A Gathering of Scoundrels by Carla Jane Book II Re-establish Contact December, 1997... Too much was happening, too fast. If she allowed herself any emotions, the scope of them would overwhelm and paralyse her. Michael had lied, had taken them all in, and then turned on them. God knows what he had done to Mac inside the building before coming out here and nearly running her down. Now Li Ann had been forced to kill her foster brother, again, as if the first time hadn't torn her heart. The Director leaned heavily on the hood of the car she had driven here, bleeding and not completely cognisant of what was happening, by the looks of things. Still, the Director was outside. Mac, and now Victor, were inside with the bomb. That's where Li Ann belonged, with her partners. If Mac was hurt... if Michael had killed him? Li Ann stomped on that fear, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand. Victor might need her help to get Mac out of the Mill before it exploded. Li Ann dived in the entrance that Victor had taken just a few moments ago. The arm that barred her path as she raced into the cavernous building was hard as a rock, coming out of nowhere. The barrier stopped Li Ann in her tracks. "Victor... what is it?" Li Ann meant to glare her impatience and anger at him at the senseless delay, but one look at the man who had halted her tipped the oriental woman completely off kilter. Victor suddenly seemed another person. The way he looked down at her was frightening. The expression on his face was too icy, the clothes were all wrong. "The faster this happens, the more easily that bitch outside will believe you all died in here." Not-Victor's right hand extended to show a small remote activator. "I control the bomb now. I rewired it after Pucci walked away from it. Get the boys out the south entrance. There's a silver car waiting there, behind the dumpsters. Take it." It was the tone of voice that finally settled it. That was the biggest difference Li Ann had noticed two years ago, when she'd first met Victor. "Alex is that you? My god, Alex, how?" "No time. I'll catch up with you. The keys are in the car. The address of a safe house is on the key-chain. You're free of them... free from HER. Go!" Li Ann thought he might shove but the yell was enough. She nearly flew into the half-lit building. Mac was on the floor, but there was no blood. Victor was attempting to haul the prone man to his feet. "There's a bomb." Mac blinked, dazed by the fixture Michael had shot down on top of him. "How much time do we have?" Li Ann asked automatically, a logical question. She couldn't believe how normal she sounded. "Not enough." She didn't correct them, time enough for explanations later. They ran, Victor and Li Ann steadying Mac between them. It didn't take much force to steer their exit to the south. That door was closer anyway. "Dumpsters!" Li Ann indicated. They were the best cover against an explosion. Alex had to be watching somehow. The place went up in a firestorm as soon as they were sheltered. Victor was bobbing his head up, attempting to get a peek at the mess. A look of complete disbelief was on his face at another close call. "That took too long." The ex-cop muttered, watching the lessor explosions kick in. Li Ann spared a moment to check Mac over, looking for damage. The expression on Mac's face when he looked up from the pavement, and into her eyes, was heart breaking in its desolation. "Oh Mac... " She touched his cheek. "Michael... he wanted us dead. Just when I finally believed he'd changed, that we could be friends again. He turned on me. I really wanted to believe him, Li Ann." "Michael is dead. I'm positive this time." Li Ann soothed. "It's over, Mac. We're free. The Tangs have no reason to bother us anymore." She brushed his shoulder. Mac almost laughed, but the sound strangled off. "We're never going to be free. The Tangs may not care anymore... but the Director, the Agency. She owns us. We're never going to be free." He repeated, burying his head in his hands. Vic climbed to his feet beside them. "We should get round to the other side of the building. The Director is shot, bleeding... and she's going to think we were in there." He gestured to the massive blaze. "No." Li Ann caught at Victor's sleeve, stopping his departure. The silver car was right there, a temptation too difficult to resist, especially after the sound of Mac's broken words. "Victor." Li Ann rose, searching her ex-fiance's face with an intensity she hadn't felt in too long. Victor's hair was just a shade darker and of course, there was the earring. There was also a gentleness about Vic's face that Alex lacked. Maybe it was the customary smile she recalled, or the laugh lines around Victor's eyes. "What?" The man asked, no doubt confused by her hesitation as well at the curious look Li Ann had him pinned with. "Help me get Mac into that car." Li Ann surprised herself, trusting someone that she'd barely know three years ago. The alternative was going back to the Director and her unfathomable agency. A glance at the burning millworks cemented Li Ann's decision. Every mission lately seemed to bring her and the guys closer to death. "That car." She instructed. "Help me, Victor." "But, whose car is that?" Vic questioned as he aided Mac over to the automobile. Mac sagged in their grip. "What's going on?" "It's over. We're leaving." Li Ann urged Mac into the back seat, then turned back to Vic. "I want you to come with us, Victor. We need you." "Come where? Wait... I don't understand." He flustered so easily when Li Ann was involved. Li Ann closed the rear door. "Just give us a day or two. We can always come back to the Agency later if we have to, explain it away somehow." She suggested. "I've got a... friend, who... " She stopped, not sure of what Alex was offering. "Just get in the car, Victor." Her tone brooked no further argument. She walked around and climbed into the driver's side. They had to get out of here before the emergency crews showed up. Victor grouched to himself, but he did what she demanded. Just as Alex had said, a local address on a paper tag hung from the keys. It was easy to read by the light of the fire. Li Ann hit the gas as soon as Victor was strapped into the seat beside her. "The Director is going to think we're dead." Victor warned softly. "I don't want to be the one to tell her we just took off." "Maybe we never will." Li Ann headed to the cross-city highway. "We have an opportunity here." She lifted her voice to include Mac in the conversation. "We've got a chance to get out right now, to walk away from the Agency." "And go where? Disneyland?" Mac asked wearily. "Do you even care, Mac?" Li Ann countered. "I care." Victor interjected. He had more years invested in Agency than his younger partners did. "Whose car is this, and where, exactly, are we going?" Impulsive actions like this weren't his preferred style. The automobile sped up. "Do you trust me, Victor?" Li Ann demanded. Victor's hand slashed the air. "I just want to know... " His voice crept up an octave in distress. Couldn't he just give her a straight answer? "DO YOU TRUST ME?" The ex-cop subsided back into the bucket seat, contemplating the woman he once intended to marry. "Yes, of course I do." Victor whispered finally. "But who are you trusting?" Li Ann's lip pursed in annoyance. She declined to answer. "We'll be there in about fifteen minutes if I remember the area right." Li Ann then lapsed into silence, tossing a look Victor's way that suggested he do the same. The house was in an older part of the city. It was one in a row of 1970's bungalows, most of which were dark and quiet. It was getting rather late. The house that address on the tag specified was still brightly lit up on the ground floor, however. The trio emptied out of the car in the driveway, then paused. "This is it." Li Ann double-checked the street number on the key-chain. "Now what" Mac asked. Li Ann marched up to the door and rapped with her knuckles. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see the guys spread out. Victor's right hand settled on one of his guns. The door was opened promptly by a tall blonde man with angular, clear-cut features. He smiled and stood aside, inviting them to enter with a gesture. When the trio didn't move, the blonde tried withdrawing further back into the hall and lifting his hands to show they were empty. "Andre called ahead. He told me you were coming. You must be Li Ann. Please, come inside." "Andre?" Mac asked from behind. Li Ann eased inside, glancing behind the door and through an archway into the living room before crooking her finger to bring the men inside. "Victor, do you... " Li Ann turned, catching the blonde's expression as she did. It stopped her cold. His jaw had dropped open. "Potverdorie! Andre warned me but... " The blonde licked his lips. Victor, realising he was the focus of the young man's attention, straightened to his full height, pushed back his shoulders and narrowed his green eyes in warning. "What?" Vic demanded. The blonde sidled up, chest to chest with Victor. He had about three inches on the older man. "You present a wealth of intriguing possibilities, darling." A bold finger tickled down Victor's jawline. "Call me Stevie, gorgeous." Victor's face burned bright red. "Leave him alone." Li Ann yanked at Steven's sleeve, pulling him away from the embarrassed ex-cop. The blonde looked up, realising that both Li Ann and Mac were glaring at him angrily. "I'm sorry, is he taken?" "Just back off." Mac pushed forward, deliberately forcing Steven out of reaching distance of Victor. "We should check the house." Li Ann suggested. "Make sure it's secure." "You're safe here." Steven assured them. "We'll check for ourselves, thanks." Mac snapped, standing protectively between Victor and the blonde. "Mac needs a gun." Li Ann observed. Victor knelt, pulled yet another spare out of an ankle holster, and handed it to Mac. "I'll take the upstairs." The older man offered and headed for up the steps just to their left. "There's a basement." Steven tapped on the door under the stairwell helpfully. Mac glared. "Got it." He gestured with Vic's gun for Steven to back away from the entrance. "Fine, fine. I'll make tea. You kids knock yourselves out, just don't mess up my office please." He asked Li Ann. Li Ann didn't do an intense search, just a quick scan of the ground floor's layout, checking for other people and obvious conclusions. There was a large living room, an office with bars on the windows, laundry room, bathroom and at the back, a huge kitchen. The place had only two outer doors, the second of which exited the kitchen. Discreetly placed motion detectors and surveillance equipment betrayed that this wasn't exactly a regular middle-class household. "Andre said you prefer tea." Steven sat the teapot on the counter and dropped a full tea ball into it. "There's beer in the fridge for the men if they want it or bottled water if you're worried about clear heads." "Who's Andre?" Li Ann needed to ask some questions before the guys returned from their own sweeps of the house. "Andre Alexander... 'bout six foot, brownish black hair, and lashes any woman would kill for... you know who I mean. He looks just like your friend." "Alex?" Li Ann questioned. "Alex." Steven tasted the name. "I've heard him called that before, yeah, but I'm not allowed to use it. His company owns this house. I'm the... caretaker." Mac walked into the kitchen. There was a faint tint of rose to his cheeks. "Downstairs is clear. It's mostly one big room." He glanced at the blonde. "Interesting décor you've got down there." Steven just laughed. Victor was tucking his gun away when he arrived. "A bathroom and three bedrooms. There's women's clothing in two of the rooms, but they look like they haven't been used lately." He recited. "There's a balcony off the back bedroom. The door is rigged with an alarm. Motion detectors are all over the place." "The hub of the alarms is in a sheltered corner downstairs." Mac jumped in. "There's a monitor too, that views all the doors and both the stairways. Sound equipment as well, but who knows where the mics are." He filled in his two partners. "It's all for security reasons." Steven explained. "The sort of people who usually stay here are quite privacy conscious, like yourselves." Li Ann forestalled the outburst that was threatening from Mac. "It's all right, Mac. I think we can be sure our host has our safety at heart. The friend who sent us here... He said he'd catch up with me later and explain everything." "What friend?" Victor persisted. "Beer's in the fridge." Steven poured boiling water into the teapot. "Help yourself to whichever bedrooms you want. Li Ann you might want to take the front room, it's Stacey's and would suit you best I think. Andre and I are bunked downstairs in the playroom." Steven continued, ignoring Mac and Victor's attempts to get more information. "There's authentic Cantonese for Mac and Li Ann, and Italian for Victor. I picked it up fresh this afternoon. Take whatever you please, just leave the chocolate mousse in the back alone, Andre never shares chocolate." Steven curled his lip. "Not that I'd dare touch the stuff anyway. I've got my waistline to consider." "When do you expect... Andre?" Li Ann tried out the name. "Maybe in a few hours, by dawn usually. He said he had some business to clean up before he came in." Steven sighed. "If I didn't know better I might think that man was a vampire, what with the hours he keeps." The phone rang, as if on cue. "Scuse me." Steven grabbed the receiver off the wall. "Hello." A smile lit up his face. "Yeah, they're here. Andre, Victor is... yeah, but can I... " The voice on the other end must have shouted because Steven winced and moved the handset away from his ear for moment. "I know. I'm sorry, lover... sorry. Li Ann wants to know, when will you be home?" The blonde asked timidly. "Okay. Be careful." Steven hung up. "Andre won't be back until about breakfast. If you folks want to catch some sleep... I'll wake you when he gets in." Steven offered. "I SO do not like this." Mac grumbled. Li Ann frowned, unsure now of why she had confidently followed Alex's instructions after they'd been apart for so long. "It's going to be all right." Steven soothed. "Andre said he owed you, Li Ann, and he takes his debts very seriously." The blonde edged to the archway, overly careful not to get within touching distance of Victor. "I'll tell you what. I'll be downstairs if you need me. You have free run of the house, except my office... please and thank you. Don't mess it up, my paperwork is rather complex." He smiled. "You want to clean up, shower or whatever... go ahead. Stacey's stuff, in the blue and grey bedroom, should nearly fit you, Li Ann. If the guys want clean clothes... well, mine should work on Mac and, hell; Andre's are bound to suit Victor, aren't they? I'll bring some gear up later and leave it in the hallway. Eat, drink... leave if you want to, although I'd guess that you'd regret having to return to whatever Andre pulled you out of... but hey, they're your lives." With a final smile, Steven withdrew. The