Title: Working Out the Kinks Author: bizzzichick@yahoo.com (Satina) Website: http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/xtasy Rating: NC-17 Keywords: M/Sc/K, noncon, slash Disclaimer: I'm not gaining anything but a cheap thrill and some positive reinforcement from this. No money. I don't own them, but I bet they wish you didn't either, Chris. Summary: Stranded in an empty resort on a snowtopped mountain, Mulder and Scully find a way to work out the kinks in their relationship with Krycek. ***WARNING*** This story contains nonconsensual sexual activity and male/male action, so if that wigs you out, cut out now. (You don't know what you're missing, though.) Archive: Sure...share the love. Just tell me where so I can visit. Notes: My thanks go out to my lovely Shannon, who encouraged me and loved me and beta'd me and gave honest feedback even when she knew I wouldn't like what I heard. I listened, babe, and then I made it hotter. And then I listened some more, and made it hotter again. Thanks also to my good friend Jami, who also beta'd me beautifully and praised me to the point where I had no choice but to get the dang thing finished so she wouldn't spontaneously combust. Thanks for the inspiration, girlfriend. Sorry I was so mean to our Ratboy, but I really think he'll recover nicely. Last of all, thank you always to my wonderful husband without whose talents and charms I wouldn't be able to write such delicious sex scenes. Thanks for the research material, love. It was especially fun trying out that headboard thing. Spoilers: Red and the Black (duh, it's got slash, after all.) and Anasazi. I think that's basically it. Feedback: Need it, want it, crave it, gotta have it. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx "Now what the hell are we supposed to do with him, Mulder?" Scully gestured over to the slumped black form in the corner, tossing an errant strand of hair off her sweaty forehead. "I don't know, Scully. But I had no choice! I couldn't just let him get away!" Mulder's voice was slightly whiny, but that didn't detract from Scully's guilty enjoyment of his labored breathing and tousled hair. It had been quite a struggle. The boys had turned out to be pretty evenly matched when both were putting their all into things. Of course when Scully had stepped in, the odds had quickly fallen heavily into Mulder's favor, and Krycek was soon unconscious, lying on the cabin floor. Scully knelt beside him, tucking her weapon into the holster at her back and bringing out a pair of cuffs from her coat pocket. Mulder walked up behind her, still catching his breath, as she reached out to touch the bruised and bleeding face of their nemesis. "Careful, Scully. Better cuff him first," Mulder warned, nodding to the restraints she held in her other hand. She leaned over the crumpled body, being careful not to get any blood on her white parka. "Help me," she said, beginning to pull him forward so as to bring his arms around behind him. "He's heavy." "Here, let me," Mulder said, moving in front of Krycek and pulling his body in close to him in a pseudo-embrace. Scully scooted around the side and quickly brought both of Krycek's hands together, securing them with a ratcheting click of steel. Krycek moaned against Mulder's neck and Mulder pushed him back against the wall roughly. Krycek didn't stir. "Now what?" Scully asked, once again surveying the damage Mulder's fists and shoes had done to the man at their feet. "We're not expected back from this abandoned resort for another two weeks, our cover is blown, and our suspects...except for this one...have all fled!" "Scully, you're acting like it was my fault that Krycek was up here and recognized me! How the hell was I supposed to know that Alex Krycek would be involved in something like this?" Mulder was whining again. Scully didn't find it quite as endearing this time. But he was right. It wasn't his fault that their sting operation was blown. Neither of them could have known that Alex Krycek would be among the people gathered at this deserted mountain retreat, waiting for a drop shipment of what they suspected to be illegally harvested human organs. There was just no end to the number of nefarious pies which could claim to have been fingered by Alex Krycek. Scully sighed heavily. "I know, Mulder. I'm sorry. It's just that our suspects absconded with our only hope of transportation out of here and our cell phones have been out of range since we crossed the Canadian border. The phone lines haven't worked since that storm Friday, and I'm just wondering how we're going to get off this mountain." Mulder nodded and began chewing the inside of his cheek in what Scully recognized as his thoughtful pose. Scully stood up and retrieved the meticulously stocked medical bag she always carried with her for Mulder emergencies. She went to Mulder's side, and brushed her fingers through his hair, checking for lacerations and bumps. Mulder closed his eyes and leaned into her touch slightly and she smiled. "You seem okay to me," she said, letting her hand trail down his cheek. They had been having sex for about a year now, and she still couldn't get enough of touching him. Mulder smiled against her palm. "Glad I meet with your approval. I think you should probably be more worried about the rat on the floor, though. He's going to bleed all over the hardwood if you don't do something." Scully pulled her hand away and knelt again at Krycek's side. "This one's going to need some stitches," she said absently, digging through her supplies and pulling on a pair of latex gloves. Mulder nodded and said nothing, considering their dilemma as Scully set to sewing up a deep cut in Krycek's brow. "Ow! Fuck!" Her patient was suddenly very awake. Mulder quickly moved forward and sat on his legs facing him so that he wouldn't kick out and injure Scully as she worked on him. Scully shifted to the side to make room and kept working. "Hold still," she snapped, grabbing his hair with one hand as she tied off her handiwork with a brisk tug. Krycek jerked his head back out of her grasp as soon as she was finished, hissing with either anger or pain or possibly a combination of both. Scully was unaffected, and merely used an antiseptic wipe to attempt to clean some smaller wounds on his face, rolling her eyes at his juvenile attempts to duck out from under her clinical ministrations. Finally, fed up with treating a moving target, she leaned back on her heels away from Krycek and snapped off the gloves, careful to deposit them in a hazardous materials disposal bag. "Oh that's rich," Krycek growled. "Beat the shit out of me then swab the wounds. Makes a hell of a lot of sense, Red." "Scully," she said coldly. "And it makes no difference to me if you want a nice infection to set up housekeeping, or a big jagged scar across the side of your forehead. I'm a doctor. I see a wound, I treat it. No matter who inflicts it. I can assure you it's nothing personal." She shot a quick glance back at Mulder, who was not doing a hell of a lot to hide the small smirk of satisfaction he got from watching Scully hand Krycek his balls. She stood up and stretched, aware of the way both men's eyes stayed trained on her elongated body. She was used to this casual visual appraisal from Mulder now, and she basked in it. Krycek's joining in made her quite a bit less comfortable. She pulled her coat closed around her and faced them both. "We're going to have to do something with him so we can talk," she said, tossing her head in Krycek's direction. Krycek sighed and rolled his eyes, seemingly impatient and annoyed at being talked about in the third person. "Let's put him in the downstairs master bedroom for now," Mulder said. "That one has a lock on the outside of the door, and he'll be close when we're in the main living area." Scully nodded and reached to her back, pulling out her weapon and training it solidly at Krycek. "Get up." "I would if Mulder would stop rubbing his crotch against my knees," scowled Krycek, bucking his legs up into Mulder for emphasis, causing the other man to fall forward a little and catch himself just before crashing into Krycek's chest. "Smart ass," muttered Mulder, raising up off of Krycek and grabbing him by his real arm to jerk him to a standing position. "Don't do anything stupid," Scully warned, snapping off the safety on her gun. "With all this snow, they wouldn't find the body until next Easter." Krycek favored her with a sullen glare but said nothing, allowing himself to be shoved and guided across the room to the large oaken door at the end. The three of them made their way inside the room and Mulder scouted for possible exit points and other hazards while Scully kept the barrel of her weapon leveled at Krycek's face. "Lay down on the bed," ordered Mulder, returning from the attached bathroom. "Mmm...Mulder. This could be fun after all," Krycek purred, lowering his lashes seductively and licking his split lip. Scully swallowed as she felt her heart rate speed up, but she waved her gun, indicating that Krycek needed to do as Mulder said. "You heard him. On the bed." Krycek grinned delightedly and lowered himself onto the queen- sized bed, smoothly turning onto his side and looking up at both of them with comfortable anticipation. "I'm all yours," he said in a voice like honey and velvet. Scully shivered and tilted her head from one side to the other, working out the sudden tension. She looked at Mulder, who appeared to be studying the bed with more attention that she would have thought it worthy of. Then again... Mulder cleared his throat. "We're going to have to cuff him to the head board," he said. "He can't keep his arms like that. He won't be able to sleep or..." he trailed off. Scully breathed deeply and nodded. "I've got him covered. Go ahead." She willed her hand not to shake as she held her gun in both hands and pointed it at the leather-clad figure on the bed. She heard the loud breath come from Mulder as he leaned over Krycek with the keys to the cuffs. She watched, fascinated, as Mulder lowered his face to within inches of Krycek's. "Try anything and she'll shoot you, asshole. And what she starts, I'll make sure to finish." His voice was a deadly snarl and Scully swallowed at the intensity behind it. She watched the smug grin fade from Krycek's face as Mulder's words and intent made themselves clear. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and he nodded once, curtly, wordlessly agreeing to cooperate with their plans. As Mulder bent to release the cuffs, Scully cleared her throat. "We should take his jacket off, Mulder. And check him for weapons." Mulder paused, then unlocked the cuffs, grabbing Krycek's prosthetic arm in one hand, pressing it to the bed and rolling him back to grab the other as it came up from under him. Krycek didn't fight him, but simply let the other man move his arms to his sides. He was breathing heavily now. "Take your jacket off," Mulder said quietly, letting go of one hand and reaching for the shoulder of the jacket to pull it down the arm. Krycek's breaths became uneven as Mulder's hands pulled the heavy material down first his prosthetic arm and then the real one, tugging at the cuffs of the sleeves to work them free. Then Scully heard Krycek gasp as Mulder pulled him forward, bringing his head against Mulder's abdomen, as Mulder pulled the jacket out from under the prone body. Krycek returned to his back with a loud sigh, his eyes drifting closed for just a second before opening and training themselves intently on her partner. They looked as if he had been again possessed by the black oil. All dark, inky gleam. But his face wasn't expressionless. It was a display of tight concentration and focus. Mulder handed the jacket back to Scully without looking at her and she took it wordlessly and set it behind her, keeping her sites locked on its owner. Krycek was now wearing a black wool sweater, black turtleneck, black jeans and black boots. The light of the colors of the quilt seemed to glow around his dark form on the bed. Mulder once again leaned over him, holding his arms to the bed on either side of him, bracing himself with one knee on the mattress. He didn't speak, but simply raised Krycek's arms up over his head