From: Donna McIntosh Date: Sat, 25 Nov 2006 19:55:55 -0800 (PST) Subject: RAINY NIGHTS by dmcintoshtx@yahoo.com Source: direct Title: RAINY NIGHTS Author: dmcintoshtx@yahoo.com Fandom: X-Files Pairing: Skinner and Krycek Rating: NC-17 (FRAO) Warning: Explicit M/M sex scenes Disclaimer: These characters belong to Chris Carter. RAINY NGHTS Walter Skinner stepped off the plane in Hong Kong and was immediately assailed by the heat and smells. He hated this city but it did have some interesting places to visit; places that if you were seen visiting them in the US it could mean your job; your reputation. Madam Soo Lei's was such a place. He had called from San Francisco and had made reservations for the next three nights. He didn't indulge very often, but when he did, he did so with all the enthusiasm and tenacity that he put into his work at the bureau. He was going to get laid and he was looking forward to it. He retrieved his bag and made his way out front to the line of taxi cabs waiting. He hailed one and climbed in, tossing his bag in before him. He showed the driver a piece of paper with the address on it then sat back, loosened his tie and relaxed. He rolled his neck until it popped, rolled his shoulders to ease the taut muscles from hours of sitting on the plane. He glanced casually out the window from time to time and it occurred to him, things looked different from the last time he was there six months prior. Things change, he thought to himself. He looked at his watch and realized they had been driving a lot longer than it usually takes to get to his destination. Must be taking a different route. Another ten minutes passed and they still were no where near the neighborhood of Madam Soo Lei's. Walter tapped the driver on the shoulder and tried to speak to him but the driver clearly didn't understand English. Walter held up a piece of paper with the correct address on it and the driver jabbered something and shook his head yes. The next turn the driver made took them into an alley between buildings and stopped half-way in. Before Walter knew what was happening, both side doors opened and a man got in on each side and started pulling on Walter. Next thing he felt was a sting on the side of his neck, then oblivion. He awoke to find himself hurting all over; the side of his neck felt like a bee sting. He struggled and found himself, face down; arms and legs each tied to a corner of a bed; tape over his mouth. He pulled on his bonds but he was helpless. He was also nude. Panic gripped him. He looked around the semi-dark room as much as he could see and his heart sank. The room was plain; a bed, a table with a lamp, and a chair in the corner. An open doorway leading into a tiny bathroom, and another door closed, with a chain lock dangling. This was NOT Madam Soo Lei's. Her rooms were all beautifully decorated in the classic Chinese style. He struggled against his bonds again; twisting and turning and pulling until his burning wrists and ankles were scraped raw and dripping blood. He heard voices then, footsteps that stopped outside his door. Panic notched up to terror. He thrashed back and forth on the bed trying to turn it over but only succeeded in rocking it some. The door opened and he heard the voices clearer, he did not speak the language but it sounded to him like one was trying to coax the other into the room and the other was.....familiar! That voice! He had heard it before. It was speaking Chinese but he knew the voice. It belonged to Alex Krycek! His fears were upped another notch by anger. Alex God Damned Krycek! He thought! He'd gut him for this! If he thought he could get away with something like this he was sadly mistaken! A hand came into the room and switched the light on, then the man belonging to the Chinese voice came into the room pulling on Krycek's arm and pointing to Walter on the bed. Krycek came in reluctantly, shaking his head no, until he saw Walter. He froze. The Chinaman was jabbering away, big grin on his face and gesturing towards Walter. Krycek cleared his throat and said something to the man in Chinese. The man shook his head and left the room, still grinning that shit-eating grin of his. Krycek walked to the door and slid the chain lock into place. He turned and walked over to the bed and sat down. He pulled the tape off Walter's mouth. "YOU LAY ONE HAND ON ME AND I'LL RIP YOUR GUTS OUT!" He screamed at Krycek. Krycek chuckled and put the tape back on. "Will you just shut up and listen? I'll get you out of here. Just hold on a minute. I told him I'd try you out and see if I liked you. He'll be back in 15 minutes. I can get you out then. If you can keep from screaming, I'll take the tape off and get you some water. We got a deal?" Walter shook his head and Alex removed the tape. "Untie me!" Walter demanded. "I can't do that." Alex answered holding a glass of water for him to drink. He drank greedily. "I can get you out, but we have to do it my way. How long did they have you? You going to need a doctor?" "No. No doctor. I don't know how long I've been here. A matter of hours, I would guess." "Your wrists look bad. Quit struggling." "You've sunk to a new low, Krycek, dealing with these kinds of people." Walter sneered. "I don't deal with these people, Skinner, the old man does. I'm just here delivering a disc with information someone here in Hong Kong needs. The meet was set up for a backroom here. I've finished with my business and just want to get on a plane for home before the rains start." "Supposed to be another few weeks before they start." Walter