Gee!" she squealed, holding out her arms to him.

"Gee! Is right, princess," Mulder mimicked, taking her in his arms and hugging her against his chest. Skinner shared a quick kiss with him. Mulder smiled at Krycek and Faith, the younger man was waiting his turn to be greeted.

"Please tell me you're cooking a ham, Fox?" Krycek asked, his mouth salivating. He leaned forward giving Mulder a long, slow kiss.

"Mm, yep, a fresh ham with a cranberry chutney glaze. I thought we needed something special tonight," Mulder murmured against his lips. He broke the kiss and gave Faith a quick peck on the cheek. "So, how's my little, cutie, doing?" Mulder asked her.

"I'm fine, Fox," Krycek answered with a smirk.

"Fox, do you need any help with dinner?" Skinner asked.

"Nope, everything is under control, it should be ready in twenty minutes, why don't you and Alex go change into something more comfortable?" Mulder passed Hope to Blaise then took Faith from Krycek passing her to Schatz.

"Okay, lover," Skinner replied, heading off toward their bedroom with Krycek following.

The two men noticed the candles placed around the room, on the nightstand was a basket of massage oils, flavored lube, and a soft cotton washcloth. There was wood laid out in the fireplace hearth ready to be lit. In the bathroom were more candles and fresh cut flowers in a large vase on the counter. Next to the large whirlpool tub were bath oils and even more candles. Hung on the three hooks behind the door were their plush velour robes, freshly laundered and smelling of fabric softener.

"Pinch me, Walter; I think I've died and gone to heaven," Krycek quipped, uncapping the bottle of a bath oil sniffing the pleasant scent.

"Let's try not to spoil this night for Fox by losing control, Alex. After all, he's giving us a second chance," Skinner murmured, a very big grin lighting up his face.

"Don't worry, Walter, I plan on being in total control tonight," Krycek leered, happily.

They changed their clothes and walked into the dining room, the table was set with their best china and silverware. The large ham was on the center of the table and MacIver was expertly carving it while Mulder brought in the last bowl of the food from the kitchen. The two babies had been strapped into their highchairs, Schatz and Hawk were already feeding them Gerber's baby food. When Skinner and Krycek took their seats the other men took that as a signal and started passing the bowls of food around. Blaise filled Hawk's plate for him, since the other man was pre-occupied with feeding the baby.

"This is really delicious, Fox," Hunter commented.

"Thanks, Gabriel," Mulder replied, brushing his leg up against Krycek's under the table. "Rory, can you pass the honey-mustard?"

Krycek reached under the table and caressed Mulder's thigh.

Schatz had finished feeding Faith, but the baby did not want to remain in the highchair. She started crying, pulling Mulder's attention away from Krycek, he got up quickly to retrieve her. "You want to sit at the big table with the grownups don't you, cutie," he soothed. She stopped crying once he sat back down with her on his lap.

Hope was content to remain in her highchair and play with her rattle, pounding it loudly on the plastic tray. "Bababababa," she babbled.

"Please, don't anyone ever buy her a drum set," Skinner advised.

"Why? She has the beat timed perfectly with her babababing, she'd make a great drummer," Mulder quipped.

"We're giving her piano lessons," Skinner replied.

"So, how did your appointment with the Senate Committee go?" Mulder asked, prying Faith's fingers off his plate, she had gotten honey-mustard on them and immediately put them into her mouth. She made a sour face and started crying.

"Fox, hand me our munchkin," Krycek murmured, taking the little baby on his lap, he dipped a napkin in a water goblet, and used it to wipe the mustard off her tongue and mouth. "Grownup food isn't very nice tasting is it, cutie?" He chuckled at the way she jutted out her bottom lip as she cried. "Fox, she has your pout down to a tee."

"I don't pout."

Skinner looked on amused. "The Senate interview went off without a hitch, I don't think there will be a problem now in getting your civil rights reinstated. In fact, Senator Matheson wants to put it to a vote by the end of next week. With Mooney's resignation and the resignations of four more house members today, he says he has more than enough votes to overturn the previous vote."

"That's great news, Walter," Hawk smiled, turning to Blaise. "Justin, you lost our bet. You get to do the laundry for the next month, that should teach you to be less of a pessimist," he smirked.

"Joe, the votes are not in, yet. After we get our rights back I'll gladly do the laundry for the next two months!" Blaise announced.

Mulder felt happier than he had in months, regardless of his present physical condition. "I stopped at the grocery store on the way home from the hospital today with Hans, we picked up some stuff for the party tomorrow," he replied.

"Sounds good, what are you making?" Skinner asked.

"Shish-kabobs, I figured we'd have a barbecue and pool party; it's going to be up in the high 8
0s tomorrow. Yori and Lev are bringing their sons, same with the Scully's."

"Who all have you invited?" Skinner asked, reaching for another slice of ham.

"The gunmen. Frohike is coming out early to help, and Byers is bringing his boyfriend. Scully is coming with Jonathan and her son, Bill and Charlie and their sons, your cousins and uncle. Several agents from the bureau are coming with their sons, and also, Doctors Harris, Pendrell, and Jackson. Of course, Kim and Tony," Mulder informed him, sipping his wine.

"With all of those kids coming we'll have to set up some outdoor games for them," Krycek replied.

MacIver spoke up. "The older kids and adults can play basketball and volleyball, and I'll set up the croquet set for the younger kids."

"That sounds good, Rory." Skinner glanced around the table his eyes resting on his daughter. She was giggling at Hawk and Blaise who took turns playing peek-a-boo with her. He smiled warmly; for once everything in his life was looking up. Good friends, loving family, beautiful home,...Fox. Skinner reached out and squeezed Mulder's hand.

Mulder looked up, reading the desire and love in Skinner's warm, brown eyes. "Justin and Joe are going to watch the babies for us tonight." He smiled, squeezing his lover's hand back.

"Thanks, guys." Skinner grinned.

"Yeah, that's really nice of you watching the girls for us," Krycek agreed.

"It's no problem, it's the least we could do, after everything you've done for us," Blaise replied.

"Justin, did you have a chance to go over that material I got for you?" Mulder asked.

"I've started and already found several things that were very interesting. Every immortal only had sisters and nieces, but no brothers, nephews, or children. One other coincidence, we were all born between October 2 and October 20," Blaise replied.

"So, we're all Libra's. I'll admit it's weird, but not necessarily significant," Mulder said, pushing his plate aside, considering. "If we're able to determine what caused us to mutate into immortals, we might be able to determine what boys will become immortals in the future."

"Fox, that would be like finding a needle in a haystack...immortals are one in every a hundred million men. I doubt that at the planets present growth rate we'll produce another immortal anytime soon," Skinner argued.

"Hey, Fox, have I ever told you that you're one in a hundred million," Krycek smirked.

Mulder leaned over and brushed his lips against Krycek's. "Well, Alex, you're one in a hundred thousand, babe," he chuckled then ruffled his younger lover's hair.

Takeda laughed. "Yeah, Rory, you're one in a hundred thousand, too!"

"Joke all you want, love, but after immortals, sorcerers are the next rarest mutation," MacIver quipped.

Mulder chuckled. "Does anyone want dessert?"

"Oh, that's a loaded question," Krycek replied, leering at Mulder. Faith head fell forward tiredly and Krycek cradled her in his arms, she rested cheek against her father's chest, yawning. "Tired, Cutie?"

"It's getting close to both their bedtimes. Joe, Justin, you shouldn't have any problem with them, they're both sleeping through the night," Mulder informed them, gently brushing Faith's cheek with his finger.

"You know, Fox, now that you almost have your rights back, we can start thinking about expanding our family," Skinner murmured.

"You want to discuss having Wally Jr.," Mulder teased.

"Or Fox Jr.," Skinner quipped.

"Ah, guys," Takeda interrupted them. MacIver stiffened next to him, remembering their discussion last week.

"What, Shin?" Mulder turned staring at him.

"There can't be a Wally Jr. or Fox Jr....immortals can't have sons, our sperm only carries the female's X-chromosome, and it's the immortal's sperm that determines the sex of the child, you will only be able to have daughters. Sorry," Takeda replied reluctantly.

Mulder peeked over at Skinner who was clearly shaken by the news. "Walter, we can always adopt if you really want to have a son," Mulder tried to soothe.

"No, that's okay, Fox, it's just not the same," Skinner sighed. He had really wanted a son with hazel eyes and soft brown hair. He wanted to give their son the love Fox had never received from his father. "I love our daughter, and I would be just as happy to have another girl," he replied softly.

"You sure?" Mulder questioned.

"Yeah, and this time we get to name her." Skinner grinned weakly.

"Okay, but we both have to agree on the name. Now does anyone want dessert?"

"What type of dessert, Mulder?" MacIver asked.

"Apple pie, with vanilla ice cream and a hot caramel sauce."

Hunter and MacIver passed secretive looks. "Gabriel and I will clear the table, and get the dessert," MacIver drawled. They concentrated and the dirty dishes vanished from the table to be replaced by dessert dishes with apple pie, vanilla ice cream, and caramel sauce in front of each man.

"You've both been practicing." Skinner observed.

"Walter, it's easy once you get the hang of it," MacIver explained proudly.

Hans Schatz looked speculatively over at Hunter. He remembered the tray of food that had appeared from thin air in his room on his second night at the mansion. Schatz was wearing a new shirt and jeans that the older man had purchased for him, too.

They finished eating in silence, Mulder was saddened that Skinner wouldn't be getting the son he so wanted.

"Mulder, Rory and I will clean up...you go ahead and enjoy the rest of your evening," Takeda said, motioning to Rory to clear the table.

Mulder felt a warm sensation wash over him. He couldn't wait to get back to their bedroom and make love to the two men that meant more to him than anything else in his life with the exception of his daughters. He quickly kissed both babies good night.

Skinner wrapped an arm around Mulder's waist as they walked to their bedroom. "So, what do you have in mind for tonight?"

Krycek watched anxiously as the two men strolled out of the dining room. Faith had fallen asleep in his arms, and he didn't want to disturb her.

Mulder leaned close to the larger man's body. "I figured we could give that hot bath another try, seeing as how I left you both hanging last week. Then we can cuddle in front of the fireplace and talk. I brought up a bottle of Napoleon brandy from the wine cellar." Mulder stopped outside the bedroom door and pushed Skinner up against the wall, kissing him passionately. "Of course, let's not forget the hot, sweaty sex I have planned for later," he purred.

Blaise came over and eased Faith gently out of Krycek's arms. "Hm, she needs a diaper change. Don't worry, Alex, we'll change and bath her. You go, enjoy your evening," he whispered.

"Thanks, Justin." Krycek gave his daughter a quick peck on her forehead then hurried after Skinner and Mulder.

Mulder smiled at Krycek as he came sliding into the bathroom. "You can clean up those skid marks tomorrow, babe." He squeaked as the younger man pulled him passionately into his arms.

"Well, you could have waited for me, lover, I'm going to have to punish you," he purred. His hands stroked down Mulder's back, cupping and squeezing his ass. Krycek's mouth nibbled on Mulder's ear lobe as his tongue flicked inside.

Skinner watched his half-brother with amusement, using his powers he lit all of the candles in the room and turned off the main lights, throwing the room into a warm golden glow. He started filling the bathtub, pouring the bath oils under the faucet. The larger man quietly stripped out of his clothes, his attention focused on the two men locked in a passionate embrace. He sat on the edge of the tub and stroked his growing erection; he enjoyed watching the lean graceful bodies of his lovers.

Krycek started shrugging out of his clothes without breaking their passionate kiss.

"We're going to have to part long enough to get the T-shirts over our heads," Mulder mumbled against his lips.

"No, we're not." Krycek chuckled at the surprised look on Mulder's face when the clothes vanished from their bodies. "That's the number one benefit to being a sorcerer," he murmured, then returned to exploring that hot, tasty mouth with his tongue.

Skinner stepped into the pleasantly hot water, sinking down, he sighed contentedly and continued watching the two young men grind sensually together. The candlelight danced across the graceful curves of their bodies, Krycek's fingers dug into the cheeks of Mulder's ass, exposing the tight pink opening to the older man. Skinner was getting hot and it wasn't from the water, he decided to get in on his half-brother's fun.

"DAMNIT! Walter are you fucking crazy?" Krycek shouted. He was standing alone in the middle of the bathroom.

Mulder was held snugly in the larger man's arms in the whirlpool tub. He had a startled look on his beautiful face, before he started laughing. "Oh god, Walter, if I could age, you would have just taken a decade off my life! Don't do that again."

Skinner snickered, looking over at his angry brother. "Quit your bellyaching, Alex, get your butt in the tub," he ordered.

"Walter, that was too fucking dangerous? What would have happened if part of Fox's body materialized inside the walls of the tub?" he snarled, stepping into the bathtub.

"Alex, I knew exactly what I was doing. There was absolutely no danger to Fox," he assured.

Mulder wiggled around in Skinner's lap, looking up at Krycek. "Alex, I'm fine, no harm done. Let's not wreck tonight by bickering," he pleaded softly.

"Sorry, Fox, you're right. Tonight we're going to show you just how much we love you. Walter, we will talk tomorrow," Krycek stated firmly, sinking into the water. "Hey! Watch where you stick your toes!"

"Sorry, Alex," Skinner laughed, pulling his foot out of the way.

Mulder rolled his eyes. "God, give me strength. Well at least I know the new drug is working."

"Why is that, Fox?" Skinner asked, lowering his mouth to the side of his lover's neck kissing him. His fingers pinched the younger man's nipples, rolling them. While Krycek pulled Mulder's foot out of the water and started massaging and caressing it.

"You're both thinking of pleasuring me first, thank you," Mulder moaned, leaning back, his head resting against Skinner's broad chest, he captured the older man's mouth in a slow kiss. His hand reached up and caressed his lover's bald head. The agent felt lover's penis swell underneath him, he wiggled his butt on the hardening erection. Closing his eyes, Mulder felt like he was floating in pleasure, arousal flowed throughout his body.

Krycek's eyes gazed warmly over Mulder's languishing body, lowering the agent's foot he started stroking his lover's cock. The bath oils had made the hard staff smooth and slippery. Krycek admire the beauty of Mulder's cock, it was slightly larger than his and Skinner's. "Fox, I want to feel you inside of me, it's been forever since you've fucked me," he murmured, feeling a deep empty ache in his bowels.

Mulder opened his eyes and a slow relaxed grin lit up his face. "Alex, that's because you've been too busy getting your rocks off to enjoy any real pleasure," he purred. "Now, turn your cute butt around and lean up against the back of the tub." Mulder caressed Skinner's hard cock then squeezed his heavy sacs. "Walter, you ready for some synchronized water sports?" he quipped.

"Spread um, Fox," Skinner growled.

Mulder smirked at him then scooted to his knees behind Krycek's waiting body. He caressed and squeezed the younger man's ass and parted his cheeks. Lowering his mouth to lick down the crease, he stopped at the tight puckered opening and pushed his tongue in. He felt Skinner spread his legs further apart and a fat finger pushed into him, stretching him. The agent continued to fuck Krycek with his tongue, pushing in as far as it could go while Skinner inserted a second finger into him.

"Oh, yes, fuck...don't...stop," Krycek stammered, his loins were burning up with pleasure.

Mulder gasped when Skinner gently inserted a third finger, twisting and scissoring them inside him. "Walter, now...do me," he moaned, pushing his ass back on Skinner's fingers. Mulder then shakily pulled himself up over Krycek's back and mounted him with one strong thrust. The younger man's body writhed in ecstasy, while Mulder held him firmly against his chest, waiting in quiet anticipation as Skinner moved into position. He felt the weight of the older man settle between his parted thighs, then the blunt head of his large cock pushing against his opening. Water splashed out of the tub, putting out one of the candles on the edge of the tub as Skinner thrust into his lover.

"Mm, Fox, you're exquisitely tight," Skinner purred. Holding still, he enjoyed the feeling of being buried to the hilt in his lover's body.

"I'm dying down here...can someone move?" Krycek writhed, wiggling his hips.

"Hold on, lover," Mulder purred, relishing the sensation of Krycek's ass squeezing his cock and Skinner's cock filling him. "Oh, god," he moaned as Skinner pulled halfway out then slammed back in.

Mulder recovered and pulled out in sync with his older lover and thrust back into Krycek's body at the exact same time Skinner thrust into him. Moving gracefully together in a precise rhythm had become easy for the three men, who were bonded together mentally and physically. Water sloshed out of the tub with each thrust, putting out more of the candles.

Mulder reached under Krycek, stroking and pumping his cock, while the younger man held onto the edge of the tub, writhing. The agent pumped harder as he felt himself beginning to fall over the edge toward orgasm. Skinner's cock striking against his prostate was all it took and Mulder emptied his hot passion deep inside his lover's bowels.

Krycek cried out as he came hard, spilling his seed into the warm fragrant water. He felt Mulder's weight draped across his back with his penis still deeply sheathed inside of him. Krycek smiled softly, the vibrations from Skinner's hard thrusts into Mulder's body surged through him as the water sloshed around him, giving him a pleasant sensation.

Skinner thrust harder, seeking release, the clenching of Mulder's rectal muscles bore down on him, squeezing and jerking his cock. He slammed in one final time, twisting his hips to get in as deeply as physically possible -- a white light flashed before his eyes and he shot deeply into his beautiful lover's body and temporarily loss consciousness.

"Walter, wake up, you're crushing me," Mulder complained.

Skinner groaned and pulled out, settling back against the side of the tub. Mulder slipped out of Krycek and pulled the younger man into his arms as he leaned back against Skinner's chest.

"That was great, but I think we nearly emptied the tub," Mulder murmured breathlessly. He could barely make out the mess they had made of the bathroom in the darkened room, only the candles on the counter remained lit, water and burn out candles littered the floor.

"Give me a second to recover then I'll clean up the mess, and we can go sit in front of the fireplace," Skinner replied, happily sated.

They stayed wrapped in each other's arms until the water became too cold. Krycek pulled out of Mulder's arms and helped his lover up. Mulder stepped cautiously out of the bathtub avoiding the burnt out candles scattered around the floor. He walked over and pulled towels from the linen cabinet, passing them to his lovers. The three men quickly dried themselves. Skinner concentrated on the floor, the water vanished and the candles returned to their former places around the bathtub.

Mulder pulled on his forest green robe and padded out of the bathroom. Going over to the table, he poured three snifters of brandy while Krycek lit the fireplace and candles around the room. Skinner strolled out of the bathroom wearing his navy blue robe and sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, leaning back against a large throw pillow. Mulder handed him the snifter of brandy and sat next to him, passing a snifter to Krycek when he joined them on the floor.

"Where did you move the furniture to, Fox?" Skinner asked, his hand caressing up Mulder's exposed thigh.

"Mm, it's out on the patio. I thought this would be more intimate," he replied, leaning back against the pillow, he took a sip of the brandy, watching the fire crackle and pop in the hearth.

"You're right it's very intimate," Krycek purred, licking the side of Mulder's neck. He was wearing a black velour robe that was untied showing off his finely muscled chest, flat stomach, and his soft penis.

"I propose a toast," Mulder stated. "To second chances."

They clicked their glasses together.

"God, I feel like I've been given a whole new lease on life now that I no longer have to worry about our government," Mulder said softly.

"We can start making real plans for the future now," Krycek murmured, leaning up against Mulder, he rested his head on his lover's shoulder.

"We're going to have to fix up the west wing, we'll need more room for our growing family," Skinner replied, wrapping an arm around Mulder's waist.

"Walter, how many daughters are we talking about having?" Mulder asked worriedly.

