Title:  If Alex Fell: Fate
Author:  Frohike
Email:  frohike51@aol.com
Rating:  R
Category:  Krycek/other romance
Spoilers:  Don't think there's anything in there to spoil your dinner…um…viewing
experience, I mean.
Distribution:  Anywhere you'll have me.  Just leave my name and email address
intact and drop me a line so I can come and visit.
Disclaimer:  Alex isn't mine, damn it! He belongs to the Master of Yuppie
Morbidity and 1013 Productions.  You Can Close Your Eyes by James Taylor, is
reprinted without permission and with no malice aforethought.  Any brand names
mentioned are registered trademarks, a fact I would have indicated within the
text, if I could figure out how to make the little registered trademark thingie. 
I've stolen bits and pieces of Monty Python routines; again, no malice intended. 
Spam for the house!  Alias Smith and Jones was a real TV show; you can catch it
on TVLand, if you're so inclined.  All movies mentioned are also real and
available at low budget video stores everywhere. Harlan Ellison belongs to
himself.  Katie, Matthew and Tyler are mine all mine.

This is part one of a series that will go on until I can't stand it anymore.
Thanks to Mim for reading this at every stage of its inception.

Feedback: Yes, please.  Praise will make my day. Flames will be used to lure
Alex to my door.  Either way, I win.  Can you say 'incendiary device'?  Sorry,
inside joke.  Talk to me people.


Late October, 2000

She turned her collar up against the biting wind.  The weather had taken a turn
for the worse in the last half -hour.  Not a great time to be out for a late
night stroll, but something tugged at her and staying home only made it worse. 
Some nights were like that, a nagging sensation that refused to go away until
she walked it out; too many thoughts, too many ideas, too many nights alone
contributing to the general frustration and emptiness in her life.  The back
streets of town were no place to be alone this late, but this was her home and
she knew every turn, every corner, every inch of the darkness, by heart.  The
streets gave her a sense of security and belonging.  She could close her eyes
and shut out the loneliness.

A loud clap of thunder startled her out of her reverie.  Her nose had barely
registered the telltale smell of ozone, when second clap sounded.  She picked up
the pace, hoping to get back home before the rain began.  Around the next
corner, she could cut through the alley behind Bandits, a local pool hall/pub.

A few feet from the corner, she heard a shot and pressed herself up against the
brick wall of an office building.  Her writer's sense of humor kicked in as she
watched two men run from the alley and disappear down the street.  'It was a
dark and stormy night.  Suddenly a shot rang out,' she thought with a grin.  The
grin faded as she rounded the corner and saw a body slumped against the
dumpster.  Without a second thought, she ran toward it.  The man was breathing,
but unconscious.  His left arm was dangling at a peculiar angle, by his right;
she found a small handgun.  She hoped that meant he had been the shooter and not
the shootee.  Checking him over, she found no evidence of a gunshot wound, lots
of blood, but none coming from a new hole in his body.  His nose was bleeding
and he had a number of cuts on his face.  He was breathing like his ribs hurt
and when she touched him there, he whimpered and his eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, buddy, what's your name?" she asked him.

"Alex," he whispered.

"Well, Alex, looks like we need to get you some help."

"No hospital," he coughed, just before passing out.

She pulled the cell phone out of her pocket and dialed the only person she could
rely on.

"Hey Kid, it's me.  I need your help.  No, I'm behind Bandits.  Yes, I know what
time it is.  Look, just get over here, will you? Oh, Kid, bring your bag. 
Thanks babe, I knew I could count on you."

She folded the phone and dropped it back into her pocket.

"Hold on, Alex, the cavalry is on its way."

Another clap of thunder struck.  This one wasn't as loud as the previous two,
but with it came the rain.  There was no overhang in the alley, so she took off
her coat and held it over them in a vain attempt to keep dry.  Ten minutes
later, when Kid arrived, they were soaked to the bone.

Kid got out of the car, leaving his headlights on, to illuminate the darkened
alley.

"Hanna?"

"Down here, Kid.  Over by the dumpster."  She stood up and waved at him.

 "Jesus, you're soaked.  What the Hell are you…" he complained, as he approached
the dumpster.  The body at her feet cut off his words.  "Oh God, Hanna, what
have you done this time?"

She frowned at him.  "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Kid.  I haven't done
anything.  I was out walking.  I heard a shot, saw a couple guys running and
when I turned the corner, there he was.  Looks like he was responsible for the
gunfire, since the gun's over there and I couldn't find a bullet hole in him. 
Whoever he was firing at beat him up bad though.  His face is a mess, I think he
may have a broken rib and his left arm scares the shit out of me.  I didn't even
try to touch it."

Kid knelt down to take a look at the man on the ground.  The rain was coming
down harder and he couldn't see for all the water running into his eyes.  He
looked at the gun on the ground.  Without a second thought, he picked it up and
put it in his coat pocket for safekeeping.  Kid had no intention of returning it
to this man, but he didn't want to leave it on the ground either.

"Hanna, why didn't you just call an ambulance?"

"He said he didn't want to go to a hospital."

"You spoke to him?"

"Yeah, just for a second.  His name's Alex and he doesn't want to go to a
hospital.  That's all I know.  Please Kid, help him," she pleaded.

Kid sighed.  For as long as they'd known each other, Hanna had been the one to
pick up every stray.  Usually, she kept herself to strays of the canine or
feline variety, but every so often, one of the human variety struck her fancy. 
He should know; he was her first human stray.


October, 1971

Katie Heyes wandered the playground looking for something to do. At ten years
old, she didn't fit in with the other girls in the class.  Barbie dolls bored
her, Easy Bake ovens were for wimps and if she had to listen to one more
discussion about who was cuter, Donny Osmond or Bobby Sherman, she'd surely puke
up a lung

Ordinarily, finding something to do wasn't a big problem.  Ordinarily, she'd be
playing kickball with the rest of the guys.  Ordinarily, she wouldn't have her
ankle wrapped in plaster, thanks to a patch of oil on the garage floor.  Her dad
had been changing the oil in the car, when the pan tipped, dumping the contents. 
While he was inside getting a bag of kitty litter to sop up the mess, Katie had
come running into the garage and slipped on the spill, fracturing her ankle.  It
could have been worse, she supposed, at least she had on a walking cast, so she
wasn't confined to the house or the classroom.  She couldn't stand being
confined or being still, so she walked everywhere, endlessly.  It drove her
parents crazy, but her grandmother understood and supported her.  The last time
she'd gone walkabout, her parents had yelled at her for almost a half-hour until
her grandmother intervened.

"'The man who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd.  The
man who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been.' 
Leave the child alone.  Her walks hurt no one.  She's good girl, don't take away
that which gives her comfort.  Katrina, promise me you will tell your parents
when you decide to go walking next time.  They worry when you disappear, that's
why they yell."

She promised and rarely forgot after that.  The yelling stopped as well.  They
still didn't like seeing her go, but grandmother had spoken and her parents
accepted her wisdom.  Grandmother was her hero and her best friend.  Grandmother
had also come to stay with them, while she waited to die.  Katie refused to
think about the cancer that was slowly sucking the life out of her grandmother,
believing, as all children do, that if she didn't think about it, it wouldn't
happen.

Katie wandered the playground until she saw the new kid sitting on the swings by
himself.  He wasn't in her class, but she'd seen him come in to school the day
before.  She had a funny feeling about him, like they were supposed to be
together.  He looked nice enough, so she decided to introduce herself.

"Hi, I'm Katie Heyes.  What's your name?"

"Matthew.  Matthew Curry."

Katie giggled at his name.  "Matthew Curry?  Really?  Your last name is Curry?"

"Yeah, so what?" Matthew replied, indignantly.  Great, someone had finally come
over to talk to him, only to laugh at his name.

Don't you watch TV?  We're famous outlaws," Katie said, with a grin.

"What are you talking about?"

Katie sighed.  "Alias Smith and Jones, don't you watch it?  It's so cool.  My
last name is Heyes and yours is Curry, just like the two guys on the show, Kid
Curry and Hannibal Heyes.  It's my favorite show in the whole world; haven't you
seen it yet?"

"Oh yeah!  I love that show," he smiled.   "Man, I can't believe I didn't get it
right away.  I don't know any girls who like that show.  At my last school, none
of the girls would be caught dead watching Westerns."

"I'm not like most girls.  I love Westerns and playing ball and climbing trees
and walking all over the place.  I hate stupid Barbie and Donny Osmond and Bobby
Sherman and all that other girl junk that everyone else likes."  She paused and
looked at him.  "You're going to think this is weird, but I have a feeling that
we're supposed to be friends."

Matthew laughed.  They spent the rest of recess together on the swings, talking. 
After school, Matthew waited for her outside of her classroom and they walked
home together.  As luck would have it, Matthew's dad had bought a house the next
street over from Katie's, so they were practically neighbors.  She brought
Matthew inside and introduced him to her mom and grandmother, then they walked
down to his house.  His mother welcomed her with open arms and offered them both
an after school snack of warm chocolate chip cookies and milk.

"You know what, Matthew?  I think I'm going to start calling you Kid and you
should call me Hannibal.  We've got the last names already; we might as well go
for the gold.  Whadda you think?" Katie asked, with a mouthful of chocolate chip
cookie.

"That's cool with me," Matthew said,  "but Hannibal's a boys name.  How about
just Hanna?  That's a girl's name and it's shorter than Hannibal is, too."

Katie frowned, then rolled the name around in her head.  Hanna Heyes.  Hmmm. 
That's not too bad, actually.  "OK, Hanna it is."


Present day

"Let's get him into the car, then.  Where do you want to take him, Hanna?"

She looked at him.  He already knew the answer to that question; he just wanted
her to say it so that he could have something else to bitch about.  "Where do
you think?"

Matthew frowned and launched into tirade. "Hanna!  You don't even know this guy! 
This is not one of your stray kittens, this is a man with a gun, for crying out
loud."

She set her jaw and glared at him.  "Kid, are you going to help me pick him up
or are you going to stand there getting wetter and wetter, while I do it
myself?"

Kid sighed.  He knew that face; there was no point in arguing with her.  One
thing he'd learned early on was that once she set her mind on something, no one
could talk her out of it.  She was right, more often than not, but still.

"Fine.  You grab his legs, I'll grab his arms and we'll hoist him into the back
seat."

He knelt down to get a grip on Alex's shoulders, but felt something odd under
the jacket.  Feeling his way down, he was startled to find that the arm ended
about six inches from the shoulder.  That explained the position of the arm, at
least.

"Hey Hanna, check this out."

He reached down and twisted the prosthesis completely around.  Katie yelped.

"Jesus, Kid, isn't he hurt enough?  What are you doing to him?"

Matthew laughed.  "It's a prosthetic arm, Hanna.  Your stray's an amputee."

"His name is Alex, Kid, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't do that again. 
Geez, you scared the crap out of me," she said, letting out a breath.  "I guess
this means his arm's not broken, that's a plus." She shivered in the cold rain.
"Can we get him in the car already?  It's cold and wet and I'd really like you
take a look at his injuries before we all drown."

They grabbed Alex and got him into the back seat.  Alex whimpered and struggled
a little, but didn't wake up.  They drove in silence back to Katie's loft. 
Matthew was trying to figure out how to persuade his friend from taking this guy
upstairs, while Katie was keeping a watchful eye on her charge.  She knew that
Matthew was dying to fight with her about this, but she also knew he'd give in,
he always did.

Matthew pulled up in front of Katie's building.  She got out and opened the
front door, while Matthew opened the car door.  They had a much harder time
getting him out, but finally, they were able to pull him from the vehicle and
into the waiting elevator.  Upstairs, they carried Alex into the spare room and
placed him carefully on edge of the bed.

"Hold him up for a minute, Kid.  Let me get him out of these wet things."  She
removed Alex's jacket, sweater, T-shirt and arm.  He had fresh bruises on his
chest, stomach and ribs.  "Oh my God, look at this."

Matthew didn't say a word.  Katie pulled down the blankets.  "Let's get the rest
of his things off and get him into bed."  She sat down on the floor and wrestled
with the boots.  They came off after much tugging, followed by his soaking
socks.  Getting up, she had Matthew lower Alex to the mattress, then reached for
the button on his jeans and popped it.  She pulled at the zipper, then slowly
attempted to peel the jeans from Alex's body.  The wet denim put up a good
fight, but Katie succeeded in removing the saturated garment, along with the
briefs they were hiding.  Her eyes traveled up his body, but stopped short when
she saw his right knee.  It was swollen to twice its normal size and purple.

"Oh God, Alex," she gasped.

"Damn, Hanna.  Someone really did a number on this guy."

"I can see that.  Help me slide him up here, then you can check him out, while I
go get him something to wear.  I'll bring you some dry clothes, too," she added. 
"What should I do with this?" she asked, holding up the arm.

"Hang it up somewhere so the chest harness can dry."

About ten minutes later, Katie returned, wearing dry clothes and bearing same
for both Matthew and Alex.

"So, what's the verdict on the patient?" she asked, as she began to put a pair
of sweat pants on Alex.

"Without an x-ray, I can't be sure, but I think he has a couple of cracked ribs. 
His knee is messed up pretty bad, but I don't think that the kneecap is broken;
again, I'd need an x-ray.  The cuts on his face aren't as bad as they look. 
Once we get him cleaned up a little more, I'll put some antibiotic cream on
them.  This one over his eye is going to need a couple of stitches.  He's got a
nasty bump on the back of his head that needs to be iced.  I have a feeling he
has a concussion. Other than that, he's badly bruised and will probably hurt
like Hell for the next few weeks.  He belongs in a hospital, Hanna."

"I'm not taking him to the hospital.  He said 'no hospital' and I'm not going to
put him somewhere he doesn't want to be."

'Damn it!' he thought.  'Hanna and her intense distrust of hospitals.'  She
watched her grandmother being taken to the hospital, against her will, in the
last few days of her life.  Her grandmother had begged Katie's parents to leave
her alone, to let her die in her own bed, surrounded by her family.  Her parents
hadn't listened.  They meant well, but in the end, Katie's grandmother had died
in the early hours of the morning, with no one around to hold her hand.  Katie
never quite forgave her parents for that and she vowed she'd never set foot in a
hospital again.  When Matthew told her that he was going to be doctor, she
hadn't spoken to him for weeks.  Her anger passed and she became his biggest
champion, but she made him promise that she would never have to set foot in that
place.

"Hanna, what if he dies?  What if he's bleeding internally?  I can't see inside
his body," Matthew argued.

Katie sat down on the bed next to Alex and pushed the hair away from his
forehead.  "Lift him up so I can get this sweatshirt on.  He needs to have
something covering his chest."

"Hanna."

"He's not going to die, Kid.  I won't let him," she whispered.  "Are you going
to stitch him up?  He's starting to bleed through the gauze."
Matthew frowned, but reached into his medical bag for needle and surgical
thread.  "You're going to have to hold on to him, in case he tries to fight me. 
I'd numb the spot, but I think it might be better to try it without first. 
Should only take two, maybe three stitches to close it.  Besides, I'd feel
better if he did wake up."

Katie nodded and moved Alex's head into her lap.  She placed a hand on either
side of his face and held tightly as Matthew took the first stitch.  Alex
twitched, but didn't wake up.  The second and third stitches barely registered a
reaction.  When Matthew was done, she gently slid Alex's head onto the pillow
and pulled the blankets up around him.  She reached back to turn the light off,
on their way out of the room.

Matthew dropped his bag on the table beside the couch.  "I'd better call Tyler
and tell him I won't be coming home tonight."

"What do you mean you won't be going home?  I'm sure Tyler's already pissed off
at me for calling you out in the middle of the night." She placed a hand on his
shoulder.   "Go home.  I'll call you if I need anything."

"Hanna, I don't like the idea of you being alone with this guy."

"Go home, Kid.  I'll be fine.  Give Tyler a big, wet one for me, OK?"

"Hanna," he started.  The look on her face told him that arguing was pointless. 
"Promise you'll call me when he wakes up.  I want to ask him a few questions."

"I will."

Matthew shook his head and opened his bag.  "I'm leaving you a couple of
dressings for his stitches, just in case he breaks them open or they start to
seep.  Here's the antibiotic cream.  I'll be by later this morning to change the
dressing myself, but if you have to do it before I get here, be sure to put this
on the wound.  You're going to have to watch him.  If he wakes up, ask him if
he's dizzy or nauseated or if he's seeing double.  Call me if he says yes to any
of these, Hanna.  Ice his leg for fifteen minutes every hour, to see if we can
get the swelling down.  Oh, if he starts to run a fever, call me.  Got all
that?"

"Yes Dr. Curry.  Anything else?" Katie teased.  "It's all common sense, Kid, I
think I can handle it.  Go home."

"OK, I'll be back in a few hours.  This is a stupid thing you're doing."

"Maybe, but I have a feeling about this one.  I think he's supposed to be here
with me."

Matthew let his head drop.  "A feeling, Hanna?"

She shrugged.  "They've always served me well, haven't they?"

He shook his head and sighed.  "I guess they have.  Night, Hanna."

"Night, Kid."

She closed and locked the elevator door behind him.  Turning around, she
surveyed her loft.  When she was fifteen, her father had the foresight to buy a
number of buildings in a dying area of town.  He was convinced that, one day,
the area would spring back to life.  Katie had fallen in love with the old brick
warehouse and told her father that she wanted to live on the top floor some day. 
When the weather was awful and she couldn't walk, she spent hours with the plans
of the building, designing and redesigning her dream space.  Kid had told her
that she crazy to want to live in an old warehouse.  "I have a feeling about
that place," she told him.  "I think it's supposed to be mine."  He never teased
her about it again.

Seven years later, when she graduated from college, with a degree in Journalism,
her father took her for a ride.  Stopping in front of the building, he got out
of the car and walked up to the door.  She joined him, puzzled as to why he'd
brought her here.  The place looked like it always had and she loved every inch
of it.  When the elevator doors opened on the top floor, her father had asked
her to close her eyes.  Once out of the elevator, he led her to the center of
the room, before allowing her to look.  The entire floor had been converted into
a living space.  The kitchen was huge and open and right where she'd envisioned. 
The master bedroom was open, with foldaway partitions for privacy and a second
bedroom, with real walls, had been included for company.  In the middle of what
was to be the living room, was a large, brick fire place, open on two sides, so
that people could sit and enjoy the flames from either side of the room. The
rest of the place was wide open, excep!
t for a large room toward the back of the loft.  She knew what it was without
even having to ask.  She walked over and opened the door.  The sight took her
breath away.  He'd done the bathroom exactly the way she'd drawn it, complete
with the largest whirlpool tub she'd ever seen.  She felt her father come up
behind her.  "Like it?" he'd asked.  "It's perfect," she'd replied.  He'd
pressed the keys into her hands and told her that it was all hers, free and
clear.  It was the last thing he ever gave her.  Three months later, her parents
were killed in a traffic accident while on vacation in Orlando.

She crossed the space to her bedroom and grabbed a blanket, before heading into
the spare room.  Dropping the blanket on the recliner, she walked over to the
bed.  Her hand touched his forehead, checking for signs of fever.  He felt cool. 
She pulled back the blankets and removed the ice pack.  The swelling in his knee
didn't appear to have gone down at all.  She left to go put the ice pack back in
the freezer for a while.  When she returned, she settled into the recliner.  Kid
said to watch him and she intended to do just that.  She left a small light on
for awhile and studied Alex's face.  Now that the blood had been wiped away, she
could see what he really looked like.  He was beautiful, she decided; dark brown
hair, long eyelashes and a soft, sensuous mouth.  She was dying to know what
color his eyes were; she had a feeling they were green.  She wondered about the
arm and how he'd lost it.  She wondered who he was, what he did and why he'd
been beaten.  She sighed, then re!
ached over and turned off the light.  Enough wondering, she'd ask him later,
when he woke up.  For now, she needed to rest.  Closing her eyes, she drifted
off.

A short time later, Alex tossed and turned, then cried out.  Katie woke up and
rushed to his bedside.  He was muttering something, in Russian.  So, the plot
thickens, she thought.  Her grandmother had emigrated from Russia as a young
bride, but had not passed the language down to her children.  "We are in
America," she explained to her husband, "our children should speak English." 
And that was that.  In the last few months of her life, her grandmother had
taught her a few words and a lullaby, of sorts.  She didn't remember most of the
individual words now, but the lullaby had stayed with her.  As Alex became more
agitated, she sat down beside him on the bed and stroked his hair.  Her
movements seemed to calm him, but before she realized what she was doing, she
found herself singing her grandmother's song.

Sleep, Little Snow Girl, sleep, Our tasty bun so sweet,
Rolled from the snow of spring, Warmed by the sun of spring.
We'll give you drink a-plenty, We'll give you food galore,
And make you such a pretty dress And teach you four times four

Not exactly a lullaby for a grown man, but it was the only Russian she knew, it
would have to suffice.  It seemed to do the trick, for by the third time, Alex
had stopped tossing and had fallen into a sound sleep.

Alex woke up at 4 AM, sore as Hell, with no idea where he was and a desperate
need to pee.  He tried to swing his legs over to the side of the bed, but
shooting pain in his knee and ribcage caught him by surprise.  He cried out,
waking Katie.

"Easy there, Alex.  Don't try to do too much moving around.  Just tell me what
you need and I'll get it for you," Katie offered, as she turned on the light.

"I need to pee," he stated bluntly, squinting as the light assaulted his eyes. 
"And if you can do that for me, darling, go right ahead."

Katie smiled.  "OK, so that one's out of my range of expertise.  I don't have a
bedpan handy, so I guess you'll have to use me as a crutch."

She pulled back the blankets and slid her hands under his legs.  "Look, you have
a swollen knee and a couple of cracked ribs, so don't try to move to quickly. 
I'm going to slide your legs over to the side of the bed, then help you sit up. 
It's going to hurt, but I don't know of any other way to get you where you need
to go."  Katie looked him in the eyes; I knew they'd be green, she thought. 
"Ready?"

He nodded and she began to move his legs.  "Tell me if you want me to stop."  He
winced and bit the inside of his mouth, to hold back the screams he felt surging
up from his belly.  When his legs were hanging over the side of the bed, she
slid her arms around his back.  "You push, I'll pull and between the two of us,
we should be able to bring you to a sitting position."

"No, don't.  I can sit up all by myself, thank you."

"OK, go for it."

He pushed himself part of the way up, then a sharp pain in his ribs made his
stop.

"Sure you don't want some help?" Katie asked.

"Maybe a little," he conceded.

Together, they managed to get him sitting upright.  He couldn't bend his right
knee and his head was swimming in pain.  He looked at the woman standing over
him.  "Now what?" he asked.  "I don't think you're going to be able to support
me."

"I was just thinking that very same thing," Katie replied.  "Let me think."

"Think fast, or pretty soon, it's going to be a moot point."

"OH!  Hang on, I've got just the thing."

She ran out of the room.  He could hear the sound of something being moved
across the floor, then she burst through the door, full of smiles.

"How's this?" she asked, pointing to a rolling desk chair.  "We can slide you
onto the seat and I can roll you over to the bathroom."

He smiled for the first time since waking up. "That just might work."

She pushed the chair over to the side of the bed and held it in place while he
scooted onto it.  The movement caused him a great deal of pain, but he supposed
that was something he'd have to get used to.  When he was fully on the seat,
Katie pushed him out the door and over to the bathroom. She pushed the chair up
against the toilet, close enough for him to slide over.  The problem was, she'd
have to hold the chair so that it didn't slip in the process.

"Gee, this arrangement doesn't give you much privacy.  I'll turn my back while
you slide over and, if you want, I can duck out until you're done.  Then I can
come back and hold the chair again.  How does that sound?" she asked.

She needn't have bothered, since by the time she'd gotten the words out of her
mouth, he was already taking care of business.

"Or, I could just stay here and wait," she added, averting her eyes.

She felt the seat move, signaling his return.  He reached over and flushed the
toilet.  "I appreciate the thought, but my bladder was in no condition to argue
with my sense of modesty."

"No problem.  Now that we have the bathroom situation taken care of, let's get
you back to bed."  A thought hit her.  "Alex?  I hate to ask, but Matthew will
want to know.  Did you notice any blood in your urine?"

"No," he yawned, "everything looked normal."

She rolled him back to the bedroom and helped him onto the bed.

"Can I ask you a question now?"

Katie sat down in the recliner.  "Sure, what do you want to know?"

"For starters, who are you, where am I and how do you know my name?"

"Oh good, easy questions.  I'm Katie Heyes, you're in my loft, which isn't too
far from the alley where I found you and you told me your name a few hours ago. 
Matter of fact, you said exactly three words to me.  The first being your name,
the other two 'no hospital', which is why you're here instead of there."

"Well, Katie Heyes, it's nice to meet you.  I don't mean to sound ungrateful,
but isn't bringing a strange man up to your loft a pretty stupid thing to do? 
You don't know anything about me, except my name and my interest in staying out
of hospitals."

"Do me a favor," Katie said, with a grin.  "Say that to my friend, Matthew, when
he gets here later.  He said the same thing to me last night and I know he'll
get a kick out of hearing it come from you."

"Who's Matthew?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

"Dr. Matthew Curry.  My best friend in the world.  I called him after I found
you last night.  He helped bring you here. He cleaned you up, stitched your eye
back together and gave you a thorough check up.  He is of the opinion that this
is a stupid idea as well and that you should be in the hospital right now. 
You'll get to meet him before too long; he'll be stopping by to check on you. 
What else do you want to know?"

He yawned again; wincing in pain as his lungs tried to suck in a deep breath.
"Everything, but not right now.  I think I'd like to go back to sleep."

Katie nodded her head and pulled the blanket up around her.  "Good idea, think
I'll catch a little nap myself."  Just as she started to get comfortable, she
remembered something Matthew had told her.  " Oh damn, Matthew said that we're
supposed to be icing that knee."  She started to get up from the chair to get
the ice pack, but Alex stopped her.

"Not right now, I'll never get back to sleep with the ice on it.  Wait until
later, it's not going anywhere."

"You sure?  It looks pretty bad."

"Yeah, just leave it alone, for now."

"OK, just don't tell Matthew I let it slide."

"It'll be our little secret," he replied, sleepily.

Sleep well, Alex."

"You too, Katie."

At 6:45, Alex cried out again.  Katie called over to him, but he didn't respond
to her words.  He struggled and fought with the blankets, saying those words in
Russian that she couldn't quite make out.  She went to his side and sat down
next to him on the bed.  Stroking his hair, she began to sing her lullaby.  His
thrashing ceased soon after she started.  He could hear her, even if he couldn't
find his way back to consciousness.  When his breathing seemed normal, she
stopped singing and prepared to go back to her chair.  As she lifted her body
from the bed, Alex mumbled something else in Russian, two words she did
understand, no mama.  She settled back down on the bed and sang a little longer. 
He sighed and nuzzled his head against her leg.

At 7:30, she had to get up.  Sitting with her back up against the headboard of
the bed had become unbearably uncomfortable.  She got up, stretched out a little
and waited to see if he would notice that she'd moved.  When it looked like he
was going to remain quiet, she decided to risk leaving him long enough to grab a
quick shower.  Twenty minutes later, freshly showered and kink-free, she
returned to check on him.  Laying her hand on his forehead, she was horrified to
discover that he was burning up with fever.

"Damn it, Alex!  I can't leave you alone for a minute, can I?"

She hurried out to the phone to call Matthew.

"Kid, it's me.  He's running a fever.  No, he was fine twenty minutes ago when I
left him to go take a shower, now he's burning up.  No, I don't know how high, I
didn't check.  Do you want me to get the thermometer and call you back?  OK,
great.  See you in few."

She went into the bathroom and grabbed the thermometer.  Turning it on, she held
it in his ear and pushed down on the button, 103.2.  She took his temperature
two more times, just to be sure.  The thermometer read the same each time.

 "Oh Alex, I don't know if I'm going to be able to keep you out of the hospital
now," she said, as she paced the floor.  "What do I do?  Think."  She paced back
and forth, over and over, until she remembered the ice pack and ran to the
kitchen.  "OK, Alex, this is sneaky, but it's our only shot at keeping you
here."  Pulling back the covers, she placed the ice pack on his knee, hoping it
would bring his temp down a little, at least enough to keep Matthew from pulling
rank on her and calling for an ambulance.  "Come on ice, do your stuff.  If you
can hear me, Alex, think cool thoughts."

Twenty minutes later, the door opened and Matthew rushed to the bedroom.  He
nodded to Katie, then placed his hand on Alex's head.  Frowning, he opened his
bag and pulled out a thermometer.  "Have you taken his temp?"

"No," she lied.

He turned back toward his patient and looked at the thermometer. 102.9.  "It's
pretty high, Hanna."  He showed her the thermometer and inwardly, she breathed a
sigh of relief.  Under 103 meant she stood a chance of keeping him here.

"He was fine early this morning.  We had a nice conversation."

"You spoke to him?  Was he dizzy or nauseated or seeing double?  Did he know who
he was?"
"God, slow down, Kid.  He woke up and tried to get out of bed to go to the
bathroom.  He screamed, I woke up and I went over to help him.  It wasn't easy,
but we devised a way to get him into the bathroom, so that he could answer the
call.  Afterwards, I brought him back in here and got him into bed again.  So
you know, he agrees with you about this being a stupid idea, but he's glad that
we didn't take him to the hospital.  And no, until this fever, he wasn't showing
any of those symptoms."

"Was there blood in his urine?"

"I knew you'd want to know that, so I asked him and he said everything was
normal."

Matthew pulled out his stethoscope and listened to Alex's heart and lungs.  The
beat was strong and his lungs seemed clear, both good signs.  The fever
concerned him and he still believed that this guy belonged in the hospital, but
Matthew wasn't ready to force the issue quite yet.

"Here's the thing, Hanna.  This guy belongs in the hospital."  She opened her
mouth to protest, but he cut her off.  "Let me finish.  He belongs in a
hospital, but I'm not going to insist you let me take him there.  Not yet
anyway."

Katie smiled and threw her arms around him.  "Thank you."

He peeled her off of his neck and pushed her back.  "Look, I'm doing this
against my better judgment, so you have to promise me you'll do exactly as I
say.  As much as I've come to trust your feelings, I'm not willing to endanger
this man's life for them.  I'm giving you more space than I should, already."

"I know you are and I appreciate it.  Alex appreciates it too, even if he can't
tell you so himself."  She leaned over Alex and brushed the hair away from his
forehead.  "He's going to be just fine.  We're going to have a bad few days, but
he's going to be fine.  I can feel it."

Matthew gave her a long list of things to do and symptoms to watch for, before
leaving for work.  She had strict instructions to call him, should Alex's fever
get any higher.  He stared at her when she promised she'd call, knowing fully
well that she was lying through her teeth.  'I hope you know what you're doing,
Hanna.  I hope I know what I'm doing, too,' he thought.

Every hour, on the hour, Katie checked Alex's temperature.  It stayed right at
102.9, even after removing the ice pack.  At noon, she noticed his lips getting
dry and decided she had to do something to keep him from dehydrating.  Her first
thought was to try dripping water into his mouth, but she was afraid it might
end up in his lungs.   Instead, she went into the bathroom and prepared a damp
washcloth.  First, she moistened his lips, then she placed the cloth on his
forehead.  It wasn't much, but it was the safest thing she could come up with.

At 2:30, he had another bout of restlessness.  This one wasn't as bad as the
others, he tossed some and whimpered in pain, but he wasn't talking in his
sleep.  Katie sat next to him, cradling his head and singing softly.

Tyler showed up at 5:15 with a pot full of beef stew and a bottle of wine. He
headed directly to the kitchen and put the pot on the stove.

"What's the occasion, Tyler?"

"Matthew told me about your newest house guest.  Knowing you, I figured that
you'd get so involved in your latest project, that you'd forget about food.  I
called the hospital and told him to meet me here for dinner.  This way I know
you'll both eat something tonight."

Katie smiled.  "Why Tyler, you care about me after all.  I'm touched," she
teased.
"No I don't," he teased back.  "I just want to stay in your good graces so that
you'll leave me the loft in your will."

She chuckled.  "It's going to Matthew, but I suppose he'll let you stay here,"
she replied, just before kissing his cheek.  "Thanks, Ty.  This was really nice
of you to do."

"No problem.  I'm still pretty pissed at you for dragging Matthew out of bed
last night though.  Can I see what was so damned important?"

"Go ahead.  He's in the bedroom."

Tyler crossed to the bedroom and peered in from the doorway.

"Is he awake?" she asked, hopefully.

"No."  He walked into the room to get a better look.  Katie followed a minute
later and found him staring intently at Alex.

"God, Katie.  He's beautiful.  You're forgiven," he whispered.

"He is, isn't he.  I'm glad you approve."  She slipped an arm around him and
gave him squeeze.  "Stop staring, you're spoken for," she said, with a wink and
a nudge.
"I can look.  I'm married, not dead," he replied, returning her squeeze.  "I'm
going to go stir the stew.  Matthew should be here around 6, so we can eat
then."

"Sounds good.  I'll be out in a bit.  I want to check Alex's temperature and
take a look at his knee before Kid gets here."

Tyler nodded and left to tend to the stew.  Katie pulled back the blankets and
touched Alex's knee.  It felt a little less swollen than before, so she decided
to try and pull the pant leg up to take a real look.  She got the pant leg part
of the way up his calf, before he stiffened and cried out.  Katie pulled the
pant leg down quickly and rushed to comfort him.  She kneeled down on the floor
and touched his face.

"Shhh, Alex.  I'm sorry.   It's okay, everything's okay."

He moaned and tried to move, hurting his ribs in the process.  "No, no.  Mama
make it stop," he cried, in Russian.  This time, she understood his words.

"I'll try, Alexei," she whispered.  "I'll try."  She kissed his forehead,
leaving her lips there a little longer than necessary.  Then, resting her
forehead against his, she sang to him, softly, until he was calm once again.

Tyler stood silently in the doorway of the bedroom, listening to Katie sing to
this stranger.  He'd only come back to ask if she wanted him to make some
biscuits to go with the stew; he hadn't meant to intrude, but he couldn't stop
himself from watching the scene unfold.  About the third go 'round of the song,
he made the decision to walk away before she noticed he was there.  Thirty
minutes later, when Matthew arrived, she was still there, fast asleep, at Alex's
side.
"How long has she been there?" he asked Tyler.

"In the room?  About forty-five minutes.  Asleep?  No more than twenty."

"What was she doing anyway?"

Tyler told him about going in to see Alex and about Katie staying to check on
his knee.  When he reached the part about Katie singing to him, Matthew sighed
and rubbed his eyes. "I'd better wake her up, before she hurts something."

"Good idea.  I'll go put dinner on.  Do you have to go back to the hospital
tonight?"

"No.  Why?"

"I brought wine.  Didn't want to pour you a glass if you had to go back."

"Pour freely, my dear, I think I'm going to need it," he replied.

Matthew walked into the room and squatted down beside Katie.  "Hey, sleepyhead. 
Wake up," he crooned softly.  "Dinner's ready."

Katie opened her eyes and tried to focus.

"Welcome back.  Dinner's ready."

"Oh, I guess I fell asleep," she said, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?'

"Just after six.  Tyler says you haven't been asleep for too long.  Think you
can stand up or do you need help?"

She pushed away from the bed and stretched her back.  "Not sure yet."  She tried
to move, but found her legs asleep.  "Nope, the legs have checked out for the
moment.  I think you're going to have to help me up."

He grabbed her under the arms and pulled, bringing her to her feet.

"Ow," she said.  "I'm getting to old for this shit."  She stretched her legs
until the circulation returned.  "While you're in here, would you take a look at
his knee?  I think the swelling's gone down.  I tried to look earlier, but he
started tossing and turning."
"Yeah, let's take a look."  He reached over and placed his hand on Alex's knee,
gently pushing all around the kneecap.  "Oh yeah, it's gone down quite a bit. 
Have you been icing it down all day?"

"Of course I have.  He's overdue for it now, since I fell asleep, but up until
Tyler got here, I had ice on it every hour, as instructed."

He reached over and put his hand on Alex's forehead.  "He's still running a
fever.  Get my bag, I want to see where he's at."

Katie left the room and grabbed his bag from the table by the couch.  Tyler was
taking the plates to the table.  She held up her finger.  "We'll be right out,
Ty.  Just need to take Alex's temp."

She put the bag down on the recliner, reached in and pulled out the thermometer. 
Matthew was relieved to find that Alex's temp had dropped since he'd last been
there.

"Well?  What is it?" Katie asked.

"102 even.  Still high, Hanna, but much better than earlier."

She smiled, excitedly.  "I told you he'd be fine."

"Slow down.  He's got a long way to go before we can say he'll be fine.  Let's
just say I'm a little less concerned about leaving him here than I was before."

"He's going to be fine," she stated firmly.  "I know it."  She reached down and
kissed Alex's forehead.  "Keep thinking cool thoughts, Alexei," she whispered. 
Straightening up, she grabbed Matthew's hand.  "Come on, Tyler's waiting for
us."

They sat and ate, attempting to carry on with the usual table talk; how was your
day?, anything interesting happen at work?, the normal conversations of families
at dinnertime. Tyler tried to keep the atmosphere light, but Katie was
distracted by thoughts of Alex and Matthew was distracted with his concern for
Katie.  Finally, he gave up and ate in silence.  When he was done, Tyler cleared
the table, started the dishes and put the rest of the stew in the refrigerator. 
Katie left the table and went in to check on Alex.  Matthew brought his bowl
into the kitchen and put it next to the sink.
"Thanks, Ty.  That was delicious."  He put his arms around his lover and hugged
him tight.

Tyler turned in Matthew's arms and kissed him.  "I'm going home now, so you can
talk to her alone.  Try not to be too late."

"I won't," he said, letting go.  "I'm worried about her, Ty.  She's already
falling for this man and she doesn't even know him.  I want to trust her
feeling, but this is too weird, even for her."

Tyler smiled and chuckled.

"Am I overreacting again," Matthew asked.

"No, you're not," he said.  "You're being her best friend.  Just don't push too
hard this time; say your piece and come home.  She's too far gone to hear you
anyway."

"I know, that's what worries me."

Tyler kissed Matthew on the cheek, then walked to the elevator.  When he was
gone, Matthew took a deep breath and headed into the bedroom.  Katie was there,
sitting on side of the bed, holding a damp cloth on Alex's forehead and telling
him all about dinner.