door under the stairs opened then closed softly. "Food, then shower, then sleep." Li Ann said decisively. "We'll deal with reality in the morning, okay?" "Who's Andre?" Victor hung on to his question. "In the morning." Li Ann repeated firmly. "So Mac, what's downstairs?" She recalled the blush on his cheeks when he had first entered the kitchen. The pink re-emerged. "Stuff, electronics, some gym equipment... furniture. The usual sort of thing." "Nothing out of the ordinary?" Li Ann dug out a few cartons out of the refrigerator, peeked inside, and popped them into the microwave. "Maybe some of it." "For example?" She prodded. Mac poured the tea. "Some chains hanging from the ceiling." He admitted. "A big make-up table with a couple of long-haired wigs on it." Victor frowned, opening a beer. "Lot's of leather... stuff laying around." "Stuff?" "Tools, accessories." Mac clarified. "There's also some fancy dresses that don't fit your average sized woman, y'know, Stevie's size." He snorted. "Oh." Victor clued in. "Oh, I get it. Yech." His head shook once. "I'll bet Stevie-boy would give you the tour, maybe a fashion show, if you wanted Victor." Mac teased. "He seemed pretty impressed when you first walked in... and you could use a little more experimentation in your life." That last bit came out with a slightly sharp edge to it. "Mac. Don't." Victor requested. Li Ann popped the door on the microwave, hoping the aroma of food would distract Mac. She knew all about Mac and Victor's brief flirtation and affair. She also knew the team functioned best when all three of them acted as if it had never happened. They hadn't told her details, but she suspected it ended awkwardly. "Not more tentacles." Victor's nose wrinkled. He frowned and rummaged around in the fridge, finding a container of cannelloni and some ravioli in an Alfredo sauce. Over the course of the meal, the trio managed to drop into their usual harmless banter. By the time they wandered upstairs, they seemed almost content despite the weird situation they were now in. Alex sat on the foot of Li Ann's bed for a least fifteen minutes, watching her sleep, before nudging the still form. It was fascinating to watch Li Ann run through reactions. At first she was startled, reaching for her gun, then she fell back into the pillows hissing "Cripes Victor, you scared a year off my life. I swear." Alex grinned, a wolfish expression. Li Ann's eyes narrowed now, scrutinising him more intensely. "Alex." "Hey Beautiful." Her lashes lowered for a moment. "You have a lot of explaining to do Aleksandr Dachakov." She warned. "Andre Alexander... at the moment." He corrected with a smirk. "How about just Alex." She ventured. "A safe and comfortable stand-by." He agreed. "I almost always answer to that." Alexei tossed a small pouch up beside Li Ann's pillow. "I brought you some presents. I've been scrounging all night to get them ready." The oriental woman sat up, letting the covers fall away. Alex made an appreciative noise at the sight of her silk night-gown. Li Ann ignored his attention. She unzipped the bag and dumped all of the contents into her lap. Alex inclined his head to the pile. "All three of you are now native born New Yorkers. Li Ann Sai, Mackenzie Rameriez, and Victor Roman. Neat, huh? Those are your birth certificates, passports, social insurance cards and a few other odds and sods. That bank card is for an account in New York City with about a quarter of a million in it." Li Ann's mouth opened in surprise. "Oh my God, Alex." "I've a job offer for the three of you, but if you don't want to take it... I don't want you to feel financially pressured into doing it. That money will give you a good start somewhere else if you'd prefer." Alex shifted uncomfortably against the railed footboard of bed trying to find a better position. Li Ann pushed out from under the last of the blankets and crawled down the bed holding a pillow. "Here." Li Ann made as if to stuff the pillow behind his back, pulling him forward by the arm. The first touch set Li Ann back on her heels in surprise. She then purposefully took hold of his left arm. Alex waited passively while she investigated. Li Ann lifted his hand to look at the fingers, stroking the hard material. "What happened to your arm, Alex?" She tapped the prosthetic of his upper arm, trying to discover the extent of the artificial limb. Under the dark material of his sleeve it made a dull thudding noise. "A misunderstanding with some backwoods peasants." Alex concentrated, flexing the fingers, then the elbow. "This replacement is a million times better than the first one. Nicki pulled in a lot of favours to get it for me. It's rather experimental. I'm still learning to use it properly." He grimaced, wanting to change the topic. "You look good in Stacey's nightie, much nicer than Steven. He's a bit too tall and his fake boobs are a lot bigger than Stacey's real ones. Nicki's things suit him better." Alex changed the subject. Li Ann curled her lip, making Alex laugh. "I'm kidding." Alex excused. "He has his own lingerie. Stevie knows better than to mess with the girls' stuff." Alexei touched her hair with his real hand. "I've missed you, Li Ann." "Why, Alex? What happened? I thought you were dead." "Nicki cut a deal with old man Tang. The edited version is... I got out alive if I swore never to come near you again. Tang needed me dead to save face. The body Tang displayed for the family wasn't mine. Of course it's a damned sight more complicated than that. An American Fed blundered into the middle of it, trying to haul me back to the States before Nicki could extract me... and some other completely weird shit happened." A shudder wracked his frame. "I meant to keep an eye on you, but my life got a bit more complicated than usual. Then I completely lost track of you and Mac after the pair of you broke with the Tang family. The next we heard old man Tang contacted Nicki, screaming blue murder about me being with you in Vancouver and accusing Nicki of breaking the deal." Alex shifted. "Nicki lives by her word, so we investigated and I found out about Victor." His eyebrow lifted. "I'm flattered as hell. You were going to marry him, huh? Well, admittedly, he is gorgeous." Li Ann shook her head. "Mac thought the same thing as you when we first re-connected, but it's not because Victor looks like you." She saw the scene clearly in her memory. Mac had held his tongue at first, simply throwing Victor a series of curious glares. It wasn't until the three of them got to the diner and Victor went to fetch food that Mac broached the subject of Victor's uncanny resemblance to their dead lover from Hong Kong. "Is it just because he looks like... the Russian." Mac asked with a pout. "Are you going to say his name, Mac?" Li Ann asked softly. "I promised you once we'd never discuss... the Russian... again if you didn't mention him first." "It's about him, isn't it? I thought, just for a second that SOMEHOW this one was HIM, but his reactions, his manner... it was all wrong... for the Russian. Your boy acted like he didn't know me. HE wouldn't have done that." Mac admitted. Li Ann shook her head. "It's not about Alex." She earned a glare for using the name. "The resemblance may be what caught my eye, but Victor is a completely different person. He's a good man, Mac. The most decent man I've ever met." Mac sulked for a moment then purposefully shook off that line of thought. "I don't want to talk about HIM, or Victor. What about us?" He launched into that subject with honest enthusiasm. Li Ann chased away the memory and yanked her thoughts back to the present, forcefully. She studied Alex, searching for differences. It was frightening how few there were, besides the obvious one being Alex's artificial arm. Even the prosthetic wasn't a glaring dissimilarity under the cover of Alex's long sleeved shirt. "How long have you been watching us?" She asked, finally speaking again. "About a month, on and off." Alex tilted his head. "It was hard, waiting for approval to give you this deal, then waiting for the right moment to step in." Li Ann glanced back at the pile of documents he had presented her with. "What is the deal?" "Atlantic City." He teased, waiting until she scowled before giving her more details to work with. "Tacky, I know, but true. Jobs for all three of you, taking care of a legitimate security company. I swear." He protested at her incredulous expression. "It's all above board work, honestly. You and Mac could deal with the security systems, designing, installing... then testing them." He grinned. "Victor could have control of the guards that the company hires out. You decide how you split the duties." "What's the catch?" Alex ran his tongue over his teeth, considering his next words. "All of the clients may not be exactly... fine upstanding citizens, but the security company itself is clean. There also might be a bit of side investigation work, some research, a bit of support work for our private projects and such... but no espionage, though, I promise. Mostly you'll be simply running the company." "We're not exactly management types, Alex. I don't know if I can run a business." "No problem. We've got a business accountant in New York who's ready to hire one of his junior partners out. Between the four of you I'm sure you'll figure things out." Alex sounded confident. "It's not like you're walking into a brand new company either. We're buying out a little business... so a skeleton staff will already be in place." Li Ann, sitting across from him, brushed their feet absently together. "You're being a trifle vague." "I'll give you more details if you accept the job." The Russian promised. "I suppose you'll need to talk it over with your guys first." He glanced towards the door. "This is not an all or nothing deal, Li Ann. I'll take just you, or even just Mac... or any combination of the three of you." Alex smiled. "Mansfield doesn't seem to mind the Agency as much as Mac. He might not want to play dead with you." "Victor's had more time to get used to things." Li Ann reasoned. Alex climbed off the bed. "You also need to decide if Mac and Mansfield can handle dealing with me or if you want to stay as a buffer between your guys and I. They don't have to know who your benefactor is. Mac might be happier that way. One of my sisters could even take over your case. Anastasia does most of her work out of North America. Mac would probably like her." Li Ann shook her head. "No. I won't keep secrets from them." She shifted over to sit on the edge of the bed and looked up at Alexei. "This resemblance you have to Victor... " Her hand reached up to trace the line of his face. "Can you explain it, or is it just some weird coincidence?" Alex leaned into the caress. "I have my suspicions, but Nicki won't fill me in. I'll know more once I talk to Mansfield." Alexei turned his face to kiss Li Ann's fingertips, licking them when she playfully ran them across his lips. "I missed you." Alex murmured. Li Ann drew back. "We shouldn't do this. I can't. Not with the guys here... and your pretty blonde downstairs." Alex chuckled. "Stevie? He's a passing amusement. Actually, I thought he was a woman the first time I met him, he's just my type... as a girl." His dark head shook. "Stevie was all done up in his drag queen gear when we were first introduced. Damn Stacey's sense of humour! He's nothing, Beautiful. Just a fling." "Like I was?" Li Ann's voice was a throaty tease. Alex shrugged. "If you want to see things that way, all my lovers have been flings... some just lingered in my thoughts longer than others." He walked over to the door. "Think the offer over. Wake up your boys and come down when you're ready. Stevie-darlin' makes a decent cheese and onion omelette." Alex cracked open and looked out the door cautiously before leaving. "We need to have a talk." Li Ann had herded Mac into the room Victor had slept in last night since it was the largest of the three. A loveseat and a chair were arranged near the balcony door. "I know I promised, Mac." Li Ann began, perching on the edge of the red velvet chair. "But we need to talk about Alex." Mac, leaning on the back of the loveseat from behind, flinched then turned away. "Who's Alex?" Victor dropped onto the expensive fabric, still buttoning up the cuffs of his borrowed denim shirt. "Remember when we first met, Victor? I told you that you reminded me of someone I knew in Hong Kong." Li Ann eased into it. Mac snorted his amusement. His brow was furrowed, trying to reason out why they needed to have this discussion right now. Li Ann could actually see when the switch flicked on in Mac's head. The ex-thief went rigid, looked from Li Ann to Victor, then whirled and tore out of the bedroom. Mac made no attempt to sneak. His feet had pounded down the stairs, regardless of the noise. He practically skidded when he finally reached the tiled kitchen floor. Blonde Steven had his back to the entrance. He straddled the lap of someone sitting in a kitchen chair. The pair broke their lip-lock without any semblance of alarm at the intruder. Alex patted Steven's left hip, indicating the blonde should climb to his feet. "Mac, it's been a long time, baby." The Russian seemed honestly pleased to see his former lover. "Stevie, go downstairs and tidy up or something. I think one of our guests wants to talk to me." He assumed. Steven glanced from Alex to Mac, then back again with a faintly feminine pout on his face. "Fine, I'll check the e-mail and such. Shout when you want breakfast." The young man brushed past Mac with a definite narrowing of his eyes. "This one's mine!" Steven's whispered declaration barely reached Mac's ears. Alex inclined his head to the counter. "The coffee is fresh." "You... " Mac began, then choked off the rest of his curse. "You are supposed to be dead, Russian." Alex smiled over the rim of his mug. "So were you, I hear." He paused. "I've come to the conclusion... never to believe someone is dead unless you've killed them yourself, then cut their heart out... just to be sure." Mac's look of disgust provoked a crooked smile from Alex. "It's proven to be a useful decision over the past few years. Luckily not a lot of other people share my philosophy." He took a sip of coffee. "Hopefully your Director is a bit more easily convinced. Either way, I'd suggest being well on your way before they get round to DNA testing all the bodies from that mess last night." "Were you involved... with Pucci, or Michael... or that whole set-up?" Mac bunched his fingers into the hem of the T-shirt that Steven had given him last night. "I had nothing to do with the set-up." Alex vowed. "I merely used the circumstances to your advantage. I simply delayed the explosion a little bit and directed Li Ann to where I'd parked the car." "Why?" "Oh, please. Why what, Mac? Pick one. We've got a swarm of whys between us." Green eyes locked with Mac's brown eyes, taunting. "Why help us get away?" Mac chewed his lip. His mouth was dry. "I owed Li Ann, for shooting her by accident... besides, I wanted to." Alex said the second half of the sentence softly. "I like you and Li Ann. It didn't end the way