Title: Room For More

Author: laurel

Author's Website:

Archive at Gossamer: Yes to Gossamer

Status: NEW - Standalone

Size: 48k

Category: Drama, Humor, Story, Relationship, Adventure, Angst, Male Pregnancy

Pairings: Mulder/Skinner/Krycek

Rating: NC-17

Gossamer Category: ~ Slash

Summary: And babies makes five.

Notes: Written in response to Ursula's male pregnancy challenge in which Alex is impregnated by both Walter and Mulder, creating a pair of twins (I'll bet they'll be hell-raisers!) and they have to take care of Alex to boot.

The mafia rosary line comes from Patricia Highsmith's "Ripley's Game." He's as misunderstood as Alex.

Song lyrics: "Sweet baby James" by James Taylor.

Spoilers: Tunguska, Terma, veers from there

Archive: Okay to WWOMB, anyone else just ask first.

Room for more

by laurel

Mulder ran headlong down the hallway, which was badly lit for a government facility. Didn't they pay their electric bill? He knew Skinner was behind him only from the sound of the harsh breathing. They both wore rubber-soled shoes, which muffled their steps. Their guns were snugly secured in their holsters, which bounced just a bit and the jingle and thumping of hardware, including the listening devices, CDs and other technological paraphernalia contributed to the subtle symphony

He only slowed when it seemed they had eluded the soldiers. Walter slowed right with him. Mulder tapped the device that would allow his voice to be heard by Scully and the lone gunmen. Scully's voice crackled through his ear piece.

"Don't worry, we weren't caught."

"Yet," Walter added under his breath.

"Where are you?"

"We're in the computer room."

"You hit the jackpot my friend," Ringo congratulated them.

"We're going to poke around here, see if we can download the information. Stay with me. I'm going to need your help hacking into the system."

"Sure thing, Mulder," Melvin reassured him.

Mulder made himself comfortable in the leather swivel chair while Walter stood guard at the door.

Soon there was the electronic beep and whir of the program being downloaded. It was music to their ears. "It doesn't have much of a beat and you can't dance to it, but I'd give it a ten," Mulder said with a grin.

Walter frowned. What the hell was Mulder babbling about? He looked at his agent from hell and his frown softened. Damn the man was a beautiful piece of work, inside and out. He was wondering if he should ask Mulder out for a celebratory drink after this caper.

"Got it!" Mulder yelled. He pulled the last disc out and just in time too. The thunder of booted feet made the floor shake. Walter was at the ready with two guns in his hand but he was no match for an army. At best he could hold them off while Mulder made his escape. It wouldn't be the first time he sacrificed some part of himself for Mulder's mission.

But he didn't have to pull the trigger just yet.

A volley of shots cut a path through the camouflage-outfitted men. Several men went down hard with screams and groans breaking the silence. Blood spilled across the pristine tiled floor.

Walter dumbly looked across the hall. Mulder held onto his discs for dear life, grabbed hold of Walter's arm with the other and stood rooted to the spot when he saw the face of their rescuer.

"Fuck me! Krycek," he muttered.

"If you want to live, follow me."

Alex shook his head. Christ that sounded like a bad line from an even worse film.

He didn't bother looking behind him to see if they were coming after him. Instinct would tell them to get their asses in gear. He slung his automatic weapon over his shoulder. Happiness, indeed, was a warm gun.

They followed him through the labyrinth, unquestioningly. There was time enough to punch the little bastard and shake the answers out of him later.

Alex stopped for a brief pause to catch his breath. He pressed a hand over his belly and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "We need to stop in the laboratory."

"What's in there?"

"You don't want to know."

They pressed on, stopping only long enough for Mulder to check in with Scully and double check the floor plans with Byers. They could easily have gotten lost. Alex seemed to have an innate sense of direction. Either that, or he'd been there before. He refused to let Mulder accompany him inside the lab. One look at his face and the hand that casually stroked the gun made Mulder back off.

Moments later Krycek came out. "That's done. Now we need to get out of here in ten minutes."

"Why?"

"Because of the bomb I planted."

"What the hell?"

Mulder threw Krycek up against the wall. Walter twisted the gun away from his grasp and Mulder punched him in the jaw. Krycek slid down and curled up into a ball. Mulder was about to land a solid kick in his stomach but Alex shrieked out, "Don't! My babies!"

Mulder hesitated and put his foot down. He dragged Krycek back up. "What are you talking about?"

Alex consulted his watch. "Now it's less than nine minutes."

"Let's go," Walter barked.

They had their information. What did he care if a few criminals got blown up to bits? They raced down the hallway and made it to the elevator when reinforcements showed up. Mulder pushed the button again. Shit, what if they were in the elevator too? They'd be ambushed. Alex let out another volley of bullets but this time the shots came flying back just as quickly, chipping away pieces of the wall. Shouts and screams echoed off the high ceilings. A loud alarm went off. It sounded like an entire crew of ambulance and police cars was careening down the hall.

"Take the stairs. I'll hold them off," Alex instructed them. "Here, I have an extra gun if you need it." He shoved the gun at Mulder.

"We're not leaving here without you."

"You have no choice. The place will blow in about six minutes." Alex ducked his head out and another barrage of gunfire just missed his nose. "Go!"

