* * *

Dominion Over My Soul

r2-Tara-p1

* * *

St. Louis|
too damn early

Mulder put one hand on his head, the other on his lower back and stretched. He could hear as well as feel the bones of his spine cracking and re-settling. The flight had seemed inordinately long, especially when he wanted to go north, not west. At least the flight wasn't a one way to L.A. That would have taken more then a day out of his way, costing him precious time. Lucky for him the agency used economy class TWA, which was the major reason he was stranded out here in the bible belt.

But with St. Louis being the TWA hub for all air travel it made it that much easier for him to get a flight to Kingston. All he'd have to do would be to rent a car and drive the rest of the way to Springfield, New York. But first he had to cover his tracks.

Mulder looked around the airport trying to look for just the right sucker. The only way Skinner could have known that he had missed his flight had to have been that the A.D., ever distrustful of him, had checked to see if he had checked in and boarded the airline.

He needed someone to take his flight, warm seating it for him so he could get a head start. He needed to get to Springfield and find out just what was happening there. When that thing, the oilien had invaded him, it hinted that

his sister Samantha had somehow been involved. If he was really that close to finding his sister nothing would stand in his way of going to Springfield and finding her.

Across the terminal sat a young man in a bright yellow ski vest and sporting a large wheeled duffel bag. A small green blanket was wrapped tightly around him but did nothing except really cover his lap and hands. Even from a distance Mulder could see the University of Missouri: Columbia emblazoned on the gray sweatshirt. The guy also looked like he had been stranded in the airport for days and would probably welcome a free flight.

The man was the perfect sucker, young, dumb, and probably ready to get out of here. "Perfect." Mulder said to himself.

Trying to hide his gleeful smile, Mulder approached the young man with the L.A. ticket in hand.

"Would you like to go for a free trip?"

"Huh?"

"I said, would you like to go for a free trip?" Mulder said, trying to portray the innocent, well meaning stranger. He felt almost like he was one of those stalkers he used to chase but he knew he was a good guy so he didn't worry. "I have a non-refundable ticket to L.A., I was wondering if you'd like it."

"No, no," the sleepy eyed college student replied. "I'm going to...to..." He fumbled with his bag, pulling out his airline ticket and reading off the destination. "Minnesota. My great aunt Gloria died and I'm going to her funeral."

"Sounds boring, are you sure you don't want to go to L.A. I even have a free hotel room with the package."

"Tempting, but I couldn't even afford to eat in L.A."

"How about I chip $100 dollars in? I'm sure that would be enough."

"Why are you being so generous?"

//Ok, not as much a sucker as I thought,// Mulder mused to himself. Instantly another plan came to mind that might work.

"Do you think you can keep a secret?" Mulder sat down next to the student, whispering in his ear. "My wife thinks I'm going on a work related vacation, which in part is true. All I need is someone to sit in my hotel room and on the flight. That's the vacation part. The job thing is just giving these papers," Mulder pulled out the rough profile of the UNSUB that he had done on the plane to St. Louis, "to the guy who picks me up. That's the job part. What I'll really be doing is seeing my girl friend in KC. That's what I don't want my wife to find out."

"Sounds like you've gotten your self into a situation. But, really, I can't help you. I need to go to Gloria's funeral."

"Come on, help a guy out," Mulder tried the puppy dog eyes. They seemed to work on Skinner and Scully well enough. "L.A. is sure to be better then Minnesota. It's warm and full of girls. A guy could have a fine time. Just tell your folks that you had a hard time with the air lines and enjoy a vacation just for you."

"Well..."

"Come on, free vacation. I'm sure your aunt Gloria would like for you to enjoy life, since she can't any more. For her." Full puppy dog eyes and sincerity blasted at the college student. Mulder could tell the guy was wavering. He pushed the tickets and a couple of bills from his pocket at the student. For an instant Mulder thought he wasn't going to go for it when the student grabbed for the package.

"All I have to do is give the guy who picks me up at the air port these papers?"

"That's all you have to do. Just say you're tired from your flight and want to rest. They'll take you to the hotel, set you up real well, and then you can Par-tay."

"Deal."

Mulder grinned. "Enjoy L.A., Fox Mulder."

"Who?"

"Fox Mulder, that's my name. It'll be who you're impersonating."

"Man, your parents must have hated you."

