Twenty minutes later they were at Tobias's place. Blair buzzed the intercom.

"Yes?"

"Tobias , it's Blair. I'm with Jim and two FBI agents."

"FBI agents?"

"Yes. But don't worry, there's nothing wrong."

"Come on in."

The door buzzed. Blair opened it and they went in, heading to McFee's apartment. The old man was waiting at his door. When Blair saw him, he immediately rushed to his friend's side.

"Come on, Tobias. You should be careful."

"It's all right, my boy. I'm starting to walk again. I'm getting very tired of that wheelchair."

Blair helped McFee inside and led him back to the sofa.

"Thank you," said Tobias, sitting. "Please, take a seat, gentlemen, ma'am."

"Mister McFee, I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder, and this is my partner, Special Agent Dana Scully."

"Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea?"

"Coffee, please," said Mulder.

"Coffee for me too," said Scully.

"I'll take a guess that it will be coffee for you too, James?"

Jim smiled. "Yes, good guess indeed. Thank you, Tobias."

"Blair, would you care to help me into the kitchen?"

"Of course," said Blair, standing up and wheeling Tobias's wheelchair next to the sofa.

Tobias stood up and transferred himself into the wheelchair. "Would you please wheel me to the bedroom first?"

"Uh, sure," said Blair, changing direction and heading down the hallway.

"Could you close the door behind you, my boy?"

Blair did so and waited.

"I'd like to show you something," said Tobias, opening his nightstand drawer and pulling out a small folded scarf. "Please, sit."

Sitting on the bed, Blair accepted the packet McFee was holding out to him. He unfolded the scarf and went almost white. "Is... is this what I think it is?"

"Yes, it is."

"Oh boy."

"I won't give you the whole story, it would take too long, but a dear friend of mine trusted me to keep this piece of the amulet safe for him. It's been in his family since the beginning and he was its guardian. But, as he felt menaced, he passed it over to me. I'm too old for that kind of responsibility. The amulet won't be safe with me. I couldn't protect it the way it needs. Blair, I'm trusting you and that detective of yours to watch over it for me."

Blair's hands were trembling and he took a few deep breaths before speaking. "God, Tobias, this thing must be worth a lot of money. I don't know what to say."

"Please, say yes. It will set my mind at rest."

"In that case... yes. I'm honored that you trust me so much -- me and Jim."

"Thank you, my boy. I know it will be safe with you."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, time to go prepare that coffee or they're going to think we escaped through the window."

Blair and Tobias started to laugh. The young man folded the scarf back, stood up and placed the amulet in his pocket. He opened the door and wheeled McFee out. Then they went to the kitchen to prepare coffee.

Mulder and Scully were waiting, not saying a word, watching Jim closely. The detective had been acting strangely since his partner disappeared into the bedroom with the old man, as if he were listening to something far away. When the bedroom door opened, he had shaken his head as if to clear his mind and come back to reality.

A few minutes later, Blair and McFee were back with coffee and home-made cookies. They arranged everything on the coffee table then Blair sat on the sofa.

"Tobias, we'd like to ask you something," said Jim.

"Yes?"

"It's about an amulet," said Mulder.

Jim's jaw clenched.

McFee looked at the FBI agent, his face pale, and Jim could hear his heartbeat speeding up.

"Um, yes?" said the old man.

"What do you know about the Owichika amulet?"

"Well, I saw in today's newspaper that a piece had been stolen."

"That's what we're investigating," said Blair.

Scully and Mulder shot him a look, but Blair ignored them.

"We'd like to know the legends about it. I remember some but it's been so long. I'm sure you have a book somewhere?" Blair shared a smile with McFee and the older man relaxed a little.

"If it's about legends, then I'm your man. Blair, would you be so kind and go to the bookcase over there. On the third shelf, fourth book on the left, it's about Andean mythology."

"Of course," said Blair standing up. He went to the bookcase, took down the book and came back.

Tobias opened it and laid it on the coffee table. There was a picture of the amulet, in color, with text on the facing page.

"The account of the legend is about fifty pages. I read it this morning."

