From: Jim & Carla Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 15:05:05 -0400 Subject: Crossing Paths by CarlaJane Source: direct Title: Crossing paths Author - Carla Jane Jimcarla@hotmail.com Rating: I'd say 'nc17' for language and foreplay Classification - C (crossover) Spoilers: A bit of movie spoilage and Alex's little problem from Terma, of course. Keywords - Krycek, slash, crossover with Once a Thief Summary: X-files/Once a thief crossover. (NOTE: Nick Lea played Victor on that show) There's a kidnapping or two, during which Krycek's new friends cross paths with Mulder and Scully. Some roughhousing and jealous grinding of teeth ensues...then relationship stuff. Disclaimers: Chris Carter, Fox, John Woo, Alliance entertainment, and the various actors and writers own everything...no profit...etcetera, etcetera. You know the routine by now. Date: finished in October of 1998 (corrected Jan 1999) Let me repeat something. This story has slash content as well as straight relationships. That's m/m, f/f, and m/f couplings. Notes: Let's paint a picture...The trio of runaway shadow-government agents from 'Once a thief' (Li Ann, Mac, and Victor) have a house and a business in Atlantic City, courtesy of Alex and his rather powerful crime family. Alex lives with them, and sleeps with Mac...on and off. This follows my other story 'Re-established contact' which followed my 'Hong Kong' stories but you don't need to read those to understand this one. Victor and Alex are twins, separated at birth (an old stand-by, but useful) by a Russian spy network and recently reacquainted. Crossing paths, part 1 By Carla Jane Jimcarla@hotmail.com Autumn, 1998 Victor had been tracking his kid sister's progress by phone and computer since the moment his twin, Alex, sent word she was headed their way. Victor confirmed that she got onto her flight in India. He knew her arrival time and he also made sure that she checked in to her hotel room in New York. That's where the group was gathering. The 'Leadership Corp' had chartered a bus to take twenty shining examples of their work to Washington, D.C. in an attempt to show how worthwhile a cause their organisation was to fund. Each one of the teens were confirmed boarding the bus on the New York representative's log, which he promptly e-mailed ahead, to an account Victor had already hacked in to. As soon as Alice arrived at the hotel in Arlington Victor intended to discreetly contact her. He knew the hotel, the room number, and her future phone extension already. Somewhere before Baltimore on I-95 everything went to hell. Victor had hauled his partners, Mac and Li Ann, out of a meeting with a high profile client in a state just short of panic to help him try and figure out what was going on. Between the three of them they turned up some garbled police radio reports, the fact that the FBI had been called in, and a location of the hospital the 'survivors' were being taken to. There were, strangely enough, no accident reports on the radio, just a slight traffic slow up being reported. So despite repeated warnings from Alex about keeping Victor extremely low profile where the Feds and the police were concerned, they drove right into the middle of an investigation. "At least stay in the car, Victor." Li Ann argued reasonably. "Mac and I will go into the hospital. We'll find out what happened." She promised. "They said 'survivors'..." Victor had demanded the right to drive. He had to do something. "Take it easy." Mac reached forward to brush his hand down the shoulder of Victor's battered leather jacket. "She's most likely in there raising trouble with the nurses right now." He guessed. "Then all we'll have to do is haul her out and everything will be fine." They were approaching the hospital now. "We'll be back out as soon as we get details." Li Ann said. "You need to stay out of sight Victor. Alex would freak if he found out how close to D.C. you are. Your fingerprints might get you out of jail...but we don't have time for that right now." Li Ann popped her seatbelt. "Park in the first level of the garage as near the door as you can get...and wait for us." "Wait...crap." His knuckles were white on the steering wheel. "I need to do more." He argued. "Then try Alex's cell phone again. He should be landing soon." Mac slid over to the passenger side as the car pulled up to the curb by the main doors of the hospital. "You've got to trust us, Victor." He soothed. "Be ready to leave quickly. We may have to swipe some classified stuff...or remove someone quickly." Mac shoved the door open and awkwardly unfolded his long frame from the back seat. Li Ann had an easier time. "We could pass for officials." She remarked. They had dressed to impress their client this morning. Alex was constantly buying Mac and Li Ann expensive, designer clothes. "Maybe we should just fake out one of the cops. Tell him we're Feds." "Nay, they'll actually look at our badges." Mac shoved the car door shut. "I say we talk to some civilians...and maybe try for a written report or two." Li Ann nodded. "You sit tight." She repeated her warning to Victor one more time then knocked her door shut with her hip. They shook themselves into order, tugging their overcoats straight, before heading up the stairs into the hospital. The trick was looking like you belonged there. Without getting too close to the reception desk, Mac flipped open then snapped shut the folder that he kept his private investigator's licence in. "The kids from the bus?" He asked the receptionist, tucking the ID back inside his breast pocket. She pointed to the elevators. "Fourth floor. Go left. End of the hall." Mac nodded his thank you and gestured for Li Ann to precede him. "We should have a plan." Li Ann spoke as the elevator lifted them. "We do. Get in, find out what's going on, and get out." Mac smarted off. The doors opened on a semi-crowded hallway. Li Ann counted three uniforms and altogether too many suits. "This way." She paced down one of least congested corridors. "Keep your ears open." Li Ann glanced sideways into each of the rooms as they walked. She picked one by gut instinct. It had three teenage boys and no officials were present. All three of the young men straightened, probably because a beautiful woman had entered, but it might just be they were responding to the suits. "Sorry guys." Mac pulled out a pad and pen. "I know it's been difficult but we need to get your statement." "Again?" One with a bandage on his forehead whined out a complaint. "Can't you people use a photocopy machine, fer Christsakes." Li Ann wasn't above batting her heavy lashes at the reluctant teen. "Where exactly was the bus...if you could start from there?" She asked sweetly. "Just past Philadelphia." One of the others offered. "It was too weird." The youngest looking the trio shook his blonde head. "The bus just stopped. I didn't even feel it breaking. It just stopped." "What about the other vehicles on the highway?" Mac asked. "Did one of them hit you?" "That's just it. There weren't any other cars around. Don't you folk even talk to one another?" The head wounded one demanded. "The driver was cursing and trying to start the bus again. That's when everything started to shake. I was thinking 'earthquake', but that can't be right." "All the gear fell out of the overheads. One of the girls screamed. The pretty redhead in the back, Rhonda." The three teens shifted the narrative between them. "It got real bright." "The bus tipped onto its side and everybody fell all over." "Then there was a roar that made my ears ache. I passed out." The blonde offered. "We all did." The third boy elaborated. "A fucking transport must have hit us or something." He sounded unconvinced. "Next thing I knew some people were breaking windows to haul us out of there...drive-by people. They'd all parked on the shoulder of the highway." "That's when we noticed all the girls were missing...except Irene, Mrs Standish. She's one of the chaperones. Just the girls were gone." He touched his forehead gingerly. "Then the cops showed up and called for ambulances." Li Ann and Mac's expressions had both gone stony in dread. "How long do you think you were out?" Mac questioned. "Rough guess." "Don't know." The blonde's mouth crunched. "Not long, less than a half hour I guess...maybe just a few minutes. I don't know." "Excuse us." Li Ann jerked her head, indicating that she and Mac should step out into the hall. Mac considered Li Ann the master of the whispered shout, and he got it full force as soon as they were out the door. "This is a whole lot more complicated than we thought. We'll need copies of the official reports, somewhere to start looking...this isn't just a random act. It's a well organised kidnapping, Mac. We need to call Alex and get some help here. Victor's going to go ballistic. We need all the information we can get our hands on." Mac was just about to offer some suggestions when a voice from down the hallway solved their problems, as if by a miracle. "No way!" A young man shouted. "I'm the agent in charge here and there is no way I want you and your wacked out ideas anywhere near this investigation." "I want his briefcase." Li Ann decided with a wicked smile. The twenty-something Suit was holding that very object behind him, as if he were shielding it from two other agents; an older, taller man that seemed vaguely familiar to Mac, and a short red haired woman. "I heard what's going on up here, Spender, and I'm not going to let you sweep this under the rug for him." The older agent wasn't quite yelling, but his voice carried through the halls. "This is my case. Go back to your own duties and stay out of my way." "You could use the help." The woman reasoned. "I don't need your kind of help." The one in charge backed away. "I can handle this." "I'm not going to let you cover this up, Spender." The other agent stated aggressively. "I don't