From: Jim & Carla Date: Sat, 25 Sep 1999 21:00:49 -0400 Subject: Meet the Family by CarlaJane Source: direct After years together Li Ann knew the expression that Victor turned on her when she entered the small medical centre, complete and utter relief. He pushed away from the narrow berth his sister was sitting on and gathered Li Ann into a crushing hug. "We need to talk, privately." He whispered into her ear before they separated to simply hold hands. Tatiana remained in the doorway to the small, sterile looking room. "I suppose I'll see all of you at dinner this evening. Do try and make it to your rooms before then, cousins. We dress for dinner." The oriental woman was still in her black, multi-pocketed work clothes from the day before. Victor hadn't changed either and it didn't look as if he'd had any rest or taken time to shave. The tall brunette withdrew. Li Ann let go of her former fiancee and looked over to the young woman sitting on the examination table. Victor's sister appeared relaxed and comfortable despite the suction cups and wires connecting her to some nearby equipment. "Hey Li Ann, you look wiped out." "Well thank you very much." Li Ann offered up a carefully crafted smile. "How are you doing, Kid?" "I'm great." Allegra shifted. "Everyone here is going out of their way to make sure that I'm comfortable." She glanced at the monitor near her shoulder. "And they're all really cool about the baby. The Docs back home never did seem convinced that I didn't just have an accident in India. Olga's told me more in a day than they did in two months...although her bedside manner leaves a bit to be desired. She's kind of brutal in her honesty." Allegra grinned. "And the food...the cook, Mrs Uritski is catering to my every whim. She's even trying to make apple pandowdy...and she'd never heard of it before." Victor leaned heavily against one wall. "Olga and Dr Vladovna have admitted that the baby's DNA isn't entirely human." He cut right to the heart of the matter. "That's something the hospital back home wouldn't acknowledge." Allegra shot her brother a frown then brightened back up again. "It's a boy." She announced. "Have they been able to pinpoint a due date?" Li Ann asked carefully, casually looking over the electronic equipment all around the young woman and wishing desperately that Dana were here to help her understand all of it. "Not exactly, but it seems as if I'm about five months along so the baby was already about eight weeks when they popped it into me." Her brown eyes clouded over as they always did when that experience was mentioned. Victor moved immediately to wrap one arm over his sister's shoulders. "Maybe we should unhook you and take you upstairs." Li Ann suggested, picking at one of the many wires fastened to Allegra's belly. "I should think you've had enough experiments done on you lately." "I'm not experimenting." A cool voice came from one of the doorways. "I'm analysing. There's a difference." The woman's hair was almost as white as the lab coat she wore. "You must be Li Ann. I'm Olga." Came the introduction. "I assure you that all this," long fingers flicked about the room. "is needful. Your young friend is carrying a rather remarkable baby and the situation needs monitoring." She settled on a stool near a small computer. "The fetus is in need of some odd nutritional requirements that Allegra's system isn't providing." A few keystrokes brought up a screen filled with calculations. "One of the doctors or nurses that have been treating you must be affiliated with the project that did this to you." She informed Allegra. "Luckily I recognised the components. I've seen variations on the formula before. Alexei sent me an almost perfect match a couple of months ago." Allegra chewed on her bottom lip. "So you can make some more then?" She asked anxiously. "If you want me to." Olga confirmed. "If I don't then you'll miscarry within two weeks." She laid out the alternative. "It's your choice." "Make it." Allegra showed no hesitation. She reached out and caught Victor's hand. "I've already wrestled my way through this decision once when this was first done to me. Nothing you've told me has changed my mind." Olga nodded. "Good." Her stool swivelled. "I have to admit I'm terribly curious about the baby. It seems odd for the Consortium to have gone to such...public...lengths to procure host bodies when their artificial environments had sustained the developing subjects before that quite adequately." With every chill word Allegra unconsciously burrowed a little tighter into the security of her brother's embrace. "Daria, that's Dr Vladovna ..." Olga registered the girl's distress but it didn't seem to concern her. "...seems to think that by implanting the fetus in a human host the doctors hoped to regulate the peculiarities of it's blood chemistry and allow it to alter to a more recognisably human composition. That's the largest problem with engineered life, making it blend in." "That sounds like the voice of experience." Li Ann cut into the woman's lecture. "Is Allegra's baby a clone, like the Catherines?" "The Catherines aren't exactly clones, not at a molecular level, at least. Slight alterations were made as each model was taken from the original." Olga corrected. "I don't see any gene pattern flaws that suggest that this baby is a clone, but then again, it could just be a very good copy. Unless I saw the original template I couldn't venture a statement either way." Li Ann scowled. There was no answer anywhere in that convoluted speech. "Are you done?" Victor pointed at the electronics. "Alice has had enough." "Allegra." The young woman corrected with a weak smile. It was a running battle between them. Her older brother refused to comply with her choice to change her given name. "I can be." The blonde rose and began disconnecting all the monitors. "Daria and I should have a dosage of the supplement ready by tomorrow. I think we have all the components on hand." Now they were closer together Li Ann could see that Olga was very carefully made-up to disguise an older, much plainer face than Li Ann had first realised. "You should take it easy until we have the injection prepared, Allegra." She cautioned. "Go rest until dinner. Your brother and Li Ann can use the time to clean up and change." A sniff of mild distaste at their appearance escaped the older woman. The pregnant girl nodded. "Okay. Say good-bye to Dr Vladovna for me." "No need. Daria usually joins the family at dinner. She's a 'cousin' as well." Platinum blonde hair was brushed absently back from Olga's cheeks. "With all the people that will be at dinner tonight I'm sure a fascinating evening is in the works." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ It didn't surprise Alexei when Marie ignored the massive, brightly lit structure that lorded over the compound. Instead she pulled up behind a small outbuilding at the absolute edge of the treeline where the artificial illumination began to fail. Marie shut the engine down and silence descended on them like an avalanche. "If you behave..." Marie began. "You may still get to spend Christmas Eve with your friends. Nicola is aware of the significance that occasion holds for them." Alex had to think to recall what day it was. He needed to rest. His mind was beginning to slow down to the point that Marie supplied the answer before he came up with it. "That's two nights and three days. Not that it really matters in this perpetual darkness." She clarified. "In the meantime your little group thinks that you've been delayed in transit with an emergency." Alexei nodded. The cab was already growing uncomfortably cool. "Are you going up to the main house?" "I might be. I don't know yet." Narrow shoulders lifted and dropped. "Li Ann is the most 'difficult' to handle. Keep a close eye on her." He provided unnecessarily. When his foster-sister made no attempt at further interaction Alexei shoved off his covering, heaved open the door and got out. The bitter cold sucked the air right out of his lungs. His jacket and skin-tight jeans were no match for this weather. Luckily, the door was only a few short steps away. Another extreme temperature change halted him just inside the portal. Alex leaned back against the rough wood and studied the room. It was pretty much the austere cell he had expected. A low wooden bench stood in the centre of the plank floor. Over by the fireplace Nicola sat in the only other piece of furniture, a dark-patterned wing-back chair. One of the Catherines lurked in the shadows behind the elderly woman. It was probably Kate considering the magnitude of this encounter. Nicola shifted her spare frame, settling further back into the cushions. She warned in a dangerously silken whisper. "Da." He fumbled his jacket open. Alexei extracted and offered up the black case as a distraction. He managed two steps before Nicki raised her hand. The low hiss was enough to freeze Alexei in place. "Nicki..." "T'ee-Khee." She demanded his silence. Nicola flicked a finger. Her eyes glittered in the dancing firelight the illuminated the room. The teenager emerged from the half-light and crossed the room. Her left hand reached up and plucked the soft-sided case from his fingers. They barely acknowledged each other since Alex's eyes were still fixed on the old woman by the fire. A hard slap across his face stopped the words and Alexei shifted his attention to the tiny girl in front of him for the first time. Kate reminded him evenly. She seemed completely unconcerned by the fact that he towered over her. The teenager glowered fearlessly up at him. The menace in her voice more than made up for her lack of stature. Kate backed away gradually, keeping Alex in her sights as she handed the packet to Nicki. Up until now Alexei hadn't considered the Catherines as much more than students or assistants. Kate, not requiring much training from him, had barely made any impression at all. He had the distinct feeling that she was about to radically change his perceptions of her. Alex should have expected this. Kate was second in line and Olga had never been fond of doing hands-on disciplining. Nicola tapped the package of discs with one lacquered nail. He admitted quietly. Her smile was only the slightest baring of teeth. She instructed. Nicola pointed to the small pile of supplies by the hearth. Pale eyes narrowed as she realised that he wasn't moving. Nicki warned, rising slowly to her feet. She hadn't had to physically coerce him into obeying an order since he was sixteen years old, a good thing considering how muscular Alexei had grown. She had disciplined him often enough, but persuasion was another matter entirely. Nicola didn't dare let the absolute fury she was feeling right now escape her control. She cut him off with a raised finger. Her glare was colder than the drifts of white outside. Nicki locked eyes with her disobedient protégé and held the stare as Alexei pulled off his boots, socks and leather jacket. The material of his T-shirt blocked his vision for a brief moment as he pulled it off. Nicola took the steps required to stand right beside him while he was blinded. Her hand casually slipped into the deep pocket of the long cloak she wore. Alexei's jeans peeled away with a certain amount of squirming, pulling his underwear down with them. Nicki's thumb rolled the dial of the tiny device in her pocket as she watched his face. She registered the exact second that Alexei noticed the restraints embedded in the top of the low bench. He looked up, lip curled in annoyance. The taser was out before he finished her name. She shocked him two words into the protest, dropping Alexei in place. Kate was quick to come over. It took both of them to wrestle Alexei's arms into place. Nicola complained softly. Kate closed the wide metal bands about Alexei's wrists and locked them down. Nicki retrieved the hypodermic needle that Kate had dropped in her rush to help. <...that there are some things only a male can accomplish and some places where females are not allowed even in this day and age. Olga and I held a false hope that the world was changing when we created you Catherines.> She jabbed the point into Alexei's hip more viciously than was requisite. Alex struggled, moaning slightly at their rough treatment of his body. Kate squatted on the far side of the bench to examine their captive's face. She peeled back one of his eyelids. Nicki admitted. She adjusted the charge intensity back down to a mild shock. She passed it over. Alex groaned again, tossing his head in a vain attempt at clarity. Tingling sensations were spreading rapidly from his waist. He asked in a mumble, resting his head briefly on the smooth wood before attempting to look up at them. Kate answered honestly. She steadied him with a hand in his hair. Kate laughed, testing his reaction. His head swivelled awkwardly, looking for Nicola, who had strategically moved to stand between him and the fire. All he could see was her blackened outline. The cuffs rattled as he tried to reach out. Nicola announced, imperiously pulling her cloak tightly closed. She glided to the cabin door. "Nicki! Nyet! PAZHALUYSTA NICKI!" Alex strained to rise, screaming his panic. The metal cut into the skin of his good wrist but the bolts anchoring the bench to the floor held. He continued attempting to free himself, heedless of the damage he was doing to himself. The elderly woman paused at the door. His mouth worked, trying to voice the promise but thanks to the chemical cocktail they had given him the easy lie eluded him. His muddled brain compromised. Kate padded over to where Nicki stood. The silver-haired woman glared at Alex, shaking her head at his shuddering reaction to their exchange. Her voice was a bare whisper. She nodded once then pushed out into the frigid darkness without another glance Alex's way. Kate twirled, scooping up his discarded jacket and slipping it on over her sweater. It helped with the chill and gave her a mental step up on Alex by taking it. Of course her tiny frame swam inside the large garment. She kicked out at his legs, spreading them further apart to mess up his carefully held balance. His response was a weak mumble. Kate detoured over to the fireplace in order to snatch up a wide leather strap. She tested. His hesitation was punished with a stinging blow across the shoulders. "Vasili Bohdanovich." That was no secret within the family. Alex let the drugs push the name across his lips. Kate petted his dark hair. "Sihm-naht-tsuht." He admitted. Seventeen, Kate mused. It must have happened during army basic training. She trailed a finger down the back of his neck and onto his spine provoking trembles and a pained whine. The temptation to get information that wasn't in the file Nicki had given her was strong but she fought it. No doubt this session was being recorded. Of course she knew the answer to that one as well. "Da." He was sagging, relaxing into the easy questions just as she had hoped he would. He offered in a blurred tone. Kate smiled at the free flow of information. He was ready for harder questions. A violent tremor racked his frame, pushing her away. He choked on the response, tossing his head restlessly. Tears were beginning to leak from the corners of his eyes. The teenager sat down the strap in favour of the palm-sized taser. Part of his brain screamed, warning him not to answer but it couldn't be contained. "Da." The word tore at his throat. "Nyet." Kate zapped him on his lower back making his spine snap and the bench creak as his weight suddenly shifted. She repeated the question. At his reluctant confirmation she stung him again, this time on his earlobe. Kate instructed. Alexei whimpered, tugging at his bonds. She caressed his heaving chest, giggling when he tried to shrink away from the contact. Alexei was crying. Kate continued to pet him. He swallowed, unsuccessfully attempting to edit what came out of his mouth. He stalled out a moment, rocking helplessly. Kate swiped the taser up his ribs, leaving a trail of fire. He screamed, writhing desperately but she was unmoved. That titbit of information was enough to earn the interloper death. The money flow couldn't be jeopardised. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mac flipped the CD case he was studying on the stack at the foot of the bed. Lying stretched out, stomach down on the narrow bunk he had a good view of the bedroom door. He saw the knob turn before either of the girls did. No one seemed to have any privacy in this place from what he'd seen so far. None of the doors he had come across so far had working locks. He didn't know how they handled the lack without driving each other insane. The newcomer to their small gathering made his head hurt. It was bad enough dealing with two identical teenage girls. He did not need a third one. Mac automatically registered this one's damp hair, black tights and long grey sweater. Riene had the little pink dress on and Cathers wore the velvet jacket and green pants. He could deal. He just had to keep their clothes straight. "Which one are you?" Mac asked without finesse. "Really Mac, your manners are appalling." She sighed, leaning in the open portal. "Kiska." He was half off the bed before her open hand registered. "Nyet. Lexi isn't here." Kiska protested. "We separated back in New York. I came in with just Li Ann and she's busy with 'pregnant girl' and 'morality man'. Don't waste your time." Kiska inclined her head to the stereo. "It's too loud. Take it down a few pegs before everyone starts drifting this way to dress for dinner or change it to something Olga won't complain about." "Alexei and the ladies might like it, but Mozart makes me gag. It must be an age thing." Riene's mouth pinched. She reached over to turn the dial. "So you come to join the party?" "Maybe." Kiska dropped down on the bed beside Mac. "Anything up...besides the volume on your boom-box?" "Mac's trying to interrogate us." Cathers observed. "But he's doing a piss-poor job of it." She shot a grin at his startled reaction to her words. "You're not subtle enough. We've been trained by the best, Mac-dear." "So what tactic do you suggest." He challenged. "Just ask, oh gorgeous one." Riene reclined into a provocative pose. "Since we like you we may even tell you the truth." "Or at least our version of it." Kiska qualified, making herself comfortable. Mac ran a considering gaze over the three, trying to decide if they were simply playing with him. It was eerie. Alex and Victor actually made an effort to separate themselves from each other. Their postures, hair styles and facial expressions distanced the twins but these girls blended into each other on purpose. Even their make-up was copied face to face. "What's it like, being a clone?" They wanted blunt. He gave it to them. Cathers laughed, leaning forward over the desk chair she was straddling. "You should see the look on your face. It's like you've just eaten sour grapes." "It's nothing to get strung out over, Baby." Riene slid closer, catching his arm and snuggling in. "We like it. We've been held safely within each other's company since we were babies. We've never been alone unless we wanted to be." "In the beginning there were nine copies and an original." Kiska was intimately close to his other side. "I actually miss every one of my sisters. I wish sometimes that we'd all survived. It was so wonderful having all those playmates, having so many others that actually understood me." "What happened to them?" Mac tried to judiciously free his arm but Riene refused to release him. "Some fatal flaws had crept in during the cloning process." Cathers took up the question. "Some rather severe mental and physical problems surfaced as we grew, mostly physical ones. The others had to be put down when they became more of a problem than Olga's science could handle." "Only the best and the brightest remain." Kiska bragged. "Which of you is the original?" Mac watched as all three faces took on varying degrees of annoyance. Glares were exchanged between them. "We don't know." Kiska finally admitted. "It's been a matter of some speculation although Kate is arrogantly convinced that it has to be her. Only Nicki and Olga know for sure. It's not on file anywhere." "We looked." Riene's finger traced absently up and down his sleeve. "I thought Marie might know but she swears that they never told her and she couldn't tell us apart even when we were babies." Her caress slid up and across to toy with the bare skin showing at his throat. "Why should Marie know?" Mac questioned as he pushed Riene's fingers away. If he understood correctly, Nicki and Olga were in charge of the family. Marie was just another operative, like Alex. "She's the Mother." Cathers said softly. "She got to help care for the original for a few months before Olga began the experiment, then the nannies took over so Marie could get back to work." "So you know who your parents are." He frowned mildly surprised at that bit of information. "Which one is Marie?" "Dark-haired, works out of South America." Kiska outlined. "Short, little lesbian who sends Alex chocolates all the time." Her hand suggested a height of about five foot three. "Why do you think we're all so tiny? Olga sure as shooting wouldn't have designed us this way if she'd had a choice. It was unexpected, all things considered. It's such a pain sometimes." "But Lexi's pretty baby hasn't met Marie." Riene interrupted. Her hand ruffled through his hair. "Marie left before you, me and Vicka got in. She went to find Alexei." Mac let out a hissing breath. He squirmed under Riene's disturbing attentions, tempted to simply shove the girl away. "Why is Alex taking so long to get here?" "I heard he was coming in the back way." Kiska fluffed up her almost dry mane. "You miss him. How sweet." "Mac-baby loves Alexei." Riene corrected. "Oh my God. Don't we all?" Cathers sighed heavily before pushing up and off the chair to plug another CD in. "Not like Mac." The pink clad teenager continued, teasing her fingers up and down the nape of his neck. "Mac's an incurable Lexi-junkie. Aren't you Gorgeous? Withdrawal kicked in some time ago and Stacey never gave you time to score a proper fix during the mission." He thrust the girl away, tired of her behaviour and not liking where the conversation was now going. "Don't." He warned. Riene's smirk was annoyingly familiar. Alex had to have taught the girl that just-so crook of the mouth. "You complained to Stacey when you found out that Allegra had stowed your gear in the big three bedroom suite with Li Ann and Vicka's rooms. I heard you. You asked for Alexei's bedroom instead then got mad when she wouldn't even tell you which one it was." "I just though that Allegra should have the third bedroom so she could be closer to Victor." Mac defended. "We've enough spaces to spare." Riene reasoned. "This was a resort. Allegra's got a big room with an en-suite. You just want to stake your claim before he gets here." She accused. "The competition is a bit more fierce than back in AC, right?" Riene stood up, smoothing her skirt. "Mac-baby, the fact is you aren't likely to be the first person he fucks when he finally gets home." She grinned. "But since I'm such a sweetheart, you can come with me and I'll show you which one is our Lexi's personal abode." "Riene, you shouldn't." Kiska's tone was low. "Posh!" She scoffed. "It's not like Mac-baby couldn't find it with a certain amount of poking about. There's only a few guys here and Lexi's wardrobe couldn't be mistaken for anyone else's." Mac practically jumped off the bed to follow the teenager out the door. She might be a terror to deal with but from what he'd seen and heard so far Riene was the most devoted to Alex out of the lot of them. The long hallway stretched both ways with unidentified portals lining either side. Surprisingly enough, Riene led him to a stairwell he hadn't even noticed. Even more of a shock was that they climbed up. Mac was unaware this place even had a third floor. "Now pay attention." Riene spoke softly. "You do not want to barge in on Nicki or Olga by mistake." Her hand lifted, tapping the dark green rectangles as they passed. "Tatiana's. Anastasia's. Marie's." She named each entrance. "Kate's. Olga and Daria's. Yakob and Nadya's. They're our two techs." She clarified. When they reached the last two doors her finger indicated carefully first to the left and then to the right. "Nicola. Alexei. Do not, as you wish to continue living, ever mix them up." Riene opened the right hand door and stepped inside. The light flickered on to reveal a cluttered but comfortable sitting room with a computer centre nook off to the side. Mac didn't get an Alex sort of impression from the place but then again, he wasn't even sure his lover had even visited this place yet. The only piece that really struck him as Alex's choice was the long, black leather couch, although the patterned throw tossed over the back of it didn't seem to fit in. His lover had shown a rather unhealthy fascination with leather couches on many occasions. Riene grinned, watching his face for a reaction. "I decorated it for Alexei and yes he's been here briefly. He adored it." She giggled at some inner jest. "It's kind of dreary." Mac observed. The lighting was pathetic everywhere except at the desk area. "It looks like you bought all the pieces from a garage sale." He peered at the brightly illuminated fishtank off by one wall. It was filled with water and plants but no fish swam within the thing. "Thank you." She seemed strangely pleased by his show of distaste for the room. "That ridiculous billiard ball coatrack had to be custom made." The girl giggled at some internal joke. "It cost a pretty penny." "Why bother?" Mac shook his dark head and pushed through to the door on the far wall. The bedroom was definitely more familiar territory, or so he thought until he opened the portal. Expecting something near the clean, modern lines of their room at home the massive poster bed and heavy dark wood caught him by surprise. Riene pushed past the startled man and jumped, throwing herself onto the centre of the huge mattress. "All this stuff used to be Bohdanovich's. I had it packed up and shipped over. Alexei always used the old man's rooms when he was in St Petersburg." "Who's Bohdanovich?" Mac fingered the open, red velvet draperies that surrounded the bed. This archaic monstrosity looked like it belonged in a museum. "Vasili." She sprawled out, wiggling into the thick covers. Mac shrugged, moving to pull open a long sliding closet door. The scents imbedded in the clothing hit him with the force of punch. It was almost like coming home. "Is that name supposed to mean something to me?" He pulled one of the leather jackets off its hanger almost absently and ran his fingers over the supple blackness. Riene stopped squirming about and sat up. "Bohdanovich was the man who instilled Alexei with all that mondo-twisted obedience training that you accidentally tripped across and have so skilfully invoked." Large eyes studied Mac. She climbed off the bed and began rooting through one of the dresser drawers. "Here." She produced a small photo album from its fabric wrapping. I don't know if Nicki realises that he has these." Riene flipped open the little book as she sat back down on the edge of the bed. She patted the spot beside her invitingly. "This is Vasili Bohdanovich." Mac dropped into place, still holding Alex's jacket. The old black and white picture that Riene indicated showed a slightly gaunt man in his late forties with a decidedly Mulderish look about him. The eyes, especially, looked frighteningly familiar. Mac took the album away from her and began flipping through the pages. A picture of himself and Li Ann caught his eyes. It was a surveillance photo that had been enlarged and clipped by the look of it. He recognised it as about a 1995 shot but he was unable to place the background. Mac couldn't help but marvel at how innocent they looked. Another photo made him shake his head. It was Mulder and Scully but a black pen had turned the female agent into a stereotypical Halloween witch, complete with peaked hat and a wart. He turned the page with a sniff of amusement. "Who's this?" Mac pointed to a rough looking blonde sitting beside a fresh-faced, twenty-something Alex. Both young men wore shabby army fatigues and big grins. "Someone he trained with, I suppose. I don't recognise him." Riene slid the picture out of its plastic pocket. "It says 'me and Dickin' on the back." She read before replacing it. "Oh yes, that must be that English operative 'Richard something or other' that Lexi hung around with on and off after they did a stint in British special ops together. I haven't heard him mentioned in years though." Riene frowned. "Nicki