slowly, leaning in so close that the edges of his open coat grazed the other man's face as he fastened the cuffs around real wrist and fake one, the chain running behind a two- inch thick rail of oak. Finally, he raised up off the bed, immediately shedding his coat and tossing it on a chair. "We need to take his boots off, too," Scully suggested quietly. "He could have weapons stashed in them, and he could do serious damage if he kicks us." "Are you going to give me any trouble?" Mulder asked, placing a hand on Krycek's shin, just above the top of his boot. Krycek's leg jerked, but he just shook his head, never taking his eyes off the agent at his feet. Mulder's hand slid down to the bottom of Krycek's black jeans, pulling up the bottom cuff to expose the top of his boot. Mulder held Krycek's leg with one hand while he used the other to reach down and begin undoing the buckles on the man's boots. They weren't snowboots, but rather motorcycle boots with tread, and they didn't lace, but fastened with a series of five buckles up the sides of each one. Scully supposed that made things much easier for the one-armed man. It certainly made it easier for Mulder to hold Krycek's leg down with one hand while he undid the buckles with other. And she couldn't help but muse to herself that the glint of silver buckle against oiled black leather also added to Krycek's aura of worldly danger. Mulder tugged one boot free, and seemed not in the least surprised to find a slender blade held inside the boot by a small strap. He handed it to Scully with a meaningful glance at the knife and she placed it behind her with the jacket, never taking her gun off Krycek. Mulder leaned over Krycek's legs, now sitting on the edge of the bed. He removed the second boot and Scully was surprised to see that rather than weaponry, a fat packet of Canadian bills was stashed in this one. "Maybe we can use that to order cable," Mulder said, handing her the boot. Scully made a sound that was more a release of tension than true laughter, grateful for the break in the mood. She placed the boot in the growing pile at her back. Mulder remained seated at Krycek's side, his hands resting on the denim-covered legs just below the knees. Krycek looked like a tense wire about to snap, as he twitched slightly under Mulder's hold. The quiet seemed deafening, the only sound the three's breathing, loud and labored. "I think we should tie his legs," Mulder finally said decisively. Scully couldn't keep her mouth from dropping open as a gasp of surprise issued from between her lips. Krycek's matched it. Mulder turned to meet her shocked stare. "He could kick us," he rationalized in a low rumble, never letting go of the prone man's shins. "We don't know what he's capable of, Scully. We can't be too careful." She noticed that his voice was rather shaky and her heart thudded in her chest at the implications of that now-familiar change in tone. She also couldn't help but glance at the fly of Krycek's jeans and she could see obvious evidence of his arousal as well. "Wha...what should we use?" She recovered herself quickly, trying to sound businesslike and failing dreadfully as her voice came out like a sigh. "There's duct tape in the kitchen," Mulder replied as he rose from the side of the bed. Scully watched Krycek's body relax marginally once it was free of Mulder's grasp. She watched him close his eyes and try unsuccessfully to steady his breathing. She knew the feeling. She was afraid she was going to hyperventilate, and the trembling in her gun arm was becoming very obvious. "Get it. We're fine." she said, trying to keep her voice steady. Krycek kept his eyes closed and she watched his chest rise and fall as he breathed deeply and unevenly. Mulder quickly made his way out the bedroom door, and Scully let her eyes roam over the figure on the bed, trying to ignore the twinges in her sex inspired by the incredible beauty of the demon they had snared. She could barely tear her gaze away from the large bulge in Krycek's jeans, and she could have sworn that as she watched, it swelled even larger. She felt herself getting wet and a tremor went through her lower belly. Mulder returned and without sparing a glance at his partner, grabbed one of Krycek's feet, making the man jump but not fight as Mulder strapped silver reinforced tape around and around the sock-clad ankle, then around the bedpost, then around the ankle again, until the leg was secured so completely Krycek could barely move it at all. He moved to the other side of the bed and Scully heard Krycek let a small groan escape him as Mulder pulled his legs apart and taped the other ankle securely in place. Mulder appeared not to notice the small sound and rose up, satisfied with his work. Krycek was spread out like a rare insect on display, beautiful and tragic, his arms up over his head and his legs spread wide, strapped with silver tape to the strong wooden rails of the foot board of the bed. His eyes were still closed, and his breaths were coming hard and fast as a sheen of perspiration formed on his tortured face. Scully wasn't sure she had ever seen something so devilishly beautiful in all her life. Mulder backed away from the bed now, reaching toward her and using his hand to push her gun down. "I think we're safe from him now," he said, stroking his hand down her arm and over her hand, causing her to shiver uncontrollably. "Why don't we go out in the living room and decide what to do next." She lowered her shaking arm with a deep breath, and followed him wordlessly through the door, closing and locking it behind her with a series of clicks that resonated through the large, empty cabin. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Scully was just turning around from securing the door when she felt herself being thrown back up against it as Mulder's mouth came down on hers, cutting off any questions she'd been about to ask, and pretty much answering them, too. She whimpered against the oral onslaught, sagging against the hard wooden door, supported only by Mulder's arms, one under her ass, the other around her shoulders. Mulder broke for air and she gasped, running her hands up his sides, frustrated with the bulk of his sweater. "God, Scully...think of it. He's ours now. Ours to do whatever we want with him." Mulder's eyes were drifting open and closed as he struggled for breath, planting kisses on her sweaty face. "We can hurt him, use him, leave him here or take him with us...and no one will be the wiser." "Mulder..." Scully breathed against his ear as his mouth moved down over her neck, pushing her coat down her shoulders. He quickly cut her off with another kiss, then when he broke away, grabbed her face in both his hands. "Scully, don't think. Feel. We're hundreds of miles from anyone who would think to look for us. We have food and resources enough for a month, and no one expects us for two weeks. We have Alex Fucking Krycek taped and cuffed to a bed. Please..." Mulder's voice dropped into a desperate growl and Scully shuddered in his arms. She felt the wood of the door at her back and realized with a flush that Krycek, just on the other side of the door, could probably hear some, if not all, of what was going on behind it. He could hear Mulder begging her to let him have his way with him. Could hear Mulder throwing her up against the door and gasping out urgent kisses against her face and throat. "Mulder, let's talk about this. On the couch." Scully lowered her voice, steadying her breathing and ducking a bit out from under Mulder's questing lips and tongue. She felt him nod against her and he stepped back, letting her gain her footing. Mulder raked a trembling hand through his hair and went to the big Navajo couch in the center of the Greatroom and sat down, legs spread wide, chest still heaving. Scully couldn't help but notice the uncomfortable-looking large bulge at his crotch, and she squirmed as he reached down and readjusted himself, lifting his hips off the couch slightly as he did so. Scully widened her eyes and shook the sweaty tendrils of hair from her face in an effort to clear her head. Then she removed her coat and tossed it on the giant rocking chair before sitting down across from Mulder on the other couch. She didn't miss the look of disappointment on Mulder's face as she chose to take a seat across from, rather than beside him. But she needed to think clearly, and feeling Mulder's elevated body heat and smelling the musk of his arousal and excitement just inches away from her was bad enough. "Scully, I know what you're going to say. But he killed my father! He was involved in the death of your sister! He helped them take you, Scully! He doesn't deserve to be treated with normal human compassion!" Mulder's eyes were deep and dark with his desperate need to have her understand. Acquiesce. Scully looked down at her hands, twining in her lap. "You *don't* know what I was going to say, Mulder," she began, not looking at him. "I agree that Krycek deserves a special kind of justice, and I also know that if we were to bring him in, he wouldn't live more than a day, and what good would that do?" She looked up at Mulder now from under her lashes and her heart swelled at the lopsided grin materializing on his face. She smiled back and faced him squarely. "We have a singular opportunity here. We can get those answers you've been seeking for so long, as well as exact a certain...revenge." She couldn't help the way her voice dipped into a low range and ended on a sigh. Scully thoroughly enjoyed the way Mulder's grin became a full- fledged, tooth-baring smile at hearing her. He looked feral. Dangerous. Aroused. Edible. Imminently fuckable. She felt another flood of liquid between her thighs at the thought of what she had just agreed to. God it was hot in there. As if he had heard her say it, Mulder reached down to the hem of his sweater and pulled it off over his head in one smooth movement, leaving a black turtleneck. Scully gave him a grinning, top-to-bottom once-over and stood from the chair, pulling her own sweatshirt over her head and dropping it on the chair behind her. She was left in a tight, silk long underwear top that hugged every curve. She was perfectly aware that the dusky pink of her nipples was clearly visible through the diaphanous material. It made them harden just thinking about it. She heard Mulder's gasp of surprise and pleasure. "Long underwear's come a long way, Mulder," she said mischievously. "Uhm, yeah," was Mulder's studious reply as he stood and came toward her as if drawn. He took her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers and she could *feel* the barely restrained heat and darkness and passion raging within him. It made her breathless and weak. She kissed him back, running her hands up his slim, hard back and then down to stroke over his tight ass, pulling him in closer, eliciting a grunt from Mulder, whose hands were stroking down her sides, thumbs rubbing her nipples into aching rigidity. After moments sliding into oblivion, she pulled out of the kiss, her lips still brushing his, his tongue still stroking against them, trying to gain re- entry. "One thing though, Mulder," she said between breaths. "We still haven't searched him thoroughly for weapons." Mulder's reply was a wicked smile against her lips. She kissed him one last time and reluctantly pulled away, smoothing her hair and licking her lips, tasting him on them, enjoying the tingle. "We'd better not leave him on his own, either. I think we should move another bed in there so we can keep our eyes on him, don't you?" She said the words with as much nonchalance as she could manage but did nothing to hide the sparkle in her eyes. "I think that's an excellent idea, Agent," said Mulder. He bent down and planted a quick, grateful kiss on her cheek. "There's another bed in the room next door. I'll start taking it apart to get it moved." "I'll make us some lunch," replied Scully. "We'll need to keep up our strength," she couldn't help adding with a teasing grin. "I do love you, woman," said Mulder, looking back over his shoulder as he walked to the other bedroom. Scully smiled and made her way to the kitchen, shaking out her hair in an effort to cool herself. It was definitely very