From: dmcintoshtx@yahoo.com   
      
   CHAPTER TEN   
      
   The next evening they walked off into the woods together.  Once out of   
   site of the camp, Mulder stopped and turned to Walter.  "I thought   
   everyone was dead; everyone that I knew and loved."  His voice   
   quivered with emotion.   
      
   "I know.  I felt the same way."   
      
   "You saved my life!" he grabbed Walter in a hug.  "I was so scared.  I   
   knew who they were and I knew what they could do."   
      
   "I know.  I know."  Walter held him.  "But it was Alex who is   
   responsible for saving all our lives; not me."   
      
   "I don't believe that.  He's probably in it with them but I don't even   
   care any more.  I'm free and you're still alive and maybe Scully is   
   too."  He held on tightly to Walter.  "Thank you!  Thank you for   
   coming for me!"  He pulled Walter's head close and kissed him.  "You   
   saved my life!"  He kissed him again then pulled back and asked, "If   
   we find Scully's name on one of those lists, will you go with me to   
   find her?"   
      
   "Of course I will," Walter said.   
      
   Mulder kissed him again and as Walter stepped back to try and   
   disentangle, he stepped on a pine cone and stumbled.  Mulder tried to   
   hold on but the two of them fell laughing onto the pine needle covered   
   ground below, Walter landing on top.     
      
   "So you fell for me?"  Mulder teased and kissed him again.     
      
   Neither of them saw Alex approach, turn around and back away.   
      
   They got to their feet laughing.   
      
   "Sorry about that.  I got a little carried away there.  I'm just so   
   happy to be free and to find you alive.  It gives me hope that Scully   
   is out there somewhere too."   
      
   "If she is, we'll find her.  Come on.  Let's get some food into you.    
   You look like you lost twenty pounds."   
      
   They emerged from the woods in time to see and hear a motorcycle roar   
   across the bridge and make its way to the tunnel and leave.   
      
   "Who was that?" Walter asked Parks who was sitting in a lawn chair   
   sipping a cup of tea.  "Doesn't he know what day this is?  Tomorrow   
   morning the patrol is due."   
      
   "Dear boy, that was Alex."  Parks said as he eyed Mulder up and down   
   rather distastefully.   
      
   "Alex?  Where is he going?  I thought no one ever went out the day   
   before or after a patrol!"   
      
   "He didn't say.  He just came out of the woods, went to his quarters   
   and came out wearing his coat and helmet and left.  He didn't speak to   
   anyone."   
      
   "He was in the woods?"  Walter asked as a cold sinking feeling came   
   over him.   
      
   "Yes, he was."  Parks stood up, tossed the dregs of his tea on the   
   ground as he looked from Walter to Mulder and back again.  "One might   
   suspect that he saw something there that rather upset him."  He said   
   then turned and walked away.   
      
   "Shit!"  Walter said and stood staring across the river at the tunnel   
   entrance.   
      
   "Good riddance, I say."  Mulder said then added, "You said something   
   about food?"   
      
   "You don't understand, Mulder.  If Alex saw … if he saw the two of us   
   kissing … "   
      
   "So what if he did.  He's gone.  So much the better.  I still don't   
   understand why this group of nice people let him in here.  They   
   probably didn't know who or what he was."   
      
    "You don't understand, Mulder.  Alex built this place; these people   
   are all still alive because of him.  I'm alive because of him and so   
   are you."   
      
   Mulder stood silent, not believing a word.   
      
   "And there's something else you may as well know too.  Alex and I are   
   … together.  We have been for some time now."   
      
   Mulder stared at him, shaking his head.  "Somebody please kill me   
   now."  He said in disgust.   
      
   "Mulder, I'm telling you, he is not the Alex Krycek we both knew and   
   hated.  He's completely different.  He's kind and caring and he   
   considers these people as the family he never had."   
      
   "Talk about your dysfunctional family!"  Mulder muttered.  "Come on.    
   Let's get something to eat.  I'm sure he'll be back shortly."   
      
   "I'm not.  Not if he saw us."  Walter followed Mulder on into the   
   cafeteria but kept his eye on the tunnel as long as he could.   
      
      
   xxx   
      
      
   Alex knew what day it was and about the danger was but he didn't care.   
    He roared his motorcycle over the countryside, right into town and   
   stopped at the general store.  He went in and pulled a bottle of   
   whiskey down from a shelf, uncapped it and took a long drink.  He   
   stuck it in his pocket and got several more bottles down, as many as   
   he could carry and headed back to his bike.  With a roar, he was out   
   of town and heading north.   
      
   He found a deserted house, went in and took his motorcycle with him.    
   He didn't leave for several days, not until he had drank every drop of   
   whiskey plus half a dozen bottles of wine he had found in the house.    
   When he left he wandered around for months as he continued on north   
   and didn't change directions until he got into Canada.  He made his   
   way East across the country. Half the time he didn't know where he   
   was.  He stayed in one place only until his liquor ran out and he'd   
   take off again.  He was somewhere just west of Montreal when he blew a   
   tire.  The bike flipped and he rolled a hundred feet before he managed   
   to stop himself.  He was bruised, battered and bleeding but he had   
   broken no bones.  He made his way back to his motorcycle and cursed   
   when he found the last of his whiskey was broken and leaking out into   
   the snow.   
      
   He hauled his bike over to some bushes and stashed it then looked   
   carefully around to mark the spot in his memory so he could find it   
   again.  He took off walking.  There were aliens all over Montreal but   
   he had to get in and find someplace where he could get a new tire.  He   
   waited until after dark and snuck into town.  It took him two hours   
   before he was able to locate a tire store.  He went in and with his   
   small flash light he was going through all the small tires.  He had   
   just spotted the size he needed, pulled it down from the stack and   
   turned around and there were two aliens standing there pointing their   
   weapons at him.     
      
   He didn't really even care any more.  He thought seriously about just   
   making a sudden move and it would be all over with.  But there was   
   something inside of him that wouldn't let him.  The drive out to the   
   internment camp took about twenty minutes and his muscles were really   
   starting to ache from his accident as well as the cold.  They marched   
   him to a barracks after relieving him of his gun, and shoved him   
   inside the door and locked it behind him.   
      
   The foul stench of unclean humans filled his nostrils as he made his   
   way through the semi darkness, looking for a place to lie down.  He   
   heard a slight struggle at the far end of the room and a voice   
   growling, "Move over, girlie.  It's my turn for the bed."  He heard a   
   loud "uuuuph" and saw a body being shoved over the side of the last   
   bed on one side.  He caught a glimpse of red hair as the woman hit the   
   floor and he knew in an instant who it was.     
      
   He hurried to kneel beside her.  "Scully?  Are you all right?"  He   
   helped her to sit up.   
      
   "Who … who are you?  How do you know me?"  She asked the bearded   
   stranger before her.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)