Nick At Night

Alex Krycek signaled the bartender for another beer and watched his back in the mirror behind the bar. No one knew him here but you couldn't be to careful. He took a long pull on the ice cold beer and sighed. A table of women to his right were giggling drunkenly. One woman whispered something to her friends and pointed at him.

Alex smiled. She thought she was being subtle. "What's up with them?" He jerked his head toward their table.

The bartender snorted and shook his head. "Wedding shower. The redhead's gettin' married day after tomorrow. Women. They complain about us. Maybe it's because I'm a small town country boy but I've never been to a really raunchy bachelor party. Couple of dirty movies and a few cases of beer. Had a stripper once but she was lousy. You?"

Alex hadn't been a party in so many years he couldn't remember and he'd only been to two bachelor parties in his whole life. "Me either. They look like they're having a good time."

"Yeah, they're good ole girls."

He pulled out his wallet. "Fifty buck buy 'em a round?"

"Close enough," said the bartender as he took Alex's money.

A delicate female hand landed on Alex's forearm. "Excuse me," she said. "Are you Nick Lea?"

"Sorry," he said. "Name's Krycek, Alex Krycek."

"Oh, God. I'm so sorry. You look just like him. You're eyes are even green and you sound just like he does. Chrissy said what would a big tv star be doing here? but I said hey, everybody's gotta be somewhere. Maybe he's going to be making a movie here or something. You're cute," she said and burped delicately.

Alex smiled at her.

"Ohmygawd." Her eyes grew big as saucers. "You look just like him. Brad," she turned to the bartender. "Give me the paper." She jerked it from his hand and flipped to the entertainment section. "Look," she said and stabbed her finger at a picture of a tall, good-looking, darkhaired man looking all noble and heroic in riot gear. The caption read "Nicholas Lea as Lt. Mike Garvey as seen in the two hour pilot of "Swat Team", the sleeper hit of the season. 'Brilliant and smart' says Newsweek."

Holy shit. The guy looked just like him. "Wow. I've never even heard of him. He's an actor?"

"Yeah. You've never seen 'Swat Team'?"

"I don't get to watch much television," Alex said thinking that was the understatment of the year.

"Ohmygawd, it's so good! I can't believe you've never seen it. Where do you live, under a rock or something? It's like the best show on tv." Her amazement at his ignorance was written across her face in bold strokes. She was good looking in a corn fed country girl going to seed sort of way. She looked at him slyly. "I get it. You're really him but you're traveling in disguise." She scrunched up her face dramatically and giggled again. "I can't believe I fell for that. Alex Krycek."

The song on the jukebox changed and Kathy Mattea's '455 Rocket' poured out of the speakers.

"I love this song," she squealed and grabbed his hand. "Dance with me." She was a little thing but forceful and Alex found himself on the dancefloor.

She was dancing a little closer than the uptempo song about a girl and her car demanded but that was alright with Alex. This looking like a movie star thing could have some unexpected rewards. Of course, it wouldn't be him she'd be screwing, she'd think it was this Lea guy but who cared? Some slow song came on and she snuggled in, soft against his body. She looked up at him and smiled. He lowered his head until their foreheads touched then he kissed her.

When he broke off the kiss she pulled back a bit and licked her lips, tasting him. "Ohmygawd, I can't believe I kissed a tv star." It didn't take a genius to read her expression.

"Your place or your place," he whispered hoarsely in her ear.

He paid his bar tab while she went to the ladies room.

"Anything I should know about her? Husband, boyfriend, communicable disease?"

"Nope. You really this Lea fella?"

"No," Alex grinned. "Never said I was. Haven't had much luck with women lately. Take it where I can get it."

"Well, I'm no expert but you don't look like the kind of guy who'd need luck."

"We all need luck. I've got my own problems." He turned to go and the bartender roughly grabbed his arm.

"What kind of problems? She's a friend of mine and movie star or not she wouldn't go home with you if she didn't want to. Is there anything I should know?"

"Not that kind of problem, friend, not that kind of problem. My job keeps me away from women most of the time and try as I might men just don't interest me." This was going to be a real good racket. He sauntered to the door and tucked her arm into his. "What did you say your name was?"

Oh yeah, this looking like a tv star was going to be a real good racket. Nicholas Lea. He liked the sound of that.

(Thought it was time I put up or shut up. Hasn't been beta read. Heck, hasn't been proof read :-) Geri)