Title: Dear John
Author: Mrs. Fish
Email address: mrs_fish@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: D/K
Warnings: Language; mild m/m; angst
Spoilers: None
Status: Completed
Date: 2/13/02
Archive: No; link okay. Do not forward to any other lists or archive without permission.
Category: Valentine's Day Challenge from the AlexK-H-C-orD list.
Series/Sequel: No
Bookcover: https://www.squidge.org/~mrs_fish/xfiles/bookcovers/dear-john.jpg

Summary: Doggett receives a package of information about his lover.

Disclaimer: This story is written for the private entertainment of fans. No infringement of any copyrights held by Ten Thirteen Productions, Fox, Chris Carter or others is intended. This story is not published for profit, and the author does not give permission for this story to be reproduced for profit. The author makes no claims on the characters or their portrayal by the creation of this story.

Notes: The flashback scene didn't quite fit into another story I'm writing, so I revamped it for the challenge. Also, I tweaked the words to 'Dear John' a bit to fit a m/m relationship.

Notes 2: In my universe, Krycek has two arms.

You had just walked in from work,
And there's a letter in the kitchen with your name on it.
Inside, you will find an
Answer for each question you had.
-- Tamia, "Dear John"

February 13, 2002
Falls Church, VA
9:53 p.m.

The house was dark as John Doggett pulled into the driveway. Not outwardly unusual in and of itself, but he'd gotten used to having Alex there when he got home from work each day. He glanced at the box next to him on the front seat, closed his eyes, then momentarily rested his head on the steering wheel. He'd briefly considered leaving it in the car, but Alex needed to know that someone in the Consortium was still very much alive and obviously out to make life hell for him.

Not wanting to prolong this any longer than necessary, Doggett grabbed the box and got out of the car.

Getting the front door unlocked without dropping the box and its contents was no small feat. Nothing like paper files to weigh something down. If he'd been thinking clearly, he would have just set the box down first, then opened the door. But at the moment that seemed like too much extra effort.

Doggett knew without turning on any lights that Alex wasn't there. The house had a different 'feel' when he was. First time John mentioned that fact to Alex, Krycek patted him on the shoulder and told him he'd been working on the X-Files too long. Although later Alex admitted that he'd noticed the same thing regarding Doggett.

John placed the box on his desk, then took out his cell phone and hit speed dial 3 - Alex. After three rings, Krycek's voice mail kicked in.

"Alex, it's John. Call home right away. It's important... tovarish."

That was their code for something Consortium- or colonization-related. Now all he had to do was wait... and hope Alex got back to him quickly.

A quick trip upstairs and Doggett stripped off his suit and exchanged it for jeans and a t-shirt. Then it was down to the kitchen for some dinner.

That's when he saw the envelope stuck to the refrigerator door.

You had to know the day would come
That you'd find out that I'm a liar
And a player, and the list goes on.
So it hurts you now,
But it would hurt even more if I stayed, so
Hope that you can understand
That you were once my man,
But it's time to move on.
-- Tamia, "Dear John"

Doggett reached for the envelope, neatly lettered in Alex's script, then pulled back as if the thing would bite him. It took three more tries before he got up the nerve to snatch it off the door.

Hands shaking, John ripped open the envelope and began reading.
 

Dear John,

Got an interesting phone call today from one of my old
Consortium masters. And here I thought they were all dead. I guess
that's what happens when you take yourself out of the loop.
Anyway, he told me he was couriering you a package of material
on me -- copies of everything the Consortium had -- so I imagine it
was quite extensive and thorough.

That's why I thought it best to leave before you got home. Call it
cowardly, but I couldn't face you knowing what those files
contained. Some of it you already knew, of course. But there's an
awful lot I never told you... stuff I was so ashamed of I actually
prayed that you'd never find out about it.

If wishes were horses...

Don't look for me, John. You know it'd be a waste of time anyway.
I've gotten too good at going underground in my line of work.
Don't worry -- I'll still keep you informed of any info I come across
regarding the colonization project or the super soldiers.

I'm sorry. This is the second time I've walked out on you. But at
least this time you know why.

Watch your back, partner.

Alex

Doggett sunk to the floor, slowly shaking his head.

"Not again, Alex. I can't lose you again."

November 13, 1992
NYPD
Fugitive Division
Warrant Section
7:30 a.m.

Detective John Doggett stormed into the squad room, barely avoiding a collision with a co-worker. He then strode to his desk, tore off his coat and tossed it into a side chair.

He didn't notice that everyone in the squad had followed his progress across the room, and was now watching him intently.

