Double Indemnity
Round 5, part 1
Ursula

The terror died immediately when his brother's lover almost fell backwards as he stumbled out of the shower. Anson grabbed a towel and wrapped it tightly around himself. He gave Mulder another shove and ran out of the bathroom.

His distance-setting glare gave into shaking as soon as he found the small bedroom that had been assigned to him.

In his head, he knew that Mulder had mistaken him for his twin, but it hadn't stopped the reaction.

Playing the tough guy had worked okay in prison. He had kept the big bulls away by going after them to do serious damage the moment they implied anything. It hadn't stopped him from being terrified every moment of the day and night. He had preferred doing hard time in solitary than being in the general population.

A whimper escaped from his throat as he curled up in tight ball of terror. A moment later, a quiet knock pulled him from his descent into madness.

"It's Scully," the red haired woman's voice said. "Are you ill?"

Biting back a sarcastic comment, Anson said, "No, just having a nightmare."

The door opened and Scully's head poked inside. "You want to talk to someone?"

Thinking about it, Anson did. At least if someone was a pretty woman. He liked women better than men despite how evil a bitch his mother was. Women liked his handsome face, his thick lashes, and his mossy green eyes.

"Yeah, come in," Anson said, "I thought you were going right to sleep?"

"I was," Scully said, "But I couldn't sleep. We have something in common, Anson."

"Yeah?" Anson said.

"You're not happy about your brother being with my partner and neither am I," Scully said.

"I just got him back," Anson said. "I guess I didn't know he would be gay. Do you think my grandfather did that to him?"

Scully looked as if she was really considering that, but she shook her head, plopped onto a chair that was pushed against the wall never the tall boy dresser, and said, "I don't think so. Your grandfather might have encouraged Alex to have sex with men, but I don't think he would have fallen in love with a guy unless he was inclined that way."

Shifting uncomfortably on the bed, Anson shoved away memories of coming back to himself with a sore body, a sore ass, money in his pocket, and condoms in his pockets. He had survived. That beat the odds as far as he was concerned. He liked women. He had been married, God damn it. That proved he was straight.

"Don't imagine we can do anything about my brother and Mulder," Anson said. "He remembers me now, but I don't think I'm as important to him as he is to me."

Scully said, "It hurts to find out that you love some more than they love you or that they love you in a different way than you imagined they would."

"You got a thing for Mulder?" Anson asked.

Scully didn't answer. Well, Anson didn't need to hear it. He wasn't dumb. Crazy and stupid were two different things.

"My brother's better than you think," Anson said. "Maybe Mulder's the one who isn't good enough for him."

"Right,' Scully said, disdainfully. "There's a lot you don't know about Alex Krycek."

"Couldn't be worse than me," Anson said. "You look at my record?"

"Yes, Mulder looked you up," Scully said.

"Surprised that you aren't freaked out by talking to me alone in my room," Anson said.

"I don't think you'll hurt me," Scully said. "Besides, your brother wouldn't be happy if you did. He wants Mulder to stay happy with him."

"Yeah, and there are those things," Anson said. "I'm not too happy with people, but that doesn't meant I want to go the way of the dinosaurs. I got a kid, you know, a little girl."

"How old is she?" Scully asked.

"Almost ten now," Anson said. "I didn't get to see her, but she sent me a picture. Went right around her mother to get it to me. She's smart and she doesn't take anything from anybody. More like Alex than me. I'd die for her."

"I'd like to meet her someday," Scully said.

"You have a kid?" Anson asked.

"No," Scully said then she changed that to, "Yes, in a way."

"Yes or no?" Anson pushed.

"The aliens take our reproductive material," Scully said. "They use it to make clones, hybrids, for experiments. I've seen a little girl who had my genes, but she died. There could be others."

"That's horrible," Anson said. "No wonder my brother wants to stop them."

"We better get some rest," Scully said.

"Yeah, thanks for checking on me," Anson said.

