Mulder was the first to arrive. That was a definite and very surprising first.

He waded his way through the crowd to the bar and ordered a beer. Five pinches on his ass and three rather graphic propositions later, he managed to locate an empty table. Watching the couples on the dance floor, he sipped his beer and wondered, once again, why Krycek had chosen this particular bar for their weekly meetings.

Granted, Krycek had an evil sense of humor, and granted, Krycek's favorite pastime seemed to be fucking with Mulder's head, but -

A gay bar?

On Friday nights?

Every time Mulder tried to convince Krycek that they should meet elsewhere, his suggestion was met with flat refusal. This place - Trix - was perfect in Krycek's opinion: off the beaten track, always busy so that they blended into the crowd, and besides, who would ever think to look for them in a gay bar?

If Mulder hadn't caught that amused twinkle in Krycek's eyes every time some man groped him and/or propositioned him, Mulder might have believed Krycek's stated reasons.

But, he had. And, he didn't.

If not for the information Krycek regularly brought him - computer disks, Consortium documents, warnings of upcoming activities - Mulder would've told the Ratbastard to fuck off. The information was always good, though, so Mulder gritted his teeth and turned up every Friday to meet Krycek.

In a gay bar.

Not that he had a particular problem with homosexuals. No, that wasn't the problem at all. The problem was the opposite. He'd known for most of his life that he was attracted to men. After his father had caught him making out with Stevie Marshall when he was 15, he'd buried his desire for men deep within.

A shudder ran through Mulder as he remembered the lecture and beating his father had delivered on that occasion. And that awful visit to Stevie's parents. Jesus, he'd never been so embarrassed in his life. Determined to be 'normal' (as his father put it), Mulder had concentrated on girls after that, completely denying the truth of his sexuality.

It had gotten easier over the years. In fact, he hadn't even thought about men in *that* way. Until Krycek turned up. The entire time they'd been partners, Mulder had struggled against the attraction he felt for the younger man. Luckily, he'd managed to resist making any overtures, considering how things had turned out.

Then came the Great Weikamp Adventure. The Kiss. Alex handing over his gun. A week later, Krycek had returned. Had told Mulder that he'd long been involved with the resistance and offered a deal of sorts. He'd pass along any interesting information to Mulder in return for a cessation of hostilities.

Reluctantly, knowing he was making a huge mistake, Mulder had agreed. Although he often wanted to smack the grin off of Krycek's face - usually when some sweaty man had whispered an obscene proposition into his ear -Mulder controlled himself. The info Krycek handed over was always good, and Mulder had managed to interfere successfully with a number of Consortium operations.

Of course, Scully and Skinner tried again and again to pry the identity of his informant from him. Mulder just looked mysterious and changed the subject. They'd have had him committed to the nearest psych ward if they ever found out that Alex Krycek was his snitch. That he met the man every week. That somewhere along the way he'd found himself actually enjoying their weekly meetings.

Lost in thought, he didn't see Krycek arrive. When the man joined him at the table, setting a fresh beer in front of him, Mulder blinked in surprise and stared blankly at him.

"Mulder?" Krycek said, confused by Mulder's silence. "Yo! Earth to Mulder." He waved his hand in front of Mulder's face. "Anyone in there?"

Mulder blinked again and shook himself out of his reverie. "Krycek," he belatedly greeted.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, Krycek."

Krycek frowned. "You're acting weird, even for you - and that's saying a lot. You get whacked upside the head or possessed or mind-wiped this week?"

"Not that I know of. What's with the concern? I was thinking, that's all."

"Uh huh." Sitting back in his chair, Krycek continued to study Mulder's face. "Scully and Skinner okay?"

"They're both fine."

"Your fish die again?"

"Alex, everything is just fine. Peachy. Not a problem in sight." Mulder ignored Krycek's skeptical expression, and lifted his beer, taking a deep swallow. He cleared his throat and got down to business. "What have you got for me?"

"Been quiet this week," Krycek said casually. "I don't have anything new."

"Then why are we here?" Mulder asked in a testy voice. "You could have called and cancelled."

"And miss our weekly date?"

***

Ursula's Next