"May I ask you why?" asked Scully.

Tobias looked up suddenly, then spoke. "Well... after I saw the newspaper, I remembered bits of the legend, so I searched for this book and re-read the whole story."

"What is it about?" asked Mulder.

"Hundreds of years ago, a so-called 'watchman' from one of the peoples later incorporated into the Inca empire was patrolling the jungle around his village. It was his regular task to search for animals for hunting. Suddenly there was a light in the sky like a lightning bolt. It hit a rock formation a few miles away from where he stood and the watchman passed out. When he woke up, he was next to the pile of rocks that had been hit by the lightning. He didn't know how he got there or how much time had passed, but he knew it was some hours later. When he stood up, he saw a piece of jewelry on the rocks. According to the tales, there also was a huaca standing next to him. A huaca from the Two Rivers."

"A huaca?" asked Scully.

"Huaca," Blair explained, "is a kind of generic term for gods, idols, spirits -- a lot of Andean oral traditions tell of the adventures of the great huacas. And the Two Rivers was what the Inca called the Milky Way. Many of the ruins they left suggest they were very sophisticated astronomers."

"And according to what Spanish and Quechua texts survive, as well," Tobias went on. Anyway, the huaca -- or as some later interpreters claim, the alien -- told the tribal watchman to guard the piece of the amulet, and that, fifty years later, another piece would be sent to another tribe."

"What did the watchman do?" asked Blair in fascination.

"He told the shaman of the tribe and they hid the amulet. At that time, these 'watchmen' were quite common among the Andean peoples and other South American tribes. Before the watchman who found the amulet died, he passed it to the next watchman, telling him the story and warning him that the pieces must forever stay separate."

"What happened then?" asked Blair again, his eyes growing even wider. He had heard stories about the amulet but never that one.

"Well, the same pattern repeated itself three more times. It took a hundred fifty years."

"But why is it called the Amulet of Chaos?" asked Mulder.

"Apparently, the huaca that was sent with the last piece of the amulet told the watchman that the pieces should be kept separate and spread all over the world. He said that the amulet was the key to a gate between the upper and lower worlds and that they needed to hide it. He also said that if the pieces of the amulet should ever be joined, he who possessed it would be the Master of both upper and lower worlds."

Scully and Jim shook their heads in disbelief, but Mulder and Blair were hanging on Tobias's every word.

"The Inca had a complex religious system," Blair began to lecture. "Dualities like that are common throughout the whole Andean region. They were concerned with linkages between the upper and lower worlds and with the two cardinal points... a four-part artifact would fit right in with their cosmology."

"The huaca -- or the alien -- also said that if the amulet were re-joined, the world would be destroyed. The amulet would open the gateway between the worlds and Earth would be sucked into 'the whirlpool of endless night'."

"Sounds like the description of a black hole to me," Mulder commented. "How would Indian tribes more than five centuries ago know about black holes? That theory is less than a hundred years old."

Scully shook her head. "It's just as consistent with the mythological system of a people who were known to have cults connected to the organization of sacred time and space; who followed the cycles of astronomical bodies like Venus and the Pleiades."

Mulder's eyes went wide. "Scully, you never cease to amaze me."

"I haven't spent all my time over an autopsy table, although sometimes it feels that way." She turned to Blair. "Am I right?"

He nodded. "And with such a long seacoast, the idea of a whirlpool wouldn't be foreign to the Inca or pre-Inca civilizations. Their world-view included some really amazing concepts, much closer to post-Newtonian physics than anything in the West. For example, there's an important Quechua word, pacha, that means--"

"Both time and space," Jim finished.

"And you don't believe that ideas like that show possible extraterrestrial influence?"

"Oh, give me a break -- don't tell me you believe that crap! Sorry, Tobias."

Mulder turned to Blair. "What about you? You looked pretty interested."

"I admit I've been known to espouse theories that aren't exactly in the anthropological mainstream. But the insistence that any sophisticated concepts or artifacts in the Americas had to be the result of absorption -- whether from space aliens or ancient Egypt or Atlantis -- well, it's more than a little insulting to the indigenous people. Sometimes it steers uncomfortably close to racism or at least cultural chauvinism."