It had. For some reason, Anson wasn't afraid. He pulled up the covers and tried not to think of what his brother might be doing with Mulder.

OooOooO

Romantic thoughts were going to have to wait. Alex was fast asleep, mouth agape, eyelashes, splashed across his pale cheeks, and his newly restored left hand resting against his face.

Mulder filled his eyes with the sight. Even when he and Alex had barely known each other, he had found himself moved one night when Alex fell asleep beside him on a stakeout. Instead of waking the young agent when it was his turn to watch, Mulder had simply watched him, enjoying the sight of his slumbering form. It had made him feel tender and hungry for something he had not been wanting to feel.

Now, Mulder knew what he felt. This was his fate, his love, his partner that had been meant to be.

It made him feel guilty thinking about that. Mulder did care about Scully. Yet now that he was with Alex, he felt alive for the first time. Not only was Alex his love who turned him on more than anyone ever had before, but Alex had the key to resistance in a meaningful way.

Getting into bed beside Alex, Mulder reached out to touch him. An eye opened for a moment than Alex mumbled something and reached for him.

Okay, sleeping in each other's arms wasn't as good as sex, but it was pretty nice.

Mulder tucked him face into Alex's neck, kissed the tender flesh, and fell asleep, hugging his lover as if he was a big teddy bear.

OooOooO

Mulder was having a beautiful dream. He was walking hand in hand with Alex and Samantha, a Samantha who was exactly as she was when she was lost, skipped in front of them, turning every once in  a while to tease, "Fox has a boyfriend. Fox has a boyfriend."

All Mulder could do was grin and hold Alex's hand even tighter. He woke remembering how happy he had felt. Alex was sitting up in bed, his face intense as if he was listening for something.

Hearing a car door slam, Mulder said, "It might be Frohike and Langly back."

"With Skinner?" Alex asked, standing up, naked and beautiful, to go to the window. He looked out cautiously and then nodded. "Yeah, it's them. No Skinner with them."

"No, Skinner's going to look into what happened to the smoking man or to his body," Mulder said. "Frohike and Langly gave him some information and he'll take it from there."

"He's probably not dead," Alex remarked. "He's turned back up before when we thought the bastard was finally where he belonged."

Coming around behind Alex, Mulder put his arms around him. Alex turned back slightly towards him, smiled, and reached an arm around to anchor himself to Mulder.

"It's probably a good thing if Spender shows up," Mulder said. "That way the worst they could peg your brother for is assault with a deadly weapon."

That was a lie, Mulder realized, thinking of the jacket he pulled up. Anson still had charges to face in two other deaths, the cop who tried to arrest him and the orderly who died during his takeover of the observation ward. Two deaths . . . the Mulder of a few years ago would have said that Anson had to face justice for them. This older and wiser Mulder had to consider that Anson was no ordinary criminal. His genetic code held secrets that were only starting to unlock.

Mulder tried to persuade himself that his decision was based solely on Anson's value to the struggle for heaven and earth and not on the fact that he didn't want to risk losing Alex by harming his brother. He wasn't entirely convinced, but his conscience died down to a dull roar.

Tugging Alex, Mulder said, "Come back to bed. You're still recovering. Come on you're shivering."

A gentle smile crossed Alex's face and he said, "It's been a long time since anyone worried about me. It feels good, Mulder. I could get used to this."

"You better," Mulder assured. "because I have you now and I'm never going to let you go."

"That sounds even better," Alex said, allowing himself to be guided back to bed.

One kiss, a long kiss, but by the time their lips parted, Alex was yawning and Mulder had to rein in his long sublimated id again. He promised himself when they were done with this . . . whatever this entailed . . . that he and Alex were going to honeymoon, go some place and make love for a week. Mulder smiled and went back to sleep on that thought.

OooOooO

Something wasn't right. Anson woke instantly, feeling his skin crawling as if something slimy and disgusting was slithering across it.

