TITLE:  Guilty Association
AUTHOR: Henle Girl
E-MAIL:  Henle_Girl@hotmail.com
RATING: PG
KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully Romance, Scully/Krycek Friendship
SPOILERS: Requiem, images from Within
SUMMARY: When Alex Krycek and Dana Scully team up to find Mulder, 
they find they have more in common than they realized.
Disclaimer:  The characters don't belong to me.  I'm just 
borrowing them..

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Guilty Association
Part I

by Henle Girl
*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Prologue

The old man goes tumbling down the stairs.  Oddly enough, Alex 
Krycek doesn't know what he feels after accomplishing this goal.  
Does he feel happiness?  No, happiness is not the sensation he 
generally ascribes to the feeling after a killing.  That would be 
more like a euphoric rush.  But not this time.  There's no 
euphoria, no rush.  There's a definite sense of anger putting a 
damper on the euphoria.  He was just so angry before killing the 
cigarette smoking devil and he's shocked to find himself still 
angry now that it's all over.  Instead of relief, the killing has 
stirred up within him what he can only describe as a sense of 
restlessness.  As if this somehow is not an ending, but merely 
the start of something new.

"We should clear out his office," Marita says, grabbing him as he 
mindlessly walks by.  He shakes himself from his thoughts.  He 
needs to get over this unsettled feeling.  He has everything he's 
ever wanted -  Mulder out of the picture and Spender dead.  And 
both happened at his hands.  Rather, his hand, he should say.  So 
why isn't he on top of the world?  Regardless, Marita is right.  
He's lucky she's on his side for the moment.

"You're right," he tells her aloud, echoing his silent thoughts.  
"We can take all of his notes and records and begin the work 
again on our own."

The private care facility where CSM has been spending his last 
days was his residence as well as his business office. It takes a 
few hours, but they get all of what they need packed - business 
records, associate phone lists, as well as a few personal files 
Alex thought might be insightful.

"What are those?" Marita asks as he tucks them into the last box 
before leaving.

"I'm not sure yet.  It should make for some interesting reading, 
though," he says with a smug grin.  Little did he know, though, 
that those very files would change his life in a way he never 
imagined possible.  Alex Krycek was about to find out just what 
it's like to live in his own worst nightmare.   

Chapter 1
Three months later

The murky darkness temporarily blinds him.  Slowly he blinks open 
his eyes to an unfamiliar room.  It's more like a chamber, and 
when he tries sit up to look around, he finds himself strapped to 
a chair of some kind.  Suddenly, the lights get too bright and 
he's able to see the drill just as it comes towards his head.

"Ahhh!" Krycek screams, waking himself from his terrible dream.  
He's been having them non stop for the past three months.  He can 
clearly see that the man being tortured in his dreams is Mulder, 
but Krycek is the one who feels the pain.  Every saw, every 
drill, every prick he feels in his own body, as if a phantom 
pain.

He sits up and runs his good hand across his eyes to wipe away 
the sleep.  He's going to be up for the rest of the night now.  
There's no getting back to sleep after one of those dreams.  
Instead, he stumbles over to his makeshift bar, pouring himself a 
generous helping of the first thing he put his hand on.

"I can't take this anymore," he practically sobs, the months of 
sleep deprivation finally catching up to him.  He has to find a 
way to end this constant nightmare.  He thought Marita would help 
him.  But she left not long after the whole mess started.  If 
only he hadn't taken those files from Spender's office.  He'd be 
guilt free and blissfully ignorant right about now.  

The dreams started soon after he found the files.  And the dreams 
are always the same images of Mulder being tortured by the 
aliens.  It seemed to be a fair price for him to pay since he all 
but handed Mulder over to them.  But the pain.  The pain has been 
more than Krycek can bear.  He used to go out to bars and drink 
himself oblivious.  But he found it easier to drink from home.  
Now, even his drunken comas don't stop the dreams.  They've only 
become more intense.

Krycek finishes his drink and pours another, finishing that one 
as well.  Once he finds himself suitably numb, he roots on the 
floor for a pair of pants and shirt, messily dressing himself.  
Once he's covered to his own satisfaction, he stumbles from his 
shabby apartment, wandering out into the street.  The only thing 
on his mind is ending the pain.  He can't take it anymore.  The 
street is surprisingly busy for this time of night, he notices in 
his numbed state.  'In death there is freedom,' is the last 
thought in his head as he steps off the curb and into the car 
speeding through the light.  He's thankful to be quickly rendered 
dreamlessly and painlessly unconscious.

When he awakens, it's in the room again.  The dark chamber.  He 
can't see much, be he can still feel.  He feels the drill in his 
teeth, the saw on his chest, the agonizing torture he knows is 
not his own, but is of his making.  He knows now that this is 
just the dream.  He isn't free.  He's just more a prisoner than 
he was before.  

He manages to separate himself from Mulder and watches as his 
dream self floats about the tortured man.

"Help me," Mulder begs, out of his head with pain.

"How?" Alex hears himself ask.  "I can't stop this."

"You started it.  You gave me to them.  You have to end it."

"I have to end it," he nods.  "I have to find you."

With that, another sharp pain fills his chest, ripping him away 
from the torture chamber.  His eyes fly open to the sight of 
several blurry creatures milling around him.

"I got a rhythm.  He's back," he hears on the left.  

"Sir, can you hear me?" he hears on the right.  "Sir, you were in 
an accident.  You're in the hospital now.  You're going to be 
fine."

He groans, realizing he's still alive and trapped in his 
miserable existence.  He wants to curse the doctors for bringing 
him back, but can only moan at the pain he's feeling.

"Just relax," a kind voice says.  "We're giving you something for 
the pain.  Now, can you tell us who we can contact for you?"

He can feel the drugs flowing through his blood, starting to take 
effect.  His pain is slowing drifting away, along with his 
ability to stay awake.  But he can still remember the promise 
made in his dream.  He has to help Mulder.  But to do that, he 
has to find him first.  And only one person will be desperate 
enough to help him.

"Scully.  Dana Scully," he manages to whisper before falling 
asleep.

Chapter 2

Dana Scully lets out a sleepy giggle, her pleasant dreams making 
her smile.  Her first trimester were filled with horrible dreams 
of Mulder's torture.  But she's purposed in her mind to think 
happy thoughts of him - for her sake and for the sake of the 
baby.  Now that she's entered her second trimester, she finds 
herself remembering the times spent with Mulder that led to the 
conception of said baby.  Her dreams have been reflecting those 
thoughts.  

With a flushed face, she abruptly sits up in bed and realizes a 
moment later what woke her.  The phone was ringing.  At four in 
the morning, it can only be one thing - news about Mulder.  Hope 
and apprehension both fill her heart.  What could the news be?

"Hello?" she asks shakily into the phone, her sleep long 
forgotten.

"Ma'am I'm sorry for disturbing you this early in the morning.  
But I'm calling from Jordan Hill Medical Center in Lewisville, 
PA.  We have a John Doe here that mentioned your name."

"What does he look like?" she gasps, already getting out of the 
bed to dress.

"Tall, thin, dark hair and . . . "

She doesn't let the caller say anymore.  It's a close enough 
match to Mulder.  The first lead she's had in weeks.  She has to 
check it out.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Scully says, hanging up the 
phone.  She hurries to finish dressing, rushing out the apartment 
in mere minutes.

Three hours later, she's pulling into the parking lot at the 
hospital.  She takes a moment for a deep, calming breath.  It 
might not even be him, she has to remind herself.  And what if it 
is?  She hasn't even given any thought to what she would do if 
she ever found him.