I wanted. Nothing much has happened the way I wanted lately... not since Hong Kong. This, I could do something about." A tired sigh. "I just didn't want YOU hating me too, Mac." Alex's tone was raspy. Mac's jaw tightened at the pain implied in that sentence. He twisted around to dig in the cupboard for a mug so he didn't have to look at Alex. Mac's body was responding in its old, familiar manner to the sound of Alex's husky bedroom voice. "I didn't hate you. I was just angry... for a while. If that bullet had been an couple inches in another direction... you could have killed her." He filled his mug from the carafe and dumped far too much sugar into it. When Mac finally turned back he was surprised to discover Alex had come up right behind him. "How the hell do you move so quietly?" Mac snapped, covering his emotions. "It's annoying." "Sorry." Alex whispered. Mac stared down, concentrating on his own bare feet. "When I thought you were dead... when the bounty hunter brought in that mangled body." The tall ex-thief frowned at the memory. "I regretted some things." "Welcome to my world." Alex's sad laugh tickled Mac's cheek with warmth. "It's a nice mix of regrets, some for what I've done... some for what I haven't done." They both knew it was coming, but Mac still physically startled when Alex brushed his mouth delicately across Mac's jaw. "Slut." Mac accused, without any intensity. "Yeah." Alex stole a kiss from heavy lips, then another. His hand snaked around to cup Mac's ass, pulling them tight together. "Miss me?" They had done this conversation over and over, more times than Mac cared to recall right now. "Bastard." The ex-thief seemed to almost enjoy the return of the old, familiar ritual. "You're a hell-born demon. You're not human." "You taste... " Another kiss, longer this time. "... so delicious." Alex nipped, almost breaking the skin of Mac's bottom lip. "We shouldn't do this." Mac's crotch ground forward into Alex, betraying his lack of conviction. Alex dug in his fingertips, purposefully bruising. It earned a moan and another thrust of the younger man's hips. Alex's artificial arm was more than adequate for bracing himself on the counter-top. He kicked Mac's legs further apart and pressed tight. Mac's mouth opened under the next kiss. Mac had to gasp for air by the time Alex ended that portion of his oral assault. "Miss me?" The question was a demand this time. "Shut up, Alex. I don't want to do that game. It's demeaning." "That... " Alexei shifted down, bending a bit at the knees. "... is the point." Alex closed his teeth on one of Mac's nipples, trusting the fabric of the t-shirt to cushion the worst of the pain. Mac threw back his head and whimpered. "Oh god, Alex." The older man straightened slowly, scraping his teeth up the exposed throat. "Did. You. Miss. Me?" He squeezed on each word. "Yes. Sonofabitch. Yes." Mac's arms, which had been gripping the edge of the counter behind him, finally raised to wrap around Alex's waist and up his spine. "S'good to hear, babe." Alex ended the three-year-old ritual and fused their mouths together once more. Neither of them noticed Li Ann when she padded into the kitchen since for a moment or two she simply took in the view, silently. It was Victor's arrival and exclamation of surprise broke them apart. "What the hell?" The ex-cop stared. Li Ann smothered the giggle that threatened to bubble out at the expressions on Mac and Victor's faces. It would be cruel. Mac whirled and fumbled around after his coffee to give himself a moment to regain control of his body. Victor gaped in disbelief at Alex. His mouth moved but only a strangled noise managed to emerge. "Hello. You must be Victor Mansfield. I'm Andre Alexander. Would you like a cup of coffee or should I make tea?" Alexei asked in a casual tone, as if they had walked in on an everyday occurrence. "What are... who are you?" Victor spluttered. Alex laughed, low in his throat. "We called him Alex... his name is Aleksandr Dachakov." Mac mumbled, just loud enough for his partners to hear. "Alex, Alexei, Lexi... Mikhail... Krycek, pick one." Li Ann offered up a few alternates she had heard in passing, long ago, that had snagged into her memory. Chuckling when Alex glared at her in shock. "He's an international criminal and a killer." Mac added, still with his face turned away from the others. "Okay, let's all play 'trash Alex'." The Russian sneered. "Just forget that I'm the one who's freed you from that thrice damned boss of yours." Victor came closer, still staring at his double. Gradually his gaze tore away, only to burn into the back of Mac's neck. "This... this is... " Victor's verbal stumbles continued. "This is not beginning well." Alex cut in. "How about we all sit down and have a chat over breakfast." "I'm not hungry." Mac grouched. Li Ann frowned at the tension between the pair of former lovers. "I think I've lost my appetite." She caught Alex's eyes. "I don't think you should start this up again, Foreigner. Leave Mac alone this time." The Russian gazed right back at her, a wounded expression on his face. "The car is yours. Take the papers I gave you and go if you want. I'm not about to FORCE any of you to do ANYTHING." He directed the last at Mac. "What papers?" Mac asked. "If you hadn't run down here before I finished talking upstairs... " Li Ann scolded. "Alex has given us new ID papers and access to a bank account in New York. We're free to go, Mac... anywhere we want." "Or... " Alex considered the audience briefly, deciding, then pressed up close to Mac's side and whispered against his ear. "I've got something lined up in Atlantic City. Jobs for all three of you, if you want them." The tip of his tongue brushed over the gold stud in Mac's ear. "Come work with me, lover." Alex's breathing was shallow and his voice was rough, as if he'd been screaming. Mac automatically associated that tone in the older man's voice with hot, sweaty sex. It stripped away the years, instantly bringing him to the edge of painful need. Alexei whispered, barely audible. "Maybe we could talk Mansfield into something kinky... or get Li Ann to play house with us again." Alex stroked his hand up Mac's spine. "You'd like that wouldn't you, Baby? Mac in the middle? I know Li Ann really gets off on sharing you with me, but do tell, would Victor like to play too? Did you try him out?" That was too much. He shoved Alex away, hard. "Don't you start fucking with my head, Alex." He growled a warning. "I know some of your buttons too. Remember? Seen Mulder lately?" Jade eyes flashed intense pain for an instant and Alex's right hand wrapped across his chest and over his oddly stiff left arm in unconscious defence. " Ëb tvoju mat', Ramsey." "Both of you. Knock it off." Li Ann stepped between them. "Alex, I didn't get a chance to discuss your offer with Mac. Could you give us a few minutes alone?" She grimaced at Victor. "The three of us need some more time." "Sure. Fine. Whatever." Alexei pinched the bridge of his nose. "I haven't slept for almost two days now. I'm going downstairs. Stevie's in his office if you want anything." He looked over at Victor. "Mansfield, you and I need to have a chat before you guys cut out. Wake me if you decide to take off this morning. I only need an hour or two's rest. Please and thank you." The Russian added as an afterthought. "We won't sneak out." Li Ann promised sincerely. "Go lie down, Alex." He nodded wearily and left. It was a sign of how tired Alexei was that neither the approach of another person, nor even the dipping of the side of the mattress roused him. It wasn't until he felt fingers exploring the almost seamless joint between skin and his fake arm that Alex opened his eyes. "When did this happen?" Mac sat cross-legged on the rumpled sheets. "About a year ago. I'm getting used to it." Alex rasped out a laugh. "What can I say, Mulder's attentions are a rather expensive pleasure." Mac flinched, realising that his dig in the kitchen must have been even deeper than he intended. "I didn't notice it earlier." Mac admitted, frowning. He wondered exactly how the prosthetic was held in place for no straps crossed over Alex's pale skin. "You weren't supposed to." Alexei shivered under the extended examination. "So what's the verdict? Are you guys in or out?" "We're in." Mac's fingering drifted up onto Alex's shoulder. "Victor's a bit unsettled about... everything, but he's coming too. Li Ann talked him into it. She's definitely on your side, Alex, and I think he'd follow her through hell if she asked him. So would I for that matter. Still, there's a few ground rules Li Ann wants to discuss with you." He tilted his head, gazing down on the prone body with a strange look in his eyes. "I've got some conditions too. Nothing too extreme, but rule number one from both of us... non-negotiable... is that you don't fuck around with Victor. His body or his head. Don't even talk to him without either Li Ann or I in the room until he gets comfortable with you. He's never been a player, not like us. He can't handle it." Alexei swallowed shallowly. "Whatever you want." "Strange, after all this time, I'd forgotten how strongly I reacted to you." Brown eyes flowed over Alexei's body. "Just being in the same room with you messes me up. I've never completely understood my own behaviour where you were concerned, Alex." Mac smiled and traced his finger down to circle a nipple. "You're unusually placid." He observed. The older man closed his eyes. Alexei wished it wasn't so late in the year. The armour of his full strength chemical enhancements would be a nice bit of security right now, but they were at their lowest ebb in December. With any luck their past relationship would help reinforce Alex's attractions, as it had with Li Ann. He was nude under one thin sheet with his newly flawed body utterly exposed. This situation entirely upset the balance of power he had purposefully established in the kitchen. As the gentle stroking continued Alex's erection began to push up the white sheet. "I'll call and get us a flight out tonight." He rolled over, groping after the telephone by the bed. Mac's hand pressed on the back of Alexei's shoulder, forcing the intended twist to become a complete rollover. Alex ended up sprawled on his stomach. "It can wait a little while." Mac climbed over to straddle the other's lower back. "I was thinking about what we had in Hong Kong." Mac smoothed his palms down Alex's spine, recalling half-familiar ridges and a multitude of thin scars he had always meant to ask about. The sleep-warm skin was invitingly silky. "It was like... intense, but you know, I can't help but dwell on that rather... extreme... role reversal you threw at me our last night together." Alexei sighed. "That's because it was supposed to be a LAST time. Don't try and get butch on me now, Baby. It's not going to work." Alex's tone was indulgent. "I'm not going to let you top me like that again." "Shut up." Mac slapped Alex's ass, where the sheet had slipped away. Alexei stiffened and hissed. He pushed up with his elbow, attempting to knock Mac off his back. "Don't." Mac wove his fingers into the fine hair at the nape of Alex's neck, then pulled. "I'll do whatever I damn well please... and you'll enjoy it." The body under him half-shuddered and half-struggled. "How often do you get what really need Alexei?" I doubt pretty Stevie has the balls to give it to you." Mac noted that the use of the Russian name had completely halted Alex's physical protests and drawn out a faint whimper. "Don't Ramsey." Alex protested. "I can't work with you if you do this to me. I won't be able to keep my perspective." Mac leaned over and scraped his teeth behind Alex's ear. "What you mean is you won't be able to push me around." He squeezed his legs together, compressing ribs. His technique took some thought. Mac hadn't played the game in years. "And I think I like that idea, Bitch." The use of that rather rough endearment caused a sudden bucking of Alex's body, another almost successful attempt to shake the younger man off. Mac shoved on the back of that dark head, forcing Alex's face down into the pillow with only barely enough breathing space. Alex was held there for several long minutes while Mac petted the prone form with his free hand. "Hush now. This is what you need. It's all right." He soothed. "You know you want this, my Demon lover. Now hush, and be still." Mac eased up the pressure slowly, concentrating on the reaction he was getting and maintaining the steady caresses. "Easy Alexei... hush." Mac continued using the Russian name, pleased when it settled the man under him once more. Alex's body remained tensed up, but he didn't move. "There's my boy." Mac praised, gradually releasing his grip on Alex's hair. He kissed the other between trembling shoulder blades, then ran his hands down both of Alex's arms, the real and the artificial. "S'okay. I'm going to take care of you, Alexei. I'll give you what you need." Mac was surprised by how easily the fake limb moved. Mac placed each wrist towards the top corners of the mattress, pressing gently when Alex's arms were fully extended. "Keep them there. Understand?" The younger man sat up. When no response seemed to be forthcoming, Mac administered another stinging slap, this time on the other cheek. "Understand, Alexei?" Mac smiled. He could feel Alex's breath hitching. "Da." The change in language was a fascinating response, but Mac didn't dare let it continue. He wouldn't be able to keep up. "In English, Lover." Mac corrected. "Do you understand?" A rough gasp. "Yes." Mac raked his nails up Alex's hips and ribs, then down again. "Now you lay quiet, Lover." He climbed off to strip down. Shoes and socks first. Mac was just pulling his shirt over his head when the door opened and someone thumped down the stairs. The cotton cleared Mac's eyes in time for him to view Steven glaring at the scene, hands on hips and scowling. Steven raked his eyes over Alex's submissive posture with a glower of displeasure then he looked back at half-naked Mac. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" "Go away Blondie." Mac casually tossed his t-shirt onto the floor near a padded gym horse. "No, I don't think so." Steven snarled. "Andre, straighten this jerk out, will you?" Alex lifted his face, just barely, since he hadn't moved his arms he had no leverage. His expression was impossible to read and his voice was frosty. "Get the fuck out of here, Stevie." Mac grinned. "Mine now." He enjoyed voicing the taunt. "ANDRE?" "Rot toch op, Stevie" Alex ordered, in a tone of voice that brooked no argument from the blonde. Steven mumbled some rather vicious sounding Dutch curses, glared death at Mac, then turned and ran back up the stairs. The door slammed at the top. "Interesting." Mac observed. "Is this going to mess up the deal, lover? Maybe we should leave right now?" Mac tested. Alex bit his lip to keep from screaming. "He knows his job. He knew we were just a temporary thing." The Russian's words escaped amid broken gasps. His eyes were screwed shut and his arms were starting to tremble from strain. "He'll pout but he'll do his job." Alexei's voice tore. "Mac... please." Mac unzipped and kicked off his jeans and underwear. "Just so you know, Alexei my demon, this may not be temporary... and it is going to play hell with our working relationship." God, this was a potent power trip. "Put your head down and get your ass in the air. Now!" Mac waited to see if the older man would explode into refusal. Alex just froze. Mac nodded, deciding that Alex wanted it but he just couldn't handle the wanting. Mac leaned over and snagged a wide strap that lay discarded on the floor. He swished it once then cracked in across the nearest piece of furniture. "DO IT, ALEXEI!" One extended shudder ran through Alex's prone body, then very slowly he crushed his face back down to the mattress and struggled up onto his knees. Mac had assumed that Victor and Alex together would draw more attention than they actually did. As it was, Alex garnered a good portion of the stares that came their way all by himself. The eyes that weren't on Alex were sweeping over Li Ann. It would have been easy to blame their clothing. Li Ann looked good in her borrowed finery, like a snow Princess, complete with a white fur muff. Taking the image further, Alex was a dark knight striding in front to clear the path. He was impressive in his thousand-dollar suit, trench coat billowing about his legs and wielding his laptop like a shield. The overnight bag slung across in back could have been a scabbard, with some imagination. Mac followed close behind the pair of them while Victor trailed in the rear looking the part of a bodyguard more than anything else. Nothing would convince Victor to accept anything more elaborate than jeans, boots, a shirt and one of Alex's most battered brown leather jackets. Mac, on the other hand, had cheerfully helped himself to some of the more stylish pieces from Steven's closet. He had thoroughly enjoyed watching the blonde grind his teeth in annoyance at Mac's depredations. Mac had even taken the liberty of packing a small suitcase of borrowed clothes, something neither of his partners had been comfortable enough to do. Alex lead them through the commercial section of the airport and all the way out to where the private aircraft boarded. "My name is the only one on record for this flight, you three are simply guests." Alexei explained to the others. "Your boss might be looking for you by now... though I doubt it." He gestured to an outside door, where the private jet waited. "Wealth has its advantages." They ended up on board the small private plane with only one other passenger. The heavy-set black man exchanged only the briefest of greetings, then withdrew to the back corner of the cabin with his cellular phone already open. "Monsieur Alexander... " The pilot popped his head out of the cockpit, nodding a hello. "Monsieur Terret requires passage to Montreal." The uniformed man supplied. "So we will be stopping there before New York, c'est bon?" "No problem." Alex settled his laptop into a crevice and stuffed his bag into a compartment. He shrugged off his coat and dropped into one of the plush fabric seats, looking completely at home. "I could get used to this." Mac pulled an Evian out of the bar fridge. "Nicki is on a bit of a guilt trip over some shit that went down a few months ago. I don't normally get to spend this extravagantly." "What happened?" Li Ann asked casually, settling into the place beside him. "She sent me into Bosnia after something, to a contact that Tati had told her was most likely tainted. It had slipped her mind." Alex laughed. "I barely got out of that one alive, and I had to do it all on my own." Li Ann offered up a small smile, pleased with the ease Alex had divulged that brief fragment of information. "Victor." Alexei looked up. "Tell me about your parents. Which part of the government do they work for?" The ex-cop frowned. "Why do you want to know about my folks?" Alex smirked. "For obvious reasons." He glanced up as a light came on above the cabin door. "Seatbelts... we're taking off." Mac and Victor took the pair of seats that faced the others. Victor seemed distracted, fumbling with the restraints. "Dad's a private sector, corporate... raider. My mother is his third wife. She's quite the militant capitalist, herself." Victor stared at the carpet. "They definitely don't work for the government. Not enough undeclared profit in Canadian politics." "Are you an only child?" He shook his head. "I've a little sister... and two brothers, step-brothers, actually." Victor amended. "They're Dad's kids. Li Ann's met them all." "Your Dad isn't your father?" The Russian leapt on that. The aeroplane started to move. Victor glanced out the nearest window. "Dad is my Mom's second husband. My father was killed when I was young." "Eleven... twelve years old?" Alex prodded. "Eleven." Victor glared. "What are you digging at? How did you know that?" He demanded. "I guessed." Alexei admitted honestly. "Your real father was a government man then?" Victor nodded. "An American... state department. Mom says he was on the fast track. He might be a senator now if he'd lived." Alex laid his head back and closed his eyes. "So that's what happened." He mused aloud. When no further words seemed forthcoming, Mac took over. "Alexei. Explain yourself." He ordered, half-curious if that tactic would work outside the bedroom. A sigh came before the words. "I was being trained... as far back as I can remember... as a mole, a spy." Alex frowned, eyes still shut tight. "American culture and history came from one tutor while the other did his best to made sure I was a proper communist soul... but something happened when I was eleven. First my Father and I were called back to Moscow, then a year later they sold me to Nicki. My guess is that's when the powers decided that you were no longer going to become anyone worth replacing, Mansfield." Victor almost reeled in shock. "What the hell are you talking about? Who the crap are you? This is nuts." "Alex." Li Ann smacked his shoulder, trying to roust him out of the almost comatose pose he had lapsed into. Green eyes opened, but they weren't focused on anything. "I might be your clone, but I doubt it. Russian genetics weren't that advanced, not in the sixties. I don't recall any plastic surgery... besides if they wanted to go that way, any agent would do once you were grown." "I am not hearing this." Victor mumbled. "Logic suggests twins." Alexei continued in a dull monotone. "What country were you born in Mansfield?" "He's Canadian." Mac argued weakly. Victor had fallen to studying the Russian with glazed shock. "Japan." "Did your Mother tell you that you were a twin... that the other one died? She might not have known, of course, about the second baby, but I doubt that. If a woman is carrying twins... she usually knows it." "No, no, no." Victor denied. "I'm vaguely curious if they named the baby. I might actually have a real birth name... freaky. Is Mansfield your birth name?" "No, but... Oh Christ." Victor's head shook back and forth. "This is... fuck." "Alex, stop it. That's enough." Li Ann popped off her belts and surged across the narrow aisle to comfort Victor. "You wouldn't happen to have a picture of Mom on you? I'm understandably curious." "SHUT UP, ALEXEI!" Mac commanded. The Russian fell silent, closing his eyes once more and laying his arm across his face. "Cripes, Alex." Mac mumbled. "You could have found a better way to do that." He patted Victor's shoulder absently with one hand. Mac noticed that Li Ann was practically sitting in Victor's lap now. "He's just spinning theories. Don't get so twisted up, Victor. He's most likely lying again." Victor grimaced and tentatively pushed Li Ann back so he could see Alex. "If you're messing with me... I'll kick your ass from here to Yellowknife and back." The arm lowered but Alex kept his eyes closed. "They were training me for deep cover from the moment I could walk. I've learned my history lessons. I should know mole training when I experience it... maybe not at the time, but at least upon reflection." Stormy green eyes slit open. "When I first saw you... " He shrugged. "Nicki won't admit you're the one, but if your father was a potential Senator... you would have become a player eventually. An important one if they'd switched us and I got to take over in your late teens. Of course, like I said, Nicki won't confirm you were the one I was training to replace... and I made a leap of logic or two... but god, look at us." He snorted coldly. Expressions of desolation made the pair of them look even more like mirror images than they had before. Victor grimaced. "Andrew." He whispered, choking a bit on the name and it's odd connection to Alex's currant alias. "Mom told me they named him Andrew. He's buried in Japan. She and my Father were on a diplomatic junket. The babies came early. Not that I'm sure I believe you. My Mother is not easily fooled, and she's sure the other baby died." "Andrew... " Alex tested. "Andrew Michael Warden." Victor offered. Alex actually laughed. It was a brittle noise. "The man I thought was my Father, he called me Mikhail... Mikhail Andruska Arntzen, I guess he knew." Victor shook his head, but it wasn't the frantic gesture of before. "I need a phone. I should call my Mother." His nose wrinkled at that statement. "Not until we're in Atlantic City and I can set up a secure line and a scrambler. The Agency might be tracing any calls your family gets. Out of the three of you... you're the only one with a reason to check in with anyone." "Alice!" Victor straightened. "None of the rest matter, but I have to let Alice know I'm all right." "His kid sister." Mac supplied. "She's overseas right now... In the 'Leadership Corps'." "India." Victor met Alex's blasted expression with his own. "Can you get a message to her?" "Of course. Her name is Alice?" "Allegra." Li Ann corrected them. "Remember Victor, she signed up under the name Allegra Mansfield." "What's with Mansfield anyway?" Alex questioned. Victor sighed. "She's Dad's real daughter. When Mom married Dad... " His head shook. "He flat out refused to spend any time explaining why I had a different last name than Mom and him. He wouldn't marry her unless my name got changed too. She just went out and did it, didn't give me a choice... and I had to call him Dad or... We've got a lot of... 'issues' between us. I don't get along with him or Mom very well." The ex-cop massaged his temples. "It's a long story." Alex nodded. "Runs in the family." He muttered. Victor had pushed Li Ann completely away. He was back to studying Alex rather intently. "I want a DNA test. I want some proof." "Whatever... " Alex said carelessly. "When we get to Atlantic City." He was looking rather introspective. "I've got to talk to Nicki." He snapped open his restraints and went digging through his coat for his cell phone. "She has all the answers. She just won't share." "Who is Nicki?" Victor asked. Alex stilled. "She's... Christ... she's, umm... " He withdrew the phone but didn't flip it open. "She's what?" " Putain de merde!" Alexei cursed. "Nicki's my boss... my foster Mother... my patron." He didn't seem satisfied with any of those descriptions. "Nicki's a lot of things to me. She's one of my lovers." Victor looked disgusted. "Why am I not surprised?" Li Ann said wearily. "Tell me Alex. Have you ever had any kind of relationship with anyone... without fucking them?" She asked sarcastically. "Depends... " His cocky smile was back on his lips. "Does oral sex count?" Li Ann emitted an annoyed snort. Alex flipped open his phone. "Sex is a wonderful, all-purpose thing, Beautiful. It can be a distraction, a weapon, a comfort, an interrogation method, or even a thing to seal a deal. Nicki hammered that into me from the day she acquired me. It's the base principal she programmed me with. I'm her on-going experiment in the dynamics of sexual politics, lucky me. The girls got such dry training... by comparison." "I dislike this Nicki person already." Victor announced. Alex shrugged and punched out the numbers, holding the phone up to his ear. His eyes closed. "Doh bryden, Nicki. Eh-ta Alexei." He spoke softly. "We're on the jet. All three of them are here with me." He used English out of courtesy. "I've been chatting with Mansfield. I've figured it out, yeah. I think it's time you gave me my file, Nicki. I want to know." Alexei frowned. "I'm a big boy, Nicki." Mac watched Alex, observing the physical effect the conversation had on his lover. His muscles clenched, a crease formed between his brows, and Alexei's voice dropped to its raspiest level. Oddly enough Mac's automatic reaction to Alex's obvious distress was arousal. "I don't want to come back yet. Yeah, like we've ever worried much about Christmas before? I know New Years is coming. Can't I take care of it myself this year. I need a few months still... a few weeks then to settle them in." He paused. " Ni khuya, Nicki. I hate Siberia, especially at this time of year. Can't Olga do it?" A whine crept into his tone. " But Nicki... " He sneered at something she said to him. "Yeah, Mac, the one that tried to kill me... but that's not a factor." Alexei sighed. "Give me three weeks." He bargained, shaking his head at whatever the distant voice was saying. "Then I'll chase down Covarrubias. Yeah, I'll make sure I meet up with her before the January blitzkrieg wears off, I promise... then Kazakhstan. Nyet, nyet, not Tunguska." Alex shuddered, then pleaded like a child. "Nyet. Please no, Nicki, please, not Tunguska." Mac was disgusted with the tone and direction the phone conversation seemed to be taking. He was also pissed with himself for reacting the way he was. His glower was deadly to behold, luckily no one was paying any attention to him. The meekness that had crept into Alex's voice was embarrassing. "Da Nicola. Da. Nyet, not Covarrubias." A pause. "I'll try it." He shivered. "What about my file? Kak? Da. Bol shoh ye, Nicola." Alexei lowered the phone and snapped it shut abruptly. His voice was painfully flat. "I've got three weeks, then Stacey will take over for me... if you need her." "Stacey?" "One of my sisters, foster sisters." He corrected for Victor's sake. "As soon as I get to a modem we'll see about your sister, Mansfield. Nicki's not in the mood to do me any more favours at the moment. I'll take care of it myself." Alex slumped back in his seat. "I'm so fucking tired." Li Ann suspected tears were hiding just behind the gritty exclamation. It was indecent how clearly she could read Alex's emotions at this moment, especially remembering the cool mask he had worn most of their time together in Hong Kong. Mac felt yet another flush of guilt. He hadn't let the Russian sleep anywhere near long enough. "Sorry." Alex peeked out from under lowered lashes. "I didn't mean... not just that anyway." He fumbled after his laptop. "I've got a lot of crap on the security company on my hard drive." Alex opened the computer. His professional manner attempted to lock back into place. "How about I show you where the files are so you guys can get a better idea of what you're getting into. I've got financial statements from last year. Some contracts that