"How long have you been holding that cloth on his head?"

"Just now, or in general?" she asked.  Matthew scowled. "I started around noon. 
His lips looked dry and I was afraid he might get dehydrated.  I thought about
using the syringe to get some water in him, but I didn't know if it would go
into his stomach or into his lungs, so I decided to just wet his lips, then put
the cloth on his head.  Was that the right thing to do?"

"Yes, it was the right thing to do."  He patted her arm.  "Come on, we need to
talk."

She nodded and reluctantly got up.  Alex protested a little, shifting his head
to the spot she'd just left.  Katie put her hand on his cheek.  "I'll be back
soon, Alexei."

They walked out to the living room and sat down on the couch.  She knew what he
was going to say and she really didn't want to hear it.  She also realized that
he wouldn't be her friend if he didn't try.

"Alexei?" he asked.  "You lost me with that one."

"He woke up yelling in Russian last night.  I couldn't understand most of what
he was saying, other than 'no' and 'mama'.  When he wouldn't calm down, I
started singing that lullaby my grandmother taught me.  Seemed to do the trick. 
Anyway, whenever he gets a little restless, I talk to him and call him Alexei
and he settles down."

Matthew sighed. "You don't know him, Hanna.  Don't start believing you do."

She looked at him and flashed a sad grin.  "I know you're right, but I can't
hear you.  I'm supposed to know him, Kid, just like I was supposed to know you. 
The feeling is that strong.  Don't you understand?"

He slid over and pulled her into his arms.  "I do understand.  I just don't want
to see you get hurt."

"I know.  I have to go with my feeling on this.  If I get hurt, so be it.  You
can't save me, Matthew; all you can do is be there to pick up the pieces, if
this all comes crashing down around me.  Which it won't," she added.

"Matthew?" He looked surprised.  "The last time you called me Matthew was when I
told you I was in love with Tyler.  That was almost eight years ago."  He kissed
the top of her head.  "I love you, Katie.  I'll be here to pick up the pieces or
dance at your wedding, whatever you need.  Just be careful."

"I will," she promised.  "Now go home and be with Tyler.  It was really sweet of
him to fix dinner for us this evening; you need to make sure he knows how much
you appreciated the gesture."

"No problem there.  I have every intention of making him feel fully
appreciated," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Katie snickered as Matthew got up and gathered his things.

"Call me if you need anything," he said, just before getting into the elevator.

"I will."

He nodded and closed the elevator door.

Katie got up from the couch and looked in on Alex.  He was still resting
quietly.  She picked up the washcloth and carried it into the bathroom.  The
whirlpool was calling to her, but she was afraid to be away from him for that
long.  Instead, she washed her face, brushed her teeth and got ready for bed. 
On her way back to the bedroom, she filled a small bowl with water, so that she
wouldn't have to go all the way to the bathroom, in the middle of the night. 
She placed the bowl and washcloth on the nightstand, before checking his head
one more time.  In her mind, she heard the voice of her grandmother and it made
her smile. "I'm right here, if you need me, Alexei," she said softly. "Your
Katya's right here."  He pushed his head against her hand.  She kissed his
forehead and crawled into the recliner.
She watched him until almost 8:30, before drifting off herself.  Not an hour
later, he started talking in his sleep.  Katie woke up and listened, trying to
make out anything he was saying.  The ones she could understand were in English
this time.  Ramblings mostly, random words, Mulder, Scully, oil, nothing that
made any sense to her, but obviously meant something important to him.  He
mumbled, but in his dream, he seemed to be fighting with someone.  He raised his
arm to emphasize a point and dropped it on his torso, causing him to cry out in
pain.  After that, his words became unintelligible through the moans and
whimpers.  He wasn't out of control, like he'd been before, but she couldn't
stand to sit by and do nothing while he was hurting.  Climbing out of the
recliner, she hurried over to the bed and sat down beside him.  Assuming the now
familiar position, she stroked his hair and sang to him.  Since he wasn't using
Russian, she changed her song to a lullaby of a differen!
t sort.

Well the sun is surely sinking down
But the moon is slowly rising
So this old world must still be spinning 'round
And I still love you

So close your eyes
You can close your eyes, it's all right
I don't know no love songs
And I can't sing the blues anymore
But I can sing this song
And you can sing this song
When I'm gone

It won't be long before another day
We gonna have a good time
And no one's gonna take that time away
You can stay as long as you like

So close your eyes
You can close your eyes, it's all right
I don't know no love songs
And I can't sing the blues anymore
But I can sing this song
And you can sing this song
When I'm gone

No way to know if he liked James Taylor, but she did, and she was the one doing
the singing right now.  If he didn't like it, he could bloody well wake up and
tell her to cut it out.  Besides, she was getting pretty darn sick of that
lullaby, so as long as he was mumbling in English, she was going to sing in
English.
This night went on, the same as the last.  Alex would cry out or talk in his
sleep; Katie would get up and go to his side.  If he was speaking Russian, he
got Grandmother's lullaby; if he was speaking in English, he got James Taylor. 
By his 3:30 fit, she was beyond exhausted.  He was especially violent this time
and it took her almost twenty minutes to get him calmed down.  By this time,
he'd tossed himself onto the left side of the bed.  When she sat down to hold
his head and sing to him this time, she ended up completely on the bed.  After
he calmed down, she simply slid down on the pillow beside him and fell asleep. 
Neither stirred for the rest of the night.

Matthew stopped by at 8 to check on Alex, before going to work.  The loft was
quiet, so he didn't call out for Katie, opting instead to let her sleep.  He was
taken aback to find her in bed with Alex, nestled up against his shoulder,
Alex's head leaning against hers.  It took him a minute to recover, but when he
did, he began his cursory examination of the patient.  The fever was down to
101.5 and the knee looked considerably less swollen than it had last night.  The
bandage over the stitches showed a little blood, so Matthew decided to change
the dressing.  Everything underneath the dressing looked good, so he figured
that Alex must have simply hit the stitches in his sleep.  He warmed his
stethoscope and listened to Alex's heart and lungs; both were working, as they
should.  Maybe today would be the day Alex would wake up.  Matthew had a lot of
questions he wanted to ask this guy, especially now.

What to do about Katie?  That was his current dilemma.  Should he let her
sleep…there…with him, or should he wake her up?  He paced the floor between the
bed and the door, then walked into the living room.  If he woke her up, would
she be grateful or would she be pissed?  He was making a leap of faith that Alex
hadn't awakened during the night and invited her into his bed.  Of course he
didn't, the man has cracked ribs, Matthew thought.  He paced the living room,
trying to make a decision.

"Morning," Katie yawned.  "Why didn't you wake me up?"

Matthew jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Little edgy this morning, Kid?" she teased.  "I keep telling you to lay off the
caffeine."

He frowned at her and she knew, immediately, what the problem was.  "Cut it out,
will you?  He had a really bad night and I finally got too tired to keep moving
from the chair to the bed.  For crying out loud, he has cracked ribs!  Do you
really think I'm going to take advantage of an unconscious, injured man?"  She
stormed off toward the kitchen, grabbed a glass and slammed it down on the
counter.  Opening the refrigerator door, she pulled out the grapefruit juice,
poured it into her glass and took a gulp, before returning the container.  She
held the glass in front of her and glared at him.  "I know it's been a long
time, but I'm not that desperate."

"I'm not worried about you taking advantage of him, Hanna," he said quietly.

Katie put the glass on the counter and crossed the room to put her arms around
him.  "Didn't we cover this last night?  I'll be fine. No matter what happens,
I'll be fine."

He nodded.  "I know, but I'm still going to worry.  At least until I get to talk
to him."

"So, how is he this morning.  I'm assuming you've already checked him out."

"Fever's down, the swelling's down and his cuts seem to be healing.  Everything
looks and sounds good.  I'm hoping he'll wake up sometime today."

"Me, too," she replied.  "If he does, is there anything I should do?  Anything I
shouldn't do? Medically speaking," she added, with a grin.

"Medically speaking," he started.  "Ask him how he's feeling; all the questions
I told you to ask him last time.  If he says yes, to any of them, call me. 
Other than that, just use common sense.  I wouldn't let him eat much at first. 
Start with soup, preferably something clear, but knowing you, I'm willing to bet
that tomato is the only soup in your pantry."  She nodded and shrugged.  Matthew
raised his eyebrows and chuckled.   "That'll do.  Just keep it light, little
bits at a time, until we know how his body is going to react.  He's going to
hurt; you can give him acetaminophen for now.  I can prescribe something a
little stronger later on, after I've had a chance to talk to him.  I'll stop by
on my way home tonight to see how things are going."

"Do you have to leave right now?"

"I have a few minutes.  Why?"

"Can you stick around while I take a shower?  I don't want to take a chance on
Alex waking up and finding no one around," she smiled and bit her lower lip. 
"Please?"

He laughed and shook his head.  "Yeah, I'll stick around.  Just don't be too
long."

"I won't."

Katie ran off to take a shower, while Matthew sat in the bedroom, watching Alex. 
When he heard the water shut off in the bathroom, Matthew got up from the chair
and walked to the side of the bed.  He leaned down and spoke quietly to Alex.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, listen good.  Katie's my best
friend and I love her.  She has a feeling about you, so I'm trusting her
judgment and letting you stay here.  If you do anything to hurt her, I'll hunt
you down."

Katie walked in, toweling her hair, just as Matthew finished his warning.  "Any
change?"

"No, he's still out." He kissed her wet hair. .  "Hey, if he does wake up, see
if you can get him up and walking, just a little.  OK, Gotta go.  See you this
evening."

"Bye, Kid."

He gave her a wave and left the room.

"He's just looking out for me, Alex.  Don't let him scare you."  She ran her
fingers through his hair.  "Wake up, soon."

Katie left the room, reluctantly.  She wanted to stay and watch him sleep, but
there were things to be done.  Number one on the list was laundry.  Alex's
clothes were still wet and piled up next to the washing machine, along with both
hers and Matthew's things from the other night.  He would probably want to have
something familiar to wear when he woke up.  She sorted the clothes, checking
the pockets for anything that might give her some insight into who Alex was; his
wallet was there, along with a comb and a few coins.  Putting the items on the
dryer for now, she started the washer and tossed in the clothes.  She picked up
his leather jacket. It was going to need to be dry cleaned and repaired.   She
also realized that he was going to need a few more items in his wardrobe, if he
was going to stick around for a while.  'And he will be sticking around for a
while,' she thought.

Her eyes drifted back to the dryer. The wallet sat there, daring her to open it
and look inside.  She picked it up, along with a towel, and carried them into
the living room.  To open it or not to open it, that was her question.  It was
pretty wet; maybe she should take everything out to dry.  She debated for a few
minutes, before deciding.  She spread the towel out on the table and carefully
opened the wallet.  There wasn't much inside to deal with, about two hundred
dollars, a few slips of paper with phone numbers on them and an old picture of a
woman with a small child.  She spread these out on the towel.  The picture
intrigued her.  She'd have to ask him about it when he woke up.

That accomplished, she started on her second chore for the morning.  This one
required some outside help.  She picked up the phone.

"Tyler, it's me. I need a favor."

Tyler arrived at the loft around 9.  Katie gave him the list and her debit card. 
He took the list, but refused the card.

"No way, I'm shopping with that thing.  If anyone happened to look at the name
on the card, I'd be hauled downtown faster than Superman on speed.  I'll cover
it and you can write me a check when I get back."

Katie giggled.  "That's what I like about you, Tyler.  Your sense of humor is as
strange as mine."  She gave him a hug.  "I really appreciate you doing this for
me.  If I've forgotten anything important, just go ahead and get it."

He nodded.  "Since I'm going to be out shopping anyway, how are you set for
food?  Might as well take advantage of your personal shopper while he's here."

"Good idea.  I don't know what I've got in there.  Better go take a look."
They checked out the pantry and refrigerator and made a list of the necessary
items.  Tyler shook his head.  "How do you survive?  You have this fantastic
kitchen, but hardly any real food.  What a waste."

"I know.  There isn't much motivation to eat when you're cooking for one, Ty."

"I hear that," he agreed.

The timer on the dryer buzzed, reminding her of one more item that needed to be
dealt with.  She walked over and picked up Alex's leather jacket.

"Uh, Ty?  Can you do one more thing for me?"

"Dry cleaners?"

"Yeah.  The sleeve needs to be repaired, too.  Tell them to do whatever's
necessary to get it fixed."

Tyler took the jacket and draped it over his arm.  "Anything else?"

"No, that's it.  Really."

"Are you sure he's worth all this, Katie?"  She gave him an exasperated look.  
"And don't look at me like that, I'm your friend, you know.  Just because you've
known Matthew longer, doesn't mean that I can't worry about you, too."

"I know you're my friend and I love that you're concerned about me.  He's worth
it, Ty.  I can't explain it, but I know he is."

"OK, that's all I needed to hear.  I'm outta here.  It's going to take me a few
hours to get this taken care of.  Tell you what, I'll pick us up something for
lunch on my way back.  I'll even bring some chicken noodle soup for Sleeping
Beauty, just in case."

"Sounds good.  I'll tell Alex you're bringing food, maybe that'll inspire him to
wake up."

"Couldn't hurt.  Back in while."

Katie went back to the dryer to fold the clothes.  She hung hers up and carried
Alex's back to the bedroom.

"Tyler's bringing you some chicken noodle soup for lunch.  Personally, I prefer
tomato, but chicken noodle's probably better for you right now anyway."  She sat
down on the bed, hoping for some kind of reaction.  "Your clothes are clean.  I
put them in the dresser for you.  Your jackets messed up though.  Tyler's taking
it to the dry cleaner to get it cleaned and repaired."  She sighed and bent down
to kiss his cheek.  "I know you can hear me," she whispered.  "I'll just be out
in the other room for a little while.  Holler if you need anything."

Katie backed out of the room, slowly, hoping to see something that would
encourage her to stay.  At the door, she turned and walked over to her computer. 
She hadn't checked her mail since bringing Alex home.  The flag was up and when
she opened the box, there were twenty-four messages waiting.  Most were junk,
but a few were important.  She responded to the personal letters, before opening
the note from her publisher.  They were thrilled with the buzz on her latest
book and wanted her to do some book signings upon its release, next month.  She
hated doing these book-signing tours and seldom agreed to do them.  Fortunately,
since her books always did well without them, she had the luxury of being able
to refuse.  They wouldn't be happy about it, but they wouldn't fight her too
much either.  She sent them a nice note, politely declining.
Mail taken care of, she decided to surf for any new weirdness to use for her
next book.  She scanned her favorite bizarre news and urban legend sites to see
if anything different had popped up recently.  Lately, the news had been pretty
standard fare; same old decapitated heads in the refrigerator and my neighbor is
a vampire shit.  Not even any new conspiracy theories floating around to spur
her imagination.  Thirty minutes later, she logged off, having found nothing of
interest.  Her legs were fidgety and she needed to get out, but she settled on
walking around the loft.  It was a poor substitute for being out in the open
air, but it would suffice.  Her need to be here for Alex, far exceeded her need
to walk outside.  Her fourth lap around the loft was interrupted by a noise from
the bedroom.  She ran to the door and found that he'd gotten his leg tangled in
the blanket.  He was kicking, each kick causing him a great deal of pain.  When
she grabbed his leg to pull the blanke!
t off, he yell something, in Russian, and struggled harder against her.  Giving
up on the blanket, she slipped in beside him and tried the lullaby trick.  As he
started to relax, she reached down and gently untangled his leg.  He resisted
her help, but she continued to sing and was able to free his leg.  He fussed and
whimpered for quite a while, so she stayed with him, stroking his hair,
sometimes singing, sometimes talking softly.  "Shhh, Alexei, Katya's here.  I
won't leave you.  Shhh," she'd whisper, in between choruses.

"Katya?" he murmured.

Her heart jumped into her throat.  "Yes, Alexei. I'm here.  Wake up and talk to
me.  Please, wake up and talk to Katya."

He didn't respond, but she knew he was listening, that he could hear her.  She
sang until her throat was sore, waiting for him to say something, anything, once
again.  After an hour, she was on the verge of giving up.  She put her head down
on the pillow and closed her eyes.  "Come on, Alexei, I know you're in there
somewhere," she sighed.

"That's a girl's song, you know," he whispered.

She smiled so wide she thought her face might split, but she didn't move from
the pillow right away.  "Too bad, it's the only Russian I know.  You're lucky I
remember that!  Why can't you sleep talk in English like the rest of us," she
teased, rising up on her elbow to look at him.  His eyes were still closed, but
he was grinning sleepily.  A stray strand of hair fell across his forehead.

"Katya?  You told me your name was Katie."

"My grandmother called me Katya.  It seemed like the right name to use." She
reached over and brushed the hair out of his face.  "How about opening your eyes
and looking at me so I know you're really in there?" she asked.

It wasn't easy, but he managed to open his eyes.  "Is this better?"

"Much," she smiled.  "I've been waiting to see those beautiful green eyes again.
Feel up to answering a few questions?  They're easy ones, I promise."

"Sure, what do you want to know, Katya."

"Everything, but I'll settle for the answers to Matthew's medical questions, for
now.  Can you focus?"

 He nodded.

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three."

"Very good.  You've been studying."

He chuckled.  "I've always been good at pop quizzes."

"Any dizziness, nausea?"

"No and no.  How am I doing so far?"

"I think you're going to be just fine.  I never doubted it, but Matthew wasn't
so sure."

"Matthew?  Your doctor friend, right?"

"Right.  You really were paying attention."

"Always.  My mother used to say 'God is in the details'."

The elevator door opened and they could hear the sound of plastic bags rustling. 
Katie jumped up and rushed toward the door.  Alex made a pained sound as the bed
bounced and pressed his hand to his ribcage.  "Oh no.  I'm sorry, Alex, I wasn't
thinking.  Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm OK.  You just caught me by surprise."

"OK. I'll be right back.  There's someone else who's been waiting to meet you. 
Don't go anywhere."

He snickered and closed his eyes.

She ran out of the room, almost crashing into Tyler.
"Careful, hot soup," he said, swinging the parcel out of harm's way.  "I take it
Sleeping Beauty's awake?"

"Yes, he just woke up a little while ago.  Come on, you have to meet him."

"Hang on, let me put lunch in the kitchen and get the bags out of the elevator. 
I'll be right there."

She ran over to the elevator, grabbed the bags and slid them across the floor. 
Then she closed the door.  "OK, they're off the elevator.  We'll pick them up
later.  Come on, Tyler."

She took his hand and dragged him into the bedroom.  Alex had his eyes closed,
but he smiled when he heard them enter.

"Alex, this is Tyler.  Tyler, Alex."

Alex opened his eyes.  "Hi."

"Hi, yourself.  You've had us all worried, it's about time you woke up."  Tyler
turned to Katie.  "Has he tried sitting up yet?  We really should get him up and
about, get his lungs expanding."

"Another doctor, Katie?" Alex asked.

Tyler laughed.  "Oh no, darling.  I'm not a doctor, I just play with one at
home."

Katie giggled at Alex's confusion.  Tyler's was an old joke, but it cracked her
up every time.  "Matthew and Tyler are married, Alex.  You'll have to excuse
him, Ty uses that line whenever he can get away with it."

Alex snickered, then whimpered in pain.  "Oh, don't make me laugh, it hurts."

"Sorry, we'll try to tone down the jocularity," Tyler replied.  "But, we still
have to get you up for a bit.  If you think laughing hurts, wait'll you try
sitting up."

Alex groaned.  "Do I have to?"

"'Fraid so.  Doctor's orders," Katie said.  "Besides, you have chicken noodle
soup waiting for you, fresh from the deli.  Don't think you want to attempt that
lying down.  Gee, I didn't even ask.  Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, actually.  I am."  He tried to push himself up, but the pain in his side
was too much for him to deal with.  "Guys, I don't think I can do this," he
gasped.

Katie sat down beside him.  "Just relax for minute.  When it stops hurting, let
us help you up."  She stroked his cheek gently.  "You don't have to do this all
by yourself."

Tyler watched for second, then sensing a private moment, he made an excuse to
leave the room.  "Tell you what.  Why don't I go gather up those bags you tossed
all over the place and put them on the couch?  Call me when you're ready for
some help."

"Thanks, Ty," Katie said.

He nodded and left the room.

"You all right?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied.  "I just need a couple more minutes."

"I know it hurts, but once you get up, you'll start to feel a lot better. 
Getting up's the hardest part."  She paused and considered her words.  "Well,
getting up and laying back down again.  It's the in-between motions that are the
worst."

"The voice of experience?" he inquired.

She grinned and looked down at her feet.  "Let's just say I've had my share of
broken bones."

"Oh really?  A woman of mystery," he joked.  "Do tell."

"I'll tell you anything you want to know," she said, poking him in the arm. "As
soon as you get up out of this bed."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"You could be biting off more than you can chew, Katya," he leered.

"I'll take my chances, Alexei," she leered back.  "Now, since you've obviously
caught your breath, I'm going to get Tyler back in here to help get you up."

"No," he said, quickly.  "Don't call him."

"Why not?"

"We can do it by ourselves, just like last time."

She stared at him, knowing there was more to the story.  "And…"
He sighed and turned his head away from her.  "And, I'm not used to having
people see me in pain, OK?  Bad enough I have a beautiful woman watching me fuss
like a baby…"

Katie blushed.  'Beautiful?' she wondered.  She put her hand on his cheek and
turned him back toward her.  "I'm going to slide your legs over to the edge of
the bed.  When you feel them touch the floor, we'll lift you up."  He nodded. 
She moved his legs over the side and helped ease his knees off the side of the
bed.  He made hurting noises, but she ignored them.  When his feet were touching
the floor, she looked back at him.  "Do you want to try it by yourself first, or
do you want me to help you?"

"Help."

"I think I've figured out a better way to do this.  Put your arm around my
shoulders.  I'll put my arms under yours and pull you up.  You'll have to help a
little, but I think this will work.  Just don't pull back, even if it hurts, or
I might end up crashing down on top of you."

Alex snickered at her last comment.  She chuckled, too, when she realized what
was implied in that statement.

"I'll bet you're Hell-on-wheels when you're well, Alexei," she said, as she put
one hand on either side of his body.

"You have no idea, Katya," he said, turning serious.  "Why are you doing this
for me?  What's in it for you?"

She didn't move, just looked down at him.  "Do you believe in Fate, Alex?"

"Sure.  Why do you ask?"

"Ask me later.  Right now, we've got to get you up before Tyler decides we've
forgotten about him and comes looking for us.  Ready?"

Alex took as deep a breath as his aching ribs would allow and closed his eyes. 
"Yeah."

Katie slid her arms under him and waited until she felt his arm go around her
neck.  "Here we go."

She pulled gently, but firmly.  He tensed his arm around her neck, almost
choking her, but she kept going, until he was completely upright.  His arm
relaxed its grip and his head dropped to her shoulder.  She held on to him. 
"All right, that was the worst part," she whispered, soothingly.  "When you're
ready, we'll stand up all the way."  Alex nodded against her shoulder.

"Just give me a second."

"No problem."

Tyler appeared in the doorway.  Katie held up one finger behind Alex's back,
signaling him to wait.

"I think Tyler's getting impatient, Alex.  We'd better get moving."

"Let's do it."

"On three.  One…two…three."  They moved together, bringing him to his feet.  His
knee throbbed, but it was able to support his weight.  With Katie acting as his
crutch, Alex was able to walk from the bedroom to the kitchen table, where Tyler
had lunch waiting for all of them.  It hurt to lower himself down to the seat,
but standing up wasn't comfortable either, so it didn't matter much.  What was
really starting to bother him, was his missing prosthesis.  Not that he was fond
of the thing, but not having it on threw his balance off slightly.  He surveyed
the loft from his chair, but didn't see it.  Assuming it had been taken by the
jerks who'd beaten him, he resigned himself to being without it.
Katie noticed him looking around, then glancing at his left shoulder.  'Stupid!'
she thought.  She got up from the table and walked over to the laundry area,
where she'd left his arm hanging from a clothes rack, so the shoulder harness
could dry.  Picking it up, she carried it to the table.  "Is this what you're
looking for?" she asked.  "I'm sorry, I put it over there to let it dry and just
forgot about it.

Alex was relieved to see the arm in her hand.  "I thought I'd lost it this time. 
It's not much, but it's better than this," he said, poking his chin toward his
missing limb.

"Do you want it on now," she asked.  "Or can it wait until after you eat?"

Not wanting to get up and deal with it right now, Alex said, "It can wait."

Tyler and Katie carried on an animated conversation about Tyler's shopping
excursion, while Alex worked on his soup.

"So anyway, Alex, I hope you like what I picked up for you.  If there's anything
else you need, just let me know," Tyler offered.

"Oh, I'm sure whatever you brought me will be fine," Alex said.  He hadn't been
listening to most of conversation, but he did get that he was the reason for the
shopping trip and that most of the bags contained items for his use.

When he finished his lunch, Alex sat back and watched Katie and Tyler, trying to
figure out who these people were and why they were bothering to help him.  He
couldn't believe that either of them was working for the Consortium, or what was
left of it, anyway, and they certainly weren't FBI or Company material. 
Besides, after all these years, he could virtually smell a G-man in his midst;
they always had a certain government-issued bouquet about them.  These two were
something he hadn't seen in years, something he'd almost forgotten existed, Good
Samaritans.

"Are you OK, Alex?" Katie asked, looking concerned.

"Hmmm?  Oh, I'm fine," he answered, trying to bring himself back to the present. 
"I was daydreaming, sorry."

"You know what," Tyler said, getting up from the table.  "I think I'm going to
get out of here and let you both get some rest.  You look like you could use a
little quiet, Alex and Katie's been fighting to keep her eyes open for about the
last fifteen minutes."

Katie smiled and shook her head.  "I thought I was doing such a good job of
hiding it, too."

"You thought wrong," he said, as he leaned over to kiss the top of her head. 
Tyler gathered up the dishes and put them in the sink. "OK, I'm going now. 
Matthew will be stopping by on his way home from the hospital."  He walked over
to the couch and picked up one of the bags.  "Alex, it was nice meeting you. 
I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other.  And you," he said, pointing to
Katie.  "Get some rest."

"I will, Ty.  Thanks again for everything."

With a wink and wave, Tyler got on the elevator and closed the door.

"He's right, you look exhausted," Alex observed.  "Guess that's my fault.  Why
don't you go take a nap."  He yawned.  "Maybe I'll do the same."

Katie got up from her chair and stood by him.  "I agree." She reached out and
squeezed his shoulder.  "Come on, let's get you in back in bed, then I'll catch
a little shut-eye, myself."

Alex pushed himself out of the chair slowly, wincing as he rose.  His knee
buckled slightly he took his first step, but Katie was there to catch him.  She
put her arm around his waist and helped support him as they made their way back
to the bedroom.  Once there, she started to steer him over to the bed, but he
stopped her.

"Would you mind if I tried sleeping in your chair instead?  I don't think I'm
ready to face getting in and out of that bed."

She thought about it briefly, then guided him to the recliner.  He lowered
himself to the seat and gingerly settled in. He raised the footrest and eased
the chair back. Every breath brought a new wave of discomfort, but it was much
better than trying to lie down completely.  While he tried to find a comfortable
position, Katie grabbed the blanket from the floor and put it over him.

"How's that?" she asked.

"Better."

"OK, if you're set for a while, I'm going to go crawl into bed and get some
sleep.  If you need anything, just holler. Do not, I repeat, do not get up and
try to get around by yourself."
"I promise.  You know, if you slept in here, I wouldn't have to holler," he
suggested.  " I have a feeling that if you leave, you'll be too busy listening
out for me, to get any sleep yourself."

Katie lowered her head, trying to hide her smile.  He was right and there was no
sense denying it.  She sighed and got into bed.  As she pulled the blanket up
around her and snuggled in against his pillow, she heard him say, "sleep well,
Katya."

"You too, Alexei."

Alex didn't think he'd be able to sleep, but shortly after Katie drifted off,
his eyes closed, as well.

Matthew showed up, medical bag in hand, just after 6.  Tyler had left word for
him that Alex was awake and that they'd managed to get some soup into him. 
Matthew was anxious to meet the mystery man for himself.

He entered the bedroom and switched on the lamp by the bed.  It surprised him to
find Katie in the bed, while Alex slept in the recliner.  He supposed that this
was an improvement over the last time he'd found them, but it still made him
uncomfortable.  He put his bag on the nightstand, walked over to the bed and
drew the blanket up around Katie's shoulders.

"You must be Matthew," a voice from behind him said.

Matthew turned around to face the voice.  "Yeah, Matthew Curry and you are?"


"Alex Krycek.  I hear I have you to thank for sewing me up and getting me in out
of the rain."

"Save it for Katie, she's the one responsible for all this.  I'm just here to
cater to her insanity," Matthew stated, with a frown.  "She seems to think
you're something special; that's the only reason I agreed to this."

"I get the impression that you don't like me very much, Matthew."

Matthew opened his bag and pulled out his stethoscope, before walking over to
Alex.  "I don't know even know you, Mr. Krycek, so I have no opinion in that
regard.  I'm keeping an open mind, for Katie's sake."  He put the stethoscope to
Alex's chest. "Breathe in as deeply as you can, but don't hurt yourself."  Alex
complied.  Matthew moved the instrument around Alex's chest and back, listening
for any sign of congestion, but found none.  He took the stethoscope out of his
ears and let hang around his neck. "Everything sounds fine.  How's the knee
feeling?"

"It's pretty sore and it tends to buckle under me when I try to go too far, but
I've had worse," Alex answered.  "It'll be fine in a day or two."

"I'd say more like a week, myself." Matthew crossed his arms against his chest
and gave Alex the once over.  "So, who are you, Alex Krycek?  Why is it that we
found you beaten, in an alley, with a gun by your side?"

Alex hesitated before answering. "A couple of locals in the bar watched me shoot
pool for a while, then invited me to join them in a 'friendly' game of 9-Ball; I
took their money, they beat me up.  End of story.  The gun, or what's left of
it, is mine.  I dropped it in the scuffle and it went off.  Good thing, too.  I
think that's what made them run away.  The next real thing I remember, is waking
up here."  He shrugged his shoulders and gave Matthew a little smile.

"Uh huh," Matthew responded.   "OK, I guess I can buy that.  Where are you from? 
Why are you here?"

Alex shifted in the chair.  He didn't like being the subject of interrogation. 
"I'm from Virginia.  Why am I here?  Well, I didn't intend to be here.  I'm
between jobs at the moment, so I decided to get in my car and see where the road
took me.  Here was just a stop on the way to an elusive where."

Matthew rubbed his eye and sighed.  "So basically, you're an unemployed drifter. 
Great!"

"Stop it, Kid.  You've got no right to badger him," Katie hissed.  She was
sitting on the edge of the bed, glaring at him.

He turned to look at her.  "Damn it, Hanna!  Someone's got to look out for you. 
I'm just trying to protect you."

"We've been through this already.  I can take care of myself."

'Hanna?  This woman has more aliases than I do,' Alex thought. ' Kid?  What the
Hell is that about?'  He listened while Katie and Matthew argued over worrying
rights.  In spite of Matthew's apparent rude behavior, Alex found himself liking
the man.  He realized that the rudeness was a result of a deep kinship and would
have been directed against anyone that Matthew perceived as a threat against
Katie, so he didn't take it personally.  Must be nice to have someone care about
you that much.

"Katie," Alex called.  "Back off.  This isn't worth fighting over.  I'm not
worth fighting over."
Katie came to his side and put her hand on his shoulder.  "This isn't just about
you, Alex; it's a continuation of a very old discussion."

"Yes it is," Matthew replied.  "I'm not going to fight with you, Hanna.  If this
is what you want, I'll shut up, but you can't expect me to stop worrying about
you."  He turned his attention to Alex.  "I'm guessing that you're in a lot of
pain from those ribs.  Are you allergic to any medications?"

Alex shook his head.

"All right."  Matthew reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of pills.  "I
was hoping you'd say that.  I brought you some Tylenol 3; try this and see if it
helps.  There are stronger meds I can prescribe, but I'd rather not put you any
of those, if we can avoid it.  Also, I'd like you to soak that knee.  Katie's
got a great whirlpool in the bathroom; you should take advantage of it, while
you're here.  It'll hurt like Hell getting in and out of thing, but you'll feel
great while you're in there."  He turned to Katie.  "You'll have to help him in
and out.  Can you do that?"

Katie nodded.

Matthew looked from Katie to Alex.  "All right, I'm going home.  Call me if you
need anything." He picked up his bag and made a quick exit from the bedroom.

"You're not going to let him go like that, are you?" Alex asked.  "He's pretty
upset, Katya.  You should say something.  Don't let him go home angry."

"You're right. He's just trying to save me from myself," she said, as she leaned
down to kiss his forehead.   "Be right back."

He touched his the spot on his forehead where she had just kissed him.  From
anyone else, he would have thought it condescending, from her, it felt…nice.  He
smiled and wondered if this was the first time she'd kissed him.

Katie returned a short time later.  "OK, I made nice with Matthew.  Happy now?"

"Very."  He pushed the leg rest down and moved the blanket aside.  "I need a
shower," he announced.  "I'm offending myself; I don't know how you can stand to
be around me."

Katie chuckled and helped him up from the chair.  "I wasn't going to say
anything, but since you brought it up…" she teased.  "Come on, let's get you
into the bathroom.  We should look through Tyler's purchases first, to find you
something to change into when you're done."

They made their way slowly to the couch, where Tyler had left the bags.  Alex
noticed his wallet and its contents lying on the table.  He touched the picture
lovingly.

"Sorry about that," Katie said.  "I wasn't being nosy, it's just that your
wallet was drenched and I wanted to get everything out to dry.  That's all I
found inside.  Is anything missing?"

"No," he said, quietly.  "This is all I had with me."

"Is that your mother?"

He nodded.  "Yeah, it's one of the few pictures I have left.  I was five when
this was taken."  He picked up the wallet and felt inside.  It felt dry, so he
put the money, papers and picture back inside.  Realizing that he had no
pockets, he tossed it back on the table.  It wasn't going anywhere.  "So, what's
in all these bags?"

Katie grabbed one and opened it.  "Let's find out."  In the first one, she found
a package of underwear, socks, pajama bottoms and matching long sleeved, tee
shirts.

Alex picked up the green tee shirt.  "Interesting color choice."

"That must be for my benefit," Katie explained.  "I told him your eyes were
green; my favorite color, by the way."

Alex picked up the matching pajama bottoms and threw both items over his
shoulder.  "I've always been a basic black and blue kind of guy, maybe it's time
I added a little color to my wardrobe."

She laughed.  "You may not have much of a choice.  Let's see what else Tyler has
in store for you."

A thorough search of the bags netted them two pairs of jeans, one black, one
blue, three flannel shirts, one black, one green, and one burgundy, a pair of
slippers, a bathing suit and assorted toiletry items.

"Let me guess," Alex said, holding up the burgundy shirt.  "Your second favorite
color?"

Katie snickered. "No, Tyler's.  Matthew refuses to wear anything burgundy."  She
held it up to him.  "I like it, the color suits you."

"You think so?"

"Yes I do."

Alex ran his fingers over the shirt.  "Well then, it looks like I'm adding two
new colors today."  He let go of the shirt.  "You didn't have to do this."

"I know, I wanted to.  You didn't exactly come equipped with clothing," she
teased.

"Hey, I have clothes.  Assuming my room still belongs to me," he said.  "I
wasn't expecting to be assaulted, left in an alley, then carried home by a
beautiful lady."

'There's that word again,' she thought.  "Well, you know what they say, Alex,"
Katie said.

"No.  What do 'they' say, Katie?"

"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition," she replied, with a giggle.

Alex laughed and immediately regretted it.  "Oh no, not a Python.  I'm never
going to heal."

"I promise to keep my well-worn copy of Holy Grail hidden away, until you feel
better," she said.  "Come on, let's get you in the shower." She stood beside him
as they walked to the bathroom, waiting to offer a hand, if he needed it.  Once
there, she put a towel on the rack for him. "One of the many interesting
features of this bathroom, is that it's fully equipped for every eventuality." 
She reached into the closet and pulled out a shower stool.  Alex raised his
eyebrows at her.  "Don't look at me like that.  I had mono one year and couldn't
stand long enough to enjoy the shower.  Matthew bought it for me." She put it in
the shower and checked to be sure it wouldn't slip.  "OK, you should be set. 
I'm going to go start some dinner.  Yell if you need anything."

"There is one thing I would like."

"What?"

"Would you bring me my arm?"

She snickered as her favorite Monty Python line went through her head; 'we want
a shrubbery.'  "Sure, I'll be right back."  She returned moments later and put
the arm down on the vanity.  "Anything else?"

"A shrubbery?"

Katie's eyes widened at the comment.  He looked so smug standing there, waiting
for her reaction.  It took all of her self-restraint not to laugh or accuse him
of being psychic.  Instead, she settled for crossing her arms and smiling. 
"What do you say?"

He looked at her, confused.  "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Alex.  If you're going to fulfill your destiny as a knight, you have
to ask properly," she teased.  "I'm not bringing you the shrubbery until you
do."

He grinned and covered his face with his hand.  "I couldn't keep my mouth shut,
could I?"  Dropping his hand, he looked at Katie.  She was watching him,
expectantly, tapping her feet.  He shook his and chuckled.  'Here goes nothing,'
he thought.  "We are the Knights who say 'Ni!'"

She looked at him in mock horror.  "Not the Knights who say 'Ni'?"

"The same."

That broke her reserve and she let the giggles fly.  Katie left the bathroom,
closing the door behind her.  She stayed just outside of the room, waiting until
the water came on, before going into the kitchen to see what Tyler had bought in
the way of dinner food.  Opening the refrigerator, she found two chicken breasts
marinating in some kind of sauce.  Attached to the bowl was a note from Tyler
with cooking instructions and side dish suggestions.  "Thank you, Tyler," she
said aloud.

She started dinner, according to his instructions, making occasional trips to
the bathroom door to listen in on Alex.  Thirty minutes later, the water went
off and she heard him get out of the shower.  She leaned against the door,
listening to him moving around inside.  After a few minutes, it got quiet; too
quiet.  She was about to call out to him, when the door opened suddenly, almost
causing her to fall over.

"You'd make a lousy spy," Alex teased.

"How did you know I was out here?"

