"I didn’t kill him," Krycek interrupted.

"Then can you explain his disappearance?"

"No, not at this time."

"How are we to believe you were not involved?"

"I didn’t say I wasn’t involved. I struck him, knocking him unconscious. I was attempting to prevent Mulder from reaching the summit of Skyland Mountain to ensure that he would not be injured by other operatives involved in this mission or compromised by anything he saw. In order to do so, I was forced to render the operator unconscious. I delivered one blow to the head, and when my mission at that site was complete, he was still alive."

"If you didn’t kill him, where is he now?"

"I don’t know. I left him in the operations room of the tram. As far as I know, he may have been so annoyed about Mulder threatening him with a gun, and with my hitting in the head, that when he woke up he took a long vacation to the Bahamas."

"That’s hardly likely, is it?" the questioner ignored the attempt at levity.

"No," Krycek was serious again, "I can only conjecture that those who were supervising the mission removed him after my part was complete, possibly in order to maintain my cover at that time."

"When you say removed – don’t you mean they had him killed?"

"I have no information. He may turn up again some time in the future, as someone else. If he’s lucky."

"He hasn’t been seen since you struck him. It appears you were the last one to have seen him alive. Surely you cannot suggest any other possibility than that he was murdered."

"I have no further information on his fate. I only knew from Agent Mulder’s report that he had disappeared."

How did you get that report? Mulder wondered, Were you still spying on me then? Because they told you to, or because you wanted to?

"If you knew that the operator had ‘disappeared’ surely you would have begun questioning the motives of your employers?"

"I... I thought they would take care of it."

Krycek looked puzzled. Mulder noticed he answered factual questions easily, but seemed to have great difficulty with anything dealing with extrapolation or his own personal motivations. Probably because they hadn’t been his own motivations.

"Take care of what? What exactly do you mean?"

"I mean... they would take care of it. I shouldn’t ask questions, they would take care of it." Krycek was faltering, it appeared to Mulder that he may have some block or memory erasure on this point. Had Krycek questioned them at this time? Had this been another time they’d taking him in for reprogramming?

"I would like to remind my colleague that Mr. Krycek has been granted full immunity, he is not the one under investigation here."

"I think that it is important that we get a clear idea of Mr. Krycek’s activities at this time. For example, the death of Mr. Duane Barry, ex of the FBI. According to Agent Mulder’s report, you gave Mr. Barry some sort of poison...?"

"To the best of my knowledge, Agent Mulder himself was responsible for the death of Duane Barry."

Mulder’s gasp was echoed amongst some members of the Committee.

"Duane Barry’s death was precipitated by Agent Mulder’s assault. The ensuing asphyxiation caused by..."

"But your own report at the time supports Agent Mulder’s initial reported version of events."

"A report he later changed, sir."

You little shit, Mulder couldn’t help thinking.

"You really dumped me in it back there. You could have said it was the paramedic who gave him the water or something…"

"Whatever it takes, Mulder. You of all people should understand that."

"Do you really believe I killed Duane Barry?"

"He wasn’t a mercenary," Krycek’s interruption caught Mulder’s attention.

"So what was he?"

"A cleaner."

"What do you mean, ‘a cleaner’? Do you mean the colloquialism for assassin? The man was a hired killer!"

"No, well, not at first. He really was a cleaner. He cleaned buildings. He came out from Portugal as an illegal alien, and got a job as a cleaner. He also became involved in an X-File investigation, although very peripherally. I don’t know why they chose him, but he was brought in, given a new identity, and made part of their stable of undercover operatives."

"We have a full case history of Luis Cardinal, showing all of his movements from..."

"It’s false. He was a cleaner, he scrubbed floors. They created a false set of documents for him, put those all on computer file. It’s easier to explain why a mercenary is running around killing people, than to explain why some guy who empties ashtrays for a living would suddenly commit murder. I don’t know if he was made to believe this history or not, but I know he loved his job. He was always the trigger man."

"Why was Cardinal always the one to do the killing?"