we're going to propose... all kinds of stuff. I was sort of counting on you taking the job on." He looked up at Li Ann. "I've put together a whole package." "Fine, open the files... " She allowed. "Then I want you to settle back and get some sleep, Alex." Li Ann requested. "You're safe with us, Alex." Li Ann wasn't sure why she had said that, but it seemed to be just the right assurance. Alex smiled sweetly, not his usual shit-eating smirk, but an honest, almost childlike smile. "You were always good to me, Li Ann. I really should break programming more often. It's a nice change... the way you treat me." He finished tapping out commands and handed over the laptop. "Help yourself to anything that isn't coded." He offered. "Sleep." Li Ann repeated. "You can trust us." "Y'know." Alex yawned. "I actually believe that, Beautiful. S'nice." He squirmed into a comfortable position and his head dropped to one side within seconds. Mac hesitated a moment, then, with a self-conscious glance at Victor, he moved to tuck Alex's discarded trench coat around the limp form. Alex slept through the rest of the flight, even the stop-over in Montreal. He rousted long enough to deal with the car rental company then collapsed in the back seat as soon as they reached the vehicle. Li Ann left Victor and Mac to bicker over the keys and the road-map while she climbed into the back with Alex. Eventually Mac got behind the wheel and Victor consented to navigate. Alex had slumped down in the seat and dropped into a doze once more. Li Ann let him be until the signs began to indicate they were nearing their destination. "Alex." She stroked his cheek with one finger. He mumbled and shifted. "Come on Alex. Wake up, sleepyhead." She whispered right next to the delicately formed ear. Victor frowned over his shoulder at the intimacy of his former finance's actions. "Hey Beautiful." Alexei's eyes were softer than usual. We're almost there." Li Ann left her hand resting on his shoulder. "Any particular hotel, or do you have a house here too?" Alex turned his face and kissed the soft skin of wrist. "Hotel, darling. One of the larger ones, so we get a suite. We can look around for more permanent lodgings tomorrow or the next day." He glanced out the window. "It's not going to be easy to get much real business done until after Christmas... but a least we can settle you guys in." Li Ann almost laughed. "Christmas isn't something I've thought much about." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "It's going to bother Victor though." Her face was right next to Alex's now. "We should try and do something for him." Alexei caught and held her gaze. "We will." The conversation became an excuse for proximity. Li Ann breathed in purposefully, surprised she could actually recall his scent from three years ago and notice the difference. Right at this moment she couldn't imagine how she could mix Alex and Victor up. The Russian had an unmistakable aura about him of sex, danger, and deceit. Li Ann leaned in. The kiss in the backseat shocked Victor in a couple of ways; first that she was the one to close the distance and steal a kiss, and secondly he couldn't quite catalogue the emotions that the sight of Li Ann kissing a man who looked just like him had churned up inside him. Mac, who noticed the tableaux in the rear view mirror, had no such hesitation. His heavy lips pushed into an emphatic frown. "How many bedrooms do we need for tonight?" Mac demanded in a rather harsh tone. Alex pulled out of the kiss slowly. "How about two, Lover?" Li Ann had the decency to blush. Victor decided he definitely wasn't comfortable with what was going on. "In your dreams, Russian." Mac scoffed playfully. "In Li Ann's... and I think maybe yours, lover." Alex corrected. "In mine we'd only need one." His cocky attitude had returned with a vengeance. Li Ann glared at that comment, worried about her ex-finance's reaction. "Mac warned you about the ground rules, Alex." Victor cursed and pointedly stared out at the passing buildings. "Four." He grumbled. "Four would make me happy." Mac swallowed a chuckle and steered towards the entrance to a rather impressive looking hotel. "We'll get what they have and work around it." He announced reasonably. That ended the conversation. Li Ann relaxed back to her own side of the seat. "We're going to need to go shopping. These clothes are lovely, but a few changes would be nice... and I need to grab some stuff, a toothbrush and such." "I'll check us all in, then make some arrangements." Alex offered. "You three knock yourselves out at the stores." He extracted his wallet from inside his suit jacket and withdrew another bank card. "The code number on this one is 1966." Alex passed it to Victor. "You should be able to remember that. By the way, Beautiful, yours is 1995. Go outfit yourselves." He pushed open the car door, grabbing his laptop and satchel with his good hand. "What about you?" Li Ann inquired. "You can't have everything you need in that little bag." "Get me a couple of t-shirts, a pair of jeans, and some boots." Alex addressed Victor. "Please and thank you. I'm the same size as you... so if you just buy more of what you're getting anyway... ." He closed the door with his hip but remained by the passenger window. "I'm Alexander Roman down here." The smirk emerged. "That's the name I'm checking in under. You guys start using your new official names as of now. Look through the IDs I gave you if you've forgotten what they are and make sure you know how to spell them. I'll pay for all the rooms. Your keys will be waiting at the front desk. You three have fun." With that, Alexei pushed away from the car and headed for the hotel entrance. They came back to discover the keycards waiting for them took all three of them to same suite. Two bedrooms exited off a spacious sitting room. One had two double beds and the other was designed around a canopied masterpiece of a bed. Alex was no where to be seen. "You don't suppose he cut out on us?" Li Ann mused aloud, tossing her pile of purchases on the Princess bed. The double room was better suited to the guys. Mac leaned in the bedroom doorway, watching Li Ann extract and tuck away her many new acquisitions. "He didn't leave." Mac said confidently. She nodded to herself. Li Ann didn't really think Alex would ditch them after all the trouble he'd gone to, but the accommodations didn't suggest the Russian planned on sharing with them. "Call down to the desk and see if he left a message." A knock on the door interrupted Mac carrying out her suggestion. Opening the door earned him a gun shoved in his face. "Sloppy, Lover. Next time find out who it is first." Alex told him. The gun twirled around on his finger and Alexei stashed it into the back of his belt. "Asshole." Mac rumbled, stepping aside to let the other man enter. "What's with the rooms? All three of us guys are not sharing two beds in one room." Mac shoved the door shut and sidled up tight to Alex's back. "We don't need an audience... and Victor doesn't get off on watching." He threaded his fingers up into the short, soft hair at the nape of Alex's neck. "You are so enchanting, my dark demon." "How do you know what gets Victor off, Lover?" Alex whispered, leaning back into Mac's taller form. "Maybe, if you're a very good boy, I tell you later." The younger man nuzzled behind Alex's ear. "Where are you planning on bedding down tonight, Alexei?" He hooked an arm forward, crossing it over the other's chest. "I took a room one floor down." A sharp intake of breath followed the pinch of a nipple through his silk shirt. "I thought we might need more than one wall between Victor and I... if things got noisy." Alex ground his ass back into Mac, moaning softly when he felt an erection digging into him. "Want this, do you, pet?" Mac whispered, thrusting once. "Yes, please." "Jeez Christ... Mac." Victor's annoyed voice off to the right emphasised Alex's point rather clearly. "Do you two have to do that here?" Mac broke the clinch, releasing Alex and stepping back, but the action wasn't nearly as abrupt as it had been the last time Victor caught them in a clinch. "There's not enough beds." Victor complained flatly. "I took a separate room. The hotel didn't have a bigger suite open, and some of my business... you don't need to know about." Alexei explained. "I've been on the phone ever since I checked in. I've got a real estate agent lined up for tomorrow. You guys need to decide if you want one house or three separate apartments." He shouted just a bit, aiming at Li Ann's bedroom door. "You'll need wheels. I talked to a car dealership. There's leases waiting for signatures at a place not far from here." Li Ann emerged, changed into a pair of pale pants and a loose shirt. "You're being quite the little secretary, aren't you, Foreigner?" Alexei's face was unreadable. "I've some electronics on their way to the office, which we should also pop into as soon as possible." He ticked off his mental checklist. "I got hold of Stacey. She's in New Orleans right at the moment, but she'll head up here as soon as her work is tidied up. I want to introduce you to her as soon as possible so... " Alex looked down at the carpet. "Just in case." He finally finished. "Stacey is going to make first contact with your sister, Mansfield, so it won't trace back here." "Thank you." Victor settled on the edge of a chair. "Doing all those calls... did you get a chance to eat?" There was honest concern in his voice. Alex looked up in surprise. Victor seemed to struggle internally for a moment. "We could go downstairs... " He suggested, a peace offering. "I could use a snack, yeah. Thanks Mansfield. Mac? Li Ann?" Alexei asked, pleased at the attempt Victor was making. "No." Li Ann cut in before Mac could speak. "Mac and I grabbed a bite when Victor was looking at boots." She lied. "You two go. Talk... but play nice, Alex. We'll hang out up here for a little while." Victor almost smiled, popping back up. "Whatever. Let's go... Alex." He verbally stumbled over using the name, but he got it out. "Listen though... do me a favour. Stop calling me Mansfield. It feels... weird." "Sorry." Alex apologised. "It's a bad habit I picked up from... " It was Alexei's turn to falter. "... a partner of mine." "Partner?" Victor asked suspiciously, opening the door and stepping out into the hallway as he spoke. "What do you mean?" "Someone I... worked with." Alex followed and the portal swung shut. A heavy body collapsing on top of him woke Mac up. He'd given up on his lover and Victor coming back at a decent time and turned off the light a few hours ago. "Alex?" Mac reached out, encountering a fully dressed form, complete with leather jacket. "Victor." He decided. "Sorry." The body flailed. "Wrong bed... the light... I didn't want ta wake you up, partner." Victor dropped back, bonelessly, onto his back and laughed softly. He stank of smoke, beer, and strangely enough... cheap perfume. "Whatever." Mac climbed out of the now taken bed and flipped on the table lamp between the two doubles. "Where's Alex now, Victor?" He padded over to the sitting room door, opening it to glance out into the darkness. All was quiet in the living room. Mac pushed the portal shut once more. "He was right behind me." Victor apologised. "We went to a bar." "No shit." Mac surveyed the reclining man. "You're drunk." "Drunk." Victor chortled, an odd sound from a full-grown man. "On watery American beer, don' be stupid... 'course that vodka Alex kept ordering didn't help." "Jerk." Mac walked over and pulled off Victor's shoes. "He's the reason, isn't he Mac?" Victor gazed up with cloudy green eyes. "What are you talking about, Vic?" Mac tossed the shoes away then moved to tug on the other's jacket. "Alex... me an' you ended up in bed together 'cause you wanted him." Victor shifted up a little to allow his jacket to be stripped off. "Li Ann... she wanted ME when we got t'gether... but you jest missed Alex." "Don't go there, Victor." Mac warned. "I thought we could have somethin'... not jest sex." It was an old argument. It was the argument that ended things between them. Mac sighed. "Don't Victor." He repeated. "I told you then I was sorry. I'm not going to keep apologising. We just didn't want the same things." "It should be about love, affection... or at least the chance of it." The elder continued, oblivious to Mac's protest. "I know Victor." It wasn't worth arguing about, especially considering Victor's condition at the moment. "He was better in bed than me." Victor mumbled. "The sex wasn't good enough with me. That's why you broke it off, right? I really tried, I'm jest not real practised up with guys." "We both ended it... together, Victor. Remember. Besides, it wasn't that." Mac threw himself onto the other bed. "The sex was great, it just... we don't mesh well together. We don't have compatible needs." Mac tried to soothe. "You're babbling now, partner. Close your eyes." "I don't know why I came with you an' Li Ann. Neither of you need me." "We're your friends, Victor." Mac spoke slowly. "Alex is your brother. We all need you Vic. You're our integrity, our moral centre." Victor rolled onto his side, laughing. "Even if I am twins, I don' have enough integrity to cover for you, Mac." He giggled happily at his own observation. "Go to sleep Victor." Mac refrained from making any comment about the state of Alex's morality. "It was a strip joint, the bar." Victor said absently. "A few of the girls actually hit on us an' they didn't want money neither. Weird. I would have brought a couple back, but I thought you and Alex were gonna... do it." "Yeah. I thought so too." Mac frowned to himself. "Damned tease." Victor's only response was a snore. The outer door slamming open and some stumbling crashes into bits of furniture woke Li Ann up. Her door cracked open, surprising the oriental woman. Only Alex would dare. The mattress dipped and the rasp of his woollen suit on the sheets tickled her ears. "Russian?" "Yeah, Beautiful." His dark head settled onto the pillow beside her's. "What are you doing here?" She reached out to touch his lips. "Mac won't be happy about this." "He's not my owner." Alex pouted against her fingertips. His voice was sulky, like a disobedient child's. "I'm no one's property." "What about Nicki?" Li Ann couldn't help but notice the barroom smell that clung to him. She wondered if Alex would have dared to let himself drink too much. "Nicki doesn't own me, not anymore." Alexei kissed her fingers. His tongue flicked out, tasting her skin. "Did she? When?" Li Ann coaxed. If he was willing to talk, she wanted to find out more about what made him tick. Alex pulled back with a sigh. "Before Father gave me to Nicki, I'd never spent more than an occasional hour in the company of a female." He lay flat on his back and stared up. "There was a withered old dance instructor and some of Father's official dinner guests. That's it. Women almost terrified me, they were so alien." His words had just the barest hint of a tipsy slur. "Twelve years old and Nicki hauls me to her compound with an all female staff and ... .sisters... ." A soft, harsh laugh escaped. "The