"They're here," Anson muttered to himself. He had to get his brother, his brother's lover, and Scully. NOW!

Dressing as he moved, Anson didn't have to think to find Alex. He used the instincts that had allowed him to find his brother in the first place. Plowing into the room, Anson yelled, "Alex, Mulder, get the fuck up. Those things are coming. Get up!"

Thank God that his brother's instincts were still to trust him. Alex rose, fully alert, and grabbing for a weapon. Anson shoved some clothes at him and at the groggier Mulder. "We got to go. We got to move now. I'll get your friends, Mulder."

The three geeks just about shit their pants when Anson kicked in their doors to get them moving. They gaped at him, each in turn, until he yelled, "You want those slimy things to crawl down your throat, keep staring. Otherwise, get the fuck moving."

Scully had heard the yelling. She came out, pulling her clothes on. Anson grabbed her and dragged her with him, moving toward the basement. The geeks said there was a tunnel down there that led to the woods. His guts told him that it was too late to exit by any other means.

Anson pushed Scully toward the steps, herding the nervous geeks in that direction too, and then waited for Alex. He wouldn't leave without his brother.

Alex appeared, looking stronger than he had before his interrupted rest. He was armed, as was Mulder. Anson needed a gun too. He was good with them. He had been a sharp shooter in the army.

Noise came from above. Of one accord, Anson and Mulder bolted the door to the basement. There was a fake wall. It wouldn't slow the invaders down by much once they got there, but every second counted.

Alex wasn't happy about Anson making him go ahead, but he was too smart to waste time arguing. He still didn't look well, but Anson knew that his brother wouldn't slow them down. The two of them were both hard to stop. Hard to kill too, Anson hoped.

The tunnel was deep and dark. Anson wasn't afraid of the dark himself although it had always bothered Alex since Mother locked him up in the closet or down the basement with no lights on. Mulder went up to take Alex's arm, guiding him through, reassuring him.

Maybe Mulder was okay. If his brother had to be gay, Anson added with a mental snarl. Mulder just better learn the difference between them. Even naked. Especially naked.

The woods were thick where they emerged. There was a bit of a trail, but thorns surrounded them closely.

"We're going to need a car," Frohike said. "There's nothing around here that's going to supply one."

"They have cars," Anson pointed out. "We need to circle around and get to them."

The blond one with the glasses, Langly, said, "You're fucking crazy."

"Is that a problem?" Anson asked.

"No, man, cool with me," the blond replied.

"We can't take that kind of chance," Scully argued.

"No choice," Mulder said. "Alex isn't up to a long run."

"I can do whatever I have to do," Alex said.

Mulder moved up next to Anson and said, "Here."

The FBI agent handed Anson a small gun, a back up to the sig he held ready. "Just don't shoot me with it, okay?"

"Deal," Anson said, checking to make sure it was loaded. He would get a larger weapon if he could.

OooOooO

Mulder still hoped to get out of this situation quietly. He was worried about Alex, who still needed his rest. Honestly, he was worried about Anson too. Not that he thought Anson needed protection. The question was would Anson hold up in firefight if it came to that or would he become as dangerous to his allies as to the enemy.

Actually, Anson looked happy for the first time since Mulder had met him. His eyes had a glow about them and he was almost smiling.

Surprisingly, Frohike could move silently in the woods. He was tougher than he looked and, despite all the bluster, the man could handle this situation.

Langly was in over his head. He looked like a scared rabbit, but was trying to keep up a brave front. This wasn't dungeons and dragons anymore and he seemed to have realized that a bad roll of the dice here meant permanent death with no chance at a new game.

Anson's plan as crazy as it sounded was the only one they had.

They crept along, trying to get to the road and thusly to the vehicles that had brought their attackers. Anson wiggled his fingers and said, "I can start any car. Don't need any keys."

"Great," Mulder muttered. "Now, shhh!"