"The door made a noise when you leaned against it.  That and the fact that your
toes show under the door," he said, pointing to the gap between the door and
floor.

Katie snapped her fingers. "Damn.  I never thought of that," she said with a
grin.  "Anyway, I wasn't spying on you, I was just making sure that you were
OK."  She paused.  "So, are you OK?"

He nodded.  "I'm fine and I have two arms again," he exclaimed, showing off his
newly attached prosthesis.   "I'm hungry.  What smells so good?" he asked, as he
limped out of the bathroom.

"Chicken in white wine sauce, rice and baby peas.  Tyler's suggestion," she
added.

"At least he likes me," Alex mused.

"Give Matthew a chance.  He'll come around," she said.  "Go sit down, dinner's
just about ready."

Alex limped over to the table and sat down.  Katie could tell it hurt him to do
so, but he didn't say anything.  She went out to the kitchen, dished out the
food and brought the plates to the table.  "Are you going to be taking the
Tylenol 3 tonight?" she asked him.
"No, I think I'll try to go without it.  Why?"

"Want a glass of wine then?"

He nodded and she poured a glass for each of them, before sitting down to eat.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Why does Matthew call you Hanna?"

"Hmmm.  That's something of a personal story," she said, before taking a drink. 
"Tell you what, I'll match you one personal childhood story for every one you
tell me."

Alex considered the deal while he took a drink.  He could always make something
up, if it got too hard.  "Deal, but you have to start."

Katie nodded and began the story.  When she had finished, she asked him about
his parents.  Maybe it was the wine or the events of the last few hours, but he
found himself telling her the truth.

"My parents were respected professors, teaching at the University in Moscow. The
government had no reason to believe that they were unhappy with their positions,
so when they were asked to speak at an international conference in New York, the
powers-that-be consented.  The visas were issued without question and since
neither had any living relatives to leave me with; they were permitted to take
me along.  During the conference, they applied for asylum. One of the professors
at NYU heard of their request.  He offered them positions and found another
staff member to sponsor their petition.  With that in hand, they were allowed to
stay."  Alex paused to take another sip of wine.  He put his glass on the table
and traced the bottom of it with his finger as he continued. "From that time,
until I was ten, I was raised by a variety of graduate students.  My time with
my parents was limited to the odd weekend and a few weeks in the summer, when
they weren't teaching summer classes.  W!
hen I was ten, they went on vacation, alone; the first time they'd had the
opportunity go away by themselves, since defecting.  It was October and they
were driving up to Vermont to visit the professor who had given them their jobs;
he'd retired a few years earlier.  Anyway, they were caught in a hailstorm.  The
car skidded over an embankment, killing them both instantly.  At least that's
what the official report said."

He stopped talking, but continued to trace the bottom of the glass.  Not a
living soul knew this about him and he couldn't believe he'd just shared this
with her.  He just knew that telling her felt right.  Maybe this is what trust
felt like.  Trust was something he had in short supply, a trait he shared with
another person he knew.

Katie reached out and stilled his hand.  He looked up and saw the caring in her
eyes; the look of someone who'd lived the experience and recognized the pain. 
He smiled and squeezed her fingers.  "Well, I sure know how to bring down a
party, don't I?"

"What happened after that?  Who took care of you, Alex?"

He sat back in the chair, feeling the catch in his ribs as he did.  "No fair,
it's your turn."

She moved her chair closer to his and rested both elbows on the table.  "I'll
give you two later.  Come on, tell me what happened?  Please?"

His head dipped slightly.  Things got a little hairy from this point.  He wanted
to tell her everything, but he wasn't ready to completely let go of his secrets. 
There were still a few members of the Consortium floating around; people who
represented a threat to the new life he wanted to carve out for himself, far
away from evils he'd left behind.  Besides, she wouldn't believe him.  Hell, if
he hadn't seen those things with his own eyes, he wouldn't believe him either. 
Just the highlights, he decided; that would be enough.  Looking up, he continued
his story.

"I got lucky.  One of the professors took me in, temporarily, while the state
tried to locate a suitable home.  Months later, a gentleman showed up, claiming
to be a friend of my father's.  He had paperwork showing that my parents had
asked him to take care of me, should it become necessary.  When asked why he
hadn't come forward earlier, he explained that he'd been out of the country and
had only just been informed of my parent's death.  I didn't like him, but the
state accepted his papers and gave him custody.  He wasn't a bad person, just
cold.  He's the one who made me change my name to Alex, saying that no good prep
school would want a Russian immigrant in its midst.  I never forgave him for
that, but I never changed my name back, either.  My physical needs were taken
care of.  I had the best education money could buy, I traveled and learned to
adapt to any social situation.  Everything I could possibly want was mine for
the asking, except love and affection.  I was the q!
uintessential lonely, rich boy."  He chuckled, sadly and lowered his eyes.  " I
envy your friendship with Matthew and Tyler.  Making friends was something I
never learned how to do.  No one ever tried to get to know me; I was always too
scared to put myself on the line and take a chance on getting hurt again.  To
this day, there's no one I can call 'friend' with any real meaning of the word."

Katie got up and stood in front of him.  She bent down and kissed his forehead,
holding her lips there for a long time, before pulling away.  "I would be
honored to number you among my friends, Alexei," she said quietly.  Sitting back
down, she asked,  "what happened to your benefactor?"

"He died last year."  Alex answered.  Looking up at her, he smiled. "Think
Matthew will rest easier when he finds out that this unemployed drifter is
really a wealthy eccentric?"

"Probably not," she replied.  "But it will be fun to see the look on his face
when he finds out."

Alex laughed, then held his ribs as the pain washed over him.  All the good done
by the warm shower had worn off, leaving his body to deal with the aftermath. 
Suddenly, all of his energy vanished, leaving him drained.   Katie watched as
the color left his face.  She got up, pulled his chair away from the table and
held out her hand.  "That's it for you.  Time for bed."  He took her hand and,
with great difficulty, lifted himself out of the chair.  Draping his good arm
around her shoulders, he allowed her to help him into the bedroom.  He asked for
the recliner again, so she guided him over to it.  Once he was down, she covered
him with the blanket.  "Do you want a pill?  You only had the one glass of wine,
I don't think it'll cause a problem."

"No, I just need to sit here and rest awhile.  Will you stay with me tonight,
Katya?" he asked.

"Of course I will," she replied.  "Give me a few minutes to take care of the
food and put the dishes in the sink, then I'll be back.  Do you need me to bring
you anything?"

He shook his head.  "No, just come back and talk to me when you're through.  You
still owe me a couple of stories."

She bent down and quickly kissed the top of his head.  "And you'll get them as
soon as I get back."

'That's three times she's kissed me,' he thought.  'I wonder what she'd do if I
kissed her back?'  The idea made him smile.  'Later, when I'm feeling better,
I'll have to do just that,' he decided, before drifting off to sleep.

Ten minutes later, her chores completed, Katie came back into the bedroom. 
"See, that didn't take too long.  What do you want…" She stopped short,
realizing that Alex was asleep.  He looked relaxed and his color was returning. 
Not feeling the least bit tired, she decided to go find something to do.  She
went into the living room and picked out a book to read.  After a few chapters,
she lost interest, so she turned on the television and tried to find anything
worth watching.  HBO was showing A Fish Called Wanda, one of her favorites, but
even that failed to keep her attention.  She turned it off and paced around the
room.  Alex's clothes needed to be put away, so she gathered them up and took
them into the bedroom.  He never moved as she put his things in the dresser.

Walking back out to the living room, she decided that a good, long soak in the
tub might be just the thing she needed.  As she passed the couch, she noticed
Alex's new bathing suit still there.  "Hmmm, must have missed that when I picked
up the rest of his things," she said, to no one in particular.  She picked it up
and started to take it into the bedroom, then stopped and carried it into the
bathroom instead.  Opening the closet door, she put it on the shelf where she
kept her suit.  Pulling hers out, she changed into it before starting the bath
water.  It occurred to her that she hadn't closed the bathroom door, but she
decided against going over and closing it.  If Alex needed her, she wanted to be
able to hear him.  And she was wearing her bathing suit, so it wasn't like she
would be exposing herself, if he came in.  She turned off the tap, kicked on the
heater and the jets, then sunk down into the water.

Alex woke and looked over at the bed; Katie wasn't there.  He glanced over to
see the time and realized that he must have dozed off.  A low, whirring sound
got his attention and his curiosity forced him off the recliner to find out
where it was coming from.  He followed the sound to the bathroom door and peered
inside.  Katie was there, in the whirlpool tub.  Her eyes were closed, her head
lying back against the tile.  He stood there, torn between going in and going
back to bed.

Katie knew he was standing in the doorway, watching her.  With his injured knee
and busted ribs, he wasn't moving as stealthily as he liked to think.  She let
him stay there awhile, waiting to see if he would come in or go back to bed. 
When she heard him move again, she opened her eyes to see which direction he'd
chosen.

"Why don't you come on in?" she asked.  "Matthew said to soak that knee."  She
turned over in the water and smiled at him.  "The water's perfect."

Alex looked down at his feet when she turned over.  He was trying to be a
gentleman and she was making it difficult.  "No, that's OK.  I didn't mean to
disturb you."

It dawned on her, at that moment, that he didn't realize she was wearing a
bathing suit.  If he had been well, she would have taken advantage of the
situation; it would have been fun.  "Alex, look at me," she said.  He lifted his
head.  Katie stood up quickly to reveal her state of dress.  "I'm decent, if
that's what's worrying you.  Come on, your bathing suit is over there; put it on
and join me."
Alex smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.  The idea of Katie, undressed, was
appealing, but more than he could handle, given his present state.  "Do you
always wear your bathing suit in the whirlpool?"

"Only when I have company," she replied.  "It's not polite to scare your house
guests, you know."

"Oh, feel free to 'scare' me," he leered.  "I haven't been 'scared' in quite a
while."  He limped over to the side of the whirlpool and stuck his hand in the
water.  It felt warm and looked inviting.  "Maybe I will join you."

"Good.  I'll be the polite hostess and avert my eyes while you change." 'Maybe,'
she thought.

"See that you do," he teased, as he made his way to the closet for his bathing
suit.  He turned around to see if she was looking, before stripping off the
pajama pants.  The shirt was long enough to keep just about everything covered,
until he bent down.  Alex looked behind him again, just before bending over to
put on the bathing suit and picking the pajama bottoms up off the floor.  He
hoped to catch her looking, just so he could tease her a little more, but true
to her word, she was averting her eyes.  The agony of bending over made him see
stars and he almost fell; he gritted his teeth, trying to hold back any noise. 
He braced himself against the wall, until his head cleared, then tried to
straighten up.  When he felt able, he started back to the tub.

"Aren't you going to take off your shirt?"

Alex pulled at the hem of the nightshirt, trying to decide what to do.  He was
going to have to remove the prosthesis, but he'd been without it for most of his
time here; he had, however, always had a shirt covering his body.

"I've already seen it, you know?" she said softly.  He bit his lip, then let out
a breath.  Katie waded to his side, climbed out of the water and sat on the edge
of the tub.  "Take off the shirt, Alexei.  It'll be all right; I promise." He
didn't move, so she reached out and pulled him over.  She took the hem of the
shirt in her hands.  "I promise," she repeated, before lifting the shirt over
his head.  Katie folded the shirt and tossed it away from the splash zone of the
tub.  She reached for the harness of the prosthesis.  "This too; it takes
forever to dry."  He put his hand on hers, shook his head and pulled away. 
Katie dropped her head, afraid that she'd pushed too hard, too fast.  When she
looked up, she saw Alex laying the arm on the vanity.  She stepped back into the
tub and waited for him to join her.

He stepped into the water and lowered himself to the seat, grimacing as he did. 
Alex slid down on the seat, until his stump was partially submerged.  The water
was swirled around his chest and soon, the muscles began to relax.

Katie watched him sink into the water, then close his eyes and rest his head on
the tiles.  She gave him a few minutes to relax, before tempting fate.  "What
happened?"

Alex opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. "I don't want to talk about it"
He paused.  "Maybe sometime, but not tonight."  Lowering his gaze, he smiled at
her.  "Besides, we agreed to share childhood stories and at last count, you owe
me two."

"You've got me there," she replied.  "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about your grandmother."

Katie nodded and began the long tale of her grandmother's last months.  Alex
listened carefully as she told about her grandmother's ordeal with cancer, the
horror of chemotherapy and the decision to put her in the hospital, against her
wishes.  Her voice got softer as she approached the end of the story.  When she
was done, she closed her eyes.

He watched briefly, then slid over beside her and took her hand in his. 
Bringing it up out of the water, he kissed her fingers and interlaced them with
his, before submerging their hands once again.  Katie rested her head on Alex's
shoulder; he leaned his head against hers. They enjoyed the shared silence for
quite a while.

"Alexei?"

"Hmmm??"

"This is nice."

He lifted his head up and turned toward her.  "I sense a 'but'."

"But, my butt's going numb and if I don't move it soon, we're going to have a
problem getting out of this tub."

Alex laughed.  "Oh, ow!  Don't do that," he moaned.

Katie stood up, not letting go of Alex's hand.  She put her other hand low on
her back and tried to stretch out a little.  Circulation returned to her
backside with a vengeance.  "Oh geez, I'm not sure which is worse, no
circulation or that horrible few minutes when the circulation returns."  She
stretched until the prickling sensation stopped.  "OK, I think I can walk now. 
You ready to get out of this thing?"

"I don't know.  I was enjoying the view," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Katie chuckled.  'Masher."

Alex grinned and pulled himself up off the seat.  Katie let go of his hand and
got out of the tub.  "Do you need help?" she asked, as she reached for the
towels.

"No, I'm OK."  He climbed out of the tub and reached for the towel in Katie's
outstretched hand.  "Thanks."

Katie watched as Alex dried himself.  He was quite good at maneuvering the towel
to reach all the wet spots.  She didn't realize that she'd been staring until he
caught her looking.

"It's a skill born of necessity," he said.  "You either figure it out, or wait
until you air-dry."

"Oh," she said, trying to appear nonchalant.  "I wasn't paying any attention to
that, I was just enjoying the view."

He grinned and walked over to his pajamas.  "Well, you'd better avert your eyes
again, or you're going to get a variation on a theme."

"Well then, I'll leave you to get dressed."  Katie moved to the bathroom door,
then turned and grinned at Alex.  "Besides," she added.  "That shirt covers
everything up anyway."

"KATYA!! You were peeking?  How unladylike," Alex responded, in mock surprise.

"I never claimed to be a 'lady'," she tossed back, as she closed the bathroom
door.

Katie went to her bedroom and changed into her pajamas, before taking her
bathing suit over by the washer/dryer to hang dry.  Alex emerged from the
bathroom, just as she finished.  He started to say something, but was cut short
by the phone ringing.  Katie ran to answer it.

"Hello?  Hi Kid.  Not much, we just got out of the whirlpool.  No, no problems
getting in or out."

Alex wandered over to the window and looked outside. He could still hear the
conversation, but this way, he could listen without appearing to be
eavesdropping.

"What's up?  Tomorrow night?  What's tomorrow night?  Oh, how could I have
forgotten?"  Alex heard her coming up behind him.  "I don't know.  Yes, I know
it's a tradition.  Hang on; let me check with Alex."  She brought the phone down
from her face and covered the receiver.  "Are you up to having company tomorrow
night?"

Alex smiled and shrugged his shoulders.  "I guess so.  What's the occasion?"

"Halloween.  We always get together on Halloween and have a big movie marathon;
all the blood and gore we can stomach.  It's something Matthew and I have been
doing since high school.  Are you up to it?"

"Far be it for me to mess with a tradition.  Sure, sounds like fun."

Katie grinned and returned to the call.  "Bring it on.  Alex says he's game. 
Oh, and tell Tyler he'd better get I Dismember Mama this year.  He promised it
to me last year and didn't deliver.  He did?  Cool!  OK, see you tomorrow night. 
Love you, too.  Bye."

Alex gave her a perplexed look.  "I Dismember Mama?  You are kidding?"

"Nope, one of the few really bad horror movies I've never seen.  Have you seen
it?" she asked.

"No, I've managed to miss that particular piece of celluloid.  When you said
horror movies with blood and gore, I was thinking more mainstream.  You know,
Freddy Krueger, Halloween, Friday the 13th, those movies."

"Nah, those too well done.  We like the really crummy ones, with their blatantly
fake blood and cheesy dialogue," she said, exuding enthusiasm.  "Haven't you
ever watched any of the old Roger Corman or Hammer House of Horror movies?"

Alex shook his head.  "That would have been totally unacceptable in my house.  I
didn't get to see most of the others until I was in college and away from home."

Katie's eye widened in disbelief.  "You've never seen a B horror movie?  Oh, my
dear, you are in for a treat.  I have the perfect one for you, too.  Hang on,
I've got to call Matthew back."  Katie turned the phone over and hit Matthew's
number.  "Tyler?  Hi.  Guess who's never seen a B movie.  No shit!  Look, you've
got to bring Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers tomorrow night.  Oh, stop it, I love
that movie.  Come on, it won't kill you to watch it again.  I'll let you
heckle….great.  Thanks, sweetie.  Bye."

"Oh, now I know you're playing head games with me," Alex smirked.  "There is no
way someone made a movie called Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers."

Katie giggled and shook her head.  "Yes there is.  It's the touching story of a
group of ancient Egyptian chainsaw worshippers coping with life in today's
society."

Alex's mouth dropped. "You're serious?"

"As a heart attack," she replied.  "I can prove it to you, if you want."

"No, that's OK, I believe you.  How is it that you know so much about obscure
horror movies, anyway?  What is it, one of your hobbies or something?"

She smiled and crooked her finger.  "Follow me.  I think it's time you see how I
earn my way in the world."  He followed her as she walked to the computer area
of the loft.  "Do you read, Alexei?"

"What?  Do I read?  Sure, I read all the time.  Why?"  he asked, somewhat
confused by this turn in the conversation.

Katie reached up into the wall of books and pulled one down.  "Have you read
this one?" she asked, handing it to him.

He took it from her and read the title.  "A Yardstick for Lunatics?  Yeah, I
read this last year.  It's a good story."

Katie stared at him and smiled.  "I'm glad you liked it."

Alex waited for some further explanation.  Katie leaned back against the
bookcase, crossed her arms and continued to smile at him.  "Am I missing
something?" he asked.  Katie snickered and looked down at the book.  He looked
down at the cover again, not getting it, until he glanced down at the bottom and
saw the name of the author, Katie Heyes.  "You?"

"Pretty cool, huh?  I also wrote these three up here, but Yardstick's the one
that sold the most copies."

"Five weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list.  I guess so," he said.  "I'm
impressed.  Who knew I was being cared for by a famous author."

"Actually, it was six weeks, but who's counting?" she amended.

Alex looked up at her other titles.  His eyes lit up when he recognized the name
of one of his favorites.  He snatched it off the shelf and checked the back,
just to be sure.  "You wrote The Frozen Man?  Do you know how many times I've
read this one, Katya?"

"Really?  You've read that one, too?"

"Sure!  After I read the dedication, I had to go out and get the CD, just to
hear the song you credit as being your inspiration.  You're responsible for
turning me into a James Taylor fan, by the way."  He put the book back on shelf. 
"It's still one of the most frightening novels I've ever read.  Yardstick was
good, but this one blew my mind."

Katie bit her lip and looked down at the floor.  "Thank you, Alexei," she said
softly.  "That means a lot to me.  That one didn't do as well as the others and
I could never understand why; it's the one I'm most proud of."

He moved closer and lifted her chin.  "You should be proud of it; it's an
amazing story."  'Kiss her,' his head was screaming; 'kiss her now.'  The moment
was made for such an action, but he shut out the voice in his head.  Alex wasn't
sure what was holding him back; it's a kiss, not a commitment, he thought. 
Something deep inside him recognized the lie he was trying to tell himself.  She
made him happy; for the first time in… well… for the first time.  The time would
come soon enough, and when it did, he would know it.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked, as he let go of her chin.

"You already know the answer to that, don't you?" she teased.

Alex grinned and nodded his head.  "Yeah, I suppose I do.  This is a strange
question, but did you sing anything other than that lullaby to me when I was
unconscious?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I keep hearing James Taylor in my head and I've been trying to figure out why."

"Well, you did just pick up The Frozen Man," she suggested.

"No, this has been going on all day.  Never mind, it was just a thought," he
said, turning away.

Katie hesitated, then began to sing.  "Well the sun is surely sinking down. But
the moon is slowly rising. So this old world must still be spinning 'round. And
I still love you…"

Alex turned back to face her.  "So close your eyes.  You can close your eyes;
it's all right…That's the one!  You did sing that to me, didn't you?"

She paused and studied his face.  "Yep.  I switched off between that and the
lullaby, depending on what language you were using." She smiled.  "Good thing
you like JT; I'd hate you to have something you didn't like stuck in your head." 
He nodded then raised his hand to his head.  "Are you all right, Alexei?  You
look a little pale."  She reached out to touch his forehead.

"I don't feel so well, Katya.  I think I need to sit down or something."

Katie put her arm around Alex and helped him to the computer chair.  "Stay here,
I'm going to get you something to drink."  She ran out to the kitchen, filled a
glass with ice water, and brought it back to him.  "Here, drink this.  We were
in that whirlpool a long time. I should have thought to get you something to
drink when we first got out."  He drained the glass quickly, then dropped his
head in pain.

"Oh…ow…brain freeze," he moaned.

Katie took the glass from his hand and put it on the desk.  She placed both
hands on his head and rubbed his temples until the pain subsided, before going
back to refill his glass.
"Take it a little slower this time," she said, ruffling his hair.  He took the
drink and sipped at it until it was gone.  "Feel better now?"

"Yeah, a little," he said, making an effort to smile.

"Maybe having our Halloween get-together tomorrow night, isn't a good idea. 
You're pushing too hard to get back to normal."

Alex pulled her close and kissed her hand.  "I'm fine, Katya. If I promise to
rest up and behave myself, can we still watch the movies?"  He gazed up at her. 
"Can we, please?  Can we?"
Katie kissed the top of his head.  "OK, but if the next word out of your mouth
is 'mommy', I will hurt you," she warned.

He grinned.  "No worries there.  Calling you 'mommy' never crossed my mind."

"Good.  Now, having said that, let's get you to bed."

Alex groaned.  "No, not yet.  I've spent so much time in that recliner, it's
beginning to feel like a second appendage.  Can't we stay out here for a little
while longer?  We could listen to some music and talk."

Those eyes cut her resolve to the quick.  A few more minutes wouldn't hurt
anything?  "All right, one CD, then back to bed." He nodded.  "What do you want
to hear?  I have a little bit of everything in here."  He got up and walked over
to the stereo.  She wasn't kidding; pretty much everything but country and rap
was to be found in her collection.  "I'm almost overwhelmed by the choices here,
Katya.  Why don't you pick something this time?"

Katie joined him at the stereo.  "Well, it should be something relaxing, so that
cuts out a few choices."  She flipped through the cases, pulling out a few here
and there, then putting them back, until she found what she was searching for. 
"How about this?  Ever heard of her?"

Alex took the CD from her hand.  "Tracy Chapman?  Don't think so."

"That's too bad; she's amazing.  Want to give her a try?"

"Sure."

Katie pulled out the rest of the collection, trying to decide which one to play. 
Alex pulled one out of the collection and handed it to her.  "This one," he
said.

"Why this one?"

"I like the title of the CD; Crossroads.  Fits where I am in my life."

"That makes two of us."  Katie put the others back on the shelf and popped his
choice into the player.  "Where do you want to be?  On the couch or back in the
desk chair?"

He pointed to the couch and strolled over. "You coming?"  She nodded and pushed
play, before joining him.  They sat on the couch, listening to the music,
offering short comments between songs, but little else.  Katie closed her eyes
when her favorite song played.  There were times when it made her cry; she
didn't want this to one of those times.  A lone tear escaped and trickled down
her face.  She reached to wipe it away before he noticed, but he beat her to it.

"Thanks," she whispered, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Any time."

The CD ended, but neither made a move to get up.  Katie let out a sigh and
shifted against him.  Alex brushed the hair off of her face and wished that she
was sitting on his right, so that he could put his good arm around her.  So
trusting.  What did she see in him that made her feel this way?  Whatever it
was, he hoped that she could make him see it, too.

He sat there for about an hour, watching her sleep, enjoying the feeling of
having someone close, of having her close.  She woke up after a while and
stretched her back.  "I'm sorry, I guess I fell asleep on you.  And I was trying
to put you to bed," she laughed quietly.

"Don't worry about it.  It's been a weird few days for both of us." He stood up
and held out his hand.  "Come on, it's my turn to put you to bed."

She took his hand and stood up, turning herself toward her bed.  He shook his
head and led her into his room.  "I want you where I can see you," he explained,
as he turned on the bedroom light.  "If that's all right with you."

"It's more than all right."

He guided her to the bed and pulled the blanket up across her shoulders, then
turned off the light and climbed into the recliner.  "Katya?"

"What?"

"Why do you trust me?  How do you know that I'm worth saving?"

"You told me that you believed in Fate, Alexei.  Was that the truth?"

"Yes."

"Then believe this. You're supposed to be here with me.  I'm supposed to be with
you.  I've been waiting for you for a long time, I just didn't know who you were
until the other night."

"That must be what Matthew meant the other night when he said he was here to
cater to your insanity.  I'm no one's destiny, Katya."
"That's where you're wrong.  I feel it all the way down to my soul.  The last
person I felt this strongly about was Matthew; I knew he was going to be my
friend the second I met him.  I knew you were going to be part of my life, the
minute I laid eyes on you.  You feel it, too.  I can see it in your eyes.  Don't
discount Fate, Alexei."

"I'll try not to, Katya."

"Do or do not, there is no try."

He smiled into the darkness.  "Yes Master Yoda."  He heard her giggle in reply. 
"Good night, Katya."

"'Night Alexei."

Katie was asleep almost before the words left her mouth.  Alex followed soon
after.

Alex woke up the next morning to the sound of the keyboard clattering.  He
wandered out to find Katie typing away, completely oblivious to her
surroundings.  Not wanting to disturb her, he went into the kitchen to get a
drink.  There were no dishes in the sink, so he determined that she hadn't
bothered to get anything to eat since she'd been up.  He decided that he'd make
them some breakfast.  Nothing big, just some scrambled eggs and toast.  He could
do that without causing himself too much pain and it would be a way for him to
start holding up his end of the household chores.  If he was going to stay here
for a while, he wanted to do something to contribute.  Opening the refrigerator,
he found eggs and English muffins waiting for him.  Deciding that English
muffins were much better than plain old toast, he removed two from the package
and placed them on the counter.  He dug around until he found the butter, then
closed the refrigerator door.  Within minutes, he'd whipped up !
a two of plates of scrambled eggs with English muffins and poured a couple of
glasses of milk.  He put them on the table, then went over to the computer to
get Katie.  "Come eat some breakfast," he said, putting his hand on her
shoulder.

"Just a minute," she replied, never taking her eyes off the monitor.  "I need to
finish this…" She typed in a few more sentences, then sat back in her chair and
nodded her head. "There, done."  She got up from the chair and took a deep
breath, as he slid his hand down her arm.  "You made breakfast for me?"

He tugged at her hand.  "Yes I did.  Come eat, before it gets cold."

When she saw breakfast out on the table, she smiled.  "Thank you, Alexei.  This
was sweet of you.  You didn't have to…"

"Yes I did.  I can't do much around here just yet, but I can do breakfast."  He
sat down beside her and began eating.  "How long have you been up?"

She took a bite of her eggs and a sip of milk before answering.  "A few hours. 
Inspiration hit and I had to get everything down on paper while the idea was
still there.  I may be at it for most of the day.  Hope you don't mind, but I'm
not going to be much company for most of the day.  When I get like this,
everyone knows to stay out of my way." Katie looked over at Alex.  "Will you be
all right?"
Alex rolled his eyes.  "I think I can manage on my own for a few hours.  Give me
the ground rules, though, so I don't get in your way."

"Ground rules?  Oh…well…I don't want to have the TV on right now.  Sometimes I
turn it on, other times, I don't.  This is a don't day.  I get to pick the
music, if I want to hear any at all.  Pretty much, stay out of my way, unless I
ask you a question.  That's about it.  Oh, no reading over my shoulder; I hate
that!  If I want you to read what I've written, I'll ask you."

Alex was terribly amused by her recitation of the rules, but he tried not to
show it.  "Well, I like a woman who knows what she wants.  Can I bring you a
drink from time to time, so you don't dehydrate?"

Katie chuckled.  "I would appreciate that."

He nodded and finished his breakfast. "Is it all right if I read your other
books?"

"My books are your books," she replied, as she finished the last bite of her
English muffin.  "That was delicious.  Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said, standing up.  "Now, go back to work while I take care
of the dishes.  You have a lot to do before our big marathon tonight."

"Don't overdo it, Alexei."

"I won't.  I'll take care of these few dishes, grab a shower, get dressed, then
sit down and read for most of the day.  I'll be fine, Katya."

Katie got up from the table and put her arms around him gently.  "What's this
for?" he asked.

"For calling me Katya.  I like the way it sounds when you say it."

He smiled brightly and kissed the top of her head.  "I like hearing you call me
Alexei, too."  She pulled back and smiled up at him.  "Now get to work before we
waste the day grinning at each other like idiots," he admonished.

She let go.  "Yes, Alexei.  Whatever you say, Alexei.  I'll be right over there,
Alexei," she teased, as she walked over to her computer.  "Call me if you need
anything, Alexei."

"Stop it, Katya," he laughed and moaned at the same time.  "It hurts when I
laugh."

Katie giggled as she called back.  "I'm sorry, I forgot…Alexei."

"I'm keeping track, Katya.  When I'm feeling better, you're going to be in big
trouble," he threatened.

"I'm not afraid of you, Alexei."

"You will be, Katya.  You will be."  He walked over, opened the freezer door and
removed an ice cube.

"Now who's channeling Yoda?" she teased.  "For crying out loud, will you shut up
and quit bothering me…Alexei?"

Katie was laughing so hard that she didn't hear Alex sneaking up behind her. 
When he slipped the ice cube down the back of her shirt, she screamed and jumped
out of the chair.  "OH SHIT!  That's cold!" she yelled, as she danced around in
an attempt to get the ice to fall out of her shirt.

"I told you I was keeping track, Katya.  Just imagine what would have happened
if I was well," he said, as he crowded into her personal space.  "Now quit
dancing around and get back to work.  I'm going to finish the dishes and go take
a shower.  I'll be locking the door, so don't get any ideas."
She patted his shoulder and sat back down at the computer, giving him an evil
grin.  "Who me?  Perish the thought.  Have a nice shower, Alexei."

"Oh boy," he muttered, as he walked away.  "I am in such trouble."

"You have no idea, Alexei.  No idea at all," she whispered to herself.  Then she
turned to her keyboard and returned to work.

The rest of the day was quiet.  Katie worked on her story.  Alex read one of her
other books.  Every so often, he would get up from the couch and pour them each
a drink.  His he would put on the end table; hers would go on the desk beside
her.  Sometimes she would stop and thank him, other times; she didn't even
acknowledge his presence.  When he wasn't reading, he watched her work,
fascinated by the way her fingers would fly across the keys, only to watch her
delete large sections and start all over again.  Around 5:30, she pushed back
from the keyboard and stared at the text, arms crossed in front of her.  She
tapped her knuckles on the desk as she reviewed her progress.  When she'd
finished, she whirled around in the chair to face him.  "Do me a favor, Alexei?"

"Of course, Katya, anything you want."

She couldn't believe what she was about to ask; she never did this.  "Would you
come read this and tell me what you think."

Alex's eyes widened in surprise.  "You want me to read a work in progress? 
Isn't that Matthew's job?"

Katie shook her head.  "No, I never let him read my stuff until it's ready for
publication.  I usually don't let anyone read it until it goes to my editor."

"Then why are you asking me to read it now?"


"I don't know," she replied.  Katie got up and paced in front of the coffee
table.  "It just feels like the right thing to do.  Will you read it?  Please?"

"Sure," he answered, with a smile.  "I've been dying to know what you've been
writing all day."

"OK. I'm going to go take shower before Matthew and Tyler get here.  If you see
any typos, or anything, let me know later and I'll fix them."

Katie left the room, grabbed some clean clothes and went into the bathroom.  She
didn't want to be there to see his first reaction to the story.  For the life of
her, she couldn't remember being this nervous about having anyone read her work.

He waited until she'd closed the bathroom door before sitting down at the
computer.  The first sentence drew him in and he didn't move, except to scroll
down the page.  The story unfolding before him was twisted and frightening.  It
was hard for him to believe that all of this was floating around in her head. 
When he finished, he sat back and stared at the screen.  He was still staring
when she came out of the bathroom.

Katie saw Alex looking intently at the monitor, the tip of his thumb wedged into
his mouth.  She didn't know how to read that look and it made her nervous.  Was
it that bad or that good?  She wasn't sure she was ready for the answer, but it
wasn't going to go away.  "So, what do you think?  Is it worth pursuing?"

Alex turned and faced her.  "Is it worth pursuing?  Are you kidding?" he asked,
not sure if she was serious.  When he saw that she was, he continued.  "Katya,
it's brilliant.  It's sick and twisted and absolutely brilliant."

Her face lit up and she closed the gap between them.  "Really?  You like it?  I
thought it might be too much, but it felt so right."  Words came out in a rush
as she tried to explain what she was thinking and where she wanted the story to
go.  He couldn't follow everything she was telling him, but he didn't care;
seeing her so animated was enough for him.  He found himself nodding his head
and saying supportive things like 'I see' and 'hmmm.'  After a time, Katie
realized that he was no longer following along.   "When did I lose you?" she
asked, grinning.

"About ten minutes ago," he admitted.

"Why didn't you stop me?"

"I couldn't.  You were so excited and I didn't want you to stop talking."  He
was grinning and trying hard to hold back a laugh.  "You're cute when you're all
worked up like that."

"Enjoy it now.  Eventually, the flow dries up and I start stomping and pacing. 
I'm absolutely adorable when that happens," she said with a snort.

The elevator door opened, with Matthew and Tyler on board, surprising both of
them.  Katie reached over, hit save and closed the file, but not before Tyler
spotted her.  "Katie!  You've started another story?" He ran over to the
computer.  "Can I see it?"

Katie frowned.  "Tyler, you know the answer to that question."

"I know, but if I keep asking, one day you might say yes."  He looked over at
Alex, sitting in the desk chair.  "She let you read it, Alex?"

Alex looked at Katie, not knowing if he should respond or not.  She nodded. 
"Yes she did.  And it's incredible," he added.
Matthew came closer. "Wait a minute.  Did I hear you say that she let you read a
work in progress?" he asked Alex.  Then he turned to Katie.  "You let him read
something that wasn't finished?"  Katie shrugged and smiled at Matthew.  "Oh my
God!  I'm stunned.  You should feel privileged, Alex.  In all the years we've
known each other, she's never let me touch a work in progress; not once.  I've
had to put up with the stomping and pacing and the manic behavior that goes
along with the process, without benefit of being able to see the cause.  I think
I'm jealous."

"OK, no more book talk tonight.  It's officially time to begin dinner and final
preparations for the Twenty-second Annual Gore-fest.  Tonight, we have a B-movie
virgin in our midst, gentlemen.  Be kind, for he knows not what to expect. 
Tyler, go forth and prepare the evening meal.  Kid, help me bring in the comfy
chair," Katie announced.

Matthew gasped.  "Not the 'comfy chair'?"

"I'm afraid so," she responded.

Alex couldn't stop laughing, in spite of the agonizing pain in his ribs.  "Stop!
You're killing me," he cried.  "Katya, you promised to keep the Monty Python
routines under wraps until I healed," he moaned, wiping the tears from his eyes.

She hurried to his side and put her arms around him.  "I'm sorry, Alexei.  Are
you all right," she snickered.  "I couldn't resist."

"Still keeping score, Katya.  Just remember that," he warned.

"I'm sure you are."

"Alex, why don't you come back here with me," Matthew called.  "I'd like to take
a look at your knee, before the silliness begins."

Alex got up and walked back to the bedroom. Katie started to follow, but was
waved off by Matthew.  "I can handle this.  Go help Tyler get things ready." 
Katie eyed him, warily.  "I'm just going to make sure everything's healing the
way it should," he said.  She frowned and held her ground.  "I promise, Hanna." 
Katie looked over at Alex standing in the doorway, then back at Matthew.

"All right.  I'll go help Tyler."  She looked at Alex again and smiled.  "Don't
let him bully you."

"I won't."

"And you," she said, facing Matthew.  "Remember your promise."

"I will," he answered, as he closed the bedroom door.

She watched them disappear into the bedroom, then went out to give Tyler a hand
with dinner; not that dinner was any big ordeal to prepare.  They generally went
with deli, so that everyone could put together their sandwich of choice,
followed by large amounts of junk food, all washed down with sangria.  As she
helped Tyler carry everything out to the living room, she couldn't help but look
at the closed bedroom door and wonder what Matthew was saying to Alex.

Matthew turned to Alex.  "OK, I left my x-ray specs at the office, so you're
going to have to lose the jeans for a few minutes."

Alex complied. He slipped them off and sat down on the edge of the bed.  Matthew
kneeled down to examine the injured knee, but found little change.  It was still
purple, but that wasn't going to go away anytime soon.  The swelling had gone
down considerably, but it wasn't back to normal just yet.  "Have you been
soaking this?"  Alex nodded.  "Good.  Be sure you walk on it a little every day
so it doesn't stiffen up on you."  Matthew got up and moved away.  "You can put
your jeans back on, but I want to check those ribs, so don't go anywhere."

Alex replaced his jeans, then removed his shirt, while Matthew watched the door. 
He kept expecting Katie to knock, not trusting him to keep his promise.  When
Alex was ready, Matthew checked his ribs.  He was reasonably confident that
there were just the two cracked ones and that they were healing, as they should
be.  "OK, that does it."

Alex stared at him for a moment, not believing that he was getting off that
easily.  Yes, Matthew had promised Katie he wouldn't bully him, but Alex hadn't
thought for a minute that he'd keep that promise.  "That's it?  You're really
not going to say anything?"

"No, I'm really not going to say anything," Matthew replied.

"Why not?"  Alex buttoned his shirt, never taking his eyes off the good doctor. 
"Because you promised Katie you wouldn't?"