"Sometimes it crashes right into it," Jim growled. "Just because a people doesn't have sophisticated technology doesn't mean..."

"Gentlemen!" Scully interrupted loudly. "May I remind you that we are alleged professionals, in the middle of a case? We obviously have a chicken and egg problem here, and we're not likely to solve it. Nor are we going to solve the actual case we're investigating if we continue arguing. Whatever it is, it's been stolen from its rightful owner, and that's a crime."

Tobias broke the sheepish silence that followed. "Some people believe it really is an artifact of alien origin, others believe the legends grew up around the pieces simply to frighten and discourage those who might want to steal them for their obvious material value."

"What about the different pieces?" asked Mulder. "How did they survive this long? How do we know some of them didn't get melted down and shipped to Spain?"

"When the Conquistadors came, tales of their lust for gold soon made their way from Cuzco to the provinces. Those who guarded the artifacts fled into the rainforest or the mountains. Through eventual intermarriage with Europeans, and emigration, they indeed became scattered throughout the world. Two are kept in safe places, each having been given to a guardian. There exists substantial hearsay evidence at least that these have survived. The two other pieces were in museums, of course, and seen by thousands, perhaps millions. But, as you already know, one was stolen last night and the other was immediately removed from its museum, presumably returned to its guardian."

"So three are now in the hands of their guardians and one is roaming around loose," said Mulder.

"You summarized it perfectly, young man," said Tobias.

"Tobias," said Jim. "I don't believe it has been stolen for its gold."

"You're right, James. That piece was beautiful, I agree. But despite its monetary value, it doesn't seem the most logical target for the average thief. There are more important and more valuable pieces in the Archaeology Museum than the amulet."

"Then it's been stolen because of the legend?" asked Mulder.

"That I don't know, young man," said Tobias. "Even to one who really believes the legend, a single piece isn't worth it. It is no use by itself and has no power. But if the thief knows where the other pieces are, or even thinks he does -- that would be another story."

"Well, thank you very much, Tobias," said Jim standing up. "I think we took up enough of your time. You've been really helpful."

"Always my pleasure, James."

Tobias stood up, even as Blair was telling him to go slowly, and accompanied his guests to the door.

Jim looked at his watch. It was already 7:30 pm. "I think it's time to go back to our place," he said. "You want to come to the loft for dinner?"

"No, thanks," Mulder replied. "I'm going to head back to the hotel, grab a little something to eat and go straight to bed."

"Yes, I'm exhausted," said Scully. "You must be, too."

The Cascade men smiled in understanding and said goodnight, then all headed to their respective cars. By the time they reached the truck, Jim and Blair had decided that neither felt up to cooking; leftovers from the fridge and an early night would suit them just fine.

As Jim started the truck, Blair said, "Jim, Tobias gave me something tonight. I don't want to talk about it here -- I'll show you when we get home."

Jim glanced sideways at him, nodded, and turned his attention back to the road.

Mulder and Scully agreed to grab sandwiches at the coffee shop next to their hotel. After their meal, Mulder walked Scully to her room and told her goodnight. Then he headed toward his own room. Removing and hanging up his coat, he kicked off his shoes. He undressed, removed his holster and laid it on the desk. Taking a deep breath, he went into the bathroom and started the shower.

Coming back from the bathroom, naked and damp, he was startled to find the room in darkness. Mulder suddenly felt he wasn't alone. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded, reaching for his gun. It was no longer on the desk where he'd left it.

"Just wanted to tell you to drop the case," said Alex Krycek, stepping into the moonlight that was shining through the window.

"In your dreams, Krycek," said Mulder, turning to face him.

Krycek stepped closer, his chest almost touching Mulder's, his gun barrel against the FBI Agent's belly.

"Drop the case. You don't know what you're searching for. It's not only a key, it's much more powerful than that."

"What do you want?" asked Mulder.