Scully growled as a thorn snagged her sweater. "Damn it, Mulder. Why, why, do I let you drag me into these things."

Mulder looked back at her, amused despite the situation. His eyes opened wider as she raised her gun and aimed it at him.

A moment later, there was a grunt from behind him. Mulder whirled to see a thug dropping to the ground. Anson scurried forward, grabbing the gun that fell from the writhing man. He said gleefully, "More my style. I'm a big boy. I need a big gun."

A moment later, Anson's thick boot thudded into the wounded man's head. There was the sound of something breaking.

"Don't like all that screaming," Anson said.

Alex sprinted ahead, moving swiftly, his body following a constant varying zigzag.

"Alex, don't get ahead of us," Mulder warned, but Alex was in his own space, breathing hard, his eyes glittering with nerves, ready to do what he needed to do to survive.

Mulder realized why Alex had moved ahead in a moment. He pounced like a wild cat on a large man's back, pushing his head down. There was a glitter in a stray patch of moonlight, and then the stiletto flashed up and down. Mulder winced as he saw the metal twist and then Alex was jumping back.

"You see that, folks?" Alex said, "That's how you do it. Can't just shoot the shape shifters. Got to use the stiletto or something sharp and narrow."

"How the fuck we supposed to know which ones they are?" Langly complained.

"They smell different," Anson interjected. "I don't know why the rest of you can't sense it."

"Keep moving," Alex snarled. "Let Anson and I deal with the Oiliens."

Fuck, there was the return of the Alex, Mulder hated, that slightly superior, know it all persona that had always made Mulder need to hit him.

Alex looked his way, lifted a brow as if to challenge Mulder. Then his eyes softened, letting his feelings shine through his lovely eyes. Mulder took another look at his feelings and made himself accept Alex's leadership. The past had to die. Alex was the future.

Mulder moved up closer to his lover and muttered, "Alex, I'm willing to let you deal with the aliens, but there may be more of them then you and Anson can handle."

"Just kill'em all that way then," Alex answered.

Anson nodded and said, "Kill anyone dead, stabbing them like that." He grinned, white teeth gleaming.

"Your brother likes this all too much," Scully said.

"Anson does what he has to do," Alex replied, protectively.

There was nothing to say to Alex about Anson, Mulder realized. When he found out about Alex's twin, he had really thought that the answer to their problems was simple. Peg Anson for his assault on Spender and Alex was free. In fact, the harder that Mulder fell for his ex-partner, the easier it had been to consider letting the hammer fall for all of the crimes of which Alex had been excused. Now, however that was obviously not going to fly with Alex. Alex wouldn't let anyone harm his brother.

Alex's twin was demented, dangerous, if useful at times, Mulder admitted. Perhaps, Jeremiah Smith could do something for Anson, unravel the effects of trauma and help Anson become as stable as his brother Alex was . . . a thought that distantly amused Mulder. How many times had he called Alex a dangerous psychopath? Now, he knew the reality of what that looked like and it was not pretty. He felt sorry for Anson, really sorry, but the man was . . .

All of Mulder's musings went out the window as they stumbled into large group of their enemy. He wasn't sure how to handle them until he saw how Anson and Alex did it. Alex distracted, attacking from the front and Anson went in like a tiger from behind, efficiently dispatching the man.

Mulder didn't fully understand what he was doing, but when one of the large, blocky headed men grabbed him, he struggled until Scully produced a scalpel and stabbed the man in the neck with it. He whirled around to grab her, but instead crumpled.

Looking around, Mulder saw Langly in trouble with two of the creatures, but before he could act to help him, precise, kind natured John Byers stabbed one of the men in the neck with so much force that his head flopped over like a puppet with severed strings. Frohike's savage strike might have resulted in a messy situation, but he managed to kick the dying alien away.

There had been seven of the creatures, enough to overcome them, given that they were not all combat ready . . .

