From: flutesong@hegalplace.com   
      
   "Oh, my God," Mulder breathed. He ran his hand up and down Krycek's   
   left arm and stared at him, his eyes wide open as if he'd never seen   
   a miracle before.   
      
   Krycek threw back his head and laughed and laughed, grabbing Mulder   
   close with his left arm and holding him tight. "They paid me with   
   this."   
      
   Mulder looked confused, but he shook it off, there would be time   
   aplenty for questions and answers later, all the time in the world.   
   Instead, he wrapped Krycek's right around him too and fell back into   
   the kisses.   
      
   "Gentlemen," The Justice Committee leader said. "Uh, Gentlemen," He   
   said a little louder. "Agent Mulder!" He said very loudly and it   
   finally penetrated Mulder's mind and he stopped kissing, sighed and   
   stepped back. The Committeeman didn't apologize, "What went on here?"   
   He asked commandingly.   
      
   Mulder signaled Krycek with an open hand, "He can tell you."   
      
   Krycek glared at him, but he straightened his shirt and spoke. "It   
   seems a few of the Jeremiah Smith aliens had been in hiding in a   
   heavily reinforced structure. They stayed to make sure the super-   
   soldier clones were eliminated before they left. They were going to   
   do it themselves, but we got there first. They grabbed me because   
   they knew I had an idea where Spender had stashed one of their ships.   
   I brought them here and they took the part they needed from the old   
   ship and as you saw for yourself, they went into their ship and   
   left." Krycek straightened up and planted his feet; he addressed   
   Mulder, "For what it's worth, I think they are really all gone now."   
      
   Mulder looked around at the mine and the cars on the ridge and into   
   the sky. He breathed deeply and let his breath out in a gust, "I   
   think you are right," He said.   
      
   Skinner and Scully, who arrived after the whole thing was over, but   
   got the information from the men as they passed through the crowd,   
   came up to Mulder, Krycek and the Committeeman. Mulder who was so   
   happy that their sour faces couldn't put a dent in it, said. "They're   
   gone for good. These were the Smiths and they stayed behind as   
   cleanup operations. It's all done, so they left."   
      
   "Is that what Krycek told you?" Scully asked sardonically. Skinner   
   put out a hand as if to stop her voice, but he dropped it and looked   
   away when he couldn't stop her.   
      
   Mulder stepped up into her space, "Yes, Scully, that's exactly what   
   Alex told me. What's more, I believe him. I feel it too, like a   
   mental stress has been lifted that I didn't know was there."   
      
   Scully snorted, "Until the next time." She spat out. "I see he had   
   them pay him in their coin." She gestured to his left arm.   
      
   Mulder sighed, his jubilation fading with every dig she uttered.   
   Surprisingly, Skinner spoke up, "I think you may well be right. It   
   makes sense that the Smiths would make sure anything truly harmful to   
   humanity was gone before they left. They firmly held the opinion that   
   mankind was worth saving."   
      
   Skinner stood solidly after his pronouncement, the Committeeman   
   nodded and walked back to his men, Krycek put his arm around Mulder's   
   shoulders and pulled him gently back to his side.   
      
   Scully looked at the wall of large, satisfied men in front of her and   
   her mouth turned down at the corners and she pulled herself up to her   
   maximum height, "As I said, we'll see in time what is right."   
      
   Krycek smiled at her, it was an open smile and guileless, but she   
   didn't smile back. Krycek didn't seem to care if she continued to   
   glare at him. "You've got it exactly correct Agent Scully. Time, we   
   have all the time in the world to find out. Our time, human time," He   
   turned to Skinner and offered a hand, Skinner shook it, a smile   
   beginning to light his features too as he realized what Krycek was   
   saying.   
      
   "Put that on my gravestone Mulder," Skinner said and smiled, "Put `I   
   lived in human time'"   
      
   Mulder said with utmost gravity, "I will sir, I promise."   
      
   "Don't get ahead of yourself Skinner," Krycek butted in, "wait until   
   you've lived another fifty human years or so, then you can remind   
   Mulder."   
      
   "Sounds good to me," Mulder said with an impish smile, he looked at   
   Krycek, "as long as we get the same deal."   
      
   "I certainly hope so," Krycek replied. "What'd you say to blowing   
   this pop-stand and heading out, cowboy?"   
      
   "Ready when you are," Mulder said provocatively.   
      
   "Oh," Krycek said laughingly, "I'm ready."   
      
   "Skinner, Scully," Mulder said, as he and Krycek walked away, "See   
   you at the office in a week or two. I'm taking some vacation time as   
   of now."   
      
   Scully grimaced, but the men did not see it. They were already in a   
   world of their own and it was totally human.   
      
   They went to Mulder's SUV of course; Krycek hadn't come in a car.   
   Mulder insisted on driving. As so as they pealed out of the dusty   
   area around the mine, setting off huge plumes behind them, Mulder   
   turned down a lane between trees and more rocks. He parked the car   
   behind several large rocks and shut off the engine. Facing Krycek, he   
   grinned and said, "Tell me everything."   
      
   Krycek laughed, "An X File really gets your gonads going, doesn't   
   it?"   
      
   Mulder grinned back, "You have no idea about my fantasy life when it   
   comes to X Files and sex with weird partners."   
      
   "You saying I'm weird?" Krycek asked with a mock pout.   
      
   "Hell, you're the X File." Mulder said and lunged in for a kiss.   
      
   Breathlessly, a few minutes later, Krycek panted, "We are not fucking   
   in this car, Mulder. There are plenty of crummy motels with crummy   
   beds just down the road."   
      
   "Shucks," Mulder said, drawing lines with his nails up and down   
   Krycek's baby soft left arm. "I wanted to do the dashboard thing   
   again, with me on top this time."   
      
   Krycek shook his head sadly, "No, no, you can't. You're an amateur,   
   my friend and you have to pay car sex dues for a long time before you   
   get to top in pretzel positions."   
      
   Mulder lunged into Krycek, unfortunately making him smack the back of   
   his head against the passenger window. He muttered, "Sorry," but kept   
   up the attack until a laughing Krycek was beneath him on the seat   
   with their feet extending out the driver's side door.   
      
   Mulder tried to lift Krycek's ass and legs up enough to take off his   
   pants, but Krycek resisted and laughed so hard he began to gasp for   
   air. "Hey! Hey!" Krycek cried out when Mulder ripped his shirt, "I   
   have to save my energy for the arm to grow back all the way."   
      
   Mulder froze, stared at the bared soft white arm and let out a long   
   held breath. He collapsed onto Krycek's chest. "Sorry," He said again   
   with much more sincerity in his voice. "I wasn't thinking."   
      
   Krycek brought both his arms up and around Mulder, they lay there,   
   almost drowsing with the sun dappling down on them through the   
   windshield and green leaves and the silence of the day marked only by   
   birdsong. "Mulder," Krycek whispered with solemnity.   
      
   "Alex?" Mulder whispered back.   
      
   "It's high summer now, only a few months since you found me in the   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)