know how you come up with these conspiracy theories of yours but I don't want any part of them." Spender pointedly turned his back on the pair and went to the nurses' station. He sat his briefcase on the desk, took a quick peek inside, and then requested. "I'd like to see...Ronald Devalley...next." The uniformed woman looked decidedly uncomfortable about the scene that had just been acted out. "Room 4039, sir." She glanced curiously over his shoulder at the other agents. The mixed pair of Feds were consulting in low tones as Spender went where the nurse had directed. Li Ann flicked her finger at the one in charge. They followed, keeping a careful eye on the rest of the officials who were loitering about. "He's wearing your suit." Li Ann observed quietly, meaning the loud one that had been arguing. "Yeah, well...it looks like you and the redhead share the same labels too." Mac had to admit, the short one was a nice little package, if a bit on the frosty looking side. They slipped past and down the other corridor. "No need to hurt him." Li Ann halted just before the doorway Spender had entered. She wanted the man to get well into his interview and thoroughly distracted. "Any ideas?" "None that don't leaving him screaming for help the moment we walk out." Mac admitted. He discreetly drew his gun. "I could cold-cock him. I'll be gentle...and we're in a hospital. If I'm a little too rough, no big deal." "If it's like the other room, there's a bathroom just inside. The door is fairly solid." Li Ann whispered. "Toss him and whoever is in the room in there and hook a chair under the door. We don't need to get fancy." She said logically. "Here. This is a little cliché, but effective." She pulled the scarf from her collar and wrapped it around the lower half of Mac's face. "Try to keep the Fed's back to you if you can." Li Ann stood lookout. Mac wasn't nearly as quick as she wanted. "That's not the best idea we've ever had and it won't hold them for long." Mac glared back into the room. "You take the briefcase so I can plead ignorance if someone stops me." He handed it over. "We should split up...make sure one of us gets back to the car to tell Vic what's going on." Mac grinned. "Promise you'll bail me out of jail before Alex gets home. I need time to pretty myself up." "Jerk. Meet me in the garage." Li Ann headed out, noting in passing that the pair of agents Spender had been arguing with were gone. She decided to duck into main washroom and ditch the case in favour of simply taking the files she needed from inside. It would be a lot less conspicuous. Li Ann locked herself into one of the stalls and shifted quickly through the papers. There was the police report, a few statements, and everything else she could use in a thick, carefully labelled folder. It was all in impeccable order for that matter. Lord, this guy was anal. Li Ann took out the case folder and left everything else intact for when Spender recovered his property. The muffled sound of a cell phone ringing and a brief word came along with the creak of the heavy bathroom door opening. "Where did you disappear to?" The woman's voice was both annoyed and resigned. "What did you need out of the car?" There was a pause, then a gasp. "Krycek...in the garage? Alex Krycek?" Li Ann froze, straining her ears. Someone had mistaken Victor for his twin brother, just as Alex had feared. "Just watch him. Keep him there. No, don't do anything stupid. Don't go near him until I get there." Li Ann pushed out of the stall and went through the motions of washing her hands. It was the red haired Fed from the hallway. "I'll call for back-up...but..." The agent snorted. "We have to trust somebody. No, of course, I won't tell Spender. I'll call Skinner. We'll need a safe house too. He won't last two minutes in jail. Just keep Krycek pinned down. I'll be there in a few minutes. Don't touch him." She repeated, yet again. Li Ann scooped up the file with still damp hands. She and the redhead exchanged brief nods as unfamiliar colleagues might do. The Fed then set to punching in another number on her cell phone and Li Ann departed. As soon as the washroom door blocked her from view Li Ann broke into a full tilt run for the nearest exit. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ In the first level of the underground Fox Mulder stood behind a pillar and fumed. He watched his long time opponent fidget and squirm in the driver's seat of a running car. Eight teenage girls, missing without a trace. It stank of the syndicate Krycek worked for, and his presence here at the hospital practically confirmed it. Mulder's fingers itched. He just knew if he didn't do something Krycek would be gone before Scully could get here, slipping back into the shadows he lived in. Mulder decided. He drew his gun and keeping low behind the parked cars, he edged his way forward. It was too easy. All of Krycek's attention seemed to be on the pedestrian door. He was waiting, rather impatiently, for someone without minding what else was going on. Only the fact Mulder had gotten turned around trying to find the vehicle they came in and had entered through the car ramp had saved him from walking right into Krycek's intense surveillance. Something Scully would be doing any minute. Scully would understand. He couldn't let Krycek bolt if the wrong person came out first. Mulder crawled around and crept up the side of the idling car. Nothing could feel better than resting the tip of his gun barrel just behind one of those tapered ears. "Hey Krycek." He drawled, enjoying the moment. "You know the drill. Hands where I can see them. No sudden moves." That dark head started to turn. Mulder dug into the pale skin. "Don't do it. Hands up and out of the car. NOW!" He reached forward, opening the door with his left hand. At least it wasn't that damned shit eating, 'I know something you don't know' grin of amusement on Krycek's face. Still, Mulder wanted to slap the blank expression the other had turned on him right off that too pretty face. "This is a misunderstanding." Victor climbed slowly out of the car. He had been told to run like hell if anyone ever mistook him for Alex Krycek, but calm obedience seemed the safest course right now. "Don't Krycek." Mulder shoved his gun hard into the other's ribs, meaning to leave a bruise. "Don't move. Don't even breath." Mulder leaned in. The first place he checked for a gun was the back of Krycek's jeans. It had been a favourite stash point in the past. "You're hurting me." Victor complained in a calm tone. "Good." A pat down turned up a full holster, one gun on either side of the younger man's chest and another piece in an ankle strap. "You're packing more heat than usual, Krycek." As soon as the words were out of his mouth Mulder cringed. He was kneeling before the other, face at groin level. Strangely enough the straight line didn't provoke the expected leer and sexual comeback. Mulder straightened, tossing the third gun after the others, far out of reach. "What's been done to those girls? Who are you waiting for?" "I'm not Krycek." Victor stated definitely. Mulder lost it, slamming the flat of his hand into the other's forehead with as much force as he could muster. "Tell the truth, damn it." A slap to the cheek. "For once in your pathetic life..." Mulder pressed forward with his whole body, bending the other painfully backwards over the half-open car door. Sooty lashes lowered as green eyes looked pointedly down, drawing attention to the erection digging into one of Victor's denim covered hips. Mulder's jaw tightened in embarrassment. "You lying, murdering..." An abrupt pull away and a stunning backhand blow finished the sentence. Victor had enough. He blocked the next attempted smack and tried to disarm the older man with a quick thrust. The jab into his armpit staggered Mulder but he doggedly hung on to his weapon. Wincing, the FBI agent took a step back, extending his arm and aiming his gun right at the other's head. "I should kill you this time." Mulder threatened. "Close your eyes, bastard." The kick to his kidneys from behind flattened the agent to the concrete floor. His gun skidded away. "Are you all right, Victor?" Li Ann settled into a ready stance, waiting for the man to stand back up. "Sore." Her partner whispered. "A bit dizzy." Li Ann glared down at the Fed. "Get the fuck up so I can knock you down again, pok gai." Mulder shifted, going for his own ankle piece, covering the action with babble. "New girlfriend, Krycek...don't get used to it. The guys in the Federal pen are looking forward to your arrival." "We've got to go Victor. Another one is coming." Li Ann tossed Mulder a contemptuous look then dared a brief touch to Victor's forehead. "It's bruising. What did he do to you?" Mulder finally pulled his spare and climbed to his feet. "You're both under arrest." He announced. Li Ann smiled in delight then exploded across the space between them, kicking the gun half way across the garage. "You..." She fisted into his ribs. "...hurt my..." A thump to the shoulder. "...friend." Mulder collapsed again with a broken groan of pain. "FREEZE! FBI! NOBODY MOVE!" "It's about time you got here." Mulder stretched his lanky frame painfully. "Step away from him." Scully ordered the other woman. "Up against the car. Assume the position." The gun in her two handed grip gestured. "You okay?" "Among other things, I think my masculine pride is sprained." Mulder got up, a lot more slowly this time. "I like your partner, Krycek. Maybe we should double date some time." "Tset ha." Li Ann snarled. "Find a gun." Scully suggested. "I phoned Skinner. He's calling in a team we can trust but it may take a bit of time." "Too bad we're on such a tight schedule, sweetie." Cold metal touched the nape of her neck. "No time to play, so sorry." Another gun cocked over her shoulder pointed Mulder's way. "And yes, my aim is excellent with both