Byers and Langly were both puking their guts out to the side as if to prove that. Frohike snapped, "Stop that now. Langly, just pretend it's another of your freaking videos. Byers, for the love of God, you saved Langly's ass. You can live with that."

At least one of the creatures bled red blood, Anson was wiping his blade on its clothing. He said, "This one was human." He spat on the corpse. "Traitor. A human traitor."

"There are the vehicles they came out of," Alex said. "We'll take the Hummer. I always wanted a Hummer."

"Can I drive?" Anson asked.

"No," everyone yelled together as they piled into the Hummer.

OooOooO

The escape might have been too easy, but Alex's demonstration of true defensive driving showed that it was not some sort of trap. He slammed into first one vehicle and then another when they tried to block him. They were not armor-plated Hummers. One blew, taking the other with it. They drove down the road with no immediate pursuit.

"We make them sick and dizzy," Anson observed.

"What?" Mulder said.

"They're allergic to us," Anson replied. "That's why it was easy to kill them."

"You mean all of us or just you and your brother?" Mulder asked.

"Me and Alex mostly," Anson said. "They don't like your smell right now either. You have Alex all over you."

"Hey," Frohike said, "If that's true, we should make sure that we cover ourselves with your scent."

"No way in fucking hell," Langly said.

"It's not a bad idea," Scully said, moving closer to Anson. "If it distracts them, we should do it. Later on, if I can get some equipment, maybe we can isolate whatever chemical is having that effect on them. It may be a biological weapon."

Putting his arm around Scully, Anson said, "I'll take care of you, Scully. Don't worry."

Mulder smirked as his partner rolled her eyes, but he noticed Scully didn't move away from Anson.

"Smith said that we were a biological weapon," Alex mused. "I thought he was following the line of thought that we've taken twin telepathy to a higher level. Maybe it's more, a lot more."

"If we can get to Maine, will Scully be able to get equipment?" Mulder asked.

"Yeah," Alex said. "but first we have to dump this sweet piece of equipment and get a van or something. The Hummer will be too noticeable. We're going to need some money."

"I'll get us some," Alex said. "Just don't ask about it, Mulder."

"Oh my God," Scully said. "I'm in deeper and deeper."

OooOooO

Alex's untraceable money was obtained after a brief visit to an unattended business office where he used a computer briefly. A few hours later, Alex shoved what looked like a blank key card into an ATM and withdrew a volume of bills that surely must have exceeded any normal withdrawal limit.

When Mulder looked behind him, the ATM lights were blinking wildly until they went out.

His lover commented, "Those things take your picture, you know."

"I know," Mulder said.

Scully for once kept her own counsel and said nothing about being a witness to this illegal act.

They visited several used car lot before picking out a relatively new van. No one seemed concerned about the deal being paid in cash and there was minimal fuss about changing the title. Mulder noticed the paperwork hit the trash as they left. Alex must have been sniffing for a crooked dealer and this one fit his criteria nicely.

Anson was allowed to drive the Hummer until they found a part of the city that boasted a great deal of graffiti. Anson parked the car, leaving the keys in the ignition. As he hopped into the van, he said, "I'd give it five minutes to be jacked. Two hours before the parts hit the market."

"You lose,' Alex said, glancing in the mirror. "There it goes."

Sure enough, the Hummer's tires screeched as a happy inhabitant of the gang-infested streets made off with the unexpected bounty.

"Wow, that was quick," Anson said, putting out his hand to be slapped in congratulations.

"Aren't you worried that the Project might end up hurting that kid?" Scully asked.

"I think the Project might have its handful if it messed with the gangs in this neighborhood," Alex said. "I once hid out here. There were seven unsolved homicides in two weeks. The police didn't come down here unless it was a felony. Don't worry, Scully."

"Let me worry,' Scully said. "I already feel like I jumped down the rabbit hole."