hot in this cabin. She made a mental note to check the gas heat register as soon as lunch was made. She opened up the giant stainless steel refrigerator and surveyed the copious amounts of food. The smugglers that had abandoned the place when a returning Krycek yelled out, "You've brought the fucking FBI up here you shit-for-brains!" had left enough rations for ten people to eat very well for at least two weeks. Three could stay up here months and not need a thing. And there was probably a year's worth of canned foods in the huge pantry off the kitchen. The look of surprise on Krycek's face had been almost as priceless as the one on Mulder's when the two men instantly recognized each other. It had taken Scully a couple of minutes to even interpret the two streaks of black parka as Mulder, totally insensitive to his undercover status being completely blown, went for Krycek like a wild dog. Krycek was wearing layers to protect him from the cold, so Mulder's blows made almost no impact for a long time, which drove Mulder into even more of a rage as he then focused his blows on the man's face, barely giving one punch a chance to register before rocketing another forward. Scully didn't even know he could move that fast. That man had most definitely focused his Chi. Krycek was really at a disadvantage, wearing thickly padded mittens and heavy clothing, keeping him from landing any useful blows on her partner. Not that he would have anyway. Scully bit her lip, trying to recall an instance where Krycek had ever struck Mulder. The only time she'd heard of was the ambush in the apartment, and, after all, Krycek had kissed Mulder better right after, so it really didn't count, did it? In any event, when she had stepped up to the two men and leveled her weapon at Krycek, he'd already been slipping to the floor, unconscious from repeated head blows. She made a mental note to keep an eye out for concussive symptoms. But enough about Krycek. Scully wanted food. Scully squatted, enjoying the cool emanating from inside the appliance, and picked through the wonderful assortment of fresh fruits that made up the whole bottom half of the stock. She supposed they should probably eat them first, since many wouldn't likely keep more than a few days. She passed over apples and oranges, because those would be fine for a nice long time. She grabbed some dark purple grapes and then nearly made a happy little sound of delight as her fingers brushed over four lovely, fat, ripe mangoes. The sloppy tropical fruit was something she completely adored but hardly ever indulged in. She wondered if Mulder liked them. She also wondered if he'd ever heard the old saying that mangoes were meant to be eaten naked, with a partner. She smiled at the double meaning of the saying for her and rose, dumping her finds on the gleaming white counter. More finger foods. That's what they needed. She turned back to the open fridge and was picking through a selection of gourmet cheeses when she heard a loud crash. "I'm all right!" came Mulder's voice from the other room. "Need any help?" she hollered back. "No, I've got it," was the yelled reply. Scully turned back to her lunch preparations, selected several more things she thought would fit the mood, and arranged them all on a big metal tray, topping it off with a bottle of champagne which she grabbed in a flash of giddy impulsivity. She carried it through the swinging door into the Greatroom just in time to see Mulder struggling to pull a folded up Hollywood bed frame down the hall and into the main living area, where a box spring and mattress already rested against the wall outside the master bedroom. "Why is it so damned hot in here?" Mulder asked, yanking the bed frame through the archway and pushing it toward the locked bedroom door. "I don't know, actually. I was going to ask if you knew where the heating controls were," replied Scully, setting her tray down on the giant oaken coffee table. Mulder chewed the inside of his cheek, considering. "I think they're over where we originally jumped Krycek," he said finally, glancing over to the corner. "I think I remember getting my head bashed into them." He rubbed the back of it for emphasis and Scully immediately crossed the room and turned him around, re- checking his scalp for bumps and wounds. Again, she found nothing. She felt Mulder relax into her touch and she trailed her hands down his back, watching his muscles bunch and then loosen under her touch. Mulder stepped away from her and walked over to the corner, scanning the wall. "Here, I think this controls the lower floor," he said, brushing long fingers over a smashed display panel. Scully came up behind him and ran her fingers over the cracked plastic. "It looks broken," she said, pulling gently at one twisted edge, looking for signs of life. "Yeah it does," answered Mulder, tugging at the cover and narrowly catching it as it popped off and started to fall to the floor. "Well that's just great," said Scully. "It's damned hot in here. Now what?" Mulder turned to face her and reached a hand out, running it up her side, making her shiver and causing her nipples to immediately harden again and poke through the heat-retaining silk top. "We'll just need to wear fewer clothes," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Scully let her breath out in a gentle gasp. "I...I didn't bring anything except sweaters, sweatshirts and long underwear." She said, her mind a whirl of desire and heat. "What about those silky things you sleep in?" asked Mulder, his eyes never leaving her chest as his fingers brushed up and down, causing continuous trembling reactions which he was obviously enjoying. Scully's lips parted then closed as she realized it was either them, or the skintight silky underwear. "What about you?" she breathed, reaching out to still the hand that was driving her insane. "I brought plenty of T-shirts and boxer-briefs," said Mulder, grinning that adorable lopsided grin once more and pulling his hand back reluctantly. "Why don't you get changed, I'll move the bed in, then we can have something to eat?" His eyes moved from her lips to her nipples as he said the last word and Scully's tongue flicked out over her lips unconsciously. Mulder saw it and smiled, answering it with a tongue flick of his own across that plump lower lip, his much slower and deliberate. She sighed deeply and stepped away from him, then went upstairs to the bedroom they'd been sharing to change. She heard Mulder go back to work moving the bed into the master bedroom, and was a bit sorry she couldn't see the look on Krycek's face as Mulder set up their sleeping arrangements. She quickly gathered up her things from their old room, stuffing them into her bags to take them downstairs. Then she stripped off her silk underwear, and donned a set of soft pink short- sleeved satin pajamas, sighing as the air cooled her hot, moist skin through the wonderfully breathable light fabric. She wished she had her short little tap pants instead of these full-length ones, but she hadn't anticipated getting so *hot* up here on this ice-covered mountain top. After gathering up all of her own belongings, she packed up Mulder's, then hauled all of it downstairs, not wanting to ask for or receive Mulder's help. He was too busy anyway, as she glimpsed him hauling the second mattress through the bedroom doorway and heard him putting the bed back together with a few well-placed grunts and a swear or two. She smiled and arranged the luggage outside of the doorway, waiting for the all-clear. She peeked in and watched with amusement as Mulder made up the bed, his hair sticking to his forehead now in sweaty strands. She could have offered to help, as she wasn't doing anything but standing out of his line of sight, but the view of his denim-clad butt and legs as he stretched across their new bed, pulling the sheet tight and plumping the pillows, was just too delicious to interrupt. So she leaned against the back of the couch and watched, and waited for him to tell her he was ready. He straightened up, finally happy with his results, and wiped the sweat out of his eyes with a sigh. She rose from the couch-back as he came through the door and she greeted him with a grateful smile. "Thanks for making the bed, Mulder," she said. "Sure," he replied, his eyes taking in her little satin PJ's from toe to top. "I brought your clothes down too," she added, gesturing to their bags. "Guess I'd better get changed too then," he replied, starting to pull his shirt off over his head. Scully leaned back against the couch and watched the show. She sighed as his long torso was revealed and she noticed that the hair over his chest was dark with perspiration. Poor Mulder. She'd have to help him get cooled off. He started to unbutton his jeans and she breathed in. "Boots first, Mulder," she reminded him. "Yes ma'am," he said, giving her an eyebrow waggle and squatting to untie the hiking boots he was wearing. He toed them off, then removed the heavy socks, and stood up, now barefoot in unfastened jeans. Damn if he didn't look about as good as Scully had ever seen him. She had to admit that barefoot and shirtless was one of her favorite looks, and that her reminder for him to take his boots off first had been only secondarily motivated by her concern that he might trip trying to get them off with his jeans around his ankles. "Come over here," she ordered softly. Mulder immediately straightened and walked over, standing inches in front of her, not moving, staring down into her eyes. She looked up at him, feeling both vulnerable and powerful as she leaned against the couch with him over her. "Let me help you with those." She reached out with slippery, shaky fingers and pulled open the button fly of his Levi's slowly and carefully. Mulder's hands didn't leave his sides but his breathing deepened and Scully watched his chest and abdomen expand and contract. She pushed his jeans down over his hips a few inches and then stopped. "You can do the rest," she said, letting one corner of her mouth curl up in a lascivious grin. Mulder quickly, wordlessly raked his jeans down off his legs and kicked them across the floor then stood in front of her once again, awaiting her next command. She knew how much he liked it when she played Dom, and she loved the way his erection was pushing its way out of his shorts, nearly slipping through the fly. "Let's eat," she said, pushing off from the couch and grabbing up the tray before walking through the bedroom door. She didn't look back, but heard Mulder turn and come in right behind her. He closed the bedroom door with a snick. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Scully was very pleasantly surprised to see that Mulder had not only brought another bed into their retreat, but equipped it with a small table and two chairs, besides. She set the tray down on the table and let her eyes travel over to the other side of the room, where Mulder had pushed Krycek's bed. There was about five feet in between the two beds. The master bedroom was about size of a small apartment and was set up in much the same way, with a bathroom, a small desk, a loveseat and a bookcase by one of the large picture windows. It was a big, beautiful, airy room decorated with bright native accents and dark-honey natural woods. But the nicest decoration of all was all in black, accented with silver at wrist and ankle. To all appearances, Alex Krycek appeared to be asleep, eyes closed. But Scully looked more closely and saw that his chest was rising and falling much too quickly and stutteringly for him to be anything but very awake. His sweat-sheened face was blank, but his eyes were rapidly twitching under long-lashed closed lids. Poor thing, thought Scully sarcastically, not feeling the least bit of sympathy for him whatsoever. "I think we should make sure he doesn't have any more weapons before we have lunch, don't you, Scully?" said Mulder, making his way to the pile of black discarded leather by the bed, his hard- on bouncing lusciously beneath the thin cotton fabric as he moved. "Yes," Scully sighed. "Absolutely." She wasn't sure what Mulder had in mind, and wondered how he planned to work around the restraints he had installed on their victim. As he reached into Krycek's black motorcycle boot and extracted the slim blade, things become much clearer. She smiled. "Need any help?" "I'm always glad to have your help, Scully," he replied, using his thumb to carefully test the blade's edge. He hissed as the supersharp blade sliced a tiny line into the pad of his thumb. "Fuck that's sharp," he muttered, bringing said appendage to his mouth and sucking petulantly. "Let Dr. Scully see," she said, coming around beside him and pulling his thumb out of his mouth with a wet pop. She worried over it for a second, then reached into her bag and fished out a Band-Aid, placing it on in less time than it would have taken Mulder to protest against her babying. "There. All better," she said, sealing her work with a kiss, and aborting Mulder's unvoiced protestations with a flick of her tongue across the end of his injured thumb. "Now let's get to work." Mulder went around to one side of the bed and Scully stood on the other. Mulder reached out and without a word, slapped Krycek hard across the face. "Wake up, ratfuck." Krycek's eyes blazed open and he stared up at Mulder defiantly, breathing hard and harsh. Scully watched the look of anger transform to something else as he took in the sight of Mulder, naked except for his tight, cotton boxer-briefs which did nothing to conceal the obvious hard-on doing its best to jam its way through them. It wasn't exactly all arousal or fear, but those things mixed liberally with wonder and awe. She found herself making a small sound of amusement, knowing the feeling. The sound drew Krycek's attention and his head jerked toward her and it was just too delicious to watch his mouth actually drop open upon seeing that she was clad only in her little pink satin pajamas, open to just below the tops of her breasts. She raised her eyebrows and gave him a look of impatient expectation, waiting for the smartass comment. It never came. "Speechless, Krycek? That's a new one for you," she said, putting her hands on her hips, further separating the two halves of her pajama top deliberately. He licked his lips. "Wha...what are you going to do?" he rasped out, his head turning from one agent to the other, his eyes wide and frightened. Suddenly his gaze narrowed in on the knife in Mulder's hand and his whole body jerked once and tensed. Mulder took a breath. "Well, for starters, we have to make sure you don't have any concealed weapons," he said, turning the knife to catch the cheerful sunlight streaming in through the window. "Any *more* concealed weapons, that is," he added, lifting the blade and considering the sunbeams glancing off its razor sharp edge. "I don't," said Krycek quickly. "I swear...you got my gun during the fight, and that knife out of my boot. That's it. I wasn't planning on anything happening up here. I was traveling light." He was babbling now and Mulder smiled. "Like we can trust you. Don't worry, Krycek. I don't intend to disembowel you with this..." Mulder looked Krycek up and down. "Unless I have to." Scully noticed that Krycek's erection had shrunk somewhat since they had strapped him to the bed, but when Mulder let his eyes travel over him from head to foot, it seemed to swell to life once more. She wasn't surprised. She'd figured out long ago that the crooked little triple agent had it bad for her partner. And she knew the lust was not one-sided, though she had thought she would never see it consummated, other than through the usual flurry of fists and feet. She also knew that she had nothing to worry about; that the lust her partner felt for his nemesis was nothing like the stormy, loving desire he had revealed himself to have for her. Mulder just wanted to fuck Krycek and fuck *with* Krycek, and she could get behind both of those ideas herself. She let Krycek see the heat in her smile as she locked gazes with her partner. "Let's get to it, Mulder." Mulder bent over the shaking form on the bed, grabbing hold of the bottom of the thick, black cotton sweater in his fist roughly. "Hold still, Krycek. As you know, this knife is extremely sharp and I'd hate to slip." With that he pulled the sweater tight and placed the edge of the blade at the edge of the cotton. It immediately and silently parted the fabric and Mulder had to move the knife very quickly in order to keep up with the splitting of the fabric. He stopped the blade's rapid ascent abruptly at the thick collar of the sweater and Krycek whimpered, low and desperate. With an upward flick of the wrist, Mulder sliced through the neckline quickly. He straightened back up, breathing hard. Scully looked at her partner, entranced by his dark, gleaming eyes, and he flicked them from her face to Krycek's, indicating it was her turn. She reached over and took hold of the rended sweater, pulling it to the sides of Krycek's chest, baring the black turtleneck underneath. Krycek's torso bucked as she reached down to the waistband of his straining jeans and with a quick yank, pulled the shirt out. His abdomen, bared for just a moment, moved up and down rapidly, creating a gap between the denim of his black jeans and the pale, sweaty flesh beneath it. Scully caught a glimpse of his underwear and saw that it, too, was black. And by the looks of things, silk. Very interesting. So Krycek is a sensualist, eh? This could get very interesting indeed. She straightened up, pulling her hands away from Krycek's twitching form. "One down, one to go," said Mulder quietly. He bent to his task once again, and with a motion even faster than last time, split Krycek's turtleneck from waist to throat, slowing as he reached the bottom of the tube of fabric around Krycek's neck, then slipping the fingers of one hand under the top of the tube, causing Krycek to bend his head back to the extreme. Slowly, relishing Krycek's discomfort and watching the man's Adam's apple bob convulsively, he pulled the blade through the remaining fabric. Scully again pushed the sides of the cotton away and Krycek's bare flesh was exposed, along with the black leather straps that held his prosthesis in place. Scully let her fingernail trail over the undulating surface of his chest, slipping it curiously under the tight straps, making the man wince and jerk beneath her. "What do you think, Mulder? Let him keep the arm?" Mulder looked Krycek over from head to toe, considering. "For now," he answered. "But that's all he gets to keep." Krycek gasped, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his jaw. Scully noticed the bulge in Mulder's shorts brush against Krycek's hip as he leaned across and cut the sweater, and then the turtleneck, from armpit to wrist, baring the entire upper half of Krycek's body. She also noticed the bulge in Krycek's jeans was back, and bigger than ever. These boys. So predictable. She was feeling impatient. And hungry. "Come on, Mulder. Let's get on with this and get him naked so we can eat. Give me the knife." Mulder's answering expression was shocked and pleased and somewhat dazed as he chuffed out nervous laughter, looking up at her from across Krycek's rapidly rising and falling chest. She shrugged and tugged the destroyed garments out from under Krycek's body, making him jump and twist as the air hit his hot, bared flesh. With a look of distaste, she tossed the shredded, sweat-dampened material in the corner and turned back to the bed, hand outstretched. The light glinted off the wicked little knife as it was carefully placed in her nimble hand. With little further ado, she reached down to Krycek's left ankle and held his pant leg tight with one hand, placing the blade under the edge with the other. In a movement so efficient, so quick, and so confident that it made both men breathless, she rended Krycek's black jeans from ankle to waist. She looked sideways at Mulder, not allowing herself the self- satisfied smirk she felt, and proceeded to slice the other pant leg with the same rapid upward strokes. Krycek's eyes were open now and staring at her, not daring to look anywhere else. He did not appear to remember how to breathe. Not bothering to put the knife down, she reached up for his crotch with her other hand. Mulder's eyes were as wide as Krycek's now, full of anticipation over her next action. This time she did let one corner of her mouth turn up as Krycek suddenly jerked on the bed, trying desperately to evade her matter-of-fact reach for his groin. She grabbed hold of the ruins of his jeans and yanked, hard, downward, pulling the tattered garment out from under his twitching, trembling body and tossing it in the corner. Now all he wore was a pair of black silk boxers and his black socks. And a layer of sweat from head to toe that begged to be stroked through with one's fingertips. "What about his silky little underpants?" Mulder stared at her like he had forgotten his mother tongue. "Mulder? Does he get to keep his underwear?" She glanced at Krycek, warning him wordlessly not to say a thing, and he swallowed hard and obeyed the silent command. "Uhhm...Uh...wha...what do you think, Scully?" he finally spit out. She tilted her head, considering seriously. Then without another word, she leaned over and briskly sliced both sides of the filmy little boxers and jerked those, too, from the shivering, sweaty body, flinging the soft shreds on the pile with the rest. Krycek's cock, bared in all its glory, was bobbing against his abdomen, fully hard, tip glistening with pre-ejaculate. His eyes were squeezed tight and he was breathing now, hard and labored. Scully decided she really liked the look of ridiculous vulnerability that the socks added. She smiled, happy with her efforts. "There. Now can we eat, Mulder? I don't know about you, but I'm starved." She looked at Krycek's groin as she said it but laid the blade on the table behind her and lowered herself into a chair, blowing errant strands of coppery hair off her perspiring forehead. Mulder stood on the other side of Krycek's bed for a moment, his eyes going from Krycek to Scully as he watched her begin to pluck grapes from the vine and pop them in her mouth. His breathing was audible from across the room. "Come on, Mulder, let's eat!" Scully chose not to acknowledge Mulder's predicament. Her body thrummed with arousal and her head swam with the power she appeared to be able to wield over these two men, but dammit she was hungry. Mulder seemed to snap out of it just a bit as he nodded, looking a tiny bit worried, and made his way to his chair and sat down. Scully noticed that his own boxer-briefs were completely tented in front with what looked like a very uncomfortable erection. He fidgeted a bit on the chair and she smiled. She plucked another grape and brought it to her pursed lips, then pushed it in slowly with her fingertip, sucking the finger as it was withdrawn. Mulder's lips parted and his gaze focused in on her mouth. She chewed slowly, thoughtfully, swallowed, then licked her lips. "Aren't you hungry, Mulder? You're not eating. Don't you like what I brought in?" She fixed him with raised eyebrows. He blinked and his mouth moved like a fish gasping for oxygen. Then he looked down and suddenly seemed to notice the spread on the table for the first time. As he started filling his plate with finger foods, he seemed to remember that he was hungry too. Scully gave him a break and nibbled her cheeses, fruits and crackers with no further erotic embellishment while she watched him shove large bites of cheese and crackers into that hungry, passionate mouth. She loved watching Mulder eat. It made her growl mentally. She watched for awhile, then decided it was time to get back to the game after she gave Mulder time to clear his plate and finish off his seconds. "String cheese, Mulder?" He looked up, licking cracker crumbs off his lips, and found her fingers extending a long slender strand of white mozzarella cheese. His brow furrowed slightly at the meager offering as he began to reach for it with his fingers and when she jerked it back, his eyes widened. To show him what she wanted, Scully opened her own mouth, raising her eyebrows, such as one would do with a baby learning to take solid foods. The psychological provocation worked equally well on FBI agents in their late thirties, it seemed, for Mulder's mouth immediately dropped