Krycek didn't answer but licked his lips erotically and took another step forward, his gun now pressing against Mulder's side. They were chest to chest, touching. Mulder felt his heart beat faster.

"What do you want?" repeated Mulder.

"Nothing. Drop the case -- or people are going to die."

"Is that a threat?" asked Mulder.

"No. A promise."

With that, Krycek put the gun back in his pocket, slid his hand behind Mulder's neck and pulled him even closer, pressing his lips against the other man's. This time Krycek didn't break the kiss. He pushed his tongue inside Mulder's mouth and licked the tongue that was welcoming him. The contact was slow, strong, hot, velvety and enticing.

Before Mulder could react further, Krycek had pulled away and was leaving. "Oudarshi tiebie, Tovarish," he whispered, slipping through the door.

Mulder stood there for a long time, shivering and hard, staring at the half-open door. When he finally recovered from the intoxicating sensations and the shock, he moved to close it. He went back to the desk and opened the left drawer. His holster and gun were inside.

He touched his lips with his fingertips then traced a path along his chest, where Krycek's leather jacket had touched his skin, where the Russian's black tee-shirt had caressed him. He could still feel warmth burning against his body, could still smell his cologne.

He shook his head, dismissing the erotic thoughts, and headed back to the bathroom.

The next morning Blair was awakened by Jim sucking on his left nipple. He moaned and slipped his hand behind his lover's head, pulling him closer. He slid his other hand down his own chest and closed his fist around his half-erect cock.

"Hey! That's my job," mumbled Jim around the nipple in his mouth.

"So why aren't you doing it?" asked Blair, tugging on Jim's short hair to bring him up for a kiss.

Jim pushed Blair's hand aside and maneuvered himself between his lover's legs, rubbing his erection against the younger man's thigh in the process. Blair lifted his legs a little and squirmed under Jim until the taller man was just where Blair wanted him to be.

"Yeah," he moaned, when his erection rubbed against Jim's.

"Oh, yeah," echoed Jim. Then he started to thrust gently.

"Wait," said Blair.

"What?"

Blair didn't answer but reached on the nightstand to grab the lube. "Roll over," he gently commanded.

Jim's cock twitched at the whispered order and then he did as he was asked, rolling over on the bed and lying on his belly. Grabbing a pillow, he slipped it beneath him and rested his head on his folded arms.

Blair gently caressed him while licking the small of his back. He kissed his way further down and gently bit one buttock, then the other. Jim groaned deep in his throat and was rewarded by another bite. Blair grabbed his lover's cheeks and spread them revealing Jim's opening. Bending down, he flicked the tip of his tongue out and gave a quick lick to that intimate place.

"Jesus, Blair."

Blair grinned and did it again, pushing his tongue a little harder, and the tip of it slipped inside Jim. He thrust it in and out a few times then kissed his way further down, kissing the back of Jim's balls.

Jim was trembling beneath Blair's kisses and questing hands and Blair quit playing. He took the tube of lube he had abandoned on the bed, opened it and squeezed some on his fingers. He closed his hand a couple of times to warm it up, then slid a slick index finger between Jim's buttocks.

Groaning in frustration, Jim spread his legs wider. "Do it, Blair. Please."

Blair slid the tip of his finger around Jim's entrance, then pushed it halfway in gently and easily. He thrust a few times, quickening the rhythm, Jim's hips pushing back to take more into himself. Blair quickly added a second finger and kept thrusting for another few moments.

When Jim was loose enough, he slid his fingers out of his lover and was rewarded by a grunt of disappointment. He took a condom, opened it and rolled it on his rock-hard erection, then slicked it with lube. He positioned himself against Jim's opening and grabbed his lover's hips.

Feeling the head of Blair's penis poking him sent a jolt of pleasure and need through Jim's body and he pushed back, lifting himself up on his knees. The movement caused the head of Blair's cock to slip into Jim and they both groaned. Blair pushed a little more and slipped half way in. Then he slid completely out.

"Shit!" yelled Jim. "Stop teasing, for god's sake."

