PHANTOM SHADOWS - ROUND 2 PART 4

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Skinner pulled himself out of the hug. "Well, it's too late to go anywhere tonight. We may as well eat dinner...get a good night's sleep and cut out of here in the morning."

He turned away and went to the refrigerator door.

Scully dug her elbow into Alex's stomach - seemingly an accident - but both knew it wasn't. The red-head was reclaiming her territory.

Alex extricated himself from the three-way hug by casually stepping back a pace. "Right, like we'll be getting any sleep tonight in Dracula's castle." He said, leaning back against the kitchen counter. Green eyes watching closely, as Mulder and Scully continued to embrace each other.

Finally, Mulder released his partner. "Are you okay now?" He asked her tenderly, tucking an errant lock of hair behind her ear.

She nodded. "Yess...I'm all right." Mulder patted her arm then turned away to see what Skinner was pulling out of the fridge. As he did so, Scully shot Alex a triumphant smile.

Alex's eyes narrowed, but that was all he gave away in terms of betraying his displeasure. The rest of his features remained remarkably placid.

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The quad sat down at the dinner table, relieved, that for the time being, the entity seemed content to leave them alone.

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Sam needed to rest too. Leaving the ghosts, spiritual plane was exhausting. Fox Mulder's pure spirit, seemed to tiring him a more than usual. Just one more reason for the entity to seek his revenge against Fox Mulder and the other occupants.

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The foursome, three men and a woman, ate in silence. Well, three people ate. Alex avoided doing so by pushing the food around his plate. Creating small, eye pleasing potato peaks with his fork.

The quiet between them was strained and uncomfortable.

The clink and scrape of Alex's fork against his stone wear plate was irritating the hell out of Mulder. Finally, he cleared his throat. "So...what *did* the three of you experience when the ghost invaded your bodies?" He put his eating utensils down beside his plate and switched his gaze between the three. None of whom responded verbally.

Instead, Skinner flamed red, embarrassed by his vision of raping and murdering Krycek. He was humiliated by the excitement he had felt and the realness of the orgasmic released he had experienced. He lowered his eyes, refusing to look at anyone. He crammed another bite of chicken into his mouth.

And Scully only stared at Alex, hard and then scowled. She drew out the silence of the moment by taking an overly long drink of her milk.

Alex simply absorbed Scully's dirty look, turned his head and noted Skinners heat reddened face then leveled his lover an even look.

"Well?" Mulder questioned Alex again as he was the only one actually looking at him. His eyebrow was raised in expectation.

"Uhmmm...nothing." He whispered, "I saw nothing....." Alex dropped his fork and the stainless steal clattered as it hit the rim of the still full plate.

In an instant he was up and out the back door.

Mulder rose to follow.

"Let him go Mulder." Scully said blandly. "He expects you to chase him. Let him have some time."

Truth was, she was glad he'd left the table. She was tired of Krycek's accusing stares. Like *she* was the one who'd done something wrong.

Mulder looked to Skinner who only shrugged, his cheeks still pink, and went back to eating. The agent sank down in his chair and resumed eating.

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Alex angrily pushed the back door open and the wind slammed it close for him. A storm was brewing on the cape.

The rain pelted down, hitting Alex has he ran and washing over him in frigid cold sheets. But he welcomed the icy burn of the freezing rain drops. They extinguished the heat of his anger in his face. He ran from the sprawling back yard to around the front, where he passed the tree that was used to hang people. He stopped only when he was opposite the ominous timber, across the long and winding driveway that ran in front of the house.

The Russian stared to the house, it's brightly lit windows did nothing to comfort him, however. He did not want to step foot back in that place ever again.

The ghost had made him see a side of himself that he didn't think existed. Oh, he could kill people alright, but to harm Mulder's beloved Scully? No, *that* he couldn't do or could he? The entity had made him see that the only reason he didn't kill her was because it would upset Mulder...if the two partners should ever have a falling out, then, he would be more than happy to finish the job that crazy mother fucker Cardinale didn't...and that's what scared him.

That he was capable of outright cold blooded Murder.

The other killings he had done were necessary evils. Or so Alex had always told himself.