hands." Mac's voice was sparkling with amusement. "Disarm her Li Ann." "It's like a bloody game of dominoes." Victor straightened his jacket out. "Please tell me we've got the last piece." "Only for the moment. You heard her." "Yeah." Victor ran in the direction that his guns had been tossed, gathering them. He holstered his back up gun and one of his regular weapons. "You're not going to get away with this, Krycek." Mulder snarled. "They're looking for Alex." Li Ann explained to Mac as she finished her pat down of the female agent. She flipped open the badge she had found and froze. The oriental woman's eyes lifted to stare at the woman's face. "This says you're Dana Scully. It says, oh fuck...damn it to...Jesus fucking Christ!" She burst into an unusual flood of profanity that startled her male partners. "Your reputation precedes you, Scully." Mulder observed, almost amused despite the situation. Li Ann spun around. "Then...you're Mulder?" She questioned. Mac's guns dipped immediately. "Mulder?" He repeated, stepping a little to one side so he could see better. Victor drew a bead on the female agent and pulled out his second gun to cover the male during the others' break in concentration. "What's going on?" "You're Mulder?" Mac raked his dark eyes over the other man. "You're his Fox...Fuck!" Mac looked down at himself then back up at the agent. "The manipulative, little bastard. He's fucking dressing me like you. My naughty demon is going to pay bigtime for this one." "Tick, tick!" Victor kicked opened the car door all the way. Mulder dismissed the tall, abusive one and turned back on his original target. "I want those girls back, Krycek." "I'm not Krycek, damn it. Jeez, you and Mac both. I am not and will not be Alex for you. Get it through your thick skulls....What girls?" Victor suddenly switched tracks. "The ones from the bus that your buddies took. Don't play stupid with me." Mulder growled. "The girls in the bus...Someone's taken my sister?" Victor asked in confusion. "What are you talking about, Fed? Where's my sister?" Victor lunged forward, snagging hold of Mulder's lapels. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY SISTER?" Mulder looked totally devastated. "This is surreal. This isn't happening" He struggled rather weakly, in shock at the words. "Victor, stop it! Don't hurt him." Strange words coming from Li Ann so soon after she'd kicked his ass. "Alex will completely flip out if you hurt him, Victor." She dragged him back, planting herself between the two men. Li Ann met Mulder's hot glare without showing any fear. "You want Alex Krycek, Agent Mulder. Fine. Come with us. We'll take you to him." "NO!" Mac roared. "No. No. No. He's not coming with us. No way." "Quiet Mac." "Mulder, don't even think about it." Scully warned. "It's a trick." "Mac take shotgun. Victor, drive." Li Ann had the air of someone used to being obeyed. "Come on Agent Mulder." She invited, pointing to the back seat. "You want Alex." She stated. "We're meeting up with him this afternoon." "Mulder..." Scully warned. Li Ann frowned. "Her too if it'll make you feel better." The other doors had been slammed. Li Ann got in the back and slid all the way over. Victor shoved the gear into drive and revved the engine. Mulder's jaw tightened and he grabbed the rear door. "No way. You are not going to ditch me this time." Scully moved faster, wedging herself into the centre of the back seat. Victor hit the gas before Mulder had properly closed the door from the inside. They peeled out of the garage and around the corner before his driving evened out. "If Alex doesn't rip you up and back for this I will." Mac grouched angrily from the front seat without turning around. "Tuck the personal stuff away Mac. There are more important things than your jealous snit going on right now. I know what I'm doing." Li Ann pulled the file out from inside the waistband of her skirt after considerable contortions. She dropped the papers into Scully's lap. "You're the investigators. Tell us what all this means." "Where did you get this file?" Scully opened the folder. "We took them from one of your guys. Pointy face, dark hair...you were arguing with him in the hospital hallway. Spender, you called him." "You stole Spender's case file?" Mulder reached, sounding amused. "We needed information." Li Ann excused. "Victor's sister was on that bus." "LI ANN!" The driver shouted impatiently. "Where is Alice?" "Mac, fill Victor in on what we've got so far. Victor mind the road or let Mac drive." She ordered. Scully lifted a brow at the imperious tone of the interaction then returned her attention to the papers slowly spreading across her and Mulder's laps. Mac glared out the window, dryly outlining what the teens in the hospital had told them. "Those two were trying to get in on the investigation." Mac wound down. "Maybe they know more." Victor spared some attention for the pair of newcomers. "And you know them?" He asked. "Him. I know OF him." Mac clarified. "Alex has some kind of bizarro history with Mulder. Speaking of which, did you get hold of him...Alex I mean." "Out of range the message said last time I tried." Victor frowned. "Where are we going?" He contemplated possible routes. "Not back to the house, not with a couple of Feds in tow." "Get onto I-95." Mulder had obviously been listening in. "We need to go to the site and look around." Mac glared over his shoulder. "You're not in charge here, G-man." He warned. Still, Victor made the requisite turns to head for the highway. Mac sulked, pulling out his cell phone so he could try Alex again. It rang through this time. Alex's husky voice answered eventually. "Da, chto eto za?" "Eh ta Mac, shalava." On the other end of the connection Alex sighed indulgently. "Cute, baby. Has Stacey been giving you language lessons?" "Nyet. You always answer your cell phone the same way and I've heard it from both sides too many times. Although, Stacey did clue me in on the 'shalava' part...what does that word mean anyway?" Alex chuckled. "I'd rather you didn't know." Mac regretted having to drop the playful tone of the conversation, but it had to be. "We've got big trouble here, Demon. We're not going to be taking off out to party tonight after all. Where are you?" "Customs. What trouble?" Mac grimaced. "Allegra and seven other girls got snatched off the bus, in transit. The whole situation is just plain weird. The FBI is in on it..." He hesitated. "Li Ann, AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGEMENT..." Mac raised his voice. "...has drafted a couple of Feds to help us find out what happened." Alex made a soft, distressed noise. "Feds?" Mulder was staring intently at Mac with a grim expression. Mac sneered, curling up his top lip. "Will you two knock it off." Victor snapped, noticing the interaction. "Yeah, Feds." Mac acknowledged to the cell phone. "An exquisite little redhead and your ex." He announced. "Where do you want to hold the happy reunion?" Alex was cursing in yet another of his vast repertoire of languages. "Where are you now?" He finally became coherent. "Just onto I-95, headed towards Philly." "I'll grab a rental and meet you at a bar that's just off the highway. It's called the Red light." Alex reeled off the directions, which Mac passed to Victor. "Got it, lover." Mac used the endearment on purpose, making sure Mulder heard it. "See you there." He disconnected. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ In the parking area of the rental agency a young blonde woman stared in shock at the man just walking into the office. When the Director had very casually asked her to come to D.C. Jackie had expected a rather dull week. It seemed to her that if the Agency's three runaway operatives went to all the trouble of playing dead and disappearing without anything more than the clothes on their backs...then they wouldn't likely to be stupid enough to show up somewhere they were expected to be. The Director wanted Jackie to shadow Victor's younger sister around on the off chance Victor would try to make contact with the girl. It was a thin straw, the Director knew that, or the assignment would be official instead of personal favour. The last thing Jackie Janczyk expected of this little jaunt to Washington was to hit pay dirt within an hour of landing. Still, she'd know that face anywhere. As clear as the day was bright, Victor, the oldest of the missing agents, stood at the counter filling out a form. She could either confront Victor right now or tail him in hopes that he would point her in the direction of his confederates. The Director's gratitude was going to be delicious. It would be a shame to wait the whole week before earning that satisfying praise and she didn't want to risk loosing Victor. Jackie decided to take what fate had handed her and turn everything official before Victor could shake her off. It was just a matter of deciding the right moment to take him. Fortunately Victor was usually pretty easy to tip off balance if you took him by surprise. Life on the run didn't seem to be disagreeing with Victor but it had altered him rather dramatically. His regulation short hair was growing out to a flattering, glossy fall. The second-skin black leather pants, satiny shirt and decorated leather jacket were a startling change from his old 'off duty cop' look. His choice of vehicles was unexpected as well. No clunky pick-up truck or practical sedan. Instead Jackie watched him stride to a 'fast as legal' sports car. He popped the trunk, dropping in a compact laptop and awkwardly shrugging out of the shoulder strap of his suitcase. Jackie drew her gun and sidled closer, using parked rental cars as cover. A quick look around showed that this part of the lot was mostly deserted. Once she was close enough for him to hear it, Jackie made her gun click out a warning. She expected a quick turnabout with a certain amount of