Blair grinned and pushed back in easily. He waited a few seconds, then pushed again, sliding all the way in this time. He gave Jim a minute to adjust then started to pull out. He began a slow in and out movement while Jim thrust back to take more of Blair. After only a brief moment, the young man quickened his lovemaking, thrusting deep, hard, and fast into his lover. Sweat covered their bodies, and nothing existed any more but the two of them.

Jim let his head fall forward and closed his eyes, he was going to go crazy. He cried out when Blair's hand closed around his painful erection and he bit his bottom lip. Blair started to pump Jim's cock hard and fast, matching the movements of his hips. It didn't take long before Jim came, his whole body spasming, releasing his seed.

Jim's orgasm triggered Blair's, and the young man wasn't able to control himself any longer. Jim's muscles massaging his cock sent Blair over the edge. He threw his head back and slammed into Jim even harder and faster, trembling violently.

They fell boneless on the bed. Blair pulled out of Jim carefully and took care of the condom. They lay together for a few minutes, taking time to catch their breaths, then headed to the bathroom for their morning rituals.

After their shower and breakfast, Jim and Blair headed to Major Crime. They went straight to Jim's desk and removed their jackets. "I'm gonna get coffee," said Blair.

Jim nodded and was checking the messages on his desk when his phone rang. He groped for the receiver, sorting through the pile of message slips. "Detective Ellison."

A distorted, electronic voice emerged from the phone. "Detective, we're going to make this quick."

"Who is this?"

"You don't need to know. All you need to do is look at the package that should be coming to you this morning by messenger."

"And why would I want to do that?"

"A little bird told us you're trying to match some DNA found at the scene of a museum burglary. A word to the wise."

"But how do you--" Jim was suddenly talking to a dial tone. He hung up the phone and stared at it.

"Jim? Are you zoning on me?"

Jim looked up startled. Blair was standing in front of the desk, a cup of coffee in each hand and a worried look on his face. "No, I'm OK. Would you do me a favor?"

Blair handed over one of the coffees. "Sure, what?"

"Run over to Communications and tell them I need a tape of the call that just came in to my number. ASAP. It's important."

"OK, but what are you going to be doing?"

"Waiting for the mail."

By the time Blair came back with the tape, Jim had discovered a message on his desk from Agent Scully. She and Mulder had to fly back to DC, but she promised they'd return the following day. Jim smiled. At least twenty-four hours without federal interference. Things were looking up.

Before he could finish telling his partner what had just happened, a uniformed officer came in, escorting a tattooed and studded specimen in bike shorts. Hair of a color not found in nature sprouted from beneath his helmet.

"Sorry, Detective," the officer apologized. "This guy from Hermes Messenger Service insists he has to deliver this to you personally."

"You Ellison?" The apparition asked. "Can ya prove it?"

The man in blue sputtered. "Why, you little--"

Jim waved a hand. "It's all right, Gutierrez." He flipped open his ID and held it next to his face.

Mr. Bike Shorts leaned in and peered at both. "OK. I guess you're him. Man, you look older than that. Must be the hair." He handed over the flat package.

Jim snatched it and glared at the outstretched hand. "You want a tip? Here's one -- don't tell a guy he's decrepit when he's carrying a gun."

Grinning Gutierrez herded the grumbling messenger out the door.

Jim opened the envelope and swore. "Shit, this looks like it's in Russian." He handed it over to Blair.

Blair whistled. "A DNA profile! I'll be damned."

"Probably. What's it say?"

"What's interesting is what it doesn't say. There's nothing here to indicate the name of the lab or the technician." He pointed to a group of letters in the corner. "That means Siberia."

"Does it say who it's a profile of?"

Blair moved his finger. "Yeah, right there." He scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Jim. "That's the English equivalent."

Jim looked at the paper, frowning. "Doesn't mean anything to me."

"So what do we do now?"

"Let's get down to Forensics and make Serena's day. We'll give her this to run a match when that DNA test gets finished. Then I want to listen to this tape."

"And after that," Blair suggested, "let's see what we can find out about our mystery man."