"For now, two more, one for me and one for Alex, but only after Hope and Faith are in their own bedrooms. We'll talk about additional children later," Skinner murmured, setting the brandy snifter aside, he reached his hand in Mulder's robe and fondled his balls. "After all we have a responsibility to repopulate this planet," he quipped.

Mulder chuckled, spreading his legs to allow Skinner more room to play. The older man pulled Mulder's robe open then crawled between his parted thighs. Krycek took the snifter from the agent's hand and set it aside, watching as his brother pushed their lover onto his back.

Mulder moaned as Skinner took his nipple into his mouth and sucked it. Skinner's hand stroked the agent's cock then slipped lower to tease his anus still damp with semen from earlier. He slipped a finger in twisting it around until he found Mulder's prostate and massaged it, causing his young lover to arch off the floor.

Mulder's legs wrapped around Skinner's waist pulling him closer, his hands dragged the bald man's head up and they shared a deep kiss. Skinner pulled his finger free and ground his cock into Mulder's, rocking his hips back and forth. "Tell me what you want, Fox," he whispered huskily.

"I want...you, please...fuck me." Mulder writhed under Skinner.

The older man positioned Mulder's body, raising his legs he pushed back into that hot, tight space. He gazed into his lover's hazel eyes, which had turned a deep green, matching his robe. Skinner pushed in slowly, when he was fully sheathed inside his lover's beautiful body; he bent down and gently kissed Mulder's lips. "Fox, you are my life, now and forever," he murmured. His heart soared at the love he saw on the agent's face.

Krycek watched his lovers move together, their passion building with each deep thrust. He reached down stroked himself, waiting for his turn to be with Fox.

Skinner groaned thrusting in harder and faster. "Come on, come for me, Fox," he chanted, stroking his lover's cock in time with his thrusts. His own orgasm was rapidly approaching, but he wanted to bring his lover off first. He relished the feeling of Mulder's rectal muscles bearing down on him as the semen erupted from his lover's cock, Skinner cried out, coming a few seconds later. He pulled out and rolled off Mulder, he breathed heavily, lying on his back he stared up at the ceiling.

Krycek crawled over to Mulder and licked the milky, white semen from his chest and belly. He mischievously took extra care to lick clean the semen around Mulder's bellybutton, brushing against the hidden opening with his tongue.

Mulder smacked his head. "Down boy, remember your promise," he scolded. He was too happy and sated to show any real anger at his lover's transgression.

Krycek covered Mulder's body with his. "I promised that I wouldn't touch you or have sex with you there, but we never mentioned anything about licking," he purred, licking Mulder's lips as emphasis.

"I assumed no touching would covered it," Mulder murmured.

"Don't worry, Fox, I have no intention of having sex with you there, now that we know there's a possibility that you could become pregnant," Krycek assured him, brushing the damp bangs out of Mulder's eyes.

Both men missed the strange look on Skinner's face. The thought of Mulder pregnant with his child strangely appealed to him, but he would never tell his lover that or do anything to make it happen -- he knew Mulder would never forgive him if he did.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, September 11
11:00 a.m.

Melvin Frohike cubed the boiled potatoes for the potato salad. He was wearing headphones and swaying to music only he could hear. He spun around and danced over to the refrigerator for jars of mustard and mayonnaise. The little man danced back to the counter, flipping the jar of mayonnaise in the air, he reached out his hand to catch it and missed. The jar crashed toward the floor, stopping one inch short of shattering.

Rory MacIver walked over and pulled the headphones from Frohike's head. "Some people can't dance and cook at the same time, Frohike." He held out his hand and the jar floated up into it, he passed it back to the smaller man.

"Well at least I can cook," Frohike grumbled, grabbing back his headphones.

Hans Schatz and Shinji Takeda snickered at the counter; they were having fun watching Frohike try to impress them with his dance moves. Schatz, at first, didn't know what to make of the little man, but he soon discovered that Frohike was extremely funny and very sweet.

"Melvin, I've finished dicing the hard boiled eggs," Schatz said, passing the bowl to him.

"Thanks, Hans. Would you like to start cutting up the vegetables for the shish-kabobs?" he asked, dumping the eggs into the larger bowl holding the cubed potatoes.

"Sure, but show me how big I should cut them," Schatz replied, happy to be able to help.

"We'll need them large enough so they don't break when we're spearing them on the skewers, but small enough so they barbecue." Frohike went into the pantry and took out, zucchinis, green peppers, onions, portabella mushrooms, pineapples, and small red potatoes. He washed the vegetables then demonstrated how large he wanted each one cut.

Mulder finally staggered into the kitchen followed by Skinner and Krycek. "God, I need a cup of coffee," he moaned, sitting gingerly at the counter, he cringed slightly as his ass made contact with the seat.

MacIver placed a mug in front of Mulder and filled it to a brim with hot coffee. "Long night, boys?" he asked jovially.

Krycek grinned. "Not nearly long enough." He draped an arm over Mulder's shoulders. "But, I think we wore poor Fox out." He chuckled, holding up his hand, he exchanged a high five with Skinner.

"Very funny, guys," Mulder groaned.

"Poor, baby." Skinner kissed his cheek then went to get himself a cup of coffee.

"Melvin, how's the preparations for the barbecue coming?" Skinner asked, leaning up against the counter, he sipped his coffee, watching his friend stir the dressing into the potato salad.

"Good. Hans has been a big help to me, he's doing an excellent job." Frohike covered the bowl with cellophane and placed it in the refrigerator.

Schatz beamed over the praise and continued cutting up the vegetables. Mulder looked up from his coffee and smiled at his oldest and newest friends. He was happy to see the young man coming out of his shell.

Gabriel Hunter stood in the doorway to the kitchen, frowning; he was jealous that Hans was getting along so well with Frohike. He had been watching the two of them interact all morning. Hans didn't shrink away in fear of the little man, he appeared to be totally at ease with him. Hunter looked on sadly as Frohike stood close to Hans, teaching him how to cut up the pineapple.

Justin Blaise stepped past Hunter into the kitchen. "Hey look, cutie, your daddies finally crawled out of bed," he drawled, strolling up to the counter with Faith in his arms.

"Gaa gaa!" she babbled happily, holding her arms out toward Krycek and Mulder.

Krycek reached over and pulled Faith into his arms. "Hi, cutie, were you good for Uncle Justin last night?"

She stuck her fingers into his mouth, giggling when her daddy sucked them. He swung her up over his head and gave her little belly a sloppy raspberry, which made her squeal with delight. "You're daddy's precious little girl aren't you?" he cooed lovingly.

Hunter finally entered the kitchen, laying the newspaper on the counter. Mulder unfolded it. The main headline took his breath away. 'The Tsar of Russia behind Mooney's Downfall!' he quickly read the article gasping when he discovered how important a role Slava had played.

Skinner and Krycek looked over at Mulder when they heard him gasp. They immediately saw the newspapers headline and exchanged concerned looks.

Mulder noticed the look that passed between them. "Did you both know about this?"

"Fox, we only discovered Slava's involvement on Wednesday. We were going to tell you," Skinner assured him.

"God, this is the second time he's saved me," Mulder's voice wavered.

"Fox, the man is a psychopath...the only reason he's helping you is because he wants you for himself! Damnit, he's trying to make you feel gratitude toward him," Krycek interjected angrily. "Don't go thinking that he has changed, men like that don't change!"

"Alex, I'm not a fool! But, if he was trying to win my gratitude why did he go through all the trouble to hide that he sent the package?" Mulder argued.

"It didn't take us much tracking to find out where the package came from," Skinner informed him, taking the paper and throwing it into the recycle bin in the closet.

Faith started crying, her daddy's angry voice scaring her. Krycek looked guilty, he swore that he'd never raise his voice around his children like his father had. "Ssh, cutie, it's all right, daddy didn't mean to yell." He hugged her closely, rocking her in his arms.

"Walter, Alex, we'll discuss this later -- our guests will be arriving in a half-hour," Mulder stated and started helping Frohike prepare the remaining food.

St. Petersburg Saturday, September 11
1:00 p.m.

Nikolai Slava stood perfectly still, his large six foot, six inch muscular body was poised on a platform as his tailor knelt beside it adjusting the pant cuffs of his woolen business suit. Marat Fyodorov, Slava's lead clairvoyant, stood nervously before him dressed in a rumpled, ill-fitting suit with a day's growth of stubble on his face.

"Fyodorov, tell me again why it is so important that I have sexual intercourse with moi Fox on his birthday, before stealing his sperm at my Halloween Ball?" Slava asked.

"Moi Tsar, I knew that it was necessary from a vision I had, that's why I first suggested it to you. However, I've received new information from our American contact. It has been discovered that an immortal loses the bond with a sorcerer if they do not have sex for three weeks. The bond is what makes having female babies possible," Fyodorov replied, exasperated.

"Why couldn't I just have sex with moi Fox and steal his sperm at the same time?" he inquired. Stepping down from the platform, his tailor held his suit coat for him.

"Because there would not be time...his body needs time to adjust to your bonding, and long before that his American lovers will have missed him," the scruffy little man told him.

"Very well, Fyodorov, I've already made arrangements with Ambassador Carter to sneak me into his country," the handsome Cossack stood in front of a mirror adjusting his handkerchief. "And, Fyodorov, dock yourself a weeks pay...next time you are in my presence I expect you to be shaven and dressed appropriately," Slava said, dismissing him.

"As you wish, moi Tsar," the little man bowed and backed out of the room.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, September 11
1:00 p.m.

Mulder held Scully's hand up to his face admiring the large, diamond, engagement ring. "Congratulations, Scully. I hope you and Jonathan have a happy life together," he replied sincerely, kissing her cheek.

"Jonathan is the most wonderful and attentive man I've ever met. He's getting along well with Scott, the two of them have become very close," Scully informed him, looking over to where her fiancé and adopted son were playing volleyball.

"How's Scott been doing?"

"He seems to be adjusting well...my brothers and nephews include him in all of their activities. I'm worried about the holidays though; they tend to be the hardest to get through," Scully answered thoughtfully, sadness showing in her deep blue eyes. She looked over to the barbecue where Frohike was starting the shish kabobs grilling with Schatz helping him. "Mulder, how's Hans adjusting?"

"He's coming out of his shell more every day, but he's still nervous around Walter, Alex, Rory, and Gabriel. Although, he seems to have no problem with Tony," Mulder replied. Taking a sip of beer he leaned back in the patio chair watching their guests. Leo Bartok was staying close to Byers. The two men seemed perfectly matched. Yori and Lev's sons were all in the swimming pool, along with a couple of the Agent Pipino's sons. Lars Johnson was hanging around the barbecue pretending to offer Frohike assistance to get closer to Schatz. Mulder wondered if Johnson realized how obvious he was being, he watched as Hunter came up to Johnson and whispered in his ear. The younger man turned pale and quickly left Schatz alone. He was distracted from his observations by a kiss on his cheek and a small squirming body placed on his lap.

"Hope wanted to see you, Fox," Skinner replied, sinking into the chair next to him. "Dana, how are you doing?"

"Fine, Walter," she replied.

"Jonathan told me the good news, congratulations," Skinner replied, reaching for Mulder's beer.

"Thank you. Walter, I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you?" Scully asked hesitantly.

"What do you need?"

"Jonathan and I would like to have a child after we're married. I would like to have it the old fashion way, but I've been unsuccessful in petitioning the Procreation Agency into allowing me to use of my ovum. I was wondering if you could use your influence?" she pleaded.

"I'll see what I can do, Dana," Skinner answer, drinking the rest of Mulder's beer.

Yori walked up to their table, he was holding Faith and the little baby was having a field day trying to pull the thick beard off the Russian's face. Yori made funny noises each time she tugged on it, making her laugh. "Mulder, your daughters have gotten so big since the last time I've been here."

"You should stop out more often, Yori," Mulder replied, picking up his beer bottle and finding it empty. He glared over at Skinner and the older man pretended not to notice.

"Sorry, Mulder, I've been too busy with my boys and fixing up our new house, it seems that time just flies by. But, I'm hoping to start back to work at the FBI's daycare early next year then I'll be able to see your angels every day." Yori handed Faith over to Scully and the baby cooed happily.

"Mulder, Faith looks more like you every day," Scully murmured, caressing a finger over the baby's cheek and down to her lips, hazel eyes stared up at her.

A hand snaked over Mulder's shoulder, placing a cold beer on the table in front of him. Mulder looked back, smiling up at Krycek. "Thanks, Alex. How's the volleyball game going?"

"We lost. Jonathan's team is playing against Sullivan's team for the title," Krycek replied.

"I told you to pick Langly, but did you listen? Nooo," Mulder smirked, glancing over at the volleyball game in time to see Langly spike the ball over the net. He chuckled, seeing the gangly, long-haired gunman on the same team with FBI agents.

Their guests started drifting toward the patio, the scent of the barbecue was drawing them in like flies. Frohike pulled the first batch of kabobs off the grill laying them on a platter that Schatz carried over to the buffet table. Their guests started serving themselves, taking seats at the patio tables and on the lawn.

John Byers and Leo Bartok sat at the table next to Mulder's, their plates were brimming with food. Bartok sat so he was facing Mulder and the babies. The button on his polo shirt was a miniature camera and he took several photographs of them while enjoying his meal. He felt like a scumbag accepting their hospitality and returning their kindness by spying on them, but his family's safety came first.

The afternoon passed slowly, all of their guests had eaten and Frohike was dishing up the last of the shish kabobs to Mulder, Schatz, Skinner, Krycek, and himself. Schatz sat next to Mulder in the seat Scully had vacated an hour earlier, to go eat with her fiancé.

"I'm going to get myself a beer, Hans, would you like me to bring you back one?" Frohike asked, after placing his plate of food on the table in front of the empty chair between Skinner and Krycek.

"Yes, thanks, Melvin," Schatz murmured.

After Frohike stepped away from the table, Schatz turned to Mulder. "Mulder, does Melvin have a boyfriend?"

Krycek and Skinner had just taken large mouthfuls of beer, which they sprayed out over the table. Mulder and Hope were in the direct line of fire, and were sprayed. The baby's little pink tongue darted out licking the beer from her lips as it dripped down her face. Luckily, Hope didn't seem to mind the taste or being drenched in beer. Mulder gave them a disgusted look, picking up a napkin, he wiped the beer off Hope's face then dried his own. The baby's sundress was damp, and needed to be changed. Thankfully, Faith was still with Scully at another table.

"Hans, Frohike doesn't have a boyfriend."

"Thanks, Mulder. Did I say something wrong?" he asked. Wiping up a little beer that had landed on him.

"Sorry, Hans. You didn't say anything wrong," Skinner apologized. Grabbing napkins he started drying the table.

Frohike arrived back at the table, setting a beer in front of Schatz. He looked at the soggy napkins and the damp baby smelling of beer. "She's a bit too young to be drinking, isn't she?"

Mulder looked longingly at his plate of food, sighing. "I'm taking Hope into the house to clean her up."

"Fox, stay, finish your meal. I'll take the mouse in and clean her," Krycek stated standing.

"Alex, no, you haven't eaten yet either..." Mulder argued.

Blaise walked over to them. "I'll take her, Mulder. You guys sit down and enjoy your food." He cradled the baby in his arms. "You poor little thing," he cooed.

"Thanks, Justin." Mulder smiled, sitting back down.

The rest of the afternoon passed without incident, and most of their guests had started to leave. Mulder noticed that Hunter seemed to be staying closer to Schatz, but not near enough to make the young man nervous. Hunter was also staring daggers at Frohike. Mulder never thought he'd see the day that someone with Hunter's striking good looks would be jealous of Frohike.

John Byers walked over with Leo Bartok. "Mulder, thanks for inviting us, the food and company were great. We have to be leaving now," Byers said. They both shook Mulder's hand. "Is Walter and Alex around?"

"They're both in the house with the babies," Mulder informed them.

"Well pass along our good byes to them," Bartok replied, holding Byers hand the two men made their way to their car.

"He's a clairvoyant, you know," Frohike warned, coming up to Mulder. "I don't trust him."

"Who, Leo?"

"Yeah, he hides his ability really well...John doesn't even know," Frohike grumbled. "I'm afraid to tell him, he seems to be in love with the man."

"Have you run a background check on him?" Mulder asked.

"Oh yeah, he came up clean, but then most of the records over in Eastern Europe where he's from have been destroyed, and the U.S. doesn't have anything on him. I better get going, Mulder," Frohike said sadly.

"Frohike, thanks for coming and helping out today. I didn't mean to leave you doing most of the work...I didn't expect to be in bed all morning," Mulder explained, a slow grin lighting up his face.

"Don't rub it in...some people have all the fun," the little man complained, taking the same path Byers and Bartok had taken to the driveway.

"Mulder, where is Melvin going?" Schatz asked, coming up to him.

"Hans, you like him a lot, don't you?"

"Yeah, he's smart and funny."

Mulder sighed, seeing Hunter hovering around the corner listening in, he had thought Shinji's love life was a problem. Life was going to be really interesting around here. Mulder felt a headache coming on and considering he no longer got them that said a lot. He only wondered what other little surprises life had in store for them.

Chapter 21
-- Birthday Surprises

Saturday, October 2
4:30 a.m.

Alex Krycek shivered and yawned while looking out the window of the large, flatbed truck at the pitch-black countryside. He was cold, tired, and hungry. "I still don't see why we needed to leave this early," he complained to the larger man who was driving.

Skinner glanced briefly over at the rumpled man sitting next to him. Krycek had a day's growth of stubble on his handsome face; he was huddled in a heavy, canvas jacket against the chilly early morning temperatures. The heater in the truck wasn't working, neither man had thought to check it when they rented the truck.

"The sun will be coming up by the time we get there...I didn't want to waste a minute of daylight. The sooner we collect the wood, the sooner we'll be able to head back home," Skinner reasoned. He focused his attention back on the road.

"Look," Skinner said a few minutes later pointing out some lights off in the distance across an empty field. The lights illuminated the construction site for the new power plant. The construction went on twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The power plant was being built from plans seized from the consortium, who had stolen the technology from the aliens. It would produce a thousand times the power of a typical nuclear plant without using any hazardous materials. It worked by harvesting the earth's magnetic fields. The government had approved funds to build ten of these power plants across the country.

"They're making good progress, but it will be at least a year before it's operational," Krycek murmured, looking across the distance at the scaffolding and heavy construction vehicles. "There's a rumor that the government is going to start rationing gas this winter." He looked over at his older brother, waiting for his response.

"That's not a rumor the supply of oil coming in from the Middle East has been almost totally cut off. Other countries have been rationing gas since the attempted invasion. We've been considerably luckier, if it weren't for our nation's large stockpiles of oil, and the oil fields in Alaska and the southwest we'd be feeling it by now, too. We're going to have to start conserving energy at home once winter sets in. Why did you think I rented such a large truck?" Skinner replied.

"Walter, we can't heat the mansion with firewood," Krycek stated, giving the older man a sidelong look of disbelief.

"Alex, it's to keep the place comfortable because I plan on keeping the thermostat set at sixty degrees," Skinner groused.

"Walter, you can't be serious! Sixty degrees is too cold for the babies, we need to set it to at least sixty-eight degrees," he complained.

"Don't worry, Alex, the fireplaces will heat the place up to seventy-two degrees. Besides, we have heat lamps in the bathrooms and I'll install a separate thermostat in the nursery." Skinner turned off the interstate and onto the highway leading up to his cabin.

"This truckload of wood is not going to get us through the whole winter, it's only going to last us two months at the most," Krycek grumbled, refusing to give up the argument.