"If pulling the trigger was Cardinal’s job, what was yours?"

"You haven’t won yet, he’ll get out of this."

"Maybe, but we’ve hurt them. It’s a start, Alex. It’s very good start.

The champagne cork ricocheted off the safe house ceiling, and knocked over a vase of gauche fake flowers.

"Aren’t you celebrating a little early?" Krycek asked putting his hand over the glass.

Mulder pushed his fingers aside to pour him some, "Just a small celebration. We’ve broken the back of this thing now. Tomorrow they bring in the doctors, and we start on the second stage of this investigation."

Krycek took a small sip. He’d always hated the taste of champagne, and was amused to see Skinner pouring his into an artificial potted plant. He winked at his ex-boss, not surprised when Skinner pursed his lips and looked away. Ever since ‘the incident’ in Vancouver, Skinner had been studiously avoiding him. Oh well, that’s probably for the best, he thought, I don’t need Mulder getting jealous on top of everything else.

"Maybe we should bring in Chrissy Giorgio from Klass County."

"Who?" Krycek roused himself enough to ask.

Mulder turned away from Scully to answer him, "A young girl who had similar mind altering experiences to your own."

Scully interrupted, "I think she’s been through enough."

And I haven’t?

"Anyway, Mulder, I really don’t think she’d hold up on the stand, even if she could recognise any of the doctors involved, or even if they were the same doctors."

Krycek interrupted them, "I’m going upstairs."

Scrubbing off his disguise, Krycek was inordinately pleased he had been born male. This woman thing, this ‘best of both worlds’, was useful, and even fun in short bursts, but it left much to be desired: the make up; the undergarments; the god-awful shoes. He thanked his lucky stars he could change back into a man before he menstruated. Now that would have been the final indignity!

He turned the shower on as hot as he could stand it, leaning his head against the tiles while it pounded out the tension, then swapped to luke warm while he soaped and plotted. He wouldn’t be needed tomorrow, in fact, after this hell week, he probably wouldn’t have to take the stand again.

And he wasn’t dead.

He pondered this amazing fact while he shampooed. Time for a haircut and a new course of action. Maybe Mulder had been right with all that nagging. Perhaps it was time to make some plans. His part was over bar the shouting, and he could leave everything up to the big boys now.

It was all so very anti-climactic. He’d been expecting a bullet, should have had one such a long time ago. After all this plotting and planning, and after all he’d been through to get to this point, it seemed that everything was going far too smoothly. In a way it seemed… unsatisfactory. Like he was a loose end in life, waiting to be tied up. Maybe their enemies were going to plant a bomb under the senate, and take everyone out, himself and Mulder included.

Or maybe they had just decided to cut their losses on this one. Throw all the doctors and everyone else involved with his case to the public, cut their ties and move on. That was always possible, they were business men, they had a profit margin to think of, and they didn’t know he still had information that could hurt them.

There was only one man in the Consortium who had a personal vendetta against Krycek. And if it was just that one man, he could be avoided. He could be out run. And Krycek could run fast, and hide well.

He flopped sideways across the bed, still damp, and stared at the ceiling lights, listening to the noises from downstairs. Mulder was coming. He couldn’t hear it, he wondered if he could smell it? He closed his eyes, trying to taste the clean chlorine smell of Mulder on the air, the smell that made the roof of his mouth itch. He couldn’t repress a tiny grin as Mulder leaned over him, the faint buzz of champagne on Mulder’s breath as the Agent tried to ascertain if Krycek was awake.

"Boo," Krycek said softly, not opening his eyes, his grin widening as soft lips explored his own. Soft, warm kisses patterned his face, I’m definitely flavour of the month right now, aren't I? he thought with some amusement.

Gentle lips and knowledgeable hands travelled down his body. Mulder used every secret he’d discovered to stimulate every erogenous zone he could find.

"Alex?"

"Hmm?"

"What would you like? Your treat tonight."

"Uh..." Alex’s mind went blank, that was the first time in a long time that he could remember being asked his preference. "Just... let’s keep it simple, huh? No rough stuff tonight."