Walter grabbed Mulder's arm and pulled him toward the stairway exit. Mulder had shoved the discs into the inside pocket of his jacket. He caressed them through the bullet-proof vest he wore, hoping they wouldn't try for a head shot.

He let his eyes linger over Alex's tense form crouched down. The weapon was an extension of his taut body. A body he now realized was a little chunkier than last he'd seen. The last time was in Russia. He'd heard rumors about what had happened there but he seemed to be whole. His arm was still there. But a whole lot of other things had changed.

The pain in his side was throbbing. Mulder was a runner, but he was used to the long distance type, not this agitated burst of speed that was causing his blood pressure to skyrocket, his whole body to shake from the effects of adrenaline and fear of sudden death. They rounded out the last of the staircase and pushed through the security door which was unlocked and whose alarm had been disarmed. The boys had done their job well.

Walter pushed him forward, away from the building. They waited out the blast that would come. No sign of Alex. Mulder was anxious now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He slid to the ground and kept his eyes on the building. A small cry came from that direction and then the sudden heat and noise as the building was blown up. The sky was lit up in a rush of white heat. Bricks and concrete rained down on the ground. The building hovered and groaned, then collapsed, killing everything in it, including the test subjects that weren't human anymore, then covered it all with a fine dust.

A black figure stumbled forward. Mulder ran to him. Alex grabbed Mulder's arm. He still held his weapon. Walter ran forward to help. Alex's breath came in deep, sobbing gasps. He was shaking and his face was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. His eyes were dazed but lucid. He was merely in a mild form of shock.

His legs wouldn't carry him further so he collapsed where he stood Mulder patted his back. "It's over. Are you hurt?"

Alex shook his head. "Sore though. I ran too fast."

"You did a good job. Too bad I didn't get a chance to see the hybrids or whatever they were." He was pissed even though he was glad to be alive and in one piece.

"Sorry. You have the information though. That's enough isn't it?"

"I suppose."

Alex curled up on his side and panted through the pain that still pulsed through his side. He hadn't run like that since almost being blown up by Spender or being chased down that hill in Tunguska. He kept his hand over his belly, trying to calm down, to breathe deeply, to keep the terror of losing his babies to the callous abuse of his body.

He was getting a bit too far along to go running around like this, not to mention jumping the stairs three at a time. Never mind just eating right, taking vitamins and getting enough sleep. Alex got up, took a couple of steps then collapsed and passed out.

It took both Walter and Mulder to drag, carry and push Alex into the car. Walter took Krycek's car and Mulder drove his own, with Alex slumped in the passenger seat. They evaded the soldiers that followed in jeeps, narrowly missing gun fire and an attempt to drive them off the road.

He woke up before they reached Walter's place. He wasn't happy but he knew Mulder would have questions. Questions he would evade. Mulder was beyond frustrated. He practically had steam coming out of his ears. Alex smiled but tried to hide it. Walter looked pretty pissed too.

"If you won't tell me what they were doing in the lab, then at least tell me what the hell you were talking about when you said you had to protect your babies? You weren't talking about your weapons were you?"

"What? These?" Alex showed off his shoulder and ankle holsters as well as the wickedly sharp switchblade and the deadly garrote.

"You know what they call this?" Alex dangled the string from his finger. "Mafia rosary." He giggled at his little joke. "I read that in a book."

Mulder sighed impatiently.

"You don't have to know anything Mulder. In fact it's best if you don't. It was a consortium lab. They were doing experiments. You should be happy with that."

He got up to leave.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Walter snarled.

"Home to take a hot bath and relax. Blowing up laboratories and killing people is very taxing you know."

"The babies?" Mulder prompted. He studied Alex's body. He was definitely getting chunky in the middle.

Experiments, Alex had said. What kind? Human and alien hybrids being produced? There was no way Alex was talking about real live babies inside him was he?

As if sensing Mulder's thoughts, Alex quickly and smoothly made his exit. But Mulder and Walter were quicker and he was outnumbered besides, so he surrendered.

"Tell me right now," he demanded.

Alex smirked. "Okay, you're going to be a daddy."

Mulder took his hand off Krycek as if he'd touched a hot stove. "Don't fuck with my head. What are you talking about?"

Alex looked from one man to another. "You're both going to be daddies."

Fox looked from Alex to Walter. Walter looked horrified and terribly confused. "What the hell are you talking about? How can you be pregnant? You're a man!"

"It happened. I'll fill you in but first I need something to drink. Walter?"

Walter began to fetch a glass of Scotch.

"Not alcohol. Think of the babies! Are you stupid?"

"This is for me," he growled.

Alex retreated to the kitchen to find the makings for a cup of tea. Mulder followed, looking closely at Alex's body.

While the tea cooled Alex filled them in on how he'd gotten in his condition. Not that they needed lessons on the birds and the bees. "I almost got my arm sawed off but there was an intruder in the camp and while the men were distracted, I took off." Alex gave Mulder a dirty look. "In a matter of hours, the nanos helped repair the damage"

Walter wished he had hold of the device to control those little buggers.

"Don't bother Walter, the nanos have been deactivated. They've done their work."

"How do you mean?"

"Along with the nanos, the alien technology they used on me when I was being experimented on helped build a sort of artificial womb."

"When did they use you for experimentation?"

