THE CURSE OF DARK SHADOWS Round 3, Part One

In the afternoon light the ancient walls of Collinwood stood impassively watching the couple walk across the estate toward the stables. The sun shone brightly, chasing away the shadows which seemed to cling to everything on Widows' Hill. Alex remained quiet while a highly excited Mulder hurried along. He felt on top of the world just from the beaming smile on Fox's face, and he hoped it all wasn't a dream. Collinwood had a strange, displacing effect on him but he didn't dare mention it to Fox, he was already chasing enough ghosts as it was. A sly grin crept along Alex's face. Fox was just too damn cute for his own good!

Mulder turned back and raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Alex! What are you waiting for?"

Shaking off the persistent oddness, Alex raced on ahead laughing. "I'm waiting for you!"

Breaking into a jog, Mulder followed after his beautiful lover. It didn't take the pair long to meet up at the stable. Playfully chasing one another through the gate, Alex's feet slid in the dirt as Mulder reached out and pulled him close. Nuzzling Alex's neck from behind, Mulder twisted his head around and planted a hot kiss on his lips.

Alex gazed into Fox's eyes, still unable to believe that this was really happening. All the years he'd pinned and dreamed after the surly FBI agent... and now here he was, held in his arms.

"Fox?"

"Yes?" he replied, huskily.

"The food's getting cold," Alex said, hefting the picnic basket.

"I know something better I'd like to eat." He leaned forward and nibbled lightly on Alex's earlob.

Alex moaned softly, each time Mulder touched his skin it lit his body on fire. He took a deep breath and pulled Mulder further inside the stable. "That's why I brought a blanket," he told him.

Nearby, horses whinnied and Mulder nodded across at a black Arabian stallion. "That one reminds me of you."

Alex moved toward the horse and petted him lovingly. "Fox meet Quentin, named after one of the Collins ancestors."

Mulder joined him just outside the gate. "How did you know that?" he smiled, clearly impressed.

Alex shrugged a little. "I found Cristoff in here one evening and he mentioned."

"Cristoff? You know I haven't seen this mysterious nephew of Virginia's yet!"

"Yeah, I can't imagine where he's been hiding." Alex began to walk past each gate. "So, which horse would you like?"

Mulder made a great show of thinking, which only caused Alex to laugh even harder.

"Alright, I know the perfect one for you," Alex smiled, leading Mulder down toward the end. He pointed to a gorgeous chesnut mare. "This is Carolyn, named after a spitfire who used to live in the haunted house."

"Hi, Carolyn," Mulder said, rubbing the horse between the ears. "Alex you should know by now that I don't spit fire, I eat it."

Alex shook his head and lead Quentin out. "Come on you walking hormone," he told Mulder, "let's get this show on the road."

Mulder and Alex rode the two horses across the lush Collinwood grounds. Alex knew of just the right spot to picnic, and he held the jostling basket and the reins tightly. Mulder pulled Carolyn back onto the path for the tenth time, the mare definitely had a mind of her own choosing to wander off when the mood struck. Eventually the trees began to thin and they came to a lake sparkling in the sun.

Mulder breathed deeply. It was so peaceful here, just the sort of place to spend a lazy afternoon. "Alex, it's perfect." Something glinting in the light caught his eye. About two miles away sat a very odd, dilapidated structure. Mulder gaped at what looked to be a miniature version of the millennium dome.

"What's that down there?" He pointed.

Alex followed his gaze. "Oh, that's the old conservatory. The whole thing's about to cave in."

"It's a bit much for a greenhouse," Fox observed.

Alex dismounted and tied Quentin's reins to a nearby tree. "Would you stop wrestling with the Collinwood ghosts!"

With that, Mulder quickly reined Carolyn beside Quentin and tackled Alex as he smoothed out a blanket onto the ground. They fell and rolled on top of one another, Mulder pinning him down.

"Now this is the kind of wrestling I can get into," he smirked.

Reaching up, Alex pulled Mulder over onto his back. Fox lay there spread eagled, and looking positively delicious. Mulder looked up, his mouth parted. Blood boiling, Alex dove down and their lips connected.

Mulder ran a hand down the Russian's strong back as Alex worked his tongue expertly inside of his mouth. Greedily sucking on Alex's probing tongue, Mulder's heart raced as he felt a powerful erection pressing against his thigh.

Breaking the kiss, Mulder looked deep into Alex's burning eyes. "Yes, baby, that's exactly what I need."

Lifting up Alex's shirt, Mulder practically ripped it off his back. His own cock ached within his jeans, desperately yearing for the exquisite warmth of Alex's mouth. Reaching under Fox's tight gray T shirt, Alex quickly lifted it over his head to rest next to his own. Mulder hugged Alex close to his body, their bulging crotches grinding.

Under the shining sun, Alex trailed his tongue down to Mulder's left nipple, all the while expertly unbuttoning Fox's straining jeans. Running his long fngers through Alex's thick dark hair, Mulder gently pressed his head lower. Alex's mouth watered at the incredible sight waiting for him. Slding Mulder's pants and boxer briefs down to his ankles, Alex swiftly removed his hiking boots. Mulder kept a firm grip on his lover's firmly rounded ass.