shock. Instead, he calmly closed the trunk and casually shifted in order to look at her. With him almost leaning on the car, they faced each other. Brows lifted over cool green eyes. He swept an appraising leer from her blonde hair down to her heels then back up again to meet her gaze. "What can I do for you, sweetheart?" Jackie wrapped herself in sarcasm. "Y'know, Victor, I was like...totally miffed you didn't even say good-bye. I thought we were buds." Alex smiled. Her half-familiar face clicked into its proper memory cell. Jackie Janczyk, a novice agent who had been sort of working with his trio at the Agency before Alex had liberated them. Most importantly, Jackie had assumed he was Victor so she was completely unprepared for his level of play. "Hey, short notice and all...I never got round to mailing out my change of address cards. Sorry." Her stance was loose, relaxed. "The Director is SO mondo pissed with you guys." Jackie warned. "Speaking of which, where are Mac and Li Ann?" She was pleased in one way by Victor's calm acceptance of her but his reactions were all twisty compared to what she remembered of him. "Together. Somewhere. Not with me." Alexei put a full dose of bitter venom in the statement. He sulked, letting some of his newly lengthening hair dangle forward into his lashes. "It all fell apart after about a month. We were fighting all the time. They left one night." Jackie was frowning and had taken a step closer. "They ditched you to do the happy couple thing? Poor baby." "Don't." He heaved a sigh. " I've had it with running...but, listen...I had to work my ass off, literally..." A grimace emphasised that. "...to get the money for this trip, Jackie." Alexei locked eyes with her, doing his best to look tired and defeated. "Can we at least go see Alice once before you drag me home?" Jackie brows had drawn completely together and her scarlet mouth turned down at the corners. "I'll have to check in with her majesty." She temporised. "Though I doubt the Director is going to be in a mood to grant you any favours, Vic." Her blue eyes had noticed his dog collar now. "Jeez, Vic. What kind of crap have you gotten into?" It blurted out. Alex actually smiled. His artificial arm slammed out, knocking Jackie's gun from her loose grip. He kicked hard into her kneecap, dropping the blonde to the pavement, then planted one foot on Jackie's chest while he drew his own weapon. The pose reeked of an execution. "Deeper shit than you've ever swam in, little girl." Alexei finally answered her question. "I'd just as soon kill you." He warned at the tensing of her body. "It's so much tidier that way. I wouldn't have to watch my back. The only down side is that Victor is such a fucking boy scout. If he ever found out I'd off-ed you without a good reason he'd climb up onto that moral high horse of his and I'd have to spend a few days grovelling for forgiveness. Personally, I prefer to save those kind of games for the bedroom." Alex laughed. "So you be a good little lapdog and take the Director a message. 'Kay? You describe this little encounter and me. I do believe she'll remember me. Then you tell her that her that Alex has extended his protection over her wayward children and unless she stays away I will be forced to do some damage...even more, this time." The pointed toe of his footwear dug in. "Got that, sweetheart?" "Ya huh." Jackie gasped out confirmation. "Pity I don't have more time. You and I could have some fun, but...the M'sera is not very good at sharing her toys and I'm in a hurry at the moment. Sorry about this, little pretty." He apologised, then his boot lifted off her chest and kicked out, catching Jackie's temple. The sound of his car screeching out was lost in a daze of pain. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Expecting a run of the mill roadhouse, the small group was shocked to be halted at the entrance of the Red Light by a beefy bouncer in a two piece suit. "I'm sorry, I think you ladies have stopped at the wrong place." The wide man said politely, concentrating on Scully and Li Ann. "Maybe I could give you directions if you're lost." Dana Scully's chin lifted and she glared an ice storm at the man. Mulder winced in sympathy. He'd been on the receiving end of her 'Doctor Scully' look too many times over the years. "We're not lost." Victor defended, stepping between the small agent and her intended prey. "We're meeting someone here. We followed his directions. This IS the Red Light, right?" The bouncer finally looked past the two women to take note of Victor, Mac and Mulder. His attention lingered longest on Mac, taking in the two earrings and the sulky pout Mac was absently aiming at Mulder's back. The bouncer relented with some hesitation. "If you folks cause any trouble I'll kick your asses out of here." He warned, stepping out of the dark archway to let them enter. It was hard to be sure in the dim lighting but the bar seemed to have an antique theme. Old wood and porcelain decorations abounded. Cool music with a subtle Celtic overtone flowed through the half-light covering any quiet conversations. The sparse population was most likely due to the time of day. Li Ann broke into an amused laugh, a warm comfortable sound. "Alex is being funny." She sounded indulgently delighted. "Something about you two brings out the brat in him." She told the federal agents. "This is a gay bar." Li Ann explained in a low tone when they stared blankly. Scully huffed gently and rolled her eyes. Victor looked around, a weary sigh escaping him. Mac let spill a peal of laughter. "See anything you like Agent Mulder?" He asked, noticing they were drawing some covert attention from the inhabitants of the roadhouse. "Will you grow up." The older man snapped, glancing about. Most of the men seemed to be middle level business types. They nursed drinks in the half-light at small round tables. The notable exception to the quiet restraint was at the bar, where several men clustered around a lounging leather-clad figure. As the incoming group crossed the floor a hesitant hand settled on the curve of snug black that covered the other man's ass. The grope was batted casually away. "Demon." Mac whispered, his breath catching painfully. "He's so fucking beautiful." The others followed Mac's line of sight to where five different men were hitting on Alex, despite the Russian's cool indifference to the attention. Chilly green eyes swept across the room finally noticing the arrival of his companions. Those same eyes then lit up with fire. Alex's flock of admirers drifted away, seeing they had lost any chance. Li Ann, watching for it, cringed in empathy for Mac. Alex had smiled upon sighting his lover but the Russian absolutely blazed when Mulder's presence registered. "I've been waiting too long." Amazingly, his purr carried across the room. "We stopped at the site." Victor ignored the double meaning and carelessly stepped into Alex and Mulder's exchange of stares. Li Ann felt like kissing Victor in gratitude at the interruption. Unfortunately, the tall Fed didn't appreciate the gesture and pushed past to walk over to the bar. "You sneaky, duplicitous bastard..." Mulder snarled. "What kind of game are you playing this time?" "It's lovely to see you too, Foxy." Alex closed the remainder of the distance, speaking not three inches from the other's face and matching Mulder glare for glare. Mac visually fumed, his fists clenching. Victor cut in once more, this time physically levering Alex backward to get between the two men. "You couldn't pick a ruddy McDonalds. Cripes Alex. This is serious business." He complained to his twin. "I know Victor." The Russian half turned, reaching behind himself to pick his laptop off the bar. "It's not that I'm being flippant, I just knew about this place and how handy it is. I'm worried about Allegra too." "Alice." Victor corrected automatically. "She told me to call her Allegra." Alexei insisted. "And I'm a great respecter of any alias, especially where family is concerned." He turned the rest of the way to speak to the bartender. "We'll be in the party room. Send back some chips and chicken...spring water and iced tea." Alex pushed away to walk over to Mac's side. "Nice outfit." The tall thief commented, taking in the snug leather. "You must have had help getting into it." "And I'll need more to get out again." Alex frowned. "Hey, I was expecting us to spend the night partying with Allegra...not a kidnapping." With the briefest of side-glances at Mulder, he rocked up onto his toes and offered his mouth to Mac. The younger man took the moment to establish his claim, threading the fingers of one hand into Alex's inky hair and inflicting a bruising kiss on the shorter man. Mac caught hold of Alexei's ass with his free hand, squeezing, and grinding their bodies tight together. He didn't ease off until a gulp for air became necessary. "Your hair is getting so long, lover. I like it." Laying a steadying hand on Victor, Li Ann spoke. "They haven't seen each other in three weeks." She reminded the ex-cop when he started to look annoyed. "The case Krycek." Scully prodded, unimpressed with the display. "Yeah." Alex broke away from Mac to point to a shadowed doorway in the back of the barroom. "Was there any scorched earth near the site?" "Yes, but no radiation." The forensics team was still working on a few more details when we left." Scully provided. "Do you have any idea what happened?" Alexei didn't quite laugh as he led the way to the private room. "Despite Mulder's theories, the consortium and I do not have a finger in every single evil thing that happens on the face of the planet." "Not for lack of effort, I'm sure." Mulder had used his long legs stride forward faster than most of the others. Entering the room right after Krycek, he took the opportunity to roughly shove Alex to one side, knocking him into a chair. Startling his newer companions, the