answered, breathing a little easier now. He didn't know why, but something in him made him feel like Krycek was telling the truth. "Yeah, that's what I thought but I heard on the radio on the way here that it was going to start earlier, within the next day or so and it's already raining." "Shit!" Was all Walter had to say to that. He thought sure he would have time to get his business taken care of and back home long before the rains started and closed the city to all but those who lived and worked in the massive tunnel system under the city where even he wouldn't go unless absolutely necessary. Before either had a chance to speak again a knock came at the door. Krycek came back over to Walter and replaced the tape on his mouth. "Turn your head the other way or keep your eyes down. Don't let them see you looking hopeful. You're in enemy hands now; act like it!" He walked over to the door and undid the chain. The grinning Chinaman came in patty caking his hands together. They jabbered in Chinese for a few minutes, obviously haggling over something; him, Walter realized. An agreement was finally reached and they bowed; Krycek once, the Chinaman several times as he went to the door and called out into the hall. Two beefy men came in and untied Walter from the bed and stood him up. Krycek and the first Chinaman were still haggling then with another call out into the hall, someone came running in carrying a trench coat and that was wrapped around Walter's shoulders, his arms slipped in and the belt tied in front. He was still being held securely in their grip; hands were tied at the wrists again; ankles tied with enough length of rope between for him to take short steps. The man was holding out papers for Krycek to sign. Krycek scribbled quickly and they walked out of the room, down the hall and out a back door into the night air. Krycek motioned to a nearby parked car and they hurried through the rain. Walter was shoved into the front seat and Krycek slid in behind the wheel. The other two hurried back into the building and Alex started the engine. He made it to the end of the alley and reached over and removed the tape from Walter's mouth. The rain was pouring down off the building in a torrent as he reached into his right boot and pulled out a switchblade knife. A click and it was opened. "Hands" he said to Walter. Walter reached his hands over and Alex slit the ropes binding them then handed the knife to Walter then headed out into traffic. Walter quickly sliced through the ropes at his ankles and rubbed circulation back into them as well as his wrists. The car was being buffeted by the wind and the rain made it nearly impossible to see where they were going. One side-ways slide, and a couple of near misses and Alex cursed. "Where are you staying? Which hotel?" "Wasn't planning on staying at a hotel," Walter answered holding on the dashboard for support. "OK. I guess it's my place then. It's not too far; just another few blocks." Walter was pleased to see that they were heading back to where there were more lights; a better part of town. Another few minutes and they were pulling up into the drive of a hotel that Walter recognized as being one of the nicer ones right next to the airiport. A quick dash through the rain and they were in a side entrance and standing in front of an elevator. The place was packed with people trying to get rooms. No one paid any attention to the fact that he was barefoot. Another few minutes and they were getting off on the 6th floor and made their way down the hall to room 617. Alex keyed the lock and they went in. "I'll call down and see about getting you a room but it doesn't look like there's much of a chance of getting one. I'll see when the next flight to the states leaves but with this rain, it might be a days." Walter took a seat at the small table and looked out the window at the deluge outside. He had been caught in the rains before and knew nothing would be flying for a while. Alex haggled with the front desk but it was no use. He even offered triple the going rate but nothing was available. Next call went out to the airport. No flights out. Period. Not until the storm passed. Alex went to the small refrigerator and took out some bottled water and tossed one over to Walter, then began digging into his bag and pulled out an old sweat shirt and pants that he liked to sleep in. He also got out a pair of socks and tossed the entire bundle over to Walter. "These should fit, at least for now." "Thanks" Walter eagerly pulled the sweat pants on, then took the coat off and slipped the sweat shirt on. It was a bit snug but at least he had clothes on now and with the addition of the socks, felt almost human again. "There are shops down stairs. That's what I like about this hotel; it's connection to the underground shops. C'mon. Let's go get you some clothes that fit and some shoes. Sorry, I don't have any extra." "That's OK. I appreciate these. Is there an ATM in this place?" Walter asked as they headed for the door. "There is but it's only good on Hong Kong accounts. I'll get some money." Alex answered as they stepped into the elevator and hit the button marked basement. At least that's what Alex said it said. It was just a Chinese figure that Walter had no idea what it meant. He was still nervous but relaxed when the door opened and they were in an underground mall of sorts. Every kind of shop you could imagine was there, doing a thriving business as usual when the rains drove the city folks underground. First stop was an ATM with nothing but Chinese characters on it so