"Partly.  Mostly because I've already lost," he said with a sigh.

"Lost?  What do you mean, you've already lost?"

Matthew slumped down in the recliner.  "She let you read a work in progress,
Alex.  You don't know her well enough yet, to know how significant that is.  No
one, and I mean no one, gets to do that.  When I walked in here tonight and
heard that, I knew the battle was already over."  He leveled a stare at Alex. 
"Since you started this, I'm technically not breaking my promise to Katie, so
I'm going to ask you a few questions and you're going to answer them."

'Here it comes,' Alex thought.

"How long has it been since your last sexual encounter?"

Alex sat back in surprise. "Jesus, Matthew!  I've only known her for a couple of
days!"

"And it will probably be a few more weeks before you're able to do anything
about it, too, but I know what I saw a little while ago and I know where this is
heading," Matthew stated bluntly.

"What are you talking about?  What do you mean 'you know what you saw?" Alex
asked defensively.

"I saw the two of you, looking and acting like you've been together for years. 
Face it man, she's falling hard for you and you aren't too far behind."

Alex opened his mouth to utter a denial, but found that the words wouldn't come. 
Matthew gave him time to come to terms with the truth of his statement, then
finished his thought.  "I know you're clean," Matthew continued.  "When Katie
wasn't around, I drew blood and had it checked out, but I need to know how long
it's been, so I know how long to keep checking you."

Alex shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.  Katie was right, no one
expects the Spanish Inquisition.  "Four years.  Pretty much since this
happened," he said, motioning toward his arm."

Now it was Matthew's turn to look surprised. "Four years?  Why?  You're an
attractive man; you mean to tell me that you haven't been with anyone in all
that time?"

Alex frowned.  "Matthew, most women don't see a detachable arm as a selling
point."

Matthew left the recliner and sat down on the bed next to Alex.  "She's not like
anyone else you've ever met."

Alex turned to him and smiled.  "I'm beginning to understand that."  He looked
at the door and started to rock back and forth.  Matthew noticed and wondered if
Alex was even aware of what he was doing.  "Do you really think I have a chance
with her?" he asked quietly.

Matthew laughed and shook his head in disbelief.  "Alex, you don't need chance,
you have her already."  Alex smiled.  "That doesn't mean it's going to be easy,"
Matthew added.  "You're going to have to work for it.  Take care of her, woo
her, let her know you aren't taking this for granted."

"Two days, Matthew.  It's only been two days," Alex reminded.

"How long does it take?"  Matthew asked.  "Two days can be a lifetime; consider
this my blessing."  He patted Alex on the leg and got up from the bed. 
"Remember what I said," he offered as he walked to the door.  He put one hand on
the knob, but turned before opening the door. "Remember this, too.  If you hurt
her, I will come after you."

Alex got up and joined him at the door.  "I won't hurt her," he promised.

 "No, I don't suppose you will." Matthew opened the door.   "Come on, we'd
better get out there before Katie comes looking for us and Tyler starts to get
jealous."

Alex grinned.  "I like it here, you people are good for my ego."

"Don't get too used it," Matthew warned.  "It's just a tactic we use to suck in
unsuspecting victims.  Once the honeymoon period is over, you'll be fair game,
just like the rest of us."

Katie came bounding over to meet them just outside the doorway.  "So, how is
everything?"

Matthew rolled his eyes and looked over at Alex.  "What did I tell you?"

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing, Katya," Alex replied, with a grin.  "Matthew says I'm going to live."

Tyler stood by the couch, tapping his foot impatiently. "Good! Now would you
three come on already?  The food's laid out, the VCR is primed and ready to go,
and the sangria is chilled to perfection.  All we need is for Mistress Katie to
choose the first selection, so the festivities can begin."

"I'd better go pick the first film," Katie whispered loudly to Alex.  "Tyler
gets so pissy when we make him wait."

"I heard that, Katie," Tyler called.

"You were supposed to, sweetheart," Katie replied.  She joined Tyler by the
couch and began sorting through the bag of movies.  In general, the selections
pleased her, until she hit upon one about two-thirds of the way down the stack. 
She pulled it out, holding it between her thumb and forefinger; like it was a
disease-ridden rat.  "What the Hell is THIS doing in here, Tyler?" she asked,
wiggling it in his face.

"If I have to sit through Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, then you can sit through
Plan 9 from Outer Space," he challenged.

"We've had this fight before.  This is a horror fest, not a sci-fi fest, and
while Plan Nine is 'horrible' it is not horror!" Tyler stood his ground and
glared back her.  "Oh, come on!  Kid, Alexei, help me out here," she begged.

"No way, Hanna.  I'm going with Tyler on this one."

Katie frowned at Matthew.  "Traitor!"  She turned to Alex.  "Alexei," she said
sweetly.

"Sorry Katya, never seen it," he shrugged.  "I'd kind of like to see the worst
movie ever made."

Katie gave each of them an evil glare.  "Oh, I see how it is.  Fine, it's
gang-up-on-Katie night, is it?"  The men laughed; Alex trying not to let it
show, while the other two made no such gesture.  She pointed the evil eye at
Alex.  "And to think, I was worried about you being alone, in the same room,
with that one," she huffed, nodding at Matthew.  She held the tape out to Tyler.
"Here, Tyler.  Take your stupid movie and put it in the machine.  If we have to
watch it, let's get over with now."  Tyler took the tape and quickly popped it
into the VCR, not wanting to give Katie a chance to change her mind.

Katie sat down on the couch first, leaving room for Alex to sit down beside her. 
She made sure to leave him the end space on the left-hand side, so that he'd
have the arm of the couch to lean against and she'd have his right arm close, in
case he wanted to put it around her or anything.  Not a very subtle gesture, but
she wasn't feeling particularly subtle this evening.  If she had to sit through
that stupid movie, someone had better damned well be planning on doing something
to make it bearable; Alex's arm around her was number one on her list of ways to
make that happen.

Matthew watched her little maneuver and made a move toward the spot.  He laughed
when she hissed "sit there and die" at him.  "Smooth, Hanna, really smooth," he
whispered in her ear.  She reached out and punched him on the arm, as he backed
away from the couch to join Tyler on the adjacent loveseat.  Alex was watched
the exchange and almost laughed out loud, when Matthew winked at him,
conspiratorially.

"Mind if I sit here," Alex asked innocently.

"I suppose not," she answered, rolling her eyes.  "But after joining in the
hostile takeover of the VCR, don't expect me to hold your hand when things get
scary later on."

Alex sat down next to her and bumped her shoulder with his.  "Katya, you're not
going to protect me from the big bad monsters?" he asked, giving her his best
'hurt' look.

"Nope, you're on your own now, Alexei."

Alex scowled.  "Hmmm, is there anything I can do to put myself back in your good
graces, Mistress Katie?"

Tyler poked Matthew in the arm and pointed at Alex.  "Good move," he whispered. 
"The boy learns fast."

Matthew nodded.  "Yes he does.  I think Hanna may have finally met her match."

"Well," Katie said, hesitantly.  "I suppose you could start by making me a
sandwich and pouring me a glass of wine."

"Anything you say," he responded.  "What kind of sandwich would you like?"

Tyler leaned in close to Matthew.  "She's going to make him guess.  Remember
when she pulled that on me?"  Matthew smiled and nodded.

"Guess," Katie told him.

"See?" Tyler whispered.

"We'd better help him out.  You point him in the right direction, while I try to
get her to put the rest of the tapes in order," Matthew plotted.  "Hanna, grab
the bag of tapes and give me the line-up for the evening."

Katie picked up the bag and started putting tapes in order, a few at a time, and
handing them to Matthew.  Tyler motioned to Alex and started pointing to various
items on the table.  As Alex reached for different things, Tyler would nod or
shake his head, to let him know if he was on the right track.  By the time the
tapes were in order, Alex had constructed the perfect sandwich and poured Katie
a glass of wine.  He handed her the plate.  "I hope this meets with your
approval."
She took the plate and put it down on her lap.  Lifting the top slice of bread,
she poked through the sandwich to see what he'd put inside.  It was perfect; she
knew she was being set up, but decided to let it ride.  "It'll do," she said,
taking a bite.  "Aren't you going to eat?  Neither one of us thought to grab
lunch today."

"I was waiting for permission," he teased.

Tyler and Matthew exchanged amused looks.  "Definitely, met her match," Matthew
whispered.  Tyler snickered and nodded.

"If you two are done, I'm going to start the tape," Tyler exclaimed.  Katie and
Alex smiled, so Tyler hit play and the movie music filled the room. Katie
finished her sandwich, then slumped against the back of the couch in defeat. 
Alex leaned forward to eat, but when he finished, leaned back to rest against
the arm of the couch.  Katie stopped watching the movie and started watching
Alex instead.  She liked seeing his reactions to the inanity on the screen; he
was completely enthralled and didn't realize that she was staring at him, until
the movie ended.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"You," she said, smiling.  Then, she looked over at the boys.  "Can we start the
bloodshed now?"

Tyler pulled Plan 9 out of the VCR and popped in I Dismember Mama.  "Let the
bloodshed begin," he announced.  He leaned over and extended his glass.  "Would
you pour me a glass of wine, Katie.  As the blood flows, so shall the alcohol."

"Here, here," she replied, holding up the bottle, then pouring Tyler his drink. 
"Anyone else?"  Matthew passed her his glass, as did Alex.

"You go easy on that, Alex," Matthew warned.  "You're not in the best shape to
be doing any serious drinking."

"I'll be careful," Alex answered.

Matthew watched in amusement as the pair shifted positions on the couch.  Alex
had removed one of the decorative pillows from behind his back and was hugging
it protectively, against his ribs.  Katie had moved a little closer to him; not
enough to be obvious, but enough so that she was now well within
arm-around-the-shoulder reach.  Matthew turned his head and snickered quietly,
not wanting to attract their attention.  Tyler noticed and looked to see what
Matthew found so humorous.  He too, had to stifle a laugh.  "Is he dense, or
just blind?" Tyler whispered.  Matthew snorted and smacked Tyler's arm.

Alex extended his hand and tapped Katie on the shoulder.  When she turned, he
pointed at Tyler and Matthew.  "What do you think that's all about?" he asked
quietly, dropping his fingers back to her shoulder.

"Who knows."  Katie scooted closer to him.  "Those two can be so weird
sometimes," she whispered.

Alex held back a laugh and gave her shoulder a squeeze.  "And you're so normal?"

"That's what the voices in my head keep telling me," she teased.  "Are you OK?"
she asked, pointing to the pillow he held against his body.

"I'm fine.  This is just for protection."

"Protection?  Against what?"

Alex grinned.  She wasn't the only one capable of setting traps for unsuspecting
victims.  "Protection against you, of course.  I'm sure that once the scariness
starts that you'll be looking for an available body to huddle up against.  I'm
just preparing myself to be that available body."

Katie pulled back and tried to look indignant.  "So, you think I'm going to be
needing some big, strong man to protect me from the nasty monsters?"

"Needing?  No," he said, smiling sweetly.  "Just wishing out loud."
"Oh," Katie replied, taken aback by his statement.  She had no idea how to
respond after that, so she turned her attention to the TV screen.  The psycho
had escaped from the institution and was busily hacking away at his first
victim.

"Oh, nice looking blood there," Matthew exclaimed.  "Another filmmaker falls
victim to the Heinz Corporation."

"That's not Heinz, it's way too runny.  I'm guessing that's a generic ketchup,"
Katie offered.  "That brain looks pretty good though."

"Yeah, but brains are easy to get.  If they're going wash the screen in blood,
these guys need to invest a little more of their budget in the good stuff.  God
knows they're not spending the money on actors."

Tyler couldn't take it anymore.  "Would the two of you please shut up about the
blood?  I'm trying to enjoy the story," he snapped.  "Save the commentary for
the video rewind."

"Sorry, Ty," Katie and Matthew said in unison, neither sounding the least bit
apologetic.  At that moment, the psycho was stalking his next victim.  As he got
closer and closer, Katie slid the rest of the way over to Alex and eased back
against him.  She felt his arm go around her shoulder as her body relaxed.  "Is
this comfortable?  I don't want to hurt you."

"You're not hurting me."  His fingers gently stroked her shoulder.  "I'll let
you know if I start to get uncomfortable."

The movie continued, victims falling like flies, until the final,
not-so-thrilling conclusion.

"Well, that sucked!" Katie announced, as Tyler pushed rewind on the VCR.  "I say
we officially place that one in the sucks-too-much-to-see-again basket.  All
those in favor, say 'aye'."  A unanimous chorus of 'aye' resounded through the
loft.  "The motion carries, I Dismember Mama is hereby removed from the viewing
list from this day forward.  Tyler, name the next movie."

Tyler reached into the bag and pulled out the next case in line.  "I offer you
C.H.U.D., Mistress Katie," he announced with a flourish.

Katie waved him off regally.  "You may proceed."

"Chud?" Alex asked, looking confused.

"Cannibalistic. Humanoid.  Underground. Dwellers; C.H.U.D." she whispered. 
"It'll all make sense as you watch the movie."

"Sure it will," he replied, raising his eyebrows. Katie turned her head; just
enough so he could see her smile, then let her head fall to his shoulder.  Alex
smiled and began stroking her arm.  The movie began, as did the catcalls; MST3K
had nothing on Tyler, Katie and Matthew.  About halfway through, Katie sat up to
grab another glass of wine.  She offered some to Alex, but he declined.  She
downed that glass and poured another.  By the time the movie ended, she was
feeling no pain.  She sat up on the edge of the couch and issued her stock
proclamation. "The time is almost at hand, my lovelies.  Soon the midnight hour
will arrive and with it, our annual visit to the shrine of the Master.  Go and
prepare yourselves, for the exits will be closed for this feature film," Katie
announced.

"The Master?" Alex asked.

Tyler and Matthew made a show of gasping at his display of ignorance.  Katie
shushed them.  "Stop teasing him; you knew he was a virgin when we started
this."

"Hey, who you calling a virgin," Alex huffed.  "I've seen the Nightmare on Elm
Street movies and Friday the 13th movies; I'm not completely horror-free."

Katie patted him on the leg.  "Yes, so you've said.  However, until you've been
taken by the Master, you are still considered a virgin.  Now tell me sweetheart,
have you ever experienced Night of the Living Dead?" Alex looked uncomfortable
as he shook his head.  Katie let out an evil giggle and wiggled her eyebrows at
him suggestively.  "Good.  George is going to love having someone as pretty as
you, adorning his trophy wall.  If you'll excuse me, I need to make a pit stop
before our feature begins."  Katie got up and walked, unsteadily, to the
bathroom.

"Oh man, she's gone," Matthew snickered.  "We'd better hide the sangria or her
next trip in will be to offer up a pray to the porcelain God.  How many glasses
has she had, Alex?"

Alex shrugged.  "Four, I think.  I wasn't keeping track.  I know she threw back
one of them like it was fruit punch."

Matthew nodded.  "Yeah, she does that.  OK, let's get it out of here.  Tyler,
you take the food, I'll grab the sangria and Katie's glass.  If we dilute it
with a little soda, she'll think she has a full glass and won't miss the
bottle."  Tyler picked up the food and followed Matthew into the kitchen.

"Anything I can do?" Alex called.

"Yeah," Matthew answered.  "Get up and walk around for a few minutes.  You've
been sitting in the same position for too long."

Alex slid to edge of the couch and pushed himself up.  He attempted a deep
breath and immediately regretted it. The action caused his knees to buckle and
he had to clutch the arm of the couch to keep from sinking to the floor. 
Matthew saw what was happening and rushed out to help.  "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, just tried to take a breath.  I'm OK now."  He straightened up and
strolled over to the window.  The sky was clear and dark thanks to a waxing
moon.  A full moon might be more desirable for Halloween, but he preferred the
darker nights.

"Too bad the streetlights are so bright," Katie said, slipping in beside him. 
"You don't know how many nights I've considered breaking them to get a better
look at the stars."

"You want I should shoot 'em out for you?" Alex asked, in his best Don Corleone
imitation.

Katie giggled.  "You'd do that for me?"

Alex swung his left arm around her. "This is a simple thing you ask for.  I
think we can come to some kind of…arrangement."  Katie giggled and pressed
herself up against his side.  'She really doesn't mind the arm,' he thought,
somewhat surprised.  'Either that, or she's too drunk to notice.'  Katie touched
his fingers, watching as he touched hers in return.

"I wondered if the fingers moved," she said, interlacing them with hers.

"I'll never be good at sleight of hand, but they're functional."  He looked down
at her, tightened his grip slightly, and smiled.

"Hey you two, it's almost midnight," Tyler yelled.  "Let's get the show on the
road."

They reluctantly left the serenity of the window and returned to the couch. 
Tyler was standing at the VCR, holding the video in one hand, a glass of sangria
in the other.  "And now, we pay homage to the Grand Master of Low Budget Horror,
George Romero.  A toast."  He raised his glass, while the others followed his
lead. "To George!" he announced.

"To George," they echoed.  Katie took a big swig and swallowed, then gave the
glass a funny look.  She took another sip and decided it tasted a little weak,
but still good.

Tyler popped the tape into the machine. "And now, without further ado, I give
you Night of the Living Dead."  He returned to the loveseat, but hesitated
before sitting down.  "Alex, you'd better watch out for that one," he warned. 
"This movie makes her jumpy."

Alex put his arm around Katie.  "Is this true, Katya?"

 "Guilty as charged, Alexei." Katie glared at Tyler.   "Thanks for sharing, Ty."

"Just doing my part, Katie," Tyler snickered.

"I'm glad he did; gives me an excuse to do this," he said, as he pulled her in
close and hugged her tight.  Katie nestled in and stuck her tongue out at Tyler.

Just as the movie was starting, Matthew got up.  "Where do you think you're
going?" Katie asked.

"We forgot to turn off the lights," he replied.  He flipped the switches, then
sat down beside Tyler.  "Much better, we can't have Alex losing his cherry in
the light now, can we?"

Tyler and Katie snickered, while Alex groaned and felt his face flush.  'Maybe
having the lights out wasn't such a bad idea after all,' he thought.   He gave
Katie a squeeze and focused his attention on the movie.  After a while, he
started drawing little circles on her arm with his fingers.  Every so often, he
would feel her jump; although on a couple of those occasions, he wasn't sure
which one of them was actually doing the jumping.  As he got used to the action,
Alex stopped being startled; Katie, the seasoned veteran, continued to react as
if she was seeing the movie for the first time.  The music picked up, letting
everyone know that something really awful was about to happen.  When it did,
Katie turned away from both the screen and Alex.  Suddenly, Alex found his
fingers caressing not Katie's arm, but her right breast.  He whipped his hand
away, when he realized where it was, and rested it on the back of the couch. 
"Sorry, Katya.  I didn't mean…"he trailed off, not kno!
wing what to say.

"S'OK," she whispered.  "Do you hear me complaining?"  Katie was flushed and
tingling all over, feeling very much like a teenager on her first date.

Alex relaxed and put his hand back on her arm.  "No, I don't."

"Then shut up and watch the movie."  Katie snuggled back into Alex and watched
the rest of the show, all the while hoping that he'd let his hand slip once
again, but knowing that he wouldn't.  When the movie ended, Matthew turned on a
few lights, while Tyler hit rewind.

"So Alex, what did you think?" Matthew asked.

"I think I need a cigarette, Matthew," Alex replied.  He sent a sidelong glance
in Katie's direction, causing her face to redden slightly.

"Ah yes," Tyler chimed in.  "George Romero deflowers yet another innocent.  Film
at eleven."  He ejected the tape from the VCR and put it back in its box.  "So
people, it's almost two.  I know it's a little early as our marathons go, but
it's been a long couple of day.  Personally, I'm ready to call it quits."

"I agree.  It has been a long couple of days for all of us," Matthew added.

"Party poopers."  Katie scowled.  "We're just getting started here!  You're just
quitting because you don't want to watch Hookers, aren't you?"

Tyler walked over and kissed Katie on the cheek.  "I promise, I'll sit right
here and watch it with you tomorrow morning, if you want me to.  Right now, I'm
going into the bathroom to brush my teeth, and then I'm going to bed.  I assume
we're taking your room tonight, Katie?" Tyler said, through a yawn.

Katie nodded and yawned herself.  "Yeah, I've been staying with Alex since he
got here.  He doesn't really need me to be in there anymore, but one more night
won't hurt anything."
"OK," Tyler replied.  He left for the bathroom, giving Matthew a quick kiss as
he passed by.

"Wait for me."  Matthew followed Tyler into the bathroom and closed the door
behind them.

Alex waited until the door shut before addressing Katie's statement. "What do
you mean 'I don't need you in there anymore'?  Who's going to sing me to sleep
after a bad dream?" he chided.  "Besides," he added, wiggling his eyebrows.
"You've just taken my virginity.  Don't you think you owe me the courtesy of
staying with me?"

Katie chuckled.  "Well, since you put it that way, I suppose I should stay the
night.  I wouldn't want your tender sensibilities to be damaged by the
experience."

"Thank you," he said, kissing her hand.  "I was beginning to feel so…cheap."

"Certainly wouldn't want to make you feel cheap," Katie said with a smile.  "Why
don't you go ahead and get changed."

Alex stood up and tried to stretch. "Might take me a few minutes," he warned.

"No hurry," she replied.  "I'll just sit here and enjoy this buzz I've got
going.  Come and get me when you've finished changing."

Alex patted her on the arm and left to change.  Katie closed her eyes and let
the full effects of the wine and the evening sweep over her.  She could still
feel his fingers on her breast.  His caress had been an accident; she knew that. 
Still, she couldn't help wishing it hadn't been.  Maybe next time, it would be
intentional.  Katie sighed.

Tyler and Matthew came out of the bathroom and found Katie half-asleep, on the
couch.  Matthew gently nudged her.  "Thought you weren't tired?" he teased. 
"Bathroom's free." He looked around.  "Where's Alex?"

Katie yawned and pointed at the bedroom.  "Getting changed." She stood up and
stretched.  "Guess I'd better grab the bathroom while I can.  Sleep well you
two."  She started to walk to the bathroom, then turned around.  "Are you going
out for bagels in the morning, Ty?"

"Don't I always?"

"Sorry, stupid question.  Pick up a few extra sourdough then, would you,
please?"

"Sure.  Sweet dreams, Katie."


"Same to you, Ty."

Katie closed the bathroom door and began the bedtime ritual of face washing and
tooth brushing.  The cold water on her face woke her up a little and she looked
at herself in the mirror.  Staring back at her was the goofiest grin she'd seen
in a long time.  She pointed at the person in front of her and shook her finger. 
"You are sooo transparent!  Get a grip, girlfriend or that man is going to set a
new land speed record getting out the door."  Katie continued to stare, hoping
that her expression would magically change.  When it didn't, she sighed and
dried her face on the towel.  She opened the door and was startled to find Alex
waiting outside.
"Who were you talking to?" he asked, peering into the bathroom.

"No one," Katie replied.  "Just myself."

"They say that's the first sign of insanity, you know," Alex warned.

"What's the second?" she challenged.

He leaned in close and spoke in low tones. "Bringing unconscious, injured men
back to your apartment and healing their wounds.  Followed by taking them into
your whirlpool bath and singing them to sleep."

"Mmmm.  Insanity sounds nice."

Alex chuckled and closed the bathroom door.  Katie tapped on it immediately
after.  "Alexei?"  Alex opened the door a crack and peeked out.  "Does insanity
also include letting the formerly unconscious man grope you while watching scary
movies?" she asked innocently, watching as his face turned crimson.  She giggled
and ran to the bedroom, before he could answer.  Once in the bedroom, she
changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed.  When Alex returned and settled
into the recliner, Katie reached over and turned out the light.  Alex started to
say something a couple of times, before getting up the nerve to actually put a
voice to his words.

"Katya?"

"Yes, Alexei?"

"It really was an accident."

Katie snickered into her pillow.  "I know."

Alex was quiet for a few minutes, leading Katie to wonder if he'd fallen asleep. 
She was almost there herself, when he spoke again.

"Katya?"

"Yes, Alexei?"

"The next time won't be."

A delicious shiver ran through her body.   "Good."  Katie could almost hear him
smiling in the darkened room and wondered if he could tell that she was smiling
as well.  She waited until she could hear his breathing change, before allowing
sleep to claim her.

Alex awoke the next morning to the sounds of movement in the other room.  He
looked at Katie sleeping soundly on the bed and grinned.  Getting up quietly, he
slipped out of the bedroom to see what was going on.  Tyler and Matthew were
dressed and giving the refrigerator the once over.  "Morning," he said to the
two of them.

"Morning, Alex.  Did you sleep well?" Matthew asked.

Alex nodded.  "You guys going somewhere?"

"Yeah, we're heading out to pick up some bagels for breakfast.  I thought I'd
check to see if Katie needed anything else before we left," Tyler replied.  "Any
requests?"

"Yeah, can I ask a favor?"

Matthew nodded.  "Sure, what do you need?"

"I'd like to go pick up my car and the rest of my stuff before someone decides
I've run out on the tab at the hotel."

"We can do that.  You shouldn't be driving anyway.  Where do we need to go?"
Matthew asked.

"The Ellstrom."  Alex turned back to go into the bedroom.  "Thanks guys, I
appreciate it.  Let me go toss some clothes on; I'll be right out."

"The Ellstrom?  For an unemployed drifter, this boy lives pretty well, Matthew."

Matthew looked perplexed.  "Yes he does.  Hmmm, maybe this would be a good time
to find out more about our new friend."

Alex came out of the bedroom and started looking around.  "We should leave Katie
a note.  I don't want her to wake up and think we've run out on her.  Tyler
pointed to the computer.

"Should we tell him that Katie already knows we're making a bagel run?" Tyler
whispered to Matthew.

Matthew shook his head. "No, let him leave the note.  It'll mean a lot to
Katie."

Alex finished his note, walked back into the bedroom and placed it on the
nightstand.  He pulled the blankets up around her shoulders and closed the door
as he left the room.  "All set."

"OK, let's go," Matthew said, picking up his car keys.  "You might want to grab
a jacket, Alex.  It's only 42 outside."

"The only one I have is being repaired."  Alex shook his head. "Don't worry
about it.  I'll be fine."
Tyler rolled his eyes and went back to the rack by the dryer.  He rummaged
through the clothes until he found what he was looking for; Matthew's old
Pirates jacket that Katie had rescued years ago, when Tyler was going through
one of his closet cleaning binges.  "Here," he said, handing the jacket to Alex. 
"Put this on.  If we let you go out without a jacket and you get sick, Katie
will never let us hear the end of it."  Alex shook his head, but put on the
jacket.  He took one last look at the bedroom door, before following Matthew and
Tyler into the elevator.  They got off the elevator at street level, but exited
through the back of the elevator into the bottom floor of the warehouse.

"Nice garage!" Alex joked.

"It'll do in a pinch," Matthew laughed.  "Beats parking on the street."

"I guess so.  What is she going to do with all this space?" Alex asked.

"Right now, she uses it for parking and storage space.  We've been known to use
it as our own personal skating rink, but other than that, I don't know as she
has any real plans for it," Matthew explained, as he unlocked the car doors.
"Tell you what," Matthew said to Tyler, as they got into the car.  "Let's swing
by the Ellstrom first and grab Alex's things, then we can hit the shop on the
way back.  We didn't decide we needed to get anything else, did we?"  He asked
as he pulled away from the curb.

"No, just the bagels this time," Tyler answered.  He turned to look at Alex. "So
Alex, the Ellstrom is a pretty ritzy place.  A bit pricey for someone who's
between jobs."

Alex fought back a smile.  Very smooth, Tyler, subtle as a heart attack.  "I
have a little money put aside," he responded, nonchalantly.

"What is it that you used to do exactly?  You haven't said to much about your
former occupation," Matthew inquired.

That's better, Alex thought, just come out and ask.  Now, how to answer?  He
hesitated before starting his response.  " I used to be a consultant for an
international consortium.  The focus shifted last year and I decided that I no
longer wanted to be associated with the group.  Since then, I haven't found
anything to which I feel the need to make a commitment."

"What kind of consulting did you do?" Tyler asked.

"Most of it was confidential in nature.  I can't talk about it."  Alex felt he
had explained enough and was relieved to see the hotel in the distance.  Matthew
parked the car in the lot and the three of them went into the hotel.  Alex asked
for his key at the desk.  "I'm going to be picking up my things and checking out
this morning," he told the clerk.  "Would you get my bill ready for me please." 
The clerk nodded and began printing out the paperwork.  Alex headed over to the
elevator and pushed the button. "I'm going to run up and get my things. 
Shouldn't take but a few minutes.  Unless you want to come up with me," he
offered.

"No, that's OK.  We'll wait for you down here," Matthew said.

Alex stepped onto the elevator and pushed the button for his floor.  When he got
upstairs, he threw his clothes into the suitcase and grabbed the rest of his
things from the bathroom.  His keys were still sitting on the dresser, where
he'd left them the other night.  He smiled as jingled the keys in his hand.  The
hotel was nothing compared to his car.  He couldn't wait to see the look on
their faces when they got a load of that little surprise.  Certain that he
hadn't forgotten anything, Alex picked up his suitcase and left the room.  The
suitcase wasn't that heavy, but it was more than he should be carrying, and his
ribs let him know that in no uncertain terms.  He dropped it on the floor of the
elevator, hoping that he wouldn't look too silly pushing it out of the door in
the lobby.  Fortunately, Matthew was waiting when the elevator opened.  He
stepped in and picked up the suitcase.  "Thanks, Matthew."

"No problem.  I should have thought about that before letting you go up by
yourself."

Alex went to the front desk, signed the bill and turned in his key.  The clerk
handed him the receipt and wished him a good day.

"All right, car's out in the lot.  Follow me," Alex said.

Matthew and Tyler followed him out to the lot, both wondering what kind of
vehicle they should be looking for.  Tyler had him figured for a four-wheel
drive, while Matthew was picturing a Taurus, for some reason.  Both stared in
disbelief when Alex stopped in front of a car and identified it as his.  "You're
kidding, right?" Tyler asked.

"Nope, this is it." Alex replied.

Matthew dropped the suitcase and began a slow trip around the vehicle.  He
touched the car reverently, like it was something holy. Tyler was duly
impressed, but Matthew was falling all over himself.  "A Ferrari 456 GTA 2+2! Oh
my God!  I've only seen pictures of these.  My God man, how much did that
consortium pay you?"
Alex laughed.  "I told you, I have money stashed away."  He jingled the keys to
get Matthew's attention, then tossed them to him.  "Here, why don't you drive. 
You don't mind if Matthew takes the wheel first, do you Tyler?  I'll let you
take her out for a spin later."

Tyler shook his head.  "Fine with me; this is Matthew's wet dream, not mine."

Matthew weighed the keys in his hand, not believing that he was about to get
behind the wheel of a Ferrari.  He stood there, transfixed, completely
forgetting that he was not alone.

"Uh, Matthew?" Alex nudged him.  "Matthew?"

Matthew turned and forced himself out of his car-induced stupor.  "Hmmm?  What? 
Oh, sorry, Alex."

Alex chuckled. "You want to put the suitcase in the trunk so we can get out of
here?"

"Yeah.  Sure.  You're really going to let me drive this?"  Matthew asked.

"Well, I can't drive it right now and Tyler doesn't seem all that interested, so
it's up to you.  If you don't think you can handle it, we can bring Katie here
later and let her drive it home." Alex chided.

"NO!  I can do it," Matthew said quickly.  "I'll be fine." He opened the trunk
and put in the suitcase, gently closing the hood when he was done.  "I'll meet
you at the shop," he added, as he opened the door and slid behind the wheel. 
Tyler and Alex waited while Matthew started the engine.  They snickered as they
heard him rev it up a few times, before leaving the parking lot.

"How much you wanna bet we get to the shop before he does?" Tyler asked.

"No doubt," Alex said, smiling.  "Let him have some fun.  I won't be able to
drive for a few more weeks; someone should enjoy her company."

Tyler headed over to his car.  "Let's go get those bagels.  I don't know about
you, but I'm starving."

They got into the car and drove the few blocks to MacCreedy's.  It was Alex's
turn to be surprised, when Tyler pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the front
door.  He was further shocked by the fact that MacCreedy's wasn't just a bakery,
but a bookstore, too, a warm, inviting bookstore, with a small café in the back. 
He could smell the fresh bread being baked in the café's kitchen.

Alex followed Tyler through the store and into the back, trying to take in as
much of the store as he could.

"Good morning, Mr. MacCreedy," one of the cooks said to Tyler.

"Same to you, Lisa," Tyler replied.  "How are the bagels this morning?"

"Delicious as always," she said, with a grin.  "Do you want the usual?"

"Yes, ma'am.  But toss in a few extra sourdough."  He leaned in and whispered
loudly to her.  "I think our Katie's in love."  Alex looked away, trying
desperately to ignore Tyler, but failing miserably.

"With him?" Lisa asked, pointing at Alex.  Tyler nodded.  "What's his name?"

"Alex," Tyler whispered.

"Uh, huh.  Alex," she called.  Alex turned to look at her.  "You like our
Katie?"

Alex shifted his feet uncomfortably, but looked her in the eye.  "Yes ma'am, I
do."

Lisa crossed her arms and gave him the once over, frowning slightly as she did. 
"You and Dr. Curry approve of this young man, Mr. MacCreedy?" she asked Tyler,
never taking her eyes off of Alex.

"He'll do, Lisa," Tyler decided.  "The jury's still out where Matthew is
concerned, but he'll cave; he always does.  Katie likes him, so it doesn't much
matter what we think either way."

"Well, all right then."  She leveled her gaze at Alex.   "Alex, you better be
good to her.  Katie's special to all of us here and we don't take kindly to
anyone who hurts her.  You understand?"

Alex smiled.  "Yes ma'am, I understand.  I'll be good to her."

Lisa let out a sigh.  "You better be, 'cause if I find out that you hurt her,
your name's gonna be gracing our menu, right here under 'sandwich of the day'." 
She shook her finger at him and grinned.  "Keep that in mind, young man."

"Oh, yes ma'am.  I'll remember that," Alex said with a nod.
Lisa went back to collect the bagels for Tyler.  Alex was a little stunned by
what had just transpired, so he turned to Tyler.  "Did I pass?"

"You're still standing, aren't you?" Tyler responded.  "Just don't get on her
bad side."

"Thanks for the warning."  Alex looked around the store.  "You own this place,
Tyler?"  Tyler nodded.  "It's great!  How long have you been here?"

"A little over 8 years.  Katie was my first customer.  Actually, she was here
before the place even opened.  She had to check out the new store and see if I
was going to be carrying her books.  A few days later, she brought Matthew by to
meet me and the rest, as they say, is history."

"Did I hear my name?" Matthew asked, as he slipped out of the kitchen.  "Alex,
that car is incredible.  I parked it behind the store.  Something like that
shouldn't be left out on the street."  He leaned over and gave Tyler a kiss. 
"Bagels ready?  I'm starving."

"Lisa's getting them as we speak.  Why don't you go on ahead; I can tell you're
dying to get back behind the wheel.  We'll meet you at the loft in about 15
minutes," Tyler offered.

"OK, see ya," Matthew called, as he bolted for the door.

"He's in a good mood," Alex observed.

"Yes he is.  Too bad it's so early in the day.  That's one mood I wouldn't mind
hanging on to for a few hours, if you know what I mean," Tyler said, giving Alex
a wink.

"Maybe I can help you out with that," Alex hinted.  Tyler raised his eyebrows,
causing Alex to snicker.  "I could let Matthew drive it home tonight.  That way,
you get a chance to take both the car, and Matthew, for a spin," Alex replied,
returning the wink.

"You'd do that for me?" Tyler asked incredulously.

"Sure.  Why not?  It's the least I can do, after everything you and Matthew have
done for me," Alex said with a shrug.  "Just one request.  Grab the blanket from
under the seat before you go." Tyler gave him a questioning look.  "The seats
are leather…" Tyler's eyes widened as comprehension struck and his mouth hit the
floor.

"Alex! You are so bad!" Tyler exclaimed, just as Lisa walked out with the bag of
bagels.  Tyler's face reddened and he hoped that Lisa hadn't overheard the bulk
of the conversation.  "Thank you, Lisa.  You ready to go, Alex?  Alex nodded. 
"Great.  Let's get out of here."

They were quiet for the short drive home.  Matthew pulled up just after they
parked the car.  When he got out of the Ferrari, Matthew's face was practically
glowing.  He opened the trunk and pulled out Alex's suitcase.  He handed the
keys back to Alex, who went over to unlock the car door.  "I'll be right up. 
Just want to grab something out of the back."  He opened the door, then called
over to Tyler.  "Hey Ty, can you give me a hand?"  Tyler handed the bagels to
Matthew and sent him upstairs.

"Yeah, what do need?"

"Nothing," Alex grinned.  "I just wanted to show you where the blanket was."  He
pulled a corner of it out from under the passenger seat.  "Should I leave it
here or toss it on the seat?"

"You weren't joking?" Tyler asked, in shock.  "I thought you were kidding about
letting us take the car."

"No, I was serious.  Here," he said, tossing Tyler the keys.  "Knock yourself
out." Tyler snatched the keys in mid-air and dropped them into his jacket
pocket.  "Come on, we better get up there before Matthew gets suspicious." 
Tyler nodded and followed Alex to the elevator.

The door opened and the smell of toasted bagels filled the air.  Matthew was at
the table, happily munching away.  "Sorry guys, I had to go ahead and start
without you," Matthew mumbled.

Tyler went into the kitchen and grabbed a bagel for himself.  "Want one, Alex?"

"Yeah, sourdough."  He looked around the loft.  "Is Katie still asleep?" 
Matthew nodded.  Make it two, Ty.  I'm going to go wake Katie."

Alex knocked gently on the door, before opening it.  Katie was lying in bed,
reading the note he'd left for her.  "Hi.  Thanks for the note."

"I didn't want you to think I'd run out on you," he said softly, sitting down on
the edge of the bed.  "Hungry?  Tyler's making a couple of bagels for us. 
Sourdough."

"I know, I can smell them."  She sat up and stretched.  "How'd you like Tyler's
store?  Isn't it great?"

"Very nice.  I'd like to go back and spend a little time there someday.  You'll
have to come with me though.  I don't think Lisa will let me in without you
there," he teased.