Russian accepted the casual violence without complaint. "We need to consider who was taken." Scully, unsurprised by the scene, settled at the long dining table. "This all could be an elaborate cover to grab one or two of the girls for ransom." Alex placed his computer on the table and snapped it open. "Unfortunately, she's right...although ransom might not be the motivator." He confirmed. "We've been careful but there's a chance someone made the connection and this might be about Allegra...and me." "Or another girl. There were eight of them." Li Ann pulled out the list. Mulder was frowning at the Russian, having finally noticed there was something odd about the way his left arm was moving. The sudden realisation was like a light going on behind his eyes. "Your arm, Krycek..." Alex looked up with a narrow warning glare. "What about it?" "Tunguska?" Mulder asked. "Big fucking surprise, eh, Mulder...I don't want to talk about it, okay." The FBI agent frowned and withdrew a short distance to contemplate his discovery. His expression twisted through a range of emotions. "Do you want me to type for you, Alex?" She offered, trying to turn the other man's attention back to the subject at hand. "You wouldn't be able to read the documents, beautiful. Some code, some Russia, some other languages...some all gobbled together." He shook his head. "And it tosses up password requests for almost every command. I may be slow, but I know what I'm doing." Alex lifted his real hand to the keyboard. The other one required too much concentration to move the fingers and typing was easier without it. "You might want to sift through the list of people who pulled over to help, find out if they're all valid identities. A plant in that lot would make sense. Mulder's bureau contacts should make that easy." "I'm calling the lab." Scully pulled out her cell phone. "I'll see what forensics found out about the prints they lifted." Alexei stabbed a few commands into the keyboard. "Oh Mac, maybe you should call Stacy. Tell her I ran into Jackie Janczyk at the airport." "WHAT!" Mac, Victor, and Li Ann all stopped what they were doing. "Later." Alex delayed, tossing his head in Scully's direction. "Suffice to say, she now knows I'm not Victor and she shouldn't mess with me." Mac frowned, but he didn't press. He did however, distance himself from the Feds before placing the call. Mac's withdrawal coincided with Mulder drifting back over to the Russian's proximity. Fox Mulder swatted the back of Alex's head. "You've assumed we have a truce, Krycek." He settled onto the edge of the table beside Alex's laptop, smiling when the other angled the screen carefully away so he couldn't read it. "Yes, I have." Alex had to push some hair out of his eyes. "After all, we've been in the same building for several minutes now and you haven't pulled your gun." He licked his lips. "I could get used to this, Fox." "Don't Krycek." Mulder hissed, kicking Alex's chair in warning. "Is it so blasted hard to say Alex?" "Without gagging? Yes." They exchanged another heated glare. Alex dropped his eyes first. "After we figure this out, Mulder." He stalled. "We can settle accounts after we find Allegra." "Our accounts will never be settled." Mulder worked up to his usual rant, but it was harder this time. Between their last encounter in his living room and this completely odd situation, Mulder's response to his former partner was even more off-centre than usual. "Why did you give me the gun? Why turn your back?" The questions substituted for the one he really wanted to ask. "Potomu chto ya lubitv ti." Alexei whispered softly, closing his eyes a moment. It felt good to finally say the words aloud, especially since no one in the room could understand and call him on it. "I'm not your enemy, Mulder. I've been trying to help you where I can." "By sending me out for another mind-wipe? By letting those fucking Russians torture me? By killing my father?" The rage burst free once more. "I've told you and told you...I didn't kill your father, Mulder." Alex leaned back, massaging his left shoulder with his right hand. "Let's not do this now...here." A hand shot out and slammed Alex on the side of the head, nearly knocking him onto the floor. "Yes now. You want our help with this. Talk!" Mac hung up and closed the distance. He pushed out at the Fed, connecting hard and snarled. "Back off G-man." "Ramsey!" Alex bolted upright. "Don't touch him, Mac." "I should say the same to you, Demon." Mac snapped at his lover, sick of the passive acceptance of the agent's abuse Alex was displaying. "Shouldn't I?" "This isn't going to work." Li Ann sighed, watching the scene unfold. "I hoped it would, but..." Victor's jaw tightened up. "That's enough!" He planted himself solidly in the centre of the conflict. "Alex, get your attention back to those files. Mac, get your contact at the DMV on the phone and run all the cars that stopped to help. Agent Mulder, eight young women are missing...stop acting like a schoolyard bully and do your job. This is not grade two, boys." "But..." Mulder objected. Victor didn't let him get past the first word. "NO! When this is over you three can brawl your problems out but right now I want my sister back before she's lost too far to find. Now get to work." Victor was making it quite clear he wasn't his twin brother and wouldn't take any crap from the agent. Scully nodded, looking up from her phone conversation. Li Ann smiled, hoisting her own P.C. onto the table. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "So where do we go from here?" Victor surveyed the bits of paper that lay amid dirty dishes and empty glasses. Alexei dropped heavily onto one of the long, grey sofas that lined the walls. He'd been annoyed to discover that the bus abduction did fit in with the plans of two separate consortium projects. The likelihood was increased and pinpointed when Alex recognised one of the helpful Samaritans from his driver's licence photo. "We break in." "Wait a minute." Scully cut in. "Couldn't we try something a bit more legal first. If you've any proof at all we should call Skinner...get a warrant." Alex and Li Ann looked politely amused but Mac let out a bark of laughter. "She's dealing with four of the finest thieves around and she wants a warrant." "Thieves?" "I prefer international entrepreneur." Alexei stated blandly. "You start paperwork on this and the whole operation will vanish faster than we can get there, Scully." "We're federal agents, Krycek." Mulder toyed with an empty glass. "Give us something to work with if you want us to help." "Fine." Alex twisted, trying to stretch out some kinks in his back. "Just by chance you saw a wanted criminal...you followed...you saw him committing a break and enter on some out of the way compound..." "You?" "Of course." The Russian confirmed. He raked one gloved hand back through his untidy hair. "Like I said, you saw him committing a crime...that's when you call for back-up, once we confirm we've got the right place." "So where to?" Mulder questioned. "West and north." Alexei hedged. "You'll know when we get there." He glanced around the room. "Did you all come in one car?" "Yeah." Mac confirmed, settling down behind the older man. "We're going to have to swing by the house to get our work gear. Maybe you could send Victor with the Feds while we suit up...his clothes will do." Mac shifted so he could rub Alex's neck. "No, we shouldn't muck up the teams. I'll go with Mulder and Scully." Alex countered absently, leaning back into the touch. Mac's thumbs dug in. "Send Vic, shalava." He repeated more forcefully, skirting the edge of pain. "Not again." Li Ann gathered up the scattered case file contents. "I'm taking Krycek. I want him where we can keep an eye on him." Mulder stood, snagging his coat off the chair-back. Mac glowered. "Forget it Fibbie." "Don't start this again." Victor interrupted. "Alex isn't going to bail, Agent Mulder. Alice is his sister too. I'll go with the pair of you. Give me directions, Alex. Then you, Mac and Li Ann can stop by the house." "What house?" Scully questioned. "Our home." Li Ann explained. "All of us could stand to change our clothes. We didn't exactly dress for a 'break and enter' this morning...and we've got some equipment that will make the job easier." "How about we all go." Mulder suggested. Alex snorted. "Like I want you to know where I live. Right Mulder." "You keep saying we're on the same side now, Krycek. Show some good faith. Let's see the rock you're living under this week." The Russian frowned. "It's not my place to expose it to the Feds. It's their home." He gestured to the scattered trio. "It's a democracy." Victor studied first Mulder, then Scully, considering their behaviour over the last few hours. Except for the Alex abuse, they had been completely dedicated to the search. "I'll trust them." "So speaks an ex-cop...trust the feds, no freakin' way." Mac protested. "Li Ann this is the FBI. We don't need them knowing anything more about us than necessary." Li Ann looked thoughtful. "You once called her St Scully, the incorruptible." She reminded Alex softly. "If you can't trust a saint, who can you trust. Besides Mac, now they realise we exist they could find our place with a bit of effort. They're in. Let's go. Vic and I will bring them. Mac, you and Lexi need to have a nice long talk en route." Li Ann picked up her things. "Can you take care of the bill, Mac?" It was more of a suggestion than a request. "Agents...Vic, let's move out." Mulder paced over to peer down at Alex. "Don't even think about disappearing, Krycek...or I'll hunt you down." "A Fox hunt, sounds like fun." Alexei looked up, using his dark lashes and jade eyes as weapons. "No need to worry, Mulder. I'm through running away from you." The smouldering stare they were exchanging threatened to burst into open flame. Li Ann couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. "Agent Mulder." She needed to halt the impending conflagration. It had been her idea to bring Mulder and Alex together so Mac's dilemma was her fault. "Agent Mulder." Louder now. "Mulder." Scully's crisp voice broke the interaction. "We're leaving now." Her heels clicked as she walked out the door, confident he would follow. "We're not finished." Mulder warned the triple agent. "I'll be along in a few minutes." Alex whispered. "I've more at stake here than you do." Mulder withdrew with Victor close behind him. Li Ann lingered long enough to apologise. "I'm sorry Mac, but you're going to have to deal with this sooner or later." "I was hoping later. Go." Mac stood, pulling out his wallet to find his credit card. Alexei had progressed to staring at a stain on the dark carpet. There was no sense denying that he knew his and Mulder's conduct was the topic at hand. Mac glanced about the room, checking to see if anything besides Alex's laptop remained by accident. "You love him?" Mac tucked his wallet away after removing his Visa card. "It's not that simple." Alex scooped up his leather jacket and squirmed into it. "How about we simplify it then?" Mac closed up the small computer and picked it up. "I'm not under any illusion that you're faithful to me, Alexei." He spoke calmly enough. "I know you fuck around for business...and for fun, when you're not home with us. In fact, I know you were doing Stacey not three floors away from me...a couple of times." Mac lead the way out the door and to the long bar. "I've also clued in that you and Li Ann do more than talk when you wander down there in the middle of the night because you can't sleep." The sweet- faced bartender accepted the plastic with a smile despite Mac's attention being entirely on Alex. "We do talk...mostly...just..." Alexei started to answer back, then thought twice about his words and shrugged instead. "As long as you're careful and you don't rub my face in it, you can fuck around with whomever takes your fancy...except..." Mac paused to sign the credit form. "Thanks for the use of the room." He said absently. "C'mon Alex. I'll drive. Give me the keys, Demon." The evening air was a refreshing change from inside the roadhouse. Neither man spoke again until they were safely sealed inside the small red car. "Except?" Alex prompted as his lover inserted the key in the ignition. Mac sighed, shoving the seat back a few inches. "God Alexei. It hurts. I love you so much it's frightening...but you'd be gone in one breath if you could have Mulder. Wouldn't you?" Alex rested his temple against the cool glass of his window. "Don't love me, Mac. I've told you not to a hundred times it seems." "Jeez Alexei." Mac actually whined. "It doesn't work that way for us normal human beings. These last nine months...do you think I set out to fall for someone who spends two out of every three weeks in god- knows what corner of the world doing things most people would cringe to even consider. Fuck!" He slammed the steering wheel. "I don't WANT to love you but as soon as I lay eyes on you my brain turns to mush...and when you're gone...I just want to scream all night. It's like some kind of sick addiction." "Poetic." Alex murmured, knowing better than Mac that an addiction was actually a fairly apt description of the problem. Alexei had strange chemical cocktails pumping through his system that insured just this kind of reaction from his sexual partners and Mac was getting a longer-term, heavier, and more consistent infusion than any lover Alex had taken in years. "Shut up Alexei." The younger man snapped. "It's time...you have to chose." Mac ordered. "You've got until we wrap this business up." He explained. "Then you either come home with me or you keep mooning after bloody-fucking Mulder and I toss every bit of your gear into the basement apartment." "But Mac..." "I'm not expecting you to leave. I never want you to think you can't come home. You belong with Li Ann, Victor and I. We're a family now. But forget about us sleeping together. Either you cut out this little game you and Mulder are playing or you start bunking in the fourth apartment of our building." He revved the engine and tore out of the parking lot. "I need you Mac." Came the whisper. "THAT'S not what I want to hear from you." The tires squealed in protest at the tight corner. "You are such a self-centred bastard." "I know. I'm sorry." Alexei gazed at the scenery rushing past. "But Mac, are you sure you want me to make a decision? We've gotten by all this time." Mac passed cars, fracturing the speed limit. "I've never seen him before...seen you with him. It was obscene, Demon, like watching a peep show. Christ Alexei. Now I know how Victor felt when I used him to fill in for you...only you're doing it on purpose. You're dressing me like him, trying to turn me into him. I don't be some kind of Mulder substitute for you, not anymore. It's not enough." Alex looked over, eyes black in the faint street light. He popped his seatbelt. "Pull over, Mac. I don't want to die in a car crash." With that, he dropped down reaching for the fly on the other's pants. "Fuck Alexei!" Mac swerved a bit, slowing down. "Cut that out. This isn't about sex." "Nicki programmed me thoroughly, baby. Everything..." Swift leather covered fingers unbuttoned and unzipped. "Everything is about sex." Alex nuzzled. "Especially between us." The car skidded over into the slow lane. Two tires touched the gravel of the shoulder. Alex used none of his usual finesse, instead he licked the head of Mac's cock twice to stiffen him then sucked the erection to the back of his throat. Mac tightened his grip on the wheel and forced himself to deal with the road. "You perfect bitch." His hips lifted involuntarily. One hand released the steering wheel to tangle in that fine, dark hair. Twice a faint choking sound escaped Alex but neither of them let up on the pressure. "Demon whore." Mac shuddered, straining to keep his eyes open. On the highway a few horns honked their dismay at the red car's erratic speed changes but thankfully, most simply avoided the problem by a full lane. Alex pulled back a little, barring his teeth to sensitive skin, then swallowed hard once more. It earned him two floods. One, a stream of obscenities from Mac's lips, and the other a hot flash down his throat. The Russian tucked Mac carefully back into his boxers but didn't bother trying to do anything back up. Alex sat up, re-did his seatbelt and rolled down the window, effectively dampening anything Mac wanted to say with the roar of the wind. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "I keep expecting Rod Sterling to begin doing a voice-over." Dana Scully stood at the window looking over the glow from Atlantic City. "This place seems so normal, but how can it be?" She crossed her arms and glanced back over her shoulder at her partner. Mulder was holding a framed picture at arm's length. "Bizarre." It was a wholesomely common portrait of Krycek, Victor and the other two. The only odd thing about the photo was the way they were all physically connected in the pose. Li Ann had one arm around Mac, the tall mouthy one, and her other hooked about the waist of Victor...if clothing and the smile were to be believed. Those two guys seemed to be linked behind her back. The one Mulder assumed was Krycek sat in front, leaning back against the oriental beauty. Victor's left hand was on Krycek's left shoulder. The shoulder that connected to the Russian's fake arm. Mulder suppressed a brief shudder at that train of thought and tucked it away for later study. Krycek's right arm was bent up so he could clasp hands with Mac. "Alex had to be dragged to the studio...kicking and screaming but I think it was worth it. That pose...the photographer pegged us perfectly." Victor emerged from the bedroom, tucking a multi-pocketed black vest in place. "He's convinced this picture will figure prominently in some future blackmail fiasco." He took the frame gently away and sat it back down on the coffee table. "He's not what you think, Agent Mulder. At least, not entirely." "I could say the same to you." Was the grumbled response. "Do you realise that Alex Krycek is wanted for questioning in regards to several murders, espionage charges, and a kidnapping...as well as a few other matters?" Scully glanced curiously into the kitchen as she recited the list of crimes. "I don't believe I know Alex Krycek." Victor fudged. "Our Alex..." He shrugged. "I mean, I know he's morally ambiguous, but with us he's...different." "Yeah, I'm sure he always helped your Mom with the dishes and made his bed every day." Mulder snarked. "I wouldn't know." Victor checked his pockets for lock-picks, nylon line and various other tools of thievery. "Myself, I met him less than a year ago. Mac and Li Ann, they hooked up with him for a while back in '95. He's done right by all of us." "You only met him a year ago?" Scully repeated. "You are his brother though? Have you had any tests done?" She couldn't help but suspect a more sinister explanation where Alex Krycek was concerned and Victor seemed like such a decent guy. "DNA test." Victor pulled a pair of dark sneakers out of the closet. "Early January. Siblings was the verdict, identical twins ...well, no kidding." He snorted. "But it's a long story." The front door slammed, as if to punctuate the words. "You are such a smug bastard." Mac's voice rang from the stairwell. Two sets of feet thumped up the steps. "A blow job doesn't change anything." Victor winced. Mulder and Scully exchanged pained looks. Krycek's husky voice responded too quietly for them to make out the words. "Like I care what the fuck they think." The sounds ascended out of hearing range rather quickly. "Krycek's gay." Scully observed the obvious. "No, Alex is VERY bi." Victor corrected. "So is Mac. But, they're sort of a couple at