"That's all it needs to last because I hired a company that is going to install solar panels on top of the hill on the West Side of the estate. However, they were booked solid and won't be out until the end of December. Alex, the panels will be able to generate more than enough electricity for the mansion and the cottage, plus we'll even have electricity left over to sell back to the Power Company," Skinner replied smugly.

"Couldn't you have told me this sooner?" The younger man glared angrily.

Skinner grinned at his now wide-awake half-brother. "Hey, at least our discussion got your blood pumping."

"A cup of coffee would have had the same affect," he grumbled.

Mulder stood looking out the window at the sun rising on the horizon; he cradled his youngest daughter in his arms. Hope sat on the carpeting at his feet playing with a set of plastic donuts. "Well, it's just us this weekend, munchkins," he murmured, noting the red sky, there was suppose to be a thunderstorm this afternoon, he hoped that his lovers weren't in the path of it.

There was a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in," Mulder shouted, turning to see who it was.

"Good morning, Mulder, I made coffee, cinnamon toast, and rice cereal for the babies," Schatz replied, coming into the bedroom carrying a tray he set it on the small breakfast table.

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble, Hans." Mulder shifted Faith in his arms, so he could pick up the mug of coffee. "Mm, thanks," he murmured, taking a sip.

"I wanted to, besides Gabriel helped me. Mulder, can I ask you a question?" Schatz sat at the small table, holding out his arms for Faith and Mulder passed the baby to him. The young man started feeding her the rice cereal...she grinned toothlessly at him.

"What, Hans?" he asked. Sitting on the other chair, he picked up a piece of toast and dunked it into his coffee.

"When is Melvin going to come out again? It's been over two weeks since the party...I thought he was a friend of yours," the young man inquired anxiously.

"He's one of my closest friends. Hans, Frohike had to go to Atlantic City to take care of his sick brother and I don't know when he'll be back," Mulder replied softly.

"If his brother is sick, he could bring him here and I could heal him," Schatz suggested.

"Hans, sometimes it's not that simple. Frohike's brother is twenty-five years older than him and has been suffering from a deep depression ever since his wife of fifty years died from the alien virus. Milton more or less has been drinking himself to death...he just doesn't have the will to go on living." Mulder picked up another piece of toast.

"Oh, that is just so sad, poor Melvin," his voice caught. "Can I at least send his brother some flowers?" Schatz spooned another teaspoon of cereal into Faith's waiting mouth.

"That's a good idea, Hans. We'll call the florist this morning and have a couple bouquets sent to him. You know, Hans, you should tell Frohike how you feel about him," Mulder advised.

"I can't, Mulder...what if he doesn't feel the same? I don't want him to start avoiding me...I think it would be better to give him more time to get to know me first," Schatz stammered nervously.

"It's up to you, Hans. Whenever you feel the time is right, just don't wait too long." Mulder scooped up Hope onto his lap and grabbed the other bowl of cereal.

"Mulder, maybe you could talk to Melvin for me?"

"We'll see, Hans."

Skinner cautiously backed the truck up to his cabin, it had been hard steering it up the narrow dirt roads. He climbed out; pulling his canvas bag from behind his seat he then went and lowered the gate to the flatbed. Climbing into the back, he passed the cooler with their supply of food down to Krycek, then grabbed the two paper grocery bags with the rest of their supplies.

Krycek took a deep breath of fresh, mountain air, admiring the pristine lake and dense forest surrounding the cabin. "It's really beautiful up here, Walter, too bad the area is full of n'thrals...this would have been a great place to come during the summer," he commented. Carrying the cooler into the back door of the cabin, he set it beside the door.

"Yeah, no way Fox would feel comfortable up here, especially after we ran into Duffy last spring. When our girls are older we could bring them up here on fishing trips; no n'thral could stand being within a hundred yards of them," Skinner suggested. Dropping the paper bags along with his canvas bag next to the cooler, he looked at the dusty table and counters. Grabbing a bucket, he walked outside to the pump and filled it, and carried it back into the cabin, he started cleaning the table and counters. He could have used his powers, but sometimes it felt better doing things the old-fashioned way.

"I'd like that, it's too bad Fox wouldn't be able to come along," Krycek sighed, watching his half-brother clean.

"If we have enough girls they'd be able to protect him," Skinner joked. Satisfied, he dropped the sponge back in the bucket.

"Fox would not find that at all amusing," Krycek warned.

"What he doesn't know, won't hurt him. We'll eat breakfast first then start collecting the dead-fall." Skinner removed the plastic bowls and spoons from of one of the bags and pulled a box of granola cereal from another.

Krycek got the carton of milk from the cooler; he jumped back, startled, when a shadow fell across the doorway. "Fuck!" He stared up at the largest n'thral he had ever seen before in his life. The man was so tall that he had to bend down low to stare into the doorway, he was almost too broad to even fit through the door.

"Walt, you're back and you brought another pretty young man with you. He's not as beautiful as the last one, but he is definitely a looker. Would you be interested in trading him?" The n'thral growled in a deep resonate voice that vibrated around the cabin.

"Duffy, this is my brother Alex, and no, I'm not interested in trading him. He's here to help me collect some dead-fall from around my cabin, and I'd appreciate it if you would inform any n'thral in the area to stay away from him," Skinner warned.

"He's too pretty, Walt. I can't make promises for the others. I would advise you not to let him out of your sight, he's just too tempting," Jason Duffy advised, backing away from the door.

Skinner followed him out. "Duffy, it's not my brother's safety I'm worried about. He will kill any n'thral foolish enough to try to touch him...you better warn your friends to stay away from him for their own safety. Alex is a very dangerous sorcerer and he wouldn't think twice about killing in self-defense."

"Ah, he is a very pretty sorcerer. I will warn them to stay away from this area until you leave. They may not be able to resist him if they get a good look at him." Duffy looked down at his long time friend -- Skinner's head only came to his chest. "I've been guarding your cabin and land for you, most humans and n'thrals are too terrified by my presence to come anywhere near here." The giant looked sorrowful and lonely. "It was nice seeing you again, Walt, take care of yourself," he rumbled.

Skinner reached a hand up to his old friend. "Goodbye, Duffy," he murmured softly.

Jason Duffy shook it, a slight smile softening his distorted features. Turning, he lumbered off back in the direction of his cabin.

"Jesus, Walter! Fox ran into that n'thral when he was up here with you? No wonder he's deathly afraid of them now. I'll be having nightmares myself after seeing that monstrosity." Krycek shivered.

"Alex, Duffy was one of the gentlest souls you would ever have had the pleasure of meeting. It's not his fault that he was turned into a n'thral." He stared sadly after his friend. "C'mon, let's eat."

Two Weeks Later
FBI Hoover Building
Tuesday, October 12
10:20 a.m.

Mulder slammed down the telephone. "Damn! Another, fucking dead-end! How can a 104-year-old man completely vanish?"

Krycek looked up from his report. "Fox, we still don't have hard evidence that Xsavior is really Damon Starr, he's probably his illegitimate son or his grandson."

Mulder rolled his eyes in disgust. "Oh, please, spare me. It's him.... he fits my profile."

"I still think it was a pretty big leap," Krycek muttered. Standing, he pulled on his suit coat. "C'mon, we don't want to keep Doctor Harris waiting."

"God, I'm really getting sick of this, it's been over a month. I really don't see why it's still necessary for him to take samples? Harris already knows what my cycle is," Mulder griped. "Alex, don't say it!"

"I won't." Krycek smiled softly at him. "Fox, he can't pinpoint your cycle after only a month. The doc needs to track you and the others through several cycles to be sure." Krycek held open the door for his lover and partner.

"Okay, fine, whatever."

"Oh c'mon, Fox, stop pouting," he admonished as they made their way to the parking garage.

"That's easy for you to say, you aren't being violated every other day," Mulder grumbled.

Doctor Harris had agreed to come out to the estate to collect samples from the other immortals; all of who had developed the new organ. Since Mulder was working in D.C., he opted to have the agent come to the hospital. The doctor had been surprised that all the immortals peaked during their cycles on the same day, although they had developed the organ at different rates. Mulder had thought it was significant that their cycles and the others had peaked during the new moon.

Mulder gazed absently out the car window on their way to the hospital. He paid no attention to the homeless man sitting on the curb as they drove past him. The man stood and stared after the car, watching as it disappeared around the corner then he morphed into his original form and strolled into a rundown warehouse.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Tuesday, October 12
2:00 p.m.

"Good afternoon, Tom." MacIver greeted the mailman outside the main gate leading to the mansion.

"Rory, how are you today?" Tom asked, handing the pile of mail to the Scotsman.

"I'm fine, and yourself, Tom? He sorted through the mail.

"Never better. Well, have a nice afternoon, Rory," the man replied, putting his truck in gear.

"You too, Tom," MacIver replied as he studied the label on the small package for Mulder -- it was from Tsar Nikolai Slava. He shook it, sniffed it, and hefted the package. His curiosity was killing him so he stopped on the path leading to Tony and Kim's cottage, glancing quickly around, he used his powers to gaze into the package.

"Wow, Walter and Alex would go ballistic if they saw this," he muttered to himself. Slipping the package into his pocket, he intended to place it up in Mulder's home office along with the agent's other mail.

MacIver entered the back door to the cottage. "Hey, Tony, mail," he announced, strolling into the kitchen.

"Thanks, Rory." Tony smiled. He was typing on his laptop, while his two babies lay in their bassinets, one was sleeping and the other was wide-awake playing with her toes.

"Hi, Emi Mercy," MacIver cooed, picking up the baby. "How's the novel coming?" he asked, gently cradling the baby in his arms.

"Very slowly. It's hard to get a good flow going with the babies interrupting constantly," Tony replied.

"If you need a break, Shinji and I would be happy to watch your girls for a day."

"Are you sure, Rory? Shinji has been avoiding any contact with the babies...I can't imagine he'd be okay with babysitting them."

"The lad's going to have to get used to taking care of a baby; after all, he's going to have one of his own very soon," MacIver replied gruffly.

Tony misunderstood. "Congratulations, Rory, I didn't know that you and Shinji had agreed to have a child together."

"We didn't. It's Sawada's child, she's due in November," he grumbled. "Well, lad, I'd better get the rest of the mail delivered, see you later." He placed the baby back in the bassinet and headed for the door.

"Bye, Rory," Tony replied, watching sadly as his friend left, he could see the deep hurt in the Scotsman's eyes.

MacIver was just about to enter the mansion when he stopped dead in his tracks he turned and faced the driveway. "Fuck, that whore bastard is back," he snarled, watching as Sawada's minivan pulled up and parked next to his jeep.

Sawada reached behind him and pulled a crutch from the back seat, lowering it to the ground, he eased himself out of the driver's seat. His left foot that was in a cast, he had a large purple bruise covering one side of his face. He hobbled around to the back of the van, pulling out his bag. Slamming the door, he walked up to the mansion.

"You look like shit," MacIver commented, glaring with disgust at the young major.

"It's nice to see you, too." Sawada glared back, pushing past him and going into the mansion.

Takeda had seen Sawada pull up and met him as he entered the mansion. "Kazuo, what happened?" he blurted out upon seeing his lover's injuries, then he gently wrapped his arms around the older man's waist and kissed the uninjured side of his face. Takeda held back on any more open displays of affection after seeing MacIver standing in the doorway, he didn't want to hurt his other lover's feelings.

"Don't worry, Shin, my injuries look worse than they are. I had a run in with a Chinese sorcerer during my mission." Sawada kissed his lover back. "I missed you so much. Come, I want you to tell me everything you've been doing since I left."

"Why don't you let me heal your injuries first, then after I wake up I'll fill you in on everything that's been going on here," Takeda replied, taking the major's bag, they headed upstairs to Sawada's room.

"My injuries can wait. Shin, I've waited six weeks to get back to you, now tell me everything; I want to hear your voice."

"Fine, but let me at least make you comfortable." Takeda helped Sawada out of his clothing then retrieved the older man's robe from the bathroom and helped him into it. He guided the major over to a comfortable chair in front of the fireplace, easing his injured foot onto an ottoman.

"Thanks, Shin," the major sighed, feeling truly happy and safe for the first time in weeks. He looked into the cold hearth at the stack of logs, concentrating briefly the wood blazed and warmth filled the room.

"Kazuo, I was making a pot of tea when you arrived...I'll run down and get it." Takeda quickly left the room, heading for the kitchen.

Takeda pulled out a serving tray from the pantry and quickly placed the teapot and teacups on it then filled a small plate with pastries and cookies.

"Hey, Shin, what's going on?" Schatz asked, entering the kitchen with Hunter.

"Kazuo is back from his mission. I'm taking him something to eat," Takeda mumbled hurriedly, picking up the tray.

"Shin, that's nice, I would like to meet him. Don't eat too much; Gabriel is helping me cook dinner tonight," Schatz informed him.

"We'll be sure to save room for dinner," Takeda beamed. Leaving the kitchen, he bumped into MacIver. "Rory, please, don't be angry. Kazuo, needs me right now, I'll try to come down to see you later," he assured as he brushed past him and headed back upstairs.

Hunter looked at the disgruntled expression on the Scotsman face. "Rory, you knew he'd be coming back eventually. You might as well try to make the best of it," he advised.

"Damnit, I was hoping he would have gotten himself killed...but no such luck," MacIver griped.

Schatz was shocked, he couldn't believe that the Scotsman would wish for the death of another man, especially someone whom Shinji loved. The young immortal had finally gotten over his fear of the sorcerers living on the estate, now he was beginning to have second thoughts about them.

"Rory, hush you're scaring Hans," Hunter admonished. "Hans, don't worry. Rory and Kazuo don't like each other, but they know better than to fight on the estate. C'mon, you wanted to learn how to cook spareribs, we'll start by making the barbecue sauce." Hunter glared angrily at MacIver and the Scotsman looked truly chastised.

"Sorry, Hans, I didn't mean to scare you," MacIver apologized. He glanced over at Hunter as the American pulled a bottle of Kentucky bourbon out of the cabinet. "I've never seen you drink this early in the day, Gabriel."

"It's for the barbecue sauce, Rory, but if you asked me nicely I'll pour us all a shot," he grinned.

Takeda placed the tray on the small breakfast table, pouring Sawada a cup of tea. He placed the small plate of pastries on the table next to his lover's chair.

"Shin, you're spoiling me. So tell me what's been going on around here in my absence?" Sawada asked, sipping the hot honey tea.

Takeda looked at him anxiously, he dreaded telling Sawada about his new orifice. "Kazuo, a lot has happened since you've been gone. Mulder, Justin, and Joe's civil rights have been reinstated. Joe has been accepted at the FBI Academy. We have a new immortal living here, Hans Schatz; he's from South America. We put up a basketball hoop next to the garage. I've turned into a hermaphrodite. Mulder's birthday is tomorrow and we're throwing him a surprise party..." Takeda informed him quickly.

"STOP! Back up, Shin, did you say hermaphrodite?" he asked, not sure that he had heard him correctly. Sawada studied his lover closely for any outward signs.

"Ah, yes...do you have a problem with that?" Takeda blushed under the intense scrutiny.

"Shin, you're joking right?"

"No, I'm not joking." Takeda lifted his shirt and pushed his finger into his bellybutton.

"Does it hurt? What is its purpose?" the major blurted out, leaning forward in his chair for a closer look.

"No it doesn't hurt. Mulder thinks that immortals were meant to be used as breeders. He says that's why the aliens killed all of the females; they wanted to eliminate the human's ability to reproduce. He believes the aliens created immortals so that only they'd be able to breed with them, but something went wrong with the virus causing sorcerers to be created. The virus altered something in the sorcerer's DNA that makes them compatible with immortals. I'm trying to isolate what that is at my job at the Procreation Center, but I think Mulder might be wrong about it only being sorcerers. We know that n'thrals are sterile, but we don't know for sure about clairvoyants or humans, there's a chance that they might be able to breed with us through this new organ." Takeda paced in front of the fireplace as he explained.

"Kazuo, the new organ caused a problem. Mulder went through the change first and it drove Walter and Alex into a sexual frenzy, it was pretty scary, they acted like n'thrals -- it seems only to affect our lovers. Doctor Harris had to alter my anti-pheromone shot because of the effect it would have had on you and Rory. Kazuo, does this revolt you?"

"Shinji, nothing about you revolts me, it comes as a surprise to me, that's all."

"Good, I've been worried about your reaction. I was also concerned that you'd have the same reaction Walter and Alex had to Mulder. I'm glad Doctor Harris' new anti-pheromone shot is working."

"What about Justin and Joe? Does it affect immortal lovers the same way?" Sawada asked, trying to digest what Takeda had told him.

"Kazuo, you knew that Justin and Joe were lovers? Was I the only one on the estate that didn't know about them?" Takeda complained, as he stopped pacing and stared at his lover in disgust.

"I thought you knew?" Sawada wondered why Shinji was upset.

"No," he sighed. "They seemed to be unaffected by the change. Doctor Harris monitored them closely during the peak of their first cycle. Although they were sexually more aroused they didn't try to rape each other."

"What about this new immortal?" Sawada asked.

"Hans doesn't have a lover, yet. So he's not having adverse effects on anyone in the mansion." A small mischievous smile appeared on Takeda's face. "I know something that you don't," he murmured, sitting on the larger man's lap.

"What?"

"Hans happens to have a secret crush on one of our friends. Guess who?" Takeda purred.

"Gabriel?" Sawada guessed, wrapping his arms around Takeda's slim waist

"Nope, the man doesn't live on the estate."

"Hmm, is he an FBI agent or one of Walter's cousins?"

"Nope, guess again?" Takeda snickered.

"Doctor Pendrell?" He thought of all of the friends he'd made since moving here.

Takeda shook his head no.

"Give me another clue?" Sawada asked.

"He's a very close friend of Mulder's," he hinted.

"Bill or Charlie Scully?"

"Nope. Give up?"

"Yeah, tell me."

"Frohike." Takeda giggled at the surprised look on Sawada's face.

"Frohike? You said a secret crush. How can this Hans have a secret crush on a clairvoyant, especially someone of Frohike's despicable character without him knowing?"

"For some weird reason Frohike respects Hans' privacy and did not probe his mind. Besides, Hans only met him one time...Mulder says that Frohike's out of town visiting his sick brother."

"I really have to meet this man, he must be one ugly immortal for Frohike not to be interested." Sawada slipped a hand into back of Shinji's pants.

"No, Hans is extremely beautiful. I think Frohike really likes him and that might be why he respected Hans' privacy. Isn't that sweet?" Takeda purred, resting his head on his lover's shoulder.

"Well, I've heard love is blind. So when do I get to meet this Hans?"

"At dinner. He's cooking this week with Gabriel." Takeda captured Sawada's mouth in a slow, deep kiss and all other thoughts fled from both men's minds.

Mulder stepped into his home office carrying his baby daughter in his arms. He wanted to check his email and get a little work done before dinner. "Okay, princess, daddy's going to show you how to operate a computer." He smiled down at Hope as he sat in front of the computer, positioning her on his lap so she faced the monitor. A small package sitting on top of a pile of envelopes caught his attention. "That's strange, Rory usually drops the mail downstairs in our bedroom," he murmured, reaching for the package.