Walter wouldn't have been able to use it even if it had connections to American banks. In seconds the drawer opened and Alex was pulling out a handful of bills. "We need to get you a bag first," he said leading Walter over to a small luggage store. They purchased sports bag and a toiletry kit. Next stop was a pharmacy where they purchased toothbrush, razor and toiletries then walked on to the next place Alex set his sights on. 45 minutes later they were back in their room, bag stuffed full of clothes and a new pair of boots on Walter's feet. Alex carried a double hand full of snacks, sandwiches, and bottled water. He set everything out on the table as Walter slipped into the bathroom and into the shower. Minutes later Walter emerged in a sweat suit that fit him. Alex was at the table munching on a sandwich. Walter joined him at the table and helped himself. "Do any of those tunnels lead to the American Embassy? I need to see about getting another passport and ID." Walter asked around a mouthful of sandwich. "Nah, they don't. Even if they did, it would take days to get another one." Alex answered finishing off a package of Twinkies. "I can't get on a plane without papers." "Yeah, I was thinking about that. Why don't you let me take care of that for you." Alex leaned back in his chair. "I already owe you big time." Walter stared at Alex; tried to figure him out. "Look, Walter, I owe you so much, I can never make up for it all; we both know that." They stared at one another for a time then Walter spoke. "If you can get me papers faster than the embassy, I would appreciate it very much." Alex grinned and pulled out his cell phone. He punched in some numbers, waited a few minutes, then spoke a few sentences in Chinese and closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. "That's it?" Walter was skeptical. "That's the beginning. Someone will show up here in a little while and get things started. "Friend of yours?" "An acquaintance. He's done work for me before. He does a good job, he's reasonable, and he owes allegiance to no one." "Can you trust him?" "As much as you can trust anyone," Alex shook his head. 30 minutes later there was a knock on the door. Alex checked the peep-hole first then opened the door. A small Chinaman came in, couldn't have been more than four foot tall and aged beyond guessing. He carried a small suitcase and after exchanging greetings and bowing a few times, got to work. First thing he did was get out a camera and motioned for Walter to stand up against the wall. A flash and that part was done. He told Alex to have Walter change his shirt then he took a second photo. The old man sat himself down at the table and took out papers. Alex spelled out Walter's name and gave some other information and the old man printed it all carefully out. An array of wallets was laid out and Walter was told to choose one. He chose one that was most like the one he had lost. In no time the little man was running some stuff through a small laminating machine and handing Walter, a driver's license, a library card, two credit cards with his name pressed into them. In another few minutes, the passport was complete and he handed it to Walter. He bowed and smiled and reached a hand, palm up, out to Alex. Alex placed a number of bills in his hand and they again exchanged words and the old man left. "Amazing!" Walter exclaimed. "This is perfect. Look, there's even some money here; US bills." "As I said, he does good work." Alex smiled, and stifled a yawn. "Maybe we could get them to send a roll-away bed up here." Walter asked hopefully. "Nah. I asked that earlier when they said they were out of rooms." He walked over to the sliding glass door to the balcony and stared out at the storm. "You go ahead, take the bed. I can sleep in the chair here." "No, you've already done too much. I can sleep on the floor. You take the bed." "No!.....You know, this is really ridiculous. It's a king sized bed. We can both sleep in it. There's plenty of room," Alex offered. "You're right. This is stupid. You have a preference on sides?" Walter asked, rubbing the back of his neck to ease the tension. "Nah, take your pick. I'm gonna grab a quick shower." He picked up the sweat suit that Walter had been wearing earlier and disappeared into the bathroom. Walter stood by the window looking out at the storm and was grateful to be inside. He finished the rest of the water from his bottle, trashed it and got into bed. He lay on his back, one arm folded up behind his head and stared at the ceiling. This was NOT how he had expected to spend his days off! He heaved a great sigh and silently cursed his luck; stuck in a hotel room with Alex Krycek! Alex came out of the bathroom with a whoosh of moist air, filling the room with the aroma of soap, shampoo, and toothpaste. He left the bathroom light on and closed the door most of the way. "I sleep better with a little light. Will it bother you?" he asked Walter. "No, not at all," Walter assured him. Alex climbed into bed on the opposite side; laying flat on his back. They were silent for several moments than Walter spoke. "I want you to know, I appreciate what you did for me tonight. Whatever it cost you to buy my freedom, I'll reimburse you as soon as we get back to DC." "Walter, you don't have to thank me. God knows, nothing I ever do will be able to make up for all the problems that I've caused you." Walter snorted but had to agree that one Alex Krycek had been the cause of a lot of grief over the last several years. "Why'd you do it, Krycek? Why'd you leave the bureau to go to