the moment. They have been since December." He poked around in a drawer near the t.v and pulled out a few extra clips of bullets, stashing them into the vest. All three of his guns had to be extracted and checked. Li Ann let herself in Victor's front door. She was outfitted for a break-in as well, black gear with bits of equipment stuffed in pockets and hanging off her belt. She looked up at the ceiling then over at Victor with a grimace. "This is worse than I expected." "Mac's got to deal with it or it's going to blow up in his face at the worst possible time...not that this was the best moment to cause this, Li Ann. We need Mac concentrating on the job and Alex at his sharpest." "We'll get their all, Victor. You know how both of them are about family." "What's going on?" Scully interrupted. "Our lives are at risk here too. What's up with all that?" "Mac's angry about your partner." Victor seemed surprised at having to explain the situation. Li Ann snorted. "Understatement of the decade, Victor. He's foaming at the mouth jealous that Mulder is here." "Pardon?" Scully's brows lifted slightly. A look of disbelief distorted Li Ann's lovely features. "How could you not notice?" She shook her head. "Alex is desperately in love with your partner. He has been since before Mac and I met him in Hong Kong years ago. Are you blind?" "Mulder?" Scully's cool voice seemed to demand a great deal from him. "Did you know?" The tall agent buried his hands in his pockets and slumped slightly. "I thought...there was always this thing...then while we were in Russia, I practically..." He stalled out each sentence without finishing them. "But it's not love. That's absolutely absurd." "They're both blind." Li Ann decided wearily. "Victor where's the mini-trampoline? Alex says these guys love electric fences." She considered. "And we should carry triple ammo, I think." "Truly bizarre." Scully confirmed an earlier observation. About ten minutes later someone padded down the stairs. Alex let himself in. He was more Victor's twin than ever now they were dressed similarly. "I expected a power suit." Li Ann glanced at Alex's clothes. "Won't your Krycek persona work with these people? You could bluff us in." "Alex Krycek doesn't do power suits, Li Ann...besides, exposing Krycek as an outside player is a last resort here. Gentry's death hoisted me up the food chain in the consortium. I'm not ready to flush that clout unless I have to...but I will if need be." Alex assured Victor. "Mac's grabbing some password breaker programs. We might have to settle for information tonight." "I want Alice back now." Victor protested. "We want all the girls." Mulder amended. "Don't forget that." Two identical green gazes turned on the Federal agent. Mulder had to look away, down at his watch. "We'll take my rental as a throw away vehicle. I saw the company van outside. It'll be our primary. We'll need the tramp, Beautiful, and the heaviest wire-cutters." "In the van." Victor provided. Mac finally arrived. "There was a message on my machine from Nicki, offering her help. Stacey must have called her. Do we want her in on this?" "Not yet." Alex accepted Li Ann's help strapping on an ammo belt. "If I have to crash and burn Krycek's standing in the syndicate to get Allegra out...Nicki might forbid it. Better to beg forgiveness than risk refusal by asking permission. We've all learned that lesson over the years." Mulder found the method Alex had of referring to himself in the third person disturbing. "Who the hell are you, Krycek?" Alex paused, his lips curving into a provocative smile. "Who do you want me to be, Fox? I'm flexible." Mac's hand lifted then fell in an aborted protest. "If you don't stop calling me that I will shoot you, Krycek." "Alex! Damn it. You call me Alex and I'll stop calling you Fox. Deal?" "Go fuck yourself, Krycek." The Russian exhaled his anger, spinning around to lead them out the door. "You're an moron, Fibbie. But that's all the better for me." Mac hissed and followed his lover. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ It's amazing what a few badly constructed country roads can hide." Victor observed quietly. They had parked a fair distance back because of the lack of cover up close to the fenced compound. "Are you sure this is the right place? It doesn't look like much is going on." Scully lifted the binoculars to her eyes. "A lot of outside guards and bright lights would draw more attention than they were worth." Alex said confidently. "The fence is electrified and topped with razor wire. The gate works on rotating codes. The building needs a keycard to get in." He held out his hand, requesting the spyglasses. "The guards are fairly thick inside and they have electronic surveillance. They're working off internal power supplies." "Impressive." Li Ann complimented. "The fence looks a bit high...even for us and that bare earth approach is nasty." "Uh huh." Alex acknowledged. "What about that new toy Mac showed me in July, the one that shunts the electricity around the hole." "It's tricky." Mac shrugged. "Slow too. The cameras will spot us if we take that long getting inside. Best stick to the tried and true." "Then it's a jump point we need." Alex decided. "Mac, Li Ann and I will go in first and do a little cleaning up. We'll turn the fence off, then Vic can chop a hole to bring Mulder and Scully in." "Define 'cleaning up'." Scully demanded. "I'll clear a path. Leave it at that, Scully." Alex warned. "Mac, Li Ann. Gear up." The three of them began pulling things out of the van. "It's a steep jump." Victor frowned. "I'll boost you all then drag the tramp back out of sight once you're over." The four darkly clad figures ran swiftly forward to the tall fence. They worked seamlessly. Victor cupped his hands together in a stirrup. Mac dropped the small trampoline in place. Li Ann took a short run, used Victor's prop to boost herself even higher, hit the tramp then skimmed just over the fence. She landed with a tumble and rolled up to sprint to the cover of the building. "I'll need you to push up." Alex requested and executed the same trick with a much narrower margin of clearance over the razor wire. As soon as Mac took the trip Victor grabbed the small framed piece and tore back to where the FBI agents were waiting. Inside the compound Mac slammed up to the wall beside his partners. "Which way?" "The electrical is centred in the basement...the south-east corner. We need to get inside." Alex drew a gun with a silencer on it. He led them to the nearest entrance. At the door Mac withdrew a keycard attached with wires to a small electronic box. He slid the card into the locking mechanism and poked some buttons on the gadget. Li Ann leaned close to whisper in Alexei's ear. "Don't kill anyone unless you have to, Love." She requested. His voice was brittle. "Except for the girls there are no innocent bystanders in this place." Alex glanced around, impatient for the lock-pick to do it's work. A faint click was the precursor to Mac cracking the door open. "Damn, I'm good." He bragged. They peered into the dim hallway. Alex pointed Li Ann in the direction of the stairs to the electrical room then tapped Mac's arm and hitched his head in the opposite direction. The men took off at a run. Alexei was in the lead. The fierce grin on Alex's face foreshadowed trouble. "We should split up. We'll cover more ground that way." The Russian suggested at the first fork in the path. Alexei didn't want his lover to see the trail of bodies he intended to leave in his wake. "Go that way." Alex pointed in the direction he assumed were offices and storage space. "You sure?" Alex nodded. "If you see any computers take what files you can copy from the hard drives." His voice grew solemn. "Be careful, Baby. These people, they play for keeps." He flashed another brief smile and sprinted off. As soon as he was out of Mac's view Alexei paused to let his mood settle flat. When turning a corner revealed a guard Alex didn't hesitate to shoot, drilling a neat hole right through the man's forehead. An empty lab made a decent dumping ground for the body. Alex opened every door along the way, having to use his lock-pick only twice. He shook his head at the lax security in this place. One portal opened on a doctor and aide in surgery scrubs standing amid a clutter of equipment. Alex made a snap decision. One shot dropped the surprised nurse to the pristine floor. "You want to live...then you had better tell me everything you're doing here." Alexei eased the door closed behind himself and moved further into the room. A teenage girl lay in restraints on the table beside the doctor. Her eyes were glazed over but the slight chest still rose and fell gently. The old man's mouth opened, his attention wholly on the corpse at his feet. "How many girls have you cut open so far?" When the response wasn't immediate Alex stepped closer and levelled the barrel of his weapon. "I asked, how many girls have you worked on so far?" "Only one." Stuttered out. "This is the second." He admitted. "Which procedure?" The others would be furious if they realised the extend to Alex's knowledge of this particular project. "Embryonic implants." The surgeon tried to back away but he was trapped in place by a tray of instruments. "Where are the girls?" Alexei didn't react to the news. "How many guards are on them? What kind of locks are on the doors?" "I don't know anything." He stalled. His hand groped cautiously after a scalpel behind his back. "The girls...they're through that door..." His free hand pointed, hoping for distraction. "To the right." "Butcher." Alex cursed coldly then fired once before turning his eyes to the patient. He had to sit his gun down and use both hands to unfasten the straps on the girl's arms and upper legs. "I'll be back when I'm able. Stay here." Alex soothed absently then picked his weapon back up. He started