"You don’t like the rough stuff?"

"Sure, sometimes. But not tonight."

Mulder crawled up his body, covering him with his own, his arms either side of Krycek’s head. He settled his body between Krycek’s legs and started kissing him again, "Soft and sweet?"

Krycek sighed, "Yeah," and rolled over, until they were side by side. His hands explored Mulder’s back, caressing muscle, outlining the bumps of his spine. Loud sucking noises filled his ears as Mulder tried to suck his face off.

Mulder pulled away a little, "I know you’re still keeping secrets. There are times when I’m fucking you I wish I could just crawl up inside of you, get right inside of your body and find out your secrets from the inside," he bent his head to explore Krycek’s teeth and gums with his tongue, "Give me time, Alex, I’ll find out what you’re hiding from me."

Krycek ignored him, smiling in a way he hoped looked knowing and secretive, before raising himself, swinging his legs around and dropping down again, his head now in front of Mulder’s groin. He grabbed a thigh and positioned it so he could rest his head comfortably, before grasping Mulder’s penis.

"Hello, ol’ one eye," he addressed his friend happily, before dropping a kiss on the weeping head, "What are you crying for? Not very happy? Awww... let’s see what we can do about that!"

Mulder’s amused giggle changed to a strangled gurgle as Krycek swallowed him whole.

Twisting his head, gulping, and moaning softly, Krycek started to play every trick he knew. From butterfly flicks, tight virgin lips, under crown pressure points, to ball wrapping and popping – every oral sex trick he knew he put into play. He called on his entire repertoire, but found it harder and harder to concentrate as Mulder started to practice it all back on his own body. He raised his left knee, giving Mulder greater access, and warm lips and tongue traced wet patterns on the inside of his thighs. He pushed Mulder onto his back, straddling his face, and couldn’t help his groan as Mulder deep throated him like a pro, Oh, you were born to do this, Mulder.

His attempt at reducing Mulder’s room to manoeuvre wasn’t entirely successful, but at least he could use his own weight to restrict Mulder’s movements a little, while allowing himself full access to bob his head: faster and faster, using teeth, using the muscles in his throat, pulling off to trap the cock between cheek and shoulder, letting Mulder feel the rasp of the minute stubble on his skin, before pouncing back on that purple, twitching cock and swallowing it whole again.

You’re gonna cum first, Mulder, you’re gonna cum first, he repeated to himself, but his ass in the air gave Mulder the access he didn’t have himself in this position, and spitty fingers worked inside his body, finding and massaging his prostate. Krycek’s toes curled into the bedding as Mulder’s tongue slid carefully under his foreskin, swirling round and round with delicate pressure. With Mulder mirroring every trick he used, even the ones Krycek had only ever read about, and with the unbearable pressure inside, Krycek exploded. Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through his system, and he shot his seed deep into Mulder’s throat.

He whimpered a little as Mulder rolled him over onto his back, and watched through hooded eyes as Mulder kissed his stomach and chest. As Mulder’s lips suckled gently at a nipple, Krycek could see the line of sticky white that joined his flesh to Mulder’s lips and realised Mulder was keeping Krycek’s semen in his mouth, swishing it around and savouring it before swallowing it. Mulder looked at him, his eyes slitted and hungry.

"What would you like, Mulder?" he asked softly, hoping it wouldn’t be something too strenuous yet. He had to admire Mulder’s staying power, as Mulder started caressing him again. Krycek didn’t think his flesh would respond too quickly, but it felt wonderful as strong hands stroked his sides, tickling his ribs and smoothing over his hips and thighs. Mulder eased Krycek’s legs apart, running his hands back up towards his groin, pushing the fine sparse hairs backwards, running his tongue down silken skin where there was no hair.

"I’m not going to be getting it up right away, Mulder," Krycek said, drawing his legs back to his chest, leaving himself totally open, "But you take whatever you want."

"I will," Mulder assured him, grabbing him by the hips to drag him onto Mulder’s lap, before starting a small localised campaign to get Krycek’s interest going again.