open and he leaned in eagerly for a taste. Scully looked over to their quarry on the bed to make sure he was watching. His eyes were closed, his head turned away. "Krycek!" she snapped. "If you want to get fed, you'll keep your eyes on us." He didn't move. Mulder's mouth was still open, waiting for the cheese, but he looked sideways at the man on the bed and seemed a little nervous for him. "Alex," Scully's voice lowered into the mother-warning range. "Unless you *want* us to get rough right away, please do me the courtesy of looking at me when I'm talking to you." Mulder had never heard this voice, and his breath came faster as he kept his lips parted, waiting to see what would happen. Krycek turned murderous eyes their way and pinned them with his gaze, his mouth pursed just slightly in defiance. His chest rose and fell with shuddering breaths and he looked flush. Scully watched as the muscles in his arm and legs flexed and relaxed, flexed and relaxed. Such power, and it was at her whim. She repressed her shuddering sigh as much as possible. "Thank you," she said, and she leaned forward and placed the tip of the cheese strand in Mulder's waiting mouth, making him lean back to take it in under her hand. She purposely held it back from him, making him work it with lips and tongue in his efforts to dislodge it from her fingers. It made her squirm. He noticed, and as she finally lowered her hand to his mouth to let him have the rest of the cheese, he tongued her fingers and sucked them in, eliciting a broken gasp. She enjoyed the ministrations of his incredibly talented lips and tongue and listened to the accelerated breathing of the man on the bed. She glanced over and saw that his erection, which had begun to flag against his thigh, was swelling once again. She looked back at Mulder, whose eyes were closed as he made oral love to her fingers, and sighed and pulled free of the loving caress, brushing her wet fingers against that tantalizing lower lip a few times before bringing it back to her plate. Her sex was wet and clenching and she felt like she was sliding on the seat of the chair as she shifted her thighs, pressing them together to quell the need building there. "God that mouth, Mulder." She moaned. "Makes up for the way it never shuts up." She smiled dreamily at him as she said it, injecting all the love she felt for him behind the saucy words. He grinned back at her, his lids heavy, then let just the barest tip of tongue push out from between his lips for a moment, withdrawing it and then smiling his cocky, lopsided grin. She felt a small flood of wetness soak her already quite damp panties and narrowed her eyes playfully. So that's how it was to be, eh? We'll see who wins at that game. "Do you like mangoes, Mulder?" She raised her eyebrows inquisitively, her voice devoid of any playfulness. His eyebrows followed suit. "Mangoes?" He bit his lower lip a moment, as if seriously thinking this over. The action caused Scully to fixate on his mouth. "Yes I think I do, Scully," he finished, smirking at the way she couldn't stop staring at his lips. She swallowed. "Me too," she said, reaching for Krycek's blade and one of the mottled red, green, and yellow fruits. "But they can certainly be messy." Mulder said nothing as she began to expertly peel the fruit, stopping now and then to lick the juice from the side of her hand as it dripped from the pulpy flesh. Soon she had peeled and sliced up two large, ripe mangoes and made a nice little pyramid of the golden, juicy chunks. She set the blade down and licked mango juice dribbles from the middle of her forearm to her wrist, ending with a small suckle. "Messy." Mulder nodded, looking dazed. He shifted on his chair. "Don't you agree, Krycek?" she suddenly asked, turning her attention to the man on the bed. Green eyes met hers and seemed to burn across the short span between them. It made her breathless for just a moment, then she hardened her gaze. "Good. You're still looking." Her praise caused the man to snort and glare, even as his cock jumped against his belly. She smiled into his eyes then turned back to Mulder and began unbuttoning her pajama top. "I hate getting juice all over my clothes," she said by way of explanation as she shed her top, leaving her breasts bared to the gazes of both men. Krycek's look was pure molten hunger and she looked away from it quickly, trying hard to steady her breathing so as not to let on she was being affected by him. She watched as Mulder's dark eyes went from her face to her chest and back again, over and over, as if stuck on a circuit. The attention caused her nipples to harden into small pink buds, which caused Mulder's tongue to flick out from between parted lips. Delicious. She mentally pictured slapping him to break the spell. Smirking slightly, she decided against it, instead leaning in and setting the plate of mango chunks on the table in front of him. "I don't want my hands sticky again either." She rose from her chair and with a carefully schooled expression which did not belie the arousal and anxiety making her heart thud against her ribs, she climbed into Mulder's lap, face to face, fidgeting more than a little to make herself comfortable on his hardness there. She settled in with his erection pressed flush against her throbbing sex, letting her head fall back, eyes closed, overtaken with the pleasure. She and Mulder groaned in sync, her high complimenting his low. They barely noticed the third voice, its raspy moan offering a bass foundation to theirs. Scully felt Mulder grip her hips, holding her in place lest she decide once again to resituate. She finally opened her eyes and grabbed his face in her hands, pulling it toward her so that they were looking straight into one another's eyes. It was an exciting novelty to be able to look him straight in the face. She didn't look away to see if Krycek was watching. She didn't have to. She could hear him breathing in deep shuddering gasps, and she could hear the bed creak as he struggled in his bonds. She licked her lips. "Please feed me now, Mulder." She felt his cock jump against her and she jerked a little as a shock of arousal shook her from hips to shoulders. She just wanted to press and grind and thrust against him, and she knew if she did, it would take no time at all before she was shuddering in a climax, but she also relished this heady, torturous anticipation and didn't want to spoil it. She felt her clit throb in time with Mulder's pulse. They rode the electric wave between them for a few timeless moments before Mulder, never taking his eyes from hers, reached for the table and grabbed a sweet, juicy golden chunk of fruit. His hand trembling slightly, he brought it between their bodies, the back of his hand stroking up over her nipple intentionally, making her gasp and shiver. She opened her mouth and Mulder placed the end of the fruit between her teeth, leaving more than half of it extended past her lips, far too large to be eaten in one piece. By one person, anyway. She kept the tender fruit held lightly in her teeth as Mulder leaned down and took the other end in his mouth. He placed now-sticky fingers at her waist and pulled her tightly against him as their lips met and they carefully split the fruit. The juice ran down both their chins from the messy sharing as they chewed, bringing their lips away from one another to finish their bites, not breaking eye contact. The next chunk Mulder took in his hand was purposely stroked over Scully's bared breast as it was brought up to their mouths and her eyes darkened, lids lowering. "You'd better clean that up, Mulder," she warned, eyebrow raised in mock reproach. "I fully intend to, Scully," he half-whispered, breaking off a juicy bite and placing it her mouth deeply, forcing her to suck the fruit from his fingers. He gasped as she sucked them clean, then he withdrew them, trailing them down over her lips, chin and throat and coming to rest on her breast. He sank his mouth down into the tender place where her neck met her shoulder, sucking and licking as Scully finished her fruit, moaning and writhing against him. They finished the mango together and when they were done, both their chests and chins were sticky with juice. Scully could feel that the crotch of her satin pajama pants was soaked and sliding against Mulder's rock-hard erection and though she was trying very hard to limit her movements, her clit was quickly being massaged to orgasm as Mulder moved his hips in concert with her undulations, making her moan and whimper as she felt the spiral winding tight. "Nnno, Mulder...I don't want to come this way," she moaned, not stilling her wanton hips as they ground against him. "How do you want me to make you come?" he gasped, thumbing her nipples and nearly driving her over the edge. She shuddered and quickly pushed off from his chest, bringing her feet to the floor and standing up over him, her labia clearly outlined by the wet satin sticking to them, driven into the cleft between them. She said nothing, but pushed her pajama pants down over hips, then reached for his hand, pulling him up off the chair. She led him around to their bed, on Krycek's side, then climbed up and laid back against the pillows, spreading her legs wide. "Clean me, Mulder," she sighed. He grinned like the fabled Cheshire cat, feral and all teeth, then climbed up onto the bed between her raised knees, arms bracketing her body on either side of her shoulders. Slowly, he bent to his task, licking the mango juice from her chin in warm, lapping strokes, then working his way down her neck and shoulders rather quickly, to settle in more comfortably at her breasts. He laid over her, gently and rhythmically pressing his erection against her knee, licking and sucking her torso clean of the sticky sweetness. She moaned and arched up into his tongue's caress, acutely aware that they were being watched, but too focused on the sensations flooding her body to open her eyes and check on their captive. Dimly she registered the continuing creak and scrape of metal on wood from the bed next to them as Krycek struggled against the cuffs and tape, and she wondered if he was using their distraction to make an escape attempt or if he was just desperate to get a hand free and jack himself off. Or maybe he wanted to join in. Scully's excitement jumped a notch at that thought and she became impatient, loving the feel of Mulder's mouth on her nipples but suddenly and desperately needing it even worse elsewhere. She rose up slightly and placed one hand on Mulder's head, pushing him down her body, whimpering her wordless request as she pushed her hips up to meet him. He didn't fight the adjustment, moving down and settling into a kneeling position, grabbing her hips as he lowered his face between her thighs with a groan. "MMmm...yes, Ssscully...." Her hips twitched beneath him as he lowered his lips to her sex and pressed kisses against it, each more firm than the last. She was mewling now, insane with his teasing and was about to push his face in harder when she felt his tongue steal out and stroke up between her labia with a quick, hot swipe. "Ah!" She jerked and felt herself gush out over his tongue, and he didn't waste time in licking up the evidence of what he was doing to her, running his tongue around her opening and sucking her juice as he coaxed it forth, making hungry grunting sounds. His nose was bumping against her clit now and each time it hit she gasped and raised her pelvis, seeking more of the delicious contact. Sometimes a big nose comes in so very handy, she thought to herself as Mulder tongue-fucked her with consummate skill. She began making the entreating, moaning, whimpering sound that Mulder knew was his signal to focus in on her clit and finish her off, and he gave her pussy one last, long, hard stroke with his tongue before bringing his mouth up higher. He kissed and sucked her clit then swirled around it with his tongue, making her hum and writhe and push her hips up into his face in tandem with his strokes. He settled in for the kill, licking the underside of her clit rapidly and firmly and reaching up to pinch both nipples with his fingers, moaning against her. "AHHH! Ahh! OhhhhhgodMuuulllldderrrrrr...." she came