only other guy in the whole place was Vasili, and he was such an incredible bastard. When she first touched my body... " He quaked. "Nicki seduced you, so young?" Another hoarse laugh. "She fucking demolished me from the inside, turned me into a lump of clay... so she could re-build me from scratch. I had no clue what the hell she was doing to me that first little while." Li Ann made a soothing noise and stroked his temple. "I spent my first month there on a leash, naked... on my hands and knees. Some of her techniques... classic breaking and brainwashing, Vasili's chemical cocktails, all mixed in with her own unique brand of psychology. " His voice cracked at the memories. "I can't let Mac own me like that. I don't dare. I won't, no matter what my body wants. If you laid a claim on me... he'd surrender me. He'll give you anything you want. He loves you." Alexei looked over at Li Ann. "You would never hurt me, would you, Beautiful?" "I won't hurt you." Li Ann promised, snuggling closer. "But I'm not going to take you for a lover just to protect you from Mac. That's silly. Mac would stop if he knew, Alex. I could tell him to stop. You could too. He thinks it's just a game and you want to play. Just tell him the truth." "The truth... " Alex laughed softly at something tickling his memory. "This particular truth is... my body wants it... but it hurts. Nicki and Vasili did such a good job on me. Vasili called me his masterpiece." He sighed. "I cried for hours after I killed him." Li Ann stifled the flinch she felt through raw willpower. Instead she concentrated on trailing her fingers in the hair near his ear. "Why did you kill him, Alex?" "Nicki told me to. It was my final exam." He answered flatly. "I had to do it before I left for the army. I couldn't very well enlist until I'd been properly blooded, Nicki said so." Alex reasoned. "I was sixteen... all the girls had done their first solo hits by the time they were fourteen. I had to catch up." "God, Alex." Li Ann winced. "You were just a kid. How could... that's... ugh." "I figured it out later. It was a power play as well as a test. Nicki had to find out which one of them held my loyalty and how strong the binding was." His liquid jade eyes met her's then blinked slowly. "Sorry Beautiful. You don't need to hear about that." "It's okay." She reassured him. "I really do want to understand you." "Nyet. No, you don't." Alexei countered in a dead tone. He shook his head very gently, not wishing to dislodge her fingers. "I like Victor." The announcement came out of nowhere. "He's a decent man. Scully goes for his type sometimes." "Who's Scully?" Li Ann petted. "Mulder's partner." He murmured. "He always liked her better. Nothing I could do would make him happy 'cause he just wanted his blessed, Saint Scully the Incorruptible ... not me." Alex was off on another tangent now. "Never me, even though I tried so hard to be a good little G-man. His adoring junior partner. I'll do all the shit work, cause it's a privilege that you let me breath the same fucking air as you. Mulder didn't care. He wouldn't let me in. No one ever shut me out like he did, not since my teens, it should have been physically... chemically impossible, but Foxy baby could... it wasn't human. 'Course his control is cracked now... since Russia. The bastard slipped there and it wasn't just the cold... no matter what he tells himself." "Scully is your boyfriend's wife?" She tried to follow the rambling discourse. It wasn't making much sense. "Fuck, no. Scully is Mulder's partner... at the Bureau... and he's not my boyfriend. He's just... He's my hobby, Beautiful. My favourite Fed." Alexei giggled. Federal agents, Li Ann finally clued in. Alex meant the FBI. He had a crush on a FBI agent. Li Ann shook her head at the irony. "Is Mulder straight?" "Fucked if I know. You wouldn't have thought so in back of the truck in Russia... but that was hardly a normal situation." He laughed again. "Nicki would smack me across the room if she found out, but I took just a couple of milligrams, an early booster before calling Mulder in to take down those pathetic terrorists. I just needed an edge on him." Alex sighed at the memory. "Of course, it made things difficult with Skinner and those bastards in the gulag." Li Ann frowned, drugs didn't seem Alex's style. Alexei shook off that train of thought, leaning in to steal a kiss. His mouth trailed up her cheekbone. He shifted, sliding his hand over her sheet covered form. "You want to, Beautiful." His mental gears had switched rather abruptly once more. "Let me make love to you." "You're too drunk." "I'm never too drunk for that." Alex argued. "I'm fucking programmed to do it no matter how I feel." That wasn't what she wanted to hear right now. "I don't think it's a good idea." "But do you want to?" Li Ann wrapped her arms around him. "Just sleep with me, Alex. I'll hold you while you sleep. That's what I want... what you need. " A strangled moan escaped him. "Don't do this to me." Alex begged. "Don't be so nice to me. I can't deal with it. It's not safe for either of us." "Shush." She kissed his forehead. "I can handle it. Trust me. Save your games for Mac." "But I can't. Let me do something for you, Li Ann. I can't stay here unless you let me get you off. I need to." Alex's thumb brushed over one of her nipples. "Let me." Li Ann caught his wrist. "No Alex, not like this." It was painful to watch the reaction to her refusal. Alexei's expression chilled to frost. It started with his jaw and ended by turning his eyes into green ice chips. "I'll see you in the morning." Alex scrambled off the bed. "We've a lot of work to do." "Alex stop." She protested. "Stay." He frowned, then turned and slipped out the door without another word. The next week was a whirlwind of activity as they tried to set and settle in before Christmas shut down the more sedate of the city's business. Since none of them voiced any objections, Alexei picked out a massive old house on the edge of the city. At some point over the last twenty years the insides had been gutted and redesigned into four rentals. Luckily, due to its limbo state between owners, none of the apartments were in use. Leaving the small basement accommodations for the use of the guests, each of the three casually staked out a claim with only a few exchanged glances. They then had to scramble after basic furnishings on top of all their other business. Alex installed himself into Mac's apartment and newly purchased wrought-iron bed without fanfare, just a few disapproving frowns from Li Ann. Alex also saw to it that Victor's living room soon had a Christmas tree and some tasteful decorations. That action earned him a fair number of grins and one hug from the Canadian, nicely balancing out Li Ann's disapproval of his rather excessive relationship with Mac. At this moment Li Ann, Mac and Victor were trying out the new furniture in that self-same living room. Alex was due back with his foster-sister. A small fireplace, the main reason Victor had wanted this apartment, held a glowing, hour old fire. Mac and Li Ann were sharing a bottle of wine while Victor nursed an imported beer. "I'm making Christmas dinner." Victor examined the label on his bottle. "And there's a good chance Santa is going to leave your gifts here... since I've got the tree and all. I know you two didn't do the Christmas thing in Hong Kong, but... " He cleared his throat. "We'll be down first thing in the morning." Li Ann promised with a smile. "I don't know about FIRST thing." Mac objected out of principal. The outside door to the building slammed, rattling one of Victor's ground floor windows with the force of the vibration. Victor rose to his feet when his private stairway access banged open. All three of them curiously watched the entrance. "No, leave the bags. Li Ann has a second bedroom she said you could use. It's up one flight. I'll take your stuff upstairs later." Alex's voice. "Come on in." He lead the way. She was a painfully thin woman with precision cut, short, blonde hair and too-perfect features. She was lightly tanned and dressed like a fashion model. Her smile was a brief lifting of one corner of her mouth. Alexei pulled in a deep breath. "That's Victor in the chair by the fire." The Russian introduced needlessly. One plucked, blonde brow arched in emotion. "Charming." She commented. "Li Ann." Alex continued, motioning to one end of the couch, then the other. "And Mac." Vivid blue eyes swept the room, fastening on the tall, ex-thief. "How entirely typical of you, Alexei." She observed softly. "This is my sister, Anastasia." "Anastasia." Li Ann repeated with a smothered smile. "Stacey is fine. Stacey Roman" Alex's sister corrected. Li Ann's smile grew painful to contain. "Wine?" She lifted her own glass in inquiry, not trusting her voice too much. "I'll get it." Alex slipped past and into the kitchen immediately. Stacey crossed the room and gracefully settled into a high-backed chair. Her eyes came to rest on Victor. "I've something for you." Long fingers dipped inside her ice blue jacket. "This is a printout of the email my contact in India sent me. There's a short message from your sister." A folded paper was offered up. Victor jumped at the note. "My contact also got hold of me just this morning. It seems another organisation has hired him to keep a discreet eye on the young lady and report if she receives any messages or visitors." Stacey's laugh was high and sharp. "Not to worry though. Our family holds a much greater sway over the man." Alex returned, handed off the wineglass then, after a brief moment of hesitation, he dropped to the floor at Mac's feet. Stacey watched intently as Mac's hand dropped to ruffle Alexei's inky brown hair. Alex relaxed into the caress, leaning against his lover's knee. Stacey nodded to herself and then returned her attention to Victor. "Your parents phones are all tapped and all your assets... as well as Li Ann and Mac's... have tracers on them to warn if they are accessed. It seems your Agency has uncovered the deception Alexei perpetrated." "Fuck." Mac stopped his absent stroking. "They'll find us." "I doubt it and even if they do... ." Stacey shrugged. "You don't need to worry about the Agency. Alexei and I can handle them without breaking a sweat." "Don't keep us in the dark." Li Ann spoke up. "We're not children. We can take care of ourselves." "I am well aware of your capabilities and, trust me, they WILL be exercised, just not in a Northerly direction for a few years." Stacey assured the other woman. "I suppose since you're part of the Family now... " That almost came out a question. "They're in." Alexei confirmed. "Cousins, Nicki says." He indicated a level of clearance with that particular word. "Lovely." Anastasia relaxed slightly. "I hooked up with Marie while I was down south." She proceeded to inform Alexei. "She's sending some clients your way next week that require some rather... extreme security systems installed in D.C. Kid gloves with them, Lexi, my love. Oh yes, she also passed on a few Christmas presents from the Nicki for our new cousins... and a special gift for you, of course. That's why I have so much luggage." "Who's Marie?" Mac quizzed. "I can't get a handle on your set-up." Anastasia pursed her dark lips, then inclined her head and launched into her best teacher's voice. "Nicola is... in terms you would understand... the head our family, our godmother of sorts. Olga is Nicki's heir apparent. Tatiana, Marie, Alexei, and myself are her top tier. The Catherines are... the next generation coming up. There's four of them." "Four?" Alex stiffened. "Sorry Lexi, I guess you haven't heard yet. Nicki had to... retire CC last week. You've been too busy to check in for an in-depth report I suppose. Oh yes, Riene sends her undying love and Cathers said to give you a kiss from her." Stacey noticed the odd looks the trio were giving her. "Anyway, all five of the first tier have primary areas of influence, although we all dabble. Olga stays pretty much to Russia and Europe. Tatiana does the orient and that general part of the globe. We've a lot of stuff going on Bangkok. Marie concentrates on South America. I've got North America. Alexei... Lexi bounces all over creation, though mostly the States and Eastern Europe lately. Nicki sometimes calls him her chaos factor." She teased. "You'll meet most of us eventually, except maybe Olga. She doesn't much like America." Li Ann rubbed the bridge of her nose, Victor's mouth had dropped open, and Mac looked astounded. "We do legal and illegal work." Anastasia admitted evenly. "Lexi has insisted that we try to keep your contributions on the moral higher ground. We will try." She paused. "You'll be told more as you need it." "That's nearly enough for now, really." Victor blew out a breath. "Except... does the Agency know about you people? I never saw any files on the lot of you." "Because of your resemblance I suspect your Director decided to block your access, maybe to protect you, maybe for her own reasons. She's... QUITE aware of our darling Lexi. She came into contact with Alex Krycek a long time ago and again shortly after you were recruited for the Agency, Victor. Lexi used that name in America until his stint as a FBI agent came to a rather abrupt ending. If you ever hear the name Alex Krycek, Victor... duck your head and run away. You do not want to be mistaken for Krycek in your worst nightmares." She chuckled at the glare Alexei shot her way. "Now where was I, oh yes, your charming Director... if she's as good as we think, she must have some suspicions about the extent of our Family... but no proof. We try very hard to stay low key where governments are concerned." Stacey smiled. "Nicki calls us the Romanovs, but then her little obsession is clearly reflected in the names she gave to all of us." "You were an FBI agent, Alex?" Mac asked softly. "You haven't shared that tidbit of information." "I haven't shared much... information... with you, Mac. My biography isn't something I hand out casually. It's rather complex and mostly classified." "Arrogant." Mac accused without malice. "You're egotistical, secretive, and far too attractive for your own good." Mac teased. "That's our Alexei, a model of modern engineering." Stacey's taunt was a bit harsher than Mac's had been. "Speaking of which, Nicki wants to know what's up with your booster shots. They're due in just over a week and I know you tend to avoid them if someone doesn't remind you." "I'll get to it." Alex snapped, not meeting her eyes. "Since I'm here anyway, how about I give them to you. It's so much easier than injecting yourself. Where's your kit?" "I left the packet in Canada." Alexei had to avoid curious looks from Victor and Li Ann now. "I'll call Steven and have it courier bring it down. I'll get it well before New Year's day." "I brought another kit. Nicki sent out a spare TO ME." Anastasia informed him with some emphasis. "I'll do you right now. I don't know if I can stay for more than a day or two." She rose, setting her wineglass on the coffee table. "It's in my large suitcase. Let's go upstairs and take care of it." "What the hell's