Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery
Seattle, Washington

Mulder watched the ceremony from his car, not wanting to intrude on the family's grief. He kept thinking about Alex, wondering where he was and praying he was still alive. Mulder didn't want to face the prospect of losing someone else he loved; he didn't think he could.

The funeral was breaking up, so Mulder got out and walked toward the gravesite. Two women stood talking with the priest. 'They must be Alex's sisters. He said they were twins.' Mulder noticed they had the same hair color as Alex and the same long lashes. Alex's eyes were one of his best features; at least Mulder thought so.

The two women turned to Mulder as the priest walked away. "Miss Krycek, Mrs. Henderson, I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder of the FBI. I'm sorry to disturb you, but I need to ask you some questions." He held up his ID for them to see.

"You certainly are a fox, Agent Mulder," Theresa said. "Much better looking than your photo."

"Terri, behave yourself," her sister scolded. "You know he's involved with Alex."

"Oh, Ange, I'm just teasing him. I'm sorry, Agent Mulder."

Mulder suddenly felt warm. "That's quite all right. First let me offer my condolences. I'm very sorry about your mother."

"Thank you," the sisters answered in unison.

"About Alex... Did he happen to say where he was going to go after he left you?"

Theresa responded. "No... just that he was going to contact you. Alex said he missed you terribly."

'And I've missed him, too.' Mulder reached in his jacket and pulled out a business card. "If Alex should contact you, please call me."

"Alex gave us one of your cards," Angela said.

"Oh... well..." Thankfully, Mulder's cell phone interrupted them. "Excuse me. Mulder..."

"Agent Mulder, the Cascade PD found Krycek's abandoned rental car in the waterfront district. It had been wiped of prints. They have the case listed as a possible homicide due to the blood found in the car."

"Cascade... that's only a 45 minute drive from here. Who's the investigating officer?"

"Detective James Ellison. He's got quite an impressive arrest record. The captain's name is Simon Banks."

"Thank you, sir. I'll let you know if I find anything." Mulder switched off the phone and turned to Alex's sisters. "They found Alex's car in Cascade. I'll meet with the police department and see if they have any leads."

"Can you let us know what you find out?" Theresa asked.

"Of course. Why don't you write your phone number on the back of my card?"

Theresa wrote down the number and handed the card back to Mulder. "Please find him, Agent Mulder. We don't want to lose Alex again."

"I'll do everything I can to find him. I promise. Your brother... Alex... means a great deal to me."

There was an awkward silence as they all looked around, not knowing what to say. Mulder finally mumbled something about needing to go, after which each of the women gave him a fierce hug and made him promise to come back and visit with Alex. Mulder reluctantly agreed and hurried to his car, anxious to be back on the trail of his lover.

Major Crimes Division
Cascade PD

Jim stared at the pile of paperwork on his desk, shook his head, and sighed. It was going to be a very long day. Blair had made arrangements to have someone cover his classes so he could stay with Alex, which meant Jim had to deal with the work himself. 'Well, it's not like you haven't done it before.'

Ellison got himself a cup of coffee, sat down, and started to wade through the mess. He'd been making pretty good progress when a sound to his right made him look up.

"Hey, Simon, what's up?"

"More work, I'm afraid. Where's Sandburg?"

"Helping a friend." Which wasn't too much of a lie.

Simon handed Jim a file folder. "Put this on the top of your priority list. I got a call from an FBI agent this morning... a Fox Mulder... He's in town and wants to talk to you about this case."

"You just gave this to me yesterday. I haven't done anything on it yet."

"Then I suggest you get started. The car's over in impound. Why don't you go have a look? Maybe your heightened senses can find something the lab boys missed."

Jim read over the case file again, examining the crime scene photos carefully. He logged onto his computer and entered the victim's license number. "Okay, Alexei Kamarov, let's see what you look like."

It took less than a minute for the information to be processed and relayed to Jim's PC. "Oh, shit," Ellison whispered as the image filled the screen -- a face he knew very well -- the face of Alex Krycek.

"Detective Ellison?..."

Jim's head snapped up, slightly irritated at the interruption, and studied the man in front of him. Everything about him screamed 'Fed'.

"I'm Ellison."