When Mulder saw the return address he felt a mixture dread and relief. Dread that the package was from Slava and relief that his lovers wouldn't find out about this. Hope's small hands pulled at the package wanting to put it in her mouth. "No, princess, we never put dirty packages in our mouths," Mulder admonished gently, kissing her on the nose. He tore the brown-paper off the package revealing a beautiful hand painted paper underneath. The agent delicately peeled off the tape and set the paper aside then studied the silver-gilded box. He cautiously opened it, nestled in velvet was a small intricately carved erotic netsuke of two elegantly dressed men kissing passionately. The larger figure had its hand possessively clutching the buttock of the smaller man. Mulder's breath caught when he realized the figures were of him and Slava. His first thought was to smash the carving, but it was too exquisite to destroy. The agent was extremely grateful that MacIver had had the foresight to put this package up in his office -- Walter and Alex would have exploded if they had seen its contents.

Mulder put the netsuke back in the box and pulled out a small note, reading it. [Moi Fox, I hope your birthday will be filled with joy and happiness. I regret that I'm not there to celebrate it with you, please accept this small token of my love instead. Forever, Nikolai.] He reread the note then placed it back in the box with the netsuke.

"Princess, daddy is going to put this away," he murmured, setting the baby on the thick pile rug that was under the coffee table. Mulder walked over to the far corner of the room and opened his steamer trunk, placing the box inside next to his odd assortment of memorabilia. He felt a tug on his pant leg, looking down, he smiled at his daughter who had crawled for the first time after him.

"Gee daaba," she babbled, trying to pull herself up.

"Princess, you crawled!" He grinned, lifting her into his arms and kissing her cheek. "Daddy Walter is going to be so proud of you when he finds out," Mulder praised her, closing the lid on the trunk, he carried her out of the office, deciding his email could wait until later.

Same Time in D.C.
U.S. Ambassador Carlson's Residence

Nikolai Slava beamed happily, he had watched telepathically as his Fox opened the present he had sent him, and as his lover carefully placed the present in the trunk for safe keeping. The handsome Cossack knew his Fox was hiding the carving from Skinner and Krycek. He reasoned that the mere fact his beautiful lover was willing to conceal the netsuke instead of destroying it meant that he still had a chance of winning his love away from his rivals.

The Tsar watched with adoration as his beautiful Fox lifted the cute, little, black haired baby lovingly into his arms. He was watching everything through the agent's eyes. "Moi Fox, we will have such beautiful daughters together," he murmured softly.

The door opened to the bedroom and in stepped Ambassador Thomas Carlson. "Tsar Nikolai, everything is set for your departure tomorrow afternoon. No one will be able to trace your presence here from this end. Are you sure that no one will detect your absence in Russia?" The ambassador questioned.

The Cossack reluctantly pulled his attention away from his lover and the baby. "I've taken care of everything at my end, Mr. Carlson. Just be sure that the plane is ready for my immediate departure, it is vital that I am not in this country late tomorrow afternoon."

"Of course, my Tsar, your needs are my only concern," the American replied, there was an emptiness in his eyes that only his closest friends would have noticed. "Is there anything else you require?"

"No, you may leave," Slava dismissed him with a slight wave of his hand. No other sorcerer in the world came close to his ability to use mind control. He could control a hundred minds simultaneously without much effort.

Slava reached out with his mind and telepathically reconnected with Mulder's mind. He was extremely careful that Mulder or his lovers would not detect his secret intrusion. It had been too long since he was close enough to his lover to make telepathic contact and he didn't want to waste a minute of it. He watched happily for two hours, yawning, he reluctantly broke contact.

The Cossack tiredly shrugged out of his clothing; the seven-hour time difference between St. Petersburg and Washington had left him exhausted and he needed to be at his best tomorrow. He pulled down the bed covers and climbed in, falling to sleep immediately.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Wednesday, October 13
5:30 a.m.

Mulder startled awake, he blushed with embarrassment feeling the warm moisture underneath him, he realized had come in his sleep. The fleeting images from an erotic dream quickly vanished leaving him feeling agitated. He remained on his stomach for several minutes trying to reconstruct his dream without any luck. Krycek's hand caressing his ass pulled him back to the present.

"Happy birthday, lover," Krycek purred, kissing the back of Mulder's neck.

"Mm, morning, Alex." Mulder rolled over on his side and shared a brief kiss with Krycek. He wriggled uncomfortably, moving closer, and off the wet spot. Wrapping his arms around the other man's muscular body, he nuzzled his face into the crook between his lover's neck and shoulder.

Krycek kissed the top of the silky, brown head of hair under his chin. He smiled mischievously as he felt the sticky moisture on Mulder's stomach and felt the wet spot on the sheets with his hand. "Tell me about your dream, Fox?" he whispered into the other man's ear as his hand massaged his warm back.

"Can't, don't remember," Mulder muttered tiredly.

Krycek hand caressed Mulder's soft penis. "It must have been some dream for you to have come in your sleep. You know how much I love your early morning erection...I feel so cheated." He stroked harder trying to tease another erection from his lover.

Mulder peered up at him. "Give up, it's dead," he groaned, pulling away, he sat up. Stretching luxuriously, he gazed down at Krycek's deliciously sprawled body. "Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?" Mulder murmured draping his body over the other man's, he captured Krycek's mouth in a deep exploring kiss. The babies started crying from the other room, sighing, both men ended the kiss and stumbled out of bed. They padded into the nursery and scooped the babies up out of their cribs.

"Fox, did you ever think a year ago you'd be standing in the nursery in your mansion with your two baby daughters by Walter and me on your thirty-eighth birthday?" Krycek snickered at the look of annoyance on Mulder's face.

"No, Alex, I can seriously say that it never crossed my mind. Let's see, a year ago on my birthday, I put a bullet through my brain, so I guess I spent most of that day dead," Mulder grumbled sadly, remembering how truly miserable he had been such a short time ago.

Krycek sucked in his breath; Mulder's revelation had shocked him. He had never pressed Mulder for information about his life immediately after becoming an immortal. He had known that it had been difficult, but he'd never dreamt that Mulder would have attempted suicide. "Fox, I'm sorry, I didn't know...do you want to talk about it?" He shifted Faith in his arms, reaching out, he rested a comfortingly hand on Mulder's arm. He really wanted to take his lover into his arms, but the babies prevented that.

"It's in the past, Alex, there really isn't anything to talk about. Besides my life has taken a turn for the better, let's not spoil it by bringing up past demons." Mulder tried to smile reassuringly; he glanced down at Hope. "Isn't that right, princess," he purred to her, hugging her closer to his chest, but he couldn't keep the sob from escaping and he quickly turned his back on Krycek not wanting the other man to see him cry.

"Fox, lover, you're right, its all in the past now. Look at how much we've both gained. When you're ready I want to talk about what happened to you after the virus, but not now, we can save it for another time, another year, another century." Krycek soothed softly, wrapping an arm around Mulder's slim waist and pulling him closer he kissed the side of his neck. "C'mon, lover, the munchkins need their diapers changed and they could use a bath, and so could we."

"Okay, Alex. By the way, where's Walter?"

"He got up early to fix you a special breakfast so we shouldn't keep him waiting too long."

U.S. Ambassador Carlson's Residence Wednesday, October 13
6:30 a.m.

Slava stretched and smiled contentedly, it had been too long since he had had sex with his Fox. He felt temporally sated, although their sexual encounter had only been in the form of a dream. That would change later today, so far everything had been going as planned.

The Cossack spent the morning studying Walter Skinner through Mulder's eyes. He studied the way Skinner walked, talked, his subtle mannerisms that only close friends would notice. Slava's contacts in Washington had supplied him with other essentials that he needed in order to pull off this deception. He knew the type of cologne the A.D. wore and had every one of the suits and ties Skinner owned purchased in his larger size. Slava pulled an exact duplicate of the suit and tie that Skinner had on today out of the wardrobe. Although he was three inches taller than Skinner, he knew their size difference would be over looked with a little push from him.

Slava silently got dressed, he studied his image in the bathroom mirror, frowning. "The man has no sense of style," he muttered, running a finger over the mundane gray fabric.

U.S. State Department Wednesday, October 13
10:30 a.m.

Skinner sat impatiently waiting outside the Secretary of States office. He had been called to an emergency meeting at the last minute, he hoped this didn't take all afternoon. "Sir, you may go in now," the assistant informed him.

Five men sat around the conference table in the Secretary's office, all looked up at Skinner as he entered. Secretary Shaffer stood, extending his hand to Skinner. "A.D. Skinner, thank you for coming at such short notice. Please, have a seat," he greeted loudly, motioning to a chair.

"Sir, would you be so kind as to inform me as to the nature of this meeting? Your assistant wasn't able or willing to depart with the information," Skinner grumbled, annoyed.

"We have a very delicate situation that requires your personal assistance, A.D. Skinner. Before we begin may I introduce Thomas Carlson our Ambassador to Russia, General Victor Duggin, Ruben Appleton from the NSA, and Gary Shaw from the Office of Protocol."

After the introductions, Shaffer fixed Skinner with a firm stare. "The subject of this meeting is vital to the national security of the United States, it may strike you as frivolous at first, A.D. Skinner, but let me assure that it is not."

"Okay, you have my attention, now how can I be of assistance?" Skinner asked, meeting the Secretary's eyes.

"The presence of Fox Mulder, Alex Krycek, and yourself has been requested at the Russian Embassy for a Halloween party that will be hosted by Tsar Nikolai Slava."

"Absolutely not! I will not allow Fox Mulder anywhere near that psychopath!" Skinner growled, standing abruptly.

"Please, sit down, A.D. Skinner," Secretary Shaffer ordered. "We don't like this anymore than you do...we're aware of what happen between Agent Mulder and Nikolai Slava. However, the United States needs Russia as an ally, it is vital to our national security," he stressed.

"How so?" Skinner growled irritated.

"That's the reason these gentlemen are in the meeting with us, to fill you in on just how important having Russia as an ally is to us," the Secretary stated, nodding towards the NSA man to begin.

FBI Hoover Building
Wednesday, October 13
11:00 a.m.

Nikolai Slava walked confidently through the front door of the Hoover building, running the counterfeit badge through the reader.

The guard glanced up at him. "Good morning, A.D. Skinner, back already?"

"Yes, Joe," Slava grumbled, heading past him toward the elevator. He was feeling cheated that Alexei had gone to Quantico for the day; he would have loved to steal Fox out from under his nose and rubbed it in at a later date.

Slava rode the elevator up to Mulder's floor. He walked through the maze of cubicles toward his lover's office, stopping in the doorway of Mulder's office to admire him. Mulder was bent over his computer his long tapered fingers typing away on the keyboard. The last time he was this physically close to Fox was in the restroom of the old theater in Moscow; just before his beloved hit him over the head with a heavy, steel trash can lid.

Fox must have sensed him standing there because he looked up and a smile lit up his beautiful face. Slava had never seen a more beautiful sight; he felt a wave of jealousy knowing the smile was directed at the man he was disguised as.

"Walter, what brings you up here?" Mulder asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Fox, I have a surprise lunch planned in honor of your birthday," Slava grinned. Walking into the room, he bent and kissed Mulder on the lips, and breathed in his delicious scent.

"Mm, after that large breakfast you made me...I'm still not hungry," Mulder murmured against the larger man's lips.

"Don't worry, Fox, it's a really light lunch. I have more than food in mind for you," Slava purred, his hand stroked down and caressed Mulder's penis through his pants.

"Walter, I take it that we're not eating in the cafeteria or Lev's restaurant," Mulder groaned.

"No, c'mon, it's beautiful outside. I thought we'd have a picnic in the park, I found a nice secluded location," the Cossack coaxed. He was barely able to control himself, he wanted to bend Fox over his desk and take him that very second.

"Okay, you've talked me into it," Mulder replied, standing and stretching. He followed his lover out of the office and down the elevator to the lobby. "Walter, isn't your SUV in the parking garage?"

"We're not taking the SUV, I've rented a limo," Slava smiled at the look of surprise on his lover's face. "Fox, it's your birthday, aren't I allowed to spoil you?"

Warning bells were going off in Mulder's head as he studied his lover, but all he could see was Walter's sincere, loving expression. Sighing, he decided he was being overly paranoid. "A limo, Walter, you really are intent on spoiling me. Next you'll be buying one for the estate."

"Fox, my love...I'd purchase a fleet of limousines for you if it would make you happy," Slava purred. Waiting for the chauffeur to open the door for them, he rested a hand on Mulder's back. Guiding him into the backseat, he pulled the younger man against his chest and kissed him deeply. Probing his hot delicious mouth, their tongues dueled as Slava pulled Mulder's body up on his lap.

Mulder broke away breathing heavily. "God, Walter, what's gotten into you?" He noticed the driver watching them through the rearview mirror as he maneuvered the limo through D.C. traffic. A weird sense of déjà vu struck him as the man he assumed was Walter Skinner lowered him down on the seat. He lay on his back underneath his lover who was wasting no time removing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. "Stop," he gasped panicking, struggling under the weight of the other man's body on top of him. This man looked like Skinner, but the musky scent underneath the smell of Skinner's cologne wasn't his lover's scent.

Slava smiled down at him. "Moi Fox, I should have realized that you would be too smart for such a ruse. However, we can't have you spoiling Marat Fyodorov's grand plan, it pains me to have to tamper with your memory," Slava whispered softly. He reached into Mulder's mind and removed all doubts that the younger man had, making him really believe that he was with Walter Skinner.

Mulder stared defiantly up at the man he now realized was Nikolai Slava then his face softened. "Walter, are you going to kiss me or stare at me all day?" he murmured. Reaching up, he caressed a hand over Skinner's bald head, smiling lovingly at his older lover.

"Oh, Fox, I plan to do a lot more than kiss you." He brushed his lips softly over Mulder's eager mouth then eased off his body. "Come, we're here," the Cossack stated. The chauffeur opened the back door for them and Slava helped Mulder up and out of the limo.

"You were right, it really is a beautiful day," Mulder purred, stretching, he looked across the tree covered park. Some of the leaves on the trees had already begun to change color. "Mm, I love the fall." He leaned into Slava's strong embrace as they made their way arm-in-arm across the park and down a tree lined path.

"Through here, my love," Slava murmured, guiding the agent off the path and through some dense trees and bushes, they emerged into a small isolated clearing that overlooked the river. There was a blanket laid out over the ground and on it sat a wicker picnic basket.

"Walter, this is beautiful, how did you find this place?" Mulder asked, walking over to the cliff, he stared contentedly out over the river.

Slava's heart skipped a beat when Mulder turned and gave him the most breathtakingly beautiful smile -- his whole face glowed. He felt his already hard cock twitch with desire. "God, Fox, you are so beautiful." The Cossack walked over and took Mulder's hand leading him back to the blanket and tenderly started to undress him.

"Walter, are you sure no one is going to stumble upon us here?" he asked huskily, toeing off his shoes.

"Don't worry, love." Slava ran his hand over the rich fabric of Mulder's expensive suit, smiling to himself that his Fox shared his taste in fine clothing. They were so perfect for each other, if only he could make Fox realize that. In time, he would, if he did everything that his clairvoyant had advised. He folded the jacket and set it aside as Mulder shrugged out of his pants carelessly dropping them on top of his jacket.

The Cossack quickly stripped the rest of the clothing off Mulder's body. Kneeling at his feet he placed the agent's foot on his thigh and peeled off the sock, gently massaging his foot. "Have I ever told you how much I love your feet, Fox?"

"No, what's gotten into you today, Walter?" Mulder giggled, as Slava raised his foot to his mouth and started sucking on his toes. "C'mon, I'm going to fall on my ass if you don't let go," he admonished, trying to maintain his balance while standing on one foot.

"And such a beautiful ass it is, too," Slava purred. Releasing his lover's foot, he stood and slowly walked around Mulder's naked body, he reached out and caressed his firm buttocks.

"Walter, it's not fair you're still dressed," Mulder complained.

"Mm, life's not always fair," he murmured dreamily. Pulling Mulder back against his chest, he kissed and sucked the side of his long elegant throat. Slava imagined that he was back in St. Petersburg with this beautiful man he would keep him naked for at least the first month. Locked up in his private suite where he would take his pleasures from this gorgeous body at will. He caressed Fox's chest pinching his nipples then stroked lower to the agent's belly, ignoring the sharp intake of breath from his lover. He stopped, his hands resting on the Fox's hips and pulled him back until his covered erection pressed firmly between the cleft of Fox's buttocks. "You're so perfect, my love." He continued sucking the side of Mulder's neck, marking him.

Slava reached down and unfastened his pants, pulling free his twelve inch cock. He shifted his hold on Mulder, turning him slightly so he could reach his lips.

Mulder felt the dampness of Slava's cock against his hip; he reached back and grasped it. Stroking it lovingly, in his mind he was feeling Skinner's large nine inch cock not Slava's massive cock. "Is this my birthday present, lover?" he purred into the Russian's mouth, squeezing the other man's erection in emphasis.

"Yes. Do you like your present, Fox?" he chuckled against the younger man's lips, realizing that their current position mimicked the next netsuke carving he was going to give Fox on Halloween. Of course, he would be dressed in a more elegant suit.

"Mm, it's the best present I've ever received for my birthday." He turned in Slava's arms and rubbed his erection against the Cossack's. The coarse fabric on the larger man's suit rubbed against his nipples, making him moan with delight.

Slava gently lowered Mulder's body down onto the blanket, he covered him with the full length of his fully clothed body. The agent's hands started unfastening the buttons on his shirt and the Cossack grabbed his wrists, stopping him. "No, I want to explore every inch of your body, Fox. You can have your fun later tonight at home." The Russian hadn't been able to get a good enough look at Skinner's naked body and he didn't want to chance Mulder noticing the difference, again. He smiled down at the agent's beautiful face, memorizing every sensuous feature for the future when he would be lying alone in his cold bed at night.

"God, you're no fun," Mulder pouted, shifting uncomfortably. "Walter, have you put on some weight?"

The Tsar eased some of his weight off his lover's body. "No. Not that I know of," he murmured, lowering his mouth to Mulder's nipples, he nipped and sucked one and then the other until the agent was groaning and squirming underneath him.

"You felt heavier for a moment, it must be the clothing," Mulder replied, holding Slava's head firmly against his chest.

Slava explored further moving his mouth down, he stopped at Mulder's bellybutton tentatively licking it with his tongue. Mulder pushed his head roughly away, stopping him cold. He stared up questioningly at his lover.

"Don't! Walter, how could you? You promised me that you'd never touch me there," Mulder snapped angrily, trying to squirm out from under Slava's body.

It took a moment for Slava to overcome his shock at his lover's anger. He cautiously probed Mulder's mind wanting to find out why he was so upset. What he learned shocked him even more. "Fox, please forgive me. It had completely slipped my mind for a second, I'm sorry, it will never happen again," he pleaded. Stretching up, he recaptured Mulder's tightly clenched lips. The agent's mouth eventually softened under his, opening to allow his tongue inside.

Slava's mind whirled with this newest revelation about his lover. Learning that his Fox was a hermaphrodite opened many interesting possibilities in their relationship. His cock throbbed harder. God, he needed to be inside Fox now before he came from his thoughts alone.

Mulder felt the pulsating hardness pressed against his thigh. "Okay, Walter, I'll forgive you this one time, but don't you EVER let it happen again," he growled, caressing the back of Slava's neck and staring into the dark brown eyes.

"Don't worry, lover, I promise as sure as my name is Walter Sergei Skinner that I will never touch you there again," he murmured. A tube of KY appeared in his hand, he moved down Mulder's body and knelt between his parted thighs.

Mulder raised his knees, spreading his legs further apart. He watched closely as Slava lowered his pants, exposing more of himself. The larger man's erection was straining and the head was glistening with pre-cum while his balls hung heavy and full. A small voice spoke a warning in the back of Mulder's mind, but it was quickly silenced when Slava pulled his legs over his shoulders and a lubed finger slipped inside of him.