going on?" Mac kept his fingers in Alex's hair, holding him down on the hardwood floor. "Lexi does a lot of travelling." Stacey explained calmly. "He needs inoculations against a rather extensive collection of contagions but he's a trifle needle shy. That's all. I'm just looking out for him." "Stacey, its Christmas Eve." Alex protested wearily. "And you know that stuff... skews my metabolism for a while afterwards. Can't it wait?" "I'm not letting you mess around in Siberia without your shots, little brother. Come show me where I'm staying and I'll have it done in two shakes." Her hand extended. Alex took the offered lift and Mac had to release him or pull his hair out. Mac let go. "We'll be back in about an hour or two. I usually have to lie down for a little while afterwards." Alex offered up a weak smile. "I've got some stuff to toss under the tree tonight anyway, I'll bring it down when I come back." The pair of Russians withdrew. Alexei slung one bag over his shoulder, and picked up the largest. Anastasia grabbed her carry-on luggage. Li Ann's apartment was in the centre floor of the building. The door to the stairwell was unlocked. They relied on the outer entranceway for security when they weren't actually inside their own, individual spaces. The spare bedroom was snug and featured only a bed and one dresser, purchased in expectation of Stacey's visit. "Where do you want them?" Anastasia rummaged through her things for the packet of bottles and needles. "I'd guess not in the ass. No doubt your Mac takes a special interest there." "Very funny." Alex grouched. "One in the arm for show. Scatter the rest. Mac would freak if he got around to counting needle tracks." The snaps on his shirt gave way with a sharp pull. "Not the backs of my shoulders either." He requested. "It looks like you're letting him top you big time, Lexi love. How'd that happen? You're usually so much more... dominating with the men you're boffing." Stacey laughed as she lined up six vials on the dresser and started ripping open sterile needles. "It's the full spectrum." Alex ignored her question and eyed the small bottles with a frown. "Maybe we could defer THAT one until early January. I could hook up with you for a weekend to do my libido cocktail." He bribed. Anastasia shook her head. "God, I wish... but Nicki says now. She doesn't want to chance that things might get busy and you might miss your shots. It's your year end, quarter end, and... you're going to Tunguska." Stacey indicated the last murky, brown fluid." "Sukin syn." Alex mumbled in annoyance. He had to work at getting his jeans undone and down by himself. His fake hand was good, but not anywhere near the original. Anastasia tapped the air out of the pale green fluid in the first needle. "Your Mac is going to wonder what hit him tonight, Lexi darling. I don't suppose your bedroom is above mine?" She knelt and jabbed the side of his leg. "Fuck!" Alex hissed. "Nyet." He lapsed into Russian. [We're over top of Li Ann. Christ, Stacey. That crap burns through me fast enough... couldn't you have left it until last?] [And miss a second of the first flush of it oozing out your pores. No way.] She continued in the same language. The next four needles went quickly. She saved the oil vaccine for his arm since it left the most obvious mark behind. Alexei dropped down to sit on the edge of the bed. Shivers were starting to rip through him. He barely flinched at the chill of the oil vaccine invading his arm. [You must realise, Nicki uses injection duty of your pheromones as a prize. All of us girls jump through hoops trying to earn it.] Stacey started stripping off her designer suit and tossed it carelessly onto the floor. [You've got a lot of nerve, making me hand you off to a lover so fast. I busted my ass to win this year.] Anastasia dropped down beside Alexei and pulled at his remaining clothing. She inhaled reverently. Alexei's eyes were shut tight and an especially violent shudder wracked his frame. Whispered obscenities poured from his lips and an aromatic sweat beaded up all over his skin. [Sweet, sexy, baby brother.] Stacey ran a long lick up his collarbone. The chemical sweat he was exuding tingled deliciously on her tongue. [Come on m'love. Shake off the pain and open your pretty green eyes. Stacey's here.] Alexei's head jerked once more then his eyes flashed open. Anastasia could have sworn they actually glowed at that moment. [There's my Lexi, lover. Come on.] Stacey grinned. Alexei pulled in a deep breath then without any further warning or hesitation he pounced. Anastasia knew from experience to just let him take over at the beginning. The scent of him was making her head swim. Stacey sent out a silent thank you prayer out to poor, dead Vasili. The drug he had designed was a work of art. The weird chemical brew hyped Alexei's adrenaline levels and sex drive quite nicely for about a year and it definitely made him more even more attractive than he was naturally, which was it's original purpose. But the real reward, as far as the Romanov girls were concerned, was how completely it eroticised the young man for the first 24 to 48 hours after the yearly injection. It also turned Alexei into an even more dedicated sexual creature for most of January before gradually allowing his system to level off at a little higher ratchet than your average human being. Alexei was nipping just a bit too hard now, careless of her skin. She had to take some control away. Stacey pulled him off her breasts by the hair for a searching kiss. Alex moaned into her mouth and arched, trying to get as much contact as possible. The sheen of drug heavy perspiration on his body had increased enough to truly scorch Anastasia's skin. She broke the kiss to gasp for air than set to licking his jaw and throat. The taste was more intoxicating than the finest liqueur and Alexei's needy, pleading whimpers were the spice. Stacey rolled, forcing Alex's back down to the blanket and moved to straddle his hips and pin his shoulders. She couldn't waste any time. They couldn't dally for more than two hours because Alex wouldn't want the trio downstairs to realise what was happening above their heads and Anastasia didn't want to squander a second of her time. Alexei's intense and rather frantic coupling with Anastasia was enough to take the sharp edge off of his arousal but not for long. It took three trips down to Victor's place to deliver all the Christmas gifts. By the time he was finished playing Santa Claus, Alexei was ready to crawl up into Mac's lap and beg to go to bed. Unfortunately, Victor had launched into a series of stories about past Christmas Eves. Alex tried to pay attention. He was genuinely interested in his brother's history. Mac and Li Ann seemed to be enjoying the tale, laughing out loud occasionally. Anastasia sat, looking vaguely amused as well, although the source of her entertainment was her foster brother's behaviour. Alex was trying his best to stay still but Stacey couldn't help but enjoy his subtle 'cat-in-heat' actions. Alexei had squirmed from his position, leaning against Mac's thigh, to in between the long legs. The back of Alex's head rested in Mac's crotch but that wasn't even enough. He kept shifting so his cheek would brush the zipper. Alexei had also firmly pulled Mac's ankle into his own groin. Anytime the younger man reached down Alex would lean wantonly into the gentle touch. Anastasia was surprised that neither Li Ann nor Victor seemed to have noticed the display, but she was more amazed at Mac's lack of response. To make things worse, that same absence of attention from Mac was hyping Alexei into an even more desperate froth. About a half an hour into the performance Li Ann began to look uncomfortable. Anastasia watched the oriental woman frown, inhale deeply, then look curiously around the room. A carefully muffled gasp pinpointed the moment Alexei's state was finally comprehended by Li Ann. Stacey turned to study Victor. She was curious how long the chemicals' effects would take to cross the room and affect Alex's twin. His reactions should be interesting too. Victor visually perceived that he had lost most of his audience without actually feeling the effect at first. His jaw tightened with annoyance. Strangely enough, the disapproval was aimed at Li Ann's now obvious interest in the man on the floor rather that at Alex's provocative actions. Anastasia swallowed a laugh. This was the most amusement she'd had in days. The tip of Li Ann's tongue was poking out and curled up over her lip. Her hands had clenched and she had her full attention locked on Alex's face. Stacey's skin itched, but she forced herself to watch Victor, not Alexei's closed eyes, squirming. First Victor's eyebrows drew together and crinkled down, then he cleared his throat faintly. Finally he disregarded Li Ann to move green eyes to his twin. A scarlet flush burned Victor's cheeks and he ducked his head, lifting his had to shield his face rather ineffectively. Stacey dragged her attention to Mac now. At first glance he still seemed impossibly unaffected, but more concentrated scrutiny told more. Mac held himself painfully still. The hand holding his wineglass trembled slightly and the seemingly random caresses he was bestowing on Alex were actually occurring in an exacting, if lengthy, pattern. No one was talking any longer. Although each of them demonstrated it in a different manner, every person in the room was taunt as a bowstring. Anastasia was a hair's breath away from jumping up and snatching Alexei out of his lover's control. She broke first and snapped, in Russian... to hide her lack of control from the newcomers. [For God's sake, Alexei! Get your ass out of here or this is going to turn nasty.] Alex jerked alert at the order in his native language. Fevered eyes shot about the room, taking in everyone's state. The Russian man twisted around and crawled up Mac by gripping the other's shirt and pulling. Alex's lips sought out Mac's right ear and he whispered. "I need you to fuck me, lover." The stem of Mac's wineglass snapped, but the younger man didn't otherwise move. He swallowed once, moistening his mouth. "Say please." Li Ann actually cringed, being the only one close enough to have heard both the request as well as the crystal clear response. Alexei whimpered pitifully. Stacey's teeth drew blood from her inside cheek. Victor stood up and walked out, into the kitchen. Li Ann was unconsciously beginning to reach out. Alexei undulated against his lover's unnaturally clenched form. "Please, Mac... oh, please." Ramsey rose abruptly enough to knock Alex back on his ass. He bent, catching the older man by his shirt collar and dragged Alex in the direction of the stair door. It took several steps before the Russian managed to get his feet under him and walk. Li Ann had jumped to her feet. Mac hesitated in the hallway, looking back. Brown eyes locked with wide, slanted eyes. Alex trembled in Mac's grip. Li Ann's mouth opened, but she didn't speak. Mac did. "Come with us, Li Ann." He offered. "Remember that night in Hong Kong, Love. I want that again. So do you." Anastasia groaned to herself. Li Ann trembled in limbo, tossing one look over at the pair in the hall arch, then another over at the kitchen door, before returning her eyes to Mac and Alex. "I want... " She stalled out. Mac smiled. He turned Alex around to face Li Ann but continued to hold the older man snug against his own body, displaying him. A stroke down Alexei's stomach and the cupping of his crotch wrenched a soul-destroying moan from the Russian. "Come with us." Mac repeated the offer with undisguised overtones. "I... I can't." Li Ann whirled and fled into the kitchen after Victor. "Mercy!" Alexei sobbed and lapsed into Russian babble that only Anastasia understood. [Mercy. Please, please... I'm dying. Need you so bad. Hurts. Mercy.] Mac mellowed. The tone if not the words penetrated his disappointment. "Hush, Alexei. Come on. Come upstairs. It's okay, pretty one. I'll take care of you... give you what you need." An infinitely more gentle Mac removed Alex from the room. Anastasia forced herself to calm down, one reluctant muscle at a time. Voices were raising in the other room. "... on my account. Go if that's what you really want." Victor's pouty voice was eerily similar to his long lost brother's. "I don't care what you do." He lied. "Oh please!" Li Ann, sounding superior. She was proud of her self-control, no doubt. "You don't know anything about how it was." "Obviously not." Victor snapped, temper up from guilt at his own response to Alex and Mac's interaction. Stacey couldn't stay. As interesting as this might prove, she needed space. "You don't understand!" Li Ann protested. "Explain it to me. Please, Li Ann. What the hell is going on here?" Anastasia slipped out. "It's four thirty in the morning, Alex. Don't make me shoot you." Mac shoved the other away and rolled to the far side of the bed. "But Mac... " A whispered plead. "That was wonderful... incredible... I adore you, but I'm exhausted, I'm almost raw, and I can't do it again. Even if you're not human, my demon lover, I am. Three times is my limit for one night. I need some sleep." A pillow pulled over his head ended Mac's complaining. The lanky body stilled almost instantly. "Mac, please." No response, but steady breathing. "Your ass isn't sore." Alex reasoned. "Please, just ... I'll be quick. Fuck!" His fists pounded down on the bed in anger, but his lover didn't even stir. Fire still coursed through Alexei's veins, not allowing sleep or abatement of his chemical induced excitement despite sex with first Stacey, then Mac. Either it was worse this year or the span of a time had dulled Alex's memory of how completely his booster ravaged his system. Adrenaline stimulated arousal, which stimulated more adrenaline in an endless cycle. Alex climbed off the bed and stalked out of the room, not bothering to dress. Clothes actually pained him at this point in the cycle. He picked up the phone and had most of Mulder's number entered before Alex reminded himself there was no scrambler on this line and the FBI agent would be able to trace the call. Too bad. He'd yanked Mulder's chain once during a pheromone high when Tati had passed out on him too soon and it had been delicious fun. The portable phone was tossed aside and Alex prowled, glaring out the window at the quiet back street. His options were all obvious and each of them had it's own ramifications. Damn Stacey for doing this to him tonight. Alex was furious with her. He preferred it done New Year's eve, in a large city, at a downtown hotel. That way if whatever sister doing the duty fatigued out on him, another partner or two wasn't that hard to locate. Stacey was most likely confidently waiting for him to come meekly crawling to her bedside, which was the major reason he fought that response. Victor was strictly off-limits, Li Ann was annoyed with him, and it was five am on Christmas morning in a city he hadn't become familiar with yet. He couldn't even smash anything because the few thing Mac now possessed were all essentials. "FUCK YOU!" Alexei stamped his foot and