"Special Agent Fox Mulder." He showed Jim his ID before continuing. "I spoke with Captain Banks this morning about the Kamarov case. I understand you're handling it."

"Yea... have a seat." Jim nodded toward the empty chair. "I was just pulling up his DMV info." The Detective turned the monitor slightly so Mulder could see. He quickly picked up the other man's accelerated heart rate and the look of pain that crossed his features.

"Are you all right, Agent Mulder?"

Mulder looked away from the screen. "Yea... yea, I'm fine. Do you have any leads?"

"No... the case was just assigned to me yesterday, after my partner and I wrapped up a nasty serial killer case. I was going to the impound lot to have a look at Kamarov's car. You're welcome to join me."

"Thanks, I think I will."

"Just let me tell the captain and then we can go."

Alex opened his eyes dreamily, enjoying the sun's warmth playing over his skin. He took a deep breath and stretched, arching off the bed cat-like, but mindful of his injured shoulder. Rising slowly, he moved to the door and opened it, smiling as the aroma of fresh coffee greeted him.

"That smells great."

"Hey, man, you shouldn't be out of bed. Here, sit down." Blair moved Krycek over to the table and settled him into a chair. "You hungry?"

"Starved. But if I don't get some coffee first I might become violent."

"OK, OK... God, you're worse than Jim." Blair returned with a steaming cup of black coffee. "You take anything in it?"

"No, just as is. Thank you... Blair, right?"

"Yea... and you're Alex?"

"Right... Is Jim at work?"

"Yea, I'm going to stay with you until you can maneuver on your own. I hope you don't mind."

"No, it'll be nice to have company for a change."

"So... what can I fix you for breakfast?"

"Anything. I don't want you to go to a lot of trouble on my account."

"Hey, you're a guest here. Whatever you want. How about bacon, eggs and toast?"

"That sounds fantastic. You're sure it's not too much trouble?"

"That's the normal breakfast around here if we can crawl outta bed on time." Sandburg bit his lip. That didn't come out the way he meant. "How do you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled firm. And I know what you mean about getting up on time. Jim can be quite a distraction in the morning."

Blair's head shot around and he stood staring at Alex with his mouth hanging open. "You... and Jim?"

"Oh, shit! I'm sorry, Blair. I assumed he told you about us."

"Jim said you were a friend."

"I am a friend... now. There hasn't been anything between us in a long time. Besides... I'm happily involved with someone, and I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world."

"Oh... " Blair cracked the eggs and whipped them in a bowl before pouring them into the heated skillet. He turned to reach for a spoon and nearly jumped out of his skin when he found Alex standing next to him.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Do not do that again. Man, you move even quieter than Jim does. Were you in Special Forces too?"

"Worse... I work for the CIA."

"CIA? Oh, man... oh, man..." Blair backed away from Alex. "Just stay away from me, OK?"

Alex frowned. What the hell had he said? Blair looked terrified. Coming here had obviously been the wrong thing to do. "Blair... look, I'm not gonna hurt you. I swear. If you give me a shirt I can be out of here in five minutes. You can just tell Jim I was gone when you came to check on me. OK?" Alex moved back to the table, finished his coffee, and stood waiting.

Blair took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. What the hell was he doing? Jim said Alex was a friend. If Jim trusted him... C'mon, Blair, snap out of it. Not all CIA agents are like Lee Brackett. "Ummm... Alex... Look, man I'm really sorry. It's just that... well... Jim and I had a really bad experience with a CIA agent named Brackett..."

"Lee Brackett?"

"Yea... you know him?"

"By reputation only. He left before I joined the Agency. I'm sorry your idea of a CIA agent was skewed by your encounter with him."

"Hey, it's not your fault... Oh, damn! Shit!" Blair quickly moved to the stove, turned off the burner, and moved the skillet. "Uh... you really didn't want eggs, did you?"

Alex laughed at the blackened mess being offered. "No, not that badly. Toast will be fine... as long as you keep the coffee coming."

"Deal. Good thing the bacon was already cooked." Blair made toast and joined Alex at the table.

"You sure you want to sit that close to me?"

"Ha ha. What is it with you police-types? You have to take a course in bad humor?"

"I think it comes with the job. Either laugh or end up in a psycho ward."

