Wheels of Fate
by Nightcloud
FBI Headquarters Garage
Washington DC
Mulder flinches as the car window shatters, his cell phone yanked from his hand by Alex Krycek.
"Mulder!" John Dogget's voice comes from the phone once, before Krycek drops it on the ground and crushes it with his foot.
"Get out of the car." The assassin orders.
Mulder resignedly climbs out the driver's side glaring at the other man.
"Doesn't seem fair now. Doesn't seem right. Coming down to this," Krycek muses aloud.
"What do you know about fair or right, Krycek? You're a coward," Mulder snaps, moving slowly around the car to face the other man.
"I could've killed you so many times, Mulder. You've got to know that. I'm the one that kept you alive," Krycek states, voice cracking slightly. "Praying you'd win somehow."
"Then there really is no God," Mulder sneers.
"You think I'm bad. That I'm a killer. We wanted the same thing, brother," Krycek says emphatically. "That's what you don't understand."
"I wanted to stop them. All you wanted was to save your own ass," Mulder's contempt for the other man is glaring.
Krycek continues seeming to need to explain, "No. I tried to stop them. Tried to kill ... Scully's baby to stop them. It's too late. The tragedy's that you— you wouldn't let it go. That's why I have to do this. 'Cause you know how deep it goes. Right into the FBI."
Mulder glares at him, "You want to kill me, Alex, kill me. Like you killed my father. Just don't insult me trying to make me understand."
Mulder watches calmly as Krycek's finger slowly tightens on the trigger. The two stare at each other, Mulder calm almost daring, the younger man seemingly gripped by some inner struggle. The tableau is broken by a gun shot. Krycek gasps in pain, dropping his gun. Both men turn to stare at Walter Skinner who keeps his gun trained on the assassin.
Desperate the triple agent reaches down to pick up his gun. He screams, falling to the ground again as another bullet tears into his arm. Weakly he reaches for his gun with his prosthetic left arm. Realizing the uselessness of this he looks up at Skinner, "It's going to take more bullets than you can... ever fire to win this game. But one bullet... and I can give you a thousand lives." He glances up at Mulder then back to Skinner, "Shoot Mulder."
The Assistant Director looks at Mulder who turns to look at him. Krycek struggles to his feet, while the two others face off. Skinner raises his gun and fires. The bullet striking Krycek, ending his life, his body falls, blood from the wound in his forehead running down his face.
Mulder spares a single glance at the rapidly cooling corpse then walks to the driver's side of the car. "I'm going to go to the airport. I need that location from Agent Doggett." Getting no response he says, "Skinner, are you with me?"
"You just go. I'll get him," the older man states.
Mulder starts the car, driving away, Skinner glances at the body, then walks away.
Unknown and unseen by either Mulder or Skinner, the spirit that had been Alex Krycek watched them both leave. Close beside, obviously giving him support and comfort, two other ghost like figures stood. "I wonder if they'll even bury me?" Krycek murmured. "Or just burn it."
"Don't...," one of the figures says, softly. Light from the entity's body radiates toward the newly de-incarnated spirit. "You knew this would happen."
"Doesn't make it any easier," that which had been Krycek complains softly.
A deep chuckle emanates from the second entity, "Never does. Still it was your choice."
"Mmhmm," Krycek agrees. "It was."
The first being envelopes him in warmth again, "Are you sure you want to do this? You're tired. You've earned a rest, let the others fight it for awhile."
"No. It has to be done now," Krycek straightens and pulls away from the two slightly.
"Very good," the second being approves. "Come with us now, there's much to be done and not a long while to do it."
Some time later in the apartment of Dana Scully
The odd-ball three some known as the Lone Gunmen end their visit, teasing Mulder a bit first. The ex-FBI agent waits a moment, then enters the bedroom, smiling. Scully is sitting on the edge of the bed leaning against the headboard, a small blanket wrapped in her arms.
"How's everybody doing?" he asks almost shyly.
Sully smiles up at him, then glances down at the bundle, "We're doing just fine."
Still smiling, she rises from the bed and carries the baby to Mulder, who gently pushes the blanket away from the baby's face. "Hey, now," he greets the child.
The baby begins fretting slightly. "None of that." Mulder admonishes gently.
Scully's smile brightens, she looks up at Mulder and then gently transfers the baby to his arms. Somewhat nervously he accepts the small form. Beaming glances from the baby to Scully then to the baby again, very softly he says, "Hi."
He hums for a bit soothing the child, then looks at Scully again, "What are you going to call him?"
"William," she tells him. When he looks at her, she continues, "After your father."
There is a small silence as they gaze at each other for a moment.
"Well, I don't know. He's... he's got your coloring and your eyes. But he looks suspiciously like Assistant Director Skinner," Mulder quips characteristically
They both laugh, then Scully sobers, "I don't understand, Mulder— they came to take him from us— why they didn't."
"I don't quite understand that either," Mulder admits. "Except that maybe he isn't what they thought he was. That doesn't make him any less of a miracle though, does it?"
"From the moment I became pregnant, I feared the truth... about how... and why. And I know that you feared it, too," Scully tells him.
Looking at her Mulder says, "I think what we feared were the possibilities. The truth we both know."
"Which is what?" she asks.
With the baby still between them, Mulder leans down and kisses her lips. This kiss continues and deepens when she reaches out to hold his arms.
Between them, warmed by their bodies, comforted by their heartbeats, a second pair of cerulean blue eyes open then close. Deep in the psyche of the baby named William, the spirit that was Alex Krycek grins, before succumbing to the demands of his new body to fall asleep.
End
***Author's Notes:***The beliefs surrounding Reincarnation are as varied as the many Religions that embrace them. In my personal belief system, a child is born to the parents he/she is attracted to, spending the time before birth learning about them. I also feel that karma isn't a debt pre se, but a chance for forgiveness and love. It was this belief which gave birth to this small offering. I hope I've offended no one. (g)