Katie giggled.  "Oh, you met Lisa?  Don't worry about her, she's all bluster, no
bite. Still, I should probably go with you, just to be on the safe side.  Now
scoot, so I can get up out of this thing and claim my bagel."

Alex stood up and headed for the door.  "Better make it quick, Katya.  Smells so
good, I might just finish yours off before you get there."

Katie jumped out of the bed and caught up with him, just outside the bedroom
door.  She patted his arm as she passed by.  "You know, that threat will be much
more effective in a few weeks."

Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her back.  "Got you out of bed, didn't it?"
Katie stuck her tongue out at him and tried to pull away.  He held on tight and
leaned over.  "Better watch where you point that thing," he whispered.  "Could
get you in trouble someday."

"I'm counting on it," she whispered back.

"Morning, Katie," Matthew called out, wiping the crumbs from his mouth.  "Wait
until you get a load of Alex's car, it's gorgeous; a Ferrari 456 GTA 2+2.  Alex
let me drive it over here."

"A Ferrari?"  Katie asked.  "That explains the glow on Matthew's face.  Gee Ty,
I figured you were responsible for that."

"No," Tyler sighed.  "I've been temporarily displaced, I'm afraid."

Matthew got up and embraced Tyler.  "Are you feeling neglected, darling?"
Matthew asked, kissing Tyler's neck.

Tyler leaned back against him and dropped his head back against Matthew's chest. 
"Yes I am, but I know how you can make it up to me."  Tyler winked at Alex,
causing Katie to give Alex a bewildered look.  "You can take me home, right
now."

"Now?  But it's still early, Ty, and you promised Katie you'd watch the movie
with her," Matthew protested.

Katie started to chime in, but Alex stopped her.  "Shhh, I'll explain later," he
whispered.  "You know, Matthew, I think our trip this morning was a little more
than I was ready for.  I'm going to go lie down anyway.  Katya and I can watch
the movie later on.  Isn't that right, Katya?"

Katie tried to hide her confusion.  "Um, yeah, sure we can.  Get out of here,
you two."

"OK, if you're sure," Matthew replied.

"They're sure," Tyler said.  He grabbed Matthew's hand and pulled him to the
door.  "Come on, let's go."

"I guess we'll see you later," Matthew called, as Tyler dragged him into the
elevator.

Katie and Alex waved goodbye.  When the elevator door closed, Alex started
snickering, pressing against his ribs to cut down on the pain.  "Now will you
tell me what's going on?" Katie asked.  "And what is so damned funny?"

By the time Alex finished his story, Katie was doubled over with laughter.  "You
really asked him to get the blanket?  Oh my God, Alexei!"

Alex had to hold his sides tightly; his own laughter was causing him extreme
discomfort, but every time she laughed, he couldn't help but join in.  "Hey,
those seats are fine Corinthian leather," he managed to gasp, making every
effort to sound like Ricardo Montalban.

Katie got the connection and fell over on the couch.  "Oh stop!  I'm going to be
sick," she cried.

"Try it with cracked ribs," he shot back.  "Oh, God, I think I'm going to pass
out."

"I'm sorry, Alexei," she giggled.  "OK, let's calm down.  No more laughing now. 
It's time to be serious."  She took a deep breath and closed her eyes,
concentrating on unfunny thoughts.  When she opened her eyes, Katie thought
she'd gotten herself under control.  Then, she looked at Alex smiling at her,
and the giggles started all over again.

"Katya!  Cut it out," Alex snickered.  "Oh, I think I'm dying here.  It hurts,"
he moaned.

"Poor baby," Katie crooned.  "I know how to make you feel better.  Stay right
there."  Katie got up and left.  He watched her go into the bathroom and heard
the sound of water filling the tub.  When she returned, she had a glass of water
and a couple of pills in her hand.  "Take these, then go get your suit on and
soak in the tub for a while.  You'll feel better in no time."

He took the pills, then forced himself up off the couch and into the bathroom. 
It took him a little while, but he was able to get the suit on, the arm off, and
swing his legs over the edge of the tub.  He waited to see if she was going to
join him and when she didn't come in, he called out to her.  She came in seconds
later, still dressed in her pajamas.  "Aren't you coming in with me?" he asked.

"Do you want me to?  I thought you might need some time alone."

"I've spent too much time alone, Katya."
"I know the feeling."  She leaned against the door.  " My suit's out by the
dryer.  Go ahead and get in; I'll be back in a few."

Alex eased into the tub and let the warmth and the jets ease his aching body. 
He closed his eyes and waited for Katie to join him.  True to her word, he felt
her slip in beside him minutes later.  "Feeling any better yet?" she asked.

"A little."

"That's a start.  Don't fall asleep on me in here.  There's no way I'll be able
to pull you out of this thing.  If you start to get really tired, let me know,"
she requested.

"I will.  What did you give me anyway?  Was that the stuff Matthew prescribed?"

"Yeah, Tylenol with codeine.  It's the codeine that you have to watch out for. 
It knocks some people out."

"Codeine doesn't affect me much," he said, opening his eyes.  "I won't fall
asleep on you."

"How's your knee?"

He raised it up out of the water so she could see it for herself.  "Looks awful,
and it aches, but it's not too bad.  I've hardly noticed it today."

"Good."

"Katya?"

"Yes Alexei?"

"Could we sit here for a while and not talk?"  He shifted so that there were no
gaps between them.  "I just want to enjoy being here with you, in the water.  Is
that OK?"

Katie nodded and rested her head on his shoulder.  "Sounds nice."

They sat quietly for the next twenty-five minutes, listening to the sound of the
bubbles in the tub.  Alex's breathing changed and Katie realized that he was
falling asleep.  As much as she hated to do it, she had to wake him up and get
him out of the tub, before it was too late.  "Alexei," she whispered.  "Wake up,
time to get out of the pool."

"I'm awake," he said sleepily.

"Then open your eyes and prove it to me," she challenged.

"Don't want to," he grumbled.

"Really, Alexei, you have to wake up and get out.  It's dangerous to sleep in
here.  Please, open your eyes," she pleaded.

Alex forced his eyes open.  The look of concern on her face took him by
surprise.  "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied, looking down into the water.  He lifted her chin and
waited until she looked at him again.  "I was afraid that you'd fall asleep and
slip under the water.  I'm paranoid about that, OK?  I shouldn't have given you
those pills before sending you in here, that was stupid."

"Hush, the pills had nothing to do with it.  I didn't get enough sleep last
night and I over did things this morning.  Everything's fine.  Come on, let's
get out of this thing."  They climbed out and toweled off.  Katie went to her
room to change, Alex went to his to do the same.  Instead of putting on jeans,
he put on a pair of pajamas.  Deciding that a nap was in his best interest, he
got into the recliner and closed his eyes.  He was asleep almost as soon as his
head his the back of the chair.

Katie changed into jeans and a sweatshirt, then went to check on Alex.  The door
was open, so she walked in.  She smiled when she found him asleep on the chair. 
Picking his suit up off the floor, she carried it out of the room, closing the
door around as she left.  She hung both suits up to dry in the bathroom, then
went to her computer to work.  She opened the file she'd started yesterday and
reread what she'd written so far.  The ideas started flowing again and her
fingers typed furiously, trying to keep pace with her thoughts.  Hours passed
without her noticing.  When the ideas finally slowed down, she leaned back and
reviewed her progress.  The smell of food cooking distracted her and she turned
to see what was going on behind her.  Alex was in the kitchen preparing
something that smelled wonderful.  Looking at the clock, she was startled to see
that it was almost 6.  She hit Save and closed the file for the evening.  Then,
she got up and walked out into the kitchen.  "Ho!
w long have you been up?"

Alex grinned.  "Glad to see you finally noticed I was here," he joked.  "I've
been up for the past four hours.  You were deep into your work, so I sat on the
couch and read.  I finished Paranoia, by the way.  Was that your first novel?"

"Yeah, it was," Katie scowled.  "It wasn't very good; then the editors got a
hold of it and made it even worse.  I will never understand why anyone bought
that book; it was a real stinker."

"So, it wasn't your best effort.  You redeemed yourself later on.  Go sit down,
dinner's ready."

Alex had prepared a simple meal of spaghetti and garlic bread.  Katie didn't
talk much while they ate.  She seemed distracted, so he didn't push.  When she
finished, he cleared the plate, then followed her back to the computer.  "Can I
help?" he asked.  Katie hesitated.  "If you don't want me to, just tell me,
Katya.  I thought…"

"Oh, Alexei.  I'm sorry.  Yeah, I want your help.  Would you read this and tell
me where I'm going wrong?"  She pushed back from the computer and vacated the
chair.  Alex sat down and began to read, while Katie paced the floor behind him.

Thus began a pattern.  In the morning, Katie would wake up and head straight to
the computer.  If Alex woke up at the same time, he would make her eat something
first.  Throughout the day, he would make sure she had something to drink on her
desk, while he busied himself reading, doing the odd household chore and making
dinner.  After dinner, she would ask him to read what she'd written, pacing the
floor behind him until he was finished.  He'd make his comments, positive or
negative, throw out ideas and play Devil's Advocate whenever he felt her
thoughts had gone astray.  They argued sometimes, agreed others, then moved to
the whirlpool for some quiet, non-work related conversation. The evening always
ended with Katie kissing Alex's forehead, before he fell asleep in the recliner.

Tyler dropped in a few times, to bring Alex his car keys, his jacket and to
check up on the groceries in the loft.  He made sure that the pantry and
refrigerator stayed full for them.  Some nights, he and Matthew would come by
for dinner and watch the nighttime reading ritual with amusement.

Two weeks passed, with little change in the routine.  Alex's ribs were healing
nicely, and while he still ached, breathing was becoming easier every day.  As
his health improved, his desire to be closer to Katie grew stronger.  Those
kisses on the forehead and hand were nice, but they weren't enough.  A couple of
times he considered grabbing her and kissing her long and hard, but he resisted;
that was the old Alex, the one who sucked at relationships.  An old song line
ran through his mind every time he thought about making an abrupt move on her,
'something tells me I'm into something good.'  He was 'into something good', he
realized and he didn't want to make the mistake of rushing things this time.

The morning of the sixteenth day started just as the others before it.  Alex
continued to keep Katie in drinks and read another of the books from her
extensive collection, but mostly, he watched her work.  As he was making dinner,
he decided that enough was enough.  He'd held back, in spite of her hints that
his advances were welcome, for long enough.  There was no way he was ready for
anything major tonight, but he could show her that he was looking for more than
a kiss on the head or hand.  The decision made, he found that he couldn't stop
smiling.  Katie mentioned his good mood a few times between dinner and the
whirlpool.  He shrugged it off, not wanting to tip his hand.  Instead of going
into the bedroom after brushing his teeth, he went to the window and stared out
into the night.  He couldn't have asked for a more beautiful evening; the moon
was a few days off full and shining brightly.  Katie joined him at the window. 
When he smiled down at her, she took his head in h!
ers hands and planted a kiss on it.  Seeing his opening, he dove in while he had
the chance.

"You do that a lot, you know," he said, as looked out the window.

"What?" Katie asked.

"Kiss me on the forehead." He turned to face her.  "Not that I don't like it,"
he added quickly.  "It's just that…well…it's becoming routine."

Katie raised an eyebrow at him.  "OK.  So, what would you suggest?"

"I was thinking maybe you could kiss me on the cheek once in a while; just for a
change of pace."

Katie raised up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek softly.  "Like this?"

Alex smiled.  "Yeah, like that.  A change of pace is good sometimes, don't you
think?"

"Definitely," Katie replied.

They stood there quietly, looking out at the night sky.  "You know," Alex
started again.  "As nice as that was, I think there's still room for
improvement."  He turned, facing her head on, then took her head in his hands. 
He was a little self-conscious about the one hand touching her face, but she
didn't seem to mind, so he willed the feeling away.  Lowering his face to hers,
he paused just shy of her mouth.  "What if we try this?" Slowly, giving her time
to back away, if she so desired, he moved down to her mouth.  When she didn't
object, he pressed his lips to hers, giving her the gentle first kiss he'd been
waiting weeks to deliver.  He pulled away, never taking his eyes off of her.

 Katie's eyes opened slowly and a smiled formed on her face. "I thought you'd
never do that," she sighed.  "What took you so long?"

Alex rested his fingers on her cheek and ran his thumb across her lips.  "I
didn't want to rush it.  I've rushed into every relationship I've ever had,
Katya, and they've all been disasters.  That's not going to happen this time."

Katie kissed his thumb as it made another pass across her lips.  "It won't
happen this time, Alexei; we're supposed to be together.  I told you, it's
Fate."

"Maybe so," he said quietly.  "But even Fate doesn't like to be taken for
granted."  He gazed down at her and smiled.  "I have to do this my way, Katya;
at my pace.  Will you allow that?"

Katie chuckled at the role-reversal he was proposing.  "Of course.  Take all the
time you need.  That's not going to stop me from putting the moves on you, you
know?"  Alex chuckled, too.  "But, I'll back off when you say the word," she
added.  "You lead, I'll follow."

"Good," he said, taking her hand.  "Follow me over here."  Alex pulled her
across the room and over to the couch.  He sat down on the couch and patted the
seat next to him.

Katie sat down beside him.  "So, what do you want to do for the rest of the
evening?" She already knew the answer she wanted to hear, but after his speech
at the window, Katie wasn't sure what to expect.
"This," he said, just before swooping down and claiming her mouth.  He kissed
her long and hard, just like he'd stopped himself from doing days before.  When
he broke the kiss, Katie's eyes were wide with surprise.

"I thought you wanted to take this slow?" she gasped.

"It's only kissing, Katya," he said, reaching down to kiss her again.  "Didn't
you ever just make out on a date?"

"Sure.  Is this a date?"

"Yes it is," he said.  "And this," he kissed her quickly.  "Is where," he kissed
her again.  "The making out," yet another kiss.  "Begins," he finished, pulling
her almost into his lap and pressing his lips against hers.  He flicked his
tongue at her lower lip, until she opened her mouth slightly, just enough for
him to slip inside.  They stayed on the couch for the next 45 minutes, kissing,
touching, learning what the other liked.  Alex's hand stroked her back and up
her side, inching closer to her breast, but stopping short each time.  She tried
to shift so he would get the idea and touch her, but he was on to her.

"Alex," she whispered. "Isn't this the 'next time' when it 'won't be an
accident'?" she asked.

Alex pulled back reluctantly and shook his head.  "Nope.  This is the time where
I walk my date back to her door and kiss her goodnight."  He stood up and held
out his hand.  She took it and followed him.  To her surprise, he led her to her
room.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm walking you home," he replied.

"But…" she started to protest.

"Shhh," he said, pressing a finger to her lips.  "You have to sleep in your own
bed tonight, because I'm going to try sleeping in mine."

"We can still share," she whispered.  "I promise to keep my hands to myself."

"That's a promise I can't make," he answered.  "Which is why you're sleeping in
here."  He kissed her again.  "We're doing this my way, remember?"  Katie
lowered her head in defeat and nodded.  "Good.  Now go to bed.  I'll see you at
breakfast."  Alex lifted her chin and kissed her one last time.  "Goodnight,
Katya."

"Goodnight, Alexei.  Thank you for a lovely evening," she said, smiling.

"You're welcome.  Get some sleep."  He blew her a kiss and backed away, not
turning until she'd gone behind the partition.  When he couldn't see her
anymore, he turned around and walked into the bedroom.

The next morning began like every other morning.  Alex was awake and making
breakfast by the time Katie got out of the shower.  They made small talk over
their food; then Katie hit the computer and started working.  Neither mentioned
the 'date' last night, but both had it in the forefront of their minds.  By
noon, Alex realized that he'd read the same page repeatedly and still had no
idea what was going on in the story.  Katie was having a similar concentration
problem; she'd written exactly three sentences and two of them contained typos. 
She turned around to see what Alex was doing and found him sitting on the couch,
looking quite content, and reading a book.  Katie focused her attention on him. 
It took her a few minutes, before she realized that he hadn't turned a page.  In
fact, she didn't remember having heard a page turn since he sat down.  He IS
having trouble concentrating, she thought, feeling much better about her
predicament.  She began to spin around in her chair!
, hoping he'd notice her before the spinning motion made her sick to her
stomach.

He watched her out of the corner of his eye for a minute or so, before he
started to feel dizzy.  "Katya? What are you doing?"

"Trying to get your attention."

"Well it worked," he said, putting down the book.  "Now cut it out before you
make both of us sick."  Alex got up and walked over to the computer.  "So, what
have you gotten done today?"  He looked over her shoulder at the monitor,
knowing fully well that was something she hated.  When she didn't push him away,
he read.  He scrolled down, but found nothing more than the three sentences. 
"That's it?  After all this time, this is what you've accomplished?" He looked
at her and raised his eyebrow.

"Don't give me that look, Mr.
'I've-been-reading-the-same-page-for-the-last-hour'.  You aren't concentrating
any better than I am," Katie shot back, smugly.

He chuckled and looked down at the floor.  "You noticed that, huh?"

"Yes I did."

Alex put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.  "Well, what are we
going to do about this concentration problem?"

Katie leaned against him and tipped her head back.  "Don't ask me, you're the
one who wanted to take the lead."  She smiled at him.  "Take the lead already."

He bent over and kissed his way down from the top of her head to the soft spot
behind her ear.  His hands rubbed up and down her arms as he sucked on her
earlobe, before moving slowly down her neck.  Katie sighed and moved her head to
give him maximum access.  At the base of her neck, he pushed her shirt aside and
nipped the skin across her shoulder and back to her neck.  He spun the chair
around, causing her gasp, and began giving the same attention to the other side
of her neck.  On the last pass back, he kissed up her neck to her chin, then
back down again.  Instead of stopping at the hollow of her throat, he continued
down her chest to the point where the buttons on her shirt made him pause.  He
looked up at her, as he slowly unbuttoned two more buttons, loving the sight of
her bottom lip being held by her teeth.  His lips pressed against the skin at
the top of the shirt and kissed down the new opening he'd created.  She shivered
as he covered new ground with his mouth. Wh!
en he hit the next button, his tongue traced a path back up to the hollow of her
neck.  The sensation of his tongue on her skin set her nerve endings on fire and
when he kissed her mouth, she moaned and tried to pull him down onto the seat
with her.

Alex pulled out of her grip and smiled wickedly at her.  "You like that?"

"Yes," she hummed.
"Good."  He took her hand and pulled her out of the chair.  "Come on," he said,
leading her back to the dryer.

Katie followed, wondering why they were going back there, instead of to the
couch or to the bedroom.  She couldn't believe her eyes, when he lifted a couple
of coats from the clothes rack and handed her one.  "Put this on," he
instructed.  "We're getting out of here."

"Getting out of here?  Why?" she whined.  "Getting out of here is the last thing
I want to do right now."  She reluctantly took the jacket from his hand and put
it on.

 "It's getting too hot in here and we both need to cool down," he replied.

"I don't want to cool down!  I like the temperature just fine," she growled.

"So do I, which is why we have to get out."  He chuckled at her expression. 
"Besides," he added, moving closer.  "I like watching you get all hot and
bothered; makes me wonder what lengths you'll go to find release."  At
'release', he leaned in and kissed her gently.

"Damn it, Alexei," Katie whispered.  "If you weren't injured, I'd show you."

"All in good time, Katya, all in good time."  He reached out and zipped her
jacket up a little higher.  "Come on, let's go for a walk.  You can show me
around your neighborhood."

They left the loft and strolled around the neighborhood.  Katie showed him her
usual haunts and her favorite routes.  By the time they returned, Alex was worn
out; he barely made it to the couch, before collapsing.  Katie went out to the
kitchen to get him some water, but when she returned, she found him asleep.  She
put the glass on the table and kissed his forehead.  The thought of curling up
beside him and taking a nap crossed her mind, but she decided to try and get
some work done instead.  This time, when she opened the file, the ideas flowed.

Alex woke at 6:30, to the sound of typing and the smell of pizza.  Katie had
ordered out a little earlier and had put the pizza in the oven to keep it warm. 
He hoisted himself off the couch and into the kitchen to eat.  The plates were
on the counter, two of them, he noticed.  When he pulled the box out of the
oven, he saw that the pizza was intact.

Katie appeared beside him.  "I waited for you.

"So I see," he said with a smile.  "You didn't have to."

"I know I didn't have to," she shrugged.  "I wanted to.  Besides, I was on a
roll with the story anyway," she added.

Alex put three slices of pizza on his plate and went over to the computer.  He
sat down, opened up the file and began to read while he ate.  Katie grabbed the
box and followed him out.  She sat on the floor, watching him read and wondering
how she'd gone from refusing to let anyone read her works in progress, to
letting Alex plop down in her chair and open her file at will.

After finishing the pages, Alex turned around and was surprised to find Katie
sitting on the floor, watching him as she ate.  It occurred to him that he'd
assumed she wanted him to read her day's work.  She didn't seem annoyed, but
looks could be deceiving.  "I'm sorry," he started.  "I should have asked you if
I could read this."

"You should have," she agreed.  "But you know what?  I don't mind at all.  I was
just trying to figure out how that happened, too.  No one else could have ever
gotten away with it."  Katie frowned and squinted her eyes.  "Are you are
warlock, Alexei?"

"If I was, I wouldn't be sitting here waiting for my body to heal," he said with
a wink.   "Hand me another slice, would you?  I'm starving tonight.  Must be
from all the exercise this afternoon."

"Memo to self," Katie dictated.  "Alexei becomes ravenous after physical
exertion.  Be sure to have refrigerator and pantry well stocked prior to sex."

"Addendum to memo," Alex added, putting his plate down on the desk.  "Katya
becomes increasingly catty when deprived of sex."  He eased to his knees on the
floor in front of her.   "Remember to keep mouth busy as much as possible in the
interim."  He swooped down and kissed her soundly.

A little too soundly, perhaps, for soon, Alex hurt too much to continue.  He
moved from her lips and pressed his hand against his ribs, dropping his head in
pain.  Katie held him close and whispered comforting words, while he tried to
catch his breath.  When his shoulders relaxed, she helped him to his feet and
led him into the bedroom.  He sat down on the bed and watched her remove his
shoes; too achy to protest.  She lifted the covers and waited for him to lie
down, covering him when he did.  She turned off the light. Instead of kissing
him goodnight and leaving, like he expected, she went to the other side of the
bed, removed her shoes and socks, and climbed in with him.  She heard him open
his mouth to protest, but cut him off.  "I'm not leaving you when you're in
pain," she stated.  "If you feel like soaking later, wake me up and I'll go with
you."

"Katya, it's not even 8 yet," Alex observed.

"What's your point?" she asked.

"If you try to sleep now, you'll end up pacing the floors at 4."

"So what?  The beauty of writing is that it can be done anytime, anywhere.  I
have no time clock to punch and no one to report to.  I can do what I want, when
I want.  Right now, I want to be here with you."  She moved closer and kissed
his shoulder.  "Do you want me to go?" she whispered.

"No," he whispered back.  "This is where I've wanted you all along."  He felt
for her hand, and when he found it, he pulled it to his chest.  "Don't let go,"
he whispered, just before falling asleep.

"I wouldn't dream of it," she replied.

True to his prediction, Katie woke in the wee hours of the morning.  Not because
she'd had too much sleep, but because someone was nibbling on her fingers.  "You
have an interesting way of waking people up," she murmured.  "Couldn't sleep?"

"With your leg draped over mine and your foot rubbing up and down my calf?  No,
for some reason, that woke me up," he teased.  "By the way, when did we switch
sides?  I may be wrong, but wasn't I on that side of the bed when we first came
in here?"

Katie giggled.  "Well, I got up about an hour after you fell asleep, to go to
the bathroom.  When I got back, you had moved over to my pillow, so I slipped in
here.  Did you know that YOU are a very restless sleeper?"

"Mmmm," he responded, kissing her fingertips.   "And did you know that YOU are
still rubbing my leg?  It's most distracting, Katya; might make me lose my
resolve," he said, as he sucked a finger into his mouth.

"Mmmm," she sighed.  "Forgive me, but I'm not seeing a down side to that
statement."

"The down side," he began, pushing her leg off of his.  "Is that I want to take
this slow and you are making it very difficult."  He rolled onto his side,
grimacing as he did.

"Alexei, I know you can't let this go to far right now because of your ribs, but
there's no reason why we can't make allowances for a little touching."  She
slowly began to run her foot back up his leg.  "You know you want to.  I'd be
willing to bet that you engaged in a little 'touching' last night, after you
left me at my bedroom door," she hinted.

Alex caught her foot before she reached her final destination and firmly put it
back on the mattress.  "Sorry to disappoint you, Katya, but there was no
'touching' going on in here.  I find that heavy breathing is a main cause of
pain right now."  He ran his fingers down her neck to the first buttoned button
on the front of her shirt and rested them there.  "Does this mean that there was
some 'touching' going on in other areas of the loft last night?"  He popped the
button from its hole.  "Something you'd like to share with the class, Ms.
Heyes?" he asked, popping another button.

Katie held her breath, mesmerized by the sight of Alex slowly unbuttoning her
shirt.  She gasped when he pulled the rest of it out of her jeans and finished
the job.  He ran his fingers back up the middle of her chest, never straying to
the sides, never pushing the shirt away.  So caught up in the sensation, she
never heard either question.

Alex leaned in and kissed her gently.  "Unless you want me to stop, you'd better
answer the question, Ms. Heyes," he admonished.  To prove his point, Alex
removed his hand from her body and rested it on the bed beside her.

She whimpered in protest.  "What question?"

"Am I distracting you?"  He chuckled and kissed her again. "I'll repeat the
question. Was there some 'touching' going on in your room last night?"  He could
feel her hesitate, so he put his hand back on her chest and drew circles between
her breasts.  "You're not embarrassed to answer, are you?" he teased.  When she
still didn't answer, he stopped completely and inched closer, putting his hand
on her cheek.  It felt warm to the touch and she turned away a little.  "You are
embarrassed, aren't you?" he asked, taken completely by surprise at her
reaction.  He pulled her into his arms and held her tight.  "Don't ever be
embarrassed about something like that; not with me."  He kissed the top of her
head.  "Will trust me enough to answer the question, Katya?  Please," he begged.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Yes to which question," he asked.

"Yes to both," she replied.

"Thank you," he said softly.  She stayed still in his arms, not talking.  He
allowed the silence for a few minutes, before speaking again.  "Did it feel
good?" he asked, rolling her out of his arms and back down to her pillow.  "Did
you think about me touching you like this?"  He slid his hand inside her shirt
and rubbed his thumb over her nipple.  She arched her back and moaned.  "Did
you, Katya?"

"Yes," she answered.

He kissed her softly and whispered against her lips.  "Did I kiss you, like
this?"  he asked, taking her mouth, slipping his tongue inside and exploring her
thoroughly.  When he pulled away, she nodded.  "Did I do this?" he whispered,
slipping his hand down her stomach to the waistband of her jeans, popping the
button and lowering the zipper.  Katie shivered as his hand trailed back up to
her breast.  "Take the jeans off, Katya," he demanded.

"Alexei?"

"Just do it."

Katie slid the jeans down and off her body, tossing them on the floor.  Alex
tugged at the elastic of her panties.  "These too."  She slipped them off as
well.  He hummed appreciatively.  His hand traced a path from her breast to her
thigh and back again.  "Did I do this, too?"

"God, yes," she sighed.

Alex caressed her breast, causing her moan.  He ran his hand down to hers and
squeezed it gently.  Bringing it up to his mouth, he kissed the top of her hand. 
"Show me what else I did, Katya," he whispered, gently pulling her hand down to
her thigh.  Alex felt her stiffen, but held her hand in place.  "Trust me," he
pleaded, easing her hand into place.  "Show me what I need to do to make you
happy; I want to be ready, when the time comes."  Her hand relaxed and he
loosened his grip.  He felt her hand start to move, so he released her fingers
from his grasp, resting his hand lightly on top of hers.  "Don't be afraid to
let go for me."

Katie started off slow, trying to let go of her apprehension.  This covered new
ground and it caused her self-confidence to go running for the hills.  With
every word of encouragement, she felt a little bit of her confidence return.  He
wasn't asking for anything she wasn't willing to give and, while he didn't come
right out and say it, she knew she could say no at any time.  His hand moved up
her arm and returned to stroke her breast.  She moved her hand in time with his,
matching his caresses.  As she got closer, she wanted desperately to feel his
hand on her, his stroke, but she knew that he'd refuse.  Her breathing became
more rapid and her strokes less rhythmic.  "That's it, baby," Alex murmured. 
"Come for me."  The sound of his voice spurred her on, a fact that did not go
unnoticed.  Alex kissed her cheek and continued whispering in her ear until she
shuddered and shook against him.  He held her tight, kissing her face and neck,
until her body relaxed.  "Incredible," he!
 said.  "Is that how I make you feel?"

"That's how you make me feel," she confirmed.  "I've never done that in front of
anyone before."

"I figured that out," he said, smiling.  "Thank you for sharing with me.  My
only regret is that I couldn't see your face.  Next time, we'll light a candle."
****
Katie woke up the next morning and sat up in bed. She quickly noticed two
things; she was alone and her shirt had been buttoned back up.  She was pretty
sure she hadn't done any buttoning last night.  As a matter of fact, the last
thing she remembered was Alex saying something about lighting a candle. 
Memories of last night's encounter made her smile; she drew her knees up and
wrapped her arms around them.  A noise from outside the room told her that Alex
was in the kitchen, probably making breakfast.  'He must have gotten up to give
me some space,' she thought.  She got up and started to walk out wearing just
her shirt, when she heard voices from the other room. ' Who the Hell is that?'
she wondered.  Katie tossed on her jeans and ran her fingers through her hair,
hoping she looked something resembling presentable.  She opened the door and
walked out to find her editor, Michelle, sitting on the couch, talking to Alex.

"There she is now," Alex said, coming over to greet her. "Sweetheart, Michelle
dropped by to bring you some news."

"Sleeping late these days, Katie?" Michelle asked.  "Well, I suppose if I had
someone like Alex around, I wouldn't be in any hurry to get of bed either."

Alex smiled and put his arms around Katie.  "What do you want, Michelle?" Katie
snapped.

Michelle frowned and rolled her eyes.  "Just as pleasant as always, I see. 
Well, this time I'm here to make a wish come true for you, my dear, so sheathe
your claws."

Katie folded her arms across her chest.  "What dream would that be?"

"You, darling, have been asked to speak at a writer's convention in New York,
two weeks from Saturday."

"Big deal, Michelle.  I'm not going."  Alex tightened his hold on her, letting
her know he was there to support her, if she needed him to.

Michelle smiled slyly.  "Oh you'll go to this one.  You see, you were specially
requested to attend by another panel member; think of it as the ultimate offer
you can't refuse."

Katie frowned and sighed loudly.  "Who?"

Michelle giggled triumphantly.  "Would you believe me if I said, Harlan
Ellison?"

Katie's jaw dropped and she uncrossed her arms.  "You're not serious?"  She
looked back at Alex, then to Michelle. "Are you?" Michelle smiled, reached into
her jacket pocket, and handed her a letter.  Katie took it and read.  "Oh my
God!  Oh my God, Alex!  Look!  It really is from him.  He wants me to sit on a
panel with him?  Oh my God!"  She pulled out of Alex's arms and paced the floor. 
"I don't believe this.  How did this happen?  WHEN did this happen?  How long
have you had this letter, Michelle?"
"Take a breath, Katie," Michelle laughed.  "It came in yesterday.  I decided to
come here and tell you myself.  I knew you'd never believe me if I called."  She
went to the table and picked up her purse.  "So, may I tell Harlan that you'll
be happy to attend?"

"YES!!" Katie cried.  "Oh my God!  Yes, of course.  Two weeks, from this
Saturday, right?"

"Yes, dear, two weeks from Saturday.  We'll take care of the travel
arrangements," she said, patting Katie's arm.  "Take care of her Alex; she's
going to be a basket case for a little while."  She waved goodbye, then stepped
onto the elevator.

Katie paced and ranted, while Alex watched with great amusement.  She was wired
beyond reason; perpetual motion personified and he couldn't take his eyes off of
her.  Her eyes were wild, as was her hair; her rumpled shirt hung loosely around
her equally rumpled jeans and her feet were bare.  She was beautiful and he
wanted nothing more than to carry her into the bedroom and fuck her silly.  Damn
it, he thought.  I can't even get myself off, how am I going to do her any good?

He looked up to see Katie staring at him, wide-eyed, trying desperately not to
laugh.  "Feeling a little frustrated, Alexei?"

"What," he asked, bewildered.

She approached him slowly and placed her hand on his cheek; he really was lost. 
"I thought you did me plenty of good last night," she said softly.

His face flushed with embarrassment.  "How did you…"

"You were thinking out loud."  She took his face in her hands and kissed his
lips.  "Don't be embarrassed about something like that; not with me," she said,
echoing his words from last night.

"Good advice," he chuckled.  "Where have I heard that before?"

"Your bed, about 3 this morning, as I recall."

"I knew it sounded familiar."

Katie smiled, then her foot started tapping nervously. "God Alexei, Harlan
Ellison wants to be on a panel with ME!"  She put both hands up to her mouth and
bounced on the balls of her feet.  "You're going to have to excuse me, but I
have to do this," she said, just before letting out a loud, piercing squeal; one
worthy of any self-respecting adolescent girl.  Alex covered his ears and
grinned at her.  When she was done, she took a deep breath.  "OK, I'm better
now," she sighed.  "If you tell anyone I did that, I'll deny it," she warned.

"It'll be our little secret," he promised.  "Tell you what, why don't you go
take a shower and get dressed.  I'm taking you out to lunch; anywhere you want."

"Can I drive the Ferrari?"

"Of course."

Katie squeezed his arm and ran off to take a shower.  Alex chuckled as he
watched her go.  He went into the bedroom and finished getting dressed himself. 
As he pulled on his boots, he wondered about the relationship between Katie and
Michelle.  There was no love lost between those two, that was certain.  Michelle
had struck him as a phony the minute she walked in the door.  He'd disliked her
instantly, but pasted on a happy face for Katie's sake.  She reminded him of
Marita.  What did I see in her? he wondered.  She was dead now, a victim of the
Consortium and her own stupidity.  He shook the thoughts away.  No more, he
thought.  That time was gone.  They were gone.  He belonged to himself and no
one else.

He was deep in thought and didn't hear Katie come into the bedroom.  "Where are
you, Alexei?" she asked.  She brushed past him on her way to retrieve her shoes
from the other side of the bed.  "You look like you're a million miles away."

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in," he said.  "Just taking a little detour in my
head, that's all."  No, I don't belong to myself, he thought, gazing at Katie. 
I belong to her.

"What are you looking at?" she giggled.

Alex strolled over and knelt at her feet.  He took her hands in his, kissed them
both, and answered her question.  "My destiny."
 

Title:  If Alex Fell: I'll Cover You
Author:  Frohike
Email:  frohike51@aol.com
Rating:  NC-17, but it'll take you a little 
while to get to the naughty bits.
Category:  Krycek/other romance
Spoilers:  Itty bitty, teeny tiny ones from 
Sleepless to the present.
Distribution:  Anywhere you'll have me.  Just leave my name and email address intact 
and drop me a line so I can come and visit.
Disclaimer:  Alex isn't mine, damn it! He belongs to the Master of Yuppie Morbidity 
::waves to CC:: and 1013 Productions.  I've stolen...er...um...respectfully 
borrowed...yeah, that's it...bits and pieces of Monty Python routines again.  Get used to 
it, I'm a Python at heart.  Spam for the house!  James Taylor's "You Can Close Your 
Eyes", is once again borrowed without permission and with no malice aforethought.  
It just works so well for my purposes and, you know James, it is one of Nick's favorite 
songs.  Lyrics from I'll Cover You are also printed without permission. This really 
isn't songfic, despite evidence to the contrary.  Harlan Ellison belongs to 
himself.  Katie, Matthew, Tyler and Miranda are mine all mine.  

This is part two of the If Alex Fell series. If you haven't read part one, If Alex Fell: 
Fate, go back and read that first or you'll be lost for sure.  If you have read part 
one, bless you and welcome back to my world.  

Thanks to Mim for continuing to encourage me, all the while, never letting me forget 
that I'm selfish in my steadfast refusal to share Alex with anyone. *g*  He's mine, mine 
I say!  Chris Carter be damned!  Well...not really. ::humbly apologizes to the Master:: 
To Jonathan Larson, who gave us the beauty of Rent.  I hope you know how many souls 
you've touched.  Oh, and someone I totally forgot in my first story...why no one 
bothered to mention this to me, I'll never know ::tapping feet in irritation:: but 
special thanks to Nick Lea, without whom my head would be a lot clearer and a lot more 
boring.  *g*

Feedback: Yes, please.  Praise will make my day. Flames will be used to lure Alex to my 
door.  Either way, I win.  Can you say 'incendiary device'?  Sorry, inside joke.  
Talk to me people.

Just slip me on
I'll be your blanket
Wherever---Whatever---I'll be your coat
"I'll Cover You" from Rent by Jonathan 
Larson

Katie zipped her overnight bag and snapped the handles together.  She sighed and turned 
to Alex. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

Alex nodded.  "You don't need me there this weekend, Katya.  Go.  Have fun. You'll hang 
out with Harlan and the other writers; you won't even know I'm not there."  He put his 
arms around her and gave her a squeeze. "Anyway, this will give me time to get to 
know Matthew and Tyler, without you hovering," he added with a grin.

"I do NOT hover," she replied indignantly.

Alex laughed, picked up her bag and carried it into the living room.  "Yes you do," he 
called over his shoulder.

"Do not," Katie huffed, under her breath as she followed him out of the room.

Alex smiled, but didn't respond right away. He put the bag down on the floor, in front 
of the couch and waited for her to come closer.  When she did, he grabbed her and 
pulled her down on the couch with him.  "Yes you do!"  He put his lips against her ear 
and whispered,  "and I wouldn't want it any other way."  

Katie smiled as Alex's mouth latched onto her neck.  "Trying to mark me before I 
leave?" she asked.

"You got it," he replied, before moving further down her neck.  "Gotta let those 
good-looking writer types know you're taken."

"Not to discourage you or anything, but you've got nothing to worry about in that 
department.  These are all talented individuals, but not one of them could hold 
a candle to you," she hummed.

"Well, you don't mind if I take out a little insurance, do you?" he murmured into her 
neck.