One more deep breath and she gets out of the car, walking as 
calmly as she can into the hospital.  She finds the admissions 
desk and is quickly directed to the patient.  The doctor stops 
her before she can go into the room.

"Can I help you?"

She wasn't expecting having to make any explanations, so she 
pulls out her badge to give herself some time to think.

"Dana Scully, FBI," she announces.  "I was called about a John 
Doe.  I may be able to identify him."

She's surprised at how calm and official she sounds.  But inside, 
she's restraining herself from pushing past the doctor and 
running into the room.

"Oh, we're glad you're here, Agent Scully.  The patient has been 
asking for you."

"How is he, doctor?  I didn't get any details about his 
condition."

"He was struck by a car," the doctor explains.  "We don't think 
it was an accident, which is why we were so eager to find his 
emergency contact."

"You think someone pushed him?"

"No.  It appears to have been voluntarily."

"Suicide?" she gasps, her mouth falling open in shock.

"I'm sorry," the doctor apologizes when he sees her face go pale.  
"Would you like to see him now?  He's doing better.  
Surprisingly, the only injury was to his arm.  But he's going to 
need help since he won't be able to rely on the prosthetic one to 
. . . "

"Wait a second, did you say he has a prosthetic arm?" she 
interrupts, rolling her eyes when she realizes who the patient 
is.  This time, she doesn't hold back her urge to rush into the 
room, coming to an abrupt halt at his bedside.  

"Krycek," she practically growls. 

"So you do know this man," the doctor says from behind her, 
having followed her into the room.

"Unfortunately, yes," she sighs.  The doctor looks at her 
strangely and she quickly changes her tune.  "Yes, Doctor.  He's 
an acquaintance of mine.  His name is Alex Krycek."

"Good.  We were hoping he wasn't alone in the world," he smiles.  
"Right now, he's just sedated.  He should be waking soon, if you 
want to wait here."

"Lucky me," she mumbles to himself and the doctor leaves the 
room.  She should leave, too, and not waste another second on 
Alex Krycek.  But for some reason, he called for her.  She hates 
to admit that she's more than slightly curious as to why.  So she 
decides to wait.  Maybe this has something to do with Mulder 
after all.

Chapter 3

She wakes a few hours later, not even realizing that she had 
drifted off.  She finds a restless Krycek, still asleep, but 
thrashing so much he risked hurting himself.

"No . . . stop . . . please don't hurt me," he mumbles, seemingly 
fighting something in his dreams.

He wakes abruptly after a minute or two of struggling, gasping 
for breath at the pain radiating through his upper torso.

"Do you need more medication for the pain?" Scully asks, 
surprising him since he didn't see her in the chair across the 
room.

"That depends," he says, giving her a pretty dirty leer.  "Are 
you here to be my private nurse?"

"Forget it," she says, jumping up and practically running for the 
door.  She pauses when she hears his voice calling her.

"Wait a minute.  I'm sorry," he calls quickly.  "I just didn't 
expect to see you.  What are you doing here, Scully?"

"It's Agent Scully to you," she growls.  "Don't call me Scully."  
Scully is what Mulder calls her.  She won't allow this man to 
taint that.  "And I'm here because I got a call about a John Doe 
asking for me.  I assumed it would be Mulder."

"And when you realized it wasn't?"

"I stayed because I thought you might have some information about 
him for me."

"I do, in a way," he tells her.  "Get me out of here and I'll 
tell you all about it."

She eyes him warily, suspicious of what he has in mind.  She has 
two choices.  She can either do as he requests and trust that he 
really has information for her.  Or she can call his bluff and 
leave him right there in the hospital.  With both arms out of 
commission, she's not really concerned about him being able to 
hurt her or the baby.  So her only consideration is whether or 
not she can afford to turn down any lead about Mulder.  She 
decides that she can't.

So with a reminder to him that he's at her mercy, she takes him 
to the hospital and back to her apartment, letting him get 
settled on the couch.  Her rumbling stomach lets her know that 
she hasn't eaten yet, so she orders food for the two of them and 
then turns back to him.

"I did what you asked.  Now talk," she demands, taking a seat in 
the chair as far from the couch as she can get.

"I know you have no reason to believe me, because I hardly 
believe it myself," Krycek starts, trying to figure out what he's 
going to tell her.  He obviously can't tell her what he found out 
from Cancer Man's files, but he can tell her the rest.

"Just start from the beginning," she suggests.

"You're not going to like that part," he warns her.  "But here it 
goes."  

He takes a deep breath before continuing.

"You probably already suspect this, but I had a lot to do with 
Mulder's disappearance," he admits, watching her for her 
reactions.  She doesn't seem surprised.  Angry, but not 
surprised.

"Continue," she says, through gritted teeth.  She's trying hard 
not to strangle him with her bare hands.

"I knew they were looking for him.  So I sent him out to Oregon, 
right where I knew the ship would be.  I knew he'd walk right 
into it.  Then I found our buddy CGB Spender and . . . well, 
let's just say you don't have to worry about him bothering you 
anymore."

"Did you . . . nevermind.  I don't want to know," she says, 
shaking her head.  "I know they say open confession is good for 
the soul, but what does this have to do with anything?"

"I'm getting to it.  This is the hard to believe part.  I've been 
having these nightmares.  I've tried everything to get rid of 
them. But I've discovered that the only way to get rid of them is 
to right the wrong I've done that's causing them."

"Right the wrong?" she asks, confused at the whole thing.  But it 
all suddenly starts to click into place.  "About Mulder, right?  
You're having nightmares about Mulder?"

"They're worse than nightmares," Krycek says quietly, look down 
at his feet.  "I can see, and feel, everything they're doing to 
him.  It's terrible.  It's the worst feeling I've every felt.  
Ten times more painful than losing my arm every was because this 
pain isn't just physical.  It hurts my soul, if that makes any 
sense."

"You're lying," she says, trying to control the tears falling 
down her cheeks.  "You don't have a soul."

"I'm not lying," he insists.  "They're torturing him.  And I can 
feel every single thing.  They have him strapped to this chair, 
literally pinned to it through the wrists, ankles, and even his 
face somehow.  Then they start the tests.  They take this drill 
and . . . "

"That's enough," she cries out.  "I can't hear anymore."

"I'm sorry.  But I'm telling you the truth."

"I know you are," she nods after a moment.  "I . . . I've seen it 
too.  But I don't feel it."

"Now you see why I have to find him.  I have to find him and free 
him.  It's the only way to free myself."

"You don't deserve it," she screams, suddenly jumping up from her 
seat.  "You're the reason he's going through all of that!  You're 
the one who gave them to him."

"I know, but . . . can you really turn down my help?  You're not 
having any luck finding him on your own, are you?"

"I can't think of this right now," she says, shaking her head.  
"Besides, you can't do anything until your arm heals."

Just then, the food arrives.  She pays the delivery man and sets 
the food on the table in front of Krycek.  

"I need some rest, I'm exhausted.  Can you feed yourself?"

"I'll be fine," he says, lifting the prosthetic arm to show her.  
"Please, don't . . . "

"Not now, Alex," she practically begs.  "I just . . . I just 
can't."

She turns towards her room and shuts herself inside, locking the 
door behind her.  What a mess.  She doesn't know what to do about 
the whole situation.  But, her tired body takes control 
momentarily and demands sleep.  She can think about it all later.

Chapter 4  

It's dark when she wakes up again.  And again it's to the sounds 
of Alex Krycek in the middle of a horrible nightmare.  Perhaps he 
wasn't lying about them after all.  