"Yea, it gets pretty rough out there." Blair sipped on his tea, looking over the man sitting across from him. His eyes lingered on Krycek's missing arm.

"You're staring."

Blair blushed. "I'm sorry. I... oh, man, that was so rude."

"Hey..." Alex reached over and placed his hand over Blair's. "That was bad humor again. You haven't known me long enough to realize I have a very sick sense of humor."

"Oh... it doesn't bother you?"

"Not as much as it used to. I do have a prosthetic arm, but I abhor it. I'd much rather have this," Alex glanced at the stump, "than a piece of plastic hanging there."

"Can I ask what happened?"

"It happened in Russia... in Tunguska. A group of men -- escapees from a gulag -- thought they were doing me a favor and cut my arm off."

"Oh, God..." Blair swallowed hard, hoping his breakfast would stay down.

"I'm sorry, Blair, but you did ask."

"Yea, I did. Can I ask something else?"

"You want me to tell you about my time with Jim."

"Am I that obvious?"

"The only thing that's obvious is how much you two love each other, and how happy you are. And I'll be happy to tell you. I just hope Jim doesn't get pissed."

It was Blair's turn to laugh. "If he does, just tell him I gave you 'puppy dog eyes'. Works every time." Blair demonstrated.

"I can see why. I'm gonna have to try that with..." Alex's smile quickly faded. He got more coffee and returned to the table. "So... Me and Jim, huh? OK... I met Jim when he was military liaison to the CIA. My specialty was data encryption. There was a joint meeting about an upcoming mission and I was there to observe and look for possible areas where data security could be improved. The meeting was just about to start and I moved to turn off the lights. Just then the door flew open and I was knocked quite unceremoniously on my ass. Next thing I knew I'm being hauled to my feet by some guy in a uniform. I started to give him a piece of my mind, but somehow my throat locked up after gazing into the most beautiful blue eyes I'd ever seen." Alex took another sip of coffee.

"I know exactly how you felt. I can get lost in Jim's eyes."

"Jim apologized, asked me if I was all right and sat down. After the meeting he caught me in the hallway and introduced himself, then apologized again. As he walked away, I kept imagining what that body would feel like under me. Talk about lust at first sight!"

"Oh, so it was you. Jim kinda told me about you when we first became lovers. I'd always thought he was so vanilla. So when he told me he'd been with a man before I was a bit shocked. He said he'd been seduced by someone he met at the CIA, but he never mentioned any names."

"That was me, the corrupter of men's souls." Alex had said it as a joke, but he wasn't smiling.

Blair touched his arm. "Hey, you OK?"

"I guess I'm just tired."

"You want to lie down some more?"

"Yea, that sounds like a good idea."

Cascade PD Impound Lot

The two investigators retrieved the car's keys from the officer in charge before proceeding onto the lot. They didn't have any difficulty locating the rental, and Jim quickly moved to unlock the doors. He was going to have to play this very carefully so Mulder wouldn't suspect anything. God, he hated lying to the guy. He seemed genuinely concerned about Alex.

Mulder opened the driver's door and staggered back as the smell assailed him. He started gagging, fighting hard not to throw up, and had to lean against another car while he got himself under control. Jim had turned down his sense of smell before the FBI Agent had opened the door. He was glad now that he had.

The Detective moved next to Mulder and put a hand on the other man's shoulder. "You OK?"

"I think so. Sorry. I forgot what a sealed car sitting in the sun could do to odors." Mulder pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth.

"Not a problem. You ready to have a look?"

"Sure. Lead on." Mulder gestured toward the car.

Jim smiled, taking the hint. The two men spent close to an hour going over the car before giving up and heading back to Jim's Expedition. Mulder buckled himself in but said nothing, blankly staring out the window as Ellison drove back toward the station.

"You wanna tell me what's going on here, Agent Mulder? What's this guy Kamarov involved in, and why's the FBI so interested?"

Mulder sighed loudly. What the hell... Ellison seemed like a good cop. "His name's not Kamarov... It's Krycek. And it's personal."

"How personal?"

"Alex and I used to be partners... It's a long and complicated story, but the truth is he's in hiding, or at least he should be. He came back because his mother was in the hospital dying."

"And someone's after him."

"Yea. A Consortium of high-powered men who Alex gathered evidence on while he was working undercover. It stopped their activities for a while, but he didn't have enough to shut them down completely."