"When I was held in the silo. Actually it seemed to be a combination of factors that helped get me into this unique circumstance. I was possessed by the alien oil as well and it changed some of my DNA structure. That coupled with the injections and the nano-technology helped create the womb and other anatomical structures to support a child to survive to term.

"I found my files and managed to read most of them and the doctor that performed the experiments filled me in on some of the more complicated medical jargon. Unfortunately Dr. Fletcher was killed before I could get all the information. I do know that he implanted me with eggs that were harvested from a close relation. That's how I was able to get pregnant. So in reality my children will also be my half niece and nephew. The rest of the DNA is mine and of course yours.

"Somehow the embryo was fertilized by both of you and then split into two." He stood and stretched. "But don't worry, the ultrasounds and all the other tests have come back just fine. The babies aren't hybrids and neither am I. Just a little bit alien. But then aren't we all?" He looked pointedly at Mulder.

"Did you kill this doctor?" Walter asked.

"Hans? No, I needed him. I wouldn't have killed him until after I had what I needed."

"Where are you going?"

"Like I said, home. I need a hot bath. I'm all sweaty and dirty, not to mention stressed out. Besides I need to turn in early. Mom needs her sleep."

"You're not going anywhere." Walter jumped up and grabbed hold of Krycek's arm. "We need to sort this out."

"I have to rest. I have a busy agenda."

"Places to go, people to kill?" Mulder said sarcastically.

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"Then let us help you. If you're really on our side like you seemed to be tonight, you'll need backup."

"Why Walter I didn't know you cared."

Walter flushed. "I don't. I care about what this covert government is doing to the citizens of this planet."

"Likewise."

"We'll be like the three musketeers. All for one and one for all," Fox smirked.

"First thing we need to do is get the guest room ready for Alex. I want to debrief you first thing tomorrow morning."

"You already did that. That's how I got preggers in the first place," Alex joked.

Walter gave him a menacing look which Alex ignored.

"Walter I had no idea you were gay. I mean you were married and you seemed like the straightest guy I know," Mulder said. He was still awed by that fact as well as the idea of being a father. And with Alex, no less.

He, on the other hand, was known to play both sides. Well, at least Scully knew that and he figured that a lot of his colleagues probably suspected. That one night with Alex before he had delivered him to his boss had been incendiary. That was the only word for it. The hot slut had set him on fire.

"It's one of the reasons my marriage dissolved," he confessed. "On the other hand I'm not too surprised about you two. So it seems the both of us slept with you on the same night," Walter mused.

"Walter handcuffed me to the bed so I wouldn't run away," Alex explained to Mulder. "It was much warmer than the balcony," he purred.

Mulder smiled at Walter's discomfort. He wouldn't mind the big guy keeping him warm one night.

"So what attracted you to Walter? Besides the sex games?"

Alex batted his lashes coquettishly. "He was gentle. Well, not at first," he conceded. "But after that vicious gut punch and being chained up outside like a bad dog, Skinner took pity on me, pulled me in and tackled me on the couch. I told him I preferred a nice warm bed and he took me upstairs." Which is where Skinner took off the cuffs and made gentle love to him. He was so sweet it nearly made him cry. But he wasn't about to tell them that. To Mulder and Skinner he was nothing more than a fucktoy. That's what Mulder took him as too, just a convenient body, when the chemical sparks between them became too hard to ignore. So he'd taken the opportunity in getting some and boy had he gotten it. He hadn't been able to walk straight the next day.

"He's a big guy." Mulder smiled.

"He's hung like a horse. After he retires he should be strictly put to stud duty." Alex snickered.

"I am in the room," Walter said in his gravelly voice. His brown eyes blazed indignation and that vein in his temple throbbed with anger.

"I had no idea sir."

"Shut up Mulder. Let's get you to bed, Krycek. To sleep, only to sleep," he added hastily for Mulder's benefit.

"I'm a damn good fuck in case you forgot Mr. High and Mighty," Alex snapped. He followed Walter up the stairs.

"Yes he is," Mulder agreed.

Walter ignored that comment.

"I'm going to be a daddy," Mulder squealed.

*

The three men formed an uneasy alliance and became the leaders of a strangely assembled private army made up of Alex's contacts, ex-military personnel, disgruntled scientists that worked for Spender or the government and assorted assassins to infiltrate the syndicate and bring about its downfall. They were able to use Marita and Jeffrey Spender to good use. They were lucky not to have fallen through the cracks and their unique positions certainly helped the team. It didn't take too long for the chinks to create a large chasm that split the consortium apart.

After all was said and done, Mulder and Walter decided that they had to concentrate on the coming arrivals and they did the only thing they could think of to keep Alex close to them. They bought a house.

*

"What is he doing?"

"Apparently he's nesting," Mulder explained.

It looked like he'd crash-landed in Morocco. The walls were draped with ethnic, artfully designed hangings. Velvet pillows and fleece throws were flung on the bed. The bathroom was full of candles and fresh flowers. Mulder envied the neatness and coziness as well as the smell. Most of the time his apartment had smelled of pizza sauce and moldy cheese, Chinese take-out gone bad and that sex smell that never came out of his leather couch no matter how much he cleaned it.

Walter was pleased with Alex's room. It was homey, just the right atmosphere to keep the spy at peace and those little babies turning around in his belly stress free. Was that potpourri in that dish? He hoped it wasn't because he'd just eaten something that looked like a candy but didn't taste so good.