"You wouldn't believe the half of it."

* * *

The Bounty Hunter, which had been trailing Mulder, shifted form once again. This time he chose the image of a businessman on another flight.

He followed his target through the terminal, watching as Mulder made arrangements to slip his FBI noose. He watched Mulder give some person his L.A. tickets and made note of the person. The agent was being sneaky; he was risking a civilian to take Mulder's place in L.A.

The human could later be eliminated and one of his fellow shape shifters could be substituted. By hiding Mulder's movements further suspicion could be cast else where, leaving the agent free to explore the true reasons behind Springfield. If all went right Fox Mulder would be thrown out of the bureau, his reputation ruined accordingly to the oilien's plans. The human boy's death would just be another nail into the agent's coffin.

* * *

Skinner's car then Scully's Apartment
Whenever

Skinner and Scully sat in silence as Skinner drove Scully back to her apartment. There was so much Skinner could say to the calm and confident women sitting next to him but none of the words that came to mind sounded just right. Instead Skinner took the second route, letting the silence between them grow, letting them both brew in their own minds exactly what was going on.

He wanted to continue their relationship but was unsure of how to do it. He knew he had hurt her deeply both by not trusting her with the details of his blackmail, only coming to her when it may be too late and also by ending their relationship like he had. Not a letter, not a phone call, not even a face to face admission that he could not continue their relationship. In many ways he was surprised that they had fallen back into their routine, their old boundaries of the relationship. Maybe that would be enough of a foundation for forging their new relationship, for healing old wounds and becoming friends once again.

"Aren't you going to look for Krycek," Scully asked when he turned off the car after arriving in front of her apartment.

"While he's infected, Krycek is very dangerous. I've already seen him kill armed men with his bare hands. Until we get the vaccine, it would be dangerous to approach him." Skinner didn't mention the palm pilot that controlled the nannos nor did he say that he wanted to spend some time with her. It was important to him that he stayed with her, that he was there to protect her if the infected Krycek were to figure out what Scully and Skinner were doing.

"Just how dangerous is Krycek?"

"He...," Skinner thought back to that scene by the high way. The images were enough to cause his stomach to turn. The savagery that the infected Krycek displayed when killing those men rivaled the savagery he witnessed in Vietnam but this time he didn't have a whole army backing him up but just one person, a person who he wanted to protect rather then risk. "In only seconds I watched it regrow Krycek's arm, then that arm... tentacle... whatever lifted a man up into the air and smashed him to the ground. The force of it was enough to split the man's head open. Next, the arm threw a knife that went through the other's scull."

"It frightens you, doesn't it," Scully's blue eyes stared hard at him. Skinner tried to look into her deep gaze, trying to match her blue eyes but couldn't meet the intense stare. "There's nothing wrong with admitting you're afraid."

Skinner didn't answer; instead he pulled the key out of the starter, got out of the car, and climbed the stairs of the apartment. He had to wait for a minute before Scully got out of the car and joined him. She didn't say a word as she unlocked the door, nor did she say anything when she got inside. Skinner followed her, keeping her in sight.

The first thing Scully did was to go into the kitchen and put on a pot of water to boil. Skinner stood silently by the door, letting the silence get bigger and bigger, taking over the room. The words left unsaid seemed to dominate the room, taunting Skinner.

"So what have you been doing lately?"

"That," Scully said, "would be a change of subject. You know, you always had a problem with any emotional subjects. If you can't deal with it, you'd stay silent. It's one of the things that annoyed me about our relationship."

Skinner stood there silently, wishing he had a cup of coffee or tea to swirl around. He tried to come up with words that could respond to that but Scully was too quick to the draw.

"We need to talk. If we're going to get back together, and I'm sure you want to, we need to be honest and open with each other. If you had only come to me with this earlier maybe..." Scully let the implications lay where they may. There were many things that could be different, many paths they could have taken but that could be said of other choices, of other decisions.

"I know," Skinner said, somehow ready to admit that he was wrong.

"Walter, you should have known you could have been able to trust me." Scully grinned saucily at the double meaning of the words. With the willies of a woman she crossed the kitchen to mold herself to Skinner's broad chest.

Skinner's arms automatically went around Scully, holding her closer to him. He had missed this, touching her, holding her, knowing that she was slowly becoming a part of her as their flesh melded with each other. Being this close to her he was able to smell the apple shampoo scent from her hair.