Jim concentrated on the man sitting next to him. His temperature was slightly elevated and pulse a bit fast, but nothing to indicate that he was lying. Yet something he said didn't make sense. Alex didn't work for the FBI. Unless... "How long were you two partners?"

Mulder hesitated. If he told Ellison the truth, the cop would know something wasn't right. If he lied... Oh, the hell with it! Mulder didn't care if Ellison knew that he and Alex were lovers. "Look... Detective... This isn't about Alex and I being partners in the FBI. He and I were only together for a few months. Our relationship, however, extends over several years, and all of it was based on a lie. During the last year, I discovered the real truth about him and about how I felt. And the reason I desperately need to know if he's alive or dead is because we're lovers." He turned and began staring out the window again.

Jim was taken aback by the Agent's admission. When it became known that he and Blair were lovers, the majority of the cops supported him. They were a close knit group, and Ellison had proven himself on more than one occasion. There were a handful of men who vocalized their distaste at the relationship, but it went no further than that. One patrolman requested a transfer, stating 'he didn't work with fags'. The request had been processed in less than 24 hours.

The Detective knew things were different at the Bureau. It was still very much a 'good ole boys' club, much the same as the military. And though both organizations stated they did not discriminate based on sexual preference, God help you if anyone found out you were gay. The results were always disastrous. Jim assumed Mulder's superiors were unaware of his relationship with Alex.

"Well, that certainly explains things. Thanks for being so honest with me. I guess it's time for me to return the favor. You see, I used to be the military liaison to the CIA when I worked Black Ops."

The outdoor scenery suddenly lost its appeal and Mulder turned to face the Detective. "CIA?"

Jim nodded. "While I was there I met a young agent who worked in Cryptography named Alex Krycek. Turned out we had a lot in common -- came from the same part of the country, loved basketball, both had rough times as kids -- and we were both loners who didn't want to be alone. He got to me, more than I cared to admit. At the time I considered myself to be a purely heterosexual male... until Alex seduced me."

Mulder smiled. He knew exactly what Ellison meant. "It's the eyelashes... the way he slowly closes his eyes and they lay against his cheeks. Gets me every time."

An image of Alex Krycek, naked and sprawled across a bed, flashed in Jim's mind and a rush of heat centered itself in his groin. This was not good, especially with Alex's current lover sitting next to him in an enclosed space with a loaded gun... no, make that two loaded guns. Jim nodded again, not trusting himself to speak just yet.

"How long were you and Alex together?"

"Three months. After that we remained friends... which is why he came to me after he was shot."

"Alex is with you!? Is he all right? Can I see him?"

"Easy... He took a bullet through the shoulder, but it was a clean hit. When I found him he'd lost a lot of blood, and was weak, but he was coherent. He slept through the night last night, and was still sleeping when I left for work this morning. My partner's staying with him, and he'll call if he needs anything."

"Thank you. It's nice to know that Alex has friends like you he can turn to... You said your partner was staying with him?"

"Yea... his name's Blair Sandburg. He's a grad student at Rainier University, working on his doctorate in Anthropology."

"He's an Anthropologist? But I thought..." Mulder looked at Jim quizzically, then realization at what the Detective said set in. "Oh... Oh, he's your partner!"

Jim laughed out loud. "You really are new at this, aren't you?"

Mulder looked a bit sheepish. "I guess I am. Can you take me to him?"

"Where do you think we're going?"

He entered the empty phone booth and closed the door, quickly glancing around to ensure there was no one else around, then dialed the number and waited. After two rings, he was rewarded with the sound of a clipped English accent.

"Have you found Mr. Krycek?"

"Not yet, but a new player has joined the search."

"And that is?..."

"Mulder... He arrived this morning and went straight to the police station. He left with Detective Ellison."

"Mr. Mulder is in Cascade? Of course... he's concerned about his lover. Follow him. Report back to me when you've found Krycek."

"What about Mulder?"

"Mr. Mulder is not to be touched! He is an invaluable part of the final plan. Do what you must to ensure Krycek's capture, but under no circumstances should Mulder be harmed. Do you understand?"

"Completely. I'll call back when I have Krycek's location."

"Make it soon. Our time is running out."