Krycek’s nipples were hard and begging for his tongue as Mulder explored every bit of skin he could reach, licking his chest and belly, spending some time tongue fucking the tiny navel. He fixed his lips around the small indentation sucking firmly, invading it like it was another little mouth. Krycek writhed and bucked under his tongue, his hands trying to grab and guide Mulder’s head.

"That didn’t take too long now, did it?" Mulder asked, letting his chin bump the head of Krycek’s cock.

Krycek panted, "I guess that’s one of the benefits to this Kindred thing." He could feel Mulder’s burning cock bumping against his back and buttocks, leaking precum. That had to be painful by now. "How can you keep going so long?" Krycek had to ask.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve had a relationship with someone, I’m just getting full mileage out of this. I’ve never been quick off the trigger anyway."

"I’m impressed, you could set some kinda record here."

"With you perhaps."

"Is that what this is all about? You’re just trying to out-do my previous lovers?"

Mulder shrugged, "After all you’ve been through to get me, you may as well get your money’s worth."

"You don’t have to prove anything to me. Where’s the lube by the way?"

"I think it rolled under the bed this morning," he said, sitting up to look, "You know, if you were a woman, we wouldn’t need it at all."

"Maybe later," Krycek caught Mulder’s head between his calves and drew him back down, "We don’t really need it anyway, just get me wet, that’s enough."

"You don’t mind the friction burns?"

"Not at all, that’ll give me something to remember you by."

Mulder laughed a little, "I’ll give you more tomorrow if you like."

"Just give it to me now."

Mulder spat on his palm, and spread that, along with his own precum over the head of his penis. "Enough?"

"Sure." Krycek hitched himself higher on Mulder’s lap, reaching down to hold himself open while Mulder pressed the head of his cock against the small opening.

Mulder pushed his hips forward a little bit, pushing just the head instead, waiting until the ring of muscle closed around the head of his cock, then pulling completely out again. He did it again, and again, until Krycek was writhing in frustration, trying to grab Mulder’s butt, trying to pull him inside. He gave Krycek two inches...

"Hey, listen to this sucker go pop!" and pulled out again.

"Enough of the sound effects, Mulder!"

"I thought you weren’t all that interested?" Mulder teased.

"If you don’t shut up and fuck me, Fox..."

"Don’t call me Fox!" Mulder pushed Krycek’s knees down, emphasising his dominant position, and finally slid all the way home. "There, that make you happy?"

Krycek twisted his hips a little, his face scrunching with concentration, as he clamped down on Mulder’s cock with bone crunching pressure, holding the man prisoner with his own body.

"Oh, Christ," Mulder whimpered helplessly, "Ahhhh."

Krycek snerked under his breath, gripping the bed sheets above his head as he laughed up at Mulder’s predicament.

"You won’t be able to keep that up," Mulder hissed, "You’ll have to let go soon."

"Yeah," Krycek relaxed, "but I can do it again anytime! Remember you’re only in me because I want you there."

"You can’t live without me, Alex," Mulder said smugly.

Krycek was about to make some smart alex answer, but then Mulder found his prostate, rubbing the swollen head of his cock, just one inch back and forth, pushing into the inflamed bump until Krycek whimpered and cried with helpless ecstasy.

"Touch yourself," Mulder commanded, watching lecherously as Krycek obeyed, one long-fingered hand grasping the cock with just the right touch, establishing a rhythm that pleased Krycek, and worked in counterpoint with Mulder’s thrusts. Mulder devoured Krycek with his eyes, from his hair, curling slightly with perspiration, his eyes glittering with arousal, his chest flushed, the muscles in his stomach contracting and relaxing, to where their bodies were joined. Krycek’s balls rippled in time with the beat of Mulder’s thrusts, and seemed almost to push up and away from his body as Mulder invaded his ass.

"You are so hot," he whispered to the other man, "Gonna fuck your ass..."

"Mulder, shut up, you sound like some second-rate porn star."

"Do I feel like one?" he added a hand to Krycek’s self manipulations, using the palm of his hand to massage Krycek’s balls.