absolutely hated that guy. She ordered Alexei to keep his distance after some mission fell through in '92 because they crossed paths unexpectedly in Switzerland and Lexi wouldn't take the guy out." She pursed her lips. "I don't know what happened with him. I'd have to check our database to get details." "Don't bother." Mac dismissed. "I've just never seen him so completely... That's just such a happy grin." He flipped again, finding two more pictures of Mulder, one of Allegra and a score he didn't recognise. Alex himself was noticeably rare in the book. The one nice photo he almost mistook for his lover was Victor, if the earring could be believed. "What's this?" Mac stopped again at a new-born baby lying on a pink blanket. It was the only child he had come across. "The first Catherine." Riene muttered, taking the album away she snapped it shut. Her expression flitted from a grim frown back into its incessant smirk quickly. "I've got stuff to do. Are you going to stay here and sniff his clothes or do you want to come back downstairs?" She teased. Mac self-consciously shoved the jacket aside. "I'm going to poke around here for a while if that's okay." The computer in the next room was a strong temptation. He couldn't help but wonder if it would give him access to the Family's mainframe. "Behave." Riene warned. "Always." He bounced tentatively on the bed. It was amazingly soft. "I'll see you at dinner. Go." As soon as the girl left him alone Mac began a careful search. First he'd do the bedroom then the other rooms. His conscience pricked at the invasion of Alex's privacy but the urge to pry was more powerful. No surprise there. His dangerously strong curiosity had been the subject of countless lectures over the years. The hidden cubby behind the tiles in the bathroom shower stall concealed several vials of some pale green concoction. A sheath of papers were stashed into a slit in the bed's canopy. Unfortunately the writing on those was all Cyrillic. He found a few hiding spaces that sat empty which made sense considering how little this place had been used. The best hiding spot had to be where a narrow band of wood slid out of the tall wardrobe that held Alex's best suits. The handful of letters hidden there were a mixed bag. Some were Russian, some were in other languages and a very few were written in English. Mac tucked the others away and with only a slight twinge of guilt he took the ones he understood back to the bed so he could read them. The ones with addresses had been sent to a post office box in New York and date stamped years ago. One was from someone named Danny who mentioned going to Quantico with Alex and spent the first page apologising for using what Alex had called 'the emergency address'. The second page was devoted to pleading that the other man call him so they could work out their problems. There was even a vague offer of 'Bureau information' if Alex would just come back. Seven of the letters were from England and signed 'Dickin'. The contents of those notes seemed purposefully lacking in identifying details, almost as if the writer assumed someone would examine them other than Alex. Coded references suggested future meeting places and times like 'that green bar on the second of Lamb'. The paranoia made Mac laugh while the intense sentiments expressed pissed him off. The ending of the last brief note, the only one with no obscure coding in it, set his teeth on edge. It read: I don't understand how this happened but I think I love you too. Isn't that a kick in the head? You claim you'd come clean just to be with me. Would you really? I wish I could believe you this time. The crap you're into is so fucking deep but I might be able to get you amnesty if you'll give up Nicola. I've spoken with the Commander and it looks promising. We've got to talk in person. Christ, I miss you, my Xander. Dickin Mac had to fight down the urge to scream with rage and tear that particular letter into tiny pieces. The final paper in the pile, surprisingly enough, was a surveillance log. His and Li Ann activities for the month that everything went to hell in Hong Kong were carefully detailed. The news of Mac's death and Li Ann's disappearance ended the report. It was interesting that the paper looked as if it had been crumbled then flattened and folded again. Maybe, just maybe, Alex actually cared enough to be upset by the erroneous death announcement. Mac fell back into the cushioning mattress, pulled Alex's jacket close and let himself drift off into a mixture of memory and fantasy. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ It was with only the tiniest flush of shame that Kate would acknowledge she was having fun. The power of altering people's lives with a few keystrokes on the computer wasn't immediate. Neither were the carefully orchestrated moves that she helped Nicola plan on their own person chessboard, the world. Alexei and the women of the Romanov family had flitted in and out of the lives of Kate and her sisters like royalty visiting the palace servants. Kate had been watching the family and staff trip over themselves to accommodate Alexei since she was old enough to reason. Power, Kate had decided over the last few hours, was the ability to reduce an object of lifelong reverence to the shivering wreck kneeling before her. Of course a certain amount of cheating was involved. It wasn't fair that a point by point list of Alexei's weaknesses had been provided but time was at a premium so exploration and discovery were skipped over. The blindfold had surprised her. It was such a simple fear, darkness and silence. Kate wouldn't have guessed at their dilapidating effect on a man who could shake off a whipping under normal circumstances. Kate knelt down, quietly unfastening the top on a container of motor oil. She waved the open bottle near his nose and was rewarded by a frenzy of attempts at flight. His verbal protests had lapsed into hoarse whimpers a half-hour ago. Kate capped it and sat the container aside. When she ran a hand through his short, sweat-soaked black hair he tried to cringe away, making Kate tighten her grip. She reminded him quietly. Easing closer she picked at the knot in his blindfold. His faint response earned him a kiss on the forehead. Kate peeled the darkness away, making sure her face was the first thing his squinting eyes found. A caress tickled down his cheek. She laid out a line of conjecture. Kate continued to stroke him until he leaned into the attention. When a particularly brutal shudder wracked him at that memory Kate kissed the bridge of his nose.
  • Her monologue continued ceaselessly next to his ear like a stream of liquid poison. Alex was collapsing into the physical comfort his tormentor was now offering. Every muscle in his body ached from tension. His wrist was slick with blood and both his shoulders throbbed from his useless struggles. His prosthetic connection prickled, suggesting that he had damaged some of the more delicate connections during his exertions. The sweat running down his back stung in the places Kate's strapping had broke the skin. Kate's battering whisper didn't relent. It crossed his mind to object. Mac was constantly swearing his devotion but then again, Alex knew how easily that sort of lie came to the lips. He had spoken it himself more times than he could recall and had seldom meant it. Besides, arguing with Kate wasn't something he wanted to do right now. Kate snuggled against him. she drew away to reach for the box she had carried over from the hearth. Yet another needle was extracted and uncapped. She checked the label Olga had put on it carefully. Because of the weird chemical stew Vasili had contaminated Alexei with only certain obscure drugs still worked on him. Kate jabbed the point into his ass so she didn't have to worry about being precise with her aim. Alex groaned and dropped his forehead down once more. The action was too abrupt and he could feel the bruising from repeated thumps grow more severe. She tossed the now empty tube aside. Kate levered his head up and used a thumb to hold one of his eyelids open. She could tell the moment the drugs hit his bloodstream. The green in his eyes all but vanished as his pupils dilated. "Da." His head lolled. Kate mimed setting a weapon between his bound wrists. She explained carefully. Alex pleaded, twisting in her grip. Kate laughed. She shifted to murmur right by his ear. Kate licked away the tear running down his cheek. Alex hissed, giving up the new kid Nicki had taken in wasn't hard. True to her words Kate didn't reprimand him over the choice. Her finger tapped his forehead gently. He flinched with each tap. Any sense of what was expected of him shredded away with an audible rip. Kate swallowed her annoyance. His priorities were completely outside the family line. The next three taps on his forehead held a bit more force, no doubt causing pain. His hesitation was in making his choice, not in understanding what she demanded of him. Alex declared in a dull monotone. Kate wanted to scream into his ear. His programming was so fucked up she couldn't begin to guess how long it was going to take to fix it properly. Olga was supposed to be a primary subject for defending and he still hadn't started on his little coven. Her knuckle tapped out the demand. Finally Alex began to struggle against the order. His voice was a gritty rasp when he finally spoke. It was about bloody time. Kate mentally ticked off who remained in Alexei's fabricated hell. It wasn't good. She hit him a bit harder this time. His throat worked hard against the words. Alex choked a moment.
  • He was panting shallowly. Three left. Kate frowned. As a soldier Marie should have gone down near the beginning of the recital. Herself and Olga were supposed to be among the last few he gave up. They were the commanders. One tap. Kate held her breath as he tormented himself. He finally spat out. Kate had one hand on the taser. She had to knock the back of his dark head. He was attempting to curl in on himself. Alexei's head thumped off the wood. His whimper was pitiful. Kate flicked the taser on but Alex didn't flinch. He was too wrapped up in the hallucination of all the piled bodies. Kate said sadly, cranking up the electrical charge. She needed to make him say it aloud before they could move on. Alex's hand spasmed on the imaginary gun. Only a squeak emerged. Kate encouraged. His mumble wasn't even near audible. Against all expectation Alex lifted his face. He repeated softly. Kate rocked back on her heels. This was not how the scenario was supposed to go. She considered the body before her with a scientific distance before adjusting the taser yet again. Kate aimed her weapon carefully at the point where his arm turned artificial. Nicola did say she had complete discretion on the handling of their wayward Alexei. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The suite had only one bathroom so while Li Ann took a turn in the shower Victor shaved. Only a little over a year ago this kind of intimacy would have drove Victor to distraction but now it was comforting. The water in the stall shut down and a lean arm emerged to snag a pair of towels. The curtain shoved aside a moment later and Li Ann let out a gasp of surprise. "What happened to you?" she stepped out and edged closer. The harsh bathroom light and his half-dressed state weren't flattering. Dark bruises marked his arms and his wrists were chafed almost raw. When he was unshaven she hadn't seen the darkness on his cheek and jaw. A bit less noticeable were the hickeys about his collar line and a bite mark on his shoulder blade. "Mulder." Victor sat aside his razor and stared at his reflection. "I don't think you want to get into it not if you want time to rest before dinner." His voice was weary. "Screw resting. What happened?" One long fingernail pointed out the largest of the hickeys. "Don't tell me you're playing Lexi's game with him." She warned. "No. No. It's not like that." He grabbed up a washcloth to clean away the remains of the shaving cream. "The bite was a mistake. We got caught up in the moment. The hickeys..." Victor's face tinted red under her scrutiny. "I was with Mulder when the mission got dropped in our laps. After the call we got a little frantic, rushing things. I marked him in a couple of spots too." "This..." A gentle touch brushed his jaw. "...is not frantic. This is abuse." She corrected. He turned in place, leaning back against the sink. "That was meant for Alex. Mulder and Scully were in on the bust at Stalward's. I held cover against them." "I know. Oh." Li Ann's dark eyes widened. "I'm sorry Victor. That had to be difficult, coming so soon after you two finally connected." She sympathised. "Actually..." His breath escaped in a sigh, almost deflating him. "Mulder and I have been dating on and off since that mess back in September." "Scully and I too." Li Ann encouraged. "No big deal." "Maybe not for you." He teased. "But we've been trying to work through the Alex issue." She nodded. Their problems seemed similar at first glance but the particulars were completely off. Scully simply hated Alex. Mulder hated him and wanted to fuck around with Alex at the exact same time. "I honestly thought he'd worked past it." Victor continued. "Mulder swore he had it under control so we took what we had all the way the other night." The ex-cop caught a glimpse of himself and Li Ann in the mirror and had to laugh at the picture they presented. He felt like a high-school kid all of a sudden. They should be standing in a locker room and Li Ann should be one of the guys from his old hockey team. "Victor?" The woman he had once intended to marry slid right up to his side and took his hand. The joke shattered into a million icy fragments. "Mulder went into full 'rub his crotch then backhand me' mode at the bust." Victor resumed his explanation. "What does that say? Not even 24 hours after he's made love with me the bastard is onto it like a stray dog on a bitch in heat and it wasn't even Alex. It was me, damn it. I know for a fact that I didn't encourage him. I barely had time to realise who he was and I've got a steel rod erection digging into my hipbone." He scrubbed at his forehead. Li Ann rested her head on Victor's thick upper arm. "Are you writing him off then? Maybe he's not worth the energy you're expending on him." "I don't know." His hands scraped up into his hairline and through his too short black hair. It was brittle, not having been washed since just after the hasty dye job. "When it's just him and I it's fabulous. He's so careful of me." Victor stated. "But the world doesn't work that way. I know that." "Are you in love with him?" Li Ann asked cautiously. "Are you in love with the beautiful Agent Scully?" He countered in an arch tone. "Ah, stalemate." She squeezed a little before pulling away. "Finish getting cleaned up." Li Ann suggested. "I need you sharp to guard my back at dinner." Victor shook his head. "They're not that bad." He scolded softly. "They're just not comfortable with outsiders, which is what we still are. It's only been a year." "You are altogether too nice a person, Victor Mansfield. You're just lucky that Mac and I are nasty enough to make up for the difference." "Mac's nasty." Victor chuckled, shoving off his jeans. "You're simply cautious." He grinned at her. "So, you staying for the floor show?" His fingers hooked suggestively into the band of his underwear. Li Ann broke into an uncontrollable case of the giggles as she dropped her eyes to his crotch. "Oh thanks." He complained. "That just caps off a wonderful day." "No." She gulped air, trying to get control of her breathing. "It's just..." Li Ann bit at her lip in an attempt at sobriety. "Besides the arm." She forced a serious expression onto her face. "There's always one sure way to tell you and Alex apart." Another giggle cracked her calm. "What?" Victor glared impatiently. "I am not going to get my nipple pierced. No how, no way." "That's not it either." She had to turn away and stare down at the floor. "I don't suppose it's come up before." "Spit it out." "All that detail getting him ready as a mole. I can't believe they missed something so basic." Li Ann broke into a snort. "Russians don't circumcise their baby boys." "Eww, yeck!" Victor's lip curled. "Go. Shoo. I have to shower from just listening to you talk." He teased half-heartedly. "That's the very last thing I need kicking around in my head right now." "Sorry Vic." Li Ann padded out the door still chortling to herself. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ When the women had told them that dinner was formal they had understated the situation. The long table, set with delicate china, was covered with a white cloth and lit by four huge candelabras. A woman in an immaculate uniform served them. Every lady at the table except Li Ann wore a dress that wouldn't have been out of place at a tie and tails event. The elderly woman at one end of the table, Nicki, actually had on a floor length gown and jewellery enough to buy a life in most cities of the world. She had let out a slight sniff of annoyance when Victor and Li Ann appeared last in simple slacks, tidy shirts and sweaters. The conversation so far had been overtly polite as well, touching on the difficulties of the move from St Petersburg, the political climate back home and the exchange rates of world currency. Since they were closest to Olga's end of the table the trio were also gifted with some incomprehensible dissertation on DNA and genetic manipulation. Li Ann wrote off the chance of gaining any useful information from dinner conversation and set to visually studying the people present. With the exception of the three Catherines she was able to match a face to each of the names that had been thrown at her. Nicki was a bit of a surprise. She was much more aristocratic and delicate than Li Ann had expected. She had supposed the taskmaster of the family to be a rather stern, hard-edged woman. Nicola, however, was every inch the elegant, ageing Empress that the setting suggested. Occasionally the elderly lady would look Li Ann's way, intercepting the younger's gaze. No information passed between them. Nicki could have been an ice sculpture for all the honest emotion her expression disclosed. Li Ann was also curious about the two noticeable absences from the family dinner. There should have been a fourth clone and the boy, Peter, that Alex had mentioned a few times was missing as well. Mac, Victor and the driver were the only males she had seen so far in this strange place. Victor, sitting across from her, gave the impression that he wanted to say something to her but wasn't comfortable voicing it aloud. Mac was the one that surprised her by whispering to Li Ann. Mac began, choosing not only to use his quietest voice but Cantonese as well. Li Ann asked in the same language. The two Catherines sitting on either side of Mac and Li Ann were beginning to frown at them. "That might be nice." Li Ann flipped back to English to ease their minds. The dinner plates were being collected. Victor was gently chiding his sister about how much she had packed away over the course of the meal while Olga insisted that Allegra wasn't eating nearly enough for a woman in her condition. "There's dessert too." Allegra looked across, noticing Mac was fidgeting in his chair with the urge to leave. She grinned. "I couldn't eat another bite." Li Ann protested. If she wanted the energy to prowl around tonight she needed to lay down now. The Catherine beside Li Ann chose that moment to address a stream of Russian at Nicola. "If you will all excuse me." Li Ann began to push back from the table. "Li Ann." An imperious tone cut through the air silencing everyone present. "Are you leaving us already?" Nicki asked. "I had hoped for a chance to speak with the three of you after dinner." There was no need to specify which three. Mac and Victor's heads lifted immediately. "I'm sorry." Li Ann attempted. "I really am quite exhausted from all that's gone on over these last few days. Perhaps in the morning." She looked up the table in time to see one carefully plucked, silver brow lift. "Then I shall only keep you briefly." Nicki countered. "We will take hot chocolate in the other room." She announced as the servant returned with yet another trolley. The old woman climbed gracefully to her feet. "The rest of you finish without us." With that she began walking to the door, confident that they would follow. "It is her house." Victor pushed upright. Mac sighed once but followed suit, offering an arm for Li Ann. "When in Rome." He mumbled to himself. Li Ann stood but avoided the courtesy in favour of walking boldly after Nicki. She felt an intense need to present an independent manner about this gathering of odd women. She let the guys trail her. The 'other room' that Nicki led them to was a strange mixture of a traditional old world parlour and an office. The desk was ornately carved and two tall wall units held a collection of computer equipment but the utilitarian parts were overwhelmed by vases of dried flowers and fussy red velvet and polished wood furniture. Nicola settled into a chair that bore more than a passing resemblance to a throne. Her hand gestured to the two nearby couches. "It will take a little time for Marianna to bring the chocolate but I won't try your patience by waiting." All three of them settled onto the same long sofa, Li Ann between the two men. "I just wanted to make sure that all of you were clear on the few simple rules that govern our home." Nicola adjusted a pillow at her spine. "Rules?" Mac asked. "Are we guests or something else?" His voice hinted 'prisoners' but he didn't use the word. "You are cousins." She smiled. "But even within a family some concessions must be made for the consideration of other family members." Nicki's hand's folded on her lap. "If a door is locked, although few here are, you are not to enter uninvited. That's just common courtesy, yes?" She didn't wait for a response. "The same with any information that is password protected on our computer system. I suspect neither a lock nor a password is capable of holding you three out but polite regard may." Several appraising looks were exchanged between Nicki and her guests. Mac leaned back with an innocent smile on his face. "I would like access to a telephone." Li Ann announced. The lack of phones in clear sight made her especially apprehensive. "I need to make contact with my office before it shuts down for Christmas vacation and I'd like to give them a way to contact me if anything important occurs." "Would e-mail access suffice?" Nicki counter-offered. "The authorities have taken an unhealthy and less than legal interest in your phone lines." "I'll manage if that's all I can have." Li Ann allowed. "I will also be checking in with a few friends who are no doubt worried about my sudden disappearance." Nicola's pale eyes narrowed. "Agent Scully is not to be given this location." She announced, obviously aware of Li Ann and Scully's relationship despite the fact that they had been quite secretive. "I don't want the FBI turning their attention to my home. Surely you can understand that." "Where is Alex?" Victor leaned forward to take the spotlight away from Li Ann's outraged expression. His arms rested on his knees. "I don't think he should be this far behind the rest of us and I doubt you're unaware of his exact location, considering what he's carrying." Nicola locked gazes with her Alexei's twin. It annoyed her enormously that those intimately familiar green orbs didn't immediately drop to the carpet. She had expected difficulty from Li Ann. The oriental woman's will was too strong to bend quickly. Finding insolence wrapped in Alexei's form was beyond frustrating, especially after the trouble he had been giving her. "I'm afraid Lexi has been intercepted." She threw them something to gnaw on. "Who? Where?" Mac jumped to his feet. "SIT!" She shouted. "Calm down. All of you." Nicki added seeing Li Ann and Victor poised for action as well. "Marie and Kate have been dispatched to deal with the situation. If it's beyond their capabilities they will request aid. Until then we will not froth ourselves into a state of alarm." "When were you planning on telling us what happened?" Victor demanded, earning another hostile look from the elderly woman. It was strange. As simply a voice on the phone over the last year he had gotten the impression that Nicki liked him but he saw no sign of that now. Elegant shoulders lifted briefly. "I hadn't decided." She said honestly. "I have the problem in hand and it needn't concern you." "I want to go and help." Li Ann persisted. "Mac and I can go, Victor will stay here with Allegra." Unspoken, 'as hostages' was obvious in the offer. "It's under control." A quiet tap warned them before the door opened and a plump old woman wheeled a cart inside. Nicola continued on as if the servant weren't even there. "Kate and Marie assure me that Alexei will be back in your arms tomorrow or the next day. If they need help I will hear of it." "Still, an extra set of hands..." "Young lady." Nicki cut her off. "You forget your place. Alexei belongs to me first and the three of you only as I allow. I hold the power of final decision in this family. If and when I see fit you will receive further information." She accepted a shell thin cup from the servant. "Don't press my tolerance, Children." She warned in a mild tone. "We are not children." Victor waved off the drink. "And we don't belong to you." He had taken enough of that kind of attitude when he worked for the Director. "We work for you, that's it." "I want a phone. Now." Li Ann reiterated her demand. With Victor running interference there was no better time to attempt the request. "E-mail." Nicola insisted, flipping her attention from one challenge to another without a fluster. "The computer in your suite will suit your purpose. "Car keys and Alex's location." Victor asked. "No." "Marie's cell phone number." Mac leapt into the fray. "Let us talk to her ourselves." Nicki's carefully painted lips pursed. "I can not contact her safely. Her position may be delicate. If and when she calls into us one of you may speak to her briefly." "Me." Mac claimed the opportunity. The servant withdrew, having been unable to provide any of the trio with a drink. Mac stood up. "If that's all." The others were following his example. Nicola surveyed them over the rim of her cup. "I had a few more bits of information to pass along." She said. "I got the 'common courtesy' speech when I was five years old. If you've got nothing else I'm out of here." Mac headed for the door. "But you obviously didn't absorb much of it, young man." Nicki's temper almost slipped its leash. "Let me make it perfectly clear. If you do not respect the privacy of our business and stay within the boundaries you've been shown I have it within my power to make your lives even more complicated than they are now." "Are you threatening us?" Li Ann almost growled. "Yes." Nicki subsided back into the chair, looking completely content with the world. "Yes, I am. Now...you're all excused." Long fingernails flickered, dismissing them. Victor could almost see the urge forming in Li Ann's head so he caught hold of her wrist and pulled before the words could reach his ex-fiancee's lips. They got out the door without a screaming match because she was too angry to be articulate. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Alex awoke from an especially nasty nightmare to find his situation had finally changed. On the up side the cuff around his good wrist was cushioned by bandages and padding. He had also been sponged off and now lay wrapped in soft white sheets on a real bed. The down side was a noticeable lack of weight at his left shoulder. He had hoped that he'd imagined that particularly painful sensation, but no, Kate had taken his arm or rather he had fought so hard against his restraints that it had torn loose so it had to be removed. A body settled next to him on the mattress and Alexei flinched uncontrollably. Fingers skimmed up his ribcage making him whimper. There was no way he could go through another interrogation session with Kate. Alex just knew it would drive him absolutely insane. It was a cracked shadow of his usual voice. Kate's whisper tickled his ear. She seduced, her hand caressing even as she offered him death. He tried to lay passive under her attention. Kate praised. She pushed up and placed her hand across the slight arch of his throat. The pressure against his windpipe increased while Kate's kiss sucked the air right out of his lungs. It wasn't the most difficult thing he had ever done but it was harder than he expected. Alex's fingers spasmed about the chain holding his wrist to keep himself from attempting to throw her off. At this point he wasn't even sure if he hoped this were another test or if he wished Kate was serious. Alexei was still undecided when stars began to explode inside his eyelids forcing tears out. The pressure abated at the very last moment and a hard thump on the chest reminded him to breathe again. Kate was whispering praise in his ear but the words refused to make sense. The light kisses she was scattering over his chest, shoulders and face were a reward he could process even half-conscious. Alexei finally began to comprehend Kate's voice. He swallowed, testing the damage to his throat. The best Alex could manage was a hoarse croak. He began despite the pain of speaking. Kate reminded him. The promise was heartfelt. Living without Nicola's sheltering protection wasn't an option. His entire life outside the family was built on one set of lies or another. It would drive him crazy if he didn't have some one who understood exactly what he was and accepted it. Only once in his life had he ever seriously considered defecting and that was years ago, back when he'd been young and stupid. Kate sat up. <...and she sets you a loyalty test...> Alex assured. The teenager climbed off the bed. She looked expectantly down at him. Alexei finished the thought. Alex kept his expression blank not daring to betray the tight pain across his chest. She tossed it right back at him. No drugs were pumping through his system right now. Kate watched his shoulders and chest for any betraying tension. Lexi was too good for his expression to give him away.