"No, insure at will," she giggled.

It didn't take Alex long to move from her neck to her mouth.  Fifteen minutes later, 
when Matthew and Tyler arrived, they were so engrossed in each other that they never 
heard the elevator door open.

"Looks like we're going to need the hose, Matthew," Tyler exclaimed loudly.

Katie pulled back from Alex and shot them a dirty look.  "Damn you for being punctual, 
Tyler!"

Alex chuckled at Katie's annoyance.  "Katya, you knew we only had a few minutes when we 
started this; don't take it out on Ty.  Besides," he added.  "You have a plane to 
catch."  He stood up, coming dangerously close to dumping her on the floor as he did.  
Alex caught her before she actually fell over.

Katie scowled.  "You seem awfully anxious to get rid of me, Alexei."  She looked at him 
suspiciously.  Matthew snickered, making her turn her attention to both Matthew and 
Tyler, as well; they all had a vague 'cat that ate the canary' look about them.  "What 
are you three up to?" she asked.

"Who?  Us?" Matthew asked innocently.  "Hanna! Would we do anything behind your 
back?"

"Yes, you would," she replied.  "Maybe I should stay here after all."

"NO!" the three shouted, in unison.  Alex reached down, picked up her bag and tossed 
it to Matthew.

"Oh, now I KNOW you're up to something," she frowned, tapping her feet nervously.  

Matthew caught the bag and draped the strap over his shoulder.  "Time to go, Hanna.  
Don't want to miss that flight."

Katie crossed her arms and planted her feet defiantly.  "I'm not going anywhere, until 
one of you comes clean."

Matthew started to say something, but Alex cut him off with a shake of his head.  
"Matthew, why don't you and Tyler take Katie's bag to the car?  I'll bring her down 
in a couple of minutes."  Matthew nodded and headed to the elevator, with Tyler close 
behind. "Hey, Matthew," Alex called.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out his 
keys.  "Take the Ferrari."  Matthew smiled broadly, clutching the keys in his hand, as 
the elevator door closed.  When they were gone, Alex pulled Katie close.  "What's 
wrong, Katya?  You've been looking forward to this for weeks."

Katie rested her head against his chest. She had been looking forward to this, but 
now that the time was at hand, she didn't know if she could walk out the door.  Today 
was Friday; she'd be back Sunday night, so it wasn't a long trip, just over two days, 
if you counted the hours.  Alex's hand rubbed up and down her back and she nestled 
in as close as she could manage; realizing that this was what she was afraid of losing.  
"You will be here when I come home?  Won't you?"

Alex pushed her away, just enough so he could see her face.  Katie tried to look 
down at the floor, but he lifted her chin with his hand.  "Is that what this is all 
about?" he asked, looking surprised.  Katie shrugged.  "Katya?  Don't you know how much 
this last month has meant to me?  For the first time in my whole sorry life, I feel 
like I have a home, friends, people who care about me.  I keep waiting for the other shoe 
to drop; the one where you tell me it's been nice, but it's time for me to go."  He 
leaned down and kissed her gently.  "I'm not going anywhere."  Katie smiled and pulled 
him back down for another kiss.  Then two, then three.  Finally, Alex made her stop.  
"You, however, have a plane to catch.  I'm sure Matthew's down there pacing the floor 
and wondering just what's taking so long."

Katie laughed and nodded her head.  "You're probably right."

"Feel better now?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do," she answered.  "I still want to know what the three of you are cooking up 
for the weekend, but I'm not going to push you on it."  Katie smiled and wiggled her 
eyebrows.  "I'll work on Matthew instead."

============================================
Matthew paced the floor in front of the car and checked his watch for the tenth time in 
as many minutes.  "That's it.  I'm going back up there."

"No, you're not," Tyler scolded.  "Alex will bring her down soon.  Let him take care of 
this."

"Take care of what?  Take care of getting in a few extra gropes while we stand here, 
killing time?" he asked, angrily.

Tyler sighed, wanting to smack his lover upside his head.  "Jesus, Matthew!  Are you 
really that blind?"  He stared at Matthew, waiting for some kind of reply, when none 
came, he continued.  "Oh, for crying out loud; she's panicking, Matthew.  They 
haven't been apart for more than a few minutes in the entire time he's been here; 
she's afraid he won't be here when she gets back.  Add to that her 'love' of going to 
these damned conventions, not to mention flying, and you've got a full-blown panic 
attack waiting to happen."

Matthew dropped his head and huffed. "Yeah...maybe."

"Yeah, maybe, nothing.  Grow up.  We're not the only men in her life now and the sooner 
you get used to the idea, the better.  He gets to be the one to chase the demons, not 
you.  You have to back away, Matthew," Tyler said calmly.

"I know, it's just that...we don't know anything about him, other than what he's 
told us, and it bugs me."  Matthew leaned back against the car. "Some of his story 
checks out, his parents' death, the school, his benefactor, but after graduation, he 
just disappears.  Where the Hell has he been all this time?" he asked in frustration.

"He said that he'd been working for an international consortium and that most of 
what they did was hush-hush work, so he couldn't talk about it," Tyler reminded.  
"Look, I'll admit the story is little fishy, but everything else he's told us has checked 
out, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.  I like him, Matthew.  He may 
have a mystery or two in his life that he doesn't want to share, but I think he's a 
good guy."  The elevator door opened, stopping Tyler from continuing his speech.  
Alex had his arm around Katie as he walked her to the car.  "And I love the way he 
takes care of our Katie," Tyler added.

Matthew nodded at Tyler.  "It's about time, you two," he yelled.  "Let's get going, 
Hanna."

"We have almost two hours to get to the airport, Kid; it's only a forty-five minute 
drive," she said, as they approached.  "Stop being so God-damned anal!"  Tyler smirked 
and opened his mouth.  "Shut up, Tyler," Katie snapped.  "You know what I mean."  
Tyler closed his mouth, but snickered all the same. 

 Alex leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Nature of the beast, Katya."

She drew back in surprise and smacked him on the arm.  "Alex!  Not you, too?"  Katie 
sighed. 

 Alex chuckled and kissed her.  "Get out of here.  I'll see you Sunday night."

Katie walked over to the passenger side and opened the door.  Alex held it and waited 
for her to secure her seatbelt, before closing the door for her.  She watched as he 
walked over to Matthew and said something to him.  Matthew nodded, then opened his door.

"Have fun, Katie," Tyler called.  

Alex waved and blew her a kiss.

She smiled and waved goodbye, as the car backed out of the garage.  When they'd 
gotten a few blocks away, Katie finally spoke to Matthew.  "What did Alex say to 
you?"

Matthew grinned.  "I was wondering how long it would be before you asked."  Then he 
didn't say anything more.  

Katie waited a few more minutes.  "Well?"

Matthew reached over and opened the glove compartment.  "Is there an envelope in 
there?"

Katie looked in and found a letter-sized, white envelope with her name on it.  "This 
one?"

"I guess so," Matthew said.  "Alex just told me to make sure you got the envelope in the 
glove compartment when we got a few miles from the loft." 

Katie held it in her hand, turning it over and over.  

"Aren't you going to open it?" Matthew asked.

"I'm afraid of what I might find inside," she said quietly.  "Would you do it?" she 
asked, handing it to him.

Matthew pulled off to the side of the road and parked the car.  "Sure," he replied.  He 
tore the flap and looked inside.  "It's a picture," he said, pulling out a small black 
and white shot of a woman and young boy. "Does this mean anything to you?" he asked.

Katie took the picture from his hand and nodded.  "It means everything," she 
whispered.

He watched her gingerly trace the outline of the boy in the picture, as a tear rolled 
down her cheek.  Dying to know, but realizing that this was not the time, he 
pulled away from the curb and continued to the airport.  They drove in silence for most 
of the way, before he broke down and asked. "Who are the people in the picture?"

"Alex and his mother," she answered.  "This is all he has left of her."  Katie pulled 
out her wallet and slipped the picture inside.  "It's a promise, Kid.  He's letting 
me know he'll be there when I come home."

============================================
"Tyler?  Can I ask you a question about Katie?" 

Tyler shrugged his shoulders.  "I guess.  I don't know if I'll be able to answer it, but 
you can ask."

Alex shifted uncomfortably on the couch.  He didn't know quite how to approach the 
subject, but he knew that he'd rather ask Ty, than Matthew.  "What happened with her 
last relationship?"

"What do you mean?" Tyler asked, cautiously.

"Things have been going well, you know?  She was looking forward to this trip.  I thought 
she was OK with me not going, then she tried to pick a fight when we were getting her out 
the door."  He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.  "After you two went 
downstairs, she asked me if I'd be here when she got home.  Why does she think I'd leave?  
What did the last guy do to make her so afraid to leave me for a couple of days?" he 
asked, looking over at Tyler.  

Tyler leaned forward, imitating Alex's position.  "Can't blame that on Scott, my 
friend.  He was a jerk, but he didn't mess her up; she didn't care about him that 
much."

"Then what is it?" 

Tyler patted him on the back.  "She's lost everyone she's ever loved, except for 
Matthew.  Everyone, Alex," he stressed. "Now that she's opened her heart again, 
she's scared to death that she'll lose you, too."

Alex dropped his head.  "I love her, Tyler; doesn't she know that?"

Tyler chuckled and shook his head.  "Have you told her that, Alex?  I think she knows, 
but have you actually come out and told her that you love her?"

"No," Alex sighed.  "I've been waiting."

"For what?  A written invitation?  The sky to fall?"  Tyler shook his head again.   
"Alex, I know you love her, Matthew knows you love her, but you still have to say it 
out loud, so that Katie knows you love her," he said with a smile.  "And I'll let you in 
on a little secret," he added.  "You're going to have to say it first, because she 
can't.  She can risk anything, but saying I love you first."

"I guess I've been waiting until I was well enough to show her," Alex answered.  "You 
know, 'actions speak louder than words'?  Pretty stupid, huh?"

"Not stupid," Tyler replied.  "Misguided maybe, but not stupid."

Alex nodded and sat back on the couch and looked at his watch.  "She should know that 
I'll be here when she gets back now.  I left something for her in the glove compartment.  
Assuming Matthew shows it to her, that is. It's not an 'I love you', but she'll 
understand what it means."

"He'll make sure she sees it," Tyler assured.  "Matthew's not out to sabotage 
you; he likes you, Alex, even if he doesn't let it show much.  His first priority is 
protecting Katie, so before he breaks down and gives you his open approval, he's going 
to remain distant.  Between you and me, he's wearing down."  Alex smiled.  "My turn to 
ask a question," Tyler continued.  "Purely to satisfy my curiosity, mind you.  Feel 
free to tell me to piss off."

Alex laughed.  "Gee, I can't imagine what you could be interested in knowing, Tyler," 
he said sarcastically.  "But go ahead and ask."

"Have you and Katie...you know?" Tyler asked.  "Wink, wink, nudge, nudge."

"Winking, yes," Alex answered, with a twinkle in his eyes.  "Nudging, not yet.  
It's hard to nudge when you can't draw a deep breath."  He paused, then gave Tyler a 
sly grin.  "Katie doesn't know it yet, but I've been feeling really good the past 
couple of days.  She's in a for a surprise when she gets home Sunday night."

Tyler jumped up from the couch.  "Well then, there's our project for the weekend.  We 
need to plan out this first encounter."  He looked down at Alex.  "Any thoughts?"

"Flowers and candlelight?" Alex offered.

"Traditional, nice, very romantic," Tyler remarked.  "One thought to keep in mind 
though.  You know that whole rose petal on the bed thing?"  Alex nodded.  "Don't do 
it," Tyler continued.  "It sounds lovely, it makes the room smell wonderful, it's very 
romantic...in theory.  In practice...you'll be pulling rose petals out of the most 
interesting places for days to come." Alex's eyes grew wide and a broad grin 
spread across his face.  He opened his mouth to say something, but Tyler cut him off 
quickly.  "Don't ask, just trust me on this."  Alex collapsed in gales of laughter.

============================================
Katie tossed her bag in the overhead compartment and sat down, hoping that she'd 
be fortunate enough to have no seatmates for the flight.  The only thing she hated more 
than flying, was flying with a stranger who insisted on sharing his or her life story.  
She always managed to get stuck with one of those talkative souls.  A short time later, 
when the flight attendants began their pre-flight spiel, she was blissfully alone in 
her row.  Her seatbelt securely fastened, seat tray and chair in the upright 
positions, she took out her wallet and pulled the picture from its slot.  "I love 
you, too, Alexei," she whispered.

As soon as the captain allowed, Katie turned on her laptop and went to work on her latest 
story.  That lasted about twenty minutes. Much to her surprise and frustration, she 
found that she couldn't focus without Alex in the room.  'When the Hell did this 
happen?' she wondered.  She shut down in disgust and looked out the window.  "Maybe 
this weekend away was a good idea after all," she muttered.  

"Excuse me, Ms. Heyes?" 

Katie turned and saw one of the flight attendants leaning across the seat.  "Yes?"

"There's a young woman a few seats back who'd like to meet you.  She wanted to come 
over and introduce herself, but she's afraid of disturbing you.  I don't usually do this, 
but she's a regular on this flight."  She leaned in closer and lowered her voice.  
"Her parents are divorced and they fly her back and forth once a month.  She's a sweet 
kid.  I promise, she won't be a nuisance," the attendant added.

Katie looked at the attendant's nameplate. "Sure, Teri, bring her over.  I can't 
believe I'm about to say this, but I could use the company."  Teri smiled and started 
to straighten up.  "Oh," Katie said. "What's her name?"

"Miranda," Teri answered.  "Thank you, Ms. Heyes.  You don't know how much this will 
mean to her."

Katie slipped the laptop under the seat and waited for Miranda to make an appearance.  
She hoped she wouldn't be kicking herself later for agreeing to this.

"Ms. Heyes?" Teri said.  "This is Miranda Jenkins."

Miranda was about fifteen, a pretty little thing with jet-black hair and the bluest 
eyes Katie had ever seen.  She was clutching a copy of A Yardstick for Lunatics in her 
hands, trying hard not to show how nervous she was.  Katie patted the seat next to her.  
"Hi Miranda, have a seat."

Miranda glanced back at Teri, who nodded and gently pushed her forward.  "It's all 
right," Teri told her.

"Sure, it is," Katie said.  "C'mon.  I don't bite...hard," she added with a grin.

That broke the ice.  Miranda giggled and sat down next to Katie.  She handed Katie the 
book.  "Would you sign this for me, Ms. Heyes?"

"I can do that.  Can you do something for me?" Katie asked.

"Sure," Miranda answered.

"Can you call me Katie?  The only people who ever call me Ms. Heyes are my publisher's 
lawyers, stuffy old men with bad breath.  I can't stand them."

Miranda giggled again.  "OK, Katie.  I'm not crazy about lawyers either.  Whenever they 
show up, bad things seem to happen."

Katie nodded.  "Teri told me your parents were divorced.  Must be hard traveling back 
and forth like this all the time."

"It is," Miranda said quietly.  "But you get used to it.  At least they don't fight 
anymore."  She looked down at her hands.  "I'm sorry, Katie.  I didn't mean to come 
over here and start talking about my parents.  I should go back to my seat."  

Katie put her hand on Miranda's shoulder. "Hey, I brought it up, you didn't.  Let's 
change the subject, OK?  I think we could both use some company about now."  She 
smiled at Miranda.  "So, how did you like the book?"

They spent the rest of the flight talking about the book, the state of horror and 
Harlan Ellison.  Miranda was surprised to learn that Katie was as nervous about 
meeting him, as she had been about meeting Katie.  

"But you're a famous writer," she said. "Why are you nervous about meeting another 
famous writer?"

"Just because we're in the same business, doesn't mean that we can't be fans, too," 
Katie explained.  "He was the first speculative fiction writer that ever scared 
me.  I used to dream of being half the writer he is and now I'm going to be sitting 
on a panel with him, at his request." Katie leaned over and lowered her voice to just 
above a whisper.  "Just between you and me, I'm hoping I don't throw up on his shoes 
when we're introduced tonight."

Miranda laughed into her hands.  "You'll be fine, Katie."

The captain made his pre-landing announcement, so they fastened their 
seatbelts.  Miranda closed her eyes as the landing gear dropped.  Katie remembered the 
book, still in her lap, and signed it for her.  When the plane touched down, Miranda 
opened her eyes.  "I hate landings," she explained.

"I hate flying in general," Katie answered. "Here's your book.  I put my email address 
in there, in case you feel like writing me sometime."

Miranda's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?  You wouldn't mind me writing to 
you?"

"I'll be disappointed if you don't," Katie replied.

Katie and Miranda gathered their things and walked into the terminal together.  They 
wished each other luck, before joining the people waiting for each of them at the gate.


============================================
"Will you sit down!" Matthew exclaimed.  "I told you, she's not going to call until 
later tonight.  She'll go straight to the hotel from the airport, check in, meet with 
Michelle the bitch, and then it's dinner with the other guests.  If Harlan's half the 
windbag I think he is, we'll be lucky to hear from her before midnight."

"I know, I know," Alex grumbled.  "Look, can we get out of here for while?  Let's go grab 
something to eat; my treat.  Maybe shoot some pool, hit a bar...we can even hit the 
mall for all I care; I need to get out of here."

Matthew glared at him.  "There's no way in Hell I'm setting foot in a pool hall with 
you, Alex."

Alex grinned.  "Yeah, OK.  I suppose that was a bad idea," he said, rubbing his ribs.  
"You tell me.  What is there to do around here?"

"Nothing," Matthew and Tyler answered together.

The phone rang and Alex jumped to answer it. Matthew and Tyler shook their heads and 
laughed as he ran across the room.

"Hello?  Oh, yeah, he's here.  Hang on." Alex held up the receiver.  "It's for you 
Ty."

Tyler took the phone and shrugged at Alex. "Sorry," he whispered.  "Hello?  What?  
Great," he frowned.  "Is Becky all right? No, tell her not to worry about it and take 
all the time she needs.  Yeah, I'll be there shortly.  Thanks Lisa."  He hung up the 
phone, still frowning.  "So much for a relaxing Friday night with the boys."

"What happened, Ty?" Matthew asked.

"Becky's mother was admitted to the hospital a few hours ago," he replied.

"Oh no," Matthew said.  "What happened?"

"I don't know, Lisa didn't say too much about it, but I'll ask her when I get to the 
store," Tyler answered as he walked over to get his coat.   "Anyway, as awful as this 
sounds, this leaves me short at the store, which means I've got to go in."

"You want another pair of hands?" Alex asked.  "I'm going stir crazy, you need help 
at the store," he hesitated, watching a silent exchange happening between Matthew 
and Tyler.  "I'll work for bagels," he offered with a grin.

"It can get pretty hectic in there Alex. Christmas time is the worst.  You wouldn't 
believe the number of people coming in who want a specific book, but can't remember the 
author or the title, then get snippy with you when you have a hard time finding it for 
them," Tyler warned.

Matthew got a thoughtful look on his face, then started laughing.  "Do you remember, 
last year, the guy who wanted a book for his wife and all he could remember was that it 
was green?"

Tyler snickered as he put on his coat.  "We found that damned book for him though, 
didn't we?  Still want to come along, Alex?"

"Yeah, sure," Alex answered.  "Let me grab my jacket."

Matthew followed Alex back to the rack and grabbed his coat, as well.  "I'll go over to 
the hospital and see what I can find out about Becky's mom, then meet you at the 
store."

Tyler smiled.  "Thanks babe.  I know Becky will be glad to see a friendly face."

Alex took once last look at the phone before getting on the elevator.  'What is wrong 
with me?' he wondered, shaking his head.

Tyler smiled, sighed loudly and squeezed Matthew's arm.  "Isn't young love grand, 
Matthew?"

"Shut up, Tyler," Alex chuckled.

Matthew patted Alex on the back.  "The store closes at nine, we'll be back here by ten.  
I'm telling you, she's not going to call before then."


============================================
Katie was bored.  Not just a little bored, stone-fucking bored-out-of-her-mind bored.  
Harlan was trapped in Chicago for the night, maybe longer, depending on the storm 
currently raging through the greater Chicago area, so she was stuck having dinner with 
Michelle and two other authors who, in her mind, wrote complete crap.  'Tell me Harlan 
didn't hand pick these two,' she thought. In a vain attempt to keep herself awake, she 
decided to ask how everyone came to be invited.  She was relieved to learn that 
organizers had chosen the panel members. When one of the authors had to bow out, 
Harlan had suggested Katie as a replacement. The board members had happily taken his 
suggestion and, knowing that Katie rarely accepted invitations to conventions, asked 
him to make the offer.  

"See darling," Michelle droned. "I told you he wanted to meet you."

Katie smiled woodenly and checked her watch. 'God, is it really only 8?' She hung on for 
another fifteen minutes, then decided she had to get out of there.  At precisely 8:15, 
she pushed back her chair and said her good nights to the group, thanking them for a 
lovely evening, but saying she needed to get out and do a little Christmas shopping while 
she had the chance.  Michelle offered to go with her, but Katie quickly squashed that by 
saying she didn't want to take a cab. Michelle hated walking to the point of 
obsession, so Katie knew that she wouldn't try to follow her out of the hotel.  Matthew 
once said that Michelle would have rollers attached to her feet and a luggage strap 
sewn to her ass if it meant that someone else would get her from point A to point B.  
That same year, Tyler had a caricature drawn of Michelle, complete with rollers and 
luggage strap.  It was still among her top ten favorite birthday presents of all time.  

Katie headed upstairs to grab her coat.  She hadn't been serious when she said she was 
going shopping, but after thinking about it, decided that it was a good idea anyway.  It 
had been weeks since she'd been out of the loft and this might be her best shot at 
getting Alex a Christmas present.  Once in the room, she considered calling home, but 
decided against it.  If the boys were home, she'd end up spending hours talking to them 
and blow her chance to get out.  If they weren't home, she'd spend the next few hours 
wondering where they were.  She grabbed her coat and left the room before she had a 
chance to change her mind.

The frigid air restored her mind to its original state.  The mind-numbing 
conversation at dinner had put her brain to sleep and the shock of the 19-degree, feels-
like-8-when-you-factor-in-wind-chill, weather was just what she needed to get back 
on her feet.  "OK, weather, do your stuff. I need inspiration and I need it now," she 
said to the sky.  "What can I get Alexei?" The usual gift ideas sprang instantly to 
mind, but were dismissed just as quickly.  She wanted to give him something that showed 
what was in her heart, something that would let him know how much she loved him.  A few 
blocks up, in a small shop window, she found her answer.  

"Can I help you?" the shopkeeper asked.

"I hope so," Katie replied.  She reached into her backpack and pulled out her wallet.  
"I have a picture I'd like to have enlarged."

"Do you have the negative?" 

Katie bit her lower lip. "No, all we have left is the picture itself.  Is that going 
to present a problem?" 

The shopkeeper smiled.  "Depends on the quality of the picture.  Do you have it with 
you?"

"Yeah," Katie opened her wallet, pulled out the picture of Alex and his mother and 
handed it to him.  "This is the only copy we have.  I'd like it enlarged to an 8x10, if 
that's possible."

He looked at the photo and pursed his lips.  "Tell you what," he started.  "Why don't we 
try 5x7 and see what it looks like?  This is pretty small and trying to take it up to 
8x10 might make it too grainy.  If the 5x7 looks good, then we can try going a little 
bigger."

"OK, that sounds good to me," Katie replied.  

The shopkeeper placed the picture on the copy machine and adjusted the settings.  
"All set.  In about 5 minutes, we'll have copy for you."

Katie busied herself looking at frames and camera gadgets, while the machine did its 
thing.  When the picture slid into the tray, she rushed over to look at it.  The smaller 
size was going to be just right; it was clear and beautiful. The shopkeeper cropped 
the excess paper and carefully placed the picture between two pieces of cardboard, 
before placing it in a bag.  He asked if she needed a frame for it, but she politely 
declined.  She wanted a simple frame, one that was primarily glass and rested on an 
easel.  Something he could put on his nightstand or dresser or wherever he wanted 
it to go.  'Something he could easily take with him, should he decide to leave,' she 
thought sadly.  

"Good night," the shopkeeper called.

Katie smiled and waved as she walked out the door.  She hugged the bag close to her body.  
"Snap out of it, Katie," she said.  "He's not going anywhere."  Checking her watch, 
she saw that it was only 9, plenty of time to search for the frame.  It wasn't an 
uncommon design, so she didn't think finding it would be a problem.  An hour later, frame 
in hand, she made her way back to the hotel.

Michelle ran into Katie in the lobby.  "I can't believe you ran out and left me with 
those...people," she sputtered.  

"Now you know I feel every time I have to do one of these things," Katie replied smugly.  
"Any word on Harlan?"

"No," she huffed.  "They won't know anything until morning.  Not to worry though, the 
first panel discussion isn't until 1; plenty of time to get him here before it starts."

"I hope you're right," Katie frowned. "Sorry your evening was so miserable, 
Michelle.  I'm off to get some sleep.  Why don't you go home and to the same?"

"That's just where I was going," she replied.  "'Night darling."

"'Night, Michelle."

Katie grabbed the elevator, anxious to get up to the room and call home.


============================================
The boys arrived home shortly before 10. Alex went straight over to check the 
answering machine, half-relieved, half-annoyed, when there was no message.

"Did she call?" Matthew asked.

"No," Alex replied.  

"Told you so," Matthew said smugly.  He looked at his watch.  "I'd say you have 
another 10, maybe 15 minutes, before she calls.  Might be a good time to take care of 
any personal needs, while you have the chance."

Alex tapped his foot nervously.  "I could use a shower."  He looked over at Tyler.  
"You'll make sure he keeps her on the line until I get out, won't you?"

"Yes dear, I'll make sure," Tyler answered, sounding like the poor put upon wife.  "But 
do you really think that she'd hang up without talking to you?"

Alex grinned and scratched his head.  "No, I guess not."  He paused.  "I hope not."

"I don't know, Ty," Matthew offered.  "You know how quickly she winds down.  She might 
just fall asleep before Alex has the chance to get to the phone."

Alex looked at Tyler for confirmation, not sure if Matthew was kidding.  Tyler shook 
his head and pushed Alex in the direction of the bathroom.  "For God's sake, will you go 
take a shower? And you...stop picking on Alex!" he growled at Matthew.  "I promise, 
if Katie calls while you're in the shower, I won't let her hang up, Alex.  Now go!"

When Alex closed the door to the bathroom, Tyler glared at Matthew.  

"What?" Matthew asked.

"You know perfectly well 'what'," Tyler answered.  "You've been pissy with him ever 
since you got back from the hospital. You're jealous, Matthew, and you don't wear 
it well."

"Jealous?  What the Hell are you talking about, Ty?  Why would I be jealous of Alex?" 
Matthew asked, crossing his arms in front of him.

"You're jealous because Katie's in love and you had no say in the matter," Tyler 
challenged.

"I am not!" Matthew said loudly. 

"Deny all you want, but we both know it's true," Tyler smirked.  "Alex is 'the one' 
and you can't handle it."

Matthew opened his mouth to argue, but the ringing of the phone stopped him.  He bolted 
over and picked it up.  Tyler muttered under his breath.  "Oh yeah, no jealousy here."  
He snickered and went over to knock on the bathroom door.  "Alex?  Katie's on the 
phone." 

Alex emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later and made a beeline for the phone.  
Matthew was still talking, so he went into the kitchen to get a drink.  He wasn't 
thirsty, but he needed to do something to keep himself occupied.  He wandered out to 
the living room and sat down on the edge of the couch.  Tyler strolled over and sat down 
beside him.  "He'll be off soon," Tyler assured Alex.  "Katie's already asked about 
you once.  I'll give him a few more minutes, then force the phone out of his hand, if I 
have to."  Alex chuckled at the thought. "As soon as you get on, I'm going to drag 
Matthew into the whirlpool for a nice, long soak, so you'll have some privacy."  

"Ty," Matthew called.  "Katie wants to talk to you."  He met Tyler halfway and handed 
him the phone.

"How is she?" Alex asked.

"She's fine; a little irritated, but she'll survive," he answered.

"What happened?"

"Harlan's snowed in at O'Hare.  She'll tell you all about it," Matthew replied, waving 
him off.

Alex let out a slow, deep breath.  He'd been putting up with Matthew's crap for the last 
few hours and it was beginning to piss him off.  Over-protectiveness was one thing, but 
this felt suspiciously like jealousy.

"Yeah, he's here," Tyler said, putting his hand on Alex's shoulder.  "And more than a 
little anxious to talk to you, I might add." He chuckled and handed the phone to Alex.  
"She's more than a little anxious to talk to you, too," he whispered.

Alex grinned and put the receiver to his ear.  "Hi."

"Hi yourself," Katie replied.  "Tyler says Matthew's been giving you a hard time 
tonight."

"Yeah, you could say that.  Matthew tells me that Harlan's stuck in Chicago.  Is he going 
to be able to get there?"

"Matthew's still standing right there, isn't he?" Katie asked.  "OK, you can give me a 
more detailed answer to my question as soon as Tyler pulls him away."

"I'll do that," Alex chuckled.  

"Yeah, Harlan's snowed in and the weather doesn't look too promising for tomorrow.  
I'm looking at the Weather Channel right now and they're saying that the mess won't work 
its way through the area for another 36 hours or so.   If I have to do this thing 
without him..." Katie sighed.  "Dinner was deadly.  Michelle and I were stuck with the 
organizers and the other two guests, who will remain nameless.  The organizers are 
nice enough, but so in awe of the authors, that they could barely carry on a decent 
conversation.  Anyway, I managed to hang on long enough to be respectable, before 
running screaming from the restaurant, into the night."

"Sounds awful," Alex said, snickering.  He looked behind him, just in time to see the 
bathroom door close.  "At least you got away.  Matthew's bound and determined to 
make me squirm this weekend."

"Sorry about that.  I don't know what's gotten into him lately.  He's always been a 
bit...protective, but he's outdoing himself this time," Katie sighed.  "Tyler thinks 
he's jealous of you, did he tell you that?"

Alex stifled a laugh.  "No, he didn't.  I had that same thought though." Alex paused.  
"Can we talk about something else?" he asked softly.

"Sure," she said.  "What do you want to talk about?"

Alex walked to the bedroom, closing the door behind him.  "How about how much I miss 
you?"

"You do?" she asked, with a smile.

He dropped down onto the bed, propped the pillows up behind him and leaned back.  "Yes 
I do.  What have you done to me, Katya?  I've been acting ridiculous ever since you 
left."

"Define ridiculous."

"Pacing, fidgeting, checking my watch every five minutes waiting for you to call, 
rehashing our last conversation and wishing I'd had the courage to say more to you 
before you left.  If Tyler hadn't let me go to the store with him tonight, I'd probably 
be a raving lunatic about now.  Does that define it well enough?" he asked.

"Matthew gave me the picture, Alexei.  That said everything I needed to know.  I'll keep 
it safe for you."  She could hear him sigh softly through the wires.  "I miss you, too.  
A part of me kept hoping you'd walk into the restaurant and rescue me tonight."

"Do you need me to come rescue you, Katya?"

"If I said yes, would you come get me?" she asked.

"In a flash," he answered.

"Then no, I don't need you to rescue me." They hung on in silence for a few minutes, 
before Katie started talking again.  "When were you planning on telling me that your 
ribs were feeling better?"

Alex's eyes widened. 'How did she...Matthew!' "Who says my ribs are 
better?" 

"They've been fine for days, Alexei.  Did you really think I hadn't noticed?  I kept 
waiting for you to say something...do something," she hinted.  

"All in good time," he said gently.  "You said you'd let me set the pace, remember?"

"I remember."

Alex took a deep breath.  Earlier this evening, while helping a customer, he'd come 
to a decision; he needed to come clean about his past before he made a commitment to her.  
He needed her to know what kind of man he'd been, what he'd done and why.  The thought 
frightened him, but he knew that he'd have to tell her eventually.  It was just a 
matter of time, before the shit hit the fan, and he didn't want to have to try and 
explain it all then.  He'd start off slow, just the highlights; just enough so she 
understood that he was damaged beyond the obvious.  "Katya?  I have to tell you 
something.  You're not going to like what you hear, but I have to tell you before I 
let this go too much further. It's a long story and I need you to just listen, because 
if you stop me, I might lose my nerve.  If you want me to leave, after you hear what I 
have to say, I'll understand."

Katie felt her stomach clench as an almost overwhelming panic filled her heart.  'Calm 
down, Katie.  Hear him out,' she told herself.  "I'm listening."

He held on to the phone for dear life, remaining quiet until his heart stopped 
pounding in his head.  "I haven't been completely honest with you about what I've 
been doing the last few years.  I did work for an international consortium, that much 
is true.  What I haven't told you is what I did while working for them.  It's ugly, 
Katya; you can't begin to imagine, but I want you to know that everything I did, I 
did because I believed it was the right thing to do at the time." He paused and took 
a cleansing breath.  "Are you ready?" he asked.

"I'm ready," she answered.

Alex began his tale with CGB Spender and the assignment to Mulder.  He explained his role 
in Scully's disappearance and the deaths of both Bill Mulder and Melissa Scully.  When 
she didn't hang up on him or ask any questions, he continued.  Alex told her 
everything, from his theft of the DAT tape to the black oil, the tests, and the loss of 
his arm, to his crimes against Skinner and beyond.  He hadn't intended to tell her as 
much as he did, but once he started talking, the words wouldn't stop.  Throughout his 
story, she never gasped, never asked questions; she simply listened.  When he was 
finished, he let out another deep breath and waited for her to say something.  She 
remained quiet, but he could hear her breathing on the other end of the line.  
"Katya?  Say something, please," he pleaded.

"Is this all true, Alexei?  I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around some of 
it."  She paused.  "No, I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around most of it."

Alex dropped his head back and closed his eyes.  "It's all true.  I know it sounds 
like science fiction, but I swear to you, Katya, everything I said is true.  Why would 
I make it up?  If I did make it all up, wouldn't I have made myself the hero, 
instead of the villain?  Wouldn't we have won?"  He waited for her answer; every 
minute eating a new hole in his gut.  

Katie closed her eyes.  She could feel his tension and, as it hard as it was to 
believe, she knew he was telling the truth. By all rights, she should be telling him to 
pack his bags right now and get the Hell out of her life; that's what Matthew would want 
her to do.  "You honestly believed you were doing the right thing?" she asked.  "I'm not 
passing judgment, I want to know what you were thinking at the time," she added 
quickly.

"Yes, at the time I couldn't see any other way.  I believed I was right then, I still 
believe I was right," he said quietly.  

For quite a while, the only sound was the distant buzzing of interference on the line. 
Alex ran an in inventory of his personal belongings through his head and wondered if 
he'd be able to slip away unnoticed tonight or if he should go out for something 
tomorrow and disappear then.  Katie tried to assimilate everything he'd dropped on her.  
She tried to make some sense of what he'd said, put it in some logical frame of 
reference.  The more she tried, the more frustrated she became.  Suddenly it hit her 
that she didn't care anymore.  If he was right, if the end of the world was coming, 
she wanted to spend every minute of it with him.  "Alexei?  What was it you didn't have 
the courage to say to me before you left?" she asked.

Alex felt his heart start to beat again. "Katya, not over the phone.  I want to be 
able to look at you when I say it."

"I need to hear it now, Alexei," she said softly.  "You can tell me again when I get 
home and every day thereafter, but I really need to hear it now."

'When I get home and every day thereafter.' The phrase repeated itself in his head, 
bringing a smile to his lips.  "I love you, Katya.  I never thought I'd hear myself say 
those words to anyone, but I do love you."

Katie felt her eyes well up.  'He said it,' she thought.  'He'd been planning to say it 
all along.'  A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.  "I love you, too, Alexei," she 
answered, hearing her voice catch.

"Are you crying?" he asked.

"Maybe a little," she admitted.

"Listen closely," he said.  

The next thing she heard were three distinct sounds filtering through the receiver. 'What 
is that?' she wondered.  'Sounds like...'

"Did you hear that?" he asked.  "That was me, kissing the tears away.  If you'd let me 
wait until you were home, I would have done it in person."

"How about when I get home Sunday night?  Will you do it then?" she asked.

"When you get home and every day thereafter," he echoed.  Alex let his head 
fall to one side, catching the clock out of the corner of his eye.  "Katya?  Do you 
realize we've been on the phone for over three hours?"

"Getting bored, Alexei?" she teased.

Alex chuckled.  "Never, but shouldn't you be getting some sleep?"

"Probably," she admitted.  "Are you going in to the store tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Tyler gave Becky some time off to take care of her mother.  Matthew did tell 
you that she's going to be all right, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he told me."

"Anyway, I said I'd go in and help out this weekend.  It'll keep me off the streets 
until you get home," he joked.

"Good," she replied, suppressing a yawn.

"I heard that," Alex said.

"What?" 

"That yawn.  Time to go to sleep, Katya."

"I know.  You will be there when I call tomorrow night, won't you?" she asked 
anxiously.  

"I'll be here," he replied.  "For as long as you want me.  I love you, Katya."

"I love you, too, Alexei."

They hung up their phones and got ready for bed.  One crawling under the covers and 
falling asleep within minutes of the other.


============================================
Katie woke up at 8:15 and reached for Alex. It took her a minute to remember that she 
was in New York and not home, in her own bed.  As her brain engaged, she smiled, 
remembering their conversation last night. Parts of what he'd said were still confusing 
and scary, but all that mattered was that he loved her and she loved him.  If what he 
said was true, and she believed it was, frightening times were yet to come; as long 
as they were together, Katie felt they'd be invincible.  She knew he was probably still 
asleep and that she was being ridiculous, 'where have I heard that before?' but she 
picked up the phone and called home.


============================================
Matthew snagged the phone the second ring. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Matthew," Katie said cheerfully.  "Is Alex up yet?"

Matthew frowned as Alex poked his head out of the bedroom.  "Is that Katie," he asked.

"Yeah, he's awake.  Hang on," Matthew grumbled.  He handed Alex the phone and went 
back to the kitchen.

"He's in a good mood this morning," Katie observed.  "What's his problem?"

Alex shook his head.  "I don't know.  I think he's pissed at me for being alive."  
He walked back into the bedroom and shut the door behind him.

"He's just going to have to get over himself," Katie sighed.  "Don't let him take 
it out on you; call him on it.  Tell him he's being a jerk; that's what I usually do.  
Not that I have to do it very often, but still."