Both got up and headed toward the hallway. "Yeah, do some real police work for a change. Maybe even get something done on one of our other cases. The ones our Fed friends don't care about."

"Mulder's kind of a pain, but Scully seems pretty good at keeping him in line."

"Yeah, she's OK," Jim agreed. "Short, smart and feisty -- just the way I like 'em."

"I'd better keep an eye on you," Blair countered. "You've always been susceptible to redheads."

As they waited for the elevator, Jim leaned down to whisper in the smaller man's ear. "Chief, have I ever told you how red your hair looks in the sunlight?"

The next afternoon Jim was sitting at his desk alternately drumming his fingers and getting up to prowl around the bullpen. Simon had already threatened twice to call Animal Control and tell them to bring their tranquilizer darts. The donut girl made no secret of her plan to shove one of her wares down Detective Ellison's throat whole and insert another -- one with sprinkles -- where the sun didn't shine.

Blair was about to suggest either extended meditation or a whack upside the head when Jim's phone rang and he grabbed it.

"Ellison!" The bark was worthy of a seal with a sore throat. He listened quietly for a moment, then a huge smile softened his face. "It's definitely a match, then? Thanks, Serena, you're a goddess."

He hung up the phone and turned to Blair. "Remind me to send that woman flowers."

"Yeah, sure. While I remind her not to kill you. She could probably figure out how to get away with it. So it is this Krycek guy?"

"It sure is, and an interesting fellow he appears to be."

Blair flipped through the rather thin folder that sat on Jim's desk. "What's really interesting is how little there was -- rather, how little that wasn't classified."

"Yeah. Between my old covert ops contacts and Jack Kelso, I was sure we'd be able to dig up more."

Blair nodded. "Do you think our Fed friends might..."

Jim nudged Blair and fixed his eyes on the door. "Why don't you just wait a minute or two and you can ask them yourself?"

"Afternoon," said Jim as Mulder and Scully reached his desk.

"Afternoon," answered the Feds.

"I know who stole the amulet," said Mulder, at the same time that Jim said, "We've got a match."

"Alex Krycek," they said at the same time.

"Shit!" exclaimed Jim. "How do you know that?"

"I, uh, I had a little visit night before last," said Mulder.

"From Krycek?" asked Jim.

"Yes."

"What did he want?" asked Blair.

"To tell me to drop the case."

"Did he say why?" asked Jim.

"Just that people were gonna die if I didn't drop the case."

"What do you know about him?" asked Blair.

Mulder and Scully shared a look.

"It's classified," said Scully.

"Of course," said Jim. "So I take it you do know the man?"

"Yes," said Scully. "He's an assassin, a thief and a natural born bastard."

"Well, that explains it all," snorted Blair.

"It's not funny," said Jim. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"First of all," demanded Mulder, "how the hell did you find out about Krycek?"

"An anonymous phone tip, followed by an envelope delivered by messenger -- containing a DNA profile of Krycek. The DNA matched the hair we found at the scene."

"Interestingly enough," Blair added, "the messenger service said the package originally came from the DC area. Isn't that a coincidence?"

Mulder looked at Scully. Scully looked at Mulder. "Could you tell anything about the phone call?"

"It was pretty short," Jim admitted. "No time to even ask for a trace. But we tape all incoming calls, so we spent a lot of time yesterday analyzing it. It was distorted by one of those electronic devices. Despite that, we could tell it was three different voices speaking. Probably male."

"Three guys?" Mulder frowned.

"Yeah, isn't that odd?" Blair asked.

"Odd," sighed Scully, "doesn't begin to describe it."

"I'm afraid we can't do much more with this," said Mulder. "We now have a new case in Nevada we need to check into, then it's back to DC. We'll follow up on the investigation from there, according to what we know about Krycek. Based on what we do know, I don't think we have much of a chance of finding the missing piece of the amulet."

"So you're telling me to drop the case and act as if nothing happened?" asked Jim, incredulously.

"That's about the size of it," said Mulder. "We could have just called, but we thought we owed it to you to tell you in person."

"Let me tell you something," said Jim, standing up. "I'm not used to leaving a case open."

