Eli_Anne r4-p3

***

Skinner pulled Mulder into another bear hug. "Fox, I don't want you going anywhere near your apartment until this thing is figured out - it's not safe."

"But, Walter…" Mulder started, his voice muffled against Skinner's chest.

"That’s an order, Agent Mulder. I'm going back to my office and get in touch with the Agent in Charge of this investigation."

Mulder drew away from Skinner's arms, his face pale. "You can't tell them about this - you can't! It's too embarrassing!" He slumped back down into his chair, burying his face in his arms.

Skinner started gently massaging the back of Mulder's neck. "It'll be OK, baby," he said softly. "I'll start out very general, and hold off on any details until we get some more concrete evidence. I promise, Fox, I'll protect you." He leaned down to place a kiss at the nape of Mulder's neck. Mulder sat up, grabbing Skinner's hand and holding it against his cheek.

"Thanks, Walter. I love you," he said, looking up into Skinner's eyes, his own shining with unshed tears.

"I love you too, baby," Skinner answered, quickly kissing Mulder's lips; he left the basement office, stalking out like a giant lion on the Serengeti Plain. Mulder watched his lover go before turning his attention back to the picture of the Mercy club.

***

J. Edgar Hoover Building
FBI HQ
Monday, November 29, 1999
11:00 a.m.

Mulder was staring at his computer screen frustrated; he had just gone through over 100 profiles, trying to find one that would match Bill's killer. He barely looked up as a young woman opened his office door, pulling a cart filled with mail and packages behind her.

"Good morning, Agent Mulder," she said shyly, batting her eyes at the handsome agent.

"Hi, Susan. How was your Thanksgiving?" Mulder grinned at her. Susan had a crush on him; it was sweet. She was so young and innocent, wearing her heart on her sleeve. He was like that once, Mulder thought.

"Wonderful - all my brothers and sisters were there. And you?"

"I spent it with a friend of mine - then I went shopping."

"Shopping? Are you wearing some new clothes? I don't think I've seen that tie before."

"Yes, it's new. Take a closer look." He got up and moved toward her so she could look at his tie. She took it in her hand, admiring it for a while.

"It's beautiful, Agent Mulder," she said, smiling up at him.

"Ah, Miss Graves, any mail for us today?" Susan jumped at the sound of Agent Scully's voice. She was afraid of the ice queen.

"Yes, ma'am, there is. A couple of things for you, and an interoffice envelope for Agent Mulder."

"Thanks, I'll take them. It looks like you have a lot of mail to deliver, Miss Graves." Scully stared directly at Susan. The young woman dropped Mulder's tie and quickly gave them their mail. As she pushed the cart out of the office, she smiled at Mulder again.

"Perhaps you can show me some of your other purchases, Agent Mulder, when we're not so busy."

"Sure, that'd be nice." Mulder winked at Scully; he noticed the dirty look Susan gave Scully as she left the office. He laughed out loud at the sight.

"Mulder, why do you always lead her on? She's way too young and air-headed for you!"

"Scully, a man likes a woman who treats him nicely, and she treats me very nicely indeed."

"Can it, buster - I'll bring you up on charges if you even look at her again!"

"Scully, your betrayal cuts me to the bone," Mulder said mockingly, clutching his hand to his heart and falling back in his chair in despair.

"You're incorrigible!" Scully exclaimed as she threw Mulder's mail at him. He laughed as he picked it up off the floor.

"And you're jealous!"

"So, what did you get?" She asked. She flipped through her mail, deciding most of it was trash. "Mulder? What's in the interoffice?

"Mulder, answer…" Scully dropped her mail when she turned and saw Mulder sitting on the floor, pale and moaning, clutching his chest tightly.

"Mulder, what's wrong!" She yelled as she ran over to him. He was shaking badly. "Mulder, what's wrong!" She repeated.

"Get Skinner…" he finally gasped out.

"OK, Mulder, just hold on." Scully ran the phone, her hands shaking as she dialed Skinner's office number. Kim, Skinner's assistant, answered.

"I have to talk to Skinner, Kim. It's an emergency."

"I'm sorry, Agent Scully, he's in a meeting right now. I can have him call you back."

"NO! I have to talk to him NOW! There is something wrong with Agent Mulder."

"OK, I'll see if he'll take your call; hold on."

Scully nervously tapped the phone as she watched Mulder on the floor. He'll pass out soon, she thought, as she saw him start to hyperventilate.