Alex quietly opened the closet doors and searched through the clothes hanging there. Most of them were obviously too small, but... ah, must be one of Jim's shirts. He pulled it from the hanger and put it on. It would do. He had to get out of here. That look on Blair's face. God, the last thing he'd wanted to do was scare the kid, but that's exactly what he'd done. Nice work, Alex.

He'd told Blair he was going to take a nap. That should give him a few hours head start. Jim would be upset, but he'd understand why Alex left. He just wished there was some way to get word to Mulder.

Krycek finished dressing, grabbed his things, and quietly slipped from the apartment.

Blair looked up from the papers he was grading when he heard the key in the front door. "Hang on, Jim, I've got the chain on." He peered through the partially opened door just to be sure it was his lover before opening it.

"Thanks, Chief. Any problems?"

"No, it's been pretty quiet." The Anthropologist's gaze moved from Jim to Mulder as he relocked the door.

"Blair, this is Special Agent Fox Mulder of the FBI. He's here because of Alex." Blair and Mulder shook hands and the three men moved to the living room. "How's he doing?"

"He got up and had breakfast, and we talked for a bit, then he said he was tired and wanted to lay down some more. That was about a half hour ago."

"Detective Ellison... I don't want to seem impatient, but..."

"I'm sorry, Alex is in the spare bedroom." Jim showed Mulder the way, then left the agent to rejoin Blair on the couch. Mulder's stomach was doing backflips as he slowly turned the handle and opened the door. He stepped inside the room and rapidly spun around. "He's gone."

"What!?" Jim and Blair cried in unison, the two men quickly joining Mulder.

"Chief, did you hear anything?"

"No... oh, man, he couldn't... he wouldn't have. I told him it was OK."

"Chief, slow down. What are you talking about?"

"I was making breakfast and I turned around and Alex was standing there. He scared me. I didn't even hear him get up. So I asked him if he'd been in Special Forces like you. When he told me he worked for the CIA I... I kinda freaked. All I could think about was Brackett. Alex said if I gave him a shirt he could be outta here in five minutes. That's why he left, Jim... because he upset me. Even after I explained and told him I'd be all right. He didn't want to upset me because of you. I'm sorry... this is all my fault."

Jim wrapped his arms around his lover. "Blair, baby, shhh... it's OK. It's nobody's fault. We'll find Alex. I want you to stay put in case he comes back here, OK?"

"Yea, sure, Jim. Just find him."

"How do you plan on finding him, Detective? He's got a half hour head start on us."

"I have a few tricks I learned in Special Forces that will help. Don't worry, we'll find him." Jim walked into Blair's old room and Mulder followed. The Sentinel focused his sense of smell, taking in the scent of Alex and the more powerful smell of antiseptic. He followed it across the room and down the fire escape, a bit shocked at how strong the scent was, considering the time elapsed. Ellison fished the car keys from his pocket and turned to Mulder. "I want you to get my truck and follow me."

"What?"

"Don't ask questions, there isn't time. I'll try and explain it all later. But right now I need you to go get the truck."

Mulder nodded and headed back toward the loft. Jim smiled as he heard him whisper, "And people think I'm strange."

On a scale of 1-10 of the dumbest things he'd ever done, this one definitely rated an 11. What the hell had he been thinking? Alex cursed his own stupidity at leaving the safety of Jim's apartment. He'd started feeling dizzy after walking a few short blocks. Luckily there was a park nearby and he managed to collapse under a shady tree. There was no way in hell he was gonna make it back. Hopefully someone would show up and Alex could ask them to call 911, or even call Jim at the station. Jim would be furious, of course; he'd rant and rave and thoroughly chew Alex's ass for being so stupid, but inside he'd be glad he was safe.

Alex closed his eyes and sighed. At least it was a beautiful day.

He couldn't believe his luck. He was glad he decided to stake out Ellison's apartment after all.

Krycek didn't look too steady on his feet. At this rate he wasn't going to go far. Man, this was going to be as easy as shooting fish in the proverbial barrel.

He's down, and it doesn't look like anyone else is around. Too bad, Mr. Krycek, you should have stayed in hiding.

Alex sensed more than heard the person approaching. He opened his eyes and calmly stared at the gun pointed at his chest.