Mulder had made himself at home too. He hoped the couch wouldn't stain permanently. Walter scowled at his agent and smiled at Alex. The man was busy reading and ignoring them. Walter wondered what bug had gotten stuck up his ass. He shrugged and pulled Mulder downstairs and out of Alex's way.

Dinner was subdued, except for some nervous chatter between Walter and Mulder. Alex stabbed at his food and worn a sullen expression. They tried to draw him into conversation but after a dozen monosyllabic answers both gave up. Alex retreated to the spacious den while the other two cleaned up the table.

Walter sat in his big comfy chair and Alex picked out a movie, some James Bond movie, he couldn't recall the name. They were basically all the same movie, just with different villains and hot babes.

When Fox came in a bit later he found Walter looking as if he'd sat on a tack and Alex sobbing into a handful of tissues.

"Walter what did you do?"

"Nothing. We were watching the movie then some commercial came on and he started bawling like a baby."

"What sort of commercial?"

"Hallmark cards."

Fox studied Alex's hunched form. "I guess he's a bit emotional. We better monitor what he's watching."

Mulder offered Alex some more tissues, diplomatically said nothing about the tears and plopped a big bowl of popcorn on his lap. Alex mumbled a thank you and blew his nose.

To prevent any further emotional outbursts at commercials or sappy movies, they switched the channels whenever anything questionable was on screen. That ruled out any Hallmark card ads, long distance phone services and anything that featured babies or cute cuddly animals like the talking teddy bear for Snuggle fabric softener. That left advertisements for big, macho SUV's and feminine itching products.

He also got sniffing at any movie that remotely smelled of chick flick. Anything blatant such as "Steel magnolias" or "Fried green tomatoes" was forbidden. They wouldn't let him near any daytime soaps and the lifetime channel was off limits too.

He was basically stuck with crime dramas, martial arts movies, anything with lots of guns exploding as well as stupid inane comedies which Walter vetoed. Testosterone was plentiful.

But even avoiding sad movies and commercials designed to wring out every cheap emotion known to man didn't prevent Alex from crying. Sometimes they'd hear him sobbing in his room as they lay together in the warm glow after making love waiting for the sweat to dry from their bodies so they could snuggle under the covers and sleep in each other's arms. What could have gotten their rat so upset?

Alex turned the volume up higher on his radio. That was the only way he could drown out the sounds of sighing and groaning and squeaky bedsprings coming from down the hall. He rubbed his belly and was happy with the kicking and squirming inside. It made him forget how lonely and unhappy he was with the situation.

Sure he was living in a beautiful house in a nice neighborhood where he didn't have to worry about his safety. He was well fed and pampered. He had his own room, he could raid the fridge when the cravings started, he could watch television any time of the day or night, he had his pick of books, videos, magazines, CD's to keep him entertained. But something big was missing and it chopped off a piece of his heart every day to see how happy and blissful Walter and Fox were and know he couldn't share their hearts or bed.

The only reason he was here was because he was carrying their children. He could have gotten rid of them. He could have aborted them without another moment's thought. But by the time he'd discovered the condition causing his morning sickness, after finding the mad scientist that had experimented on him and throttled him until he got answers, and even after all the horror and repulsion when it finally sunk in that he was going to deliver two bouncing babies, he sparked onto a bit of hope and delight that he would bear his own children, thereby propagating the Krycek clan, not to mention knowing that a bit of Walter and Fox lived in him. He could breathe a sigh of relief when he found that the babies were human, well mostly, and not some terribly deformed hybrids or murderous aliens that would kill their host. Hell, even holding a gun to the doctor's head had resulted in only negative shakes of his head when he asked to terminate.

It was the ultrasound that did it ultimately. Hearing two hearts beating frantically and watching those blobs become legs and arms (no, Hans had pointed out, that's not a penis) had made them even more real. They were his children, his flesh and blood, the Krycek line was not going to die out.

Dr. Fletcher could tell him the whys, the when and how he was going to deliver (C-section, obviously) but now that Fetcher was dead (a professional job it look to Alex-two shots to the back of the head), he had to rely on Mulder's partner to give him regular check-ups and to deliver when he was due. That alone made him squirm, although Scully was very professional about it. She smiled at his squeaks of discomfort at the cold gel during the ultrasound but shared his joy when the babies kicked.

Even so, he felt left out and the only thing he could snuggle was the ridiculously large teddy bear that Fox had impulsively bought. The damn thing was nearly as big as he was.

He switched the station from classical (the baroque music was depressing him further) to soft rock. His heart lightened at the Beatles' tribute. They played all his favorites. He sang along with "Blackbird", "Lady Madonna", "Rocky Raccoon", "Strawberry Fields". The babies liked all the music and constantly kicked.

His mouth was dry so he got up for some water. The Beatles fest was over but he kept the music on and dug in his bedside table for something to read. He wasn't in the mood for starting a new book so he settled on a manual for his beloved .357 magnum. He tried to remember Dirty Harry's speech about it but couldn't quite recall it. He'd have to check and see if Walter and Mulder had that tape in their collection.

Mulder listened closely. He frowned at what he heard. After a brief knock he entered without being asked in.

"What in the hell are you doing?"