Doggett grabbed his messages, hastily looked through them, then threw them across his desk before sitting down heavily in the chair. A moment later he picked up the phone and dialed it. He obviously got no answer because he slammed the receiver down and swore loudly, "Fuck!"

"John?"

"What!?" he snapped.

"Captain wants to see you."

Doggett looked up a bit sheepishly. "Uh... thanks, Phil. I'll be there in a minute." Doggett ran a hand through his hair, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Detective Rizutto leaned closer to Doggett and whispered, "You okay, big dog?"

Doggett half-smiled. "Yea, Phil, I'm fine. Just some... domestic problems."

Rizutto nodded in understanding, then went back to his desk.

A minute later and Doggett was up and heading for the Captain's office.

Doggett was, in reality, anything but fine.

The commute to work had been a bitch due to a late night snowfall. That had been bad enough. But what was really bothering him was the fact that he hadn't been able to reach his partner and lover, Alex Krycek, since he'd left work the day before.

They'd had dinner plans together, and when Krycek hadn't shown up, Doggett left several messages on his answering machine and cell phone -- to no avail. Granted, it wasn't as if they were married, and Doggett certainly hadn't placed any restrictions on their relationship about seeing other people. But they'd been in a monogamous relationship for over three years, and this wasn't like Alex at all.

And Doggett was finding it hard to ignore his gut telling him that something was very, very wrong.

NYPD
Captain Lou Manzetti's Office

Doggett knocked loudly on the battered wooden door before asking, "You wanted to see me, Captain?"

"C'mon in, John, and close the door behind you."

Doggett settled himself into one of the wooden chairs and waited while Captain Manzetti pulled out a folder from the stack on his desk. "I'm partnering you with Rizutto for the time being...."

"What?" Doggett practically came out of the chair. "Lou, I've got a partner. One I've worked just fine with for the past three years."

"Krycek's been transferred. Orders came down from Division this mornin."

The rest of the Captain's conversation was lost on Doggett as his world crumbled around him.

Alex Krycek's Apartment
1:45 p.m.

Doggett ran up the three flights to Krycek's floor rather than take the much too slow elevator. He pulled his keys from his pocket, and with a trembling hand, unlocked the door, stepped in and...

Froze in his tracks.

The place was completely empty; not even a trace of dust remained. It was as if Alex had never lived there.

Doggett went through each room, but they were all the same -- vacant. He dropped to his knees in what was the bedroom and let his grief overtake him.

February 14, 2002
Falls Church, VA
12:17 a.m.

The front door opening broke Doggett from his reverie. He quickly scrambled to his feet, wiped his eyes and headed towards the living room.

"Alex..."

He practically threw himself at the other man, pinning Krycek to the door with a startled oomph. Before Alex could respond, Doggett tilted his head and slowly covered Krycek's lips with his.

Alex responded by wrapping his arms firmly around Doggett and moaning loudly.

After what seemed like hours, Doggett pulled away slightly, then rested his head on Krycek's shoulder. Alex squeezed him tighter.

"I'm sorry, JD."

"I just wanna know why. Why did you think you needed to run away?"

Krycek answered hesitantly. "Did... did you read the files?"

Doggett pulled back, but kept his hands on Krycek's shoulders. "No, of course not! Alex, I promised not to go snooping into your life. That whatever you felt like tellin me, whenever you felt like tellin it was fine by me, even if it was never. Besides, how the hell would I know if that stuff was real or not? Only you'd know that for sure."

"John..."

"Listen up, brat. Obviously I haven't been making myself clear about this relationship. I love you. You, Alex... the person you are right now. I don't care what you did for them because that's in the past, and you were coerced. And if you ever pull a fool stunt like this one again, I'm gonna hunt you down and kick your ass into next week. Got it?"

Alex smiled, his eyes a bit brighter. "You bet, partner," he answered huskily.

"Good. Now I have just one more question. What made you change your mind?"

Krycek's smile disappeared instantly, and he tried to look everywhere but Doggett's face. That reaction, plus the blush covering his cheeks made Doggett laugh.

"C'mon, brat, spit it out."

"I... um... the radio reminded me that it's Valentine's Day."

Doggett's eyebrows rose in stunned disbelief. "And?"

"And... then they played this sappy song and next thing I knew I had the car turned around and I was headed back here."

"That still doesn't tell me why."

Krycek sighed loudly, then with a move that would have made his instructors at Quantico proud, he had Doggett pinned against the door. "Because I love you, you... damn you, JD."

Alex grabbed Doggett and hauled him upstairs, where he proceeded to show him exactly how much he was loved.

The end.

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