Double Indemnity
Round 3, part 1
Ursula

Whimpering, Anson struggled to escape the nightmares. He thought they would all end when he found his brother again. Alex had always protected him. His earliest memories were of lying in their bed, sucking each other's thumbs. But Alex didn't seem to remember him. Anson knew it was the evil man, the man who had taken Alex away.

Waking, Anson was sure that he knew the answer. The bastard hadn't stayed dead. Perhaps it was just another of Anson's dreams that he had killed him. When he was little, he had dreamed over and over that Papa wasn't really dead. When the man that Mother had married had Anson trapped in the bathroom, Papa would smash through the door with his fireman's ax. When Papa struck the man, he broke into little pieces and then Papa would push Mother away and she would break up too. Of course, Alex was waiting outside with his hand reaching for Anson. Then everything was all right. That was the good dream.

The bad dream was that Anson couldn't find the gun and his mother didn't come into the bathroom. Gigantic the man reached for him and Anson grew smaller and smaller. Just as the huge hand grasped Anson, he always woke, but the terror sent him screaming.

Lying in bed, Anson heard the sounds coming from the next room. He felt as if he should go and rescue his brother, but he was too afraid. He lay awake in terror, fearing that when Agent Mulder was done with Alex that he would come into the bedroom where Anson slept.

Finally, sobs erupted from Anson's chest. He wanted Alex in this bed with him, wanted it so badly.

~~

Alex moaned softly. He felt the chaos of emotions; fear, loneliness and grief pull him deeper and deeper into a chasm. Despite the warmth of Mulder beside him, he couldn't recapture the happiness.

Alex found Mulder's hand possessively lying over his naked stomach. He gently slipped from beneath the claiming hand and stood. He could hear Anson crying. As hard as Alex tried to ignore the sobs, they pricked at his nerves. He managed to get out of bed without waking Mulder. His new lover groaned and reached out for him, but, encountering Alex's still warm pillow, he frowned and captured that. Just great, that was probably a hint as to how easy it would be for Mulder to move on from his promises.

Glancing warily at Mulder, not wanting to wake him both for sentimental reasons and the ghost of fear. He couldn't believe that Mulder wouldn't turn on him.

Yes, Mulder had been tender, passionate, and loving, but now he was satisfied. He had what he wanted and there was no longer any reason for him to be kind. That was just the way life was. Alex had learned that you pay for all the good things sooner or later.

Padding barefoot, Alex collected his arm from the basket and dug through until he found clean clothing. He didn't want to face his twin naked. He listened as he walked toward the bedroom. The sobs had quieted and Alex wondered if Anson had gone to sleep. It troubled him to feel so responsible for this unstable clone of himself. It was almost as if Anson was right and they were twins as he said they were.

It was so confusing. Alex couldn't penetrate the fog that separated him from his life before Spender took him. His earliest memory was proudly showing the man his schoolwork and hearing Spender say, "Mulder was two grades ahead of you at the same age as you are now."

In reality, Alex should have hated Mulder. Spender always threw the man in his face. Fox could do this and Fox could do that.

Alex thought that betraying Mulder was going to be the easiest assignment in his life. Instead, the moment he saw Mulder, he wanted him more than anything he had ever wanted in his life. Standing there in that miserable ill-fitting suit, Alex would have knelt in the middle of the bullpen and taken Mulder's cock any way the agent would have wanted him to do it.

Now, Alex had what he had always longed for. It was wonderful and, although he knew that something was bound to happen to ruin it, he would never forget Mulder's kisses or Mulder's lovemaking. Not even if the Consortium caught him and flayed away his skin an inch at the time.

By the time that Alex had reached the small guest bedroom, Anson had managed to disable the alarm and was vanishing out the window. Without thinking, Alex silently went after his twin, climbing down the rusted fire escape as his twin scuttled toward the street.

OooOooO

When he heard the sound of someone behind him, Anson ran faster. As he reached the ground, he glanced about like a frightened rabbit. He was still fast and had quickly recovered from the slack muscle tone from his long period of cationic sleep. Mulder had thrown the keys on the counter. Anson figured he was in such a big hurry to get into bed with Alex that he didn't think twice about being so careless. However, Anson quickly saw that the car wasn't on the street. He spotted the garage entrance and vaulted the swinging rail to get inside.

Anson had started the car and was driving toward the gate when the door was wrenched open. He was relieved to see it was his brother.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Alex snarled at him.

"Away. I didn't want to have Mulder get in my bed," Anson explained.

"In your bed? Why the hell would he do that?" Alex said. "He had me."

"Mama's husband had her and he still tried to...tried to," Anson said, shivering as he tried to both retrieve and push the memory away at the same instant.

"Mulder isn't like that," Alex said. "He wouldn't want you. He said he loved me."

Anson could hear the doubt creeping into his brother's voice. It made him feel sad for his brother, but Alex should really know the truth. Anson remembered how much he loved his wife. She said that she would be his forever. That was even what their wedding rings said inside. Anson almost laughed as he remembered her flinging her ring at him when she kicked him out. Right. True love...

"Stop the car," Alex said. "Come on, Anson, we can't be seen."