"Agent Scully?" a gruff voice said on the phone.

"Oh, thank god, Sir - you have to come down here immediately - Mulder is having some sort of panic attack. He got something in the interoffice mail that I think might be relevant to the Patterson case - but I can't get to it. He's in shock, I think."

"I'll be right down, Scully," Skinner replied as he slammed the phone down.

"Mulder, Skinner's on his way. Here, breathe into this," she said as she held the bagel bag over his mouth. He grabbed her hand tight as he tried to slow his breathing down. His hands were ice cold. Once he started breathing normally, she took the bag away; she gently pushed his head down until it was between his knees. "Relax, Mulder, I don't want you to faint."

Scully was massaging his neck when Skinner came barreling through the office door, throwing the door open wide. Both Scully and Mulder jumped at the sound. Skinner dropped to the ground breathlessly.

"What happened, Scully?" he gasped.

"We just got the mail delivery, and he was reading what he had gotten in an interoffice envelope. I don't know who it is from, but considering the other envelope he got last week, I think it was from Patterson's murderer."

"Other envelope?"

"Ask Mulder later, sir. We need to see what's in this letter."

Mulder had calmed down enough to sit up again; he leaned his head back against the wall with his eyes closed. Skinner saw the yellow interoffice envelope and another sheet of paper clasped to Mulder's chest.

"Mulder, let me see that."

"Please, don't. I can't - it's…it's…too…" Mulder started to cry as he pulled the envelope closer to his chest. Scully didn't know what to do - she looked at Skinner, hoping he would have an idea. She was stunned when she saw Skinner slip his arm around Mulder's back and pull him close in a hug. He started stroking Mulder's hair and speaking softly to him. She couldn't understand what he said, but she was struck by the tenderness with which Skinner calmed her partner down. Her eyes went wide as she realized that they must be lovers.

"Sir, are you and Mulder…" Skinner cut her off.

"Yes, Scully, Mulder and I have an…intimate relationship."

"Oh," she replied, not knowing what else to say.

"I hope you won't let this go beyond this office, Scully. At least right now, because of the murders."

"Yes, sir, I understand. Do you want me to leave?"

"No, Scully, don't go," Mulder said, looking up at her with haunted eyes. He had adjusted his position so his arms were wrapped around Skinner's waist, his head nestled against Skinner's broad shoulder. "You should probably both read the letter I got, but I'm so ashamed of everything that happened between Patterson and I - and this is just the icing on the cake. Notice the paper it's on, Scully."

Scully picked up the letter he had dropped onto the floor; it was a computer printout on personalized paper. At the top of the paper it read 'Paranoid Rantings from the Underground Bunker of Fox Mulder'. "I don't understand, Mulder. Why is the paper significant?"

"That paper was a gift from the Gunmen - a joke - I keep it in a drawer in my desk at home."

"So, like the email earlier, it was sent from your apartment," said Skinner, mulling over the implications.

"Yes. But if you read it, he wrote and printed it out last night or early this morning - and he was in the apartment when I was there last night!" Mulder began to shake again and Skinner hugged him even tighter.

"Scully, read it aloud - how does Mulder know the murderer was in his apartment last night?" said Skinner.

"OK, I'll read it."

Mulder had hidden his face against Skinner's chest as Scully read the letter; he couldn't look at either of them.

"Mulder, Bill's death was not your fault," Skinner said, stroking Mulder's hair.

"I…I know, sir, but reading that letter…and he was watching me last night! And then followed me to your place. He could have really hurt you!"

"Mulder, I think it's you we have to be concerned about. This man is obviously deranged," Scully said as she closely examined the paper.

"You're right Agent Scully; this has really escalated. Scully, I want you to go to the agent in charge of the murder investigation and tell them that we have reason to believe Mike Hatter - he's a retired FBI agent - may be in danger. And that it appears our UNSUB is targeting agents that worked for Patterson in the BSU. Then tell them that the UNSUB has made contact with us and may have been in Mulder's apartment. They'll want to take a team over there - make sure you go too."

"Yes, Sir. And what are we going to do with Mulder?"

"I don't know yet. He obviously can't go back to his place - or mine. He'll have to stay here for a while."

"Sir, this letter was sent from INSIDE the FBI - how do you know Mulder's safe here?"

"We'll park him in the office down the hall from mine."