He stood near the cliffs edge, and eyed the black water. The tide of the ocean was on the rise and the poor weather forced the whitecaps to come crashing over the sandy beach; slamming dramatically into the rocks.

Alex watched the water unblinking..how easy it would be to just jump, to let the ocean take you into her chilled, wet arms and keep you safe for all an eternity, safe from the kind of hurt that ached in him right now.

The torrential rains had already drenched his thick sweatshirt, Alex's hair was wet enough to shampoo. But he didn't care...couldn't care. How could he possibly *care* about himself when the one person in the entire world that he truly, deeply loved did not return the same sentiments?

Despaired, Alex sank to the soggy ground and sat flat on his bum, facing the tumultuous Atlantic ocean. He wrapped his arms around his legs, trying to control the continuous shiver running through him and tried to think of what he was going to do next.

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As soon as he heard the thunder, Fox pushed his plate away and went to find his lover. He had given him 10 minutes alone, plenty of time to get his head together as far as he was concerned. It was dark, cold and raining out. Mulder was worried for his lover.

Alex Krycek was nothing if not dramatic.

As he walked away, Mulder heard Scully sigh heavily. But he ignored her and went to the mud room. He put on a coat and boots and then went to find Alex, noting as he passed the coat hooks that Alex's jacket was still hanging there; he grabbed it.

"Alex?" Mulder called.

Upon hearing his name. Alex slowly stood and turned to face his lover.

"I brought you your jacket." Mulder handed over the beat up leather to Alex, who took it but did not put it on.

"Thanks." Mumbled the freezing man.

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The smoker remained unnoticed - like a black cloud at midnight - in his car. He had seen Alex come running out, had heard the argument inside of the house. He was content to just sit back and watch the wet Russian stew in the rain.

But then his son joined the other, and the old man couldn't resist. He picked up a pair of night-scope binoculars and trained them on the two. He was disappointed that he could not hear what they were saying to each other. Though it was apparent by the look on Alex's face that he was upset about Mulder and Scully and the words of love that had passed between them.

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"What's the matter Alex?" Mulder asked. He watched his lover closely. A little concerned for the fact that the younger man had his back to the cliff, and wasn't that many feet away from the edge. Alex looked ravishing, as the wind whipping his wet sweatshirt at the hem while a thunder cloud boomed and lit up the sky behind him.

But Alex ignored mother natures presence. "What's wrong?" He parroted, annoyed that his lover didn't already know.

"Yeah. What's wrong?" Mulder was beginning to grow a little impatient himself by this time.

"You have to ask that?" Alex shook his head.

Maybe he really didn't know Mulder at all.

"Hello... Alex, I'm not a mind reader." Mulder exaggerated, stepping closer to the younger man. "I really don't know why you're mad at me?"

Alex shook his head. Fine Mulder wanted the truth, then he would get the truth.

"I'm angry because of what you said to Scully."

"Huh?"

"You want me to spell it out for you?" Alex hissed. Mulder looked back to him expectantly, so he went on. "Fine! Back there, in that house, I stood in the hall and listened as you told Dana how much you loved her. How the hell am I supposed to feel. I think pissed off is the appropriate response."

Mulder smiled, Alex was jealous, of course. "I don't love her that way and you know it. It's you I'm with."

"You're with me and *Skinner* you mean." Alex spit out bitterly.

"Alex...." Mulder started but he was cut off.

"Listen to me Fox. I heard you say to Scully, and I quote, *I do love you Scully, you're my best friend, my soul mate. You're one of the most important people in my life.* You did say that ... right Fox?" Alex crossed his arms defensively across his chest. The lighting illuminated up the whole night sky in behind him.

"Well, when you say it, sounds a little more serious than what I meant it to be." Tried Mulder, though it sounded lame even to his ears.

"Up until two hours ago, I thought that I fell under the category of best friend and soul mate...." Alex swiped the water off of his face. "That hurt when you said that Fox. But what really got me was when you told her that you couldn't even contemplate living your life with out her. You've never said that to me. No please, let me get this out..." Alex said, when Mulder tried to interrupt him again. "But what really cut me the most though ... the very most...is when you told her you loved her with everything you have. And when she commented that you were with me, the best you could come up with was that I've *been good to you*, and that how you felt about me *was a different kind of love*. Either you love me or you don't Fox. And right now it sure as hell feels like you don't."