"Let me get this straight, I have your blessing to kick his ass?  Figuratively, of 
course?" Alex asked.  "I've been ignoring him, because I didn't want to start a fight 
between you and me."

"If you're planning on staying with me for the long haul, Alexei, you'd better work 
this out with Matthew, now," she said.  "You are planning on staying with me, aren't 
you?" she added.  "No second thoughts since last night?"

Alex put the receiver to his forehead and laughed, then put it back to his ear.  
"You're asking me if I'VE had second thoughts?  You are amazing, Katya.  After 
everything I told you last night, you're the one who should be tossing me out on my ass."  
He hesitated.  "I thought about leaving after I'd finished telling you everything 
last night, but that was before..."

"Before what?" she asked, wanting to hear him say it.

"Before you asked me to say it," he answered coyly.  'You're gonna have to work for it a 
little, Katya,' he thought with a grin.

"You said so many things last night, Alexei. Refresh my memory."  'Two can play this 
game, my dear,' she grinned.  

"Hmmm, was it the part about spending the evening at the bookstore?" he asked.

"No, I don't think that was it," she replied.

"How about the part where I told you all about puking up the black oil?  That's a 
personal favorite," he joked.

"Hmmm, that was...special...but not what I was talking about," she snickered.

"Then maybe...no, that couldn't be what you're looking for...could it?" he stalled.  
"Could you be referring to that moment when I said I love you?"

"Oh yeah, that's it," she hummed.  "Say it again."

"I love you, Katya."

"I love you, too, Alexei."

"Call me tonight?" he asked hopefully.

"You know it," she answered.  "Guess we have to hang up now, don't we?"

"'Fraid so," he sighed.  "I need to get dressed and get something to eat before we 
go in this morning.  Besides, I want to make sure I have enough time to deal with 
Matthew."

"Give him Hell, baby," Katie chuckled.

"I'll do my best, sweetheart," he replied. "I love you."

"You just said that," she teased.

"Get used to it," he grinned.  "I like the way it sounds."

"So do I," she whispered.  "I love you, 
too."

Alex walked out of the bedroom and returned the phone to its cradle.

"That's quite a grin you're sporting this morning, Alex," Tyler observed.  "Good news 
from Katie?"

"The best," he answered.  "I told her, Ty."

Tyler's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "No way!  What did she say?"

Matthew stood over by the table, listening to the two talk.  'Yeah, what did she say?' 
he wondered, not really wanting the answer.

"She loves me, too."

Tyler smiled broadly.  "What did I tell you? Congratulations, man," he said, giving Alex 
a hug.  "I'm happy for both of you."

Alex hugged him back.  "Thanks, Ty.  I needed to hear that."

Matthew cleared his throat and huffed. "Yeah Alex, that's really swell," he 
offered, his voice dripping with insincerity.  "Just ducky," he muttered as 
he leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms.

Tyler started to say something, but Alex cut him off with a quick shake of his head.  
"No, this is my fight," he whispered.  Alex walked toward Matthew and crossed his arms. 
"Just what the Hell is your problem?  A few weeks ago, you gave me your blessing; don't 
you remember?  Now, suddenly, you're acting like I'm the enemy.  I'm sorry if our 
happiness is interfering with your plans, but I'm here for the duration, so you'd 
better get used to the idea."

Matthew's eyes narrowed and he angrily sucked in a breath.  "Yes, I remember.  I 
was resigning myself back then in the hope that I'd be able to find out more about you.  
I don't trust you, Alex Krycek.  I think you're hiding things from us and I won't 
stand by and watch you hurt Katie."

Alex raised his eyebrows.  "You've been investigating me, Matthew?  Digging into my 
sordid past?  What did you find?  No wait, I'll tell you what you found.  You found 
nothing, because there's nothing on public record for you to find."

Matthew pushed himself away from the counter and took a step toward Alex.  "And why is 
that, Alex?  Why is it that after graduation, you seem to have vanished off 
the face of the Earth?"

Alex held his ground.  "I told you, my work was...sensitive.  It was necessary for 
security reasons."

"Security reasons, my ass!  You're not working for them now, so why don't you tell 
me what you were working on that was so damned important!" Matthew stepped a little 
closer.  Tyler watched from the living room, becoming more anxious with each passing 
moment.

"Back off, Matthew!" Alex snapped.  "I don't work for them anymore, the consortium no 
longer exists, but the work we did is still highly sensitive and I'm not at liberty to 
talk about it."

"How convenient!" Matthew replied, his voice getting louder.  "How very fucking 
convenient!  Is this the same line of shit you've been feeding Katie?  'Look at me, I'm 
a man of mystery.'  Is that an effective way of getting the ladies into bed, Alex?  Did 
it work with Katie?" he yelled.

Tyler watched as Alex clenched his fist at his side, fighting the urge to bury it in 
Matthew's face.  Tyler held his breath and waited for the first blow.  He wanted to 
yell at Matthew to stop, but he knew that Alex had a point to prove.  As much as it 
would hurt to see Matthew take that punch, Tyler understood that he had to sit back and 
let it happen.  

Alex clenched and unclenched his fist. Katie had told him to let Matthew have it, 
but he didn't think that she intended for him to break Matthew's nose in the process.  
He took several deep breaths, trying to calm down enough to speak again.  When he was 
ready, he spoke in a slow, even tone of voice.  "Is that what this is all about 
Matthew?" Alex smirked.  "Number one, our sex life is none of your business; number 
two, why would you be so damned concerned about number one?  If I didn't know better, 
I'd say you were jealous." He paused and stared at Matthew.  "Are you jealous, 
Matthew?  Am I a threat to you in some way?"

Matthew advanced on Alex, fist up, ready to throw the first punch.

"Go ahead," Alex challenged.  "Hit me, if you think it'll change anything.  Here, I'll 
make it easy for you."  He stepped forward and jutted out his chin.  "Right here," he 
said poking his chin.  "Come on, hit me with your best shot."

Matthew reared back, hesitated, then dropped his fist to his side.  "Damn you!" he spat 
out.  

"Are you done now?" Alex asked.  "Can we talk this out rationally?"

Matthew dropped his head and went over to the kitchen table.  He pulled out a chair 
and sat down in defeat.  Alex joined him, sitting across the table, out of Matthew's 
reach.  Tyler went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, just to have something to 
do.

"She really said she loves you?" Matthew asked quietly.

"She did," Alex replied.  "I love her, too, Matthew."  He watched Matthew rub his eyes, 
then rest his head against his hand.  "I'm not taking her away from you, you know?"  
Matthew removed his hand and looked over at Alex.  "She loves you, Matthew.  No one and 
nothing could ever get in the way of your friendship.  I wouldn't want to try.  
Watching the two of you together, seeing the way friends are supposed to act...I've never 
had that; I envy you."  Matthew furrowed his brow and sat back in his chair, crossing his 
arms in front of him, while Alex continued.  "I know you're concerned about Katie.  I 
know you're wondering about who I am, who I was, before I showed up here.  Would it help 
you to know that Katie knows everything about my past?" 

Matthew sat up straight.  "What do you mean, she knows everything?"

"We had a long talk last night; three hours worth, to be exact.  I told her everything 
there is to tell, every sordid detail of the last few years.  And guess what?  She loves 
me in spite of it all."  Alex smiled and shook his head.  "Look, I've done some 
things I'm not proud of, but they were necessary at the time.  And no, I'm not 
going to tell you about any of it.  Katie knows.  I didn't want to tell her, but I 
couldn't let this go any further without telling her the truth." 

Matthew squinted at Alex, trying to decide whether or not to ask what 'any further' 
meant.  He'd almost decided to let it slide, when Alex picked up on the look and answered 
the question for him.

"Yes, that means just what you think it means.  Geez, don't you and Tyler talk 
anymore?" Alex teased, trying to lighten the mood in the room.  "Get this through your 
head once and for all, Matthew.  I. Love. Her.  And, come Sunday night, I'm going to 
show her just how much.  I hope that you can accept that and be happy for us, but it's 
going to happen whether you like it or not."

Tyler came up behind Matthew and put his arms around his shoulders.  "Be happy for 
them, Matthew.  Katie needs you to be happy for her, the same way she was happy for us," 
he said gently.  "Do you remember how she supported us when your father first met me?  
Do you remember how angry he was?"  Matthew nodded.  "You reminded me of him, just now."  

Matthew closed his eyes and dropped his head.  "It's not the same thing, Ty."

"Isn't it, Matthew?" Tyler asked.  

Matthew remained quiet for a while, before answering.  "Maybe."

Tyler and Alex exchanged smiles.  Matthew was breaking and they all knew it.  "I'll 
take care of her, Matthew," Alex promised.  

"You'd better," he said, looking up.  "I'll take you out if you don't."

Alex chuckled.  "I'll keep that in mind."

Katie stretched and forced her way off the bed; time to shower and think about getting 
something to eat.  She worried a little about what might be happening back in the 
loft.  Matthew had a protective streak, but she'd never seen him quite 
so...territorial...for lack of a better word.  Alex would have to handle things, for 
now, but if this continued, she'd be the one exchanging a few choice words with her 
beloved friend.

She walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.  No sooner had she stripped 
off her pajamas, then the phone rang. "Shit!"  Katie grabbed a towel, wrapped it 
around her and raced for the phone.  "Hello? Yeah, good morning, Michelle," she grumbled.  
"Oh, tell me you're kidding," she sighed.  "Yes, I know you're not.  You never kid; you 
have no sense of humor."  She listened while Michelle finished her story.  "Sure, 
whatever.  Yeah, I can handle it by myself, I guess.  God knows this batch of numbnuts 
isn't going to present much of a challenge.  No, I'm not mad at you; I'm disappointed, 
that's all.  Yeah, OK.  I'll talk to you later."  She hung up the phone and slumped.  
O'Hare was staying closed for another twenty-four hours, meaning that she was 
stuck here to face this panel discussion on her own. "I can't believe I left Alex at 
home, for this!" she said to the floor.  She stared at the phone, wanting to call home to 
hear a friendly voice, but decided against it.  Without warning, an idea struck.  She 
picked up the phone and called Michelle.  "Hey, it's me.  Do me a favor?  Find out if 
this place has video conferencing capability.  Yeah, if they have it here, 
maybe we can get Harlan someplace similarly linked and salvage this mess after all.  I'm 
going to jump in the shower, then grab something to eat.  Call me on the cell when 
you get anything.  Thanks, Michelle.  Bye." 

===========================================
By three, Alex was exhausted.  No one had warned him that this was the big thirty- 
percent off sale day at MacCreedy's.  If he'd been paying attention last night, he 
would have seen the signs, strategically placed in the windows and on the registers, 
but he was preoccupied and failed to take notice.  Tyler threw him out the door as 
soon as Matthew showed up from the hospital, saying that he wasn't going to be 
responsible for wearing Alex out before Katie had the opportunity to do it herself.  
He went on to tell then that they'd have to manage dinner on their own, since he was 
staying until closing.

Matthew closed the car door and looked over at Alex.  He was uncomfortable being alone 
with him after their conversation this morning, but Matthew knew he'd have to get 
over that sooner or later.  "I have to do a little Christmas shopping, while I have the 
chance.  Do you feel like coming along or would you rather I drop you off at home?"

"No, I'll come with you," Alex answered. "This may be the last chance I have to get 
out of the loft by myself.  Think you can help me find something for Katie?"

"Sure," Matthew nodded.  "Got any ideas?"

Alex grinned.  "A couple."

============================================
The one o'clock panel went off reasonably well. The video conferencing idea had died a 
quick death; the hotel wasn't equipped for such a set up, so she'd had to handle things 
on her own. The other authors put up a good fight, but in the end, Katie emerged as the 
belle of the ball.  She hung around; talking to fans and signing autographs, until five, 
before bowing out.  

One of the organizers called out to Katie as she was exiting the room.  She stopped and 
waited for him to catch up.  "Katie, could you do us a big favor?" Zack asked.

"Depends on what it is," Katie replied. 

"Well," he began, shifting uncomfortably. "Harlan was supposed to be a prize in both 
the charity auction and raffle; you know, brunch with the author?  Well, since he's 
not here, we were wondering if you would mind stepping in.  It's no big deal really.  
You just show up and eat the usual breakfast fare at the same table with the high bidder 
and the three winners of the raffle.  Brunch starts at 10 and runs for about hour or so.  
It's really low-key and usually a lot of fun," he said anxiously.  "Anyway, it would 
really help us out and after your performance this afternoon, I know we'd 
bring in some good money for the hospice. Would you mind?"  He looked over at one of 
the other organizers, who was biting his lip, waiting for her answer.  "We kinda need 
to know now; the auction starts in a few minutes."

Katie shrugged her shoulders.  She was stuck here until Sunday afternoon anyway, so what 
the heck?  "Sure," she answered.  "Just leave me a note so I know when and where."

Zack breathed a sigh of relief and signaled to his partner, who ran off to the auction 
room to spread the word.  "Thanks, Katie. We really appreciate this."

"Hey, no problem. I'm happy to help," she replied.  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have 
some things I need to do tonight."

"OK, have a good one," Zack said.  "We'll see you in the morning."  

Katie watched Zack run off toward the auction room.  'What a geek,' she thought.  
'But a nice one, as geeks go.'  She grabbed the next elevator and went up to her room to 
get her coat.  First thing on her to do list, was dinner.  She was absolutely 
starving and the last place she wanted to eat was in the hotel.  After dinner, it was 
out to the theater district.  Michelle, in an effort to appease her favorite author, 
had managed to get Katie a ticket to Rent that evening.  She wasn't sure how Michelle 
had managed, but Katie didn't care; she'd wanted to see the show since it opened and 
had spent hour upon hour listening to her CD.  Katie ran a brush through her hair, 
then picked up her coat and headed out the door.

============================================
"So," Matthew asked as they pushed through the crowd at the food court.  "What is it 
you want to get Katie?"

Alex grinned.  He had a few things in mind, but he wasn't sure that Matthew was ready 
for the big one, not yet anyway.  "First, we need to find a music store.  I saw a 
customer with a new Tracy Chapman CD at the store this afternoon.  Katie doesn't have 
that one in her collection and I know how much she likes her."

Matthew nodded.  "Good idea.  There are a couple of music stores in here; one of them 
should have it.  What else?"

"Candles," he said.  "Lots of candles."

Matthew stared at him, raising his eyebrow. "Candles?  Why don't I picture you as the 
candle type?"

"I'm a romantic at heart, Matthew," Alex responded.

"OK.  Anything else?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah, there is something else.  Let's just work on these first and go from there," he 
said, not wanting to tip his hand quite yet. Things were going well and he didn't want to 
rock the boat.  "What about you?  What are you looking for?"

Matthew sighed.  "Tyler wants clothes.  A wholly unoriginal gift idea, but he's not 
being cooperative at all.  We're both bad about buying the things we want when we see 
them, so when birthdays and Christmas roll around, it's always a struggle to find 
something we don't already have.  He has been eyeing your jacket, so I'm thinking 
about picking one up for him."

Alex looked down at his own attire.  "You know, I could use a few things myself.  I've 
been wearing the same few shirts and jeans for weeks."

Matthew nodded and motioned for Alex to follow him into the depths of the mall.  
They wandered in and out of every store that struck their fancy.  By the time they found 
the first music store, they'd already accumulated an impressive number of shopping 
bags.  Matthew found the perfect leather jacket for Tyler, with Alex's help.  Alex 
found a few sweaters to add to his wardrobe, as well as one for Tyler.  When Matthew 
wasn't looking, Alex added the sweater that Matthew had been admiring to his purchases.  
Clothing may be unoriginal, but at least he'd have something for both of them.   The 
music store had the CD Alex was looking for and while he was in there, he picked up a 
few more to add to their collection.  He smiled inwardly when he realized he was 
already thinking of it as 'their' collection and not 'her' collection.  Midway through 
the mall, they came upon a jewelry store.  Alex wanted an excuse to stop and look, but 
he wasn't sure how to broach the subject with Matthew.  Luckily, Matthew decided that 
he would run the packages out to the car, before they continued, leaving Alex to 
browse in the meantime.  He wandered through the store, trying to decide which ring he 
liked the best.  Alex had the clerk pull out a few of the rings with the larger diamonds 
in them, but none of them felt right.  He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he 
didn't see Matthew come into the store.  

Matthew stayed off to one side, watching as Alex considered the selection.  None of the 
rings he was looking at was the right one and Matthew knew it; so did Alex, he 
realized.  A part of him wanted to run out of the store and deny that this was 
happening, but the rest of him gave that part a kick in the butt and told him to grow 
up.  He took a deep breath, walked over to Alex and took him by the arm.  "Come here," 
he sighed.  "I'll show you the one."  Matthew led Alex away from the traditional 
engagement rings and down the counter.  He stopped at the end and pointed into the 
case.  "That's the one, right there," he said, tapping the glass.  Alex looked down 
and saw a square-cut emerald and diamond ring under Matthew's finger.  "I know this 
isn't a traditional engagement ring, but every time we come in, Katie has to stop and 
look at it. I almost bought it for her birthday last year, but Tyler stopped me."

Alex had the clerk take the ring out so he could look at it.  It was a beautiful ring 
and Katie did say that green was her favorite color.  He looked at Matthew.  "You 
really think this is the one?"

Matthew smiled and squeezed Alex's shoulder. "Yeah, that's the one.  You don't even have 
to have it sized.  She tried it on the first time she saw it and it fit like a dream."

Alex looked at the ring one more time, before handing it back to the clerk and 
telling him to wrap it up.  Matthew left while Alex completed his purchase.  He sat 
on a bench outside the store and waited, resting his head in his hands.  

"Thanks, Matthew," Alex said quietly, as he sat down beside him.  "I know that wasn't 
easy for you to do.  I appreciate the help."

Matthew kept his head down. "When are you going to ask her?"

"New Year's Eve," Alex answered.  "You know, ring in the New Year with a kiss and a 
proposal.  Too cliche?"

Matthew looked up and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, too cliche."  He smiled as Alex 
frowned.  "But she'll love it."

Alex breathed a sigh of relief.  "Are you going to be OK with this, Matthew?"

Matthew gave him a sideways glance.  "Does it matter?"

"Yes and no," Alex replied.  

"Meaning I should get over myself and get used to the idea because I don't have any 
other option?" he asked, shaking his head.  "You sound just like her."  Alex smiled, but 
said nothing.  "You know, of course, that you still have to come up with a Christmas 
present?" Matthew reminded.  "Any ideas?"

"Already taken care of," Alex grinned.  He reached into the bag and pulled out a second 
box.  "What do you think of this?" he asked, opening the box.  Inside was the matching 
necklace for the ring he'd just purchased. "I know that she doesn't wear much in the 
way of jewelry, but..." he trailed off.

Matthew gently lifted the white gold chain and held the emerald charm in his hand.  
"She'll love it, Alex."

Alex nodded as Matthew handed him the box. "Come on, let's find those candles."

They got up and continued their trek through the mall.  Matthew led Alex into a bed and 
bath shop to take care of the candle problem.  While in there, Alex grabbed a 
bottle of bubble bath and some vanilla-scented massage oil.  Matthew hid his face 
in his hands when Alex showed him the bottle.  "Too much information, Alex," 
Matthew said into his hands.  Alex laughed and put the bottle, along with candles and 
bubble bath on the counter.  Thirty minutes and more candles than they could count 
later, Matthew and Alex headed out to the car.  

"I don't know about you, but I'm starving," Alex exclaimed.  

"Pizza?" Matthew asked. "If we call now, we should get home just ahead of the delivery 
guy."

Alex agreed, so Matthew pulled out his phone and called.  They arrived just as the 
delivery guy was coming to a stop in front of the building.  Alex took care of the 
pizza, while Matthew began unloading the car.  

============================================
Katie returned to the hotel, still jazzed from the play.  She'd listened to the music 
for a few years now, but seeing the play gave the CD a whole new meaning.  The music 
had energized her so much, that she'd danced all the way back to the hotel, hardly 
noticing the strange looks she was getting from others on the street.  She tossed her 
coat and bags onto the chair, picked up the phone and plopped down on the bed. 

============================================
Tyler answered up the phone on the first ring.  "Hello?"

"Ty!  You'll never guess what I did tonight."  

Katie's voice came through loud and clear.  Even through the phone line, Tyler could 
tell she was practically bouncing up and down in excitement.  "So, are you going to 
tell me, or do I have to guess?" he asked.

"I went to see Rent.  Oh Ty, you've got to see this show!  The CD doesn't do it 
justice, at all!  I had the best time; it almost makes up for Harlan not being here," 
she exclaimed.

Tyler laughed.  "That good?  Well, now I know I have to see it.  How's the convention 
going?"

"Not too bad actually.  Harlan's not going to make it after all, but I guess I just 
told you that.  I had to handle our side of the panel by myself, but it went off pretty 
well.  Tomorrow, I'm going to have to do brunch with some of the attendees.  Since 
Harlan couldn't make it, I'm the stand in prize for the charity auction.  They had a 
win-brunch-with-the-authors raffle and a chance to bid on it in the auction as well.  
I can't wait to hear what the final bid was," she laughed.  "Maybe they'll be kind, 
since the money's going to charity.  How are things there?  Any problems?"

"Doesn't look like, everything is surprisingly calm, but I just got here.  
Matthew and Alex are watching TV, although, Alex is getting a little fidgety," Tyler 
snickered.  "I have a sneaking suspicion that he wants me to hand him the phone."

Katie smiled and chuckled.  "Well, he's going to have to wait a few more minutes.  I 
want to talk to Matthew first."

Tyler held out the phone and Alex got up to take the receiver.  "Uh uh, Alex," he 
teased.  "She wants to talk to Matthew first."

Matthew grabbed the phone.  "As it should be," he said smugly.  "Hi Hanna, still 
having a miserable time?"

"No, actually.  I'm having fun.  I got to see Rent tonight and it was amazing.  But 
enough of that, I want to know what happened this morning between you and Alex."

Matthew sighed loudly.  "Hanna...look, it's over now...let it go."

"Fine, I'll just ask Alex then."  She paused, waiting to see if he would respond.  
"Kid?  You know I love you?"

"I know, Hanna.  I love you, too," he replied.  "I'll see you tomorrow night.  
Here's Alex."  Matthew handed the phone to Alex and went back to his place on the 
couch.

"Hi baby," Alex said softly.  "Everything OK?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, except I miss you," she answered.

"I miss you, too.  You're still coming home tomorrow night, right?" he asked.

"I land at 6:15, so I'll be home a little after 7," she replied.  "Assuming the flight 
is on time.  So tell me, what happened after we hung up this morning? Matthew's not 
talking."

Alex carried the phone into the bedroom and closed the door behind him.  "You really 
want to know?" he asked.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't," she answered.

"No, I don't guess you would have," he chuckled.  "Well, Matthew started in on me 
right after I hung up.  To be fair, I did bait him.  I told Tyler that I'd made it 
official last night.  Tyler was thrilled, Matthew wasn't.  Anyway, we exchanged a few 
loud words, then talked it out.  He's still not happy, but he's on the road to 
acceptance.  We spent most of the evening Christmas shopping together, without a 
problem, so things are looking up."

"Christmas shopping?" Katie asked.  "The two of you doing the Christmas mall crawl?"  she 
giggled.  "I'm sorry I missed that.  Did you get anything good?"

"Did I get anything for you, you mean?" Alex teased.

"That's not what I asked," Katie replied.  "But since you mentioned it..."

"You're just going to have to wait and see, Katya.  Speaking of Christmas, where do you 
keep your ornaments?  I've been poking around and I haven't found any."  He waited 
for her to answer, but was met with only silence on the other end of the line.  
"Katya?  You still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."  She paused.  "I haven't done anything in the loft for Christmas in a 
long time.  I pretty much stopped celebrating after my parents died.  If it 
wasn't for Tyler and Matthew, I wouldn't bother at all."

Alex closed his eyes.  They were alike in so many ways.  He'd stopped celebrating 
Christmas when his parents had died.  His benefactor had always given him gifts, but 
it wasn't what Alex considered a traditional Christmas.  The tree was there, along with 
all the trimmings, but it was more for show, an obligation to the season, than a time of 
celebration.  No more, this year was going to be a new beginning.  "We can't keep 
living in the past, Katya.  This year and every year, from now on, we celebrate 
Christmas.  I want the tree, the lights, the ornaments, the whole nine-yards, right down 
to the big Christmas dinner.  What do you say? Can we make a new beginning?"

"You quoting Tracy Chapman to me, Alexei?" she teased.

"Come on, Katya.  I'm serious," he answered.  "Can we?"

"It has to be a real tree, none of those fake things," she said.  "And no tinsel.  I 
hate that stuff."

"Real tree, no tinsel. Check," he replied. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, we do this together.  No fair getting the tree without me."

"I wouldn't dream of doing it without you," he said.

Katie chuckled softly and shook her head.  "What just happened here?"

"I think we agreed to start celebrating Christmas again," Alex answered.  "Didn't 
we?"

"Better than that," she added.  "We just made our first major decision as a couple."

Alex smiled.  "I guess we did.  The first of many, I hope."

"Me, too."  Katie yawned.  "Oh, sorry. Guess I'm starting to crash."

"OK, you get some sleep.  I love you, Katya."

"I love you, too, Alexei," Katie replied. "See you tomorrow night."

"'Night baby."

"'Night."

============================================
Brunch turned out to be a pleasant affair. The food was warm and tasty; not the rubbery 
eggs and cold sausage she'd come to expect. The four winners actually had the presence 
of mind to treat her like just another person in the room, so the conversation was 
animated and fun.  Katie found herself laughing and having a good time; not what 
she expected at all.  By noon, the brunch had to be officially declared over, since 
the hotel had need of the room for another event.  Katie said her good-byes to all in 
attendance and made her way back to the room to pack for her trip home.  She was 
completely ready to go by 12:30, giving her three plus hours to kill until Michelle came 
to take her to the airport.  The phone sat there, tempting her, daring her to pick it 
up and call home, but she resisted, opting instead to open her laptop and write.

============================================
Tyler had gone into work early, leaving Alex and Matthew alone, again.  Alex offered to 
go in and help out, but Tyler had told him to stay home and rest up.  'Rest?'  Alex 
thought.  'Yeah, right.'  Instead, he busied himself preparing for Katie's return and his 
plans for the evening.  "Matthew?" he asked around 1:30.  "Is there a stockpile of wood 
for the fireplace?  It does work, doesn't it?"

Matthew put down the paper and got up from the couch.  "Yeah, it works.  Katie had the 
chimney swept back in September.  Check downstairs, I think she still as a cord or 
two down there."

"OK," Alex replied, as he started toward the elevator.

"Hang on," Matthew called.  "I'll go down with you.  She's got something else stored 
down there that you might want to see."

They rode the elevator down to the garage floor.  When the door opened, Matthew 
pointed to the left and led Alex around the side of the elevator.  Stacked against the 
wall was a large supply of firewood and a canvas tote to haul it in.  Alex filled the 
tote and put it on the elevator, before following Matthew to the far end of the 
garage.  He found Matthew, knee-deep in boxes, struggling to pull something free of 
the stack.

"What are you looking for?" Alex asked.

"This, if I can get it out," Matthew answered.  "Grab hold and pull, will ya?"

Alex grabbed hold with his good hand and helped pull until the bundle came free.  The 
darn thing was heavy and it was wrapped up in an old sheet, so he couldn't tell what it 
was.  Matthew started dragging it toward the elevator, so Alex followed.  "What the Hell 
is this, Matthew?  It weighs a ton."

"I'll show you when we get upstairs," he replied, as he pulled it into the elevator.  
"Lift up that end so we can close the doors."

Alex grabbed the other end and lifted it out of the way of the doors, then hit the close 
button.  When the doors opened again, he helped pull it over by the fireplace, then 
went back for the wood-filled tote.  He put the wood in the basket by the fireplace, 
then helped Matthew uncover the parcel.  "Oh my God!" Alex said.  "I don't believe this."

"Oh come on, Alex, surely you've seen these before?" Matthew asked, as he tugged the 
items in front of the fireplace.

Alex gave him the standard 'eat shit and die' look, before replying.  "Yes Matthew, I 
have seen one of these before.  I'm just surprised to find one here; somehow, Katie 
doesn't strike me as the type to own bearskin rugs."

Matthew laughed and continued to smooth out the rugs.  "Actually, they doesn't belong to 
her; they're mine.  Tyler won't let me keep them at our place because they don't go with 
the decor.  Katie's been threatening to put them in front of the fireplace for years, 
but we've never gotten around to doing it.  This seemed like a good time."

Alex kneeled and ran his hand over the rugs. They were soft and surprisingly dust-free.  
Oh yes, with a roaring fire and a bottle of wine...this definitely had possibilities.

============================================
Tyler walked into the loft at 6:45 to find Alex stacking wood in the fireplace.  "He 
finally brought the rugs up, I see," he said by way of greeting.

"Yeah, Matthew thought that this was as good a time as any," Alex answered.  "Katie's 
plane just got in a few minutes ago, so they won't be here for about an hour."

Tyler sat down on the hearth and stared at Alex.  "Is there some reason why you're here 
and not at the airport?"

Alex stopped stacking and dropped his head. "Matthew wouldn't let me go."

Tyler's jaw hit the floor.  "He wouldn't let you go?  And you let him get away with 
that?"

"Yeah, I let him get away with that," Alex said with a chuckle.  "Let him have his last 
few minutes to try and talk Katie out of loving me; it won't do him any good."

"So, is everything ready?" Tyler asked, changing the subject.

"I managed to take care of all but one thing," Alex replied.

"What did you miss?"

"Come here," Alex said, getting up.  "I'll show you."  He walked to the window and 
pointed to the streetlight.  "See that light?  Katie hates it.  I've been trying to 
figure out how to get rid of it, even if it's only for a couple of nights."

Tyler gave an evil grin.  "I know how to do that.  It involves an act of vandalism, but 
I won't tell, if you won't."

"Tyler!  What would Matthew say?" Alex teased.

"What Matthew doesn't know, won't hurt him," Tyler answered.  "Now, can you keep a secret 
or should I just forget the whole thing?"

Alex chuckled.  "I can keep a secret.

Thirty minutes later, the streetlight was sleeping with the fishes, temporarily, at 
least.  Alex made a mental note to ask Tyler how he happened to acquire this most useful 
skill.  Now wasn't the time, however.  Katie and Matthew would be home soon and Alex 
wanted to get the fire going before they arrived.  The larger logs were just starting 
to catch when the elevator opened.  He sat still on the hearth and waited.

"Katie," Tyler yelled, as he rushed over to give her a hug.  "Welcome home.  Here, let 
me take that," he said, taking the backpack from her shoulder.  "How was the flight?"

Matthew took the backpack from Tyler and carried both it and the suitcase into the 
bedroom.

Katie hugged Tyler back.  "The flight was uneventful, except for the delay in New 
York.  Apparently the original pilot had a case of food poisoning and we had to wait 
for the replacement pilot to arrive.  All things considered, it could have been a lot 
worse."

Alex got up and slipped in behind Katie, wrapping his arms around her waist and 
kissing the top of her head.  "Hi," he said quietly.

Katie leaned against him and tilted her head back.  "Hi, yourself."

Matthew emerged from the bedroom and joined the group.  Tyler grabbed his hand.  "Well, 
enjoy the evening, you two.  Let's go, Matthew."

"But..." Matthew started.

"No 'buts'.  We're leaving these two alone, now," Tyler stated firmly.  "Say 'goodnight' 
Matthew."

"Goodnight, Matthew," Matthew ad-libbed, as Tyler pulled him to the elevator.

"Goodnight guys," Katie called.  "Thanks for taking care of Alex for me."

The elevator door closed, leaving Katie and Alex alone.  Alex released his grip long 
enough to spin Katie around in his arms.  He leaned over, kissed her gently, then pulled 
back.  "Are you hungry?"

Katie pulled him back down to her mouth. "Very," she whispered before claiming his 
lips.

"That's not what I meant," Alex chuckled, kissing her again.

"I know what you meant," Katie replied, kissing his chest.  She looked over at the 
fireplace and the bearskin rugs.  "Is that for me?"  Alex nodded and smiled.  Katie 
tugged on his sleeve, beckoning him to follow.  She started to pull him down to the 
rugs, but he stopped her. 

"Wait, there's something I want to show you first," he said.  "Go over to the window.  
I'll be right there."

Katie strolled over to the window and waited while Alex doused the lights in the loft.  
She watched him move from lamp to lamp, until the only light left came from the 
fire.  

"Look out the window," he said, putting his arms around her.  "What do you see?"

Katie looked out; wondering what she was missing.  "It's beautiful.  The stars are so 
bright tonight."

"Is that all you see?" he asked.

She looked closer.  The stars were really bright tonight.  Why is that?  Katie looked 
back at Alex, then out the window again.  Bright stars.  What's wrong with this 
picture?  Suddenly it hit her; the light was out!  She turned quickly.  "You killed the 
streetlight!  How did you do that?"

Alex smiled.  "I had a little help.  It's only temporary; once the city finds out, I'm 
sure they'll fix it."

"I'm not going to report it," Katie said.  "So it might be out for a long time."  She 
hugged him tight.  "Thank you, Alexei.  What a wonderful homecoming gift."

"Fugetaboutit," he answered, using his best Don Corleone imitation. "Told you, I'd take 
care of it for you."

"Yes you did."  She smiled and turned back to the window.  He pressed up against her, 
resting his chin on her head.  Katie could feel his arousal through his jeans and 
decided to take advantage of the situation.  She backed up slightly and began to slowly 
move against him.  

Alex moved his hands to still her movement. "Stop, Katya."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I have this all planned..." he began.

Katie laughed and shook her head.  She removed his arms from her body and faced 
him.  "Alexei, I love you and I want to be with you.  Believe me, I appreciate all the 
thought you've put into this, but you're going to think yourself right into a bad 
case of performance anxiety, if you're not careful."  She raised her hand and gently 
stroked his cheek.  "You have me; I'm yours. Stop thinking and start doing."

Alex gave resisting one final thought; then Katie brushed her thumb across his lower 
lip.  He opened his mouth and sucked in the tip, realizing in that instant, that his 
last shred of resistance was gone.  He bit down on her thumb, letting his teeth rake 
the surface as she tried to remove it from his mouth.  When the thumb was gone, Alex 
kissed her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, before gently taking her lips.  Katie opened 
her mouth slightly and met his tongue with hers.  Alex's left hand stayed in place at 
the swell of her hip, while his right moved up her back.  She stepped closer, pressing 
against him, both hands sliding down the back of his jeans.  He pushed into her as 
her hands gave his ass a squeeze. They both made little humming noises as they moved 
against one another.  Alex gave Katie one good thrust, before letting go.  Katie 
groaned and tried to pull him back by his belt.  "Don't worry, I'm not stopping this 
time, Katya.  Just moving this to a new location," Alex said, taking her by the 
hand.  "We have a roaring fire and a couple of bearskin rugs over there.  Seems a shame 
to let them go to waste."

"Agreed," Katie answered.  

He led her to the hearth, then sat down, pulling her to the brick surface with him.  
She gave him a puzzled look, but sat down next to him.  Alex reached down and began 
removing his shoes.  "In the movies, shoes always seem to miraculously disappear at 
times like these," he said.  "In the real world, the action has to take a brief pause 
for their removal."

"I knew there was a reason I hated shoes," Katie grumbled.  "From now on, no more 
shoes, only slippers or bare feet for us when we're inside."

Alex chuckled, then tossed his shoes off to the side.  "Anything you say, sweetheart."  
He looked up at the sound of her shoes hitting the floor across the room.  She 
fixed her eyes on him, then started to unbutton her shirt.  He let her undo the 
first two buttons, before stopping her.  "Don't be in such a rush.  Besides," he 
grinned.  "I want to do that."

Katie let her hands fall to her sides, clutching the edge of the hearth.  Alex 
knelt down in front of her, unbuttoned the cuffs, and then began to undo the remaining 
buttons down the front.  He ran his hands across her shoulders and eased the shirt 
off.  She picked up her hands and let it fall on the brick behind her.  Alex reclined 
on the rugs and looked at her, smiling.  "Come here," he said, crooking a finger at 
her.  She slipped off the hearth and stretched out on the rug beside him.  He 
rolled over, propping himself up on his left arm, letting his right hand trace a path 
from her lips to the top of her jeans and back again.

"You balance pretty well on that thing," Katie said with a wink.

"Another necessary skill you have to learn," he replied.  

Alex moved his hand across her stomach, letting his little finger dip just below the 
waistband of her jeans.  He kept his eyes locked on hers as he moved his hand up 
higher and higher, finally cupping her breast.

Katie arched into his touch and sighed happily.  "It's about time!" she moaned.  "I 
was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to touch me."

"Be careful what you ask for," he chuckled.  Alex rolled on top of her, replacing his 
hand with his mouth.  He licked and suckled first one breast then the other.  Katie put 
her hands in his hair, holding him in place.  When he stopped, she whimpered, until her 
mouth was too busy kissing his, to put up a fight.  After a few minutes, he moved away.  
"More," he whispered, kissing a path to her chest.  He gave each nipple a lick and kiss.  
"Not enough," he murmured.  Down her stomach he kissed, stopping at the button on her 
jeans.  His right hand popped the button from its hole and unzipped the zipper.  He 
tugged on the jeans.  "Help me get these off."  She raised her hips and pushed both 
jeans and panties down, kicking them off when they got to her knees.  Alex looked up 
at her and smiled, before continuing his journey down her now naked body.  His smile 
faded when he saw the long, jagged scar running across her abdomen.  He gingerly 
touched it, running his finger from one to the other.  Alex looked up at her, the 
question on the tip of his tongue.  She shook her head.  He nodded, then kissed the 
length of the scar tenderly; there would time enough later.  His hand drifted down to 
her thigh, lightly brushing his fingers on the inside.  She responded by moving her 
legs farther apart, leaving no question as to what she wanted him to do next.  He was 
beyond teasing anymore, so on his next pass up her thigh, he kept right on going, 
sliding a finger deep inside her.  Alex rested his head on Katie's stomach, watching 
his finger slide in and out of her body; listening to the contented sounds she made.  
His thumb brushed her clit with each stroke. It still wasn't enough; he wanted more.  He 
lowered his mouth, putting his tongue where his thumb had been.  Katie cried out at 
first contact and he almost lost it himself. He experimented with pace and intensity, 
until he hit on the combination that sent her over the edge.  When her body relaxed 
again, he moved up beside her and held her tight.