"Wait a minute," said Mulder as he extracted himself from Skinner's embrace and got to his feet. "I'm going to work with the team to look into this. Somehow I sparked all this is this guy's head, so I'll be the one who will figure it out. I'm not going to be put in a glass box and watched!"

"Mulder, that's not what I'm suggesting. It's just that…" Skinner started.

"No. I will work on the investigation!"

Skinner looked at the new look of determination on Mulder's face. There would be no stopping him now.

"Scully, I still want you to go to the investigation team."

"Yes, sir," she said as she left the office.

"Mulder, I'll let you work on the investigation but on two conditions."

"What conditions?"

"The first is that you won't go anywhere alone - we don't know who this guy is and he knows way too much about your movements and the FBI to make it safe for you to go anywhere alone."

"And the second?" he replied sarcastically, fuming at the restriction.

"Tell me about you and Patterson and this club. It might be the only way we'll figure out who this nut is before he hurts you." Skinner pulled Mulder close again, wrapping his arms around his back. "Now that I finally have you, I don't want to lose you," he said quietly.

Mulder put his arms around Skinner's neck and gave him a kiss. "I know you don't. I don't want to lose me either - or us."

"Let's sit down here and you can tell me." Skinner locked the office door, then pulled Scully's chair over to Mulder so he could be close by his side.

"OK," replied Mulder, as he shut his eyes, remembering back to that weekend.

"Patterson and I had been together for one and a half years, and I think our relationship was starting to fray around the edges…"

***

Patterson's apartment
April 27, 1988
10:00 p.m.

"Fox, you're late," Bill said, angrily slamming the front door shut.

"I know, I was working on the case. You know, the one YOU assigned to me!" snapped Mulder as he threw himself on the couch. He was still in his suit since he had come straight from the office.

He was so sick of everything - sick of the FBI, sick of Bill, and most of all sick of himself. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to get up the nerve to break up with Bill. But tonight would be different - the case he had been working on was a real doozy and Hatter was riding him harder then he'd ever done before. They had almost come to blows tonight arguing about how to pursue this case. His nerves were shot and he just didn't want this anymore.

"Don't snap at me. I don't like that," Bill said quietly. He didn't like it when Fox talked back to him so insolently. He had been doing that a lot lately. Their sex life was just as good as ever, but they weren't getting along outside the bedroom. Bill knew he had to put a stop to this, but had been hesitant to exert his authority again. He had almost lost Fox a few months ago when he had laid down the law. Luckily, Fox had finally relented and they were fine. It looked like he'd have to do the same tonight.

"Bill, we need to talk," Mulder said.

"About what?"

"I…I think we should spend some time apart. You know, things have been a little rough lately, and I thought going our separate ways for a little while might give us some breathing room." Mulder looked up at Bill, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Are you…breaking up with me?" Bill replied, not believing what he heard.

"I guess you could call it that." Mulder started to feel a little nervous at Bill's calm exterior.

"I don't believe you."

"You don't believe me? What does that mean?"

"It means I don't believe you. Time apart is never good for a relationship."

"What? That doesn't make any sense."

"I know what makes sense - you're seeing someone else, aren't you? You're cheating on me." Bill moved closer to Mulder, leaning over him with a menacing face.

"I'm not seeing anybody else, Bill. I promise. I just feel like I want some time to myself." Mulder felt himself sink into the couch.

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" screamed Bill as he slapped Mulder hard across the face. "Why else would you say these things? Tell me who he is!" Bill grabbed Mulder's lapels and yanked him out of the sofa. He shook him a little and stared him straight in the eye. "Who is he?" he said softly.

"There is no other man, Bill. I've been faithful to you, honest." Mulder tried to pry Bill's hands off his jacket, but he couldn't do it. He looked at the anger in Bill's eyes and began trembling. "Please, Bill, let me go. Forget I said anything. I don't want to break up, I'm just tired."

"Oh, you're just tired, eh? Well I'm tired too. Tired of your moods, your lies, and your prima donna behavior. I think I need to teach you a little lesson."

Patterson dragged Mulder into the bedroom. Mulder was surprised as the strength Bill exhibited considering how much older he was. He couldn't get himself loose. Before Mulder could do anything, Bill had tied his arms to the end posts of the footboard; he was lying on the bed face down, his feet resting on the pillows. He started ripping Mulder's clothes.