  • He considered. He squirmed as close to upright as his chain would allow. Alex looked pointedly down at his left shoulder. Kate continued to study him as if he were an experiment near completion. He outlined blandly. Kate smiled. Kate took a step backwards. Her eyes narrowed as she looked for some sign of guile in his manner. What he was saying did make sense. In fact a rather elaborate plan was beginning to form in her head even as he spoke. Alex stared up at his tormentor with a carefully bland expression. If Kate caught even a whiff of deceit from him, whether real or imagined, he was toast and Victor wouldn't be far behind. Kate announced. She had a tentative scenario she wanted to present to Nicola. It wasn't until the plain wooden door closed behind her that Alex allowed himself to break out into nervous shivers. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Victor left the more delicate work inside the lodge to Mac and Li Ann. Acting on a gut level instinct that he didn't completely understand Victor chose to bundle up and attempt to investigate some of the smaller buildings that he'd caught sight of in the half-light of the compound. Because of the cold the locks outside were of a more primitive mechanical kind rather than fancy electronics. Of course if the first two shelters were any indication the contents weren't terribly interesting either. The first was full of boxes and sacks of chemical compounds and dry goods. The second had been packed with household supplies liked canned food, candles and everyday necessities. Victor had opened a few crates in expectation of weapons or files before realising that sort of thing had to be in a more secure location. Shivering, he persisted. The next door opened just as easily as the first two. Li Ann and Mac had taught him well. The interior of this cabin, however, was entirely different. A fireplace glowed on one wall of the simply furnished room. Victor noted two old-fashioned chairs and a bed before his eyes reached the extravagant computer desk that took up one entire wall. The chair in the centre of the massive sprawl of electronics swivelled around and a very young man jumped to his feet. He stared across at Victor, clearly surprised at the intrusion but not angry. "Umm. Hullo. I wasn't expecting you quite..." The baby faced youth stalled out, subserviently dropping his gaze to the floor. Strangely enough a strong British accent had flavoured the words. "Sorry." The next sentence was made up of stumbling, hesitant Russian words of which Victor recognised 'please' and 'Alexei'. "It's okay. English is fine." He had impersonated his twin a few times before around casual business associates. The ruse came easily. "Nicola told me you were on your way home but not that you had arrived." The slender kid shifted nervously under his visitor's scrutiny, daring finally to peek up at his visitor. "It's good to see you again." Hands bunched against the fabric of his loose trousers. That was as big a lie as any Victor had ever heard. The young man was obviously terrified. "I just got in." Victor's mind raced trying to place the other. Maybe the youth was one of the family's pet hackers. It was also odd to see someone in this place that wasn't eagerly excited by Alex's arrival. "What are you doing?" The ex-cop made a sit-down motion with his hand and the kid obeyed instantly, like a well-trained puppy. "Banking." The young man turned in place and reached for the mouse. "It's a trifle awkward moving big lots of money about through Canadian banks." Narrow shoulders shrugged stiffly. "But I've found enough back doors and loop-holes to shift a fair chunk of it to where Nicki wants it." Victor leaned, putting enough weight on the back of the kid's chair that it wouldn't turn about suddenly. He memorised the account number on the screen to give Li Ann a start point for hacking into the family's banking records. "How long have you been at this? It's late." Victor observed. The young man's spine tensed straight. Soft spikes of short, sandy blond hair tickled Victor's cheek when the kid shivered. "You're here for my first lesson, aren't you?" The question ended with a worried squeak. "Nicki says I'm overdue. I knew this was coming. Olga left some 'supplies' in the dresser drawer." He rambled, showing his upset emotional state. "What are you afraid of?" Victor questioned vaguely. "Kate said it's going to hurt but Riene swears I'll like it. I don't know what to think. I don't do pain well. You've seen that already. I don't want..." His breath shuddered out. The teenager's head tipped forward to rest against the computer monitor. "I'm sorry, Alexei. I'll shut up. You know I'll do whatever you want. I'll try really hard. Please don't tell Nicki I'm acting up." Peter, the new kid, Victor finally decided. No one else would toss family names around so casually and of course he would be expecting Alex to do instructor duties. For God's sake, the boy wasn't any older than the Catherines were. He was still a child as far as Victor was concerned. "I'm not going to hurt you." Victor assured the other. To stay in character he dropped a kiss on the top of Peter's head. The downy texture and pleasant scent was a temptation that Alex certainly wouldn't have bothered to resist. "Not tonight anyway. I'm just checking in." He leaned closer. "Do me a favour." A smile tugged at his lips. Tonight's work wasn't going to be a total waste of time. "I want to sent a message to a friend but I don't need the girls teasing me about him. You can get it sent without Nicki seeing it, right?" "Uh, yeah, but..." The younger squirmed. "Then do it." Victor ordered arrogantly. "Open me a message and give me some space." Fingers flew at the command and in seconds a blank e-mail stood ready. "Wait on the bed." Victor tapped the seat, chasing the kid out of it then took his place. Using only his right hand Victor typed out: >landed in Anchorage >took a little plane for an hour then drove for another hour >we're in serious shit >we need some help >V "Will 'send' get this out cleanly?" Vic asked over his shoulder. Luckily he'd memorised Mulder's address. Arguments aside, they needed help and Victor couldn't think of anyone else to ask. "Yes Alexei." Came the timid response. "Great. Thank you." Victor stood up. He had to get out of here before the kid realised that he wasn't Alex and blew the whistle. "I've an appointment." He lied. "I just wanted to touch base with you." Victor headed for the door. "Don't work all night. Even at your age you need to sleep." He joked then let himself out. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Li Ann and Mac were both in a foul mood and had been all day. Their explorations had been close to useless. Interesting information trails had sent them in circles. Altogether too many people had been moving about in the most promising areas despite the late hour. Their night's work had accomplished little of value. It occurred to them that their rooms were quite probably bugged and they had been anticipated. The day dragged, with Allegra choosing to remain quietly in her room after pleading exhaustion and the Romanov ladies seemed to be avoiding them. A servant brought meals to the trio's suite and announced that the formal dinner was cancelled for the evening. Victor was rapidly joining his roommates' emotional state. "We're in the middle of nowhere." The ex-cop threw himself down on the couch beside Li Ann. "No Alex, no tree, no clues. Happy bloody Christmas." Mac looked up from the keyboard he was slaving over. His expression wasn't hopeful. All he'd done was confirm that none of Li Ann's e- mails had actually left. Some kind of buffer server had intercepted them by the looks of things. A knock on the door made all three of them jump. It opened without invitation. Nicola took one step into he room and gazed down at them, chin high. Li Ann stood to make them level. "We've had about enough of this garbage." She started. A thin, be-ringed hand lifted. "Such tempers and glares. How rude when I come bearing a gift." A flick of her wrist brought Alex forward into the light. "Be gentle with our darling. He's a bit fragile right now." It didn't matter that he had the most distance to cover. Mac threw himself across the room in an eye-blink. Li Ann almost laughed with delight until Mac's voice strangled out an exclamation of "Your arm!" "Our Lexi suffered some damage at the hands of his captors and discs were lost." Nicola explained in a chill tone. "But at least we recovered him. Olga will see to replacing his arm in a day or two when it isn't quite so tender." The elderly woman looked to Victor. "Can I trust he'll be handled carefully or should I take him back down to the infirmary?" "We'll take care of him." Victor stated, curious as to why she had singled him out. Nicola nodded and left them. Mac was guiding his lover to a space on the couch. Nonsensical soothings fell from the younger man's lips. Alex looked rough, battered and bruised, and his movements were stiff. "Alex, what happened?" Li Ann questioned. "Who did this to you?" "Don' wanna talk about it." As soon as he realised where he sat Alexei pulled away from Mac's touches and burrowed into Victor instead. "Don' wanna talk at all." "I know it's painful." Li Ann persisted. "But you need to get it out." The lanky thief stared at the scene in shock, a protest forming on his lips. He laid a hand against his lover's back causing Alex to whimper and draw even further away. Li Ann motioned him off. "Alex, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to see." She coaxed. The long sleeved shirt he wore was far too large. It hung loose on him. "It's important, Love. Let me..." She caught the back tail and lifted. What Li Ann could see of his skin was covered with wide welts. A peek at the hand Alex had fisted into the front of Victor's sweater told her that his wrist was thickly wrapped. She sat back. "Someone has beaten him badly. Be careful how you touch him Mac. Alex, who did this?" Mac seemed offended by the suggestion on how to treat his lover for a brief moment but his face cleared. "Alexei." He crouched down in front of the sofa. "Love, has someone seen to you? Checked over the damage?" Alex nodded silently without removing his face from the curve of his twin's shoulder. Victor winced at Mac's obvious distress but Alex had chosen and showed no sign of relaxing the death-grip he had fastened on with. Victor squirmed a little, turning into the embrace and cupped the back of his brother's head. "It's okay, Alex. It's all over now. You're safe with us." Mac's mouth opened in protest and his hand lifted to catch hold of his lover but Li Ann blocked the touch. "He's probably sore there." The oriental woman explained, indicating Alexei's shoulder. "Step back a bit Mac. He needs to talk not be mauled right now. Alexei darling, you have to tell us what happened. Where have you been?" She began. "Step back?" The other repeated in a disbelieving monotone. "I...should step back?" Mac's head shook. "I'm just trying to show MY lover that I'm glad to see him. Maybe someone else here should be stepping back." His lips tightened into something near a frown. "Don't." Victor caught their attention with one whispered word. "Not now." He warned before turning his attention to his brother once more. "Alex, how about you lay down on one of the beds and let me see your back. You'll feel better if you're not crunched up on a couch." Victor coaxed his twin into standing up. "No interrogation." Vic informed Li Ann. "No groping." Mac was told. "I would never." Li Ann seemed appalled at having her intentions questioned. "Come on Alex." Victor gently drew his twin over and through his bedroom door. With a twinge of guilt he kicked the door closed behind them, shutting out his partners. "Thank you." Alex mumbled briefly. Victor ran an appraising stare over his brother. "You don't want them to see you like this, do you Alex?" Without waiting to be asked Vic stepped up to undo the small buttons that held the other's shirt closed. The fabric pulled slightly at the salves his back was coated with but only briefly. "Christ." The exclamation squeezed out of Victor's lungs. The evidence of a whipping wasn't actually too bad. The skin was only broken in a few spots although some vivid bruises criss-crossed Alex's back. The thing that disturbed Victor was the multitude of small angry red marks all over his brother. Normally he would have been puzzled by the tracks but he'd seen another smaller copy of these and it helped him place the evidence. Dobrinsky had once tasered Mac on the hand while Victor had watched. The result was similar, if less severe. "Would you like something to drink, some ice water?" Alex shook his head. "Throat hurts." He whispered. "Olga medicined me." "Okay. Lay down and I'll get your shoes off." Victor suggested. His stomach did a quick rollover at the sight of a stark white bandage covering one of Alex's nipples but he didn't want to press for details. More gauzy wrappings covered the stump of Alex's arm and his remaining wrist. "You okay in those pants? I think I've got some sweats kicking around you could sleep in if you wanted to." "I'm 'kay." Alexei mumbled. "Keep me company, Vicka. I don' wanna be alone." After dealing with Alex's shoes Victor toed off his own and lay down beside his brother. He suspected what was going to happen and had chosen Alex's undamaged side. As expected the injured man's hand extended and fisted into the wool of his twin's sweater once more. The muscle in Alex's arm twitched but he did no more than hold tight. Victor considered. "It's all right." He slid closer, allowing Alex to press against him. "I'm not going to leave, I'm never going to hurt you and I don't want anything from you." Victor qualified when he noticed the shift in the other's hips. He kissed Alex's too-short, dark hair. "Let me talk instead." It had to be a harmless subject, which was hard. No Mac or Li Ann. No cop stories. Family was tricky too. "What do you know about hockey, Alex?" Victor didn't wait for a response. "I've got a hell of a slap-shot. I once made all four goals in a semi-final. It was the best game I ever played." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Victor might have slept through the urgent whispering beside him but the odd jolting of the mattress was too rare an occurrence for his dreaming mind to dismiss. Now, he lay quietly trying to decide what to do about the situation and missing the insistent clinging warm of his twin that he had enjoyed for several hours now. Victor heard laboured breathing and moist suction of what he hoped were kisses. "Don't. You're going to wake Victor." Alex's complaint was soft and lacked any sense of authority. "So stop squirming." Mac's voice chastised. "We should go to my room, Lover." Weight shifted and Alex moaned softly. Mac's laugh was faint. "But that's not what you want, is it Demon?" Fabric rustled and Alexei's breathing hitched erotically. "I know what you're thinking. I know I'm a stand-in for who you really want, just like always. Open your eyes, damn it. Do you think I'm stupid?" More damp suckling almost made Victor speak up. The next sentence put a severe dent in his ability to reason, however. "If I fuck you right here whose name will you call out when you come, Demon? Does Victor know, Lover? You're such a sick slut. What you want. It would disgust him. You must realise that he won't ever do 'this'..." Alex's moan was choked. The body beside Victor was shivering violently. "...to you." Mac let out a laboured hiss. His voice was on the edge of cracking with emotion. "Jeez, I don't even care at this point. I've missed you so much." A lengthy kiss interrupted the declaration. "Come to my room, Demon. You can bury your face in the pillows and pretend it's him if that's what you need. I won't complain. But if I don't have your ass in the next ten minutes I think I'll die." "Bastard." Alex accused weakly. "Yeah, but we need each other." The balance of the bed shifted. Mac's voice was higher above them the next time he spoke. "I had him Alexei." The younger man taunted. "You come with me and I'll tell you about it. I'll tell you what all his bedroom noises sound like. Vic liked it on his back with all the lights on so we could stare into each others' eyes." Victor's stomach and fists clenched but he couldn't see a way out of this that wouldn't turn nasty enough to hurt them all except to continue to fake sleep. "He came to relieve me on a stake-out." Mac confided. "I had nothing to go home to but an empty apartment so I hung around to mess with his head. Vic flusters so nicely if you hit the right topic. I know you want to hear about it, Demon. You want details. Come with me right now." More shifting. How could someone so badly injured move so quickly? Victor wondered. Maybe if he thought about that hard enough he could block out the lovers' whispered conversation. "I'm so fucked up." Alex's voice was muffled. "I don't care." Mac declared vehemently. "Anything you want I'll be it, I'll do it. Don't you ever leave me, Demon. You need me. I need you. Nobody else would ever put up the garbage we inflict on each other. You remember that." "I know. I know." Was the mumbled response. Victor caught a glimpse through his lashes as the outer door opened illuminating the pair. Alex was leaning drunkenly into the taller man with his forehead pressed against Mac's shoulder. Mac's fingers dug harshly into the curve of the Russian's ass provoking a whimper of excitement from Alexei and they ground their crotches together. As soon as they were gone Victor rolled over onto his back. His palms scrubbed at his face. He should have expected Alex would take a sexual interest in him. Alex took a sexual interest in everyone he met it seemed. Hell, within their odd squared tangle he and Alex were the only pairing that hadn't had a physical relationship and they made up for it by both chasing after Mulder. Maybe Li Ann had the right idea. Although Agent Scully was still at the edge of their incestuous muddle at least Alex had never shown any interest in the attractive redhead. The problem was in finding a partner outside of the tightly entwined world that he, his partners and his siblings inhabited. Now, however, wasn't the time to plan changes in his social life. First they needed to get out of the odd 'fortress of solitude' and back among normal people. Hopefully Mulder would make his destination known to the right people so they'd have some leverage against simply disappearing without a ripple of protest from the outside world. Maybe he should have contacted the Director instead. Her resources would be more expansive but then again Alex and his family would go ballistic if he revealed too much to that particular government agency. Mulder investigated stuff like this all the time and never seemed to expose his conclusions. The Director would plunder and exploit the discovery. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Riene rousted them all out of bed and into their clothes with a giggling announcement that Saint Nicki had made sure they would have a proper North American Christmas after all. She insisted that all four of them shower and put on comfortable clothes. It was an awkward twenty minutes before the four of them were ready to descend the stairs. The teenage girl earned Mac's annoyance at every possible step of the way. She hung on him, grabbing at his arm and fussing so much that Alex was practically shoved away. The injured man, of course, turned to Victor for aid with his buttons and shoes. The Russian also chose to lean on his twin for the trip down since Riene had a death-grip on Mac's arm as they left the suite. Once they reached the lower floor she dragged them down a side hall and into a room the trio hadn't noticed before. The sitting room was dominated by a massive evergreen festooned with garland and illuminated by tiny candle-like lights. Allegra stood to one side of the bush tree almost bouncing with excitement. She reached behind the greenery as soon as the group entered and with a cheery 'Merry Christmas' she dragged an annoyed looking Fox Mulder into their line of sight. Scully was a step behind him, carefully avoiding the younger woman's grabbing hands. Both the agents were dressed in rumpled looking work-suits and neither seemed well rested or at all comfortable. Mulder shook off Allegra's light touch and stalked across the room to stop in front of the twins. "If this is your idea of fun..." He let the threat hang without directing it at either man. After a split- second's appraisal Mulder turned all of his fury straight at Alex. "Where are the discs?" "Please explain to me..." Alexei's posture straightened and he gathered sarcasm about himself like a cloak. "How could I have been upstairs stealing the bloody computer files at the same time as you were smacking me around in the reception room?" Mulder's changeable eyes shifted to Victor, taking note of the bruising on his face. "I know of one way, but I'm hoping there's another explanation." He stated levelly. "Victor, Mac and Li Ann were already headed up here when that crap at Stalward's went down. They had nothing to do with it." Alex lied smoothly. "Riene and I made a brief stab at the discs but they were too well secured." He glanced over at the teenager and she nodded confirmation. "Nice to see you again, Agent Mulder. How's the head?" Riene recalled the man had taken a thump during the van break. "We weren't properly introduced before." She padded forward in an attempt to draw some of the attention. "I'm Catherine Alexander. You have no idea how much I've heard about you." Mulder ignored the girl, pushing past so he could get even closer to Alex. "You are under arrest." His hand shot out to grab at the Russian's shirt. Victor batted the reaching fingers away. "Back off Mulder." He warned in a low growl. "You're in hostile territory now and strong arm tactics won't cut it here." Victor moved to keep his brother protected from the older man. Alex was damaged enough right now. Strangely, considering past experiences Alex let himself be walled away from Mulder without protest. Mulder turned a curious stare on his lover. "You brought us here." He reminded. "Not to bluster and threaten." Victor clarified. "Things are complicated. If you can stay rational and official you'll do a damned sight more good at this point." He'd wanted to improve the odds against the Romanov women but he now saw Mulder's flaring anger and Scully's harsh stare Victor couldn't help but wonder if it was a mistake bringing them into things. "This is simply too-too awkward." Riene pouted. "Why doesn't everyone just settle down somewhere while the tea and coffee are fetched and we'll have a civilised chat over opening Christmas presents." She coaxed. "Now some of the gifts were scrounged up at the last minute but I'm assured Santa Nicki has done miracles." All around the room incredulous expressions turned the teenager's way. As if on cue one of the wide doors pushed open and the elderly Mrs Uritski pushed a large silver trollycart into the room. The old lady halted it right beside Scully then abandoned the cart to bustle across the room. First she shooed Allegra onto one of the long couches, propping pillows all about the pregnant girl. After that she bustled over to Alexei and confidently extracted him from Victor's shadow. He was installed on a different sofa as the woman spouted a stream of Russian chatter that sounded suspiciously like scolding. The elderly servant then fetched two already prepared cups of hot chocolate and plates of little cakes for each of the two. Her words directed Riene's way eventually. "Mama Uritski says everyone should help themselves." The girl translated. "There are sweetrolls and fresh bread. The coffee is very hot so mind you Americans don't burn your tongues." Riene grinned. "She's got work to do but we should shout if we need anything." She flipped into Russian to address the woman, thanking her and promising she would keep close tabs on what Alexei and Allegra required. Scully eyed the wheeled tea tray. "This is not a social call." She spoke for the first time. "Agent O'Conner lost two toes thanks to that little stunt down in New York. Valuable information is missing and the surveillance equipment suggests that you and Krycek are responsible. On top of all that I get the distinct impression that Mr Mansfield and Ms Tsei are here against their will." Scully outlined. "And we have a valid warrant for Krycek's arrest which we intend to carry out, young lady. So let's forget all these hollow platitudes and tend to business." Riene's thin brows lifted and some comment in Russian snarked out making Alexei laugh. "Da. I told you that Bodkin." He reminded her. "Lexi." Li Ann's upper lip curled slightly in warning. She had recognised only one of Riene's words but she suspected that it was a rather vicious insult. "I was just commenting on Agent Scully's impeachable sense of official standards." Riene's falsehood was glaring. "Perhaps to put the esteemed doctor in the festive mood." The dark-haired teen walked over to the tree, knelt and withdrew a brightly wrapped bundle. "Merry Christmas Agent Scully. Olga chose this out of her files especially for you." She offered up the parcel. "How absurd." Dana eyed the gift with disdain. "Open it." Li Ann suggested. The comment about it coming from the scientist's files was intriguing. The oriental woman had been itching for a chance to dig through the family's information archives since she'd first heard about them. "It might be useful Dana." Using the woman's first name earned a frown from Mulder but no one else seemed to notice. Victor had set himself to the task of pouring and handing out the aromatic coffee in an effort at keeping the gathering civilised. He started by offering a mug to his lover who accepted it with a distracted glare. "It's a simple Christmas present." Riene continued to hold it ready. "No strings attached." Scully took it cautiously. She untied the ribbon and unwrapped the fabric to reveal a three ring binder crammed with densely printed pages. Flipping through also revealed diagrams and tables among the text. "That's everything we know about the composition, design and programming of that chip in your neck Agent Scully." Riene informed her in a level tone. "Lexi's been pestering Olga about passing this your way for months now." Scully's blue eyes flicked briefly Krycek's way before returning to the binder she held. "How do I know any of this information is valid?" "You're welcome, Agent Scully." Riene's laugh was sprightly. She turned back to the small pile of gifts. The next parcel was delivered to Mulder. "Again, it's not comprehensive but we did have copies of some of your destroyed X-files." Mulder tore open the package to discover a folder with several CDs inside. "How did you get my files?" "Aren't they just a wealth of good manners?" Riene observed sarcastically. "That's why we all adore them." Alex responded with a hint of his usual amusement. "Hand out the rest of the presents