work with that bastard Spender?" "It's a long story, Walter, and one of these days I may just sit you down and tell you all the gory details." "What's wrong with right now?" "Because it'll give me nightmares; I don't want to think about it right before I go to sleep." Walter accepted that, then asked. "So how much did I cost?" Alex chuckled, "How much did you cost?" He turned on his side, facing Walter. "Roughly about a year's pay for an AD." "Jesus Christ!" Walter leaned up on his elbows, "You paid that much?" "Most expensive lay I've ever NOT had!" Alex grinned at him. "It'll take a few days to get the money together; I don't have that much cash on hand." "Don't worry about it. I paid out of the old man's account." "You what?" Walter grinned at him in shock. "Expense account; I have expensive tastes. I'm entitled." Alex grinned. Walter lay back down and laughed. "What happens if he finds out?" "Not likely to happen. I'm the one who handles the books for him. You have just become a miscellaneous expense." "Miscellaneous expense? I've been called a lot of things in my day, but never that," he chuckled. "So what were you doing in Hong Kong?" Alex asked. "Just a little R & R." Walter thought about Madam Soo Lei's with a sigh. "It's a long way to come just to get laid." "Yeah, well, it happens." "Not very often apparently." "You got that right." "I usually get a little too when I'm here. Guess we both lost out this time. Though, I could make a few calls; see if I can get someone over here for you? I could take a walk." "No thanks. After this afternoon, I've lost my taste for Chinese." Alex chuckled. "Would you be interested in some good old American/Russian?" "You're making a joke, right?" "Nope. I'm not asking you to marry me; just wondering if you were interested in a little something to make the time pass." Walter's hands were laced together across his abdomen; his breath caught in his throat. He didn't know what to say. If he was honest with himself, he'd have to admit that the thought had occurred to him every since Alex first suggested they share the bed. All he could think of to say was, "Do you think it will ever stop raining?" He raised one knee to relieve the pressure in his groin. It didn't help much. "I don't give a fuck about the rain and neither to you. I've got supplies in my jeans pocket. Do I get them or not?" "Get them." Walter answered without thinking. Alex slipped out of bed, fumbled with his jeans, pushed the bathroom door open all the way bathing the room in a dim glow. He came back to bed and into Walter's waiting arms. It started out with Alex on top but in moments Walter had flipped them over. Two sweat suits landed on the floor, piece by piece and Walter was devouring Alex's mouth. Hands roamed over warm skin, taught muscles, firm rounded hips. Walter's hand closed tight in a fist full of dark hair; he raised up enough to see the look on Alex's face. His mouth open and gasping for air, eyes half close and filled with passion, lips already kiss-swollen. He nearly lost it right there just looking at him; he ground their hips together, mashing their two leaking cocks between them. Alex let out a moan and grabbed at Walter's hips holding them tight together moving his hips with Walter's. Walter suck/kissed his way down the side of Alex's neck, licked his way down to a nipple. He sucked and pulled on it with his teeth, rubbed his nose across it, lapped at it until Alex was writhing beneath him. "Christ, Walter!" Alex called out and flipped Walter over and gave him some of his own medicine. First he nuzzled his face through the silky chest hair then settled on a nipple and gave Walter the same treatment. Walter's head went back and he let out a very un-AD like squeal and gasped for air that was suddenly non-existant in his lungs. He couldn't take much of that so he grabbed Alex and swung him over on his back. He wrapped a hand around Alex's cock, squeezed and caressed it. Alex pressed his hips up, forcing his cock into Walter's hand. "Can't take much of that," he warned and Walter removed his hand but replaced it with a shower of kisses and licks up and down and all around beneath the ridge and across the top. "SHIT, Walter! Oooohhhh" Walter scrabbled on the nightstand for the condom and lube, letting the cock slide out of his mouth with a slurp and bringing a moan from Alex. He worked the condom down over himself and emptied the tube of lube onto his fingertips. He entered Alex slowly, one finger at a time until he had three fingers in. Alex was thrashing back and forth on the bed. Walter crawled up into position, raised Alex's legs and rested them on his shoulders. He pressed against Alex's entrance and in seconds he was sliding in; slowly, just a bit at a time. Alex was leaning up to him, eyes and mouth both wide open, arms around Walter's shoulders trying to bring him closer. He slid the rest of the way in and they both moaned their pleasure. Alex trembled beneath him as he started his rhythmic movements taking them both to the heights of passion. Walter bent down and took his mouth then; possessed him. Stroke, stroke, stroke; each one a little deeper, a little harder; each one eliciting a small moan of pleasure from both of them. The kiss was broken as both of them fought for air, gasping and grasping at one another trying for a tighter, closer hold. Walter pistoned his hips, ramming into Alex with all his might until the room exploded into a billion fireflies of pleasure. When he came to his senses, he rolled off and checked on Alex. He was near unconscious but there was