By the time she gets out to the living room, he's awake and 
sitting up, his breathing obviously ragged.  She tips next to 
him, not getting his attention until she clears her throat.

"I'm sorry," he jumps, startled by her sudden appearance.  "I 
didn't mean to wake you."

"You were telling the truth about those dreams, weren't you?"

"Unfortunately I was," he nods, trying to lift a glass of water 
to his mouth, but not having much success.

She doesn't know if it's her sleepy state or her awakening 
maternal instincts, but she feels sorry for him and helps him 
out.

"Thanks," he mutters, after getting enough to drink.  "I didn't 
mean to disturb you.  Why don't you go on back to bed."

"You too," she nods, standing from her seat next to him.

"I won't be sleeping much more," he tells her.  "Those dreams are 
so . . . so real.  So vivid."

"Is this a first for you?" she asks him, a bit amused somehow by 
the situation.  "Feeling guilty about something you've done?"

"Is that what this is?" he chuckles nervously.  "It's an awful 
feeling.  I know I don't deserve any relief, but I'll do anything 
to make them stop.  That's why I have to find him.  *We* have to 
find him."

"We will.  I won't stop until we do."

"Neither will I," he assures her.

She looks at him and can see, for the first time, the truth in 
his eyes.  She strangely trusts him on this.  And that scares her 
more than anything.

*****

Over the next several weeks, Scully is surprised to find herself 
peacefully coexisting with Alex Krycek.  They're not exactly 
friends, but they're miles away from the enemies she would have 
sworn they were.  During the days, she goes to work on the X-
Files, making sure she keeps her job and her FBI connections.  
Krycek spends that time tracking down the leads she doesn't have 
the time to.  He's basically become her eyes and ears, going out 
to place and doing things she can't anymore.

At night, when both are in town at the same time, they have 
dinner and compare notes.  Ever since he realized she was 
pregnant, he's been surprisingly overprotective of her, making 
sure she takes care of herself.  No one knows of their 
arrangement.  No one would understand.  Skinner would question 
her sanity.  The Gunmen would question her loyalty to Mulder.  
She herself often wonders about this deal she made with the 
devil.  But she can't back out now.  She feels she's closer to 
finding Mulder than ever.

"Honey, I'm home," Krycek yells when he walks in the door later 
that night.  She just rolls her eyes and ignores him, much how 
she used to ignore Mulder's teasing.  She's finding that the two 
men strangely have a lot in common, including that bizarre sense 
of humor.

"Junior, tell Uncle Alex he might not make it to your birth if he 
doesn't stop teasing your mommy," she jokes back, one hand 
perched on her rounded belly. 

"That isn't funny," he growls, stomping into the bathroom and 
slamming the door.

Scully can't figure out what's wrong.  One minute they're joking, 
the next he's mad with her.  He comes out a few minutes later, 
looking almost composed again, but she can see where he's still 
upset.

"What's wrong?  Is it something I said?"

"I'm fine," he swears to her, although she can see that he's 
anything but.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sorry."

"But it isn't you, Dana.  It's me.  I just . . . I'm not used to 
all of this.  This is the closest thing to a home I've ever had.  
But at the weirdest moments, I'll be reminded at how it's not 
real.  I'll never be this kid's 'Uncle Alex'.  And I probably 
won't be around when he or she is born."

"You know, you and Mulder are a lot alike," she says, almost 
laughing at the incredulous look that comes to Krycek's face.  
"Seriously.  Neither of you feel you're worthy of love, 
affection, family, friends.  But both of you can give it so 
freely."

"When have you ever seen any of those qualities in me?"

"Alex, for the past six weeks, I've watched you tirelessly search 
for a man who's your worst enemy.  And I know you did that for 
your own selfish reasons.  But ever since you found out about the 
baby, I don't know, you've been different or something.  You've 
taken care of me.  And you look out for the baby.  I know I 
haven't said anything, but I appreciate it.  It's been tough 
without Mulder.  But for some strange reason, I feel closer to 
him with you here.  Because of you, I have hope that we're going 
to find him soon."

She looks up at him to see his eyes suspiciously wet.  He looks 
away, though, before she can get a closer look.  

"All I'm trying to say, Alex, is that you've been a friend.  
Whether you like it or not.  And now, I expect the best from you.  
I know you won't be perfect.  No one is. But I've placed a lot of 
faith in you not doing anything to hurt me ever again.  Because 
now I can see that you aren't heartless.  And I think it'll hurt 
you as much as it'll hurt me."

"But I don't deserve any of this.  I don't deserve your 
friendship," he argues.

"So much like Mulder," she smiles, shaking your head.  "Alex, you 
carry all of this guilt around.  I know it's a new concept for 
you, feeling responsible for your actions, but you also need to 
learn about a thing called forgiveness.  Repentance.  Change.  
Letting go of the past."

"How can you, of all people, talk about me and forgiveness in the 
same sentence?  Dana, I've done nothing but make your life 
miserable."

"I don't know," she shrugs. "I guess we've both just had a change 
of heart."

"Mulder isn't going to like it when he gets back."  He sees her 
eyes well up and wonder why.  "What?  Something I said?"

"You said *when* he gets back.  Not if," she sighs.  "It's like 
you're the only other person who really believes he's coming 
home."

They sit through an uncomfortable silence, each trying to get a 
check on their emotions.  Scully tries to blame it on her 
hormones, but she knows it's more than that.  Krycek has gotten 
to her in a way she could have never imagined.  They've bonded 
over their common quest, much in the same way she did with 
Mulder.  Stranger things have happened, she thinks to herself, 
causing a chuckle.

"What's so funny?" he asks.

"Nothing," she says quickly.  "Let's change the subject, okay?  I 
think I've had enough emotional outbursts for the day."

"Okay," he eagerly agrees.  "What should be talk about?"

"You know plenty about me, since my life seemed to be a popular 
course at Consortium University," she teases.  "But I know very 
little about you.  Tell me, what was Young Alex like?  Were you a 
good student?  Popular athlete?  Lady Killer?  Sorry.  Bad choice 
of words."

"I was an only child.  No siblings, although I had an imaginary 
friend for awhile.  Oh, and a dog named Sparky."

"How cute," she gushes.  "I can just picture it."

"That's all I really remember, though.  My childhood wasn't very 
good.  It lasted until my foster parents were killed.  After 
that, I was bounced around from place to place until I was about 
15 or 16 when I became a mercenary for hire."

"What happened to your birth parents?" she asks, curious as to 
why he was placed with a foster family.

He's quiet for awhile, trying to figure out what to say to her.  
He likes this new trust of him she seems to have, but he still 
feels guilty at holding back things from her.  But there are 
things that even he still can't deal with, this being one of 
them.  

"I never knew them," he says, telling the partial truth.  "I 
never even knew I was in a foster family until they died."

"Have you ever tried to find . . . "

She's cut off by the ringing phone.  He just lets out a sigh of 
relief.  Tonight is not the night to be getting into this.  He 
knows he was right to hold off when he sees all the blood drain 
from her face at the caller's words.

"What is it?" he whispers, trying to get her attention, but not 
wanting to interrupt her.

She looks up with tears in her eyes, nodding her head.

"Thank you.  I'll be right there," she says before hanging up and 
looking at him again.

"That was a hospital in St. Louis.  They have a patient there 
they think might be Mulder," she tearfully relays.  "We have to 
go."

"No, Dana.  We had a deal.  I go check out the leads, remember?" 
he reminds her.

"Not this time.  Alex, I really think this is it.  I think this 
is him.  I'm coming with you."