with a gasping, growling roar, thrusting her pelvis into his face as the spasms racked her body again and again. "Ohhh Mulder..." she sighed, feeling her flesh twitch beneath his lips as he placed parting kisses on her pulsating sex, bringing her slowly and gently down from her delicious peak. "C'mere," she murmured, raising up and pulling Mulder up her body. Mulder shed his underwear quickly and climbed up and lowered himself down on her, opening his mouth against hers in a wet, pungent, starving kiss. Their mouths slid against each other, his covering her lips with her own essence and sharing the taste of it with her. She moaned into his mouth, licking him clean of her juices and swallowing them greedily. "Mulder...fuck me," she gasped against his lips and he groaned and moved his hips against her, finding his mark and sinking into her hard, fast, and deep. "Oooohhhh god Scuuhleee..." he gasped into her ear. He was now frozen in place, buried deep inside her. She wanted him to thrust, to move, to fuck her hard, but she knew he was trying to last and so she stayed still, only clenching her muscles against him. Even that small movement caused little desperate moans to issue from the lips against her ear and she shivered. Finally, he slowly stroked back and pushed in hard, grunting as he their bodies slapped together wetly. She lifted her legs up and wrapped them around his chest, driving him deeper. He groaned loudly and built up speed. She turned her head to look at Krycek and found herself staring straight into his gleaming, half-closed eyes. She felt a bolt of electric pleasure shoot through her as she stared at Krycek, and not breaking eye contact with him, she gasped, "Fuck me, Mulder!" "Uhnn..." Krycek's eyes fluttered closed with a tortured grunt. "God, Scully," Mulder gasped, "I wanna fuck you all night, but I don't think I can last." "You don't have to," she said, reaching down and grabbing his ass, bringing it harder against her. Staring hard at Krycek and willing him to open his eyes, she growled. "Come." "Scully!" Mulder sobbed, "Oh fuck!" and he suddenly rammed into her hard and fast, over and over and she couldn't even keep up with him, simply raising her hips and tilting them to catch his strokes, sending him deep inside her. Krycek's eyes flew open and he watched Mulder, wide eyed and panting hard. Scully watched Krycek watching Mulder and nearly came again herself. "Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuuuuuuuhhhhhck...." Mulder gasped out, thrusting so hard their pelvises were going to be bruised as he shot deep inside her. His ass clenched rock-hard as she drove her nails in, squeezing down on his orgasm, wringing forth every last drop. He pumped into her several times then slowly collapsed on top of her, gasping and rolling slightly to the side so she could breathe. She brought her hands up his sweaty body and stroked through his damp hair with one hand as she trailed her other up and down his twitching back. She gave Krycek a lazy, sated smile then turned her attention to her lover. "You're so poetic when you come, Mulder," she said in a low, rumbling voice, smiling and kissing him on the nose as he panted, eyes closed, regaining his senses. He grinned, eyes still closed and kissed her back. "Oxford fucking educated, Scully," he replied, snuggling in. "Hmmm.." she sighed, cuddling and petting him. "So, now that we've got that out of the way," she said, pulling back to look at his face. "What about him?" She turned her face to look at Krycek. His long, hard body was covered with sweat and his cock was so hard it looked painful. She could see the veins standing out in relief along the dark pinky-purple shaft. His eyes were closed and it looked as if there were actual tear tracks down cutting through the sweat on his cheeks. His wrist was bloodied where he had struggled against the cuffs and he had rumpled the quilt beneath his body into a lumpy mess. His struggling had also caused the straps of his prosthesis to rub him raw, leaving his skin scraped and inflamed around the tight, black leather straps. His muscles twitched and his hips were undulating slightly, seemingly out of his conscious control. Every now and then his throat issued forth a pathetic whimper. Scully actually felt pity for him. Mulder turned over, sitting up. "Jesus," he murmured, taking in the sight before them. Scully watched his eyes widen, taking Krycek in from head to toe and back again. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the abraded wrist and strap-marks, and Scully couldn't tell if that was because they pleased or bothered him. He seemed to be avoiding looking at Krycek's erection, but Scully saw his eyes flick to it again and again, and heard his breathing hitch and stutter. She sat up beside him carefully, not wanting to interrupt his perusal of their captive. Mulder rose from the bed, standing over Krycek's bed, breathing loudly. "Something the matter, Krycek?" he said, his voice low and cruelly teasing. The man's only response was to breathe harder and struggle against the restraints a bit more. "Hmm?" Mulder asked, leaning in closer, as if trying to hear what the other man had to say. "Please." Krycek's voice was barely audible between clenched teeth and nearly closed lips. Mulder leaned in closer, inches away from his face now. Scully watched them both, entranced and barely breathing. "What was that?" Mulder's voice was mock-curious as he lowered his ear to Krycek's trembling lips. "Fuck! Please! Mulder!" Krycek gasped into Mulder's ear. "No thanks, just had one," answered Mulder, straightening up. Krycek threw his head back into the pillow with a hiss. Mulder chuckled darkly. He rose from the bed and turned back to Scully. He leaned in close and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes widened even as she felt her arousal climbing again. "I won't let him hurt you, Scully. I'll blow his fucking head off if he even tries." "I know you will," she answered, then she looked over at the trembling figure on the bed and nodded her acquiescence. Mulder took her mouth in a hard, hungry kiss, then got up and picked up Krycek's gun from the table. Scully scooted off the bed and stood, making her way on weak, trembling legs until she stood on the other side of Krycek. She watched as Mulder came back, then sat on their bed and leveled the gun at Krycek's head, flipping off the safety. Krycek's head whipped around at the familiar sound and his eyes went wide at the sight of the gun pointed at him. "Mulder! No!" he said desperately. He didn't even seem to notice as Scully climbed up on the bed on her knees right beside him. "Krycek!" she said, grabbing his face and pulling it toward her. He fought her, urgently trying to keep his eyes on Mulder. "Look at her," said Mulder quietly. And he did. His eyes were wide and frightened as they fixed on her face. "Lick me clean," said Scully breathlessly, trying to sound dangerous. Krycek's eyes got even wider and his mouth dropped open, then his gaze fell to her sex, dripping with her and Mulder's juices, combined. Scully saw Krycek's cock bob against his abdomen. She smiled and raised one leg, climbing up on top of his face. Mulder leaned in. "You'd better make it good, and you'd better make her come," he growled, beginning to breathe heavy. "And if you even *think* about hurting her, I'll fucking kill you." He swung the gun down so it was no longer pointed at Krycek's head, which was now bracketed by Scully's strong, white thighs. It was now trained on his gut. "And I'll do it slow." "Now get to work," Scully finished, lowering herself down onto Krycek's open mouth. Krycek groaned and immediately began avidly licking her, slurping and swallowing and grunting noisily. Scully found herself really enjoying the way he never stopped making those low, throaty noises as his tongue licked up and down her cleft, gentle on her clit, then hard and probing at her opening. She moved her pelvis over him, directing his tongue exactly where she wanted it, using him as a warm, living sextoy. She held onto the headboard of the bed between his real and fake hands, steadying herself as he licked her. "Tongue-fuck her," Mulder breathed. "She likes that." Scully gasped and her head dropped back, eyes closed, as Krycek did as instructed, making his tongue as long and hard as he could and stroking it in and out of her, licking up against the top wall of her vagina hard. She shuddered at the perfect contact, and only infinitesimally mourned the fact that Krycek's nose, much smaller than Mulder's, didn't bump against her clit as much as she would like. No matter, she had control here and she pressed herself harder against Krycek's face, rubbing her clit against that small nose, causing Krycek to gasp for air between thrusts in and out of her. She rose up and down on his face, helping him fuck her, her breath turning into a soft whine, her thighs starting to tremble. She looked over at Mulder and when their eyes met she nearly came from the jolt of electricity that passed between them. His eyes were dark and intense and while his right hand kept the gun steadily leveled at Krycek's stomach, his left was slowly stroking up and down his cock, which was hard again. Scully started whimpering and making little circles with her hips, getting close. Still looking in her eyes, Mulder spoke. "She's close. Lick the underside of her clit hard and fast and don't stop until she comes." Mulder breathed out and his hand started moving faster. Scully's whimper became a sob as Krycek followed Mulder's instructions to a 'T', flicking the tip of his tongue back and forth, then up and down on her clit, still making those gravelly grunting noises deep in his throat. Her eyes wanted to close but she kept them the slightest bit open, loathe to break the magical contact with Mulder's smoldering gaze. He mouthed the words, 'come, Scully.' and she did, sobbing and gasping and grinding against Krycek's face, no longer able to keep looking at Mulder as she dimly heard him tell Krycek not to stop until she told him to. His tongue moved against her as she shuddered down from her peak and she finally had to lift herself off him slightly. "Stop....stop." Her legs were trembling and she couldn't hold herself up any longer. Krycek licked his lips, trying to get every last drop of her and Mulder's cum, making a low humming sound as he did so. She climbed off him and curled up on the edge of the bed for a moment, her back to Krycek. She could hear him as he continued to catch his own breath and lick his lips clean. When she was recovered enough to stand, she got up and came around to Mulder's side, hand outstretched. Mulder looked up at her, mouth slack and eyes dark and dazed. She reached over and carefully took the gun from his hand. Then she sat down next to him and aimed the gun back at Krycek's body. "Your turn, Mulder." He gasped and his eyes closed for a moment as he processed the unbelievable words. "You're fucking incredible, Scully." He bent over and kissed her hard before standing up and facing Krycek. Krycek's mouth was open and his eyes were wide with shock and something very close to wonder. His face was slick and shiny and he was breathing hard and ragged, his eyes locked with Mulder's. "If I feel teeth, Krycek, I'll make sure you stay alive just long enough to bleed to death slowly," said Mulder, staring down into Krycek's face as he stroked his cock. "I won't hurt you Mulder. God, I won't hurt you," gasped Krycek, his eyes fluttering opened and closed as he struggled to come to grips with his situation. Satisfied, Mulder put one knee on the bed, leaning over Krycek and placing an extra pillow under his head. "Thanks..." said Krycek quietly. "I just want to be able to fuck your mouth better, Krycek," growled Mulder, climbing the rest of the way onto the bed. "Whatever," said Krycek, barely audible. Mulder positioned himself much the way Scully had, holding onto the headboard for support. He was very surprised when Krycek reached up with his cuffed hand, seeking Mulder's. Mulder did nothing to dissuade him and Krycek gripped his hand awkwardly as Mulder settled in over his neck. Scully laid down on the bed, her head on the pillow so she could see better. She kept