screamed at the floor, hoping Anastasia hear it, but knowing she would laugh it off anyway. Still without putting a stitch of clothes on Alex let himself out of the apartment, descended the stairs, and headed into Li Ann's guest room. As expected Anastasia was sitting up in bed with an arrogant little smile playing over her lips. "I heard that tantrum you just threw... very romantic, Lexi m'love. Not enough Ram in the Ramsey boy for you?" She laughed, having waited all night for a chance to use that line. "Shut up, Stacey." Two steps landed him on the bed. The pale streetlight coming in the window glinted on metal. Anastasia seized his real arm and dug her nails in to hold him still. [What is that?] Alone with Alex, she lapsed into Russian. "Christmas present." He answered absently, trying to tear the sheet covering her breasts away. [Let me see. Hold still Alexei or I'll kick your ass back upstairs.] It was an empty threat but he stopped wrestling with her covers. Stacey's fingers confirmed what her eyes had suspected. A heavy ring with a small pendant now pierced Alexei's left nipple. No wonder Alex was still in this state. The pain of the home-done piercing would have flooded his body with endorphins, further skewing his system. [You know what Nicki thinks of this sort of thing... marking your body with anything permanent is against the rules. It makes you too easy to identify.] [Don't be so muther-fucking stupid, Stacey... like this god blasted fake arm doesn't already make me stand out in a line-up?] [But why did you let him do it?] [He wanted to. The needle, the disinfectant, the ring... it was all hidden, waiting by the bed. He was halfway done before I even realised... I was so far gone... and why the hell not, I figured.] Alex struggled again, wanting contact, not conversation. [I might as well let him mark his territory.] Stacey tugged gently on the tiny gold plate tag that hung down from the loop, halting him with the brief pain. [And this?] Alex was shoved back and she got up to flick on the light. The pendant had the look of a dog-tag to it, only it was much smaller. It was imprinted with one word on each side, 'MAC'S' facing out and if you twisted it around, 'DEMON' on the other side. Anastasia scowled darkly wondering if Alexei realised what it said. Still, it could have been worse. [You damned well better cut the tag off as soon as you leave here next month.] She warned. [If Nicki saw this she'd beat you until her whip broke over your back.] "Da, da... I will... whatever." Alexei wouldn't be held off any longer. Anastasia was seized and pulled down into a haze of demanding touches. About two hours later Alexei stumbled back upstairs in a considerable mellower frame of mind. If he could just keep from any bursts of adrenaline, he should be able to function a bit more normally today. Alex burrowed under the blankets and into Mac's warm body. The younger man grumbled in his sleep and pulled Alex into his arms. They dozed, tangled together, until a gentle hand shook Mac's shoulder. "Deja vu." Li Ann murmured when Mac's brown eyes opened. "Did you two have fun last night? It sounded that way." She sighed. "Next thing we get is carpeting for this bedroom, with lots of under-padding." The complaint was playful. Mac stretched. "I'm still tired." "I'm not surprised." She smiled. "But it's almost ten o'clock. Victor's waited long enough. You two shower then throw some clothes on and come downstairs. Last night was enough aggravation between us. All three of us need to make it up to him... all four of us need to get along." Li Ann stood. "Open a window, Mac. This place smells like a whorehouse." She grinned to take the sting out of the comment. Her toe poked a discarded dog collar and some handcuffs. "You guys... Cripes." Li Ann shook her head and withdrew. "Come on, Demon lover." Victor yanked the covers off his lover. "Let's get cleaned up. Our Christmas presents are waiting." Alex looked up through sooty lashes. "Do me in the shower and I'll try to behave until after lunch." He bargained. Mac's head shook in disbelief. "I don't know if I'm up for it." He admitted. "Don't worry, we'll work something out." Alexei got up and padded into the bathroom. Victor's cosy idea of Christmas morning was like nothing Mac was familiar with. Li Ann had some indication, after the year she had spent with Victor before Mac's return to her life, but for Mac, Christmas had been just another day for so long. The smell of brandied coffee, warm bread and cinnamon overpowered the scent of Alex's shower orgasm. Victor's easy grin smoothed off the harsh scene from the night before. "Aren't you two quite the sleepy-heads today." The ex-cop teased pleasantly. "There's biscuits and coffee in the kitchen. Help yourselves. It's all on the counter." "I made hot chocolate and there's honey, Alexei." Anastasia, looking like an angel in a flowing white robe, had settled on the floor near the tree. "Brown honey." She elaborated. Alex smiled sweetly. His hair was still damp, as was his t-shirt, which was also snug to begin with. His new decoration was clearly outlined under the white cotton. The fact he was wearing jeans was the exception, rather than the rule for their small group. Li Ann was still in red silk PJs. Victor had track pants and a sweatshirt on. Mac had pulled on something resembling hospital scrubs, only in dove grey. All of them were barefoot. The whole scene was like some kind of over-grown kids' pyjama party, especially with both women sitting on blankets on the floor like children would. "There's more presents again." Mac observed when he returned with his mug and plate of goodies. Victor shrugged. "I bought some stuff and so did Li Ann." On cue, Li Ann shoved one of the parcels to Victor. "Open that now. We need it." She told him. A quick glance at the tag confirmed it was his, from Li Ann. Victor tore into the red and green wrappings, eventually uncovering a portable stereo with a CD already in the drawer. "Welcome to the Nineties." Mac joked, recalling the eight-track player Victor had been forced to abandon in Canada. "Very funny." Once the system was plugged in a deep, rich baritone began to croon out a Christmas carol. Alexei emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of biscuits, absolutely dripping with butter and honey. "Music? Nice touch. You got Tchaikovsky?" "Here Mac." Li Ann pushed over another gift, trying to erase the frown Alex's request had provoked from Mac. "No stereo. I know you want to pick out your own." She supplied. "You too, Foreigner." Li Ann tossed a small box into Alex's lap as he settled on the sofa beside Mac. "Nicki... " Anastasia interrupted softly. "... sent 'welcome to the Family' kits." She shifted, extracting three almost identical boxes wrapped in red velvet with gold braiding holding the material closed. A small bell on one indicated it was for Li Ann. The other two were marked with a sprig of holly and a gold key. "Li Ann, you clever girl." Mac grinned. A small tower of books toppled to the floor as Mac attempted to stack them. They were all familiar titles that he had regretted the need to leave behind. Alex, licking honey off his fingers, offered up a more subdued, almost sad, smile as he examined the gift that had been labelled from all three of them. Four shiny keys dangled from a silver fob with the word HOME engraved on it. "One's for the front door." Victor explained. "The other three are to our apartments. We know you always travel fairly light, but you must have enough pocket space to keep that much of us with you." "Thank you." Alex didn't lift his face. "This means more than I think you realise." "I think we suspect how much it means, Alex." Li Ann reached out to pat one denim-encased leg. "Are these things dangerous?" Mac slid down to the floor so he could deal with the large box Stacey said was from the Family. "Yes. They are." Anastasia answered cryptically and sipped her hot chocolate. The trio almost synchronised their movements while opening their parcels. The heavy cardboard boxes each contained a laptop computer, a cell phone, two guns and the corresponding permits. "When you first turn those computers on they're going to show you seven GIFs for two minutes each. Pay attention because after that a virus kicks in and eats the pictures out of the hard drive. Those seven faces are the inner family... the ones you can trust completely... in family matters. That collection of pictures is worth thousands of dollars on the open market. Please don't try to stop the virus from doing its job." Stacey requested. "Of course Lexi and I you already know, but the others... we may not be able to manage formal introductions in the future and you need to know who we all are." Each of the three nodded. Anastasia, satisfied, settled back serenely after passing a gift to Alexei by way of Victor. "From Marie. She came in second this year." Stacey commented. Alex pulled the tissue from the top of the metallic green bag and looked inside. Truffles and hand-dipped chocolates, from Brazil, if he knew Marie. Alex chuckled to himself. Trust Marie to think of just the right thing. Mac caught the edge of the bag and tipped it to peek inside. "Chocolate?" "I have... a thing for chocolate." Alex admitted. He sat the treats far out of Mac's reach and stood up, putting his breakfast aside. "Excuse me for a moment." Alex left. When he returned, Alexei toted three bulky garment bags with red ribbons decorating the hangers. He laid one on each of the trio's laps. Mac ripped the zipper open and spread the plastic back. His fingers encountered charcoal grey fabric of the most expensive kind. Further exploration uncovered a coat, a shirt, a silk tie, and most telling of all... the label of the suit. "Fuck Alex! Armani? You're insane." Anastasia choked on a swallow of her drink. "It'll look good on you." Alex countered the objection. "I'll bet there's a trench coat." Stacey said sweetly. "Mac looked closer. "Yeah it's a trench coat... and a holster, Alex? How romantic is that?" "Check the belt for cuffs and the pocket for reading glasses." The Russian woman laughed at her own words. "Shut it, Stacey." Alex warned in a dangerous tone. Victor and Li Ann were opening their own gifts now. Li Ann's eyes fell on a exquisite suit of green silk with complimenting gold and emerald jewellery fastened on a velvet covered card. Victor's hands had encountered butter soft black leather and a slightly less formal grey-green suit. "Now we can all play dress-up and hit the casinos next week." Alex smirked. Anastasia's tongue clicked. "Spending you allowance on designer clothing, Lexi, what bad habits he taught you." Alex glowered. Stacey shrugged and looked away. "This is too much, my demon." Mac protested. "I want you in Armani!" It came out too vehemently. Alex made himself settle. "European fashion does you justice, Mac." Li Ann had discovered a purse, shoes and her own long coat. "Alex, really. We can't accept these." "Let me." He asked. "I like buying nice things but I hardly ever get the chance to do it... not that often." Mac had unwrapped the complete ensemble and was looking pleased, but a trifle surprised. With the exception of a mildly tacky, red patterned tie, Alex was equipping Mac with an outfit to do a fashion model proud. Victor stood, slipping into the leather coat with a sigh of pleasure. "Nice, very nice. Thank you Alex." "You have your future reputation as a fine upstanding business man to consider. A jacket and jeans do for most things, but... " "I know." Victor grinned, stroking the careful stitching with one finger. "But there's something secure about leather." Li Ann laughed, tossing a ball of discarded paper at Alex. "You're insane, but it's all simply gorgeous. Thank you." "Forget casinos. I could go for a night-club." Mac said. "A socially flexible one." He stipulated. "Tomorrow." Victor shrugged off the long coat. "It's Christmas day. We're going to spend most of the day barefoot, doing nothing much but eating ourselves stupid. It's tradition." A shadow flitted across his green eyes. "What?" Li Ann asked, seeing the brief sadness on his face. "It's just... family stuff, y'know." "Let it go Victor." Li Ann urged, suspecting the direction his thoughts had gone in. "We're making a new family here. You don't ever have to deal with your parents vast wealth of problems ever again... if you choose." Victor tried to smile. "This is one hell of an unconventional family we're assembling here, Li Ann." He tipped his head towards the couch. "And just as twisted as my old one, I suspect." Mac was bestowing an open mouthed thank you kiss on his lover, his hand pressing hard into the older man's chest. "You have no idea." Anastasia observed dryly. The End jimcarla@hotmail.com Milk and cookies time. Bye Translations: Ëb tvoju mat'—Russian—Fuck you Potverdorie—Dutch—Gosh(It is a very mild curse) Rot toch op—Dutch—push/sod/fuck off Putain de merde!—French—fucking hell! Doh bryden,Nicki.Eh-ta Alexei—Russian—Good afternoon,Nicki.It's Alexei.(I think) Ni khuya—Russian—No way! Kak? Da. Bol shoh ye,Nicki.—Russian— How? Yes.Thank you, Nicki.(I think) Sukin syn—Russian—son of a bitch ENDNOTES TO THE COMPILED VERSION: The writing in this is uneven, I realise that. The first piece was written without any clue as to what was coming later. I'm working on a sequel set a few years down the road, post Tunguska, pre Red and Black. I may toss out bits of flashback stories, if anyone is interested, to fill in Alexei's (or Mikhail's or maybe even something else) background. Oh yeah, and I've since discovered Mac and Li Ann speak Cantonese, not Manderin... life's a bitch. It's too late to change what's out already on the net, so I left it alone, even in this copy. These stories were posted piece by piece on the Ratfic library. The first section was written for R'rain's 'Once a thief' archive. Many thanks are owed in those directions. A Gathering of Scoundrels III: Crossing Paths

Rating: I'll give it an nc17 rating... shrug, mostly for language... m/f, m/m overtones (Krycek/ Li Ann, Mac, another chick... one at a time. Yum) No mondo graphic sex though, sorry. Summary: CROSSOVER WITH 'ONCE A THIEF'... Alex Krycek recruits Li Ann and Mac, a couple of old flames, then sets about pulling the trio from 'Once a thief' (featuring Nick Lea as Victor) into his world. Spoilers: I completely demo the ending from the last episode of 'Once a thief' not that many people have had a chance to see that show but... Oh, and maybe a little X-files 'Patient X' too. I also improved on the arm CC and gang have given my poor darling. I'll accept they cut it off, but I will not accept the limitations of actual medical science in regards to the replacement. Disclaimers: Chris Carter, Fox, John Woo, Alliance entertainment, and the various actors and writers own everything... no profit... etceteras, etceteras... you know the speech off by heart if you read much on the net. Let's go... Written during June and July of 1998 Email—yes please, Jimcarla@hotmail.com Other websites—http://members.dencity.com/CarlaJane/homepage.html back to top

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