Before Mulder or Scully could answer, Simon, who had heard the raised voices, opened his door.

"Ellison, Sandburg, my office. You two as well," he said, pointing his index fingers at the FBI agents.

Jim closed the door behind them.

"Sir, I don't want to just drop this."

"Whoa, Jim. Care to take it back to the start?" said Simon, puffing on his cigar.

"The short version, Sir. We found some hair in the museum, Serena ran a DNA test on it and it appears to belong to a man by the name of Alex Krycek, said man having paid a little visit two nights ago to our pal from the FBI over here."

Simon stopped puffing and looked at Mulder. "Want to explain, Agent Mulder?"

"There's nothing to explain, sir. I came out of the bathroom. He was in my room. He pushed me against the wall," Mulder's voice broke slightly and he flushed. "Then he... he told me to drop the case or people would die. Then he ran away."

"That's all?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you run after him?"

Mulder flushed even more but didn't flinch; he remained stoic. "I was surprised, naked, and he'd hidden my gun. Besides I knew it was no use, that he'd already have disappeared."

"I see," said Simon.

"And now," said Jim, "He wants us to drop the case and leave it unsolved."

"Sir, with all due respect, if Krycek stole the amulet, you won't find it. He must already have left the state, maybe even the country. We're going to pursue the investigation once we're back in DC, but I have to be honest with you. There's little hope of apprehending someone like Krycek."

"And so you're just going to forget it?" asked Simon incredulously.

"Not exactly, but I don't see what more we can do at this point without more to go on. We've dealt with Krycek before and probably will again. Actually we're working for a department called the X-Files. We deal every day with plenty of cases that aren't resolved."

"That's why you were sent here?" asked Blair. "Because you knew it was going to be a case for these 'X-Files'?"

Mulder and Scully didn't answer that question.

"We're sorry, Captain Banks," said Scully. "We had no idea when we first came that it was Krycek who stole the amulet. Since it now appears that he did steal it -- I can only repeat, you won't find him."

"I'm afraid we have to leave now," added Mulder.

Blair glanced at Jim. He was fuming. He slid one arm behind him, resting his hand on the small of his partner's back. Jim relaxed a little at the soothing touch but still looked as if he wanted to strangle Mulder.

Simon looked at the FBI agents, then at Jim and Blair. He put his cigar in the ashtray, leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms on his chest. He kept staring from the Feds to his men. Finally he stood up.

"Well, then, I won't keep you any longer," he announced, heading toward the door. He raised a hand to prevent Jim from complaining and said his goodbyes to the FBI agents. "Agent Mulder, Agent Scully. Have a nice trip. Detective Ellison and his partner will accompany you to the airport before they go home." He glared at Jim. "As a courtesy."

"Yes, Sir," said Jim, gritting his teeth.

"Come on, Jim," whispered Blair softly. "It's not their fault."

"I know, but you know how I hate to just abandon a case."

"Yeah, I know. I hate that too."

They exited Simon's office and Jim looked back at his Captain. "Not a word," admonished Banks. Then he closed the door behind them.

Blair rode with the FBI agents to the airport, where they returned their rental car, while Jim followed in the truck and parked in the airport garage. They met at the gate and waited while Mulder and Scully checked in.

"It's been interesting working with you," said Blair.

"Yes, it's been great meeting you," said Scully, shaking the anthropologist's hand. "It was fascinating to hear what you know about Andean mythology."

"Sounds like you have some pretty interesting cases," said Blair, shaking Mulder's hand. "Maybe we could call each other to share stories? You must have a few that aren't classified. Here's my card," he added, taking one from his pocket and giving it to Mulder.

The FBI agent took out one of his cards and gave it to Blair. "Sure, any time. If you're ever in DC..."

Blair accepted the card and risked a glance at Jim. He was sure he could see steam coming out of the man's ears and nostrils.

"Good job, Detective," said Mulder, holding his hand out to Jim.

"Yeah. Have a safe trip," answered Jim. Then he turned toward Scully. "Ma'am."

"Detective."