"Oh no... you feel just fine..." transported by the steady thrusts, the constant pleasure of Mulder’s touches, and even just by being the focus of Mulder’s attention, Krycek floated, "Hmmm, good."

Mulder grasped both hands around Krycek’s thighs, holding him tight as he started to lose control of his thrusts, "I’m coming... Mmmmm." He shoved himself deep into Krycek, like he was trying to fulfil his wish of getting inside the other man, lifting Krycek’s hips high. It felt like his heart was going to explode, it was beating so fast, then time stopped as the head of his cock burst, splashing his cum deep into Krycek, like it could reach the heart of the man. He was still pulsing his last as Krycek’s body convulsed, splattering dollops of white across the prone man’s chest and abdomen.

Krycek relaxed slowly, dropping his legs down onto the bed, then wrapping them around Mulder’s waist. "Ooo, that was real nice, Mulder."

Mulder dropped his head to lick the droplets from Krycek’s chest, savouring the bitter cream. The softening organ slipped from Krycek’s body, happy and wet. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sure. You know it."

"Come on." Mulder pulled Krycek’s arms ‘til they lay side by side on the pillows. "Need a blanket?"

Krycek shook his head, eyes closing. "What are you going to do next? After this case I mean?"

Mulder stared at the ceiling. "This is a start. We don’t need you to identify the doctors, not yet anyway. And I’m hoping that we can get them to go for a deal, turn in those they were working for, and make our way up the chain of command. It’s a pity you didn’t keep the information from the MJ file. How did you translate it from Navajo anyway?"

"I’m very clever, haven’t you worked that out yet? Codes are a speciality of mine anyway."

"It’s supposed to be an almost impossible code to break, Krycek."

"Yeah, well, I don’t just know weirdo sex fiends, I have a few nerds I can count as friends as well."

"It’s a pity you couldn’t find a nerd who knew how to copy that DAT tape."

Krycek rolled over, resting his head on Mulder’s shoulder.

"Krycek, I said..."

"I heard you."

"You copied it didn’t you?"

"Told you I was clever."

"So why didn't you give it to me?" Mulder dumped him on the bed, sitting up to stare down at him.

"I’m not giving you everything, I’m keeping at least one bargaining chip."

"But if I had that information..."

"It’s irrelevant to what you’re trying to achieve here and now. You get these guys on breaking the law, then you have the credibility to go after aliens and devils. Anyway, now you have something to look forward to," Krycek smiled sneakily, his eyes still closed.

"I thought you didn’t expect to live, Alex. So where did keeping bargaining chips come from?"

"I don’t expect anything, and who knows what will happen tomorrow? I may need that insurance soon. I told you you couldn’t rely on me."

"Alex, you and me, tomorrow, we are going to have a long talk. Do you understand me?"

He swung his legs out of bed, and walked to the window, staring outside. The street lights were still on, and he could see the cigarette smoke rise from the open door of a car in the driveway. The partner of the Agent who was smoking raised her Styrofoam coffee cup to Krycek ‘hi’, and Krycek stepped back before the woman realised he was naked.

About time I become woman again myself, he thought, and changed fluidly.

"Hey, what’s up?" Mulder asked sleepily from the bed.

"Me."

"Well, I can see that, smart ass. Why?"

Krycek shrugged, "Couldn’t sleep."

"Come here." Mulder held out his arms, and Krycek walked over to him, settling against his chest.

"You’re hard again," he said, slipping his hand between Mulder’s thighs.

"Morning glory."

"Now that’s no way to speak to a lady, Mulder. You’re supposed to say it’s your uncontrollable desire for my incredible body!"

"You’re no lady, Krycek," Mulder smiled, "But yeah, it is," he buried his face into Krycek’s cleavage, licking the small valley between Krycek’s breasts. "Cute little tits," he said, sucking them into his mouth, and mumbled around a mouthful of nipple, "Mount me."