Cool. The doors could be controlled from the driver's side so that only his button could unlock the passenger doors. Anson clicked Alex's shut and pulled into the road.

"Fuck, what are you doing?" Alex asked.

"Making sure you're safe," Anson said. "Me and you, that's the way it's supposed to be. I remember my teacher telling me that if I had a real twin that it would mean that we started out as one cell. We were one being and we belong together."

"I said stop the car," Alex said, reaching over to try to get the keys. Anson jerked the steering wheel got the car on the road. Alex's hand hit the horn as he lost his balance.

Behind them, Anson could see that Mulder was awake and had come looking for them. Anson laughed and sped up, glancing in the rearview mirror at Agent Mulder pursuing them on foot.

'Yeah, right, that will work, Mulder,' Anson thought.

"Let's just go for a drive and talk," Anson said. "We need to talk away from Mulder. Then if you want to go back, fine. We go back to that jerk."

~~

Turning to look behind him at Mulder's stunned and increasing furious face, Alex could have strangled his twin on the spot. He couldn't understand what stopped him from shooting the madman in the head and putting him out of his and Alex's misery. Yet something did. Alex could almost believe that Anson was right. They did have twin empathy. There was no other explanation.

"All right," said Alex. "We can go some place and talk for a while."

Anson looked pleased. He said, "Cool. You have to listen to me, Alex. You may think I'm not right in the head, but I know things you need to know."

"Sure," agreed Alex.

Washington DC was one of the dirtiest cities that Anson ever saw. The hookers of all ages and genders all looked dangerous as hell. He shivered for some reason, without really knowing why.

A boy, who looked very young, stuck his head in the door when Anson parked. "Hey, guys, you wanna party with my sister?"

"Go to hell," Anson said, pulling out again.

Finally, Anson found an all night Wal-Mart and parked in the brightly lit lot. Leaning on the steering wheel, Anson said, "Alex, you have to remember. There's no way you would have forgotten me."

"I don't know," Alex said. "Tell me more about what you remember. Maybe it will trigger something."

OooOooO

Uncomfortable because Anson had parked under a light, Alex watched people come and go, wondering what was so important that they had to shop in the middle of the night. They all looked stressed and worried. He sighed. He bet no one had problems half as serious as Alex did.

Anson said, "The guy I stabbed. Spender. He's our grandfather."

"Bullshit," Alex said. "No way in hell am I related to that old man. You keep saying it, but that doesn't make it true."

"You think I like it?" Anson said. "I wished it wasn't true, but our mother is his daughter. She told me so."

"Makes me want to gag," Alex said. "I don't know if I believe anything you say. I have no reason to trust you."

"You should listen to your heart," Anson replied.

"About you, but not about Mulder?" Alex asked.

"You let him fuck you?" Anson replied with a shudder. "I just can't see it. What do you get out of it? A cock shoved up your ass can't do it for you."

"I like it," Alex said. "From what I saw in your pockets, you've seen some action."

"I don't know what you mean," Anson replied.

His twin seemed to have a bunch of loose connections. Didn't he even know that he had been making his living by hooking? It had been obvious to Alex from the number of supplies in the man's pockets. Nobody needs that many condoms just in the hopes of getting lucky and the packets of lube were the type that only a male streetwalker would need.

Alex snapped, "Anyway, leave my sex life alone, brother. Leave Mulder alone. Now, tell me something that will make me believe you aren't as full of shit as you seem."

Brow furrowing, Anson said, "I've told you everything. Man, they must have turned the current up too high when they gave you shock treatment."

All Alex could think about was Mulder. He finally got through to the man and what happens? Some crazy asshole kidnaps him. Mulder must be thinking that Alex wanted to leave.

"I'm going to call Mulder," Alex said. He grunted with surprise as he realized that he didn't have his mobile phone. Getting out of the car, Alex walked toward the pay phone, reluctant to step into the light, but needing to reassure Mulder that he would be back.

Alex punched in the number and heard Mulder's voice answer, "Who is this?'

"Alex," Alex said. "Listen, Anson was taking off and I decided to go along to calm him down. I think I can persuade him to go back now."

Glancing back at the car, Alex saw Anson standing by the car. Alex said, "I just wanted to call. To tell you..."

Distant sirens made Alex hesitate. He nervously leaned deeper into the slight shelter of the telephone stand. As he did so, he heard a loud commotion. A man and woman erupted from the store, bags of stuff clutched. Store personnel chased behind them.

"Mulder, there's something going on here," Alex said. His instinct was to flee back toward Anson, but he knew that if he ran, that the cops would chase him too when they came. "I'll call you later."

Two police cars screeched into the lot. A man and woman officer jumped out of one. Two very large and very black officers stormed from the other. Trapped between the two teams, the shoplifters tried to jump over cars. With everyone looking at this scene, Alex felt that he could get away. A third team of uniformed officers pulled up in front of the store just as Alex stepped into the row which would lead him to his brother.

Muttering, "Why me? I don't have time for this shit?" Alex calmly strolled toward Anson and the car. He almost reached the vehicle when a voice said, "Hey, you, stop."

