R8-Cerulean Blue-p3

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Epilogue

One year later found Mulder and Krycek living peaceably in a Northern California cabin, experiencing the joys of wilderness living. While they were remote from comforts and conveniences of modern civilization, neither of them felt deprived, experiencing total fulfillment by just being in each other's company.

The isolation was mostly to protect Mulder. Krycek was possessive of his love, for Mulder was extremely beautiful, and as powerful as he was, he didn't relish putting Mulder in harm's way wherever they went in public. However, he loved Mulder so much that he didn't feel the lack of anything, spending every moment in his company, soaking up his essence like a starving man. And indeed, he'd been starved for most of his life, falling in love with Mulder at a young age.

One day they were fishing when Mulder got a strange look on his face.

"What is it, Fox?" Krycek asked, concerned. He could always tell when Mulder was using his alien powers.

Mulder looked at him with his eyebrows raised, as if he didn't know how much to tell him. "It's Alex," he sighed. "He found us, and he's coming here."

"Shit!" Krycek ranted. His younger self had tracked them down. What could he possibly want from them?

"You know what he wants, Alex." Mulder sighed. "To be with us."

"Well, dammit, he can't!"

"Don't be so quick to cast him out, Alex. He is you, after all."

"That doesn't make it any easier, Fox!" Alex exclaimed, throwing down his fishing pole and getting up from his perch.

Suddenly there was a roar of a jeep pulling up to the cabin. As Krycek frowned angrily, Alex got out meekly with a worn-looking duffel bag.

"Planning on staying somewhere, buddy?" Krycek snapped.

"I—"

"Leave him alone, Alex. God, this is going to be confusing, maybe I should call the younger version Alexi and you, Alex." Mulder sighed.

"You're not calling him anything! He's going back where he came from!"

Alexi looked so upset that Krycek paused in his tirade. God, was he ever that young and sensitive?

"Look, you're me, try to remember how you were at my age. God, this sounds so ridiculous. I love Fox, I can't live without him, and I can't go home…we've bisected into two selves, but we're the same person! You can't believe that at any age that you would give Fox up without a fight!" Alexi pleaded.

Krycek thought for a moment. He sighed. "I can't believe this, I'm competing with myself! I can't even say, 'let the best man win', since we're the same person!"

"Come on, Alex, why don't we try to accommodate him?" Mulder reasoned. "He was dropped here from the future, for godsake—"

"Through his own fault!"

"Yeah, well, think back to how you were at his age?" Mulder smiled. "Weren't you a tiny bit impetuous?"

"Fox—"

"Let's discuss this inside the cabin." The two of them went inside while Alexi waited forlornly by the jeep.

"Alex, I love you and only you, but Alexi needs help. He really loves me, as if he knows me, like you did at his age. I just want him here to help him adjust to this time and place. He's had a rough year of drifting, and I think being around me might help anchor him."

Yeah, right, I know just what sort of adjusting he has in mind!" Krycek grumbled.

"Alex, a year ago there was no way that I wanted him around. However, I find that I can't turn my back on him now. He's you, after all. Let me help him, I promise that no harm will come of it." Mulder pleaded.

Krycek looked at his hybrid love for a long moment. He sighed. Arguments with Fox were like no arguments, he made his mind up and that was it. That he was usually right made it all the more frustrating. "Okay."

Mulder beamed. "I knew you'd come 'round!" he said, playfully punching his lover's arm.

"Yeah, well, he sleeps in his own sleeping bag, thank you very much!" Krycek retorted as he followed Mulder out the door.

The mournful look on Alexi's face tugged at his heartstrings. "Alexi, you can stay."

His face brightened immediately. "I can?"

"As long as you don't cause any trouble!" Krycek snorted.

"I won't, I promise. Thank you so much, Fox, and…thanks, Alex!" Alexi beamed. He immediately ran into the cabin with his duffle bag and sleeping bag.

Krycek looked at his lover with resignation. Instead of looking smug, Mulder simply smiled at him. "You'll be okay with it in time, Alex, trust me."

"I do, with all my heart. Just answer me one question."

"What?"

"Does being right all the time ever make you feel conceited?"

Mulder gave him a mischievous smile as he drew Krycek close to him.

"Only when it's pointed out to me by my stunning lover," he purred in Krycek's ear.

***

Skinner was awakened by the sound of pounding on his door. Sitting up, he looked at his clock. Midnight. Who the hell was dropping in on him at midnight?

He opened a door to a beaming Eryk. Startled, he pulled his robe around him and grumpily asked, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Eryk grinned at him apologetically. "Sorry, Skinner, my train just got in. I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I came here."

Skinner groaned. "To crash, again?"

Eryk smiled. "I love the lingo of this time, so charming. Yes, to crash, so to speak. I can sleep on the couch, if you'd like."

Skinner hesitated. "Where's Alex?"

"He, uh, had other plans."

"All right, you can stay. Just for a short while." Skinner groused. He noticed the bottle in Eryk's hand. "Champagne?"

"I thought we could celebrate. It's been a year since we warded off the alien invasion, and—"

"I'm well aware of what the date is!" Skinner snapped. He was wide awake now, he sighed, might as well make the best of it.

They sat and chatted about the events of the past year. Eryk was happy to hear that Scully had ended up marrying Pierre Mitteux-Bit, the French anthropologist from Brown University who had helped them in Africa. "A nice lady," Eryk enthused.

"That's an understatement," Skinner responded ruefully.

"And Mulder? Have you heard from him?"

Skinner was silent for a moment. "Not since he and Krycek left. Not even a card."

"Perhaps he thought it would be better that way."

Skinner spoke with effort. "I suppose so. I'm happy for Mulder, for how everything's turned out for him."

Eryk looked at him keenly. Skinner looked so forlorn. "But it still hurts, no?" One year ago, Skinner had refused to have a relationship with Eryk of any sort. The pain of Mulder's departure had been too fresh.

Skinner sighed. "I guess so, Eryk. "

Eryk was silent for a moment. Then he said, "It may not ever stop hurting, Walter. You shouldn't expect the loss of what could have been to ever feel right. However, if you continue to live your life to the fullest, you may find at some point in the future that it hurts less, or that you feel much differently than you would have ever expected."

"The future!" Skinner laughed. He grabbed the bottle of champagne that Eryk had brought. It was their one-year anniversary, after all, the one-year anniversary marking the date when they had overcome what had seemed like insurmountable odds to save their planet from a ruinous destiny.

He turned to Eryk, who beamed back at him. "Eryk, what do you say we open up this lovely bottle of champagne that you so kindly brought and give a toast to the future?"

"You're on!"

The End

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