Bodkin. I'm sure we'll be much more gracious." Nicki had chosen wisely even if the gifts were all on the odd side. A box, done up like a floral presentation of a dozen roses, contained a new arm for Alexei. Mac got a case full of audio phone-tap recordings. Victor's little sister received a packet of paperwork and documents declaring her to be Allegra Romanov a native of St Petersburg. Li Ann was given a file filled with information on the Tang family's activities both before and after the time of her and Mac's association with the Hong Kong crime family. The note inside the cover said 'to help satisfy your bountiful curiosity' in Cantonese but, much to her discomfort, it wasn't Alex's handwriting. Someone else in the family obviously was literate in the Eastern language as well. Li Ann stared down at the bulging folder as she sipped her coffee and a vision tantalised her. Stacks of information on nearly everything she could wish to know waited just a few locked doors away. She could find out all she wished to know on Alex, the consortium's plans for alien invasion, the extent of her former employer's control in the government or even how to clone a human being, for goodness sake. Li Ann glanced up a Dana's pinched expression. She could easily earn her estranged lover's happiness with a few picked locks and deactivated alarms. Another swallow of the strong brew in her hand started her mind off down the path of considering exactly how to break into the Romanov archives. Victor's gift was the most tangible, traditional present of them all. He stared at the large gold-framed picture for several moments before turning it about so the rest of the room could see it. "Cathers is just a whiz at photographic manipulation." Riene said quietly. "She took Nicki's favourite painting and tricked it around so the whole clan was represented. Look, Vicka Sweetheart." She was leaning over him with her fingers ruffling an absent caress through his short hair. "She even put that adorable moustache you used to have into it so you and Alexei aren't exactly the same." The portrait looked like it had been painted about ten years ago. Nicki sat on an ornate antique chair with the elder generation of girls standing to her right, Alexei to her left, and all the Catherines aesthetically arranged on the floor before them. Somehow Victor's image had been added in beside his twin's and Alice sat down amid four cloned girls looking just a touch more mature than they did, at about nine years old. There was also a sweet-faced, young blonde boy standing in front of Alex and Victor that Vic was fairly certain represented Peter. Every one of them wore extremely formal clothing that would have been well suited to a royal family from a hundred years in the past. "How?" Victor stared at the family portrait. If he didn't know for a fact that he and his sister had never sat for the picture Victor wouldn't have known the thing for a composite. "It's incredible." His eyes were wide. This courtly portrayal was nothing like the family pictures that his mother had herded him into all those years ago. "Like I said Cathers did it. I don't know how exactly." Riene leaned on his shoulder. "It's comforting to have a representation of our entire family, Vicka, my dear. She's making a few others for the rest of us. Still, we should talk to Nicki about staging an authentic one over the next couple of days. As long as the pictures never leave the manor our security won't suffer." She casually kissed the top of his head. "Or maybe we should wait until the baby comes so we'll all be in it." "This is all quite 'festive' but we're not here for cookies and party games." Scully interrupted the quiet moment with a sharp complaint. Riene sighed and exchanged an amused glance with Alexei. "Drink your coffee and have a ginger cake, Agent Scully, then we'll attempt some civilised negotiations. You've been given a distorted image of what's been occurring over the last little while and it needs to be addressed." Heavily lashed eyes swept the room. "It's supposed to be a happy day, Christmas is. Surely all of you can contain your quarrels and objections long enough to have some breakfast. Mama Uritski has worked so hard to provide all of this. The coffee is her own special blend. She grinds it fresh at every brewing." No one but Riene caught Alexei's brief frown of suspicion but then again she was waiting for it. His green eyes caught her's immediately. Alexei's brows raised in inquiry then his gaze dropped purposefully to his cup as he tilted it towards her. When Alex looked back up Riene offered him the most dazzling smile in her repertoire and a hint of a nod. His only reaction was to close his eyes and tighten his grip on his hot chocolate. Unless he was reading the situation completely wrong, Alexei decided, everyone in the room except himself, Allegra and Riene was in the process of ingesting a sample from Olga's vast array of chemical supplies...and he doubted any of them were going to be happy with the results. Alex had hoped that whatever was spiking the food and drinks would perhaps soften the moods of his guests. He couldn't have been more wrong. The tensing paranoia showed up in Mulder and Scully the quickest but Li Ann and Mac's expressions began to sour right on the heels of the Feds. It was being directed just like a stage play. As soon as Li Ann started to grow waspish Olga showed up to haul Allegra away from the impending unpleasantness. To Alexei's surprise Mrs Uritski re-appeared a few moments later with a note requesting that Victor come away from the parlour. The ex-cop's brow furrowed and Alex had to reassure him several times before the twins could be separated. "Are Mulder and Scully still carrying?" Alex whispered the question to Riene between fending off some rather furious accusations from Fox about Alex's role in the consortium's activities. Scully and Li Ann, on the far side of the room, had fallen into a whispered but intense discussion of something. "Only partially." Riene's thick laugh drew glares from all about the room. Li Ann dropped the file she had been given on a sidetable with a resounding smack. "This is nothing, simply bread crumbs." She yelled in Riene's general direction. "They've got piles of information filed away downstairs that puts these scraps to shame." One long nail poked at Scully's binder. "It's not right to hoard it all like that, to sell it to the highest bidder." "What kind of information?" Mulder's attention snapped her way. "It's their coin of trade." Li Ann's voice was growing more biting with every word. "It's what this family supports itself with. Buying and selling information and influence." "Li Ann you forgot our lucrative sideline of assassinations and drug trafficking." Riene teased, although the humour seemed to beyond the grasp of their four remaining guests. "Oh and prostitution." The teenager added flippantly. "How much a night are you going for Lexi my lover." Alex wanted to protest, to ease the fire that was starting to burn in Mac's eyes, but he didn't dare do anything but play along. They were under surveillance, he was certain of that. "Bodkin!" He forced amusement. "You know I never charge for it, not with anyone attractive at least." "Liar." Mulder snarked. "It only costs our self-respect." "And the occasional death in the family." Riene giggled. "But his sweet ass is worth overlooking patricide for, right Foxy?" She pushed too far with that remark. Mulder was across the room with his hands at Alex's throat within a breath of the taunt. Alexei went limp in the clinch, having neither the strength nor the inclination to fight back. "Ooo, Foxy." Riene cooed. She shifted, shoving her hand between the two men. Her fingers forced down to cup Mulder's groin and squeezed. "Which is it this time, lovely Fox? Are you going to fuck him before or after you beat him bloody? Can I watch?" Riene licked at the Agent's stubbled face. Mulder's surprise at the teenager's actions loosened his grip enough that when Mac dragged the older man back Alex gagged only briefly. Mulder was flung almost into the tree. "MINE!" Mac roared the single word then went on the attack. Alexei demanded of Riene as he noticed Li Ann dragging Scully out of the room. Neither woman seemed to even notice the battle their partners had begun. Riene winced in sympathy as Mulder landed a solid hit on Mac's jaw. The brief exchange in Russian was being ignored by the fighters. "Ouch. I thought your Mac-baby was a marital arts expert?" Riene tsk-ed as the Fed landed another blow. "Give him a minute to size Fox up." Alex forced himself to remain seated. "There he goes. See." Mac let out a cleansing shout and went on the offensive. "He's going to hurt Mulder." The concern escaped in his tone. Alexei's body was tensing to stand and interfere. "Mulder still has his spare gun in his ankle holster." Riene reassured Alex. "As soon as he gets angry enough. There it is." Her fingernails dug into the tender skin of Alexei's neck, holding him back. "JUST BACK OFF, YOU BASTARD!" Mulder shouted. The hand holding his back-up piece trembled. His other hand wiped a drip of blood from the corner of his mouth. "Just give me an excuse Ramsey and I'll splatter what little brains you have over the wall behind you." The older man was sweating profusely. "Do you understand?" The question almost screamed out. "You'd better not blink, Fibbie 'cause it'll only take me a second to snap your neck." Mac shifted, unable to keep still. His skin was on fire and his muscles twitched with urge to kill the man who had laid hands on his mate. Even as the thought formed he halfway recognised it as primal nonsense but the power of the emotion refused to be denied. Mulder was pressing the heel of his left hand to his wrinkled forehead. Something was definitely wrong. The anger that had seized him was too sudden, too strong. It had to be an unnatural sensation. "Krycek! What have..." The blame could only rest in one place. "What have you done to me?" "Not half so much as he's wanted to do to you, Pretty-pretty." Riene answered for her mentor. "You must realise that Alex would happily ditch skinny Mac-baby and spend the rest of his life chained to your bed if you simply nodded his way, dear Agent Mulder." She carefully noted Mac's stance growing more aggressive with every breath. "Not that dumping Mac-baby would be a stretch. You were planning on throwing him over for your handsome Englishman come the new year anyway, weren't you Lexi-love?" The teenager's claws threatened, demanding agreement. What Englishman? Alexei made an effort to keep his confusion at the new variable from showing. "It's the accent." The Russian ad-libbed. "The accent simply destroys me. I wish we'd met while you were still at Oxford, Foxy. I'm told you picked up the pattern of it over the course of your stay. The sound of that would've had me coming in my jeans in two seconds flat." Mulder frowned, shaking his head in confusion. Mac, having heard enough, couldn't resist the urge to strike out at someone. Mulder seemed the most likely target despite the still waving gun. Without any further warning the lanky young man launched himself at his rival. The gunshot that immediately followed made Alexei cringe but the vivid emotion he felt at the look of absolute malice Mulder turned his way put that slight quaver of fear to shame. Riene distanced herself after the brief instruction, backing away. Alexei dragged himself to his feet. His eyes locked onto Mulder's face, completely dismissing Mac's crumpled form. "I'm impressed." Alex announced sarcastically as Mulder's gun barrel swung around to point his way. "I must scare you pretty badly, Foxy, if you've got to use a gun to keep me in line." He purred out the boasting statement. "Even when I had two arms you used to be able to handle me without a weapon. You're getting old and tired, Mulder." The Federal agent let out an incoherent roar of anger and charged across the separating expanse. Alexei tried to direct the impact so they tumbled to the floor without bashing their brains out on the nearby furniture but he couldn't exhibit much control. They rolled to a stop nearly under the tree. Mulder dug his fingers into Alex's shoulders and shook the man under him violently. "What have you done to me, you Bastard?" Came the demand. "What haven't I done to you, Gorgeous? I've been fucking with your lovely head since the day I walked up to your desk and you haven't been able to protect yourself or anyone around you." Alexei bragged. "I own your ass, Foxy baby." The blow that Mulder slammed across his cheek and the heavy weight of the other man holding him down sent Alex's head into a familiar spin. "SHUT UP, YOU FILTHY EXCUSE FOR A PIECE OF CRAP!" Mulder screamed into his captive's face, dripping spittle. Alexei had to stifle the urge to laugh out loud as they began a repeat performance of what had happened so many times during the trip to Tunguska. He thrust his hips up and threw back his head to bare his throat to Mulder's fury. There was only a split second's hesitation before Alex felt the cleansing pain of Mulder's teeth breaking his skin. Alexei groaned out his excitement. Attempting to shift his shoulders, however, earned him a hard slam to the cold wooden floor. The magnitude of the agony from his damaged left side was startling, almost making him pass out. "Don't!" the protest escaped involuntarily but it didn't matter. Between the wash of drugs, memory and anger Mulder was well down the path that they wanted him on. Anytime now Alex could begin fighting in earnest and screaming his head off without provoking a guilty reaction from Mulder. Riene had fled, to fetch Victor, if Alex's guess was right. He really should start fighting back if he wanted his twin to get the right impression of the encounter. Cloth was tearing, Alexei realised through the haze. He shook his head to clear it. He didn't want to miss any of this, especially since it was going to be interrupted all too soon. Cold air assaulted his skin helping to focus his attention. Mulder's hands, which had vanished for a moment, returned and blunt nails dug in trying to turn Alex over. Too fast, Alexei realised. It would be finished before the intended audience arrived. He purposefully began to struggle against the action. "Mulder, NO! Not like this!" The younger man twisted suddenly in his attacker's