with a brief search of the doctor's body, turning up a key-chain and an access card. Alex then turned his attention to the room. He popped the top on the storage jar right by the operating table and pushed it over to spill the contents onto the floor. At the left wall he turned all the temperature controls off then unlatched the doors and let them swing open. A few vials were pocketed, as were some of the papers off the nearby clipboards. More concoctions received a frown and Alexei dropped them to smash on the tile. When he was finally satisfied with the level of destruction, Alex took a moment to extract and open his cell phone. He needed to be quick because the action required that he set down his gun once more. Mulder's number came easy. As soon as the other man answered Alex snapped. "Call out the cavalry. We have confirmation." He disconnected abruptly to prevent having to give details. The far door wasn't locked either. What amateurs this faction was rife with. Morley or Gentry wouldn't have tolerated the sloppy security if this project had fallen under their control. Alex used the keys from the doctor's pocket to let himself into the first holding cell, carefully closing the door behind himself. A girl, cowering at the back of the tiny room, squeaked in surprise. "It's okay. I'm here to help." He needed to be sure she wouldn't cause trouble while he monitored the hallway through the slit of a window in the door. "Do you know Allegra? Have you seen her since they took you?" "Allegra." Frightened eyes narrowed in suspicion. "She was first. They wheeled her by on a table." The girl supplied softly, then shrank back at the expression the news had brought to his face. "No mercy." Alex turned back to the door. That's when the lights went out. Some tiny portion of Alexei's brain registered that maybe an alarm had been tripped or that Li Ann had shut down the power to invalidate the fence. Unfortunately his overpowering reaction to the sudden darkness was oil-flavoured panic. By the time Alex registered the faint emergency lighting from the hallway and a girl's voice in his ear his throat felt like raw hamburger and a wet chill had spread down the front of his black jeans. "Oh please god. Calm down. Please it's just the dark." The teenager patted his face at a frantic tempo. "Breath. Slow down and breath." She pleaded. Alex struck the hand away, disgusted with himself. He swallowed several long breaths then croaked. "My gun?" "You dropped it. Jesus Christ, Mister." She sat back on her heels. Alexei realised that he'd crumpled into a heap against the door. His eyes were burning so he had to feel around for the fallen pistol. "Mo'i pizdoi nakrylsja." Alexei's shaking hand found and grasped the grip of his gun. His adrenaline levels were peaked out and he needed to overpower the stink of fear with something else. Blood seemed a logical choice under the circumstances. "Stay here." Alex warned the girl, twisting the silencer off his weapon. "You'll get hurt out there." "You can't leave me in here." She protested. "The FBI is coming. Keep your head down and they'll get you out of here." Alex double-checked his two back-up guns were in easy reach then went out into the hallway. A fire alarm switch on the wall proved too strong a temptation. The shrieking clang it activated would bring plenty of targets to him. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mac had popped out the tape he'd been copying files to when the power went down. There hadn't been enough time to get much but some of it might be valuable. The box of discs out of the locked drawer below the printer was also worth taking. Mac unfolded the satchel he'd brought and piled a few paper files that he discovered by flashlight and extracted with his handy lock- pick. The sound of an alarm and the ensuing gunfire halted his ransacking the plush office. Mac wasn't surprised to discover the blasts were coming from the direction Alex had taken. Hitching his swag bag across his back, Mac drew his own weapon and lit out in the direction of the noise. The corridor was annoyingly bent in the wrong direction. Mac tried to trace the gunshots but the floor plan fought his every move. He ended up cutting through a room and out a second door on the far wall. As he neared the source of the commotion Mac slowed down to look for targets of his own. Hurrying toward the disturbance, the guard didn't register Mac's lurking presence until it was too late. Stepping over the body didn't slow the tall thief down by much. The shots trailed off then completely ceased by the time Mac reached the end of the hallway. He got there in time to see Alex step close and deliver a mercy shot at close range to a writhing figure on the floor. The Russian was splattered with blood. It showed up as damp stains on his dark clothing. Alex lifted his face to expose a devil's grin. A hand wiped across his cheek leaving a smear of red behind like a primitive decoration. "Baby." Alexei lunged across the divide and stole a breathtaking kiss from his lover. A rock hard erection dug into Mac's hip. Mac had to physically shove the other man off him. "Jeez Alex, go figure your timing. What about the girls? Allegra?" "Along here somewhere." Alexei shook himself, unsuccessfully trying to settle his nerves down to normal human levels. He ejected his clip and with some difficulty put in a fresh one. He frowned. "They've done something to her." Alex tossed over the keys. "Spring them all. I'll stand watch." "You all right?" Mac counted up the bodies he could see and reached the disturbingly high number of seven. "I'm just fine. Don't worry. Li Ann let the reinforcements through the fence with her..." The barrel of his gun gestured absently, indicating the low light. "...little trick. Oh, if you see my other gun on the floor back there, grab it. I dropped it when the ammo got low." Mac nodded and headed for the nearest door. He opened it with the second key he tried, then had to duck a two handed blow from the girl waiting inside. "Easy. Easy. We're going to take you out of here. We're the good guys." The words earned him a sullen glare, but at least she backed away. "Give me a hand, okay? The other girls know you." Mac jangled the key ring and backed out of the barren cell. Alex glanced up from searching the bodies. "Scully's a doctor. Some of them may need her." He called down the corridor. Mac and his helper liberated three more prisoners before Li Ann padded out of the shadows. Alex inflicted one of his patented toe curling kisses on the woman and it earned him a swat across the back of the head, much to Mac's satisfaction. As soon as Alexei directed the oriental woman to another door Mac turned back to the business at hand. There was another brief cough of gunfire in the distance, suggesting Mulder, Scully and Victor were in the area. Alex shot the ceiling to lead them in the right direction. "Hey...Guy." One of the Leadership Corp girls shouted. "This looks bad." Her crooked finger lead Mac to a cell that was more crowded than all the others had been. Allegra lay on a wheeled cot with several pieces of equipment wired to her. One arm was flailing weakly, shaking some of tubing. Mac ran to her side, pushing aside the girl who had released the restraint. "Allegra...easy girl." He took hold of her hand. "It's Mac." Leaning over to put his face where she could easily see it. "Your brothers are here. You must have known they'd come for you, babe. It's going to be okay." A vague noise of agreement escaped the prone girl. "Heard shots." Allegra grated out. "Just our Lexi popping off the bad guys, doll. Doing what he does best." Mac examined her carefully. "What did they do to you Allegra?" "Cut me open." She whispered. "Above my hips." A roar of voices lifted outside the door, with shouts of 'Alice' overpowering the rest. "Moose." "Sounds like." Mac agreed. "Lay still and I'll fetch him here." He pushed past the milling knot of girls to where the shouting emanated from. "You've killed everyone!" Mulder accused. "They pissed me off." Alexei excused the body count lightly, edging up to place himself right in the Agent's personal space. "They hurt Allegra. I got angry. This...hey it's what I do." "You despicable excuse for..." Mulder never got to finish that particular insult. Mac should have seen it coming. He'd already registered Alex's hyped up mood. Alexei's gloved hand seized a handful of Mulder's chestnut hair to hold him still then yanked him into an open-mouthed kiss. Mulder's clenched fist flexed and lifted, as if to push, but ended up grasping the midnight fabric of Alex's vest. A wrenching whimper of a noise escaped Mulder's throat. Mac narrowed the distance in five strides. "ALEXEI, NO!" The younger man slammed them apart. He shoved Alex where his shoulder turned artificial, intending to cause pain. "Don't you do this to me, you bastard." Mac nearly screamed, not even certain himself who he was yelling at. Alexei's teeth bared in a snarl. Mulder stood in stunned disbelief, his head shaking in denial of what had just happened. "They called for backup, Alex." Victor walked over to his twin. His voice was a steadying influence. "Get out of here Alex. The Feds will toss your ass in jail if you're still here when they arrive. We'll work out a cover story for this easier if you're not here when they show up. Maybe Mulder and Scully could them they mistook me for you...and fingerprints will clear me." Victor caught Alexei's chin and forced him to look away from Mac and Mulder. "Go. We'll be home soon." The Russian nodded, turning his back on the whole crowd. "I'll see you later, my Love." His voice drifted back, giving absolutely no indication of which man he was speaking to. "It's time to make some choices." The dim light swallowed up the dark figure. "Sadistic bastard." Li Ann commented from near the wall where she stood supporting a dizzy teenager.