a slight upwards curl to his lips. His thick dark lashes still covered his eyes; his tongue snuck out and tasted his lips. Walter rolled over on his back and lay there until he could catch his breath. "You all right?" he asked as he got up from the bed. "Uh huh," came the mumbled reply. He made his way into the bathroom; cleaned himself and came back out. He shuffled around the pile of clothes on the floor, found his and put them back on and got into bed. Alex got up and took his turn in the bathroom. When he made it back to bed, Walter was already asleep. The shrill ringing of the telephone brought them both full awake. The phone was on Alex's side so he answered it. He spoke a few words in Chinese then in English. "When? Yes! Absolutely. Walter Skinner, that's right," then he hung up the phone. "There's a break in the storm system. This is just the outer edge of it. They have a few seats left on flights leaving for the states. One on a plane leaving in an hour, the other not until this afternoon. I booked you on the first flight." "Good. Thanks." Walter hurried out of bed and into the bathroom. He shaved and brushed his teeth and he was back in the room, changing into his new jeans and shirt. He tied up his boots then reached for a sweet roll from their stash on the table and ate it. He threw the rest of his stuff in his bag and zipped it up. He pulled his new jacket on and turned to face Alex. "I hate to ask you this after al you've done for me, but can I borrow enough money to pay for the ticket?" "It's already paid for; courtesy of old Smoky!" Alex grinned up at him from his seat at the table. "I don't know what to say, I owe you one for what you did for me." "Nah. Like I said. I'm the one that owes you." Alex said fiddling with his bottled water. "I guess.....I'll see you around then." Walter stammered, not knowing what else to say. "Yeah. See you back in DC." Walter picked up his bag and was gone. ***************** Three months later... Walter stood by the open doors to his balcony and watched the rain. It wasn't much more than a shower really and did bring some relief from the hot summer evening. He breathed it in deeply and his thoughts wandered back to that night in Hong Kong. He hadn't heard nor seen Alex Krycek since then. He couldn't help but wonder where he was and what he was doing. He wondered if he ever would hear that long story about why Krycek left the bureau for the consortium. He closed the doors and went upstairs to bed. The cool sheets and soft pillow felt good against his bare skin. His hand went to his balls and he gave himself a squeeze. His hand ran up over his half-hard length and he let his mind wander back to Hong Kong again and the memory of Alex Krycek in his arms, screaming his name as he came. That memory ignited something inside him; a firestorm of pleasure that had taken him on this solo trip several times in the weeks since he had been back. He cleaned himself up and went back to bed to sleep, visions of green eyes and a sweet mouth gasping from pleasure to accompany him. Across town.... Alex flopped face down on the bed and lay there listening to the rain against the window and thought about Walter. He had followed him after work to his condo. Hopefully he was still there snug and warm. He closed his eyes and remembered. Remembered what it was like being in Walter Skinner's arms; tasting his kisses; feeling his powerful body slamming into him, possessing him. He had fantasized about being with Walter for years but nothing could have prepared him for the real thing. Nothing. "One of these days, Walter, we're going to have that long talk then maybe....just maybe...." ******************************************************************* It was past mid-night when Walter slipped into the darkened warehouse, gun drawn. He stood still for a moment, giving his eyes a chance to accustom themselves to the darkness. He listened for any movement, heard nothing, so he went on deeper into the building, keeping close to the wall. He could hear or see nothing at all but every sense he had told him this was a mistake. He knew better than to come out to a deserted warehouse in the middle of the night without backup. The caller said for him to come immediately and alone if he wanted the information he was seeking. That didn't leave any time for a backup plan. In a fraction of a second, he heard the movement, the gun going off, the bullet slamming into the wall beside him. He dropped to his knees and scanned what he could of the area when a second shot hit the crate next to him. He determined where the shots had come from and headed in the opposite direction for better cover. Shots came from another direction. Damn! More than one of them! A quick evaluation of the situation and he realized the empty crates he was hiding behind offered little protection. Across a small opening were stacks of crates fully loaded. Much better cover he thought and made a dash for them. Shots were fired as he ran. In the middle of the opening he caught his foot on something and went down. A mad scramble on hands and knees with bullets zinging all around him and he made it to cover but his gun lay out of reach back in the opening. He cursed himself for his stupidity when he heard another noise; much closer. "Psssst Walter!" The loud whisper came from behind him. He strained to see into the darkness but saw only stacks of crates. A dark figure emerged from the rows of boxes. He stiffened himself for a fight; but it wasn't necessary. A breathless Alex Krycek knelt down beside him. "Where you hit? Is