The large Cossack worked several minutes preparing Mulder; he didn't want to chance his size injuring him. When he was satisfied, he placed the head of his cock against Fox's tight opening and watched his face closely for any sign of discomfort as he pushed in.

The concern in Skinner's brown eyes touched Mulder's heart; it felt like their first time, making him wonder why his lover was being so solicitous about his well-being. Mulder gasped in pain as the head of the other man's cock penetrated him; it felt enormous.

"Fox, are you okay? Am I hurting you?" Slava asked deeply concerned. He was about to pull out thinking that he should prepare his lover further when Mulder wrapped his ankles around his waist holding him in, his heels digging into the small of his back.

"Don't...give me a second to adjust. I don't know why but you feel so much larger," Mulder assured, as he waited for his body to relax against the intrusion. When the pain eased enough, the agent nodded his head. "Okay, just go slow," he was baffled as to why Skinner felt so much bigger and again he started to have doubts about his lover's identity

Slava read Mulder's bafflement and used mind control again to remove any doubt his lover may have had about his identity as he pushed slowly in. Although it hurt his ego, it was important that Fox believed that he was really Walter Skinner. He needed Fox's trust for the future events his clairvoyants had told him about, and he would not have that if his beautiful lover felt he had been deceived.

Mulder watched through blurry eyes as sweat stained the front of Skinner's dress shirt while his lover strained to keep himself under control. The love he felt when looking into Skinner's warm, brown eyes touched his heart. He breathed a sigh of relief when his lover was fully sheathed inside of his body. Smiling happily as the older man bent down and captured his mouth in a passionate kiss, trapping his erection between their bodies. Pleasure flowed throughout his body at the feeling of being totally filled.

Slava broke the kiss grinning happily down at Mulder's look of euphoria. "Oh, Fox, I want to give you the world," he murmured giddily, breathing in the intoxicating scent of his lover's arousal. "It makes my heart soar to see you so enthralled by my love for you."

"Walter, shut up and fuck me," Mulder moaned, tightening his legs around Slava's waist.

Slava grinned at the wanton desire in his Fox's eyes; he had never experienced that look from him. He wanted to make his lover feel the purest of pleasure from their coupling. The Cossack eased halfway out of Mulder's body then thrust back in twisting his hips, making the younger man cry out in ecstasy.

Mulder heard someone shrieking loudly in pleasure, then realized that the noise was coming from him. "Oh god, Walter, faster."

Slava obliged him, increasing the speed and length of his thrusts. He felt the tightness of Mulder's sphincter muscles gripping him with each in and out movement of his cock. He wanted to hold off his orgasm, but realized the futility of it; he had gone too long without sex. Slava came hard; it felt like it lasted an eternity as he spilled his essence into his lover's gorgeous body.

Mulder watched the pleasure flash on his lover's face, he closed his eyes feeling the heat of the larger man's release and missing the brief moment that Slava had lost control over his disguise, revealing his true face. When Mulder reopened his eyes Walter Skinner's face stared down at him. Bending, the older man kissed him tenderly.

"Fox, you didn't come," he murmured. Pulling out, he realized that he was semi-erect and getting harder as he gazed down at his lover.

"Fuck, Walter, don't leave me hanging," Mulder groaned, reaching down, he started to jerk himself off.

"Stop, mine!" Slava growled. Grabbing his hand, he forced Mulder over onto his knees. "Fox, I'm just getting warmed up," he snarled lustfully and reentered his lover from behind. His strong arm wrapped around Mulder's chest holding him steady his hand reached underneath and stroked the agent's cock.

"Christ! Walter, what are you doing to me?" Mulder gasped, as Slava's cock opened him. He felt the hardness of the ground under quilted blanket on his knees and hands, the hot warmth of his lover's chest pressed firmly against his back, and the strong arm holding him immobile.

"No! It's not what I'm doing to you, but what you're doing to me! I've never felt more alive than when I'm with you," he growled, thrusting in hard, he ground his hips trying to get in deeper. Slava pumped firmly on Mulder's cock until the warm flow of semen spurted over his hand. The constricting muscles of his lover anus forced a second orgasm out of him. He held on tightly to Mulder's body until the last of his orgasm left him blissfully sated, not wanting to lose contact, ever. Damn his clairvoyant's visions, he needed Fox as much as he needed air. How could he return his lover to Skinner and Krycek? Sighing, he recalled the look of love on Fox's face as he looked at him thinking that he was Walter Skinner. He wanted Fox to look at him like that, if he followed Marat Fyodorov's instructions eventually his lover would, and that was the only incentive he needed to temporarily return Fox to his other lovers. Slava tenderly kissed the spot between Mulder's shoulder blades before pulling away and easing out of his body.

Mulder sank down on the soft blanket feeling warmly contented. He rolled onto his back and smiled up at Skinner, holding out his arms to the other man who sank into them hugging him tightly.

"Mm, that was great, Walter," he murmured softly, his hand caressing over the larger man's back. "Next time, it would be nice if you lost the suit. Do you have a spare one in your office? This one definitely needs to be cleaned," Mulder replied, noting the sweat stained shirt and semen stains on his pants.

Slava nestled his head against Mulder's chest listening to the gentle beating of the agent's heart. "You forget...I'm a sorcerer," he sighed, his hand splayed over his lover's belly, feeling the stickiness of semen. He imagined Fox pregnant with his child -- it would give him true and total ownership of the man. Slava turned his head and kissed the warm skin under his head.

"Walter, you promised me lunch...what's in the basket?" he asked breathlessly, arousal rising underneath his lover's hand. But, Skinner wasn't breaking his word, he was not touching his bellybutton; his hand rested just below it, but the closeness and his growing arousal was making him nervous.

Slava felt Mulder's nervousness and pulled away. Sitting up, he reached for the picnic basket. "Caviar, cheese, French bread, and champagne." The Cossack opened a jar of chilled caviar and spooned some on a piece of French bread, holding it out to the agent who had sat up next to him. Mulder opened his mouth hungrily, eating the delicacy.

They spent the next thirty minutes dining on the contents of the picnic basket. Mulder wanted to decline the champagne, but it was the only beverage available and he needed something to wash down the caviar and cheese. He had started to feel a pleasant buzz by the time they finished eating.

"I think we better get back, it's almost one o'clock, and I have a meeting scheduled at two," Slava replied, he wanted to have Mulder back before the real Walter Skinner returned to the Hoover building.

Mulder stood and started pulling on his clothing. Slava watched mesmerized, he studied every detail of his lover's body and movements.

Mulder sighed, sniffing. "I smell like I've been part of an orgy. Walter, would you?"

Slava smiled, concentrating on Mulder's body, he made all visible signs of their lovemaking vanish from his body, but left the part of himself that was still inside the agent. He stood and did the same to himself, his clothing became clean and free of wrinkles.

"Thanks," Mulder replied, sniffing himself, there was only the slightest scent of sex left on his body.

"You're welcome, Fox. C'mon, let's head back." Slava grabbed Mulder's hand and guided him back to the waiting limo.

When they arrived back at the Hoover, he turned to the agent looking deeply into his hazel eyes. "Fox, you will not bring our lunchtime excursion up to anyone, not even myself. Do you understand?" Slava used mind control on Mulder to guarantee obedience.

Mulder stared at him through a fog. "Yes, Walter, I understand."

"Good, now go back to your office," Slava murmured. He watched as Mulder walked safely back into the lobby of the Hoover building.

When Mulder arrived back at his office, he sat gingerly behind his desk, smiling softly to himself remembering his and Walter's recent lovemaking -- it was their little secret. He ass was pleasantly sore and he had a warm tingling sensation throughout his body.

U.S. State Department Wednesday, October 13
1:45 p.m.

"Okay, we'll go to this blasted Russian party! But, if Slava tries anything with Agent Mulder...I will not hesitate to kill him! Treaty be damned, it doesn't matter to me," Skinner growled.

"A.D. Skinner, there will be a large contingent of Americans at the party. There is no way Slava would try something in front of so many Americans while he is in the United States," the Secretary assured him.

Skinner glanced at his watch. "Damn, I have a two o'clock meeting, if you gentlemen will excuse me," he replied, standing.

"You won't regret your decision, it will help us to cement a much needed alliance between the U.S. and Russia," Secretary Shaffer said, walking him to the door.

FBI Hoover Building
Wednesday, October 13
4:30 p.m.

Mulder strolled into the daycare. "Good afternoon, Mr. Wells, how have they been today?" he asked, walking over to the small play room where his daughters were. The area was separate from the larger room where the older children played. There was only one other baby in the room, ASAC Juan Rivera's son Miguel. Very few men in the FBI wanted to have children, yet. Like many of the other men in the city, they had decided to adopt boys left orphaned by the alien virus. That caused the number of orphans to drop considerably during the summer and the government was even able to close two orphanages.

"They have been perfect angels, Agent Mulder."

The babies' faces lit up when they saw their father. "Gee," Hope squealed. She held up her arms wanting him to pick her up.

Mulder bent down and scooped her up, swinging her over his head and bringing her back down. She giggled with delight. He hugged her gently against his chest.

Skinner stepped into the room with Kimberly. Mulder smiled at them. "Look who's here, Hope, daddy Walter," he cooed, the baby giggled, holding her arms out to Skinner.

"How's my sweetie?" the older man asked as he held the baby protectively in his muscular arms.

Mulder bent down to pickup Faith, the baby was playing with his shoelaces and succeeded in untying one. The agent quickly retied it and picked up his daughter. "Walter, I think we might have a problem on our hands when Faith gets older."

"Why is that, Fox?"

"When I was a kid I used to like taking things apart...I think she's picked up that trait," he replied, putting Faith's jacket and hat on her.

Skinner had already taken care of Hope, and was standing with the diaper bag slung over his shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with an active curiosity about how things work."

"I liked taking things apart, but I didn't like putting them back together. My father thought it was cute at first, but he soon lost his temper after I disassembled his antique clock," Mulder sighed, remembering the first of many spankings.

"How old were you?"

"Two."

"You were that young?" Skinner asked, amazed.

"Yeah, I did everything early. I started walking at 9
months and said my first sentence at 11
months." They walked out to Skinner's Toyota Land Cruiser. Kim took the front passenger seat, while Mulder sat between the two baby seats in the middle of the SUV; he usually stretched out in the back while Krycek sat between the babies. However, Krycek was at Quantico today as a favor to Blaise, it was Hawk's first day at the FBI academy.

Skinner glanced at Mulder several times through the rearview mirror on their drive home; he wanted to tell him about his meeting today with the Secretary of State, but didn't want to ruin his birthday. He decided it would be best to save it for tomorrow or later this evening when he could tell Krycek at the same time that he had committed them all to going to the Russian embassy on Halloween night.

Mulder groaned when Skinner pulled up the driveway to the Estate
and he noticed all of the cars. "This is payback for your birthday, isn't it, Walter?"

"Hey, I had nothing to do with it." He chuckled, pulling up outside the cottage to drop Kimberly off.

"I'll see you at your party, Mulder," Kimberly snickered, climbing out.

"Yeah, I suppose," he replied sullenly.

Skinner pulled the SUV into the garage.

"I hate my birthday, it's one thing to be reminded of it by you and Alex, but I don't want to have to celebrate it with anyone else."

"Fox, I told you it wasn't my idea."

"Whose idea was it?"

"Melvin's. He has a bet with Rory to see which one of them can embarrass you first," Skinner replied. "My money's on Melvin, he just has the knack for pushing your buttons."

"Oh great, so I'm going to spend the evening with the two of them trying to humiliate me?"

"Not unless you can humiliate them first," Skinner grinned, unfastening Hope from her car seat.

"Hmm, that has possibilities," Mulder smiled wickedly, thinking of the perfect way to subdue Frohike for the evening. He carried Faith into the mansion, knowing she would offer him little protection against Walter's cousins and uncle.

"SURPRISE!" the guests shouted.

Mulder rolled his eyes and forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm really surprised," he muttered under his breath.

"Be good," Skinner whispered.

"Mulder, happy birthday," Cousin Anton greeted, kissing him soundly on the lips. "Faith, how is our cutie?" He kissed the baby on her cheek.

"Anton, it's good to see you again," Mulder replied insincerely.

"It's my turn to greet the birthday boy," Uncle Kostya copied his son's moves kissing Mulder on the lips and the baby on the cheek. "She is really becoming a beauty, Mulder, you and Alexei must really be proud of her," the old man said.

"Yes, very much, Uncle Kostya. It's good that you could make it," he replied sincerely, he liked Walter's uncle. Mulder cringed as saw Andrei, Lev, and Yori all approaching him.

After the three men were done greeting him, Mulder turned to his lover rubbing his face. "Walter, how come all of your relatives have beards and moustaches? It's like being kissed by a sheet of sandpaper that someone used to wash the lunch counter at the bureau," he complained under his breath as they made their way into the family room.

"Faith didn't seem to mind," Skinner chuckled.

"Well, she's half Russian, it must be in her genes."

"Fox, I don't think tolerating being kissed by bearded men is an inherited trait. There's Melvin, I hope you have some idea about how you're going to deal with him?" Skinner asked.

Mulder glanced over at Frohike; the older man smirked at him knowingly. He noticed Hans Schatz standing near the little man giving him doe eyed looks and Frohike was totally oblivious to Schatz's feelings for him. This is going to work perfectly, Mulder thought as he made his way over to them.

"Frohike, it's nice to see you back in town. How's your brother Milton doing?" Mulder asked.

"He's doing better, he was really touched by the flowers you and Hans sent him. My brothers and I moved him into a nursing home in Baltimore, it will make looking after him easier," Frohike answered solemnly. Then a smirk lit up his face. "So, Mulder, another year gone and you don't look a day over twenty-five," he snickered.

"Frohike, can I speak to you in private for a second?" Mulder asked.

The short man looked at him tentatively, trying to read his thoughts, he found them blocked. "Ah, sure, Mulder."

"Good, Hans, would you watch Faith for me please?" Mulder passed the baby to his young friend, smiled, and winked at him.

Schatz grinned when he caught on to what Mulder was going to do. He had wanted to tell Frohike himself how he felt about him, but he was unable to get up the nerve to broach the subject.

Mulder closed the door to Skinner's office after Frohike had entered. "Mulder, what's wrong?"

"Frohike, in all the years we've been friends I've never seen you so totally clueless."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hans thinks you're hot," Mulder informed him.

"Mulder, where is it? Langly put you up to this, didn't he? C'mon, where's the video camera?" Frohike made a serious attempt to search the office.

"Frohike, if you don't believe me just read Hans' mind," he challenged.

The little man gulped, he felt uncomfortable about intruding on Hans' thoughts. Gritting his teeth, he reached out and made contact, the next thing he knew he was on the floor and Mulder was kneeling over him, concerned. "What?" he swallowed, dazed.

"You fainted." Mulder helped his friend sit up.

"Oh, my, God! Hans was fantasying about me, him and me...together? Mulder what should I do?" he sputtered.

"Frohike, you know more about sex and seduction than anyone I know, you certainly don't need my advice."

"Mulder, Hans isn't some bimbo! He's sweet and innocent, why would he be interested in me? I'm a nobody, he could have anyone in this world, why me?"

This was different -- Mulder had never seen his friend so unguarded about his emotions. "Melvin, you aren't a nobody...you're smart, thoughtful, caring, and loyal friend. Damn, Hans been pestering me for the past month about when you would be coming back. He needs you, please, don't turn away from him out of fear."

"I don't know how to talk to him...how do I approach him?" Frohike grasped his hands together when he noticed they were shaking.

"Hey, you've been doing perfectly fine until now," Mulder snickered. "Sorry, I think you should take him up to my office and talk this out. He's just as nervous as you are, maybe more so."

"Okay, thanks, Mulder. You can tell Rory he wins the bet...I am not in the mood to embarrass you tonight."

They left Skinner's office and wandered back into the family room. Mulder smiled warmly at Krycek who had retrieved their daughter from Schatz. He walked over and kissed him softly, while watching Frohike as he talked to Schatz. A minute later, the two men left together heading in the direction of Mulder's office.

"What's that all about?" Krycek asked him.

"I think Frohike is about to get lucky," Mulder smirked.

"With Hans? I thought he was still emotionally traumatized?"

"He's an immortal, we're cursed with being hedonistic in nature." Mulder wrapped an arm around his lover's waist then he reached up and brushed the hair out off Faith's forehead. "She needs a haircut."

"No. She's not a boy, Fox. I want it longer, we can put it in piggy tails or a ponytail," Krycek interjected, kissing the top of his daughter's head.

Mulder laughed. "God, Alex, I can't believe you sometimes. A tough, triple agent, assassin, and hair stylist."

MacIver made a beeline toward them. "Mulder, love, happy birthday," he drawled.

"Forget it, Rory. Frohike says to tell you that you win the bet."

"So, where is that little weasel? He owes me fifty dollars," MacIver stated merrily.

"Frohike is not available right now, he is having a heart-to-heart with Hans."

"Really? Damn, I'm on a roll tonight, excuse me boys. Hey, Shinji, you owe me three months worth of back rubs," he shouted, heading across the room.

"Alex, just how many bets do we currently have going on in this household?" Mulder asked, leaning tiredly against his lover.

"Do you want to include the bets on professional sports?"

"Oh, never mind." Mulder watched as four little boys raced past them heading up the back staircase toward the game room. It was going to be a long night and he still felt sore from making love to Skinner at lunchtime.

Krycek frowned, something about Mulder wasn't right. "Fox, did something happen at work today?"

"No, nothing out of the ordinary. Why?" Mulder found that he was unable to tell Krycek about his lunchtime lovemaking in the park with Skinner -- the words just wouldn't come out.

Krycek sniffed. "It's your smell! There's the scent of another man on you!" he gasped angrily.

"Alex, what are you implying?"

Skinner was just walking over to them when he heard Krycek's accusation. He smelled it instantly, he'd been too worried about the meeting he had with the Secretary of State that he hadn't even noticed the scent of sex on Mulder's body. Looking around, he motioned to Hawk and Blaise. "Justin, Joe, would you watch the girls for us, please."

"Ah, sure, Walter, is there something wrong?" Blaise asked, taking Hope from him. The look that Skinner gave him let him know something was seriously wrong.

Hawk took Faith from Krycek and the two immortals watched shocked as Mulder's lovers manhandled him out of the room. Blaise glanced around at the other guests, luckily no one noticed except Yori and Leo Bartok.

Skinner slammed the door to their bedroom as Krycek threw Mulder down on the bed. "WHO, FOX? WHO THE FUCK IS HE?" Krycek shouted.

"What's wrong with you? I've done nothing..." Mulder gasped when Skinner slapped him hard across the face, he felt a sharp sting from the force of the slap and his face flushed red with embarrassment.

"Don't! Don't you fucking lie to us...his scent is all over you!" Skinner snarled, stepping back suddenly as the realization of what he had just done sunk in. He managed to get his temper under control, but he was still extremely angry that Fox had been with another man.

Mulder sat stunned a red hand print visible on the left side of his face. He didn't understand, the only scent on him was Walter's and he wasn't even able to get the words out...he didn't know why he couldn't. "Please, there is no one else...use your fucking powers if you don't believe me! Scan me! I have nothing to hide!" he screamed at them.

"You're damn right we'll scan you, and when we find out who that bastard is we'll flay him alive!" Krycek growled.

Mulder shuddered as he felt their minds invade his. There was no tenderness as they ransacked his thoughts. He let them dropping all barriers he had in place, allowing them to view his innermost thoughts. Tears of hurt and humiliation streamed down his face.