"Bill, what are you doing?" Mulder squirmed as he was stripped naked.

"Something I should have done a long time ago. I don't take kindly to my boyfriend cheating on me. Like I said, I need to teach you a lesson." Patterson disappeared into the closet. Mulder struggled to release his arms; he stopped when he saw what Patterson had in his hand - a long, thick leather strap that looked worn.

"Bill, please don't. I didn't cheat on you - there is nobody else. I promise! Please don't hit me with that!" pleaded Mulder.

"Why would you want to break up with me then? I've given you everything - love, sex, and a good job at the FBI. There is no other reason I can think of that you'd want to leave me. Therefore, there is another man in your life. See, I can profile too!" Bill laughed as he took a few practice swings with the strap. "You have to learn that there is only me - I'm the only man in your life. I'm the only one who can kiss your lips, who can fondle your penis, who can push my cock between your round ass cheeks and sink into that tight asshole of yours. Me. Only me. Do you understand?" Bill started smacking Mulder's buttocks with the strap - not hard enough to do damage, but hard enough to hurt.

"Ow! Stop! Please, Bill!" cried Mulder as his body spasmed at each stroke.

"You haven't answered me yet, Fox. Do you understand?" He continued to bring the strap down onto his lover's body moving between his back and buttocks. He started exerting more force with each stroke, enjoying the red welts that appeared.

"Yes, I understand Bill. You're the only one," sobbed Mulder.

"Who was fucking you, then? Was it Statler? I've seen you talking to him - I know how he looks at you. Maybe you were in a threesome with him and his boyfriend?"

"No, Bill, no!"

"Or maybe that muscle-bound freak from New York, Agent Skinner? He's been in D.C. a lot lately."

"Nooo," cried Mulder.

"I can't stand the thought of you kneeling on the floor, begging Agent Skinner or Agent Statler to fuck you like the horny slut you are. You're no better than a bitch in heat, crying out for any randy stud to come and plunge his hard-on into your ass. It's probably been an assembly line in the FBI basement, you lying on your stomach over some desk as an endless line of horny agents fuck you senseless. Isn't that right? All of them laughing at me, laughing that they all get to fuck Patterson's whore and he doesn't know it!" Patterson stood breathless, staring at Mulder's sobbing body. He dropped the strap to the ground and sat on the bed next to Mulder and started stroking his hair.

"I…I promise, Bill, I haven't been seeing anybody else. I promise!" choked Mulder between sobs.

"Are you sure?" Bill said quietly, sliding his hand down Mulder's back and buttocks, feeling the heat from the welts. He smiled as Mulder's body jerked in response, whimpering in pain. He began to finger Mulder's anus with his left hand.

"I'm sure," replied Mulder, trying to ignore the feeling of Bill's fingers.

"And you don't want to break up, do you?" Bill slipped additional fingers into Mulder's ass and started stroking his prostate gland.

"No." Mulder moaned involuntarily, feeling his penis start to swell.

"I'm going to untie you, then we're going to make love." Bill moved to untie Mulder's hands. He knew that this would be a moment of truth. Mulder would get up and leave, ready to press charges, or he would lie there obediently, ready to be fucked despite the pain he was in. He felt sure that scenario number two would play out - he was almost positive that his hold over his agent was complete. But, sometimes people could surprise you. He finished removing the bonds and sat back on the bed.

Mulder groaned as Bill untied his hands - he hadn't realized how he had been pulling on them. He lay there for a few moments contemplating what to do next. He should get up and punch the daylights out of Patterson, but he couldn't. He knew deep inside that Patterson was right. He hadn't had an actual lover, but he had dreamt about it enough times that in his heart he felt he had cheated on Patterson. He was a slut, a horny bitch. He deserved this kind of punishment. He remained on his stomach, hiding his face in his hands.

Bill smiled as he saw Mulder surrender inside. He quickly removed his clothing and straddled his errant lover, plunging his cock home without any preparation. Mulder cried out in pain as Bill grabbed his hips and slammed his ass back. The welts throbbed at the force of the fucking. Mulder submitted to the fucking, hiding his face in the bed.

***

Patterson's apartment
April 28, 1988
12:00 a.m.

"Fox, put these on." Patterson threw a bag at Mulder who still lay on the bed. He lifted his head and sat up painfully; his back was stiff from the strapping he had received earlier.

"What is this?"

"Just put it on. We're going out."