Alex turned back to his completely naked Fox, desire welling within him from the delectable vision waiting for him. Spreading Mulder's legs wide, Alex wrapped his tongue around the throbbing, hard shaft. Immediately, Mulder gasped with pleasure as Alex's lips sucked him all the way down to the base.

Not to be outdone, Mulder struggled to catch his breath and with some effort managed to position himself before Alex's crotch. With one swift movement, he pulled the black pants which seemed to mould to Alex's body down. Mulder licked his lips and took hold of Alex's dick, giving it a few good strokes. He licked at the head and tasted the first sweet drops of precome. It was like an overpowering aphrodisiac to him and he swallowed each inch down his throat. They lay side by side, holding one another in an embrace of lovemaking.

Moistening a finger before returning to Mulder's delicious cock, Alex slid into inside Fox's crack. Mulder graoned against his cock as Alex's finger penetrated him. He bucked his hips wildly, his cock thrusting further into the silky depths of Alex's mouth. He couldn't hold back any longer from the mind blowing sensations. Soon, Alex was greedily swallowing the warmth blasting down his throat. Mulder's cries and velvet tongue around his shaft sent him over the edge. Mulder held his lips around the throbbing cock as it exploded inside him. They both fell into each other's arms, breathlessly sharing a hot kiss.

~oo0oo~

After working up a hearty appetite, the two men had dressed and washed their flushed faces down by the lake. They'd quickly dived into the picnic lunch, inhaling it like they'd inhaled each other.

Alex stood beside Quentin, staring distantly into the woods. He blinked, noticing a hidden path twisting deeper into the overhanging trees. Mounting the horse, Alex trotted him toward the water's edge where Mulder was waiting while Carolyn finished drinking.

"Fox, I'm going to see where that trail leads," he said.

"Alright, I'll be along in a few." Keeping an eye on Alex as he disappeared into the wood, Mulder exhaled deeply. Alex was simply amazing. He always credited himself with having an overactive sex drive, but Alex's was full throttle. He grinned to himself, feeling a stirring in his already heated crotch.

He gazed about the breathtaking landscape, wondering how many Collinses had played, worked and lived by the lake. His eyes fell on the conservatory once more, and Mulder blinked the sun out of his eyes. Far in the distance he could see a young blonde woman, dressed in a flowing white gown entering the derelict building.

"Hey!" he shouted, but the figure paid no head to his warning and vanished inside. Pulling Carolyn away from the lake, he quickly mounted and rode hard down toward the conservatory.

The closer he became, Mulder could see what a bad state of disrepair it was in. It must have been pretty impressive in its hey day, but now it was a death trap. Sliding from the mare, who began to graze in the overgrown grass, Mulder hurried inside.

"Hello?" he called, his voice carrying around the curved walls like an echo chamber. The building was composed entirely of glass; most of the panes were busted and their remains littered the ground.

Venturing carefully further, Mulder cast his keen eyes about for the young woman. "Listen, I saw you come in. It's not safe. Where are you?"

He walked past rows of cracked tables bearing long dead plants. Was the girl hiding, afraid of getting in trouble for trespassing on the estate?

~oo0oo~

An eerie chill passed over Alex and even his horse seemed to sense an uneasiness in the air. The trail was only big enough for Quention to get through, the trees closed in threatening to seal the old path. A strong wind rustled the leaves and a wailing pricked up both Alex and Quentin's ears. He patted the horse reassuringly.

"Don't worry, boy, it's just the widows." He realized he was half trying to convince himself. Alex Kycek didn't scare easily. Damn that cab driver for telling him that legend!

"I think we'd better get back to Fox," he decided. Just as he moved to turn Quentin around, the path abruptly opened out. "Well, what do you think about that?" he asked aloud. With a snort, Quentin trotted on ahead.

Alex gasped, finding a cemetery on the other side of the wood. It was neglected with a rusted fence; the old gravestones covered in moss, leaves, and fallen limbs. "Fox is going to love this," he whispered, knowing full well that Mulder would go ape over a find like this.

He stared about the columns, mausloeums and flaking stones for a moment longer. Then he froze, his eyes growing wide. Standing at the entrance to the cemetery was a stunningly beautiful woman, her ice blue eyes calling out to him. Alex found himself dismounting and moving uncontrollably toward her open arms...

~oo0oo~

A shard of glass crunched under Mulder's hiking boot as he continued to search the conservatory. He'd made a complete circle and the only way inside was the doorway he'd used. Certainly she couldn't have crawled out one of the jagged windows. An excited grin spread across his face. Maybe he'd actually seen another ghost! But this time it wasn't Danielle, no the figure had been too far away. Could it have been Josette? Or Beth? Perhaps it was Daphne? A list of names from the history book flashed through his mind.

Mulder stopped his frenzied pacing and froze. A loud cracking broke out high above him. He swallowed hard and nervously looked up. The fragile glass was splintering in delicate spider web patterns all around.

Heart pounding, Mulder instinctively covered his head as the glass imploded into a million sparkling fragments...

StarWindDancer's next!