"Say goodnight, Krycek."

He barely flinched as the two darts hit him, sending Alex into the welcoming arms of oblivion.

Jim wished following all his suspects was this easy. Alex wasn't even trying to divert his course, and if he kept going in the same direction, he'd end up at the park. Well, at least he'd be easy to spot there.

Ellison turned slightly, checking for Mulder. It would have been impossible for him not to keep up with the Detective, but it was rather comforting knowing his back was covered. He and Blair would have to come up with a damn good cover story to explain Jim's tracking ability. The FBI Agent didn't look as though he would be fooled easily.

Jim froze as he approached the park. Zeroing in with his Sentinel sight, he saw Alex being hauled into a late model sedan. Ellison could only pray he was still alive. He ran back to the truck and threw open the driver's side door. "Move over."

Mulder quickly complied and the two men took off after the sedan, siren's wailing. Jim had the advantage of knowing the area, but the suspect had a slight lead... plus he had Alex. Ellison had to play this one very carefully if he hoped to see his friend again.

"Is Alex in there?"

Jim just nodded, concentrating on the fleeing vehicle. Unfortunately, the chase didn't last long. The suspect tried to double back and Jim expertly blocked his path. The driver made a sharp right, his only choice if he wanted to avoid a head-on collision, crashed through several barriers, became airborne, then came down with a loud 'splash' in the bay.

Jim watched the scene in horror. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed the station. "This is Ellison. I need fire and rescue personnel at Harborside and 1st. I've got a vehicle in the water with at least two occupants. And tell the Coast Guard to put their dive team on stand by. Out."

Mulder was already moving when Jim hung up the phone. He shed his jacket and shoes and dove in the water, Ellison close behind. The two men swam frantically toward the car, each stroke bringing them a little closer to the sinking vehicle.

The water was freezing despite the outside temperature. It seeped through their clothes, sucking the warmth from their bodies, making their limbs heavy with fatigue.

Jim felt like he was moving in slow motion. He willed his muscles to move, knowing Alex's life depended on it. Ten more feet and he'd reach his friend.

Blair had told Jim once that all primitive cultures believed their lives were controlled by the whims of their gods. If that were true, then the god controlling Alex was a raving lunatic because this was just getting worse and worse.

With a sudden lurch, the sedan disappeared beneath the waves, wrenching an anguished cry from Mulder and kick-starting Jim into Blessed Protector mode. He took a deep breath and dove under the water, using his enhanced sight to try and locate the car. He stayed under until he thought his lungs would burst, then reluctantly returned to the surface, gasping for air.

"Can you see the car?" Mulder clutched at him, voice frantic.

"Not yet."

Jim dove again and again, refusing to give up, even when he could no longer feel his limbs. The Coast Guard finally pulled the two men from the water, wrapping them warmly in blankets before returning them to shore. They both shrugged off the attentions of the EMT's, more concerned with the rescue operations than their own comfort.

Five minutes later they pulled Alex's body from the car, quickly moving him to the ambulance for transport to the hospital. Jim had to physically restrain Mulder when they wouldn't let him go with Krycek, thankful the FBI Agent hadn't pulled his gun.

As they followed the ambulance, Jim began praying to every god and goddess Blair had ever mentioned, knowing one of them had to be listening.

Once at the hospital, Jim called Blair to tell him what had happened, asked him to bring him some dry clothes, then rejoined Mulder in the ER waiting room. Mulder hadn't said anything since they'd pulled Alex from the bay and Jim was afraid he'd gone into shock.

"Mulder..." Jim squeezed the other man's shoulder. "Hey, he's going to be fine. Alex's got more lives than a cat."

Hazel eyes turned to stare at Jim. "I keep telling myself that because the alternative is unthinkable. I can't live without him, Jim. I love him too much."

Jim just nodded. "Are you sure you don't want a doctor to have a look at you? You look pretty wiped."

"No, I'll be fine. I just need to know that Alex is all right."

Ellison leaned back in the plastic chair and closed his eyes. He could tell it was going to be a long wait.

Blair bounded into the ER and quickly found Jim and Mulder. He bit back his first impulse -- which was to throw his arms around Jim and reassure himself that his lover was indeed all right. Instead he handed the older man the dry clothes he'd brought and followed Jim into the men's room... where Blair's resistance broke down and he threw his lover against the wall and began kissing him senseless.