it bad?" "Wasn't hit; twisted my ankle; lost my gun." Alex pulled up his pant leg and took out a gun from his ankle holster and gave it to Walter; reached into a back pocket and handed him extra ammo for it. "How many, can you tell?" "At least two. Bullets came from over there, and back there;" he pointed in two different directions; "Could be more though. It sounded like more than two guns back there." "How bad's the ankle? Can you walk?" "Hell, I don't know. Yeah, I guess." "You better wait here. Let me look around." With that Alex slipped off, in and out of the stacks of crates. In another minute Walter heard two shots fired, a few minutes later another shot. "It's OK," Alex said coming back to help Walter to his feet. "They won't be bothering you any more." "Who the hell are they? Is there a contract out on me?" Walter asked struggling to his feet. "Never saw them before; must be from out of town. Haven't heard of any contracts on you." With an arm around Walter's waist, he helped him out into the parking area and to his car. Walter at sideways on the front seat, legs out of the car. Alex knelt in front of him checking out his ankle. "It's starting to swell but I don't think it's broken. You should get it X-rayed though." Green eyes came up to lock with brown. "You OK to drive home? I could call someone, Mulder?" Alex offered. "No. No, I can make it. I'll take care of it." He swung his legs up into the car. "It looks like I owe you my life again." Alex closed the door to the blazer. "Oh, I almost forgot, here." He handed Walter back his gun and accepted his small gun back in return. "Thanks." "Uh huh." Alex stood with his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket. Walter stared at him trying to read him. "Why, Alex? Why?" "Now is not the time for that conversation. Just know that I am not the traitor every one thinks I am." And with that he turned and headed back into the warehouse. Walter keyed the ignition and was on his way home. His dreams that night were filled with green eyes and soft sweet moans of ecstasy. He awoke the next morning with damp sheets and a curse on his lips, "Damn you, Krycek. Why'd it have to be you that turns me inside out?!" ********************** Another month and Walter was in a hotel room in a small town in up-state New York. He sat on the edge of the bed, too tired and stressed to lay down. He'd lost them. Two little girls, taken from their home in the middle of a DC night. They had been hot on the trail for days and finally got the information they needed but when they got there it was too late. The girls were dead and so was the man who took them, from a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head. It was all over and he was wiped out. Speaking with the girls parents had been the worst part. He lied to them. Told them it had been a quick death, the girls felt nothing. In reality they had both been brutalized before they took their last breath; dead at ages 3 and 5. He choked back the tears and laid back on the bed, numb with anguish. He vaguely remembered hearing a knock on the door but ingored it. He didn't care who it was. He wasn't answering it. He felt the weight of someone sitting on the bed beside him and looked up into Alex's face. "I'm so sorry, Walter. I tried to find the bastard too. There was just no way we could have known he had this old place up here in his mother's maiden name. You did all you could do." Walter went into his arms then and the tears came; his body shook with great heart-wrenching sobs. Alex held him close murmuring sweet things to him. After a while the sobbing stopped and Alex helped him into bed. He slipped out of his clothes and got in bed spooning up behind Walter and holding him close as they slept. They awoke a few hours later; daylight shining in through the window. They had barely dressed when the phone rang. "Skinner," Walter answered it. "You talk to them. I'm going home." He hung up the phone, pulled his jacket on and turned to Alex. "You need a lift somewhere?" "No, I'm fine." "Ok, then." He reached for the door knob. "When are we gonna have that conversation?" "One of these days," Alex assured him with a little smile. Both of them knowing this was neither the time nor the place. Walter headed out the door and drove on home. ******************************************************** Three weeks later..... Walter had just finished with another report and stood and stretched. Either the days were getting longer or the reports were getting longer or he was just getting older; he didn't know. He suspected it was all three when his cell phone rang. "Yeah?" he answered knowing only a select few people had that number. "Hey, Walt. I got someone here in the clinic, a John Doe who claims he knows you. He's in bad shape, probably won't make it. Says he needs to talk to you. If you want to talk with him, you better get on over here now while he can still talk." "This John Doe, he have a prosthetic left arm?" Walter asked; a sinking feeling came over him. "Yeah, I guess you know him?" "I do. Get him in a back room, Tony; top security. No cops; you haven't called them have you? I'll be right there and what ever it takes; you keep him alive!!!" Walter shouldered into his jacket and was out the door. "No, I haven't called the cops. I'll do what I can, you know that, but he's pretty far gone." "What are his injuries?" Walter asked as the elevator door closed behind him. "He's been severely beaten. Fractured scull, most of his ribs have been kicked in, right shoulder dislocated. He won't say what happened