"Talking to the babies." Krycek looked at him nonchalantly and turned the page, mildly annoyed that Mulder had walked in without an invitation. It was his room after all.

"It sounded like a manual for a weapon."

"It is." He held it up.

"Are you crazy? Why don't you read one of those Golden books we bought?"

"Are you kidding? Those are scarier than a gun. Have you ever read the Poky Little Puppy? That poor puppy lost his mom! Now that's frightening. And what about Hansel and Gretel? That's horrific. Don't get me started on the Cat in the Hat."

"Why don't you try Edward Gorey then? Those are fantastic nursery rhymes," he said sarcastically.

Alex huffed.

"Alex you're reading a gun manual for God's sake!"

"So? I could read the phone book or fortune cookies for all the difference it makes. They don't know what I'm talking about. The babies just hear my voice and will bond with me. They don't care what it is I'm reading."

"But guns kill people."

"No, guns don't kill people. People kill people," he replied smugly.

Mulder rolled his eyes.

"Okay, fine I'll sing to them then. Will that make you happy?"

"Very."

Alex turned up the radio. They were playing "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor.

Mulder nodded and left the room, keeping the door a little open. He was curious to hear that smoky voice in song.

Alex moved to the rocking chair Walter had bought to help him rock the babies to sleep. It would be moved into the nursery when the room was ready.

At the chorus, Fox moved his lips in sync with the radio and Alex's smoky voice.

"Goodnight you moonlight ladies
rock-a-bye sweet baby James
deep greens and blues are the colors I choose won't you let me go down in my dreams
and rock-a-bye sweet baby James."

Mulder smiled at the tenderness in the voice that had haunted him since they'd met. He recalled the way Alex's soft skin had felt that night, his hot breath in his ear, the begging and pleading of his hands and mouth on him, the cries and moans as Mulder had at last taken him, and the last and only tender kiss they had shared as they lay in each other's arms afterwards in the cramped back seat of the car.

He wondered if it had been like that with Alex and Walter and decided to go find his lover and ask him.

*

They all sat down together one night to pick baby names. Alex would get to pick first names and he diplomatically insisted that the fathers would get to pick the middle name. They would all have to approve of each other's choices though.

Fox flipped through the baby name book and threw out suggestions. "Amy, Abigail, Barbara, Betty, Bernard, Calvin, Douglas, Dorothy, Edward, Eleanor, hey Elvis!"

"No Elvis!" Alex and Walter shouted simultaneously.

Fox was crestfallen but continued, "Frederick, George, Gregory, Harold, Henrietta, Isabel, John, Lamont, Lorraine, Mary, Mortimer, Nancy, Neil, Ophelia, Paul, Patricia, Quentin, Rachel, Randy, Tammy, Thomas, Timothy, Todd, Uriah, Ursula, Victor, Victoria, Walter, Wilhemina."

"I've got it!" Alex cried out.

"Not Uriah, I hope?"

"No, dopey."

"Walter Junior?"

"No juniors please," Walter replied.

"Zoe for a girl. It's a pretty name and it means life. See," Alex pointed at the last page.

"I like it. What about the boy?" He looked from Walter to Alex. "Fancy anything?"

"I kind of like Wyatt."

"Why? Poor kid will be saddled with Wyatt Earp."

"It's no worse than Elvis." Alex smiled. "Besides there are much worse names you could give a kid. What about that actor that named his son "Kidd"?"

Fox shrugged. "Hard to forget a name like that. Come here, Kidd!"

"Besides it means little warrior."

"Then it's settled," Walter said firmly.

"You agree with Wyatt?"

"Why not? It's unique without being too weird and it's a good cowboy name. It kind of reflects on my boyhood home."

"Now all we need is middle names," Fox announced "and since you let me and Walter pick..." He cuddled closer to Walter so he could see the book better.

Alex cringed. Walter would hopefully keep Mulder's outrageous suggestions in check and he would after all have to agree with their choices.

"I was thinking Alexandra for the girl. After Alex."

"Mulder that's sweet. Thank you. What about our son?"

Fox flipped back and forth, reciting the names out loud, "David Ryan, Stephen, how about Madison?"

They looked at him blankly. "It means son of a soldier. And you're the best damn soldier I know, Alex."

Alex blinked back tears. "I think that would describe us all."

"Then Wyatt Madison it is," Walter said. "And hello to you too, Zoe Alexandra." He patted Alex's belly.

Alex smiled for the first time in months.

*

Mulder and Walter's control of the remote led to a big blow-up just as Alex was entering his last month.

"Why won't you let me watch it?" He wrestled with Mulder over the remote.

"Because it'll make you cry."

"It won't. I promise."

"Fried green tomatoes" was being broadcast yet again.

"It's a chick flick, Alex."

"I thought it was a cooking show," he said lamely.

"You know it's not." Fox smirked. "It's a weepy little drama and you love watching it don't you?" he teased.

"It's a good movie, okay?"

"I suppose so but I don't want you to be upset."

Mulder was thinking of all the sad and disturbing moments in the film like the boy losing his arm under the train. It would remind Alex of his own near loss. Or that part where the girl dies or her when her bastard husband kicks her down the stairs.

"I won't watch the sad parts."

"How about we tape it and we can fast forward the sad parts. Let's get you something to eat," he changed the subject.

"Okay. A bowl of ice cream would be great." Alex reached for the VCR remote.