"Are you sniffing my hair again?" Scully didn't pull away as Skinner's nose continued to root through her hair like a pig after truffles.

"God, I missed this. Every day I'd sit across from you wishing Mulder would disappear in a cloud of smoke so we could..." images of Scully and the desk came to mind but were not voiced.

"Mulder would have loved that, becoming an X-File. And me, what can I say, office fantasies come to life. I'm sure we would have made enough noise for the secretary gab feasts."

Skinner didn't answer. He ran his hands over her lean form, relearning her body, feeling the curves and dips that he hadn't touched in so long. He pressed kisses into her hair, down her face until their lips met in heated passion.

"Come on, it's been too long." Scully whispered, backing them both up until she hit the table. Skinner slid his large hands along her back until he reached the junction of her ass and legs. He easily lifted her up, settling her on the, hopefully sturdy, kitchen table.

Scully's fingers made quick work of his white cotton button down shirt. The breast pieces fell open revealing Skinner's hairy, muscular chest.

"Ugnn," she groaned. Her red tipped nails stroked through the expanse of hair, tugging gently at the manly curls. Next she brought her mouth into play, leaving red marks as her lips played across the firm flesh.

Skinner's hands are just as busy, trailing over her slight form before tugging her shirt from her skirt. Soon he is able to feel her warm flesh, that delicious peach that had held his fantasies at night captive.

The two of them only broke long enough to get their clothes further off. Skinner stood silently, watching his beautiful, fiery Scully in her half-naked glory. Her shirt parted, bra unhooked, and skirt, sans panties, accentuating her pale thighs and bright red bush. Skinner didn't feel the least embarrassed with his shirt draped over the back of a chair and his pants around his ankles.

"Come here," Scully said sexily, reaching out to tug on his erection. Skinner followed her command, letting their lips meet. Tongue met tongue and battled out their wills or maybe fantasies. Their wet muscles slid across exploring as their hands followed suit.

Scully leaned back on the table; her journey there aided by the support of Skinner's hands. Soon the kitchen table began to rock as they both came to physical agreement of just what all they wanted from each other. Moans dueled with lips for expression and neither of them heard the plunk of a package being slid through the mail slot of Scully's door.

* * *

Skinner's residence
About the same time

Krycek pulled out the next drawer in the dresser, searching through it for a clue as to where Skinner might be.

After having raced both ways, he wasn't able to find the Cancerman and came to the conclusion that Skinner had helped the bastard to escape. By helping the Cancerman, Skinner was allying himself not with himself but rather against him. If the plans for colonization were to proceed as planned, Skinner had to know which side he was on. Unfortunately adjusting the nannos had to be done at close range, which caused major complications.

There was nothing but underwear and socks in that drawer so Krycek went to the next one. Already he had ravaged the office, going through it with as fine a comb as he could under the circumstances. Skinner was due to meet with the Rebels in a few days. If Skinner was not on his side then the information could not be risked in Rebel hands. Instead, he would have to arrange a pre-emptive strike and hope that it crippled the rebel aliens enough that they no longer were a threat.

"What the hell are you doing here?" screamed a female voice behind him.

He turned around to see a dowdy woman wearing a stained blue shirt saying "Escaped Mom; don't tell my kids where I am," yellow rubber gloves that went to her elbow, and her hair tied back tightly including her bangs which were pinned away from her face.

Rational calm was not even possible at that point for him. With the smoker on the loose, gunning for him and the Rebel Alien threat that needed to be dealt with there was no question that he was on edge.

"Where is he?" Krycek growled, his fists tightening in anticipation of rendering flesh from flesh. From inside Krycek's scull came Alex's meek little voice employing the woman to co-operate but those words never left Krycek's lips.

"What do you think you're doing? I'm going to count to ten and if you're not out of here, I'm going to call the cops."

"Where is he!" Shrieked Krycek, already tired of the woman's voice. He picked up the drawer he was rooting through and hurled it across the room. Assorted shirts and sweats rained lazily out of the drawer, which smashed heavily into the wall.

The woman screamed, ducking to avoid the tiny spears of splinters.