Finally Skinner sank down on the bed next to him, his face ashen. "That wasn't me. I was in a meeting over lunch today. Oh God, Fox." Skinner tried to wrap his arms around his lover's body, but Mulder pushed him away. Standing, the agent walked on shaky legs into the bathroom and slammed the door.

"Fuck, Walter, what the hell is going on? If that wasn't you then who the fuck was it?" Krycek asked, torn between finding out what was going on and comforting his distraught lover.

"Slava! I'll bet a whole year's salary that it was that Cossack bastard." Skinner eyes stayed on the closed bathroom door.

"Okay, Walter, if Slava is within a hundred miles of us we should be able to detect him." The two men combined their powers and searched for any sign of their enemy.

"Damn! Nothing! He's the fucking Tsar...there is no way he could leave Russia without everyone knowing about it. I'm going to call my contact in Russia," Krycek said, picking up the telephone and dialed his friend Major Pyetr Yermolov.

"Pyetr, it's Alexei," he informed his friend. "I need some information from you. I need to know if Nikolai Slava was seen in Russia today or if he was out of the country?" Krycek asked, his face dropped at the answer. "Okay, thanks, Pyetr." He hung the telephone back on the hook.

"Slava gave a speech today to the Russian Army at the Red Square in Moscow. Jesus, Walter, some stranger walked into the Hoover building disguised as you...abducted Fox and raped him!" Krycek stood quickly, rushing to the bathroom door he forced open the lock.

"Fox."

Mulder stood at the sink rinsing his mouth with water; there was a faint odor of vomit in the room. He spit into the sink, ignoring Krycek and Skinner as he crumbled the Dixie cup and tossed it in the trash. Then he pulled a washcloth from the linen cabinet, soaking it with cold water he placed it against his burning cheek. He turned around and looked angrily at his two lovers as they hovered nearby.

"Fox, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to hit you...it's just that the thought of you with another man..." Skinner voice caught.

"Damn you! You didn't hit me...that I could live with! You slapped me!" Mulder growled. Pushing past them into the bedroom, he walked over to the French doors and stared outside.

"I'm sorry," Skinner replied in a small voice. He came over and stood behind him, hands uselessly at his sides.

"Yeah, right. I told you I fucking hated my birthday, now you know why." Mulder turned the washcloth around so the cooler side was over his injury. "We have a house full of guests. I think you and Alex better get back to the party and make up some excuse for my absence...I cannot go out there with your handprint on my face, it would be all over the Hoover Building that you beat me."

"Fox, I don't want to leave you alone, we need to talk about what just happened. We need to find out who that man was that was disguised as me. We need to prevent it from happening again," Skinner appealed.

"I'll be fine...go attend to our guests. We're talk later...just leave me alone...right now, I need time by myself," his voice wavered as he tried hard not to show any emotions.

"Okay, Fox...I love you," Skinner murmured, raising one hand to touch him.

"Don't."

The larger man dropped his hand then reluctantly backed away from Mulder.

"We'll be back shortly. Fox...I am sorry, I shouldn't have doubted you," Krycek admitted sadly.

"Just go, please," Mulder clenched his hands against his chest, he didn't want the two men to see them shaking. After they closed the door behind them, he rushed back into the bathroom. The thought that he had been fooled into having sex with some stranger caused him to feel sick to his stomach.

After leaving MacIver temporarily in charge of entertaining their guests, Krycek followed Skinner into his office. They had used a lame excuse about Mulder suddenly feeling ill as the reason for his absence.

"Okay, we've behaved like jealous assholes, we'll be lucky if Fox ever speaks to either one of us again," Krycek stated sadly, sinking onto a chair.

"We had our reasons, Alex, but I never should have slapped him. Talk about being a total n'thral, I'll be really lucky if he forgives me. What the hell was I thinking?" Skinner muttered.

"Walter, feeling sorry for ourselves isn't going to help Fox. We need to find out who abducted him and why, then make sure it doesn't happen again. We're going to need his help in identifying the man, whether he likes it or not we're going to have to have a rape kit prepared," Krycek interjected.

"Yes, but we're going to handle this off the record. I don't want to put him through any public embarrassment. C'mon, we better go and talk to him," Skinner replied, his stomach knotted. He didn't want to see the hatred in Fox's eyes directed at him. "Why the hell did I have to slap him?" he muttered as they left the office, making their way through their guests who were laughing and joking oblivious to anything being wrong.

Mulder rested his head against the porcelain rim of the bathtub the water was hot and fragrant. He had finished taking a shower moments before, but still hadn't felt clean, he hoped this would help. He kept replaying in the incident over lunch in his mind and discovered gapes in his eidetic memory. All he remembered was how attentive Skinner had been during their loving making, the extra care he had shown him, how good it had felt, but it wasn't Skinner. He knew his lover; there should have been some indication that it was Walter. Why hadn't he been able to see through the disguise? There had been one big sign that he should have picked up on, he hadn't come during their first coupling. Walter had always seen to it that he came first, always putting his needs first, with the exception of those first three weeks in September when his new organ developed. Mulder touched the side of his face, it was feeling a lot better and the mark should be gone shortly. He understood his lovers' anger at thinking he had cheated on them, but it hurt that they didn't even allow him to explain, they didn't give him the benefit of the doubt. He chuckled bitterly -- his birthday curse had struck again.

"Fox, you shouldn't be taking a bath, you're washing away all of the evidence," Krycek said softly as they entered the bathroom.

"Evidence? Alex, are you only concerned with catching this guy? Is it to prove you're some big tough macho man, that no one touches your property and gets away with it?" Mulder snapped at him. "Well you can forget it, I'm not about to report this or submit to a rape kit. Now get the hell out of here and leave me alone!"

"No. Not until you've listened to what I have to say first," Skinner demanded quietly. "We had no intention of officially reporting this incident, we wouldn't put you through that! I shouldn't have slapped you, but I don't know how to take it back...I can only say how terrible I feel and beg your forgiveness. Fox, I love you so much that the thought of you with someone else drives me crazy."

"Walter, I would never cheat on you with another man, you should know that by now," Mulder said sharply.

"You already did...what do you consider Alex? Not that I'm complaining now, I love him, too. But, you really never gave me any choice in that decision, it was only about what you wanted." Skinner knelt by the side of the tub. "Fox, my greatest fear is losing you or having to share you with someone else."

Mulder looked into his eyes, seeing the pain and anxiety. "I'm sorry, Walter, I didn't realize that Alex was still an issue between us. Well, at least it explains some of your insecurities that I've started to wonder about." Mulder raised his hand to caress the side of Skinner's face, vapors rose off his arm in the cooler bathroom air. "How can I make you see that I don't want any other men? You and Alex are it for me."

Skinner turned his face so he could kiss the palm of Mulder's hand. "Fox, I don't know if I'll ever be able to truly believe that."

Mulder leaned forward and pulled his head down, kissing him soundly. "Walter, I'll just have to make you believe it even if it takes a century." He glanced up and noticed Krycek sadly hovering in the doorway. "Alex, get your butt over here."

"Forgiven?" Krycek asked as he knelt next to the bathtub.

"No, not yet, you've both hurt me too deeply. I need more time to think, but I want you both to know if it ever happens again I'll leave you and take my daughters with me." Mulder fingers brushed the side of Krycek's face softly. "Besides, it wasn't totally your fault, we were dealing with powers far great than yours."

"What?"

"My birthday, next year I don't plan on leaving the house, and whatever you do, no party. How does my face look?"

"Fine, you're as beautiful as ever," Krycek informed him.

"Good. Get me my jeans and a T-shirt, I think we should rejoin our guests," Mulder replied, standing, he stepped into the bath towel Skinner held out for him. He allowed the larger man to tenderly dry him.

"We need to take steps to make sure this never happens again," Skinner murmured.

When Skinner and Krycek had probed Mulder's mind it removed the block Slava had placed on him. "How? He looked and sounded just like you. Maybe if he would have taken off all of his clothing I would have noticed that something was different, but all I saw was his groin area." Mulder pulled on his boxers and T-shirt, he still wasn't complete sure that he could really forgive them, but he would try -- he really would.

"Okay, Fox, we'll get a tattoo down there, no one but us will know about it. If you have any doubts about our identity, just check for the tattoo," Krycek replied.

"You'd get a tattoo on you groin for me?" Mulder asked amazed.

"I'd get a piercing there for you, Fox," Krycek stated firmly.

"Kazuo knows the art of invisible tattooing, he told me about it this summer, his Uncle Shinobu does it for a living in Japan," Skinner informed them, allowing Mulder to proceed him out of the bathroom.

"I've heard about that, it's affected by the body's heat," Mulder said, leaving the bedroom to rejoin the party.

"We can ask Kazuo if he would do it for us, that way no one outside the estate would know," Krycek said, wrapping an arm around Mulder's waist, but the agent shrugged off his arm.

"Are you both sure that you want to go through with it?" Mulder asked, smiling when he caught sight of Blaise and Hawk with his daughters, both men were surrounded. The babies seemed happy with all of the attention.

"Yes, if it offers even the slightest protection," Skinner replied. "C'mon, I think we all could use a drink," he said trying to steer them to the bar.

"No, you and Alex go ahead, I think I prefer to mingle with our guests," Mulder replied, walking away from them and heading across the room to Blaise and Hawk.

Skinner said a silent prayer that Mulder would forgive them. "C'mon, Alex, let's get that drink."

They leaned with their backs against the bar drinking, talking, and watching their guests for ten minutes when they were interrupted.

"Mr. Skinner, I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time," Doctor Pendrell said, coming up to him.

"Sure, Doctor, what's on your mind," Skinner replied, turning slightly to face him with a beer in one hand the other hand resting on Krycek's arm.

"Alone if you don't mind," Pendrell stated nervously.

A look of irritation flashed across Skinner's face, he had been watching Mulder as he mingled and he didn't want to let his lover out of his sight. "Okay, we can go to my office. Alex, I shouldn't be long, keep an eye on him for me...he's hitting it pretty hard," he sighed. Glancing over at Mulder as the agent drained another glass of wine.

Skinner led Pendrell to his office. "Okay, what is it?" he asked as he closed the door to his office.

"This." He handed him an unlabeled videotape.

"What's this?"

"Doctor Harris didn't want you to see it, but I felt you should for Mulder's safety. It's a tape from the monitored test of the two you having sex. When you finish watching it, I think you should give my friend a call, he's one of the best in the business...he's expensive, but worth the cost," Doctor Pendrell said. Handing Skinner a business card, he quickly left the office while the A.D. looked at the card.

"Doctor Paul S. Vettelman, Psychotherapist." Skinner read aloud. He turned the tape over in his hand wondering what could possibly be on it. If anything bad had taken place Sam or Fox would have mentioned it -- wouldn't they? He placed the tape inside his desk drawer then went back to join the party.

Chapter 22 -- Halloween

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Thursday, October 14
6:00 a.m.

Melvin Frohike's voice bellowed loudly over the sound of the water spray; he was singing Meatloaf's 'I Would Do Anything For Love'. The shower door opened and in stepped Hans Schatz, smiling beautifully as he bent down and captured the shorter man's lips in a hot kiss, instantly quieting the singing.

"G'morning, Melvin. I really enjoyed last night, thank you," he murmured. Pouring some shower gel into his hand, he started washing the older man's body, running his fingers through Frohike's chest hair as he built up a foamy lather.

"My pleasure, Gorgeous," Frohike purred, wrapping his arms around the slim waist, his hands stroked Schatz's firm round buttocks. His fingers delved into the crease and brushed against the younger man's anus.

"It was *my* pleasure that I'm thanking you for, Melvin," Schatz replied, while soaping down the older man's arms and feeling the slight bulge of muscles under his fingertips. He had been pleasantly surprised to discover that underneath his lover's baggy clothing was a fit body and that the man was hung like a horse.

"Hans, what would you like for breakfast this morning?" Frohike asked, rubbing against his lover's tall, lean body.

"Besides you?" Schatz grinned. "Melvin, you don't have to make me breakfast," he replied, kissing the top of the shorter man's head.

"Gorgeous, I want to make you breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Of course, you can snack on me in between meals," Frohike growled, pinching Schatz on the ass then he reached for the younger man's cock and started to lovingly stroke it.

"God, Melvin," Schatz pushed into Frohike's hand. He snaked his own hand down and grasped the older man's erection. Steam fogged the door and mirrors as the two men lost themselves in passion, their cries of pleasure filled the air.

In the bedroom next to door, Hawk rolled over into Blaise's arms burrowing deeper underneath the covers. "Jesus, they're going at it again. Are we that loud when we make love?" Hawk grumbled tiredly, thinking about how exhausted he was going to be in class today.

"Hmm, sometimes," Blaise soothed, rubbing his lover's back. "You could look on the bright side, Frohike happens to be an excellent cook. If he keeps seeing Hans, we'll all benefit."

"Justin, I feel sorry for Gabriel...I know he's in love with Hans. It doesn't seem fair to him," Hawk murmured against his lover's chest.

"Life isn't always fair. It's Hans' decision who he wants to be with and I can't really say I blame him for choosing Frohike," Blaise replied thoughtfully.

Hawk pulled away and looked down at his lover. "You find Frohike attractive?"

"Looks aren't everything, he's...safe, intelligent, funny, and has a good heart. Don't forget Hans was forced into sexual servitude to a n'thral, then raped by several sorcerers, someone like Frohike gives him a sense of equality and comfort. He doesn't have to worry about his virtue with Frohike."

Hawk chuckled, "Somehow I don't see virtue and Frohike in the same sentence. You should have heard some of the lines he used to hit on me during the Fourth of July barbecue." He rested his head against his lover's chest. "Justin, since when have you become so wise?"

"Hey, I've watched all the episodes of Kung Fu and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, something was bound to rub off." Blaise snickered. "What do you say if we try to drown out their noise with some of our own?" he murmured, caressing Hawk's buttocks.

"Mm, I say, let's go for it, lover," Hawk purred, sealing his lips to Blaise's.

Down the hall and around the corner from their suite, Sawada looked lovingly down at the young man sleeping soundly in his arms. Smiling softly, he wiggled the toes on his left foot, it felt good to finally have the cast off. He hoped that Shinji wouldn't be sleeping too long after healing him. He kissed the top of the younger man's head, his hand rested on Shinji's belly then curiosity got the better of him and he gently probed his lover's navel. His finger slipped inside, he noted how tightly it was gripped and how hot and slick the interior felt. Moaning with desire, he quickly pulled his finger free, bringing it to his mouth he tentatively tasted it then enthusiastically licked the sweet and salty moisture from it.

Downstairs at the far end of the mansion, Skinner finished knotting his tie. It had been a tense night. Although Mulder still shared their bed, he refused any physical contact and slept above the covers wearing his sweats. He moved out of Mulder's way as the younger man leaned past him, reaching for his razor.

Krycek strolled into the bathroom. He was fully dressed and holding Faith who was wearing only a diaper and a T-shirt.

"Do either of you know where Faith's denim romper is?"

"Laundry," Mulder murmured, spreading shaving cream on his face. "You can put the pink cotton bunny romper on her."

"Fox, she likes the denim romper better. The other one is just too sickeningly cute," Krycek explained.

"You like the denim romper better, she could care less," Mulder replied.

"Actually, Faith likes the knit romper with the applique bear on it," Skinner stated brusquely, taking his niece from Krycek. "C'mon, cutie, Uncle Walter will dress you."

The three men finally strolled into the kitchen carrying their daughters, dressed, and ready for work. Schatz was seated at the counter, chuckling at Frohike, who was flipping pancakes into the air.

Skinner gave them a tentative look, he hadn't been aware that Frohike had spent the night. The look of complete bliss on the shorter man's face was a sight to behold -- he had never seen his friend so happy.

"Hey, Guys, would you care for some of my lighter-than-air buttermilk pancakes?" Frohike asked, grinning from ear-to-ear.

Mulder sat next to Hans, positioning Hope on his lap so she could see above the counter. "Yes, I'd love a stack. So, did the two of you have a nice evening?"

"Mulder, really, that's a little personal," Frohike interjected, setting the first plate of pancakes in front of Schatz, he leaned over and kissed his lover softly. "Is that enough or would you like more, gorgeous?"

"That's plenty, Melvin," the young immortal murmured sweetly.

"I want to make sure you have enough," Frohike purred.

"Believe me, Melvin, I'm *completely* satisfied," Schatz flirted, losing himself in Frohike's brown eyes that were magnified by the thick lenses of his glasses. The two men became oblivious to the others in the room.

Skinner glanced at his watch. "Melvin, we don't have all morning. If you wouldn't mind, either make the pancakes or surrender your spatula," he grumbled.

"Mm? Oh, sorry, Walter," the little man replied. Snapping out of his trance, he turned back to the stove.

Hunter stepped into the kitchen, looking like he hadn't slept at all. He walked over and poured himself a large mug of coffee, breathing in its rich aroma.

Schatz smiled at him. "Good morning, Gabriel. Are we still going to the shopping mall today?"

Hunter forced a smile. "Sure, Hans, if you still want to."

"Yes, I do. Do you mind if Melvin comes, too?"

"No, I don't mind," he ground out with effort.

"Hey, Gabriel, how many?" Frohike asked, placing a large stack of pancakes between Mulder and Skinner.

"None. I'm not hungry, Melvin," he grumbled, leaving the kitchen.

Mulder noticed Hunter's pain. He decided to eat before he went to talk to him, that way Hunter would have time to get himself together.

Krycek deposited two bowls of barley cereal on the counter for the babies. He fastened a bib around Faith's neck, she was sitting on Skinner's lap; he then handed the larger man the cereal and spoon. He took Hope from Mulder and buckled her into the highchair and started feeding her the other bowl of cereal as Mulder dug into the pancakes.

MacIver came strolling into the room dressed in a suit and tie. He made a quick beeline for the coffeepot, stopping when he noticed Frohike. "You still here?"

"Yes. You sound surprised?"

"Nope, not at all. Frohike, my money was on you all the way," he drawled, leaning up against the counter. "I'll take a large stack," he added, smirking.

"Coming right up," the little man said happily.

Skinner glanced up as MacIver sat next to him. The Scotsman tucked a napkin under his chin to protect his suit and tie.

"Rory, is there a reason you're all dressed up?" Skinner asked.

"I'm meeting a Colombian business associate at the docks," MacIver stated.

"Columbia, South America?" the A.D. asked, wondering what the shifty Scotsman was up to.

"Don't worry, Walter, this is on the up-and-up. I've gone into the import/export business and Gomez is delivering my first shipment of goods from South America."

"Rory, all trade coming in from South and Central America has been stopped due to the war down there. How and what was your business associate able to smuggle out of there?" Skinner asked. The other men became extremely interested in their conversation.

"My associate happens to be a fellow sorcerer, he's been striking deals with the different warring factions. Gomez offers his services as a sorcerer in trade for different commodities. You wouldn't believe how much n'thral warlords would pay for a good sorcerer. Anyway Gomez has smuggled out the first and hopefully not the last shipment of pure Colombian coffee beans," MacIver replied cheerfully.

"Wow! Coffee, Rory, that's worth a small fortune," Krycek stated in awe.

"I'll say, its costing us $15 0 dollars a pound," Skinner replied. Coffee was the one extravagance that his lovers and he agreed to keep buying for as long as it was available.

"Did you see that story on Dateline about the scavengers that go from town to town, searching deserted homes and businesses for coffee beans?" Frohike stated, setting a plate of pancakes in front of the Scotsman.

"Yep. With the money I'm going to be making, Shin and I will be able to contribute financially to the household." The smaller man beamed.