Mulder closed the short distance between them and placed his hands on either side of Alex's cold face. "You're making it out to be more than what it was .... 'Lex.....It's you that I love. Only you."

Alex remained unconvinced. "Oh really. That's why you told Dana that there was *no greater love* than what you two had. What am I to you? Just a nice body you can fuck? Yes? No?" Said Alex when Mulder shook his head.

"Well, I think you're lying. And if you don't love me than I'm nobody." Finished the Russian quietly.

"That's not true...You're everything! Where is all of this coming from? Is that ghost in you again?"

Mulder was worried that the malicious spirt and invaded his beloved again. He was afraid that Alex would convince himself that Mulder didn't love him. When he told Scully all of those things, he had only wanted to soothe her fears; he had thought that they were alone.

"If you dump me then I go back to being all alone again. What do you think would happen if it was me that left you? You'd still have Scully...she's not going anywhere....that much is obvious." Alex stepped back away from Mulder and gestured angrily toward the house. "...Skinner will still be there, just waiting to get you all to himself...just like he's always wanted, no doubt about that. I'm not enough for you Fox, frankly, I need you more than you need me."

"Don't back up any more Alex..you're getting too close to the cliff...." Mulder was starting to get really afraid now, his lover was not that far away from the edge of the unprotected cliff. Should he grow angry and forget, Mulder could lose his hot headed Russian for good. "...You're my everything...I mean it....I don't know why you won't believe that. You're scaring me Alex...lets move away from the edge." Mulder said when his lover stepped backwards another pace, moving even farther away from him.

Finally, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief when Alex looked behind, then closed the distance between them. "Why are you having these doubts about us after all of this time?" Fox asked, calmer now.

Alex's voice grew soft, and Mulder had to strain to hear him, despite standing very close. The thunder rolled in faster and faster.

"If I was enough for you, then how come you had to play the games that you did and get Skinner into bed? If I'm enough for you, then how come a woman, your partner, is your soul mate?"

"Oh...Alex, I can't love a woman that way and you know it."

Alex had had enough, he just wanted to get away from this cursed property and away from Scully and Skinner. "Well you could have fooled me. You want to know what I saw? What my vision was?" Mulder nodded. "I had a knife and I used it on Scully. I flayed her chest wide open and then I turned my anger on you...I....raped you."

Alex hid his face behind his hands for a second then pulled them away and looked at Mulder directly in the eyes..."I'm scared Fox. I'm losing you to Skinner and Scully and I'm afraid of that goddamned place." Alex pointed toward the house, but he didn't look at it. " I refuse to spend one more night at the *Bates Motel*. Tonight, for a brief few seconds, I thought that I had murdered the love of my love's life.....I need to go to my place for a few days; to get myself together." He started to walk away, still holding his coat.

"Wait, Alex, please don't' leave...god please don't leave me!" Mulder grabbed Alex's arm and held him.

"I have too Fox. You know where I am. When you figure out what it is that you want, come and let me know. I'll be waiting." Alex leaned in and kissed his lover softly on the mouth. He ran the pad of his thumb over Mulder's soft lips then gave him a peck on the tip of his wet nose. Turning away, he walked slowly toward where his car was parked.

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Mulder stared after Krycek's car long after the tail lights had faded. The Russian had just up and left. With out even bothering to pack his clothes. He couldn't believe it, his lover had really up and gone.

The rain sluiced over Fox, and finally, tired of being wet and miserable, he decided to do something about the wet part and trudged back toward the house.

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The smoking man watched the whole, animated, but silent exchange. When Alex left in his car, the old man was surprised. He kept his eyes peeled on his son after Krycek had gone. Once his boy headed inside, the smoker lit up another cancer stick and smiled, for surely, Mulder would tell the other two in the house what was going on.

Spender loved listening in to others.

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"Where's Krycek?" Skinner asked. He pulled the plug in the sink and peeled off his rubber gloves.