Before he can say another word, she's turned to go into her room 
to pack.  He wants to dissuade her from going, but he realizes 
there's nothing he can say to change her mind.  Like her, he 
senses that this is the night they will find Mulder.  But he 
unfortunately has an even stronger feeling that things may not 
exactly be what they expect.  He can only hope for her sake that 
Mulder isn't as bad off as Krycek thinks he'll be.

Chapter 5

Scully sits by the side of the bed, her eyes going over every 
inch of his body again and again.  It's Mulder.  It's really him.  
She can hardly believe it, but the blood tests proved it.  
Unfortunately, that's not all the blood tests picked up.

"Tell me again his chances, Doctor," she says in a whisper, 
trying to hold her tears at bay.  But it's not working.  She one 
hand to dry her soaked cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am.  He was already so far gone by the time he was 
brought into the hospital.  It's only a matter of time.  Based on 
the condition he's in, we don't think he'll even wake up again 
before succumbing to this disease."

"But what exactly is killing him?" Krycek asks.

"Yes, I don't understand," she sobs.  "Why don't you know how to 
cure this, whatever this is?"

"The disease is so rare.  There just isn't a set cure at this 
time," the doctor explains.  "A bone marrow transfer may help buy 
him some time and give a course of anti-virals a chance to work, 
but chances of us finding a match in the next day or so are 
infinitesimal at best."

"Have you been trying to find a match?" she asks.  "The only 
living relative I know of is . . . "  She looks down at her 
stomach and caresses it gently, biting her lip in apprehension.

"Don't even think it, Agent Scully.  The baby more than likely 
wouldn't be a match anyway.  Even a sibling wouldn't guarantee 
being a match."

"How about a twin?"

"What?" Scully gasps, turning to look at Krycek, who's steadily 
avoiding her gaze.

"If there's one readily available, I'll give it a try," the 
doctor says, not noticing Scully's apparent shock.  She can only 
stare at Krycek, barely comprehending the words coming out of his 
mouth.

"Just tell me where to go."  Krycek sees her eyes go even wider, 
but ignores her for now.  This isn't how he wanted anyone to find 
out, but it's out now.  He'll have some explaining to do.

"Here is fine," the doctor says to Krycek, excited about the 
opportunity to finally treat Mulder.  "I'll get a nurse to draw 
some blood for some initial tests.  If all goes well, we can 
begin the transfer in the morning."

The doctor gives them both a hopeful smile before leaving them 
alone.  Krycek knows that it's only a matter of seconds before he 
has to finally explain what he's been holding back all this time.  

"What's going on?" she says finally, having tried several times 
to speak.  "Why did you let that doctor think you may be a bone 
marrow donor for Mulder?"

"You heard what he said, Dana.  A twin would have a good chance 
of . . ."

"You know what I mean," she snaps at him.  "Twins?  How?"

He just gives her a look, trying to break the tension, but it 
doesn't work. She just gets angrier.  

"Don't try to be cute with me, Alex.  I know the basics about the 
birds and the bees.  I just want to know how this is possible?  
How could you have done the things you've done over the years?  
How . . . I don't understand," she says, her tears catching up to 
her again.

"I just found out," Alex admits.  "Spender had files on the two 
of us.  On his two . . . sons."  He shivers involuntarily, still 
not able to come to terms with the idea of being that man's son.

"How did this happen?"

"The Cigarette Smoking Man and Teena Mulder were having an 
affair.  She got pregnant.  I was taken at birth and given away 
to a Russian family," he explains.

"The foster family you told me about."

He just nods before continuing.

"No one knew where I came from, except for Spender.  Teena didn't 
even know she was pregnant with twins.  She never even realized I 
was born.  She wasn't conscious for the births."

"The man is a liar, Alex.  Why after all this time would you 
believe anything he says?"

"I didn't.  Trust me, I thought it was all a joke.  But medical 
tests don't lie, Dana.  DNA doesn't lie.  Fox Mulder is my 
brother.  My twin."

"Wow," is all she can say after a few minutes.  "Well, that 
explains the guilt. And the dreams," she suddenly realizes.  "It 
explains the connection you seemed to have to Mulder.  And the 
similarities I've noticed between the two of you.  And it would 
explain why you're still here."

"Excuse me?"

"Let's face it, Alex.  Your part in this whole thing was just to 
help me find him.  He's found now.  Your torture dreams should be 
over.  So why are you still here, offering to give him your bone 
marrow to help save his life?"

"I . . . I . . . don't know," he admits, at a loss for words.  
"It just seemed like the thing to do.  I never had a brother, 
Dana.  I don't think I'm quite ready to give up the one I just 
found."

She smiles at him, then turns to Mulder and smiles at him.

"You hear that, Mulder?  There's a room full of people waiting on 
you to get better.  So you hold on.  Get stronger for us. 
Please," she whispers to him, pressing a kiss on his lips.  She 
rests her head on his chest, whispering one last 'I love you' 
before drifting off to sleep.

To be continued . . .


TITLE:  Guilty Association
AUTHOR: Henle Girl
E-MAIL:  Henle_Girl@hotmail.com
RATING: PG
KEYWORDS: Mulder/Scully Romance, Scully/Krycek Friendship
SPOILERS: Requiem, images from Within
SUMMARY: When Alex Krycek and Dana Scully team up to find Mulder, 
they find they have more in common than they realized.
Disclaimer:  The characters don't belong to me.  I'm just 
borrowing them..

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
Guilty Association
Part II

by Henle Girl
*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Chapter 6

Krycek gets settled in his bed, a slight case of nerves taking 
over at the thought of his impending surgery.  The doctors assure 
him it's a very simple procedure, but he's still a bit nervous.

"How about a kiss for luck," he teases Scully, trying to cover up 
his fear.  But it doesn't work.  One look at him and she can see 
how afraid he is.

"There really is nothing to worry about, Alex," she assures him.  
"It's a routine procedure that shouldn't take very long."

"What makes you think I'm worried?" he counters.

"Because I know that face.  It's your panic face," she smiles 
gently at him with sudden realization of something.  "It's just 
like Mulder's."

She just stares at him, unable to resist running her fingers over 
his eyebrows, gently lulling him into a state of serenity.

"Now you just go to sleep," she says soothingly as he's getting 
his anesthesia.  "It'll be over before you know it."

Within moments, he's fallen asleep and taken up to surgery.  That 
gives her the time to turn her attention back to Mulder as the 
nurse begins to prepare him for his own surgery.  

"I wish you'd get better and wake up," she says to his sleeping 
form.  "I missed you so much.  And you've missed so much.  There 
are so many things I need to tell you.  Especially about the two 
new members of your family."

She takes his hand in her own and places it on her belly.

"This is our child, Mulder," she smiles.  Bittersweet tears start 
to flow down her face.  This is not the way she thought she'd be 
introducing him to his child.  But he may not have much time 
after this if the bone marrow transfer and anti-virals don't 
work.

"And it seems you're not as alone as you thought.  You have a 
brother.  A twin, if you can believe that.  I don't think *I* 
believed it until I saw the blood tests for myself.  But Mulder, 
it's true.  Krycek is your brother.

"I know you hate him.  And I thought I did, too.  But . . . I 
don't know.  There's something different about him now.  I think 
you should give him a chance.  He may just surprise you."

"Miss, we have to take him up now," a nurse says to her, 
interrupting her private conversation with Mulder.

She takes the hand that's on her stomach and presses a kiss on 
it.  Then she stands and gives him three more kisses - one on the 
forehead, one on the nose, and finally, one on the lips.