grasp. He almost broke free because of Mulder's shock at the novelty of Alex protesting. Still, even as the words fell from the Russian's lips his body squirmed seductively pressing into the older man's groin. "Lying little cock-tease." Mulder concluded. With a snarl he dug his fingers into the pale skin below him, forcing Alex over onto his stomach. "WHORE!" Alexei felt a slam to the back of his head bouncing his forehead off the floor. Christ, he was hard enough to cut diamonds at this point. It was difficult to keep wits enough about him, to keep from whining and presenting himself for mounting like a bitch in heat. "I don't want to do this, Mulder!" Alex shouted the lie at the top of his lungs so it would carry out the door. "Don't do this to me." The cry for mercy had to be forced past a clenched jaw. Mulder was dragging his ass up into the air by his hips. "Deceitful Bastard!" A hard bite punctuated the accusation drawing another trickle of blood. More wet heat hit Alexei's asshole. With only that dribble of saliva it was going to be a rough ride. The scream torn from his throat as Mulder shoved in with one quick stroke was genuine pain. "NYET! Stohp! Pazhaluysta Mulder, nyet." Alex lapsed momentarily. If his beautiful bastard didn't slow down Alexei was going to need stitches. Damn Riene for springing this on him without giving him enough warning to slick himself this morning. "Mulder, no. Don't. You've got to stop, Mulder. You're tearing... FUCK!" How could such sawing torment feel so damned good at the same time? Alex screamed, letting out his suffering, confusion and arousal in a single word. "STOP!" When the smothering heat and pain was dragged off his back Alexei didn't have to fake the wail of despair and shaken collapse that followed. Mulder was raging somewhere behind him and the sound of furniture breaking touched his ears. Alex really wanted to turn and watch the battle that was beginning but the best he could manage was a glimpse before Riene's small hands were there sticking him with a tiny dart that froze up his body's responses to all that was occurring around him. Alexei was dragged down into the darkness but he took with him the sight of Victor standing over a sprawled Mulder looking the very image of an avenging angel so it didn't scare him so much as usual. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Li Ann had thought they'd been careful. She'd seen no evidence of triggered alarms or that she and Dana were under surveillance. When the faint click of a gun cocking roused them from their exploration of a room crammed with over-flowing file cabinets it took Li Ann by complete surprise. Anastasia and one of the Catherines had them covered. The choice of personnel made sense. Scully had already had dealings with Stacey, briefly. There was no need to 'out' another member of the family to the federal agent. "Ladies, a locked door does not mean 'Come on in and feel free to look around'." Anastasia's most annoying tone of voice grated out. She flicked her gun barrel, instructing them to return to the barren hallway. Li Ann stalled, attempting to judge their chances against the two women. She could disarm one of them with ease and perhaps the other as well. That would give her and Dana guns and a margin of time to explore. "You underestimate how precarious your situation is, Deary." Stacey's voice grew even more nasal. "But then you're thinking isn't very clear right now." Li Ann tensed to spring. "Perhaps, Agent Scully..." The Catherine began. "You might want to offer Olga a hand in the medical bay." She took a different approach from her elder, attempting to coax rather than issue orders. "Olga and Dr Vladovna are both competent but with three different patients and only two doctors I'm afraid Agent Mulder's less than life- threatening injuries are being ignored." She passed off the facts as if it were merely incidental. "In favour of operating on Mac's bullet wound and repairing poor Lexi's damage." Scully reached out to lay a steadying hand on her lover. Li Ann didn't seem to be even registering the information. The part about Mac being operated on should have caught the younger woman's attention. "Take us to them." Dana tossed the sheath of papers she was holding aside. She'd been busted enough times during an illegal search to know when to give up. Li Ann, however, was still poised on the balls of her feet. Scully squeezed gently trying to get the other woman's narrowed attention off the guns and onto the situation. "Li Ann, they're saying that Mac has been shot. I think we should go along and see what's happened." Dana stated clearly, watching Li Ann's wide dark eyes for some sign of understanding. "We'll never get another chance at these files, this information." Li Ann was almost shivering with tension. "I know." Scully's regret was clear. "But I need to check on Mulder and this stuff isn't going to do us any good if we die without even reading through it. I followed you down here, Li Ann. Follow me back up. Trust me." Li Ann shuddered then reached up to scrub her palms into her eye sockets. "I think there's something wrong with me, Dana. I feel really strange." "It's okay. I'm feeling a bit odd myself." Scully admitted. "How about we go check on the guys then I'll look you over too?" "Fine. I give up." The oriental woman's hands dropped to her sides, still fisted. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Li Ann had a piercing headache perched between her eyebrows and her stomach was knotted into a tight ball but relief didn't appear to be in sight. The three injured men were all separated by stairs enough to make her calves ache. She had left Scully to patch Mulder up in the sitting area of their suite. Mac was down in the sterile confines of Olga's laboratory-medical bay with enough equipment gathered around him to seriously frighten Li Ann. Olga had made it quite clear that Li Ann wasn't welcome near the patient so she had gone looking for Alexei and Victor. It was odd that the pair of them weren't hovering near Mac's bedside. Only after cornering a Catherine and threatening physical violence was Li Ann taken up to the third floor and pointed to the correct door. Alex was cocooned in the centre of a monstrous bed in a museum of a room with Victor and Allegra sitting guard on either side of him. Her occasional lover was a mess of bruises and bandages. His throat was decorated with blue and green marks, one eye was swollen shut, and he looked paler than she had ever seen him. Allegra sat quietly, petting Alexei's cropped black hair, while Victor held his twin's hand. "What happened Victor?" Li Ann had yet to get an explanation from anyone. The Romanov women weren't talking and Mulder was making no sense at all when he did try to speak with his badly bruised jaw. "You'd know..." Victor's voice was harsh. "If you hadn't gone haring off with Scully when you should have been watching out for poor Alex. What were you thinking?" He demanded of her. "Leaving him there with Mulder and Mac was just asking for trouble." Li Ann winced. Her reasoning, which had seemed perfectly logical at the time, looked rather silly in retrospect. There was no reason to believe that the Romanov women would allow her to wander around freely, especially with a FBI agent in tow. "I'm sorry." She didn't even try to explain what she couldn't understand for herself. "Could you just tell me what happened Victor?" "What usually happens..." He grouched. "Alex and Mulder started snapping at each other. Mac took offence." Victor frowned. "Mulder and Mac got into some kind of fist-fight that turned really nasty and Mulder shot Mac with the gun he had hidden in his ankle holster then turned on Alex. Riene came and got me. By the time I made it back to the room..." He hesitated. "Alex was on the floor under Mulder. I guess I lost it and started wailing on him. I may have broken Mulder's nose. I'm not sure. It all seems kind of distorted now." Victor continued to stare down at his twin rather than meet Li Ann's eyes. "Nicki's driver and some of the ladies showed up after that. They hauled Mac out on a blanket and separated Mulder and I. The driver and I carried Alex up here. One of the women, a short dark haired one, patched Alex up. She took off a few minutes ago to go get an update on Mac for us." "Mulder's nose isn't broken." Li Ann offered. "Scully's with him. She says he's had worse and still walked away from it." "I don't even know if I care." Victor mumbled. "Alex was screaming for Mulder to stop. I heard it from down the hallway. It was bad. You know Alex has never tried to push him off before no matter what Mulder's done to him but that." The ex-cop mused aloud. "Alex's arm, umm, his stump, I mean. Christ. It was bleeding but that woman..." His free hand gestured absently to the doorway. "Marie." In a faint whisper Allegra offered a name for the woman that had been caring for Alex. "That one is Marie. She and Alex are close, I'm told." "Yeah, Marie. She's quite the medic. She wrapped it tight, cleaned up the rest of his injuries and gave Alex a shot to stop him from thrashing around. Alex hasn't regained consciousness since I pulled Mulder off him but he was tossing in his sleep." "You called?" The door, which had been standing opened, now contained a woman of about thirty-eight with long brown hair and a sweet face. "How's Mac?" Victor didn't bother with pleasantries. "Shouldn't we be taking him into a hospital?" "There was no time for that before Vicka, and now it's just a matter of waiting. A hospital wouldn't help." Marie countered. "I'm sorry." The woman's mouth pressed into a line. "He's right on the edge. The bullet seems to have torn through some tricky areas. Olga says we won't know for a few hours if he's going to be okay." Marie walked over to lay a soothing hand on Victor's shoulders. "Try not to worry too much, Vicka honey. Olga may be more of a lab tech than a practising surgeon but Daria, Dr Vladovna, is excellent at practical surgery. She's the one who attached Lexi's arm." She settled beside him, keeping her arm around him in a cosy manner, as if they were family. Li Ann took an unconscious step backwards. She couldn't help but feel, for a fleeting moment, that they were closing ranks against her as SHE was the outsider rather than this Marie person. "Alla, Darling." Marie addressed Allegra with a nickname Li Ann had never heard before. "Lexi looks a bit warm. Maybe you could get a damp cloth. The bathroom is through there." She pointed to a door without loosening the possessive embrace she had Victor enclosed in. "Victor." Li Ann began. "Can I have a word with you in private?" She ventured. Something was definitely wrong. He didn't even look up to acknowledge her. "Later, okay? I don't want to leave Alex alone right now. Why don't you go keep Agent Scully company?" He suggested in a rather distracted tone of voice. Maybe talking to her lover was the right way to go. A bit of scientific detachment might be just the thing to help figure out what was going on around here. "I won't be long. I'm going to ask Dana to come up here and take a peek at Alex. She's a doctor too." "She's a pathologist, a coroner." Marie corrected with just a touch of smugness. "I don't think Alex is liable to need her anytime soon. Best she simply keep an eye on Agent Mulder. No one else has the time or temperament to deal with him right now." When no support came from Victor, Li Ann frowned and backed out of the room. She needed some help. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Li Ann vaguely recalled dozing off on the couch as she was trying to explain her sense of discomfort to Dana. Both of them had been yawning enough to make their jaws sore. She'd hoped to awaken to discover her headache gone but that wasn't to be. It was cutting into her brain even more sharply than before. To make things worse a phone was ringing right beside her ear. She'd best grab it before it woke Dana. Her lover had been so terribly tired. The receiver came away from the base of the phone with a clumsy rattle and Li Ann lifted it to her face. "Yeah?" She was in no mood for phone etiquette right now. < Good morning. This is your ten am wake up call.> A too jolly voice informed her. "Yeah, fine. Whatever." Li Ann dropped the phone back in place. All she wanted do was cross the narrow space between her own body and where Dana lay sprawled out beside her. If she moved across the bed carefully enough she wouldn't wake the other woman and it had been almost two weeks since they'd had a chance to snuggle. Li Ann missed that even more than the sex. Wait a minute, the bed, Li Ann's mind protested. She reluctantly dragged herself upright and looked around the room. How dare they move her about in her sleep like a sack of rice? The bedroom was completely unfamiliar. It was decorated in tasteful but non-descript modern furniture. Mulder was stretched over the other double bed snoring slightly. All three of them were still dressed in the clothes they'd been wearing since this morning. Mulder's were stained with blood. Strangely enough most of the illumination in the room came from wide balcony doors near the foot of Mulder's bed. Li Ann wasn't aware any of the lodge's rooms had sliding glass doors. It seemed completely impractical in the chill of Alaska. Besides which, wasn't it dark all the time at this time of year? Cursing the pounding headache still assailing her, Li Ann dragged herself off the bed and over to the bright doorway. It opened easily letting the oriental woman out onto a long balcony with an extraordinary view. "NICKI, YOU ABSOLUTE BITCH!" Li Ann screamed at the horizon. Her stomach fell to somewhere down near her toes. In the face of the scene laid out before her the wake-up call that she had listened to with only a half an ear suddenly clarified. Cantonese, the cheerful man on the other end of the phone had been speaking Cantonese. Li Ann caught hold of the balcony railing and stared across at the skyline of Hong Kong wondering how the hell she was going to explain this to Dana and Mulder when she didn't even understand it herself. The End Evil, I'm evil. Milk and cookies time Mangled Russian translations: Boot't'ih ah-stah-rohzh-nuh...be careful Yah doo-muh-yoo, shtuh-nyet...I don't think so Stohp...Stop (I'm not sure about this one) T'ee-Khee...quiet Pazhaluysta...please Sihm-naht-tsuht...seventeen