"Where is he! Where is he! Where is he!" Krycek screamed, lost in the wash of anger. In only two steps he was across the room and lifting the poor woman, his hand tight around her throat. The woman flailed around at the end of his arm. She was only a breath away from being killed but Alex's protests, that she was no good to the oilien dead, finally penetrated his blind rage.

"Tell me where Walter Skinner is and you may live." Krycek said, this time much calmer. Still he kept his hand tight around the woman's neck, ready to kill her the moment she displeased him.

"I... I... I..."

"Where?" his fingers tightening once again.

"I don't know, I don't know where he could be," the woman sobbed pathetically.

"I know you know where he is. Tell me where your husband is."

"Hus... husband?"

"Yes, one Walter Sergei Skinner."

"He's not my husband, he's my boss."

"Explain," Krycek ordered, shaking her a little, loving the little whimpers of fear the woman made at his actions.

"I'm the maid, I clean up."

"Then where is his wife?"

"I... I don't know. They're divorced."

It took several moments for Krycek to absorb the information, processing it against the information already stored there. According to Skinner's records the man was still married and several times when Krycek staked Skinner's place out prior to his infection by the nannos, there was a definite female presence to Skinner's duplex. Female clothes in the closet, female soaps and toiletries in the bathroom, female foods like chocolate cheese cake in the refrigerator, and female writing on scraps of paper were found when Krycek had searched the place. Most of those signs were gone now. Only a few pieces here and there left said that a woman was ever here.

"Who was the female who was here before?"

"I don't know. He's always lived here alone," the woman whimpered as Krycek shook her like a rag doll.

"There was a female here, her things were here."

"A girl friend, he had a girl friend a while ago."

"Who was she?"

"I don't know, we weren't... wait, he called her Dana once. Yeah, he called her Dana."

"What was her last name?" Krycek growled as he banged the woman against the wall. The woman only whimpered ignorance no matter how hard Krycek squeezed. Finally, exasperated at her tired prattle, he tossed her across the room. She flew through the air, the force of his throw able to launch her three-quarters across the room where she landed just beyond the bed.

Mad eyes darkened by the swirl of the oilien floating on saline and an evil little grin were the last sights the maid ever saw.

* * *

Scully's Apartment
Later

Skinner exited the bathroom feeling more alive and happier then he had in ages. A quick kitchen romp was more then enough to lift his spirits and give him hope for the future. He knew he had a silly, just-fucked-someone grin plastered on his face but couldn't quite get it to disappear, no matter how long he stared into the bathroom mirror.

"He gave us several doses of the vaccine. Have you ever been vaccinated?" Scully said as she examined the contents of the package she had found by the door.

She looked so prim and proper, all her cloths back in place and no sign of what had just happened anywhere, except for one snaggly cowlick on the side of her head. Skinner tried not to laugh, truly he did, but the transformation between woman and calm scientist wasn't complete until that unruly hair was straightened.

"What?" angered by Skinner's non-chovolance.

He just chuckled before taking her into his arms, kissing her worries away and subtly stroking her fiery red hair back into place.

"I just needed to say I'm sorry. I should have trusted you earlier. And I need to say that I'm happy that you're helping me now."

"You big lug, of course I'd always be there. Who else is going to take care of my papa bear?" Scully said as she sneaked one finger between the buttons to twirl her fingers in his chest hair. "So, have you been vaccinated or what?"

"Nope, can't say that I have. I've been remiss in seeing my favorite doctor of late." Without any further encouragement, but a little groping though, Skinner rolled up his sleeve allowing Scully access to his veins.

Scully took out the vaccine, the amber liquid catching the light as she inverted the vial to stick in the needle. With the precision of the doctor that she was, Skinner was soon vaccinated against the alien virus that they were going to track down.

"Kiss it to make it better?" Skinner asked right before Scully put on the band-aide. With an obliging smirk she leaned down to press her lips to the small bruise already forming. Skinner didn't make a comment as she used an alcohol pad to wipe the stain of the lipstick away. After rolling down his sleeve he stood up to get himself a cup of tea.

His head wasn't much higher then Scully's when the whole room seemed to tilt, twisting into an impossible angle. Thunder roared in his ears obscuring the worried sound of Scully's voice. Then as quickly as it came it went away.

"I don't think that's a side effect of the vaccine. Mulder never mentioned dizziness from when he was vaccinated. Damn, I shouldn't have trusted the smoker."