"I'll be right here waiting for you, Mulder.  Promise you'll come 
back to me."

She gives him one last kiss before allowing him to be rolled 
away.  All of her strength gone, she sinks wearily into her chair 
to wait.  Wait and pray, because that's all she can do now.

*****

The anesthesia leaves a heavy feeling on Krycek.  It takes him 
awhile to fight his way through the sleepy fog.  He manages to 
turn his head and groans, finding words too difficult to form.

"Welcome back, Alex," a cheery voice greets him.  He forces his 
eyes open to find Scully staring at him.  "You had us worried for 
awhile."

She places a straw to his lips and he greedily sips the proffered 
water, coughing a little when he drinks too quickly.

"Slow down.  Your throat might be pretty raw."

"What happened?" he whispers.

"Bad reaction to the anesthesia," Scully explains.  "I wasn't 
thinking.  I warned them not to use it on Mulder because he's 
allergic to it.  It didn't occur to me that you might be allergic 
to it, too.  You stopped breathing on the table and they had to 
intubate you."

He opens his eyes wide to express his shock, but can't do 
anything more than that.  He's just too tired still.  Before he 
can stop it, his eyes drift shut again, allowing the sleep to 
take over.

The next time he wakes up, he feels much better.  The effects of 
the anesthesia have worn off and all he feels is some pain at the 
surgery site.  He pushes his feet over the side of the bed and 
tests his legs to hold his weight.  Seeing that everything is 
back in proper working order, he shuffles to the bathroom, taking 
care not to wake the sleeping Scully.  It's the first he's seen 
her rest in awhile.  He has to make sure she takes care of 
herself and that baby now that he's better.  She's going to need 
her strength until Mulder heals.

When he's done in the bathroom, he takes a seat next to Mulder, 
instead of getting back into his own bed.  He finds that all he 
can do is stare.  He's seen the man plenty over the years he's 
known him.  But he's never looked at him as a brother.  He 
wonders to himself what their lives would have been like if they 
were raised together.

"We would have still hated each other," Krycek whispers to avoid 
disturbing Scully.  "But I think that's what brother's do.  We 
also would have taken care of each other.  And together, we would 
have taken care of Samantha."

Krycek goes back to just staring, unable to come up with anything 
else to say.  He's had months to get used to the idea, but it's 
still a shock to him.  He can only imagine the reaction Mulder's 
going to have.  That thought alone is enough to make him smile.

But the smile doesn't last long.  In the corner of his mind, 
somewhere, Alex gets the feeling that something isn't right.  
Trouble is coming for them.  They need to get away as soon as 
possible.

"Dana," he calls quietly, trying to gently wake her.  She rouses 
slightly, but doesn't awaken, so he tries again, this time 
louder.  "Dana."

That does it.  She opens her eyes and gives him an annoyed glare.

"We have to get out of here," he says.  "Someone is coming for 
us."

"What?"

"I don't know who, but I get the feeling that we need to get out 
of here.  Did you ever call Skinner?"

"Yes," she nods.  "When the two of you were in surgery.  He was 
able to get a flight and should be here any minute."

"Good.  I'm still a little loopy from the surgery and Mulder's 
still completely out of it.  There's no way the two of us will be 
able to get him out of here alone.  We're going to need Skinner's 
help."

"My help doing what?"

Both Scully and Krycek turn at the sound of the voice at the 
door.  Skinner stands there, his gun in hand and pointing 
directly at Krycek.

"Why would I help you do anything, Krycek?"  Skinner asks, 
walking into the room and shutting the door to avoid anyone out 
in the hall seeing the gun.  "What are you doing here?"

"Sir, it's okay," Scully jumps in.  She walks over to him and 
puts her hand on the gun, pushing it down to Skinner's side. 

"Listen, we can explain everything later, but right now, we need 
to get out of here," Krycek says.  "Now are you going to help us 
or what?"

"Agent Scully?"  Skinner looks at her, trying to read her on 
this.  There's no way he'd trust Krycek on his own.  But she 
seems to for some odd reason.

"We should listen to him, Sir.  If he says we need to leave, then 
we should leave.  We just need help getting Mulder out of here."

"What do you need me to do," Skinner relents, letting out a 
resigned sigh.  

"You two get him out of here.  I'll will meet you at your car 
once I raid the medicine cabinet to get the drugs for Dana to 
continue treating Mulder."

"I should come with you, Alex," Dana suggests.  "You won't know 
what to get."

"No, Dana, you should go.  That way if anything happens, Skinner 
will be able to get you and Mulder away from here."

"And leave you here alone?  I don't think so," she says, standing 
firm on her decision.  "Sir, you take Mulder.  Alex and I will 
meet you downstairs by the side entrance.  Drive around there and 
wait for us."

Skinner watches the ease between them and finds himself become 
more and more curious about them.  But that's a question for 
another time.  Right now, he needs to be concerned with getting 
Mulder out.  Scully has given her orders and he'd be a fool to 
cross her now.  But he still wonders what's going on here.  
Whatever it is, he doesn't like it.  And he has a feeling that 
Mulder wouldn't like it much either.

Chapter 7

"Here we are.  Home sweet home."  Skinner shuts the door to the 
tiny cabin behind them.  It's a hunting lodge owned by Skinner's 
ex-wife's family, in her name.  That should lessen the chances of 
anyone tracking them there.

"I think we'll be okay here for awhile," Krycek says, looking out 
all the windows for the so far invisible threat.  "At least until 
Mulder wakes up and is more mobile.  What kind of supplies do we 
have?"

"There isn't much, right now.  Maybe a few cans of soup, but not 
much more than that," Skinner says apologetically.  "We should 
have gotten more stuff at the store when I filled up."

"It's probably a good thing we didn't.  Buying a lot of supplies 
at one time would have drawn suspicion to us.  But we are going 
to make sure we have enough food.  I don't think Dana's eaten in 
awhile."

"I'm fine," she says, her full attention on Mulder.  "Mulder's 
alive.  That's all I need."

Skinner and Krycek give each other a look, both realizing that 
they're probably going to have to keep on reminding her to eat.  

"I'll go back out," Skinner offers.  "I can make sure we have 
enough food for the next few days.  Any requests?"

"She's been on this strawberry pop tart kick lately," Krycek 
whispers to him.  "Maybe you can get a box or two?"

Skinner just smiles, finding Scully's cravings funny.  And he 
finds it even stranger that Krycek would know so much about them.  
He's definitely going to have to get the whole story from the two 
of them before he bursts from curiosity.

It's takes him about an hour to return, taking the time to make 
sure he's not followed.  He's not sure he believes Krycek's 
story, but he's not going to risk the safety of two of his most 
prized agents.  He'll just have to keep a close eye on any 
possible threat, and an even closer eye on Krycek.  

When he gets back to the cabin, he's greeted with a sight that 
makes him all the more determined to find out just what Alex 
Krycek is up to.  Both Krycek and Scully appear to be asleep, 
sitting on the couch with Scully tucked under Krycek's protective 
arm.  But that's not the biggest surprise.  The biggest shock of 
all is the other pair of eyes watching the slumbering couple.  
Mulder.

"Mulder!  You're awake," Skinner says, not caring about waking 
Scully and Krycek.

Scully jumps awake at the mention of Mulder's name, her eyes 
opening to meet his.  A teary, incredulous smile comes to her 
face.  She's dreamed of this moment for months and now that it's 
coming true, she can hardly believe it.  But she forces her shock 
to the side as she switches to doctor mode.  Mulder is still her 
patient.

She starts to rise, only to have Krycek's grip on her tighten, 
protecting her even in his sleep.