the gun pointed loosely at Krycek, though she knew he couldn't see it any longer and had probably totally forgotten about it. She looked down to see Krycek's cock freely weeping fluid now, his hips thrusting up uselessly as Mulder positioned himself. She licked her lips and swallowed. The blunt, wet tip of Mulder's cock settled in at Krycek's mouth and met no resistance as Krycek immediately opened to receive it. His tongue licked all around the head as Mulder held it just past his lips and Mulder gasped and his hips shoved forward, pressing him more deeply into Krycek's mouth. Krycek groaned and opened wider, straining to bring his head forward and back on Mulder's cock as his tongue licked and swirled around the shaft and he sucked and swallowed, taking in air through his nose. "Uhhhnnnn....' Mulder groaned loudly, beginning to thrust into Krycek's mouth in full earnest now. Scully had never seen anything so incredible in her life. She was immediately aroused all over again and couldn't keep her hand from stealing down her body and rubbing quickly and desperately at her clit. She moaned and Mulder looked over at her, his eyes heavy lidded, his mouth open and panting. She saw him look at her hand working between her legs and it made her excitement soar higher and she started whimpering and rubbing faster, pissed that her gun arm was also the hand she usually used to get herself off. Her left hand wasn't doing things as smoothly as her right usually did, and the movements were too erratic to keep her where she wanted to be. She groaned in frustration and Mulder closed his eyes and shoved harder into Krycek's mouth, eliciting a muffled sob from the man's filled throat. Mulder answered it with a sobbing groan of his own as he continued to fuck Krycek's face. Scully couldn't take it anymore. She felt greedy for wanting to come again, but that didn't stop her from climbing down off the bed hurrying over to the luggage. A cock that beautiful and that ready just needed to be put to use, she thought, rummaging in her doctor's bag for the condoms she always carried there. She and Mulder never used them, but she had put them in there years ago so she would be prepared for more than just a medical emergency. She brought one out and turned back around, stopping for just a moment to savor the sight of Mulder's ass clenching as he fucked Krycek's mouth, the sounds of the their combined grunting and groaning making her swoon. She crossed the room quickly and climbed up on the bed behind Mulder. She quickly tore the condom packet open with her teeth and pulled the condom free, spitting out the packet. She kept the gun in her other hand at all times. She placed the condom on the tip of Krycek's erection and at the contact he groaned, high and loud and tortured, and Mulder's own sobbing gasp in reply made her work all the faster. Krycek's hips were thrusting up now, making it hard for her to put the damn condom on with one hand. "Hold still!" she snarled, grabbing his cock and squeezing it hard. Krycek sobbed but stilled his hips and Mulder moaned, long and low, slowing his strokes, holding back. Scully could hear the wet slurping sounds as Krycek made use of Mulder's shallower penetration to lave his cock, and she hurriedly smoothed the condom down over him and pinched the tip, loving the whimpering her touch caused. When he was safely sheathed, she climbed on top and without any further hesitation, lowered herself down on top of him slowly with a long, breathy groan. A sound like a keening sob came from Krycek's full, busy mouth as she impaled herself on him to the hilt, digging her nails into his abdomen and shuddering with the pleasure. She held the gun in her right hand loosely. She had put the safety on and now it bumped against Krycek's side as she started to ride him, using his hips and chest for support. Krycek immediately began thrusting up to meet her, moaning desperately around Mulder's cock in his mouth and making Mulder answer him with choked gasps and groans and harder fucking. Scully leaned forward, grinding down hard on Krycek's cock and feeling the ache as she climbed to her third climax. She watched Mulder's thrusts becoming more and more erratic and she knew he was close. As she fucked Krycek, she could feel his own hips thrusting harder and harder and more out of control and she was pretty sure he was about to blow, too. "Don't come until he does," she gasped out, slapping the side of the gun half- heartedly against his side as a reminder. He groaned loudly, sounding like a tortured animal, but his hips became less frantic. She settled into her own hard rhythm and knew it wouldn't be long. "Awwwwwfffffuuuuuuuccck!" Mulder's thrusts suddenly went wild and he rammed himself hard down Krycek's throat repeatedly, shooting his load so deeply all Krycek could do was swallow and gag, trying to not choke to death. Mulder stroked a few more times, then pulled back, Krycek sucking him all the way to the tip, letting go with a wet smack. Scully continued to work herself on Krycek's erection, slowing a bit to watch Mulder's orgasm, feeling herself right at the edge of letting go, her eyes barely able to stay open long enough to witness it. As soon as he pulled free of Krycek's mouth, she ground down in earnest and felt her body start to convulse, squeezing down on Krycek's cock as the waves throbbed through her and she sobbed, open-mouthed. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhohhhhhhohhhhhoohhhhhhohhhh" She cried in one long, wailing breath, shuddering and clenching and throbbing almost painfully through the hardest climax of the night. It was too much for Krycek, who let go himself. "UuuuhhnnnnfuckJesusgodScullyMulderfuckfuckfuckuhhhhhhhhh" he then lapsed into Russian, thrashing his head back into the pillows, his whole body jerking and bucking against the restraints as he cried out his release, sobbing. Mulder lifted himself off him and reached for Scully, helping her raise herself off Krycek and then holding her up as her trembling body barely got her to the other side of the bed. She laid down on one side, Mulder on the other and they kept hold of each other's hands, the gun dropped on the bed and forgotten. They all caught their breath, saying nothing, Mulder and Scully's bodies pressed tightly against Krycek's, their gazes meeting over his sweat-slick chest. Scully finally peeled herself away. "I have to go to the bathroom," she breathed. Mulder nodded and pulled away, climbing off the bed as well. Krycek watched them both, his eyes dazed and confused, his mouth open in perpetual wonder. Scully quickly removed Krycek's condom, careful to keep its contents contained. She went into the bathroom and tossed it in the garbage, then used the facilities and cleaned herself up a bit before returning to the bedroom. Mulder got up and used the bathroom, then he sat down on his side of Krycek's bed and she settled in on hers. "You're pretty good with that lying little mouth of yours, Krycek," he said, grabbing Krycek's chin and turning his face to force him to look at him. Krycek didn't fight him in the least, turning his head and gazing deeply into Mulder's penetrating gaze. Krycek licked his lips slowly and let one corner of his mouth turn up in a slight smirk. His eyes gleamed, heavy lidded, dark, and confident. Scully thought it was a very good look on him. Wisely, he kept quiet, staring at Mulder's face. Mulder's gaze was heavy and serious as he stared back. "Since you're so good with that mouth, seems like this might be a really good time to get some answers from you," he said, licking his own lips. Krycek's smug grin faded and he pressed his lips together tightly. Mulder let go of his face and trailed his hand down Krycek's body, stopping at his abdomen, making Krycek jerk up at the contact. Krycek watched him warily. "So, Scully. You start. What do you want to know?" asked Mulder, giving her first dibs. She bit her lip and thought, and felt an old pain cut through her post-coital bliss as she thought of her sister. "Were you responsible for Missy's murder?" she half-whispered, her voice coming out much more steady than she had expected. Krycek closed his eyes and didn't answer. Mulder reached up and slapped him and Scully winced. "She asked you a fucking question, asshole," Mulder snarled. "Give her the answer." Krycek's glare burned into Mulder's then he turned to Scully and, breathing hard, spoke. "No." "Liar!" Scully grabbed his face, burning him with her accusing glare, her eyes bright with tears. "It wasn't me, Scully. I didn't do it." Scully leaned in, inches from his sex-covered face, furious at hearing an answer she just knew couldn't be true. "Cardinale told me it was you, you son of a bitch! Just tell the truth!" She was supporting herself with one hand on his chest, pressing down against the straps and feeling them slide against sweaty, abraded skin. Krycek didn't react to the pain, just staring intently into Scully's furious face. "Listen, Scully. I swear to God. I didn't kill her. I was there, yes, but Cardinale pulled the trigger. I didn't have a choice," he said, closing his eyes tight. "I was just following orders. I never had a choice." "That's convenient!" she snarled, shaking his face and squeezing it, forcing him to open his eyes. "I'll never forgive you for that, Krycek," she said, a trace of a sob in her voice. He focused his eyes intently on hers. "I know. I'm sorry." "Sure you are." She let go of his face and took her hand off his chest, sitting back and looking out the window, feeling no satisfaction, just anger and sorrow. Mulder waited a few moments until she turned back to the two of them and he caught her eye and his expression was one of deep compassion and love and it made her smile just slightly to reassure him. He gave her the briefest smile in return and their gazes held for a moment before he turned his attention back to Krycek. His eyes went dark and cold. "Cardinale wasn't there when my father was killed. Who are you going to push that one off on, Krycek?" His voice was low and calm. Scully shivered slightly. Krycek, whose eyes had been shut again, sighed deeply and turned his face to Mulder's. "No one," he said, his own voice rough with emotion. Mulder breathed deeply, trying to stay in control. "So you're saying you killed him." Krycek stared into Mulder's eyes, and it actually looked like he might be fighting tears. Scully forced any thought of pity from her mind and squared her shoulders, waiting for his answer and readying herself to help Mulder deal with it. "Yes. I killed him." Krycek blinked as Mulder's eyes narrowed and his breathing became louder and heavier. Scully watched the hand on Krycek's abdomen curl into a claw and the nails scratched deeply across his skin, but Krycek hardly reacted, his body only twitching briefly at the new assault. "How can you fucking lie there and tell me that with no remorse, no explanation? You're a fucking monster, Krycek!" Mulder shoved himself backward, using Krycek's body for leverage and stood up, shaking with rage. "Mulder," Krycek said, raising his head as if he wanted to follow Mulder's body off the bed. "You don't get it. You just don't understand. They would have..." he trailed off, his lips pressing together in an angry scowl. He let his head fall back into the pillows, squeezing his eyes shut. "They would have *what*, Krycek?" Mulder yelled, leaning over him with his hands on either side of his head now. A drop of spittle flew from Mulder's mouth and landed on Krycek's cheek, making it twitch. He opened his eyes and his look was pure heat. "They would have fucking killed you, you moron!" he yelled, again raising his tense body up off the bed as much as he could, bringing his face just inches from Mulder's. "What the hell are you talking about?" Mulder yelled into his face, spraying him with more of his saliva. "Your father was going to make you a target, Mulder! He was weak, and to ease his own conscience he was going to tell you everything, even though he fucking *knew* that would nullify any rights of protection you'd been given! I had to kill him! God, Mulder, you wouldn't have gotten five feet from that house!" Krycek thrust his head back into the pillow and tried to look anywhere but