Alex kept walking as if this could not possibly be about him.

"You in the leather jacket! Stop!" the officer yelled.

Fuck!

Alex hesitated for a moment. Should he brazen it out?

An excited voice that sounded almost too young to be a cop yelled, "That's the suspect in a homicide! I just read the ABP!"

Damn it, Alex wouldn't have any luck at all, were it not for bad. Deliberately turning away from Anson, Alex darted between rows of cars, running low to avoid being shot. He almost reached the edge of the lot where dense undergrowth might have allowed him to escape when he felt something burn into his left shoulder. The force of the bullet spun him around and he fell to the ground in a twisted heap.

Barely conscious, Alex didn't even feel the force of the foot that turned him over. Suddenly hands roughly searched him.

"The guy's armed," the young officer said.

Alex stared up into the man's face. Fucker looked like a choirboy.

"Mulder," Alex whimpered. "Oh, Mulder, I really screwed up now."

Alex felt dizzy and for one moment, he looked out of his brother's eyes at his own body, sprawled half on the pavement and half on the glass littered ground. He felt Anson's fear and grief. It shocked him at how intense his brother's need of him was. And in that moment, Alex could see it. He could see himself dragged off by Spender, fighting, screaming for his brother and for his dead father. Even as little as he was, he knew it was no use calling for his Mama.

~~

Mulder was now more worried than pissed. His first reaction was that he was wrong about Alex. The man had used him and was now off laughing with that lunatic of a twin.

The call that had ended so abruptly had restored his faith easily, too easily. He hated being this vulnerable to anyone, much less Krycek who he knew was intelligent and wily. Still, Alex's voice had sounded tentative, open, and yearning. Mulder really believed that Alex would come back.

The phone rang again and Mulder grabbed it. He said, "Mulder."

Walter Skinner's voice sounded gleeful. "We have him, Mulder. We have him in custody."

"Who?" Mulder asked.

"Who else? Alex Krycek. A uniformed policeman spotted him in a Wal-Mart parking lot and tried to arrest him. Krycek ran and he shot him," Skinner told Mulder gleefully.

Mulder's knees buckled. He had to grab the edge of the table for support. "Is he dead?"

Maybe it was Anson. It had to be Anson. Alex was too quick and smart for an ordinary cop to catch.

"Sir, how many arms did Alex have?" Mulder asked.

"Eight," Skinner snapped. "What do you think? Krycek has one arm. He still has one arm."

"I'm down at Georgetown. They're about to bring Krycek out of the operating room," Skinner said.

"Then he's alive?" Mulder asked.

"Yes, he's alive and without Spender, I can keep him alive to face trial, for killing that bastard...although he deserves a medal for that, and for every other crime I can lay at his door," Skinner said.

Mulder couldn't blame Walter for feeling the way he did. Krycek had hurt the man and humiliated him. Skinner probably didn't know who he hated worst, Spender or Krycek.

"Walter, listen to what you are saying," Mulder reproved. "You know you are better than that. I don't think Alex did it. I think I can prove that."

"Alex? Since when did he become Alex?" Skinner snapped. "Mulder, you get your ass down here to Georgetown and talk to me."

"Yeah, I will. I just have to get a taxi to pick up a car," Mulder said.

"What happened to your car?" Skinner asked.

"I uh loaned it to a friend," Mulder said.

"That was foolish," Skinner said. "Get over here. Chances are there will still be hit teams after Krycek. You, Scully, and myself are the only ones I trust."

"Thank you, Sir," Mulder said.

"Be careful, Mulder," Skinner said, letting some warmth slip into his voice.

"I will be," Mulder said.

Taking a deep ragged breath before calling a cab, Mulder thought. 'Alex Krycek you may hate me for it, but if I have to deliver your brother to the police tied up on a platter with an apple in his mouth, I will."

~~

Meanwhile, Anson huddled in the car. He didn't know what to do. He froze when he saw his brother shot. Following the ambulance, Anson had watched them carry Alex into the hospital. He couldn't bring himself to enter the place. He hated hospitals more than ever since that fuck-up that ended up with him being caught.

Spotting the bald man who had been with his grandfather, Anson frowned. Maybe if he took that man captive, he could trade him for Alex. Or...

A small woman with red hair ran after the big bald man and he turned to listen to her, face full of respect and affection.

Anson grinned to himself. That was it. He would get the woman with red hair and trade her for his brother.

Settling down to wait, Anson felt almost content. He knew after he saved his brother that Alex would remember him, be grateful, and come with him.

There must be some place in the world where they could be safe, just the two of them, as snug as they were in the womb or in the cradle. Alex could even bring his Mulder if he must, just as long as he slept in Anson's bed just like when they were kids.

If Alex would come with him, Anson was sure that his mind would be right. He wouldn't have the gray outs and the black outs from which he woke, sore, weary, and filthy.

The woman with red hair was very pretty. Anson wished he didn't have to kidnap her. Perhaps if he explained, it would be all right.

A long time passed.

Eventually Mulder came running out of a cab. He was in the door before Anson could decide whether to talk to him. All right, Anson would just keep watching. Eventually, the woman with red hair would come out.

~~

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