"It's okay," she whispers to him.  "Mulder's awake, Alex."

Krycek opens his eyes and blinks them a few times, trying to push 
aside his fatigue. He looks at the man lying on the bed and gives 
him a smirk.

"It's about time you joined the party," he snidely remarks, 
drawing a scornful glare from Scully.

"Alex, be nice," she warns, softening the look with a little 
smile that's more for Mulder than Krycek.  She looks back at the 
love of her life, finally standing to make her way over to him.  
She forgets momentarily about the very telling bulge around her 
waist.  But the look in Mulder's eyes tells her that he didn't 
miss it . . . and that he's completely misunderstood what it 
means.

"Scully?"  He back and forth between her and Krycek, an 
accusatory glare in his eyes and she knows exactly what he's 
thinking.  On the one hand, she can see how he would be confused 
at her obvious condition and the friendly banter between her and 
Krycek.  But on the other hand, she's more than a little offended 
that he would jump to such a conclusion about her faithfulness to 
him.

"Relax, Mulder.  It's not what you think."  She reaches out to 
take his hand.  He tries to snatch it away, but finds he lacks 
the strength.  She's able to grab his hand and hold it tightly 
with her own.

"What I think is that you're pregnant, Scully," he says, his eyes 
starting to fill with tears.  "What I see is you all cozy with my 
worst enemy."

"Mulder," she says calmly, putting both of her hands on the sides 
of his face and drawing his gaze into her own.  "Look into my 
eyes and tell me what you really see."

He looks even more confused, if not a bit hopeful.  But he plays 
the petulant child and refuses to say anything.  She takes it 
upon herself to fill him in.

"Mulder, I know you see what I'm talking about.  I know you can 
see that I love you, and only you.  But if you look closer, 
you'll see how I've agonized these past five months.  I've spent 
my time searching for you and grieving because you weren't by my 
side.  That was time we should have spent together celebrating 
the new life we created."

At that declaration, Skinner clears his throat.  He assumed 
Mulder was the father of the baby, but didn't have confirmation 
until just now.  He then realizes that this isn't a conversation 
they should have an audience for.  He motions for Krycek to 
follow him outside to give them some privacy.

"Is it true?  Are you really pregnant?" Mulder asks, not noticing 
the now empty room.  His complete focus is on Scully.

"Yeah," she nods with a smile growing on her face.  This is the 
moment she's waited months for. She can't believe it's finally 
here.

"I did that to you?" he asks, an amazed grin growing on his face.

"Well, I'd like to think I had a hand in it too, Mulder," she 
laughs.  "But, essentially yes.  You did this to me."

"Can I . . . can I touch it?  Please?"

"Of course.  You don't ever have to ask.  This is as much yours 
as it is mine."

"When did it all . . . happen?"

"When did I conceive?" She pauses, taking a moment to think.  
"I'm not entirely sure.  But I have a strong suspicion that there 
was beer and a movie involved."

"Ah, Caddyshack night," Mulder grins.  "I knew that movie would 
come in handy one day.  And they say you were barren.  All I 
needed to do was get you liquored up and let my virile, uh . . . 
essence handle the rest."

"You are too much," she laughs, a deep hearty chuckle like she 
hasn't done in months.  When she thinks about how long it's been 
since she's been happy enough to laugh like this, her mood 
plummets and deep sobs replace the laughter. 

"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying, Scully?"

"I missed you so much, Mulder," she sobs, laying her head on his 
chest and wrapping her arms as much around him as she can.  "I 
missed talking to you and laughing with you.  Holding you.  
Kissing you."

She takes a few minutes to make up for some lost kisses, stopping 
only when he seems short of breath.

"Sorry about that," she blushes, sitting up.  "Some doctor I am, 
about to suffocate you after what you've been through.  How are 
you feeling?"

"Fine.  But I'd feel better if you came to lie down next to me," 
he smiles, giving her his infamous leer.

"You really are too much," she says, shaking her head.  But she 
climbs into the bed with him, taking care not to squish him.  

"I missed this too," she sighs contently.  "I missed talking to 
you.  I missed being held by you.  I missed telling you about the 
baby.  And showing you my first sonogram picture.  Letting you 
feel the first kick.  Making you go out to buy me pop tarts in 
the middle of the night.  So much time is gone, Mulder.  Time we 
can't get back."

"I'm sorry I went and got myself abducted."

"It wasn't your fault," she tells him, deciding to remain quiet 
about anything else.  He'll need to be much stronger to deal with 
the rest of the story and how Krycek is involved.  

"Why don't we get some rest," she suggests, knowing that they'll 
need it.  Something tells her there will be some tough times 
ahead.

Chapter 8

Skinner and Krycek circle the perimeter of the cabin twice before 
deciding that they're safe for the moment.  Once they meet at the 
front of the cabin, Skinner pulls his gun on Krycek again, 
motioning for the man to take a seat on the porch swing.

"What's that for?" Krycek asks, staring at the gun more annoyed 
than anything.  "Is this how you thank me for keeping your 
precious agents safe?"

"That is what I can't seem to figure out," Skinner starts, making 
sure Krycek doesn't even think about moving.  "Why are you doing 
this?  What are you up to?  And just exactly what is going on 
with you and Scully to make her trust you all of a sudden."

"Why?  Jealous?"  Krycek almost expects the blow that comes when 
Skinner backhands him.  He spits out the blood from his split lip 
onto the ground.

"I'm only going to ask one more time, Krycek.  What are you up 
to?" 

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Try me," Skinner snarls.

"Dana and I have been working together for almost two months now 
to find Mulder.  I've been helping her track down leads while she 
worked the FBI angle.  We got a call yesterday about Mulder being 
in the hospital in St. Louis.  It felt kind of like a set up to 
me, but we went anyway.  But I still was feeling not right about 
it, so we left.  You know the rest."

"You've told me practically nothing, Krycek.  I still don't know 
what you're up to."

"I'm not up to anything."

"You just decided, out of the blue, to help find a man you have 
no use for?"  Skinner frowns and takes the safety off the gun, 
putting the barrel directly up against Krycek's forehead.  
"Something tells me that's not the truth.  You're lying, and if 
you don't tell me what, then I'll . . . "

"Sir, that might not be wise."

Skinner and Krycek both turn to see Mulder standing against the 
door, holding onto the frame with all his might.

"Mulder, what are you doing up?" Skinner asks, putting the gun 
back into its holster.  "You should be resting."

"Dana's going to kill you when she realizes you're up," Krycek 
warns.

"You seem to know an awful lot about *Dana*," Mulder says, his 
glare focused on Krycek.  "How is that?"

"Mulder, let's sit you down," Skinner suggests, realizing there's 
no way he'd be able to get the man back inside without a 
struggle.  He seems determined to talk to Krycek so Skinner's 
going to let him.  Maybe he'll be able to get some information 
out of the man.

Skinner helps Mulder walk to the swing and sits him next to 
Krycek, wondering briefly if he should sit between them like a 
referee of some sort.  

"Thanks," Mulder says, panting a bit for breath.  "Why don't you 
give us a few minutes."

Skinner can tell he's been dismissed, so he goes back inside.  
But something tells him this is going to be a conversation he's 
sorry he missed.

Mulder waits until Skinner's gone back into the cabin before 
turning to Krycek.

"Why don't you tell me what you were holding back from Skinner," 
Mulder starts.  "Because I just don't understand what's going 
on."

"I don't know where to start," Krycek admits.  "It's 
complicated."

"Complicated," Mulder repeats.  "In what way?"