"He won't come back into the house. He told me what his vision was, and it frightened him enough that he just left. He's going back to his place for a few days." Mulder didn't want to tell Skinner the rest of the story.

Walter hung up the dishtowel and crossing the room quickly, he wrapped his arms around Fox. "Mmmm..." He said, nuzzling the younger man's neck. "I guess I've got you all to myself tonight...."

Mulder froze, isn't that exactly Alex had said the AD wanted? He squirmed out of Skinner's warm arms, "Not tonight Walter. It wouldn't be right with out Alex here too."

"What?" Skinner asked, amazed that Mulder, who had gone to such great lengths to get him into bed in the first place was turning him down.

"I don't think we should make love until I work things out with Alex." With that, Mulder turned and left the kitchen.

"Work out what things?" Skinner asked Mulder's retreating back. But he received no response.

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The cigarette smoking man stubbed his butt out in the overflowing ashtray.

So Mr. Krycek was going to be alone for a few days, well that was a pleasant stroke of luck.

He started his car and drove down the winding road with his headlights off; so he would not be noticed. The howling wind would cover the noise of his engine. Spender was unafraid of driving in the dark, in spite of the storm.

The smoking man desperately wanted Krycek and his son under his complete control. Alex was going to be alone, so now was as good as time as any to get what he wanted. Fox, he would grab while the FBI agent searched for his missing lover. Spender smiled and lit another cigarette.

He had some business to take care of before he could contemplate snatching Krycek. The was no point in taking the men unless he was going to use them sexually. For him to enjoy Alex and Fox, he needed look after impotency problems. And he knew just where to go to get such *things* fixed. The alien colonists owed him more than one favor. He was positive that they would be able to do something for him to increase his virility along with his cock size.

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A gigantic dose of Alien Viagra. That's what the colonists gave him.

At first, Spender was afraid that the greys were putting one over on him, as they explained to him what they were capable of doing.

He should have known already that they wouldn't lie to him; they don't know how too. Three grey scientist had performed a painless, bloodless procedure in the time span of 90 minutes, and then he was done.

Now here Spender stood, naked in front of his main bathrooms' floor to ceiling mirror. He was admiring his new body. The Aliens didn't just stop at giving him what could only be described as magnificent genitalia, but they had even been so kind as to shave off a full thirty years in what Spender liked to think of as an all over *body lift and exchange*.

He turned this way and that, admiring the little grey creatures handi-work. The deeply creased wrinkles that once lined his face, had all but disappeared. Save for a few tiny, fine lines at the corners of his large brown eyes. His grey hair transformed to a deep brown, and Spender was amazed to be staring at the face and body of his other son, Jeffrey, now deceased. He smiled, he never realized just how handsome his younger boy really was. Spender liked the new and improved version of himself.

A large man, the smoker had seen his once trim frame slowly increase, a couple of pounds at a time, year after year. But that too, had been taken care of in his operation. At six feet two, Spender now weighed a more natural 200 pounds; instead of 235. His whole frame was trim and taught with muscle definition over most of his now, 34 year old body.

As he studied his new form, Spender wondered why he had never taken the time when he was in his thirties to enjoy himself - to have a little fun.

Well, he had them to do over again, and this time, he would linger over every moment and indulge his every whim.

The aliens informed him after the operation, that he didn't have long to live a year or two at most. Which was why the gifted their reliable, traitorous agent with the unique present of their special operation.

Spender, would not squander such a extraordinary gift. His own impending immortality made sure of it. Along with his new outer shell, the greys had introduced nanites into the smoker's blood system, making him twice as strong as he average man.

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He wrapped his fist around his large, fat cock and stroked himself a couple of times really hard. His response to the stimuli was immediate. A few powerful thrusts later, with visions of Alex on his knees before him, naked and leashed, Spender erupted. His body sent out jet after jet of hot white cum.

He smiled at his reflection, pleased on top of everything else, with his newly gained sexual prowess.

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Spender sat, in the early hours of pre-dawn, at his dining room table, sipping coffee and smoking a cigarette. He was not tired at all, and on his mind were his son and his spit-fire lover. He had to get both of them, somehow. He would start with Alex first, as he was the most easily accessible.