"It may be that it's hitting my system differently. There would be no reason for the smoker to lie. He wants the oilien eliminated, if he was sending us into a trap for..."

Skinner's words were interrupted by soft knocking on the door. Instantly Scully, who had been holding Skinner up right, froze.

"I'm not expecting anybody," she whispered before shouting out, "Who is it?"

"No 'ablo espanyol," came back a very high pitched voice.

Skinner and Scully didn't respond, only looking to each other with a silent signal. Skinner inched towards the guns that lay on the kitchen counter.

The light tapping at the door started again. With a growl of pain Skinner fell to the floor writhing in agony. Scully launched herself for the guns but the door burst in before she was across the kitchen.

Krycek stepped into Scully's apartment covered in the gore of his last victim. It was halfway through the dismemberment when he realized that Dana had to be Dana Scully. He had totally forgotten about the agent who worked closely with Fox Mulder. In his plans, he didn't anticipate her as much trouble, for the main reason that she didn't believe in aliens and wouldn't have need to disrupt Colonization. The irony that Dana Scully was Skinner's girl friend didn't over pass him. It made them into a team that could really be a threat.

In the one hand of the mad man, he held onto the palm pilot, which he thumbed, bringing down the level of torture he was inflicting on Walter Skinner. If he were to talk to the man, it wouldn't do to have the man incapacitated from listening by pain.

"I told you, Skinner, you play with me and I'll play with you." Krycek sauntered into the kitchen keeping a close eye on the two. "We had finally developed a well tuned, working, professional relationship. I tell you to jump and you jump. I tell you to gas out the rabbits and you gas. I am very disappointed in you."

Krycek's thumb did a slide scale on the palm pilot, making Skinner's veins jump from blocked to flowing in seconds. The agony it caused in the big man's body sent illicit thrills through the alien.

Scully inched closer to the guns, trying to remain unseen and innocuous as the infected Krycek continued to punish Skinner for transgressions.

"I let you live and yet you betray me, you go against me by helping that fool," Krycek's voice rose octaves higher, transforming into an inhuman shriek. The sound of the oiliens blended voice sounding like the scream of nails over chalkboards.

Scully's hand slid along the countertop, trying her best to ignore Skinner's grunts of pain as Krycek once again played with his palm pilot.

"Ah, ah, ah, Dana dear," Krycek said, continuing to caress his thumb over the screen. "Back away from the guns or else play hubby gets to play dead."

Scully looked down at Skinner, wondering how much Krycek's tirade was damaging Skinner. When she looked down, she saw awareness in Skinner's eyes, that they were trying to tell her something. She looked around and saw that he was clutching the spot through which she had vaccinated him. Looking at Krycek, she inched over to the package on the table. With luck Skinner would be able to distract him enough for her to get her hands on the vaccine.

Once Skinner saw Scully inch towards the vaccine, he began his part of their impromptu little plan. "You bastard, are you not man enough to face me before you kill me."

"I am not a man," Krycek's voice lowered to rolling thunder across the desert. However he was duped to step much closer, leaving Scully in his peripheral vision. "I am your superior. I am your god. Worship me." Krycek put a commanding foot on Skinner's chest and pressed down. With ease the alien could crush Skinner's rib cadge.

Scully, trying to be as silent as a mouse, reached over into the package for the vaccine.

"You're not a god," Skinner pushed out through his teeth. "You're a bacteria, pond scum that needs to be scraped off my shoe."

Scully inserted the needle and started drawing out a large dose of the vaccine.

Alex, trapped inside the mind of a mad man, just wept, fear of the alien preventing him from even protesting its actions. If the alien killed Skinner, he would loose his last hope. Around him, the room in which he had constructed to keep the himness of him self, closed tighter. Even hope of hope seemed fleeting and so far away.

"And you, Walter, aren't even worthy of my time." Krycek growled out, crushing his foot into Skinner's chest, already feeling the bones stretch to their limit. He teased them with small bounces of his foot until he felt the slight give of bones starting to crack.

Scully stepped cautiously across the kitchen, willing the alien not to hear her soft footsteps. Her breath wanted to quicken in fear and anticipation but she was able to control it. If she didn't succeed all hell could break loose. Going for quick insertion, Scully lifted the syringe.