They watched the FBI agents pass through the gates and turned back to leave the airport.

"You're really good at containing your joy, you know, Jim?"

"Very funny, Chief."

"No, really, man. You're really good at hiding your emotions."

"Stop it, Sandburg."

"Or what?"

"Or you'll live like a monk for a week."

"Yeah, like you could hold out. Abstinence doesn't suit you."

Jim flipped him the finger then grabbed Blair by the neck, pulling him against his side.

"Come on, Junior, time to go home."

The ringing of the phone startled the old man. He stood up and went to answer.

"Tobias McFee."

"Hello, my friend. No, don't say a word. I don't have a lot of time. I'm fine, don't worry. They won't find me. I just wanted to let you know that I am still alive. Thank you for everything you did for me." And Antoine hung up.

Tobias looked at the receiver, his hands shaking. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and felt the tears spill over. He thanked God that his friend's life had been spared and slowly put the receiver down.

Somewhere in a vermin-infested room in Tunguska, Alex Krycek opened his suitcase and carefully took out a soft cloth. He unfolded it even more carefully and slid his fingers smoothly over something. He closed his eyes and smiled devilishly. Then he took the small object and held it in front of the desk lamp. It shone brightly, the shape of the half circle reflected on the wall behind him.

Mulder closed the door of his apartment behind him. He was exhausted from the journey and wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a good night's rest. He approached his aquarium, opened it and pushed his fingers carefully into the gravel beside the aeration tube, sighing in relief as they touched the small square object hidden there. He retrieved a waterproof box and opened it, revealing a very small Indian bag made of leather. He opened it and took a little object out... a piece of gold in the shape of a quarter circle... the second piece of the amulet, the piece representing "The Place Beyond the World." A piece he had found among his father's belongings after he had been killed. He had been good at hiding from the Cascade men that he knew more about the amulet than he pretended to.

At 852 Prospect, all was dark except one light in the bedroom. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" said Blair, staring at the gold circles that rested on his palm as he sat with his back against the pillows.

"Yeah. Well, I guess that makes us one of the guardians of the world," Jim pointed out, smiling.

"Oh, modest, aren't we?"

"Nah, really. I'm glad to have it here." He picked it up and wrapped his fingers around it. "Feels just like a piece of jewelry to me. You'd think if this were really part of some world-destroying weapon I could sense something different about it."

"Yeah, but it's not what we believe, but what other people believe about it. It's safe here, and nobody knows where it is," said Blair, resting his hand on his lover's bicep.

"Nobody but Tobias."

"We can trust him, Jim," said Blair.

"I know. I just don't want anything more happening to the poor guy."

"Me neither," said Blair, pulling Jim toward him and kissing him lovingly. "All the more reason for us to keep it instead of him."

"You may call me James, Sentinel of the Great City and Guardian of the Amulet of Chaos."

"Oh, put a sock in it," Blair replied rolling his eyes.

"Actually, that might be a good place to hide it -- in a drawer, wrapped in some of your socks. Those argyles will keep anybody away."

"Oh, you're a riot." Blair snatched the piece of gold from Jim and leaned over to drop it in the drawer of the nightstand.

"Hey," Jim complained, "is that any way to treat a potential extraterrestrial weapon of mass destruction?"

Blair's hand emerged grasping the lube. "Would you rather talk about supposed alien artifacts, or use up some of this?"

Jim grinned and snapped to attention. "Fuck aliens!"

Blair leaned over his eager lover. "No thanks. I'd much rather fuck you."

"Oh, yeah." Jim spread his legs and pulled Blair against him, lips hungrily seeking his partner's. There would be no more discussions of alien weapons or Inca legends any time soon.

But much later, as Jim snored softly beside him, Blair lay awake wondering... about the other pieces and who might hold them... about the strange journey at least one had made. Placed in the hands of a watchman -- surely a Sentinel -- centuries ago, it now rested in the care of another on a different continent. Surely it wasn't... no, it couldn't be. As the ancient light of distant stars rained down on the city of Cascade, he curled himself against the man beside him and slowly drifted into sleep.

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