Alex was all alone, in a decrepit apartment in a seedy part of town.

"Talk about setting one's self up." Spender said out loud, grinding out his butt in a Lalique crystal ashtray.

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By the time the week winter sun started to rise, Spender knew exactly what to do to get Alex. It would take more time and extra careful planning to get his son all alone. But he would succeed, eventually.

For now, Spender locked the lurid and incestuous thoughts that he harbored for his son and concentrated on Alex Krycek alone. And for the third time in as many hours, the renewed man reached inside of his robe and masturbated himself to another explosive climax.

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Alex pulled into his seldom used parking space in the unprotected underground lot of his building. His key unlocked the service elevator, which everyone used to get to their apartments from the lot. The metal grating clanged shut and the old machine creaked it's way slowly upward, toward the top floor of the converted warehouse where Alex live.

Once inside, the Russian hung up his jacket and then turned a slow circle in the centre of the large, spacious one room loft, looking all around himself. The place smelled dusty, so he lit a few candles. He went to his fridge, pleased to see that though the milk was bad and his cream too, he still had yoghurt that was well within it's shelf life. He pulled a black cherry Yoplait out and let his stainless steel door go.

Tomorrow he would have to go shopping, but tonight, the yoghurt would be enough. He lounged back in his favorite canvass lawn chair, and staring into the hypnotic flame of the coconut scented candle, he thought about he and Mulder and what his lover had said.

Mulder said that he loved him... and only him. But Alex was having a hard time swallowing that. Especially after what Mulder had confided to Scully. At one time, Alex would never had doubted Mulder or his word, but now, he just didn't know anymore. Since the addition of Skinner into their relationship, everything had changed.

Alex's shivering returned, the rain and wind had chilled him to the bone. He stood and picked up a flickering candle. A hot bath by candle light was just what he needed right now, that and a goodnights' sleep in his own bed.

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Hours later, with the new dawn beginning to rise, Alex was pulled from his dreamless sleep by loud pounding on his door. He sat up and listened for a second then smiled, Fox must have come. Alex quickly clamored out from underneath his warm down quilt and reached for a pair pajama bottoms. He pulled on the light cotton covered with pictures of Taz and Bugs Bunny then went for his steel door. He opened it and saw, not his lover, whom he already missed, but Jeff Spender. Jeff had disappeared with out a trace over a year ago.

"Jeff?" Asked Alex. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in Alex?" Spender passed the threshold into the Russian's apartment, under the guise that he was the Jr. Spender and not the Sr version.

Alex locked the door. "Where have you been? And how did you find this place?" He was completely shocked, never in a million years would he have guessed that Jeffrey would be standing in his living room.

Spender smiled and lit a cigarette. He sat in a lawn chair, ignoring Alex's frown over the second hand smoke. "Do you even have to ask? I am my father's son after all."

"True." Alex pulled on his robe and went into the kitchen, where he put on a pot of coffee. He relaxed, it was only Jeff Spender in his apartment after all. Jeff Spender, who couldn't even kill an alien with out his help.

Over coffee, Alex would get everything he could out of Jr. about where he had been and what he had been up to while there....Any thing Alex could get on that smoking bastard would be ammunition.

Spender blew a plume of smoke out, knowing full well that Alex found his son to be no threat. That was good, because the second that Alex relaxed - just like the bunny in the python tank when it finally settles down - the smoker intended on striking. In his pocket was an aerosol can of chloroform...the technology these days was great. Along with the spray, he also had a pair of handcuffs wrapped tightly inside a black leather hood. The hood had a zipper down the back and sported neither eye nor mouth holes...only two small gaps at the nostrils for air. With his new found strength, carrying a big guy like Alex Krycek would be no problem for him. Certainly none of the Russian's ever partying neighbors would even be close to waking up at this early hour, so risk of being seen was slim to nil.

"Yes, life is finally getting good" Thought Spender to himself as he drew in another drag off of his cigarette, watching Alex pour coffee between lust-narrowed eyes.

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Demi-X

Jo's next. I'd like to thank her for her *guidance* with this chapter.