at Mulder, which was hard because Mulder's face was hovering about four inches above his and Mulder was staring him straight in the eyes with the intensity he reserved for only the most mind-altering paranormal experiences. Scully watched, eyes wide, as Mulder turned this new information over and over in his brilliant mind, his eyes travelling over Krycek's face as he considered the possibility of this disturbing truth. As for herself, she wasn't sure she believed Krycek, but it did make a sort of sense, and it certainly was worth thinking about. "I'm supposed to believe you murdered my father to save my life?" Mulder asked, his voice calmer but still angry. "God, Mulder, you asked for the fucking truth and I gave it to you. Does it look like I'm in a position to lie to you?" He looked up into Mulder's eyes now and Scully was sure she saw tears welling in those deep green eyes. Mulder stared down at him, eyes narrowed for several long moments then finally rose up off of him, his fists clenching and unclenching. He looked over at Scully, questions swimming in his eyes. "I need some air," he said, and she nodded, watching him snatch up his underwear and a T-shirt before exiting the room, closing the door behind him. She sat there next to Krycek, not knowing what to do next. Suddenly she had no more wish to punish the man, although she had by no means decided she believed him. She decided to take a professional approach. "Are you thirsty?" she asked, knowing the answer but needing to say something to break the tension. "Yes," answered Krycek, licking his lips and closing his eyes, then opening them and focusing them on her. There were definite tear tracks running down over the sweaty cheeks, and Mulder's handprint was only starting to fade. Krycek's chin and jaw glistened with the drying remains of their fluids. She swallowed any feeling of remorse and stood up from the bed. She pulled on her pajama bottoms and fastened on her top, desperately wanting a shower, then picked up the bottle of water she'd brought in with the food. She twisted off the cap, vaguely wondering how a one-armed assassin might accomplish that task, then sat back down on the bed. Krycek watched her do all of this, silent and wary. He lifted his head off the pillow and parted his lips and she put one hand behind his head to guide it as she brought the bottle to his mouth, tipping slightly, trying not to spill as she helped him drink. He gulped quickly, licking up the excess before it could run down his chin, and reminding her too much of the time he had spent between her thighs. She took a deep breath and kept her hands steady, and between the efforts of the two of them, he got half the bottle down with very little spillage. She lowered his head to the pillow as he licked his lips. "Thank you." His voice was quiet. "You're welcome. Are you hungry?" She blushed slightly at the unintended double meaning. Krycek's smirk was back but only at half-power, amused and gentle. "Yeah, Scully, I really am." Scully went over to the table and made him a plate from the finger foods that were left. She took it over and sat back down. She hesitated a moment, a little uncomfortable with the idea of feeding him by hand. It seemed like she was pampering him, which was far from the truth, but she had left herself no alternative. She took a piece of cheese and laid it on a cracker, then putting one hand behind Krycek's head again, helped him rise up to eat it. She felt guilty at how difficult it was for him to eat and not choke on his food, and she frowned as she had the opportunity to look at the laceration on his forehead and the scrapes and cuts on his wrist, face and chest. She fed him bite after bite and he ate in silence, careful not to touch her fingers with his lips any more than was absolutely necessary. She was surprised at his lack of lechery. Whether it was out of fear, or respect, or because it would be as torturous for him as it would be for her, she didn't know. She tried not to think about it. Finally, mercifully, the plate was empty and she took it over to the table. She got her medical bag and returned to the bed. "Krycek," she began, settling back down next to him and digging in the bag. He looked at her, nervous again. She brought out some antiseptic wipes and bent over him, cleaning his cut and checking his stitches. "Well, if you did kill Mulder's father to protect him, and I'm not saying I believe that, mind you, but if you did..." She stopped and chewed the inside of her cheek, anxious to hear the answer and yet dreading it at the same time. "Why?" "Whaddya mean, why?" asked Krycek, sounding petulant. Scully leaned up and wiped the blood from his scraped wrist carefully. "Well, I mean, you risked being killed by the Consortium and you risked Mulder's hatred as well as another murder charge," she explained, not mentioning the fact that one more murder charge was probably no big deal to a killer like Krycek. Krycek looked very uncomfortable, narrowing his eyes and looking away, unwilling to answer, wincing slightly at the treatment he was receiving at her hands. "You wouldn't understand," he murmured, not looking at her. "Krycek, I think I deserve more of an answer than that," she said, halting in her ministrations. She gave him a few moments, then leaned in over him, forcing him to look back at her face. She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "I care about what happens to him." His voice was quiet and flat. She snorted lightly. "You don't go against the Consortium and kill somebody's father because you care about what happens to them, Krycek." Krycek actually rolled his eyes at this and sighed, exasperated. "God, Scully, are you fucking blind? Jesus!" He stared at the ceiling, breathing hard through his nose, jaw clenching. She frowned, not understanding. "What are you talking about, Krycek?" "I love him!" he shouted, his eyes coming to meet hers and burning through her with an intensity she had never seen before. She felt her mouth drop open in shock and recognition as she realized there was no way what she was hearing was anything but the very painful truth. Even Krycek couldn't fake a look like that. It was all pain and desperation and longing and fear and...yes, love. It drove her back from him physically with its force and she stood up, staring down into eyes that were once again filling with tears. "God..." She breathed. "Oh God..." She stood there, looking down at the naked man on the bed and feeling remorse, pity, and confusion battling with the deep shame that was taking root in her belly. What they'd done to him. They'd basically raped him. It was sick. Just sick. And there he lay, battered and bloody and cuffed and taped and naked and as vulnerable as he could possibly be, both physically and emotionally. She felt sick. "Scully," he said, his voice breaking, a lone tear squeezing out of the corner of his eye and running down the side of his head into his sable hair. "Please, don't tell him." Her brow knitted in confusion but she said nothing. She thought about it and decided that Mulder probably wouldn't believe it anyway, and she wasn't the one to tell him. God, how could she tell him something like this? Somehow, she didn't feel that Krycek's love for Mulder in any way threatened their new relationship. She puzzled at that, but decided she didn't have to understand it right now. "I won't say anything," she said, and Krycek sighed, relieved, and closed his eyes. More tears followed and she leaned over and wiped them away quickly, not wanting him to suffer the irritation of not being able to do it himself. This only seemed to make things worse and he started shaking now, really crying, though still silently. She stepped back and left him alone. God, she thought. We have to figure out what we're going to do now. We can't keep him like this. This isn't just sexual anymore. And God knows it isn't about justice. "I'll be back in a minute," she said and walked to the door. He didn't answer and she stepped through it, shutting it behind her. She found Mulder sitting on the couch, head in hands. "Mulder?" He looked up and his expression was one of tired relief, so she walked over and sat down beside him, putting her hand on his thigh. He pulled her into a hug and held her, his chin on her head. She relaxed into his warm strength and they stayed like that for a few quiet moments, breathing in one another's scent, absorbing and sharing their support and love. Finally she spoke. "What are we going to do, Mulder?" He sighed into her hair and she shivered and hugged him closer. "Oh Scully. I just don't know. I mean, how can I believe him after he betrayed us both. We know he lied to me when he was my so-called partner, and he helped them abduct you." She shivered and he held her more tightly. "But his explanation of my father's murder makes the most sense," he finished, laying his cheek against her hair. "I know," she answered, inhaling his scent and smelling herself on him, as well as the only slightly familiar musk of the man they'd both been with. She breathed it in deeply, letting it soothe her. "God, Scully, if we believe him, that means..." He trailed off then pulled back to look at her face. "What are we going to do with him now? We can't just let him go, but we can't keep him cuffed and taped to that bed! I mean, if nothing else, the guy's gotta use the bathroom and..." "Mulder, you're babbling," she said lovingly, putting her fingers on his lips. He smiled against them and she continued. "But you're right. Things have changed." They sat with that knowledge, realizing they weren't just talking about the situation at the cabin, but things in general. Scully nearly shared her secret, breathless at the importance of it. But she didn't. Krycek would have to find his own way to tell Mulder, if he ever chose to do so. It just wasn't her place. She sighed. "Okay," she said, in her Scully-in-charge voice. "I gave him some food and water already." At that, Mulder's eyebrows rose, then he nodded approvingly. "So let's go in there and take off the tape, then you can cuff yourself to him and he can use the bathroom..." Another eyebrow raise and she smirked and ignored it. "...and then we can cuff him back to the bed, but..." She swallowed. "...we'll let him get dressed this time. Then we'll figure out what to do with him." Mulder nodded again and they stood up. "And then, Mulder, I'm going to take a long, long bath. I'm sticky and hot and I smell." "I like the way you smell, Scully," said Mulder, looking lasciviously at her as they crossed the room to the door. "You would," she replied, then reached out and opened it, smiling. The smiles on both their faces vanished as they saw the empty bed. A gust of freezing cold air blew over them from the open window and they both looked at the pile of ruined clothing. The jacket and boots were gone. So was the gun and knife. And Mulder's coat and gloves and the rest of the leftover food on the table. They looked at each other, then at the window, then back at each other. Finally, Mulder spoke. "I guess it's just you and me until we can figure out how to get out of here." "Guess so," she said softly, looking at him and then back to the rumpled bed next to theirs. Her secret still burned within her and now she'd have to keep it even longer. She wondered what it meant for them and for the future, and decided it was a good thing, and she wouldn't let herself worry about it. "I'm going to take a bath, Mulder. Why don't you go see if you can fix the heat." She went to the bedroom closet and grabbed a towel and washcloth and grabbed her toiletries from the bag. "Will do," Mulder replied as he shut the window. She gave the bed one last look and realized that Krycek's socks were still stuck to the tape, which was hanging from the posts accusingly. He must have slipped his feet out of the socks, then somehow picked the cuffs and gotten his hands free. And all in the time it had taken her and Mulder to decide they could believe him. Pretty amazing. She smiled and was glad she had left his socks on. She went into the bathroom and turned the water on to run her bath. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Well???? Whaddya think? Send it here, folks: bizzzichick@yahoo.com