Krycek just stares out into the dark forest, trying to gather his 
thoughts.  There's no way he can keep this from Mulder.

"I saved your life," Alex says, figuring that's as good a place 
as any to start.

"You helped Scully find me," Mulder clarifies.  "I just heard you 
tell Skinner that.  But what I don't know is why?"

"Why did I help Scully find you?  Because I was the one 
responsible for losing you in the first place," he laughs.  "But 
you know what?  The joke was on me.  I gave you to them, but I 
was the one dying.  The guilt was killing me."

"You led me right into a trap, didn't you?" 

"You sound surprised," Krycek says with a mirthless chuckle.

If Mulder had the strength, he'd have his hands around Krycek's 
neck, squeezing until there was no breath left in his body.  But 
sitting there, he's able to think about what he just said about 
the guilt killing him.  He wants to know what he meant by that.

"You said the guilt was killing you . . . "

"Yeah, it shocked me too, believe me.  Guilt is not an emotion I 
was used to feeling.  But for some reason, I felt . . . I don't 
know, a connection or something, with you.  I felt everything you 
did while they had you.  I know when and how you got every scar 
on your body. Except I had to live through it night after night. 
Every time I went to sleep, I was where you were.  It was . . . "

"Torture," Mulder says quietly, finishing the though Krycek left 
dangling.

"Yes, it was," Krycek nods, staring off into the distance again 
for a few moments before continuing.  "I couldn't take it anymore 
and tried to kill myself one night.  But you wouldn't let me die.  
You begged me to help you.  To find you and stop the pain."

"I remember that happening.  I thought it was one of their mind 
games," Mulder says with a gasp.  "Why is this happening?  Why 
you, of all people?"

"That's even more complicated," Krycek sighs.  "Right after your 
abduction, I went to see Old Man Spender.  To, um, deal with him.  
Once and for all."

"You killed him."  It's not so much a question as it is a 
statement of fact, because Mulder knows that it's true.

"He had a lot of secrets he almost took to his grave," Krycek 
almost whispers.  "One that I wish he had.  Turns out that the 
old man was my father."

"Can't be. I don't believe it.  Then that would mean . . . "

"How do you think I was able to save you at the hospital?  You 
needed a bone marrow transfer.  Bone marrow that came from me."

"No," Mulder shakes his head, not believing.  "That's impossible.  
Are you trying to tell me we're brothers?"

"Twins actually," Scully says, pushing open the cabin door and 
stepping out on the porch.  "I saw the test results myself, 
Mulder.  There's no way I would have let them go ahead with the 
surgery unless I was sure the marrow would match."

"But . . this can't be," Mulder gasps, trying desperately to hold 
in his tears.  

"Alex, give us some time, okay?" she asks, sending the other man 
into the house.  She takes his seat next to Mulder on the porch 
and pulls him into her arms.  "It's okay.  It's going to be all 
right."

"How, Scully?  That demon is my twin!  How is that all right?  
You seem to have forgotten all that he's done to both of our 
families these past few years."

"No, Mulder, I haven't forgotten.  But I also haven't forgotten 
how everyone seemed to give up on finding you.  I haven't 
forgotten how one day, Alex Krycek showed up and was almost as 
desperate to find you as I was.  I haven't forgotten how he spent 
many, many weeks following leads on your whereabouts, going 
places I physically couldn't.  I remember all the evil he's done.  
But I also remember the good.  And I had to forgive him and learn 
to trust him.  Because it was the only way I was going to find 
you.  You're going to have to do the same.  I have a feeling that 
by forgiving him, you'll get to know the real Alex Krycek and 
also find out more about yourself."

"Easier said than done, Scully."

"Only if you want it to be.  Mulder, Alex is not the enemy.  The 
enemy is now dead.  There's no reason why you two can't come to 
some sort of understanding."  She takes his hand and places it on 
her swollen belly, rubbing gently.  "Preferably before the next 
generation is born."  

She leans over and places a kiss on his lips before resting her 
head on his shoulder.  They sit in the silence and swing 
peacefully, each thinking of how their lives have changed so 
much.  Scully thought that after they found Mulder, the rest of 
the journey would be easy.  She never anticipated this hurdle.  
She can only pray that they'll be able to surmount it and become 
the family that they all deserve.

Chapter 9

Krycek keeps peeking out the window, annoying Skinner with his 
apparent nosiness.

"Why don't you leave them alone," Skinner snaps, flipping through 
his magazine.  It was a pretty old one from the early eighties, 
but he wasn't really reading it anyway.

"I'm not looking at them.  There's something out there.  It's 
found us," Krycek says, the terror evident in his raspy voice.

"How do you know that?  You keep on saying that something's 
coming, but you haven't told me what and you haven't told me how 
you know this.  Why should I believe you?"

"I don't care what you do, Skinner.  But I won't let Dana get 
hurt.  So you can either stay here and die, or help me keep her 
safe."

Mulder and Scully hear the commotion going on and come inside, 
wondering what's going on.  Scully sees the agitated look on 
Krycek's face and sends him a questioning gaze.

"They're coming, aren't they?" Mulder asks, seemingly knowing 
already what's happening without Krycek having to say.

"They must can sense us the same way we can sense them," Krycek 
guesses.  "Maybe with the two of us together the signal is 
magnified or something."

"Let me guess.  There wasn't anything in the old man's files 
about this, was there?"

"Sorry, buddy.  We just have to wing it."

They both look to Skinner at the same time, having come to the 
same conclusion.  Mulder is the one, however, who speaks first.

"You have to get her out of here, Sir."

"Mulder, no.  Whatever this thing is . . . "

"It's too dangerous, Dana," Krycek interrupts her.  "Besides, it 
just wants Mulder and me."

"But you both just got out of the hospital.  How are you going to 
fight it?"

"We'll be fine, I promise," Mulder assures her, pulling her into 
a hug.  "I have something to live for now.  I have a family to 
come back to."

"You better come back to me, Mulder.  Because I'll hunt you down 
for the rest of my life if you don't."  She gives him the most 
passionate kiss she dares in front of company before stepping 
away and walking over to Krycek.  "The same goes for you, Alex.  
Take care of each other."

She presses a quick kiss to his cheek, shocking him to silence.  
For once, he doesn't have a smart aleck remark for her.

"I'll do my best," he promises.

"There should be guns and ammunition in that cabinet," Skinner 
points out, tossing a set of keys at Mulder.  "There's also a 
truck out back that should have enough gas to get you into town.  
We'll be there waiting for you.  Don't make us wait long," he 
orders.

He shakes each of their hands, Krycek's a bit reluctantly, before 
leading Scully out the house and to the car.

Mulder feels a hole open in his heart watching Scully leave him 
behind, but he knows it's for the best.  Whatever this thing is, 
he has to face it without her.  But he's not alone, he's reminded 
as he looks over to Krycek.  Scully warned him that one day he'd 
have to forgive and learn to trust the man.  He just didn't think 
the time would be so soon.  But it seems now that his very life 
depends on it.

"So, who was born first?" Mulder asks out of the blue.

"You were.  I came 9 minutes later," Krycek smiles, both he and 
Mulder seeing the humor in the number.

"We're not going to beat this thing, are we?"

"I don't see how we can," Krycek shrugs.  "I don't know what it 
is or what it wants with us.  I just know that it wants us."

Mulder just nods, heading over to the cabinet and pulling out 
some guns.  He takes one of the shot guns for himself and gives 
Krycek a smaller handgun.

"Then I guess if we're going down, we should go down fighting."