Down came her hand to only stick it in Krycek's front thigh. The man had moved so fast that she didn't have time to react before Krycek's left hand took hold of her wrist and squeezed. The syringe's sides burst, spilling bits of plastic and vaccine then Krycek pulled the needle out, her hand still caught in that powerful grip.

"What are you doing!"

Krycek opened his hand, looking at the remains there. Comprehension came to his blackened eyes as the slight numbness started to spread from where she stabbed him.

"This is why you betray me? To kill me, to free the sniveling schlock?" Krycek backhanded Scully, the force of it sending her sprawling. He next went to the kitchen table, putting down the palm pilot to search through the package. The precious vial of the vaccine came out, glittering in the kitchen light. With a growl of furry the alien crushed the vial, spilling the precious liquid.

Before Scully had time to get up and defend herself, the infected Krycek lifted her up and threw her out of the kitchen into the living room. He was ready for a repeat of what he did to the maid as he crossed the room.

"I'm gonna hurt you bad."

Scully scrambled up, trying to meet Krycek one on one but the alien threw Scully onto the couch then launched him self over the woman.

Scully clawed at her attacker, her fingernails raking across his skin. She expected to see lines of blood as her nails dug into flesh but the skin just bubbled darkly before turning back into smooth skin.

He grabbed her one arm, pulling it up behind her back until he hear the slight pop of her shoulder. She screamed in agony and tried to worm away from him.

"Struggle, my dear Dana. You can't hurt me." He leaned down to whisper in her ear as her struggles continued, "in fact I like you struggling." Krycek rubbed his crotch against her, letting her feel the erection her movements were causing.

"You know, you smell like sex," Krycek whispered in her ear, sniffing along her face. She twisted her head, trying to get away from his inquisitive nose. A long, wet thing slid across her face, making her want to throw up in disgust. "You taste like sex too. Is that what you and Walter were doing? Fucking," hard pelvis thrust, "each other."

From inside Alex banged on the stone walls closing him in, absolute despair and sorrow making his efforts to battle the mental walls ineffectual. Somehow this seemed to be the greatest transgression his body had ever made. To him Dana Scully was something sacred, something wonderful. She was half of the Mulder team that had battled the consortium, the one who didn't have to but did anyway. She was the one who gave up her life, who bent her principals to do what she did but still somehow was able to maintain those principals. She was the reed that bent in the hurricane, that last branch on the cliff dive that you could grab.

She was St. Scully, the invincible, the unconquerable, the one that didn't frighten him and now, seeing her like this, helpless under him, his body about to plunder what wasn't its right to, saddened him desperately. It really drove in the nail that he needed to die. Death was only a step away and he would welcome it if it only stopped this tragedy.

Krycek's right hand, the one not pinning Scully down for his intrusions, rubbed her knee, loving the feel of human female's soft skin. Slowly he sneaked his hand up the leg, rubbing in small circles on her inner thigh. His mouth tasted the sweetness that was woman, trying to plunder her mouth, which she continued to twist away from his ministrations.

"You know, Alex always had a thing for authority figures," the inhuman voice growled in Scully's ear. "Big, strong powerful types always turned him on. You, Mulder, dear Skinner over there, even old Charley Spender himself. I don't think it mattered to him, do you?"

Krycek's hand went further up her skirt, following her leg until it reached the junction of leg to crotch. He slid his finger along the line of her underwear, loving the sound of whimpers from without as well as within.

"Do you know how many times he wished that he could be with you? He's wanted that, you know, to just feel you." Krycek slid his fingers along the crotch of her underwear, teasing her vaginal lips, feeling the moist fabric. "To kiss you and touch you. Mmm, must be heaven for him right now, an object of his affection at our mercy, though he doesn't sound too pleased right now. Its not like he can reach the stars without me for the ride, now can he."

Scully, trying hard not to be disgusted at the infected Krycek's words, fought with all her might. No matter how hard she tried to squeeze her legs together his hand kept on intruding. She cried out in pain as those fingers felt her out, finding her clit and pinching hard.

"Bastard, get the hell off her," Skinner growled, his gun in hand. He propped himself up against the doorjamb leading from the kitchen to the living room. However his hand was quite steady as it kept Krycek in his sights.