"What are you trading this associate of yours for the coffee beans?" Skinner asked, worried that MacIver might get in over his head. The last thing he wanted was Colombian Guerillas coming to the U.S. looking for payment.

"Guns, ammunition, and medicine," MacIver replied nonchalantly.

"Rory, are you out of your mind? You're sitting here telling me, an Assistant Director of the FBI, that you're going into the arms business?" Skinner snapped. "You know that's illegal here! Only the U.S. government is sanctioned to sell firearms to foreign countries," he growled angrily.

"I never said anything about trading firearms from here. It just so happens that I have associates in Europe arranging the firearm shipment for me. See, Walter, everything is perfectly legal," he grinned. He left out that the guns and ammunition were first smuggled out of the U.S. by him to his associates in Europe.

Skinner huffed, shaking his head. "You're walking a fine line, Rory. Just promise me that you won't make a name for yourself as an international arms dealer. I would really hate to try to explain that to my superiors."

"Walter, think of me as an ambassador of goodwill, attempting to open up free trade routes throughout a desperate world. We have it really good here compared to most parts of the world...I'm only trying to help my fellow man."

Krycek snickered at the look of disgust on his half-brother's face. However, he knew a good deal when he heard one, and he wanted in on this one. He walked over to MacIver, draping an arm around the older man's shoulders. "So, Rory, I have contacts in Russia, East Asia, and Africa...maybe we can talk about forming a partnership?"

"Alex, my lad, I would love to...it's always good to keep the business in the family," the Scotsman drawled happily, digging into the stack of pancakes that Frohike had placed in front of him.

Mulder noticed how Krycek's face lit up, he knew his lover had been feeling an emptiness in his life -- his adventurous soul needed something like this to feel free. He only hoped that Krycek didn't get himself into any dangerous situations, but he realized that would be too much to wish for.

Skinner looked at both men in disgust. "Oh great, it was bad enough that he's going into the smuggling business, but do you have to, too?" he growled at his brother.

"Hey, it's for humanitarian reasons," Krycek grinned smugly.

"Guys, I'm going to be with Gabriel if you need me," Mulder said, interrupting their discussion. He left the kitchen going up to Hunter's room. He knocked on the door before entering.

"Gabriel, do you want to talk about it?"

The older man stood in front of the window staring wistfully out, his blonde hair glowed in the sunlight. "Fox, it doesn't matter. I should have known that I wouldn't have a chance with him. Hans is happy with Melvin and that's what really matters. He deserves to be happy, he's had too much misery in his young life," Hunter replied, setting down the mug of coffee he was drinking.

"What about you? Gabriel, don't you deserve to be happy, too?"

"Fox, what's the point? Hans has made his choice and as much as I hate to admit it, Melvin was a good choice. At least Hans is no longer afraid of me and I think he may even consider me a friend, maybe someday we'll have more than that, but right now he really needs to be with Melvin." Hunter smiled softly. "Fox, don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Gabriel, I do worry, you've always been there for me," Mulder replied sadly.

"I'm happy living here, Fox. I've become very close friends with everyone here...I love you and your daughters and it's a privilege being able to see them as they grow up. I couldn't ask for anything more." He smiled gently, hugging Mulder.

Mulder returned the hug. "Thanks, Gabriel, I don't know how you always manage to make me feel better even when I came up here to try to cheer you up. I better get going to work, but remember, if you ever need to talk, I'm available" Mulder replied as he left the room.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Thursday, October 14
6:00 p.m.

Skinner closed the door to his home office and went immediately over to his liquor cabinet and poured himself a stiff scotch. He needed to unwind after spending most of the day in meetings. He had talked once during the day to Krycek to find out if there had been any physical evidence discovered at the sight where Mulder was taken after his abduction from the Hoover Building yesterday. Alex had informed him that the only evidence that showed anyone had even been there was the depression in the grass -- otherwise there was zip.

He set the scotch on his desk and pulled the videotape from its drawer. He couldn't imagine what could be on the tape that caused Doctor Pendrell to be concerned for Fox's safety. After all, Doctor Harris had told him that he had lost control temporarily, but that Fox had not been injured.

Skinner inserted the tape into the VCR and flipped on the television set. He watched in absolute horror as he raped Mulder. He cringed at the names he had called him showing no consideration at all for his lover's well-being. Skinner's hand shook, and the glass of scotch slipped from his fingers. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks, pulling off his glasses, he buried his face in his hands.

"God, Fox. How could you even stand to look at me?" He moaned, weeping miserably.

Mulder glanced over at Frohike and Schatz. The two lovers were curled up together on the sofa in the family room watching television. He was putting the babies in their playpen in the family room so he could watch them from the kitchen as he prepared dinner. Mulder was just walking into the kitchen when heard Skinner's grief-stricken cry in his head. He immediately ran toward his lover's office, barging in through the door. Mulder noticed his lover's bent-over form on a chair in front of his television. He knelt at Skinner's feet, avoiding the spilt drink, and touched the older man's hands tentatively.

"Walter, what's wrong?"

"Fox, I've hurt you so much...you must really hate me. Why...why didn't you tell me about what happened at the hospital?" he cried into his hands.

Mulder's heart broke when he noticed the television showing Skinner being led out of the examination room by Doctor Harris. "Walter, that wasn't you...that's why I didn't tell you. I know that you would never have done or said those things to me," he soothed, pulling the larger man into his arms. "Ssh, it's all right, I love you." He felt the wetness of tears soaking through his shirt.

Skinner pulled away, shaking. "Fox, it might happen again...I can't control myself around you. Maybe it would be better if I left," he commented sadly.

"Walter, I won't let you go." The agent's hands smoothed over Skinner's thighs as he stared up into the larger man's red, puffy eyes. "I hate to admit it, but I think we might need outside help in dealing with our problems."

"Fox, are you suggesting that we see a counselor?"

"Yes," he sighed, looking down at where his hands rested on Skinner's thighs. Not looking up, he poured out his concerns to his lover. "I have to admit, Walter, that I have thought about it in the past. There were times that you and Alex treated me as less than an equal -- lots, and lots, of times." He swallowed, raising his eyes to meet Skinner's.

"If you thought we should seek professional help, why haven't you mentioned it until now?" Skinner's fingers brushed through Mulder's hair.

"It's me...I have a problem exposing my innermost thoughts to some stranger; there are too many past demons in my life that I would just prefer remain undisturbed." Mulder leaned forward and rested his head against Skinner's chest.

"Fox, Doctor Pendrell gave me a business card for a psychotherapist at the same time he gave me that videotape. I'll have a background check run on him and if he checks out, I'll call and schedule an appointment for us. Of course, only if you're okay with it?"

"Sure, Walter, go ahead, but you get to tell Alex about it," Mulder replied. Raising his head, he gently kissed Skinner's lips. "Do you want to help me with dinner?"

Skinner knew Mulder was holding out the olive branch to him, it was his subtle way of saying all was forgiven. "I'd love to, Fox. Thank you." The larger man pulled his lover into a tight embrace.

Mulder returned the hug, relishing the feel of Skinner's strong arms around his body. "Walter, we will get through this together. I love you and Alex too much to give up on us." He ended the hug, standing he pulled his lover from his chair.

"You bastard! I can't believe you did that to Fox, Walter. What the *hell* were you thinking?" Krycek growled angrily turning off the VCR.

"I wasn't thinking, Alex, that was the problem. I have no memory of assaulting him. I would never intentional harm Fox, you must know that by now," Skinner confessed.

"Why did you show me this?"

"Fox and I discussed our recent problems and we decided that we need professional help."

"You're going to see a shrink?" Krycek asked flabbergasted.

"We're going to see a psychotherapist, we want you to come, too."

"Walter, there is nothing wrong with my relationship with Fox. I don't see any reason for me to go to some shrink."

"Alex, we're all involved in this relationship and we need you to be part of the sessions. Besides Fox seems to think we've both been treating him as less than equal."

"Fuck, I don't like this, but if it helps Fox, I'll go," Krycek sighed.

Skinner couldn't sleep; instead he sat watching his lovers as they slept. They were curled around each other with their heads resting together on the same pillow. They both were so beautiful, he felt his stomach knot at how close he had come to ruining everything he had with them.

Mulder stirred and gave a cat-like stretched, then rolled over and reached out blindly for Skinner -- his hand found the older man's leg. He opened his eyes squinting against the glare coming from a small reading lamp as he looked up at Skinner.

"Hi," Mulder murmured sleepily. "Can't sleep?"

"Too much on my mind," Skinner whispered softly.

Mulder glanced over at the clock on the nightstand -- 3:00 a.m., sighing he sat up next to Skinner with his back against the headboard. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Fox, go back to sleep. We can talk in the morning."

"No. That's part of our problem, Walter, we need to be more open with each other. We've all been guilty of keeping things to ourselves that we should have talked about openly. Tell me what's wrong?" Mulder placed his hand on Skinner's shoulder, forcing the other man to look at him.

"I promised the State Department that we would attend a formal party at the Russian embassy on Halloween evening...that Cossack bastard is going to be there. I'm sorry, Fox, I should have consulted you and Alex first," He sighed, gazing into Mulder's bright hazel eyes.

"No. It's okay. I trust your judgment. The State Department must have given you a really good argument for you to have agreed...I know how much you hate Slava," Mulder replied. He knew that his lover's high-level position in the FBI would require them to make some sacrifices and it would be wrong for him to blame Walter for doing his duty.

"So you're not angry?"

"Nope. Disappointed that we're going to miss our own party here with our friends, but maybe we can sneak out early."

"I thought you would have been upset about having to see Slava again," Skinner replied, lacing his fingers through Mulder's.

"I can't say that I'm thrilled, but I don't really hate him any longer. After all, he saved Faith's and Alex's lives," Mulder replied thoughtfully.

"So, what are you saying that it cancels out him kidnaping and raping you?"

"I just think that he's changed...he's not the same man that kidnaped and raped me."

"I don't agree with you. I'll apologize to you ahead of time, because I'm not going to let you out of my sight at the party. I don't trust that bastard," Skinner grumbled.

"Hey, I don't trust him either. If it wasn't for Alex telling me that he was in Russia during my birthday, he would have been my prime suspect as my abductor." Mulder clenched Skinner's hand as he rested his head on the larger man's shoulder.

"You have a list of suspects?"

"A very short list. How many men are able to change their appearance? Sorcerers can do it through mind-control, but there are very few that are powerful enough to change their recorded image on videotape. Even you couldn't tell the difference between yourself and the man I walked out of the Hoover building with on that tape. I thought it could have been Eddie Van Blundht, but he was in Chicago at the time. Walter, I'm scared to death that it might have been a morph." Mulder visibly shuddered.

Skinner wrapped his arms around his lover's lean body, hugging him tightly against his chest. "Jesus, Fox, it never occurred to me that it could be a morph. But, if it were...why did he let you go?"

Krycek was awoken by their voices and heard what Skinner had said. "Morph? Guys, what's going on?" he murmured tiredly. Moving over, he rested his head on Mulder's thigh, his arm going over his lover's legs.

"Fox, thinks it might have been a morph disguised as me that abducted him."

"I doubt it. If it were a morph, he never would have let you go, Fox. Besides he would be taking a great risk coming into the Hoover Building, our clairvoyants and sorcerers are all trained to detect their presence. There is no way he could have walked in without being detected. No, it has to be a sorcerer, only we can get through the FBI's security," Krycek replied, his hand caressing Mulder's thigh, he turned his face and nuzzled his nose against the other man's groin, breathing in the delicious musky scent.

Mulder's fingers feathered through Krycek's thick black hair. "Yeah, you're right, Alex. I should have thought of that...a sorcerer would be the only logical choice." He yawned tiredly.

Skinner leaned over and kissed the side of Mulder's mouth. "C'mon, let's try to get back to sleep."

FBI Hoover Building
Thursday, October 19
Noon

Frohike leafed through a magazine as he waited impatiently outside of Walter Skinner's office. Skinner had been surprised when he had called and asked to see him for lunch. The A.D. said he was too busy and couldn't afford the time to go out to lunch today. After Frohike pleaded with him, telling him it was a matter of life and death, he had compromised and agreed to lunch in the FBI cafeteria.

"Okay, Melvin, I'm ready," Skinner said, coming out of his office. He couldn't understand what could be so important that it couldn't wait until after work. After all, Frohike seemed to always be at the estate lately.

"Thanks for seeing me, Walter." The little man had put on suit and tie for the occasion.

They made their way down to the cafeteria and went quickly through the food line then found a small table in the corner. Skinner looked the smaller man over, there was something different about him; he looked younger. "Melvin, are those new glasses?"

"Yeah, they're designer frames from Italy," he mumbled softly, embarrassed.

"Your hair it's..." Skinner couldn't think of the words.

"Okay, it's highlighted...I had a facial and got my nails manicured," Frohike replied hotly. Sighing. "Sorry, Walter, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just that I've never done anything so...vain...I feel totally foolish. But, I don't want to lose him...I'm afraid he'll open his eyes one-day and realize what a big mistake he's made. How could someone like that want an old toad like me?" Frohike pushed the food around on his plate.

"Melvin, I didn't mean to offend you. You really do look good, but I doubt that it makes a difference to Hans what you do to yourself. Now are we here to discuss your love life or is there something else you wanted to talk about?" Skinner asked.

"I had a vision a couple of hours ago, it involved Shinji...he appeared to be lying unconscious on a mattress while a bunch of men sexually assaulted him...the men all appeared to be Chinese. I don't know when this will take place, but I figured it would be better if you warned Rory and Kazuo. I don't think they take me too seriously, but they will listen to you." Frohike ran a hand nervously through his hair.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, totally. He will be abducted unless Rory and Kazuo can protect him. Walter, I don't want to have another vision of Shinji being used that way. Please, tell them...if they can prevent it my visions should stop," he pleaded.

"Don't worry, Melvin. I'll have a talk with them when I get home tonight. I'll also warn Gabriel, Tony, and Alex, no one will get near Shinji with all of us protecting him."

Sawada shifted uncomfortably on the leather chair, he waited nervously as Skinner poured him and MacIver a drink. The last time they were both called into to the larger man's study was to be dressed down for fighting in the mansion. He hoped Skinner wasn't angry with them again -- as far as he knew they'd both been behaving themselves.

"Thank you," Sawada replied as Skinner handed him a drink.

Skinner sat in front of the fireplace he had three wing back chairs arranged in a semi-circle with his chair positioned between MacIver and Sawada. "You both know that Melvin Frohike is a very talented clairvoyant and that at times he has visions of future events. To date, almost of his previous visions have come true. I'm mentioning this so that you don't take what I have to tell you lightly." Skinner looked closely at the two men who had become very alert.

"Melvin had a vision today involving Shinji and he came over to the Hoover Building to tell me about it. He was worried that neither of you would take him seriously. In his vision, he saw Shinji being sexually assaulted be a gang of Chinese men, he said that Shinji appeared to be unconscious during the assault," Skinner informed them.

"Walter, did Melvin mention when this is suppose to take place?" MacIver asked nervously.

"No, there was no indication when this will happen," Skinner replied.

The Scotsman temper flared over his fear for his lover. "This is your fault, Major! Who did you piss off in China?" MacIver growled.

"How do we know that this isn't your fault? You're the one going into the smuggling business, it's probably someone that you made angry," Sawada snapped back.

"CAN IT! It doesn't matter whose fault it is! All that matters is Shinji's safety, we don't know when this is going to happen, so we cannot let our guard down. He needs to be protected by everyone here," Skinner barked.

"Sorry, Walter. I will not allow my disdain for MacIver to interfere with Shinji's safety," Sawada stated.

MacIver glared at Sawada. "Shinji's safety is my only concern, Walter. I'm willing to bury the hatchet with the major, for now," he grumbled.

Skinner had a hard time believing the sincerity of the two men's statements. He hoped that Takeda's safety would come before the personal animosity they felt for each other.

Dr. Paul S. Vettelman, Psychotherapist Office
Thursday, October 21
1:30 p.m.

The doctor studied the three men as they entered his office; he didn't even need to use his clairvoyant abilities to read them. He noticed right away that the large, bald man had an air of authority about him. He was very domineering toward the immortal, it was apparent by the way he kept his hand on the immortal's arm, stood within his personal space, and looked at him very possessively. The doctor met the eyes of the young man with dark hair, and reevaluated his first impression; this man was equally as menacing as the bald man was.

"Doctor Vettelman, I'm Walter Skinner and this is my brother Alex Krycek and our life partner Fox Mulder. Thank you for agreeing to take us on as your patients." They all shook hands with the doctor.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Skinner, Mr. Krycek, and of course the famous Special Agent Fox Mulder. Please, come in and have a seat," he said, guiding them over to four chairs arranged in a circle.

Mulder sat across from Doctor Vettelman with Skinner on his right and Krycek on his left.

The doctor was an older man in his late fifties, bald with a goatee, and thick glasses. He pulled out a tape recorder, turned it on, he placed it on the small table next to his chair. "Why don't we start with each of you explaining why you have found it necessary to seek my help? Fox, you may go first."

"Doctor, it is Mulder...no one calls me Fox except Walter and Alex. We're here because we've been having difficulties in our relationship, and we're unable to resolve these difficulties ourselves."

Skinner spoke up after Mulder had finished. "It's a lot worse than Fox makes it sound. Doctor, I've always had a tight rein on my emotions, but lately I'm unable to control myself around him. I just get so jealous and protective where he is concerned. I'm afraid that I'll really hurt him one of these days, then he'll hate me because of it," he confessed.

Krycek met the doctor's eyes. "Ditto, what Walter says goes for me, too."

"Walter, Alex, you're brothers and you're both Mulder's lovers, tell me about that?"

Krycek didn't want the doctor to know about how he had tricked Skinner and stolen Mulder from him, his behavior back then embarrassed him. "Walter and I have known each other for years, but only found out we were half-brothers last December. We've had our differences, but we've been able to resolve them. Doctor, I love and respect Walter, and we both love Fox."

"So, everything is sunshine and roses?" the doctor asked. He read instantly the equality and respect between the two brothers, but it didn't seem to carry over to their lover.

Krycek squirmed under the doctor's scrutiny. "With Walter and my relationship, yes, it is."

"Doctor, our relationship isn't the issue here, it's our relationship with Fox," Skinner interjected.

"Yes, I agree that your relationship with Mulder is more important, but I think yours and Alex's relationship needs to be explored," Vettelman stated. "You said that you just found out you were brothers last December, please explain."

Skinner sighed. "When I was six my father informed my sister and me that our mother had been killed in a car accident. We didn't get to attend her funeral and shortly after that we emigrated to the U.S. It wasn't until this past December that I found out that my mother didn't die, she had left us to marry Alex's father. It was Alex's father that arranged the emigration papers for us to the U.S., he wanted us as far away from our mother as possible."

"Walter, tell me how your mother's death affected you as a boy?"

"There's not much to tell, Doctor, she died and we moved on with our lives," Skinner stated gruffly.

As a clairvoyant Vettelman knew from reading his patient's emotions that he had never come to grips with his mother's supposed death -- it was still affecting him. "Walter, you never had closure, there was no funeral, you never really accepted your mother's death. I think part of the reason why you're overly protective of Mulder is because you're afraid he'll vanish from your life, too."

"Doctor, with all due respect, that was almost 4
0 years ago, and I can assure you that it is not affecting me today," Skinner growled.

"I say that it is one of the reasons you need to be in control. Back then, you had no control and you lost your mother," the doctor spoke calmly. "Tell me about your relationship with Mulder, when did you first meet?"