"Again? You've been eating it non-stop. That's not healthy. You have to eat other stuff. How about some scrambled eggs?"

Alex clapped his hands over his ears. "Don't say eggs! I'll barf!"

"Ok, then a sandwich or soup."

Alex shook his head vigorously.

"Burger? Salad? Toast? Come on." He was exasperated.

"Ice cream," he replied firmly.

"It's not good for the babies."

"I want it and that's that. That's what the babies want too, okay?"

"It's not okay."

"Why don't I get to have what I want?"

"You have to think about the babies."

"I do, all the time! What about me?"

"We do stuff for you all the time. I massage your feet when they're swollen and we don't let you watch sad movies or commercials. We feed you and give you time to take long hot bubble baths. Walter is going to put everything in the nursery together. What more do you want?"

Alex pouted. "Besides ice cream, a whole hell of a lot. Only I never get it and I never will. For all I know you'll try and take my babies away from me!" he shrieked.

Mulder looked aghast. "You know we wouldn't do that."

"You would too." He pointed his finger in Mulder's face. "You want to get your hands on them and keep me out of the picture. You've probably already hired a team of lawyers like Marcia Clark and F. Lee Bailey to prove I'm unfit and have me locked up."

"Are you nuts?"

"No, but you're crazy if you think it's going to work. It's not! You're not the only smart guy around here."

"What are you talking about?"

"What is going on here? What's with all the yelling?" Walter looked pissed.

"Oh, nothing, I just know what you two have been cooking up. You've been trying to soften me up haven't you? Well, it's not going to work. Taking a few baths in your heart-shaped tub and a couple of foot massages aren't going to cut it," he hissed.

"What in the hell is he talking about?"

Mulder shrugged. "He thinks we're going to take the babies away from him."

Walter frowned. "We bought this house for all of us. Not just for me and Fox. The babies have their nursery and when they get older we'll fix up the guest rooms so they can have their space. Your room will always be yours Alex. Of course if you don't want to live here we can find another house if you want."

"It's not the house."

"Then what is it?"

"I want what you guys have," he said softly.

Walter shook his head. "What do you mean?"

"You two are sleeping together. You're in love with each other. You walk around here holding hands, making goo-goo eyes at each other and fucking like nymphomaniac bunnies and I'm here, big as a whale, the resident baby incubator, getting nothing."

Walter and Fox exchanged a look but wisely said nothing. They would let Alex have his say first.

He stalked around the room, holding his stomach protectively. "I know it was a one-off fuck with both of you but you don't have to shove it in my face. I'm leaving here as soon as they're born and finding my own place." He held up his hand to wave off any argument. "Don't worry, we can arrange visitations. I just can't stand living here and seeing how happy you are and here I am with nothing but a blanket to keep me warm at night and that stupid teddy bear."

"Alex we had no idea how you felt," Walter replied.

"Of course not. A rat can't live on ice cream alone. Or olives and pickles and hot peppers. Or Oreo cookies and hot dogs." His stomach grumbled at the thought of food. "It's like you two are the Skipper and Gilligan and I'm Mary Ann!" He looked at their uncomprehending faces. "All right, I'm Jan and I keep getting bested by Marcia. Only in this case it's Mulder. Mulder, Mulder, Mulder!"

His knowledge of pop culture was frightening.

"I would have thought of you as the Professor actually," Mulder said. "He was always scheming up ways to get off the island. And he was too good to be true if you ask me."

Alex sighed in exasperation. "You don't get it do you?"

"Yes I do. You feel stuck in the middle, you aren't getting enough attention and you don't know what your place is in the house."

"Something like that," he grumbled.

"We can fix that," Walter said quietly.

"Huh, you're going to throw me out without a second thought."

"No, the total opposite." Walter exchanged a look with his lover who nodded and smiled encouragingly. "We didn't really know how you felt Alex. All along we just thought your silences and moods were due to hormones or because you were upset at being pregnant or having to live with us."

"I like living with you," he said softly.

"We didn't care for the idea at first but you've grown to be a part of us. We couldn't imagine you not living here with us."

"Really?"

"Of course. But I think you need to clarify with us exactly how you feel."

Alex took a deep breath. "Okay. Remember last week when Mulder was massaging my feet when we were all lying on the bed and you were feeling the babies kicking? Remember how we were all talking and laughing and Mulder was tickling my feet and you were rubbing my belly and smiling? That's what I want all the time. Well, of course after I deliver we won't do that. But I want that feeling back, of being cherished and cared for. I want to feel like you're in love with me the way I'm in love with you guys. I want to sleep in your bed and have you make love to me the way you do with each other and I want to kiss you good morning at the breakfast table and brush my teeth next to you in the bathroom and bitch about Mulder using all the hot water but forgiving him because I'm nuts about him. And Walter I want to feel your arms around me every night and wrap myself around you to feel safe and warm." He breathed out shakily and put a hand on his belly and one to his flushed cheek. "That's what I want, to be equal with you two."

Walter was stunned. Mulder was speechless. Alex began to turn away. Tears of hurt and embarrassment spiked his long lashes.

"Alex don't go away," Walter stopped him with a hand on his arm.