Krycek threw back his head and laughed, the words, "you can't hurt me," on his lips as Skinner pulled the trigger. Again and again he continued to shoot, forcing the alien off Scully, the body jerking in its odd dance as it tried to attack Skinner instead. The body stopped its dance long before his gun clicked empty but Skinner continued to shoot, his mind stuck in the record's groove.

Scully rolled off the couch, trying not to let the pain from her arm control her, fighting back the darkness threatening to overwhelm her. She cradled the arm Krycek had twisted close to her body. Intent and driven she crossed the room to Krycek's still body, lying limply on the floor. With a toe she was easily able to flip him over to stare into too human eyes.

"Oh my god," she uttered, watching the pained eyes. She kneeled down and stroked one hand gently over his face.

Alex leaned into Scully's hand, thankful that he would soon have release. Already his body was going numb, leaving him to float in the welcoming void. "Think stew," he whispered, trying to tell her that it was all right. He didn't blame her, she had tried.

Scully watched Krycek's green pupils dilate until only the blackness of the iris remained. Already knowing what the answer would be, she leaned over him and pressed a finger to his neck to feel the absence of a pulse.

"He's dead," she announced. She looked over at Skinner who was pushing himself up, trying his best to stand.

"There should be more blood."

Scully looked down to see that Skinner was right. There were rings of blood around the bullet wounds, though the shirt was already soaked with blood before Krycek ever walked in the door. The only definite sign of his own blood was a small, thick dribble of blood coming out of Krycek's nose.

As she watched the dribble became thicker and darker. Then, like an apple worm, it started sliding over Krycek's face, like it was exploring the territory. The dark trickle of blood seeped back into Krycek's face. In only moments Krycek's body was arching, inhuman screams of pain whistling throughout her apartment.

Both Skinner and Scully covered their ears as Krycek's mouth continued it's weird siren. The body on the floor started thrashing back and forth. The sound of hundreds of pots boiling over filling the small room. Blood bubbled and oozed on his chest, starting to glow.

Skinner rushed through the apartment, grabbing Scully's arm and pulling her out of the apartment. The sound of Krycek's reanimation following them as they threw themselves into the car and sped off.

"What the hell was that?" Scully kept her eyes glued to the road behind her as Skinner drove. She expected Krycek to pop out of the house and start chasing them like the quicksilver terminator.

"That," Skinner said, "was the oilien thing. It's more powerful then I thought."

"How are we going to stop it?"

"We'll need help and I think I know just the people to ask." Skinner leaned over to pop open the glove compartment. Out came a small leather case that he handed to Scully. "I don't know if he tricked that thing or what, but he provided just the thing to help him."

Scully pulled out a much smaller vial of golden liquid.

"He gave me a sample of the vaccine to give to the Rebel Aliens. That stuff would be definitely worth the risk for them to come out of hiding, getting them out to where Krycek and his cohorts would be able to destroy the Rebels. If we were to get the rebels on our side..."

"We can test the vaccine, free Krycek, and stop colonization with the rebels," Scully finished for him.

"Bingo."

* * *

Back at Scully's apartment
soon after

The sounds of pain and agony died down as the oilien finished the repairs on Krycek's battered body. Each time he had to press the body's metabolism like that, he could feel himself being drained of energy. The last couple of days had been especially hard on him. Already he'd had to heal bullet wounds twice as well as regrow an arm.

It was straining the body's limits.

Krycek pushed himself up off the floor, staggering around Scully's apartment. What he needed was a quick intake of vitamins, minerals, and calories. Intent on his mission he started plundering Scully's kitchen.

Soon he came across a nearly full tin of Chocolate Delight Slim Fast mix. He filled the tin up with water, stirring it enough to make a thick paste that he scooped up, eating and absorbing what he could. When he was finished with that he poked around until he found her supplement pills. Those quickly followed the Slim Fast.

"Damned people, they nearly killed us," Krycek said to Alex.

Only silence came.

"Did they finally get rid of you?" the infected Krycek asked. The oilien wasn't sure whether it was pleased or disappointed by this development. Alex had proved to be a very fun hostage.

Krycek was already trying to think of a bolt hole, somewhere where he could recuperate and allow the human's body to renew it's resources when the oilien heard a small, tiny whimper.

"Nope, I guess they didn't exercise your ghost. It's just you and me buddy."

Alex could only wail in despair.

* * *