"I became Fox's direct supervisor seven years ago. I had heard a lot about him before then, but I didn't meet him until then." Skinner replied.

"When did you realize you had romantic feelings for him?"

"Since the first time he walked into my office. Don't get me wrong, Doctor, we maintained a professional relationship until after the virus. Afterward, I could no longer stand by and watch him destroy himself...he needed me as much as I wanted him. Fox has always undervalued his self-worth. For as long as I've known him, he'd take foolish chances with no regard for his own safety. He didn't give a second thought about how his death would affect those of us that cared about him," Skinner's voice tightened angrily as he recalled how many times Mulder had been injured or ran off on his own.

Mulder stiffened his chair. Skinner had never mentioned any of this to him. "Walter, I never tried to kill myself! I did what I had to.... there was no other way for me to get at the truth," Mulder grumbled.

"HA! What about your birthday last year, Fox? Do you have any idea what it was like for me to walk into your apartment and find you like that?" Skinner growled.

"Tha...that was a mistake...I didn't know what else to do! I . .. . I really don't want to talk about that now," Mulder stammered, looking down at his hands that were clenched tightly in his lap.

The doctor studied the two men, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "Walter, I'm interested in how you and Alex are interacting with Mulder," Vettelman replied. "Do you think that he needs to be protected not only from outside threats, but also from himself? I sense that you and Alex, don't view Mulder as being self-sufficient."

"Oh please, that is total BS! I never viewed Fox as being anything less than my equal!" Skinner growled, standing.

"That's not true, Walter," Krycek replied softly.

"What?" Skinner snapped.

"Think about it, physically Fox isn't our equal as it pertains to our powers. He's totally dependent on us for his protection and physical needs, and we've used that dependence against him. I'm not suggesting that we've been doing it consciously, but we have been doing it," Krycek argued.

Skinner sank back in his chair as he realized the truth behind his brother's words. Frowning. "'I don't think it's something that happens very often, I can only think a few times."

"You're not the same men you used to be, you're sorcerers, and immortals don't possess your supernatural powers, you need to accept this and work from there. I would like you each to keep a journal, start by writing down all the incidents that you can remember where you didn't treat Mulder equally and any new incidents that happen. Mulder, I want you to do the same thing." Doctor Vettelman glanced down at his watch. "Gentlemen, that's the end of our first session. Think about what we've discussed today and we'll take it from there on Monday."

Eastern Europe Saturday, October 23
1:00 p.m.

The room was dark and cigarette smoke hung heavy in the air as five men met around a small conference table. The youngest of the men stared in morbid fascination at the report in front of him. "This new orifice and organ that the immortals have developed, has it been determined if it really is a reproductive organ?" Jeffery Spender asked.

"We're conducting tests on the two immortals that are at our facility in the Bahamas. They only developed the organ a week ago," the second elder replied. "We require more immortals for testing has there been any progress in abducting any of the others?"

"No, sir. After the morph abducted the Brazilian immortal all of the remaining immortals are now too tightly guarded," the cigarette smoking man replied, passing a folder down to the elder. "We have been able to get some good surveillance photos of the immortals at Foxfire Glenn Estate, along with photos of my son and granddaughters."

Spender frowned as he watched the elder open the folder; his father had not shared its contents with him. He was curious about his half-brother and nieces. "Father, are you suggesting we use these surveillance photos to figure out a way to abduct the immortals at the estate?"

"Yes, but I want it understood that Fox and my granddaughters are not to be used in any experiments, and I get to select the sorcerer that will be my son's new lover," he snarled. He looked challengingly at the other men around the table, making sure there were no objections to his demands.

"Do you have a plan?" the second elder asked.

"Not yet. I have a man that is able to get inside the estate, but so far he's found no flaws in their security. But, it's only a matter of time, they will relax their guard and when they do we will strike," the CSM answered.

Spender grabbed the folder as it was passed back, he scanned through the photographs stopping on one that showed Mulder sitting cross-legged on the floor with both babies on his lap. All three had large smiles on their faces. He felt a wave of jealousy and anxiety. He had really messed up his life; if he could go back in time things would be different. He closed the folder, putting it into his briefcase as a plan started to form in his mind -- he couldn't change the past, but he could change the future.

Deep Space Sunday, October 2
4 1:00 p.m.

Ricardo Montoya was curled up asleep on the soft bed that was recessed into the floor. The bed was lined with Jell-O like material that molded to his body, it was dry to the touch and admitted a warm heat, making blankets unnecessary. A soft golden light lit the room while a constant musical sound soothed his mind and spirit. The room was circular, only about ten feet in diameter. The bed was situated in the center and along the walls was built in panels, seats, and two doorways. The room had been designed to provide total comfort for the Brazilian immortal.

Montoya rolled over onto his back, his naked body glistened with light perspiration, he moaned softly in his sleep. A tall sensual being entered the room followed closely by two shorter gray aliens. The tall alien was completely different in appearance from the grays; he was closer in appearance to the human. He might have been mistaken for human -- his flowing violet hair and deep purple eyes could have been explained as hair-dyes and contact lenses, but the six foot wings that adorned his back were impossible to pass off. He stared down lustfully at the sleeping human.

"He is ripe for my seed, prepare him, and bring him to my quarters," he instructed the two grays.

"Yes, lord," the grays replied, bowing obediently to the Seraphim Overlord. They watched as he moved gracefully out of the room then turned back to the human immortal.

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, October 3
05:30 a.m.

Mulder awoke to the babies crying. He climbed over Krycek...his lover had his head buried under the covers. The agent shivered, the room was chilly so he quickly pulled on his sweat pants then padded barefooted into the nursery. Both babies were sitting up in their cribs; they stopped crying when they saw their father. Mulder noticed the difference in temperature between the nursery and their bedroom; the nursery was at least ten degrees warmer. Skinner had installed a separate heater in the babies' room.

"What's a matter, munchkins?" he murmured as he checked their diapers, finding them dry. "I bet you're lonely and hungry? Would you like to play with your daddies while I go and get you each a bottle?" Mulder picked Hope up and carried her into the bedroom, placing her in the center of the king-sized bed. Skinner had rolled over on his side and smiled up at Mulder as he laid their daughter down.

"Morning, angel, how's daddy's precious little girl," Skinner murmured, pulling the baby into a gentle hug, he kissed the top of her head. Hope got a good grip on her father's thick chest hair and tugged on it. "Ouch! Angel, daddy happens to like his chest hair and would appreciate it if you didn't try to pull it out," he admonished softly while unhooking her fingers, there were several strands of hair still in her clenched hand that she had managed to yank out.

Mulder deposited Faith on the center of the bed next to Hope. "Watch them, Walter, while I get their bottles." Mulder left the room and returned six minutes later with two bottles, he climbed over Krycek who had awoken and was playing with Faith. Krycek took the bottle from Mulder and cradled their daughter against his chest as he fed her. Hope was lying on her back playing with her toes she grinned up at her daddy as he held the bottle to her.

Mulder leaned against the headboard and watched quietly for several minutes. He finally broke the silence. "The tattooing supplies that Kazuo emailed his brother for arrived yesterday from Japan. Do you really think it's necessary? If a sorcerer abducts me, he would use mind-control to make me compliant to his wishes and it wouldn't matter if he didn't have the tattoo."

"We're doing if mainly for your peace of mind, Fox. We don't want you to have any doubts about our identity. Also, don't forget about the morphs," Skinner replied.

"You're both willing to go through the pain for me?" Mulder asked amazed.

"Fox, you know we'd do anything for you." Krycek smiled up at him.

"Thanks, guys," Mulder murmured. "If you could watch the babies, I'll go start breakfast." He climbed back out of bed; pulling on his robe he left the bedroom.

"Fox is right, the tattoo won't offer any protection against a sorcerer," Krycek replied.

"No, but it's still worth getting if it eases his mind," Skinner stated.

6 hours Later
Mulder watched enthusiastically as Sawada laid out the tattooing equipment his uncle had sent him from Japan. They decided to get it done in their bedroom.

"Who's first?" Sawada asked, looking at Skinner and Krycek.

"Him," they replied simultaneously.

Mulder snickered. "Alex, it was your idea you go first."

Krycek smiled weakly. "Okay, I'll go first," he grumbled.

Sawada was studying the different designs the two men had picked, looking up at Krycek. "Where do you want the tattoo?"

Krycek removed his robe and pointed to a small patch of skin next to his groin. "Here."

Sawada swallowed, he didn't expect to be tattooing such a private part of his friend's body. "Are you sure? Wouldn't you rather have it on your arm?"

"No. We wanted an area that no one would see except us," Krycek replied, lying down on the lounge chair they had brought into the bedroom from the living room.

Sawada noted for the first time that Krycek's groin area was hairless and for some reason that made him blush even more.

Krycek read his thoughts instantly. "It was a small sacrifice because making love is a lot more fun without having to pull pubic hair out of your teeth. Trust me on this, Kazuo, you should try it," he smirked, loving the other man's embarrassment.

"I'll take your word for it, Alex," he replied, taking a towel, he covered Krycek's penis and his groin area that wasn't going to be tattooed.

The two babies were playing on a blanket on the other side of the bedroom when Hope decided to see what was going on at the other end of the room. She crawled over to the men, seeing Skinner she made a beeline for his feet, and he scooped her up into his arms. Faith didn't like being abandoned, but was still too young to crawl so she started crying. Mulder rushed over and picked her up, bringing her with him to watch Krycek get tattooed.

"Cutie, look, daddy Alex is getting a picture of a bird." Mulder quipped. The baby made some babbling noises. "No, Dear, I don't know what possessed your daddy to get that picture."

"It's an angel, Fox, and you know it," Krycek huffed.

"Okay, if you say so," Mulder smirked.

"Walter is getting an angel, too," Krycek informed him.

"I know, Walter showed me the picture. I'm only teasing you, Alex." Mulder leaned down and kissed his lover softly on the lips, he lowered Faith so Alex could kiss her, too.

"Do me a favor, Fox."

"What, lover?"

"I would like some privacy, can you take the girls into the family room, please?"

"Okay. Kazuo, if Alex gives you a hard time just call me." Mulder walked over to Skinner. "Walter, can you bring our munchkin into the family room with me, they're getting too big for me to safely carry both of them at once."

"Sure, Fox."

Russian Embassy Sunday, October 3
1
8:00 p.m.

A hush fell over the large reception hall at the Russian Embassy as Mulder and his lovers entered the room. All three men were dressed in tailored, black tuxedos that fit their bodies like a glove. Mulder glanced around nervously; Slava had a large force of n'thrals stationed around the room standing guard. He had not forgotten the Cossack's preference for n'thrals in his personal security force.

Tsar Nikolai Slava smiled brightly when he noticed Mulder enter the room. Breaking with protocol, he left the receiving line and headed directly over toward the man that held his heart prisoner. "Fox, my love, I'm so happy you were able to make it," he greeted loudly. He embraced Mulder in a bear hug, kissing him soundly to the anger of Skinner and Krycek, but before either man could respond, Slava had stepped back.

Mulder licked his lips that tingled from the force of the Tsar's kiss; his senses were filled with the heady smell of the other man. He fought down the stirring of arousal that he felt over the Cossack's closeness reaching back he grasped Skinner's hand for reassurance. He didn't know why the man was affecting him like this.

Slava smiled over the effect he was having on Mulder, he turned his attention to the other two men. "Mr. Skinner, Alexei, it's a pleasure to see you both again," he greeted, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes as he stared down his nose at them.

"Tsar, let's get one thing straight...we're here at the request of our government. I intend to be civil as long as you don't try to touch Fox, again," Skinner hissed through clenched teeth.

"What are you afraid of, Mr. Skinner? After all, Fox has chosen you and Alexei...are you afraid he'll realize that he made a mistake?" Slava challenged.

"That's right...Fox did choose us, and you better not forget it. He belongs to us so keep your damn hands off," Krycek snapped.

"Temper, temper, Alexei, I have no plans on stealing Fox from you, I just wanted to see him again. Fyodorov, show our guests into the main ballroom and see that they are treated to our finest wine and caviar," Slava advised his lead clairvoyant who appeared beside him.

Mulder gasped, the little man bore a remarkable resemblance to Frohike. At Slava's questioning look, he explained. "Sorry, it's just that he looks exactly like one of my closest friends," he replied weakly. Skinner's arm wrapping around his waist bolstered his flagging confidence -- he didn't know why he felt so off-balanced around Slava.

Mulder didn't realize that Slava had been the one who abducted him and was now physically bonded to him. They were both lucky that his cycle was two weeks away from peaking, or Slava would not be able to control his sexual urges.

"God, perish the thought, I can't imagine there being two of them," Slava laughed loudly.

Marat Fyodorov blushed deeply over the attention, he couldn't imagine what it would be like to be close friends with the beautiful immortal, and he felt a pang of jealousy toward his double. "Please, gentlemen, this way."

They followed the shorter man into the main ballroom and he immediately flagged over the waiters with the wine and appetizers. Other guests started making their way over to the three men, greeting them. Most of the guests wore black silk masks along with their tuxedos. Skinner had refused to even consider wearing one. There was an orchestra playing an Andrew Lloyd Webber show tune. Nikolai Slava hadn't invited just anyone to his party; he took the time to invite men that would be able to distract Skinner and Krycek. Krycek's former associates at United Nations were there as were the Director of the FBI and other Assistant Directors.

Slava kept his distance from Mulder, he watched, as the agent became bored with his lovers' conversations. The other two men were having a good time, laughing and joking with friends, and drinking the special wine the Tsar had provided. Unaware to anyone at the party, the wine had been altered to contain four times the amount of alcohol normally found in wine. Slava needed to make the two sorcerers drunk in order to use mind-control on them.

After two hours had passed Slava deemed it was time and he clouded Krycek's and Skinner's minds into believing that Mulder was still standing quietly by their side. They didn't notice Mulder as his eyes glazed over, and he walked away from them and entered a room off the main ballroom followed closely by Slava. There were two other men in the room. Mulder stood frozen in the center of the room as the Cossack closed the door behind them.

"Moi Fox, I want nothing more than to take you back to Russia with me, but the time is not right," Slava murmured, embracing Mulder from behind, kissing the side of his cheek. His hand unzipped the agent's pants, reaching in he pulled out his limp penis. Slava then tenderly stroked it, feeling it swelling and lengthen in his hand. Mulder leaned back into his arms, rubbing his body sensually against the larger man as arousal flooded his senses.

Slava sucked in his breath; he couldn't give into the arousal he was feeling for the young man in his arms. If he did, it would spoil everything. "I need you to do something for me, Fox. I want you to come for me, it will be a gift of your love for me," he purred softly. Nodding to one of the other men who came over with a jar, the Tsar positioned Mulder's cock so it would shoot into it. He stroked more firmly on the agent's cock until Mulder's body stiffened in his arms and his semen spurted into the jar.

Slava continued to hold Mulder against his chest as his orgasm poured out of his body. After it was over, the man sealed the jar containing Mulder's semen.

Slava looked sternly at the man. "Doctor, my plane is standing by to fly you back to Russia. I expect good news from you by the time I return there in two days. If you fail me in this, your head will adorn the front gate of winter palace, beside the other traitors of the empire. Leave now," he growled.

The two men bowed respectfully and quickly left. The doctor knew he had only seventy-two hours before the immortal's sperm died.

"Moi Fox, it breaks my heart to have to return you to your lovers," Slava murmured sadly, tucking Mulder's penis back into his pants, he rearranged the agent's clothing so there was no sign of their recent activity. He lived for the day that Mulder would be fully aware during their loving making. The Cossack slipped a small gilded box into the inside pocket of Mulder's tuxedo.

Mulder's next conscious thought was how bored he was as he stood beside his lovers, he wasn't aware that he had even left their sides. He glanced at his watch then noticed that all of the guests at the party were obviously drunk including Skinner and Krycek. He had refrained from drinking any more than one glass of wine. "Walter, Alex, I think we should be going now," Mulder said, removing the car keys from Skinner's pocket.

"Wwe've jusgotgotten here," Krycek slurred, swaying on his feet.

"Yah, we n nnotrredy," Skinner agreed drunkenly.

Mulder felt a sharp pinch on his ass. "Ouch! Damn it! Keep your filthy hands to yourself!" He spun around glaring that the man who pinched him and stared right into the face of a very drunk Director of the FBI.

"C'mon, bbabbaby, letsyouanme cut thethe rug," the Director slurred, swaying to the music from the live orchestra. Mulder quickly placed Skinner's body between himself and the Director.

Slava walked over to them. "Fox, is there a problem?"

"No...no problem, we just need to be leaving now." Mulder answered self-consciously, he looked from Slava to his two lovers, wondering how he was going to get them to leave without causing a scene.

"Your *friends* seem to have drank a bit too much. Allow me to help you get them out to your car, Fox," Slava murmured.

Mulder didn't see anything else he could do. "Okay, thanks."

Mulder wrapped an arm around Skinner's waist to steady him as he guided him to the door. Skinner was singing off-key with the orchestra that was playing 'The Music of the Night,' Mulder rolled his eyes in disgust. His lover was usually a very good singer. Slava tried to help Krycek, but the younger man took a swing at him and lost his balance, he would have ended up on his ass if Slava hadn't caught him. The Tsar swung him effortlessly over his shoulder, carrying him out of the embassy. Krycek swore up a storm on the way out. He calmed down when the large Cossack deposited him into the backseat of the SUV and that was only because he had passed out. Mulder had managed to get Skinner buckled into the passenger seat.

"Sorry, they're usually able to handle their liquor better than this," Mulder apologized, going around to the driver's side.

"Fox, are you sure you'll be able to handle them all right? I can assign some men to help you if you wish?" Slava ask, concerned. He stood back and didn't attempt to touch Mulder.

"No, I'll be okay. I have friends that will be able to help me once I get home." Mulder started the SUV, looking one last time at Slava before driving away.

Slava quickly got into his limo and had his driver follow the SUV, but not close enough for Mulder to see its headlights. He wanted to make sure that his lover made it home safely.

He had his driver pull over as Mulder's vehicle safely entered the gates of Foxfire Glenn Estate. The Tsar looked on wistfully. "Moi Fox, soon we will be forever tied together by blood."

Chapter 23 -- Abduction

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Monday, November 1
1:00 a.m.

"Thanks, guys." Mulder smiled weakly at Hunter and Blaise as he tucked the blankets securely around Skinner's and Krycek's sleeping bodies, both men were snoring loudly. "I've never seen them get this drunk before," he said, shaking his head as he started to pick up their discarded clothing that littered the floor.

"Mulder, are you sure that their drinks weren't spiked?" Hunter asked.

"Gabriel, why would their drinks be spiked?" he questioned, heading for the bathroom.

Hunter followed him. "Maybe Slava wanted them out of the way so he could get to you," the older man reasoned, watching as the agent tossed the soiled clothing into the hamper and hung the tuxedos on a hook behind the door.

Mulder started shrugging out of his tuxedo. "That doesn't make sense, Slava never touched me, and he had every opportunity. He even helped me take Alex and Walter out to the truck." Mulder felt an object in the tuxedo pocket, he pulled out a small silver gilded box similar to the one Slava had sent him for his birthday. "Damn."

"What is it, Fox?"

"Nothing. Can you watch my babies for me? I need to run up to my office for a second," Mulder asked, pulling on a robe, he tucked the box into its pocket.

"Which babies are you talking about? Walter and Alex or Hope and Faith?" Hunter chuckled, following him into the bedroom.

"Gabriel, really, Assistant Director Skinner would not be amused," Mulder quipped. He looked into the nursery at his daughters -- both babies were soundly sleeping.