He pulled him close, holding him from behind and wrapping his arms around Alex's middle. Mulder pulled his face close and kissed him gently. "Don't you dare walk away after that speech, little rat." He planted another kiss on Alex's lips to soften the blow of the little insult. Alex tipped his face for another more intimate kiss. Mulder licked his lips and chewed on them a bit before letting Alex have his way with his mouth.

Alex lifted his hands to pull Mulder closer, tangling his fingers through the thick dark hair and moving down to caress his cheek bones.

Walter held him steady as he was gently swayed by more aggressive kissing. The older man ran his hands up and down Alex's back and down his sides, occasionally coming around to rub his belly or press Fox against Alex's body. He joined in by kissing Alex's nape and nibbling at his ear.

The three continued to kiss and touch until Alex pushed away. "Sorry, I can hardly breathe," he explained.

"Do you want to take this upstairs?" Walter asked.

Alex nodded, his throat too tight to speak. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. We love you." Now Walter took a turn at kissing that mischievous face.

"What about my stomach?"

"What's wrong with it? You're not having contractions are you?"

"No," he said hastily. "It's just that I'm not exactly a sex pot at the moment." He looked down at his bulging belly. What he wouldn't give to see his feet again.

Walter and Fox grinned at him. "Don't be silly. You're sexy as hell. Upstairs?"

Alex nodded again. They helped him climb the stairs and went into the master bedroom.

He curled into Walter's arms on the bed. They started a serious necking session while Fox turned on the stereo, setting up some mood music, dimmed the lights and lit some scented red candles.

He joined them on the bed. He and Walter book-ended Alex. They slowly undressed him, reassuring him that his inflated belly and the subsequent stretch marks didn't turn them off at all. Fox began a massage to relax him, from his feet upwards. Walter held him closely to kiss and caress him.

In his advanced condition, sex wasn't an athletic sport. They didn't want to do any damage so they had to content themselves with lots of kissing and touching, eventually helping Alex roll onto his side to make him more comfortable and ending with an enthusiastic two-man blowjob that had Alex howling and clutching at the sheets.

After he'd caught his breath, he looked longingly at Mulder and Walter. "What about you guys? I guess I can't do too much but we could try."

They shook their heads. "We don't want you to strain yourself in any way."

"Well, yeah, but look at you. You need to come."

Two very hard straining cocks made his mouth water.

"If it's okay me and Walter could make love. Maybe you could be behind me. I'd love to feel that mouth on my neck again," Fox said.

"I wouldn't mind watching that show," Alex teased.

Walter got Fox lubed and ready. He pressed into his lover's body gently, rocking forward until he was fully inside of him. Alex was on his side, behind Fox, clutching at his waist. This way he could see Walter as the two fucked and kiss and nip at Fox's neck. He could also trail his hand down Fox's chest to tweak at a nipple occasionally and then down further to his rigid cock when they were both on the edge of orgasm. His hand was covered with Fox's sperm as he worked his cock in time to Walter's vigorous fucking.

They curled up around Alex, who was in the middle of the bed, all sated and sleepy. Walter and Fox placed a hand on his belly, smiling at the feeling of the babies kicking and moving and kissed Alex and each other good night.

*

Alex shook Walter awake when the pains came regularly. "Walter, it's time."

From beside them, Fox thrashed in the throes of a dream. "Ah, jelly fish, jelly fish!" he muttered.

Alex laughed and held his stomach. "Ow, that was a good one, kids." He shook Walter's shoulder again. "Come on wake up. We need to go to the hospital."

Walter flipped the lights. All he'd heard was hospital. He realized it was Alex's throaty voice. Fox was mumbling something about fish.

"You're in labor?"

"Yeah. The contractions are about five minutes apart." Thank goodness for glow in the dark watches. He surely couldn't roll over enough to see the clock radio's red numbers.

Walter jumped up and hustled to the closet, throwing clothes on the bed for all of them. He hauled out the overnight bag stuffed with clothes and toiletries that he'd helped Alex pack weeks ago and paged Dana.

He swatted Mulder's upturned ass when he didn't respond to Alex's violent shaking.

"What? Whose 'at?" he groaned.

"The babies are on their way. Get dressed."

Fox stretched for a moment, totally confused. He noticed Alex grimacing in pain and realized what the hell was going on. He clawed at the clothes laid on the bed. "Where's the over night bag?"

Walter held up the black zippered bag and tossed jeans at him. "I could use some underwear too," he grumbled. He stood up stark naked. They'd all gone to sleep after making love without a stitch of clothing.

Alex rubbed his belly and alternately grimaced at the pain and smiled at Fox's clumsy attempt to dress himself. He needed help to roll out of bed. Sometimes he felt like the girl in that movie, "Willie Wonka and the chocolate factory". Except for the blue coloring. They helped him dress in sweats, each shoving a pair of Velcro tab sneakers on his feet.

"Let's go," Walter growled impatiently. He swung the bag in his hands. Fox and Walter took the stairs two at a time.

"Helloooo? Aren't you forgetting someone?" Alex called out.

Walter swore and ran back up. He helped Alex down the stairs. Alex's groan of pain as another contraction hit made Walter's hand tighten on his arm and spur him to walk a little faster.

They arrived at the clinic in time to greet Scully at the door. The clinic belonged to Scully's good friend from medical school. She would have full use of his equipment and staff with the only stipulation being that he be allowed to observe the landmark surgery.