"Blair... Blair... I'm fine, really." Ellison held his lover tightly until the younger man's heartbeat slowed to normal.

"Jim... I feel so badly. I mean... Alex is going to be all right isn't he? I'd never forgive myself if... if he died."

"Chief, the fact that he was still alive when they pulled him out of the bay is a good indication that he's going to be all right. The guy who tried to kidnap him didn't make it."

Sandburg pulled back slowly and gazed into Jim's eyes. "I love you."

"I know, Chief. Let me get out of these wet clothes and get back to Mulder. I'm really worried about him." Jim went into one of the stalls and began pulling off his soaked clothes and stuffing them into the bag Sandburg had brought.

"What's the relationship between Mulder and Alex?" Blair asked through the door.

"They're lovers, Blair, and they haven't seen each other in over a year. Apparently Alex has been in hiding because of an undercover case he worked on."

"Oh, man... this is like so unfair. I can't imagine what it would be like without you for a year, Jim. I mean, I can hardly wait to see you after a day sometimes. I really feel like a jerk now."

Strong arms circled Blair and turned him around. "Chief, stop blaming yourself for this. Alex made a conscious choice when he left. No one forced him to go."

"But..."

"No... no more discussion." Ellison claimed Blair's mouth, pressing his tongue into the warm welcoming wetness, almost zoning out on his lover's taste before pulling away.

"Oh, Jim... feel free to shut me up like that anytime you like."

Jim chuckled and held up some extra clothes. "Did you bring these for Mulder?"

"Um, yea... I figured he'd need some, too."

"Thank you, love." Jim kissed Blair's forehead tenderly. "C'mon, let's see if there's any news yet."

Mulder reluctantly left to change into the sweats Blair had brought for him. He needn't have worried because it was another 40 minutes before a doctor showed up.

"Detective Ellison?"

"Yes..."

"I'm Doctor Blakely."

"How's Alex?" Mulder quickly interrupted the doctor's attempted handshake with the Detective.

"And you are?..."

"Special Agent Fox Mulder, FBI. I repeat -- how's Alex?"

"Mr. Kamarov doesn't appear to have suffered any damage. He did have some water in his lungs, but the EMT's were able to aspirate him before he got to the hospital. And we did find traces of a strong sedative in his system which may have actually saved his life."

"How's that, Doctor?" Jim asked before Mulder could.

"The sedative suppressed his respiration and heart rate; the cold water of the bay lowered his body temperature and suppressed his responses even further."

Mulder stood and moved next to the doctor. "So you're saying he's going to be all right?"

"All indications are that he'll suffer no ill effects from his experience."

"When can I see him?"

"He's unconscious right now..."

Mulder grabbed Blakely's arm. "I need to see him. I need to know he's all right."

Jim pulled Mulder away from the doctor. "Take it easy, will you? It won't do Alex any good if you get thrown out of here. I know how you feel, Mulder, but harassing the staff isn't going to help. Believe me, they're tough."

"Sounds like you have first-hand experience."

"More times than I want to think about."

"OK, I'll be on my best behavior from now on. But I have to see Alex."

"You will. I'll make sure of it."

The two men rejoined Blair and the doctor and Mulder apologized for his earlier behavior. After a few minutes the doctor led the three men to Alex's room and went off on his rounds. Mulder went in first, at Jim and Blair's insistence, thankful for the time alone with his lover.

Mulder clasped Krycek's hand, carefully avoiding the IV line and monitoring equipment. "Alex... I'm here now. It's gonna be all right. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." Mulder smoothed the other man's hair off his forehead and smiled. "I love you, Alex. I love you so much." He bent down and placed a gentle kiss against his lover's mouth, then let Jim and Blair into the room.

Ellison and Sandburg didn't stay long. Jim gave Mulder his cell and home phone numbers in case he needed anything and even volunteered to get a uniformed officer to stand guard outside Alex's room. Mulder politely refused, but thanked the two men for all their help. Jim and Blair promised to stop by in the morning, said goodnight and headed back to the loft.

Mulder pulled the chair as close to the bed as possible, sat down and wrapped his arm around his lover before closing his eyes and drifting asleep.

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