Just then, a bright light fills the cabin, blinding them 
temporarily.  Mulder is paralyzed with fear, unable to move at 
all. It's just like out of his dreams, his memory of Samantha's 
abduction.  Except this time instead of hearing Samantha calling 
for him, he feels a nudge at his side.

"Snap out of it, Mulder.  They're coming.  Let's hide back here 
until they come in.  Maybe we can ambush them," Krycek orders.  
He pulls on Mulder's arm until Mulder realizes he has control of 
his actions.

They get out of the way just as the doors come crashing in.  Four 
tall beings enter the room, leaving Mulder and Krycek speechless 
momentarily.  But eventually, Mulder remembers his FBI training 
and comes up with a plan.

"You take the two on the left, I'll take the ones on the right," 
he whispers to Krycek.  "On the count of three, shoot them and 
run before the fumes can get to us."

Mulder silently counts to three, slowly lifting his fingers.  
Together, him and Krycek aim and shoot, hitting three of the 
beings with the requisite kill shot to the neck.  The other one 
ducks out of the way and only gets clipped in the shoulder.

Mulder has already turned to run, but realizes Alex isn't behind 
him.

"Krycek," he mutters.  "Let's go."

"You're not going to believe this."

"What?  What do you see?" Mulder's interest in piqued.

"Blood.  Red blood.  Seems our invaders are as human as we are," 
Krycek smiles.

They come out of their hiding place and check the three dead 
bodies before going to the one man still alive.

"Who are you?" Mulder asks.  "What do you want with us?"

The man refuses to answer, choosing instead to reach for 
something in his pocket.  By the time they get to him, it's too 
late.  He's already activated some sort of device.  With a 
increasing sickening of his stomach, Mulder realizes what the 
device is.  He rips open the man's jacket to reveal a vest of 
explosives strapped to his chest.

"Looks like failure is not an option with this guy.  He was 
either to capture us or kill us.  Even if that means killing 
himself."

"We have to get out of here.  We don't have long," Krycek says, 
pulling Mulder from the ground.  "Which way is that truck?"

The men run out the back door, taking only the minimum time to 
check for any other assailants before running to the truck.  
Halfway across the field, Krycek slips, his foot falling down a 
hole.  He can't get enough leverage with his one good arm to pull 
himself out.

Just as he reaches the truck, Mulder senses more than sees that 
Krycek is no longer behind him.

"Krycek?  Krycek?  Alex where are you?"

"Back here," Krycek grunts, still trying to free himself.  "Get 
out of here.  There wasn't a lot of time on that explosive."

Mulder considers it for only a moment before turning back and 
dashing across the field.  He feels the fatigue starting to set 
in, having just got out of the hospital, but something deeper 
inside him is giving him the strength to go on.  

"I got you," he says when he reaches the man.  "Grab my hand."

He quickly pulls Alex out, and the two men make it back to the 
car.  Mulder has just enough energy to fall into the front seat 
and shut the door, his tired body finally giving way to the 
fatigue.  In the corners of his consciousness, he hears a roar of 
the truck engine coming to live and he can only trust that Krycek 
will get them to safety.  

Chapter 10

Skinner and Scully get to town and call for back up, unwilling to 
let Krycek and Mulder face the enemy unaided.  Scully looks 
around while Skinner places the call, both realizing they'd get 
more help with the request coming from an Assistant Director.  
Suddenly, something comes to her and she gets a sinking feeling 
in her heart.

"Sir," she calls, just as he hangs up the phone.  "Look at that, 
leading to the cabin.  Fresh tire tracks.  Mulder and Alex think 
this is something supernatural.  Then why would they need SUV's?" 

"That's just what I was thinking," Skinner nods.  "Someone is 
doing this to them.  Someone human.  Someone they can beat if we 
help them."

But she's already back in the car, ready to go back to the cabin.  
He joins her and head back in the direction they came.  They're 
only driving a short while when they see an abandoned truck.

"That's the truck from the cabin," Skinner tells her, putting the 
car into park and runs over to the truck. "Krycek?"

"Help us," the man grunts, trying to pull a still unconscious 
Mulder from the front seat.

"What happened?" Scully asks, coming up behind them.

"The truck stalled. We have to get out of here now.  They armed a 
bomb.  It's going to blow any minute."

Skinner effortlessly scoops up Mulder and slings him over his 
shoulder in a fireman's carry.  They all rush back to the car, 
Scully taking the driver's seat this time.  She barely waits for 
all the doors to close before taking off.  They make it to safety 
just as a rumbling in the near distance lets them know they 
narrowly escaped certain death.

"That was too close," Krycek sighs, relief taking over his body.  

And for once, they all agree with him.  That was closer to death 
than they care to ever want to be again.  As the sirens grow 
louder, they all feel relieved to know help is on the way.  Maybe 
they'll make it through this after all.

*****

After the ambulances arrive, they immediately start to work on 
Mulder, getting him started on an IV.  They're just getting ready 
to take him away when he starts to wake.

"Mulder?" Scully asks tentatively, running the back off her 
fingers up and down his chin.  "Can you hear me?"

"Am I dead?" he croaks.

"No, but you may feel like you are for a few days," she smiles.  
"They want to take you to the hospital."

"No!  Please.  No hospitals."

Scully bites her lip at the dilemma.  She can see he obviously 
doesn't want to go, but she'd feel better with him there.  She 
turns to the paramedic to get his opinion.

"What do you think?"

"Well, he appears to have just been dehydrated and exhausted.  
The IV seemed to have done the trick.  But I'd recommend him at 
least seeing the doctor."

"Scully, you're the only doctor I need," Mulder says to her 
before lifting his arm with the IV to the paramedic.  "Take this 
off please.  I'm going home."

"Are you sure?"  Scully asks. "You really should have a doctor 
check you out."

"I'm positive.  And I told you before, I have my own doctor.  I 
trust her to cure whatever ails me," he smiles before turning 
serious.  "I just want to go home and get back to a normal life 
for awhile."

"I wish it were that simple from me.  I don't know where home is 
anymore," Alex sighs.  "I don't think I ever truly had one."

"Then you come with us," Mulder says quietly, almost not able to 
believe the words coming out of his own mouth.  "Until you figure 
it out, home is with us.  With your . . . family."

"You really mean that?"

"Yeah.  I do," Mulder nods, placing a hand on Krycek's shoulder.

"All right, then.  Thanks."  Krycek turns his head so that they 
can't see the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.  But Scully 
sees, her Mommy radar kicking into full gear.

"What is it, Alex?"

"It's just . . . well, I've never truly been accepted anywhere.  
I'm going to have to get used to this."

"Well, you saved my life, Alex.  And I think we owe it to 
ourselves to give this thing family thing a try, don't you?"

"If you're willing then I'm willing . . . Fox."  Alex laughs at 
the cringe on Mulder's face at hearing his first name.

"Ugh, not the name.  That's going to have to be something we work 
up to," he laughs.

"Come on, Fox," Scully teases.  "You don't expect your brother to 
call you by your last name, do you?"

"Not you too, Scully!  Let's get out of here.  I think this 
mountain air is getting to your brain."

Skinner just watches the three with a mixture of amazement and 
amusement.  What a strange little group they make.  But for some 
reason, they seemed determined to stay together.  For their 
sakes, he hopes they succeed.  Everyone needs family, even him.  
He hopes they have room for one more.

"Wait up, you guys," he calls out, jogging to catch up with them.  
He doesn't want to be left behind.

The End.

Author notes:  I'm not a doctor.  I don't even play one on TV. So 
I've taken certain creative liberties with the medical procedures 
in this story that I know nothing about.  Please forgive me :-)