Krycek was still too dry, but settled on Mulder’s cock, the half hard organ snuggling into his body slowly and easily, feeling like it was kissing and cuddling him internally. He started to rub up and down, feeling Mulder harden and push in. Mulder moaned softly underneath him, and he started to move with more enthusiasm, Mulder’s hands caressing his buttocks.

"Alex?"

"Hmm..."

"I propose a little experiment."

"What kind of experiment?"

The guards milled about outside, smoking, talking. Krycek watched their movements. Even with Mulder gone, they still didn’t come into the house. They were checking each other’s ID at various points, so obviously they were changing over and didn’t know each other by sight. Or perhaps they were just that efficient.

He smoothed out the suit Scully had purchased for him, checked the make-up in the mirror. It was as close to her advice as he could make it, grey and pink for his colouring, not too much. He picked out a couple of pieces of her jewellery. Nothing expensive, he wasn’t a thief, not anymore anyway. What little money he had found, and all of his possessions went into his pockets and he rolled up his clothes (those that were his own, not those that had been given to him) and slipped them into a paper bag. He would look like another agent, someone on the case, who was brown bagging it for the day. Leaving the house, quietly and deliberately, he should be away, on a bus and far from here, long before anyone raised the alarm.

Sure, Mulder would be hurt, but he’d get over it. It wasn’t like they’d had some understanding between them, despite Mulder’s idiotic declarations of trust. Krycek had thought they did, once, the time he’d been allowed into the sacred temple of Mulder’s body, but the cavalier way he’d been bundled off to Canada for the sake of convenience had showed him how wrong that assumption had been. They didn’t even have some sort of romance going. Just sex. And Mulder had lived without another person when it came to sex for years. He’d get used to doing that on his own again. Alex wasn’t going to deceive himself that he wasn’t going to be missed. He had enough ego to know Mulder would be royally pissed off to find Krycek gone when he got back from court today, but Mulder had plenty to distract him now. They’d stirred up a hornets’ nest and Mulder would be swatting them for quite a while to come. That would keep him very busy indeed, Alex pondered. It would also give Mulder some time to put his own past into perspective, to find out what amongst the many options he had to choose from he would decide to keep. Mulder was his past. But now that he had a few possible pasts to choose from, which one would Mulder be?

He found he had no courage to write the real truth, not even in draft.

These were, after all, the only truths that really mattered.

Krycek leaned over the sink in the gas station toilet, and splashed more water on his face. He’d been travelling as a woman since he’d left, trying for some degree of anonymity, but he was aware as he looked at the other women in this busy station that he really wasn’t passing convincingly. There was so much more to being a woman than just being female. He looked at himself in the mirror: instead of the pretty woman he had been once, now his face looked puffy, his eyes blood shot. It seemed not a morning went past when he wasn’t puking his guts up. He took another handful of water from the tap, tried to rinse the taste of vomit from his mouth and spat. Took another, swallowed it.

He thought of how it would be so wonderful to go crawling back to Mulder right now, let Mulder take care of him, let Mulder take care of everything. But he’d never been weak and he banished the thought, even as his stomach roiled again, and he brought up even the water he’d just swallowed.

"Mulder," Frohike gestured to the paper work he’d printed off the PC. "Got that information you were looking for, something on that special someone."

"What have you got for me, Frohike?" Mulder leaned over the little man, always interested in whatever he found.

"Well, I ran a search on the name Krycek. Months back, when you first asked. Nothing. Anyway, Byers created a small program to let us know if his name ever came up in any computer system.

"And it has?"

"Yup. A small hospital near Lansdale, Pennsylvania."

"Hospital? He’s been injured?" Mulder tried to crush down the sick feeling he felt knot his stomach. Krycek had made his own choices...

"No, Mulder, not exactly," Frohike was grinning like he’d found a new bestiality video. "Congratulations, Mulder."

"What?" Mulder peered at the documents, a birth certificate.

Mother: (Mother!?) Alex Krycek.
Father: Fox William Mulder.
Child’s name: Samantha Mulder Krycek.

The little rat bastard, even now he’s screwing with my head...