but he put up a hell of a fight." "Well broken bones can heal; you can fix him up, can't you?" He was in the garage and climbing into his blazer. "If he had come right in, probably but it looks like this happened several days ago. We're running an MRI on him now to see if there are any internal injuries. It doesn't look good. He an informer of yours?" "No. He saved my life, Tony; more than once. I need you to keep him alive." He made his way through traffic, heading for the clinic. "I'll do what I can. Just get here." "I'm about ten minutes out." "OK. See you in a few then." Ten minutes later Walter pulled up in the back of the clinic and sprinted for the door. He found them in the back of the clinic in rooms seldom used. Rooms with locks on the doors. He knocked and Tony let him in. "Hey that was fast." "How's he doing?" "About the same." Walter took one look at Alex lying on the bed and cringed. He had seen people beaten up before but nothing like this. There wasn't a spot on him that wasn't bruised, purple, yellow, green. Scrapes and cuts everywhere. Three different places on his face that had butterfly clips. His head was wrapped in white bandages, his right arm in a cast and a sling. A body cast from chin to groin. The rest was underneath blankets. "From the looks of those injuries I'd say they were sustained over a period of several days." Doc Tony said. "Did he say anything? What exactly did he say?" Walter went to the side of the bed and slipped his hand into Alex's bruised hand sticking out of the cast. "He was found unconscious in the waiting room this morning. I've been working on him every since. He's been in and out of consciousness. When he came to the first thing he did was ask for me, asked to speak to Doctor Tony Green. I told him that was me and he said he was a friend of Walter Skinner and that he had important information he needed to get to you right away. I told him I'd call you and I did. That's about all I know." "Thanks, Tony." His attention full on the man in the bed before him. "Rachel should be through reading the MRI results. I'll go see what she's got and be back in a few." Tony said, exiting the room, turning the lock on the door knob as he left. Walter trailed a finger tip across the forehead smoothing the dark hair sticking out from under the bandages. The swollen eyes fluttered and opened. Walter perched on the side of the bed and smiled down at him. "Hey, you finally decided to wake up?" "Walter" the word was gasped in pain. "Yeah, I'm here. You want to tell me what happened?" Alex squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, clearing his vision a little. "Blurry." Walter chuckled. "First you call me miscellaneous expense now you call me blurry. You sure have a way with words!" Alex gasped and tried to catch his breath. "Easy now; shallow breaths; you got some broken ribs there." "It's bad, I know. My jacket? Where is it?" He gasped. "Over there on the table. What do you need?" "The lining in the left cuff. A key." "To your apartment?" "No. Safety deposit box. First National Bank, Springfield, Ohio." Tony came back into the room then but stopped at the foot of the bed, not wanting to interrupt the conversation. "Information on the old man, old smokey." "Lets not worry about him right now. Lets just worry about getting you better." "Not gonna make it this time, Walter." His eyes fluttered and started to close. "Alex! Yes you are! Tony's the best trauma doctor around." "Papers. In the box, Walter. Please......if you can.....I want to be buried there in Springfield with my folks. Rest Haven over on l6th...Please.." He was out. Walter turned to face Tony. "I was afraid of that, punctured right lung. I need to get him into surgery right now." "What can I do?" Walter helped him move the bed towards the door. "If you're seriously concerned someone might come looking for him to finish the job, then I suggest you stand guard. You might want to call Tommy or Bruce and see if they can give you a hand. They came to the double doors that led into surgery and Walter stopped and watched the doors close behind them. He called his two ex-marine friends and both agreed to come right over. The three of them wandered the place from roof top to parking lot to waiting room. Nothing but the run of the mill dregs of society that usually inhabited the run down neighborhood where the clinic was located. Walter was pacing in the waiting room when Tony made an appearance much later. "Well, we patched him up as best we could. I'd say he has a chance now, but it's still a slim one." "Thanks, Tony! I knew you could do it." Relief flooded through him. "He's not out of the woods by a long shot but his vitals have stabilized." "Can I see him?" "He's in recovery. I'll need for him to stay there for the next few hours to monitor him. If he's still with us after that, I'd say his chances would improve by the hour. He's going to need blood; luckily his is a common type and there's plenty available right now." "You can take mine." Walter offered as they walked to recovery. "That won't be necessary, I don't think. This guy's a lot more to you than an informer, isn't he?" "Yeah, Tony; he is." Tony grinned and pushed the door to recovery open and watched his friend walk through. **************************************************** Walter spent the next several hours in recovery next to Alex's bed, waiting for him to wake up. He dozed from time to time in the chair he had pulled up next to the bed. Tony and his wife and head nurse Rachel, checked on them on and off. Walter had picked at the