Freddy Henderson was already there. He lived within walking distance. His bright blue eyes and easy manner had put Alex at ease right away and Alex didn't trust strangers or anyone else for that matter easily.

Freddy was always pointing at his pudgy stomach and saying he had moved close enough to work so he could get in some exercise and whittle it away but it didn't help that he also stopped at Starbucks every morning for his cappuccino and pastry fix. At least he could pride himself on the fact that his pregnant patients always had bigger tummies than he did.

The staff prepped the surgical room quickly and efficiently, stripped the patient and shaved him. He asked first and foremost for drugs. He looked at Scully like she was his best friend when she injected him with a good dose.

He settled into a gown, which covered his upper body. Sterile drapes were around his belly and below it for privacy.

Fox and Walter stood by covered in booties and gowns, each one holding on to one of Alex's hands.

Scully told them everything that they were doing as she operated. "Fast" Freddy studied the monitors and assisted her during the C-section.

"Why do they call you fast Freddy anyway?" Fox asked. Anything to take his mind off the bloody mess below the green drapes.

"Because of how quickly I operate."

"Is that in the O.R. or the bedroom?" Scully teased.

"Why Dana," he said with mock indignation. "What have you heard?"

"About your world record breaking in the bedroom? Plenty." Her grin was plain even behind her mask.

"I hate to interrupt but what's going on now?" Walter asked

"We're just about there actually," Freddy replied.

"Here we go," Scully announced.

Both dads gasped as she pulled out the first baby who gave a loud squawk at being pulled out of her warm, wet world and into the bright light of a dry and cool one. She cried and her twin took up her rebelling scream of protest as Freddy lifted the second baby out.

"My babies," Alex whispered in wonder.

Scully and the nurse placed the infant on Alex's chest after clearing up some of the blood and fluid. Freddy did the same with her brother. Alex pressed a kiss on each of their heads. They were covered in still wet, silky dark hair.

They settled a bit as he held them close. Their cries became mere whimpers of annoyance.

"Want to do the honors gentlemen?" Scully held out sharp scissors to each father to cut the umbilical cords. Walter and Fox grinned like loons and cut in unison.

The nurses took the babies away.

"Don't worry. They need to be cleaned up and they'll be weighed and measured and so forth," Scully reassured all three nervous parents.

She helped out the nurses while Freddy stitched up Alex's belly. He planned on doing more tests on Alex once he was up for it.

"You'll be in your room and resting in no time then you can bond with your babies some more. I'll give you something for the pain but I do need you to stay overnight and probably for a few days for observation."

"No Freddy, I want to go home with my kids. I'll let you do all the tests you want. I promise."

"Okay but you have to stay at least one night."

"Deal."

He craned his neck to see his babies being washed and placed into sleepers.

His lovers trailed behind him and Scully and the nurse wheeled the babies in their incubators. They resembled train cars gliding across the tracks.

Alex got into bed, suddenly sleepy, but he wanted to hold his babies before he drifted off. All five of them were in bed, Alex in the middle with a baby in each arm, a lover on each side. He smiled and snuggled into the warm fluffy sheets.

"Aren't they just perfect?" he whispered.

"Absolutely." Walter caressed his son's cheek gently. "You did an amazing job."

"I did have some help," Alex pointed out.

"This is the best present I've ever gotten," Fox whispered. He kissed Alex's cheek in thanks then his daughter's.

"You know I was thinking about expanding our family." Alex looked from Walter to Fox for their reaction. "If that's okay with you guys," he added. "It wouldn't be for another couple of years but seeing these precious babies coming out of my body, it just makes me want more. The house has a lot of space. Walter, you said you were thinking about retirement. I'm out of the business so that leaves the two of us at home. And Fox you thought about leaving the bureau for your writing. The kids would be lucky to have all three of us around all the time not to mention each other. What do you say?"

"You don't have to argue your point Alex. I'd love to have more babies with you," Fox replied tearfully.

"Walter? What do you think?"

He smiled broadly and held his family close. "There's always room for more."

Walter took some personal time, of the rare occasions he'd done so, To stay home with Alex and prepare for the babies' arrival. He put The cribs together, repainted the small room that would serve as A nursery, slapped on a wallpaper border expertly and finished Furnishing the room under Alex's critical eye.

They grew closer as they spent so much time together and took the Opportunity to make love, albeit very gently, as Alex's physical Condition dictated.

It was nice for Fox to come home to a hot supper. Both of his Lovers were relaxed and mellow these days and he appreciated the Comfort of home. He increasingly left the more difficult of the Work load to his and Scully's new partner, Jeffrey Spender. Jeff Was eager to oversee the fallout from his father's machinations And Mulder was happy to let him.

Fox finished the night by massaging Alex's feet and Alex in turn Massaged his lover's tense neck and shoulders while Fox lay against His belly.

"A man could get used to this," Fox whispered.

Alex responded with a tickle across his ribs.

Walter watched the two of them as they touched and stroked each Other lovingly. There was no animal lust involved, there couldn't Be, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

"What is he doing?"

"Apparently he's nesting," Mulder explained.

It looked the Brady bunch family den had landed in Morocco. There Were wall hangings draped down the walls. Velvet throw pillows And fleece throws were flung on the bed. The bed itself was one of Those day beds. The bathroom was full of candles and fresh flowers.