"Going out? But it's Wednesday night!"

"So? Just do as I say," Bill said, exasperated at his lover.

Mulder sighed as he got out of bed. He pulled some clothing out of the bag - leather pants and a T-shirt. "You want me to wear this?"

"Put it on, or we'll never get anywhere!"

"OK, OK, I'm putting it on."

"Don't wear any underwear, Fox. Just put that stuff on."

"Fine." Mulder sat on the edge of the bed to pull the pants on; they were stiff, and he got them to his hips but they didn't seem to go any higher.

"These pants don't fit," he said, turning to show Bill.

"Yes, they do. You just don't know how to put them on." Bill came around the bed and grabbed the waist of the pants. He pulled hard on them and they inched their way up. He finally pulled them up to Mulder's waist. "See? They do fit. They're supposed to be snug."

"Snug? They'll cut the circulation off to my legs!" Mulder said as he strained to pull the fly closed. He finally succeeded; he wasn't surprised to see that his penis was clearly outlined along his leg.

"The leather will soften up as your body heat warms it. You'll be fine." Bill looked down at Mulder's crotch and smiled when he saw the prominent bulge. Mulder was fiddling around with the T-shirt.

"I think you got this in the wrong size too. It's tiny." He held up a shirt that he was sure would fit only on a doll.

"It's designed to stretch. It's small so it can be form fitting. Quit complaining and put it on." Patterson was done dressing; he had on jeans, boots, and a leather bomber jacket. He watched as Mulder slipped the T-shirt over his head. The fabric was semi-sheer, and he could see Mulder's nipples easily.

"Hey, this only comes down halfway," Mulder said. The T-shirt stopped right below his pecs, leaving his abdomen bare. The low-riding pants displayed his lower abs nicely.

"It's perfect. Let's go."

"This is all I'm wearing?"

"Yes, let's go," Bill said, taking Mulder's arm and dragging him out.

***

Mercy Club
April 28, 1988
12:45 a.m.

"I don't think I want to go in there," said Mulder, pulling back on Bill's grip. The men coming in and out of the place with no name looked frightening. Several of them spotted the newcomers and sauntered over.

"Well, look at this tasty piece of flesh. What's your name, beautiful?" said a man with few teeth, little hair, and an appalling body odor. He wrapped his arm around Mulder's naked abdomen and pulled him close. "Let me be the first to have a go at you, sweetie."

"He's mine," said Patterson as he pushed the interloper away. "No one touches him but me." He glared at the other men as he put his arm possessively around Mulder's waist. The others backed away as they walked toward the entrance of the club.

"Bill, please don't make me go in there, please," Mulder pleaded softly, trembling at the thought of what was going on in there.

"Fox, I just want you to see what will happen if you try to break up with me again. I punished you in privacy this time; next time, it'll be here."

"Here?" gasped Mulder as they walked inside.

***

J. Edgar Hoover Building
FBI HQ
Monday, November 29, 1999
12:00 p.m.

"Mulder, are you all right?" Skinner asked gently. Mulder had stopped talking. His eyes were closed and his face was pale.

"It was horrible inside; I can barely stand the memories. And to think that Bill meant to bring me to that place to punish me…"

"Oh, Fox, he had no right to do any of that. I thought you told Scully that he hadn't hurt you."

"Well, he didn't really. Not like those guys in the club would have."

"Fox, he beat you though, he was abusive - as bad as any wife batterer!"

"Don't you think I know that! I knew all of this then, too! But it didn't make any difference. In my heart I knew I deserved it all - deserved even more. He was right, he had given me everything. And I repaid him with a bad attitude. I drove him to do what he did."

"I can't believe I'm hearing these words out of your mouth! When this is over, Mulder, I want you to get some help." Skinner reached over to grab Mulder's hands. "If you don't work through this, you'll never be released from the past. I don't want anything to hurt our relationship - if we have to pull back and wait, I will."

"No, please don't say that!" Mulder said, gripping Skinner's hands tightly. "You're right. At least, intellectually I know that."

"I know. But you also need to feel it in your heart."

Mulder stared at the ground for a few moments. "You're too good to me."

"No - that's not true. You deserve everything and everyone to be good to you."

"Thank you."

"I hate to keep pushing, but we really need to finish going over your first night at the Mercy. The killer obviously saw you there."

"You're right. As we walked inside, I couldn't believe my eyes…"

Jo's next!