lunch they had brought him but didn't eat much. He couldn't. All he could do was think. He had years and years of his life to cover. All the things he had done and the things he had not done with his life. It certainly had not gone the way he had planned. And now here he was with more years behind him than in front of him and he didn't like what he saw. It was time to make some changes. It was late afternoon when Alex finally rallied and his vitals started to slowly rise. Walter was dozing when Tony put a hand on his shoulder. "Huh? Yes...a...what did you say?" Walter said and scrubbed a hand over his face. "I said his vitals are looking up?" He pointed to the machines. "He's going to make it! I knew he would!" Walter stared at the numbers. "He's got a long way to go yes, Walt. It could still go either way." Tony warned. "He'll make it. He's young; strong." "Walt, take a good look at this guy. He's been living on the edge for years now. You sure you want to get involved with someone like that?" "You don't know him, Tony. You haven't even seen him when he wasn't all back and blue. Yeah. I'm sure. He's the one." "That's what Tommy was saying. He said he'd never seen you look this way at anyone else; not even Sharon." "Never felt this way about anyone else; especially not about Sharon." Walter admitted. "You've been alone a long time now. Nothing would make me happier than for you to find someone. I'm just concerned about your choice." "I know. It's a shock to me as well. But I can't deny there's something about him that just does it for me." "Well, he's going to be in a whole world of hurt when he wakes up. We can keep him somewhat comfortable while he's here." "Thanks, Tony. I owe you big time for this." "He should be waking up before long. Give me a call when he does." Tony left the room. Walter used the rest room and splashed water on his face. He was stressed, he was hungry and he was tired. It was time to make some changes and that's exactly what he planned on doing. The next week was spent at Alex's bedside talking quietly to him, reading to him from some paperback novels he'd found in the room; sleeping in the bed opposite Alex's. It was the middle of the night and Walter had been standing staring out the window. He walked back to the bedside and sat down. "Alex, it's time for you to wake up now. We need to talk." He whispered not really expecting an answer. A slight movement of the head then a low moan and green eyes fluttered opened. "Walter? You here?" The words were barely audible but they were clear. "Yeah, Alex. I'm here. You ready to wake up now and talk with me?" He took Alex's hand gently and traced the chapped lips with finger tips. "Didn't die?" He cleared his throat with great effort. "Nope. Couldn't. We hadn't had our talk yet." Alex tried to smile and succeeded a little bit. His tongue came out and licked his lips. "Thirsty?" Walter poured some water into a cup and held the straw for him. "Good. Thanks." He swallowed what he could. "Thought for sure I was a goner." "Nope. Told you, you couldn't go until you answered some questions." Walter smiled down at him. "I'll answer all your questions; whatever you want to know." "Actually, there is just one question that I need to know the answer to. Are you ready to give up this life and go off with me? I've decided to retire and get a place out in the country. Clean air, not traffic, all that kind of stuff. You interested?" "And leave all of this behind?" Alex grinned through the bandages. "Uh huh. I think you've had enough; I know I have. We've done our share. It's time to step aside and let someone else sit in those meetings and take those beatings." "You serious?" Alex couldn't believe his ears. "I am. I already have a place; bought it a few years ago; way the heck out in the middle of no where. We can go there soon as you're up to it. If you don't like it, we can always find another place." "Middle of no where sounds good to me." Alex coughed a little and Walter helped him to take another swallow of water. "What about all your questions?" "Only one I need the answer to is do you want to go with me? That's the only one that matters." Tears formed in his eyes as he answered, "Yes, Walter. I'll go anywhere in the world with you." "Good! I'll get Tony in here and see just how fast he can get you well again." He punched some numbers into his cell phone. "Hey Tony, Alex is awake and he wants to know when he can go home." He laughed and closed the phone and put it back into his pocket. "Home. Sounds so good. I haven't had a home since I was 8 years old." "Well you do now. It needs a lot of fixing up but that'll be fun. Think you can stand a little fun in your life for a change?" "Looking forward to it. Sleepy." He was fading fast. "Sleep now, Alex, and when you wake we'll start our plans for the future." Walter placed a gentle kiss on the sleeping lips. "How's he doing?" The doctor had come back into the room. "He's awake and talking. That seems like a giant leap forward to me." Walter stood up as his friend came over to the bedside. "It is. He's got a long way to go yet though. He's got a world of hurt ahead of him. It'll be some time before he can leave here." "I know. But I'll be with him every step of the way and I don't mind waiting. I've waited all my life for him. I can wait a few weeks or months longer." "I'm happy for you, Walter. I just hope whoever did this to him is through with it. You could be in for a lifetime of problems with this one." "You could be right, Tony. But I have a feeling it's going to be worth it." THE END