OooOooO

The remainder of the trip was uneventful, almost relaxing. They stopped a couple of times in the hinterlands at motels, giving Mulder time to enjoy precious time alone with his lover, who was now entirely recovered from his injuries and healing.

Scully rode herd on the Gunmen and on Anson so it was surprisingly trouble free ride. At least, Mulder thought so until he woke the third day of the trip to find the van, Scully, Anson, and the Lone Gunmen gone.

Scully's note said they had gone out for breakfast, but the yellow pages in her room were open to pharmaceutical supplies. Alex pointed at the page before disposing of the book. He said, "I have a feeling we better be packed when they return."

Alex's feelings were as timely as always. Scully and her `boys' arrived back, yelled at Mulder and Alex to get into the van, and they took off as if they were being chased by half the police force. Mulder observed a large number of boxes that had not been there and said, "Scully, did you go shopping?"

"I want to be sure and have the equipment that I need when we get there," Scully said.

"You know, I never thought of you as having a criminal mind before," Mulder said.

"Live and learn," Scully said. "I'm adapting. As Alex keeps saying, there is only one right here, the right of the human race to survive by whatever means necessary."

As Scully spoke, four sets of eyes were fastened adoringly on her. The three Gunmen sighed and Anson put a proprietary hand on Scully's knee. "She's going make sure that I don't get in any trouble anymore."

As they reached the state line and crossed into Maine, they stopped at a Denny's restaurant to fill up on coffee and food. They had just been served when both Alex and Anson stood up, uneasily searching.

"Them?" Langly asked, blanching.

"No," Alex said. "Smith. I've been hoping he would show up."

His face as calm as ever, Smith approached and sat down. He looked at Alex and said, "Yes, I can help."

"What?" Mulder asked.

"Help my brother," Alex said, "Help him stabilize and heal just like he helped me restore my memories."

"And I will assist Scully," Smith said. "Eat. I have a great deal to share with you."

However, Smith had nothing informative to say until they finished eating. Both Anson and Alex bulked again when they approached the van. "Now, it's some of them," Alex said, taking out his stiletto.

"It's of no concern," Smith said. "I have rendered them unconscious. They are lab specimens for Dr. Scully. To find out if it is true that Alex and Anson have a secret weapon in their body chemistry."

The two bound and gagged bounty hunters might have been unconscious, but they still felt something. They struggled and moaned in their induced slumber, suffering more as time went on. Smith observed dispassionately and said, "I think that Anson is correct. He and Alex do have a detrimental effect on them."

"Why would their grandfather do something like that? I thought Spender was a collaborator?" Mulder said.

"Spender wasn't the only one tampering with genes and even he was inconsistent. I think when Anson and I were born, he actually thought of us as a potential weapon against the aliens. Later, he was afraid, too afraid to act," Alex said. "The Brit might have done it or even your father. Both of them wanted to resist."

"Or nature, your Mother Earth could have rebelled herself," said Smith. "Nature creates weapons out of biological material all the time. Mutations can be random, but sometimes they quickly fill gaps, so quickly that one had to wonder if there is something beyond chance acting."

"If it's true," Scully said, "We may have more than a defense. Alex and Anson might be a weapon that will drive them from Earth. If we can synthesize what their bodies are producing, we could spread it through the human race. We could make our bodies immune to the Oiliens."

"How can it be" Alex asked. "I was ridden by one of those creatures!"

"That may have been what triggered your body to start producing the chemical or it may be that it only worked after you and Anson contacted each other again," Scully speculated. "We can only hope that it's true. That there's hope."

With that, there was nothing more to say. The seven of them, humans with the fate of their race in their hands, Jeremiah Smith, the alien rebel, and the two hapless bounty hunters sped on into the night. Before them was the Consortium lab. If Alex was correct, it would provide safety and a means to find the truth about the twins.

As Anson took the wheel, Alex sagged into the seat beside Mulder. His hand found Mulder and they rode like that, mile after mile, holding hands, united.

OooOooO

Aqualegia's next.