Katie rolled into him and pulled at the buttons of his shirt.  "You are way 
overdressed for this," she teased.  "I've felt the clothes up against me, now I want 
to see what you feel like," she added.  Katie worked on the shirt first, then set 
about removing the jeans.  Alex stayed still, snickering as she struggled with the 
jeans, until she smacked him to raise his hips.  

"Hey, no hitting," he exclaimed.

"Then stop snickering and start helping," she shot back.  "You're looking at a woman 
in need, Alexei.  The appetizer was tasty, but if you don't hit me with the main course 
pretty soon, I won't be responsible for my actions."

Alex kicked off the jeans and briefs, sending them flying across the room.  He 
dumped Katie roughly on her back and rolled on top of her. Alex pushed her legs apart 
and positioned himself at her center.  "Main course coming at ya," he growled, driving 
into her body with one swift thrust.  She tightened around him instantly and he had to 
stay still to keep from ending this as quickly as it had begun.  Katie pushed up, 
encouraging him to move.  "Wait a minute, sweetheart.  I just need a second to 
regroup."

"OK," Katie whispered.  "Take all the time you need.  I just...well, patience isn't my 
strong suit, you know?"

"So I've noticed." Alex chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose.  "It's a highly 
overrated virtue, if you ask me."  He stroked her cheek.  "I love you, Katya, 
impatience and all."

Katie pulled his head down and kissed him hard.  "I love you, Alexei, chronic over-
planning and all."

They grinned at each other; Alex pulled out and thrust back in quickly.  Katie gasped.  
Then he slowed his pace to a nice easy motion.  "What do you need, baby?  Hard and 
fast or slow and easy?" he asked.  

"Right now, hard and fast," she panted. "I'm too close to want to deal with slow and 
easy."

"Thank God!" he answered.  "I'm running every unpleasant experience I can think of 
to keep from embarrassing myself here."

Katie put a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle welling up inside her.  Alex 
frowned.  "It's not funny," he said.  She shook her head, keeping the hand in place as 
her stomach began to shake with laughter.  Alex tried to be mad at her, but her mood 
soon grabbed him, too.  The giggles died down, taking their urgency with them.  Alex 
stroked slowly in and out of her; Katie matched his speed without trying to change 
it.  "Still want hard and fast?" he whispered.

"No," she whispered.  "Not anymore."

"Me either," he agreed.  

They found a slow, gentle rhythm.  Alex watched Katie, taking his eyes away only 
when he reached down to kiss her.  Katie watched Alex, taking her eyes away only when 
she reached up to kiss him.  She was content to watch him rise and fall above her, until 
she saw his left shoulder twitch.  He never said a word, but when it twitched for the 
third time, Katie knew his arm was tiring. She wrapped her legs around him and rolled 
him onto his back.  "Why don't you let me drive for while?" she offered.  He nodded 
and smiled.  

Katie straightened her arms to give her better leverage as she thrust against him, 
picking up the pace.  Alex reached up, taking one nipple in his mouth, while he 
caressed the other with his thumb.  Katie closed her eyes, letting the moment take her 
away.  She was close, so when he let go of her breast, she whimpered in disappointment.  
He pushed her up, until she was sitting on him, then took her hand in his.  Alex kissed 
her fingertips, then guided them between her legs.  "Show me," he demanded.  "I want to 
see you this time."  

Katie hesitated for a second, recalling the first time he'd asked her to touch herself.  
She'd been scared, but he'd held her close, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, making 
everything all right.  Afterwards, he said that next time, he'd light a candle so he 
could see her face when she came.  She leaned down and kissed him.  "Anything for 
you," she answered.  Straightening up again, she put her hand where he wanted it and 
began circling the sensitized flesh.  

He offered a sigh of pleasure at the sight and pushed his hips upward.  She moaned, 
spurring him on.  He uttered encouraging words, loving the way she responded to the 
sound of his voice.  Alex felt himself growing closer and knew that this time, 
there would be no holding back.  "Come for me, baby.  I can't hold out much longer."

Katie quivered at his words.  "Then don't...I'm almost..." Alex thrust hard one 
last time, sending both of them reeling. Katie collapsed on top of him and closed her 
eyes.  "I love you, Alexei," she murmured.

"Love you, too," he answered as he nuzzled her neck.

She felt his shoulder start to spasm again and tried to shift her head to the other 
side.  "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Just moving off your shoulder," she replied.  "I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh," he whispered.  "Is that why you switched positions earlier?"

Katie nodded and kissed his cheek.  "Did that bother you?"

"No, not at all," he answered.  "I'll have to start doing pushups again to get those 
muscles back in shape," he grinned.  "They're a little weak from not being used."

"I'll be sure to help you with those workouts anytime you so desire," she 
chuckled.  Katie rolled off of him, laying on her back, hands tucked under her head.

Alex shifted, resting his head on her chest.  "Katya?"

Katie smiled.  "Yes, Alexei?"

"How did it happen?" he asked.

"How did what happen?" 

Alex sighed.  "Don't be difficult, you know exactly what I'm asking about."

"Do we really have to talk about it right now?" she asked.  

"Yes we do.  I've shown you mine," he said, motioning to his arm. "Now show me yours."

"Guess that's only fair," she replied.  "OK, you asked for it." Katie took a deep breath, 
before starting her tale.  "In August, just before my junior year of high school, I 
decided I wanted to take a train trip and see some of the country by rail.  My parents 
weren't thrilled with the idea, but they let me go when one of my friends and her mother 
said they'd go with me.  We had a great time; I love trains.  Anyway, one night we 
were in the club car, hanging out with some of the other passengers, when the train 
jumped the track.  The initial impact threw me back against the seats.  The windows 
shattered and there was glass everywhere.  Then we hit something else; I didn't know it 
then, but the paper said it was one of the other cars.  I was tossed across the car and 
into the window.  My foot got caught on something, so instead of going out the 
window, I landed on the shards of glass left sticking out of the window pane; it sliced 
me wide open.  My friend's mom was able to pull me off and she held me together until 
the paramedics arrived.  I shouldn't have survived, but someone was looking out for me 
that day, I guess."

"Your parents and Matthew must have been frantic," Alex remarked.  

"They were.  Mom, Dad and Matthew drove eight hours to the hospital to be with me.  
At first the doctor wasn't going to let Matthew into the ICU, because he wasn't 
immediate family, but my parents convinced him that Matthew had to be there.  Mom told 
me that Matthew never left my side, holding my hand, the entire time.  They tried to get 
him to leave, just for a little while to eat or get some sleep, but he refused.  The 
nurses forced him to leave for a while on the second day, but as soon as he did, my 
blood pressure skyrocketed.  They tried to bring it back down, but it stayed high until 
Matthew returned ten minutes later.  As soon as he took my hand, it went back down.  That 
pretty much secured his place by my side for the rest of my stay in the ICU.  I don't 
remember any of this, of course, but the nurses and my parents say that he left my 
side only to take bathroom breaks, for the next four days.  They had to force him out 
of the room on the fifth day, to make him bathe.  After four days without a shower, 
they were about to declare him a public health hazard," Katie laughed.  "One of the 
nurses told me that he spent a couple of minutes explaining what was happening and 
telling me that he'd be back as soon as he could.  He was afraid that my blood pressure 
would go up again, I suppose.  Whatever he said worked, because it stayed level the 
whole time he was gone.  Everyone tells me that I was in and out of it for the next 
week.  I remember waking up one day and hearing Matthew reading Catch-22 to me.  I'd 
been trying to get him to read that all summer, with no success.  My first words to 
him were 'is this what I have to do to get you to read?'" Katie paused.  "Are you sure 
you want to hear all of this tonight?"

Alex reached for her hand and brought it to his lips.  He kissed it, then clasped it to 
his chest.  "Keep going."

"When I was finally able to stay lucid, Matthew asked the doctor to explain my 
injuries to us.  He didn't want to at first, but Matthew was so knowledgeable about my 
injuries and asked all the right questions, that the doctor decided we were ready for 
the full story.  The doc said I'd lost a lot of blood and if help hadn't gotten there as 
fast as it did, I wouldn't have made it.  They cleaned it up as best they could, but I 
was torn up pretty bad, inside and out. There was a lot of muscle and some nerve 
damage.  I have no feeling in the area around the scar."  Katie stopped and stared 
up at the ceiling.  

"There's more, isn't there?" Alex asked.  She nodded.  "Tell me," he said quietly.  
"Just keep talking until it's all out."

Katie closed her eyes.  "My uterus was punctured and one of my fallopian tubes 
severed.  The other one was nicked.  The doctors were able to repair enough of the 
damage, so I didn't have to have a hysterectomy, but they told me I shouldn't 
get my hopes up about having children.  They didn't say that I'd never be able to have 
them, just that the chances were slim.  I don't know what I would have done if Matthew 
hadn't been there. That's a strange thing to hear at sixteen; to be told you'll probably 
never have kids, before you've even had a chance to experience sex.  Before that, I 
took it for granted that I'd have them, you know?  It was weird having the choice taken 
out of my hands."

"Then why the birth control pills?" he asked.  "If you're so sure you can't get 
pregnant, why bother with them?"  He backtracked when she gave him a quizzical 
look.  "It's not like you've hidden them, Katya; they're right in front in the 
medicine cabinet."

"Yeah, I guess they are, aren't they?" she asked sheepishly.  "They're to help regulate 
my period, that's all."

"Have you ever really tried to conceive?"

"No," she answered.  "Never found anyone I wanted to try with and the idea of having a 
child without a partner doesn't appeal to me."

Alex rolled onto his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows.  "I never thought 
about having kids when I was young.  When I started working for the Consortium, the 
whole idea of having a family never crossed my mind, except as one of those things you 
sometimes realize you'll never have."

"What about now?" Katie asked.  "Do you still think of that as something you'll 
never have?"

Alex smiled.  "No, I think I've found my family right here.  I have you and our sons, 
Matthew and Tyler," he chuckled.

Katie laughed.  "Don't let Matthew hear you say that."

"We'll just keep that to ourselves," he agreed.  Alex leaned over, kissed the skin 
between her breasts, then kissed a path down to her stomach.  "Wanna try with me?" he 
asked quietly, turning to see her expression.  Katie gave him a questioning 
look.  "Not right away.  But maybe someday?" he added.

Katie sighed.  "I'd like that, but we have to be realistic.  Chances are good that no 
matter how much we might want this, it's not going to happen.  Besides, I'm 38; time is 
running out."

"It'll happen."  Alex kissed the scar on her abdomen.  "We're going to have a boy first.  
It might be a few years, but he'll come to us; I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Alexei."

"I always keep my promises, Katya."  He kissed her stomach, this time letting his 
hand slide down between her legs, lightly skimming her folds.  She arched against him, 
trying to increase the contact, but he held back.  Katie reached down to touch him.  
"No, keep your hands behind your head.  Let me do this," he whispered.  He skimmed the 
delicate area repeatedly, until he heard her whimper in frustration.  The sound made him 
smile against her stomach.

"I felt that," Katie grumbled.

"I should hope so," Alex teased, lightly caressing her again.

"That's not what I meant," she continued.  "I felt that smile.  You're torturing me on 
purpose you rat."

Alex's eyebrows arched at her choice of words.  Just a coincidence, he told himself; 
it's a common expression.  "Yes I am, and I'll do it again just to hear you make that 
noise."

"What noise," she asked, whimpering as he ran his fingers across her yet again.

"That one," he answered.  "And don't call me a rat."

"Then stop teasing me," she said.

"No way, baby," he murmured.  "I'm hooked on that sound."

"Rat."

He let his fingers skim her again.  Katie pressed her hips upwards.

"Rat," she hissed.  

Alex took his fingers on another strafing run across her swollen skin, biting back a 
grin as she whimpered and strained toward his hand.  "Give it up, darling.  I can do 
this all night."

"Bastard," she growled.

"Excuse me?" he asked, more than a little amused.  "My, my, my, the lady has quite the 
potty mouth.  I think I like 'rat' better," he chuckled.  "Do you really find this that 
frustrating?" he asked.

"Yes, damn it!"

"Hmmm.  So this," he said, lightly skimming her folds.  "This is a source of great 
frustration to you?"

"Rat bastard," she grumbled.

Alex stifled a laugh.  "What did you call me?"

"Rat bastard," she repeated.

"Uh oh," he said.  "You shouldn't have said that.  Now you're in trouble."  He trailed 
his hand down her leg to her knee and rested there briefly. Katie flexed her hips, trying 
to get him to do something, anything. "Big trouble," he murmured.  He quickly slid his 
hand back up her leg and when he reached her center, plunged two fingers deep inside her.  
Katie cried out, as much in surprise, as in pleasure.  "Is that better?"

"God, yes!" she answered.

Alex chuckled and moved his thumb so that it brushed her clit with each passing stroke.  
He eased his fingers in and out of her body, until her muscles clenched and she called 
out his name. When she relaxed, he slipped his fingers from her, moved up her body and 
kissed her.  "So, am I still a rat bastard?"

"Maybe not a bastard," she sighed.  "But still a rat."

"You ARE stubborn," he said.  

"And you love me anyway," she replied.

"Yes I do," he answered.  

"Come here," she said, pulling him on top of her.  "Let's work on building up that arm."


============================================
Katie woke up the next morning, to find herself tangled up in Alex's limbs, dripping 
with sweat.  Sometime during the night, he must have pulled one of the rugs over them 
to keep warm as the fire died down.  Now, the fire was out and the temperature under 
the rug was unbearable.  She didn't want to wake him, but if she didn't get out from 
under the sweltering heat of that rug, she was going to lose her mind.  At first, she 
tried to simply disentangle herself.  That didn't work; that damned prosthetic arm must 
have a locking device, because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't free herself 
from its grip.  "Alexei," she whispered.  "Wake up, sleepyhead."  He sighed, but 
didn't wake up, so she tried kicking at the bottom of the rug to see if she could get 
her feet into the open air.  No dice.  Her legs were crossed, with the top one wedged 
securely under his knee.  Panic set in.  Logically, she knew she was safe and that 
everything was fine; she tried to calm herself down with the relaxation techniques 
she'd learned, but her deep-seated fear of entrapment won out.  "Alex, come on, I need 
to get up," she said, patting his chest.  He mumbled something unintelligible and pulled 
her closer.  "No, I need to get up now," she said loudly, trying to pull away.  

Alex's eyes fluttered open.  "Don't wanna let go," he slurred sleepily.  

Katie struggled against him.  "Damn it, Alex!  LET GO!"  All logic escaped her as 
panic took over.  The heat was stifling and every fiber of her being was screaming 'RUN 
AWAY, RUN AWAY!'  

Alex moved his arm away, to look at her.  "What's..." was as much as got out before 
she yanked her feet out from under him and bolted upright, tossing the rug off to the 
side.  Katie wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on her knees.  Alex 
could hear her panicked breathing as she rocked back and forth.  He sat up behind 
her, not knowing what to do.  "Katya," he said quietly, reaching out to touch her 
back.  "What's wrong?  What did I do?"  She jumped at his touch and he felt his stomach 
sink.  He pulled away and waited a few minutes before trying again.  

Katie rocked back and forth, trying to regain some sense of composure.  She could 
feel Alex's concern, but when he first reached out, her initial reaction was to 
pull away.  That was a hurtful thing to do, but it was reflex, not a reflection of her 
true feelings for him.  She wanted to tell him that, but her brain wasn't ready to form 
words quite yet.  How could she explain her unreasonable fear of being trapped in hot, 
enclosed spaces without sounding like a nut case?  She'd been this way for as long as 
she could remember and no one could ever offer up an explanation.  Katie just figured 
it must have some karmic connection, a leftover from a bad experience in a past 
life. Matthew had snickered at her the first time she used that as an excuse, but since 
he couldn't give her something more logical, that's the explanation she stuck with.  She 
felt Alex's hand gently touch her back again. This time, she didn't pull away.

Alex touched her back, hoping she wouldn't pull away this time.  When she didn't, he 
slid over and tentatively put his arms around her.  "Is this all right?" he asked 
quietly.

"More than all right," she answered.

He kissed her back, then rested his head on her shoulder.  "What just happened?"

"Panic attack," she said.  "It's hard to explain."  She turned around to look back at 
him, expecting to see raised eyebrows; instead he simply nodded his head and waited 
for her to continue.  "I can't stand to be confined, especially if it's hot.  This 
sounds so stupid when I try to explain, but I don't know how else to say it."  She 
paused and looked off across the room.   "As a kid, I used to freak out whenever I'd get 
tangled up in the blankets.  I felt like I was suffocating if I couldn't at least get 
my feet out in the air.  Whenever I was sick, my mother would come in and cover me 
up, only to find later, that I'd either completely kicked the covers off or that I'd 
have my feet hanging off the side of the bed.  It's crazy, I know that, but when I 
couldn't get out from under that rug a few minutes ago, I lost it completely.  You had 
me so wrapped up against your body and it was so hot under that damned rug...I 
couldn't move..." She dropped her head to her knees.  "I'm sorry," she whispered.  
"Didn't know you getting involved with such a damaged individual, did you?"

Alex let his hands slide off of her shoulders, then scooted around to face her.  
"Damaged?  Sweetheart, take a look at who you're talking to.  I'm as damaged as they 
come.  Hell, I'm the poster boy for Damaged, Unlimited."  He reached out and placed his 
hand on her cheek, running his thumb across her lower lip.  "As individuals, we may be 
incomplete; as a couple, we're unstoppable." Alex leaned toward her and kissed her 
softly.  "How about we come up with a safe word?  Something you can use whenever I'm 
holding you too tight, like this morning or when you're tied up to the bedpost and want 
out," he said with a leer.  Katie raised her eyebrow at that remark, then allowed a smile 
to slowly cross her face.  Alex raised his eyebrows in return. "Hmmm, I take it the 
being tied to the bedpost idea is one that intrigues you?"  Katie smiled and shrugged 
her shoulders.  "I'll remember that," he whispered in her ears, before kissing the 
nape of her neck.  "So, what word should we use?  It needs to be something you wouldn't 
normally toss out in everyday conversation."

"Amnesty," she whispered.

"What?" he asked.

"Amnesty."

Alex smiled.  "Perfect.  Just what the governor ordered; it'll be our little 
secret."

Katie looked at him in surprise.  "How did..."

Alex grinned.  "I found your 'Alias Smith and Jones' tapes while you were gone and 
watched a couple of episodes.  What is that Heyes says as they're being shot at?  'I 
sure wish the governor would let a few more people in on our secret.'  Something like 
that?"

"Yeah, something like that," she smiled.  "I can't believe you picked up on that!  What 
made you sit and watch anyway?"

"I wanted to try to figure out what you were like as a little girl.  Obviously, this show 
made quite an impression on you and Matthew, so it seemed like a good place to start.  I 
have to admit I do understand the nicknames better now; the two of you are a lot like 
Heyes and Curry.  You must have been quite a pair."

"Yes we were," Katie replied.  

"Feel better now?" he asked.  Katie nodded. "Good.  Now how should we start off the 
morning?  Food?  Shower?  Sex?"

"Yes," she replied. "And in no particular order."

Alex smiled, then got up when he saw Katie shiver.  "Come on, we're getting you into a 
nice warm shower, first; the rest of the list, we'll play by ear."

A few hours later, bodies sated, stomachs full, Alex announced his intentions.  "Come 
on, grab your shoes; we're getting out of here for a while."  He pushed her feet off 
of his lap and stood up.

Katie sat up and eyed him curiously.  "Where are we going?"

"Christmas shopping.  You said we could get a tree.  Didn't change your mind, did you?" 
he asked.

"No, I didn't change my mind," she answered with a smile.  "But no tinsel!"

"No tinsel," he agreed.  "And no 'Charlie Brown' tree either.  Just because we're a 
mess, doesn't mean that we have to take pity on the sorriest looking tree on the lot.  I 
want big and full and as tall as we can find.  We're going to do this in style."

"OK," she sighed.  "No 'Charlie Brown' tree. You do realize that we're going to have look 
for ornaments, too?" she asked.  "I only have a few leftover from when I was a child.  
Never bothered to buy any as an adult."

"Way ahead of you," he answered.  "There's a place just outside of town, completely 
devoted to Christmas decorations of all kinds; Tyler told me about it when I 
mentioned that I'd talked you into a tree this year."

"You've thought of everything, haven't you?" Katie teased.

"Yes I have," Alex replied smugly.  "Here's what I have in mind.  We'll go out and find 
the tree this afternoon, bring it back here and set it up.  Tomorrow, we'll go to the 
Christmas store and buy out the joint.  How does that sound?"

Katie laughed and shook her head.  "Why are we waiting until tomorrow to buy ornaments?  
Why not just do it this afternoon, then we can spend all day tomorrow decorating?"

"Because, my dear," he said, bending over to kiss her cheek.  "The tree needs some time 
to open up and get used to its new environment.  You don't just pop it up and 
toss on the decorations."  

"Oh," she said, lifting her hand to his cheek.  "I guess I've forgotten the 
intricacies of tree preparation."

Alex turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand.  "Good thing I'm around to help out 
with the little details.  Now, go get your shoes on so we can get out of here."

Less than an hour later, they were on their second lot, checking out the selection of 
trees.  They went from tree to tree, holding them up, checking for fullness, height and 
straightness of trunk.  

"How about this one?" Katie asked.

"Nah, too short," Alex replied.  "We've got huge ceiling, let's take advantage of it."  
He walked over to the next row.  "Here, this one's better."

"Nope, the trunk is crooked," she said, shaking her head.  "It leans too far to the 
left."  She looked down at the end of the row.  "What about that one?"

Alex put the tree back in its place and followed her.  "This one?" he asked.

"Yeah, hold it up," she answered.  He pulled the tree out and held it up for her.  "Turn 
it around so I can see the whole thing."  Alex slowly turned the tree.  Katie smiled 
and nodded.  "Here, let me hold it, so you can take a look."  She grabbed hold of the 
tree and motioned him back, slowly turning it as he appraised the tree from every 
angle.  "Well, what do you think?" she asked.

"I think it's perfect," he answered.  "Hang on to it.  I'll go get someone to tie it up 
for us."

Katie watched him jog off to find the lot owner.  She thought she was alone, when the 
smell of cigarettes wafted by.  Turning to find the source, she was surprised to see an 
older gentleman standing a few feet away.  A chill ran through her.  'Stop it,' she 
admonished silently.  'He's probably just a nice man out looking for a tree.'

"Beautiful tree," the man said.  "You and your husband have good taste."

"Thank you," Katie replied.  

"Been married long?" he asked.

Katie stared down the row, hoping to see Alex.  "We're not married."

The man took a long drag off the cigarette, then let the smoke out slowly.  "Oh, I see.  
I had you figured as newlyweds."   They could hear footsteps coming toward them.  
"Well, Merry Christmas, Miss," he said, tossing his cigarette down and crushing it 
with his shoe.

"Merry Christmas to you, too," Katie replied.

The man walked away, leaving her line of sight just as Alex and the lot owner 
appeared.  Alex pointed to the tree and the owner took it from Katie's grasp.
"OK, I'll get this bundled right up for ya," he said, before dragging the tree away.

Alex sniffed the air and looked around quickly.  "Was someone else here?"

"Yeah, an older gentleman.  He complimented us on our taste in trees," she answered.

Alex looked down and spied the cigarette butt on the ground.  He bent to pick it up, 
confirming it to be the brand he suspected.  "What did he look like?"

"Tall, gray hair, wearing a suit, a face that looked like he'd had a hard life maybe.  
Why?"

"Where did he go?" Alex asked. 

"I don't know, that way, I think," she said, pointing off to the left.

"Stay here," he ordered.  "I mean it, don't you move and if he shows up again, I want to 
you scream bloody murder."

"Alex?"

"I mean it, Katya," he said, running in the direction she'd indicated.  "Don't move!"

Alex returned moments later, to find Katie rooted to the spot, arms wound tightly 
across her chest.  "Did you find him?"

"No, no sign of him anywhere."  Alex walked over and wrapped his arms around her.  

"Who is he?"

"Spender," he answered flatly.  Alex reached down to pick up the Morley butt on the 
ground.  "This is his brand."

"Yeah, his and about four million other's," Katie responded.  "Why would he be here?  
You said that the Consortium was gone; what could he want with you?"

"I don't know," Alex said.  "What did he say to you?"

"Not much.  He complimented us on our choice of trees; he thought we were married."

"What did you say to that?" 

"I told him we weren't married, then he wished me a Merry Christmas and left."

Alex frowned.  "That's it?  That's all he said?"

"That's it.  Not exactly an awe-inspiring conversation."  Katie reached for his hand.  
"Look, maybe it wasn't him.  Maybe it was just a kindly gentleman out shopping for a 
tree."

"No, it was him.  He left this little calling card for me," Alex said, flicking 
the butt to the ground.  "He'll be back."

"Sir," the lot owner called.  "Got your tree ready.  Why don't you pull your car around 
and I'll help you load it."

"Thanks, we'll be right there," Alex called back.  He tightened his grip on Katie's 
hand.  "You're coming with me to the car.  I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

The ride back to the loft was quiet.  Alex opened his mouth to speak a few times, but 
stopped short of actually saying anything.  He pulled the car into the garage and closed 
the door behind them.  "Katya," he started. "I think I should go.  I'm putting you in 
danger by staying here."

"No, you're not going anywhere.  I just found you; we just found each other.  
There's no way I'm letting you walk away from me now," she said, grabbing his hand.  
"You said yourself, as individuals we may be incomplete; as a couple, we're unstoppable.  
Besides, didn't you say you weren't going to let me out of your sight again?" she teased, 
hoping to lighten the mood.  

He wasn't buying it.  "Katya," he started again.

"Alexei, don't bother; I'm not listening to you.  I know this is a dangerous man we're 
talking about.  I know what he's capable of, you made that abundantly clear the other 
night." She kissed his hand.   "He already knows about us; that much is obvious.  If 
he's half as smart as you say, he already knows that he can hurt you by hurting me, so 
what's the point of leaving?"  Alex opened his mouth to reply, but Katie cut him off.  
"Look, you don't even know that the man I spoke to is Spender.  We could be jumping 
the gun, so to speak.  Let's just wait and see what happens.  If it really is him, 
we'll handle it together."  She leaned over and kissed him softly.  "This is the long 
haul, remember?"

"I remember," he whispered.  "I'm just afraid...what if I can't protect you?"

"You don't need to protect me," she answered.  "I'm a big girl, I can take care 
of myself.  Just watch my back and I'll watch yours."

"You make it sound so simple," he sighed.

"It is that simple," she replied.  "You made a promise to me last night.  Do you 
remember?"

Alex smiled and gently stroked her stomach.  "Of course I remember."

"How are you going to make good on that promise, if you leave me?"

He put his hand on her neck and pulled her close.  "Guess I'd better stay, then," he 
said, bringing his lips close to hers.  "Can't go back on a promise."

"No you can't," she agreed, closing the gap between them.  "Mmmm.  OK, that's settled.  
Now, let's get our tree upstairs and into some water."

Alex pulled back, smiling.  "Anything you say, sweetheart."

Katie arched an eyebrow.  "Anything?"

"First we get the tree upstairs, then we'll talk about 'anything'," he grinned.

Getting the tree upstairs proved to be trickier than they'd expected.  The small 
elevator wasn't exactly equipped to handle a ten-foot tree, so they had to angle it just 
right, bending the top back, in order to fit the whole thing in.  Once that was 
accomplished, there was room enough for only one to fit inside.  Katie convinced Alex to 
let her ride up with the tree, assuring him that she was perfectly capable of dragging 
it out by herself.  He wasn't thrilled with the idea, but he conceded the point.  "Look, 
if it bothers you that much, we can send the tree up by itself and take the stairs," she 
offered.

Alex stared at her.  "Stairs?"

"You're kidding, right?" she asked incredulously.  "You do know about the 
stairs?"  He continued to stare blankly at her.  "Oh Alex," she snickered.  "You've 
been here all this time and you don't know about the stairs?  You don't really think 
that the only way up is the elevator?  Two words, baby, power outage."  She shook her 
head and closed the elevator door, sending the tree on its way upstairs.  "Follow me."  
Katie led him around the side of the elevator, past the woodpile, to a door at 
the far end of the garage.  She took her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the 
door.  Reaching in, she flipped the switch to light their way.  "Come on, lock the door 
behind you."

Alex followed her up the stairs.  "Where does this come out?"

"You'll see," she replied.  At the top of the stairs, Katie unlocked the door.  "Are 
you ready for this?" she asked with a grin. He smirked at her and nodded his head.  
Katie pushed the door open to reveal...the washer and dryer.  "Ta da!  I can't believe 
you didn't know this was here; you've done the laundry more than I have this past 
month.  Didn't you ever wonder where this door went?"

"Would you believe I never noticed it?" Alex asked sheepishly.  Katie giggled into her 
hand.  "Hey, don't laugh.  I was too busy trying to picture you in your 
unmentionables, as I was fluffing and folding, to give any thought to escaping," 
he protested.

"Ah yes, the ever popular 'unmentionables' defense.  Tell me, Mr. Krycek, just how many 
times have you used this particular legal ploy?" she teased.

"Never, Miss Heyes.  But then, it's never taken me this long to get into a lady's 
unmentionables before," he stated smugly.

"Oh? And whose fault was that?" she asked.  "You had me the first time I looked into 
those beautiful green eyes."  Katie moved closer and slipped her hands inside the 
waistband of his jeans, pulling him closer. "As I recall, I wasn't the one waiting 
for...what was it we were waiting for?  I forget."

"Hey, I was on the disabled list," Alex complained.  "Remember me, the one with the 
broken ribs?"

"Yes, but you were pretty well recovered a few days before I left for New York," she 
countered.

Alex lifted his hand to her face and caressed her cheek.  "You know why I waited, 
Katya."

Katie kissed the palm of his hand.  "I know."

The sound of footsteps broke the spell. Alex pushed Katie behind him, looking for 
anything use as weapon against the unseen intruder.  

"How touching, Alex.  I never knew you were such a romantic," Spender said, pausing to 
light a cigarette.  "Nice to see you again, Miss Heyes."

Katie stepped out from behind Alex's back. Alex tried to stop her, but she pulled away, 
stepping up to face Spender.  Her hand darted out and she snatched the cigarette 
from his mouth, crushing the lit end with her fingertips.  "You can't smoke here," she 
spat out angrily.  "Now state your business, so you can the Hell out of our home."

Spender smiled and nodded his head.  "I like her, Alex.  She's got spunk."

"What do you want, old man?" Alex hissed, pulling Katie back against him.

"I have something for you, a peace offering, of sorts," he said.

"Nothing you have could possibly be of interest to me.  I'm out of it; I quit," 
Alex replied.

"We're all 'out of it', dear boy.  You and I are the last; everyone else is dead and I'm 
afraid I won't be around much longer myself.  All that's left now is the waiting."  
Spender turned his back on them and walked back into the loft.  When they didn't 
follow, he looked over his shoulder.  "Aren't you curious to see what I've 
brought?  I assure you, I have only the best intentions."

Alex held his ground, until Katie patted him on the arm.  "Come on, let's see what he's 
brought so we can get him out of here."  Alex frowned at her. "Look, I don't trust 
him either, but he's already in our home.  Let him finish his little game and be on his 
way."  Katie tugged at his sleeve, until he sighed and followed her.

Spender led them to the kitchen and pointed to a wooden box sitting on the table.  Alex 
looked at the box, then at Spender.  "Open it," Spender said, pointing to the box.  
Alex put his hand on the box, then hesitated.  "Don't worry, Alex.  The demons 
have long since escaped; what's inside is designed to help protect you from them."  
Alex tapped his fingers on the top, then slowly lifted the lid.  Inside, he found 
syringes, each filled with a yellow liquid. 

"Is this..." Alex stopped, not knowing how to finish his sentence.

"All that remains," Spender confirmed.  "Ten syringes of the vaccine.  I trust you'll put 
it to good use."

"Why are you giving this to me?" Alex asked.  "I would think you'd want Mulder to have 
it." 

"I had planned on giving it to him," Spender admitted.  "But I'm afraid I've burned my 
bridges where Mulder's concerned.  Perhaps you can deliver some of this to him.  I 
know, in spite of your differences, that you consider Mulder to be something of a 
friend."

"I don't know that 'friend' is the word I'd choose," Alex replied.  "He's one of the few 
people I trust; he and Scully."

"Good, you're going to need that in the days to come.  We've stalled them, Alex, but 
they're coming back and we'll be powerless to stop them this time.  This vaccine is all 
that stands between us and complete annihilation."  Spender reached into his 
pocket and drew another cigarette from the pack.  Katie glared at him and he put it 
back.  "Force of habit, Miss Heyes.  I apologize."

"How long do you think we have?" Alex asked.  

"If my sources are to be believed, five, maybe six years," he answered.  "They're 
going to wait until we've become complacent, then strike in a worldwide offensive 
maneuver. They'll wipe most of us out in the first few days.  The only ones left will be 
those receiving the vaccine, the few lucky enough to have survived Tunguska and anyone 
fortunate enough to have a natural resistance to the virus; that makes you 
safe, doesn't it, Alex?  All told, we'll be lucky to have a quarter of million people 
left when they're finished."

"Why leave any of us?" Katie asked.  "Why not just get rid of the entire human race?"

"Ecology, Miss Heyes," he replied.  "Unlike us, the aliens understand the need for 
balance in the environment.  They will allow enough of us to survive, in order to keep 
the planet sound.  We're nothing more than incubators to them, a necessary evil for the 
continuation of their species.  Some of us will be allowed to live out our lives, while 
others will be taken as hosts for the breeding of the next generation."

"How do we know this is really the vaccine?" Alex said, picking up one of the syringes.  

"Think about it, Alex.  If I'd wanted to kill you, I could have done it a hundred 
times over.  I have nothing to gain by lying to you now," he answered, putting his hands 
in his pockets.  "I have nothing to lose either.  So I suppose you're going to have 
to take it on faith that I'm telling you the truth."

Katie touched the remaining syringes, lightly skimming her fingers over the cold 
plastic.  "What about our children?  If I'm inoculated, will they inherit a resistance 
to the virus?"

"That is the hope, Miss Heyes. Unfortunately, our studies are limited to 
three births by parents who've both received the vaccine.  The children involved were 
born with the anti-virus in their systems, but three is hardly a number on which to 
base a conclusion."

Katie nodded, then removed her coat and dropped it on the table.  She pulled her 
sweatshirt off over her head and pushed the sleeve of her T-shirt out of the way.  "Hit 
me, Alex."

"Katie...no," Alex protested.  "We don't know for sure this is the vaccine."

"And we don't know that it isn't," she reasoned.  "You don't need it, he doesn't 
need it, I'm the only one here that's not covered.  Someone's got to be the guinea pig 
and it looks like I'm the logical choice.  I'm not willing to risk anyone else's life 
to find out if he's telling the truth, so either you hit me with it or I'll do it 
myself." Alex looked down at the syringe in his hand.  "I know what you're thinking."  
He glanced over at her. "You're thinking if you give me this and I die that you won't be 
able to live without me.  Am I right?"  He nodded quickly.  "I thought so.  You don't 
have to worry about that, you know," she said, placing her hand around his neck.  
"Because if I die from this, Matthew will kill you."  She smiled sweetly up at him, 
hoping for a grin or a chuckle in return.  When neither came, Katie slipped her hand 
from his neck and took the syringe from him.  She pulled the protective cap off, dropping 
it on the table.  Holding the syringe up in front of him, she said "for our son?"  

Alex closed his eyes and lowered his head in defeat, before drawing in a deep breath and 
taking the syringe from her hand.  "Are you sure?"  She smiled and patted her exposed 
upper arm.  With shaky hands, he raised the syringe, putting the tip of needle against 
her flesh.  "I love you," he whispered, as he pushed the needle in and depressed the 
plunger.

Katie winced as the vaccine entered her system.  "I know."

Spender cleared his throat. "Miss Heyes, you might experience a little discomfort around 
the area of the injection, possibly a mild headache, but that's all.  We've never 
encountered any serious side effects."

"Get out of here, old man," Alex growled.

"Yes...well...goodbye, Alex, Miss Heyes.  You won't be seeing me again."  Spender 
walked to elevator, pulled the tree out of the way and got on.

Katie looked at Alex, then followed Spender.  "Mr. Spender," she called.  He stepped out.  
"I don't imagine this is something you hear very often, but if this is the vaccine and 
your intentions are honorable, then thank you."

Spender raised his eyebrows in surprise as he backed onto the elevator and put his 
finger on button.  "You're right, Miss Heyes.  I don't hear those words very often.  
I believe the correct response is you're welcome."  He pushed the button closing the 
door and sending the elevator on its way down to the garage.

"Why did you do that," Alex asked, putting his arms around her from behind.  

"Because if he's telling the truth, he deserves to be thanked," she answered.  
"Because he's sad, lonely and dying, Alexei.  But most of all, because it's Christmas and 
it was the right thing to do."

"You amaze me; that you could find some good in that black-lunged son-of-a-bitch."  Alex 
kissed the top of her head then rested his cheek there.  "That you could find some good 
in me," he whispered.

Katie pushed away shaking her hands in front of her.  "OK, enough, you're getting 
maudlin.  We have a tree to put up.  Go get the saw, we need to make a fresh cut in this 
before we put it in the stand.  We're probably going to have to cut off a few of 
these lower branches, too."  Alex stood silently, grinning at her.  "What are you 
waiting for?  Get moving, this poor thing's waited long enough."  Katie turned her 
attention back to the tree and away from Alex.

"Yes ma'am," Alex chuckled, before jogging off to get the saw.

When she was sure he wasn't looking, she glanced over at him and smiled.  "I love 
you, too," she whispered.

Making the fresh cut was easier said than done.  The tree oozed sap liberally, forcing 
them to stop and clean the saw a number of times.  When the trunk was ready and the 
lower branches trimmed to an appropriate height, they put the tree in the stand.  
Katie held and adjusted, while Alex issued directions until it was centered, then knelt 
to tighten the screws.

"That should do it," Alex exclaimed.  He stood and brushed the pine needles from his 
hair.  "Let's see how it looks."

Katie stepped back a few feet, then circled the tree.  She nodded her head, but didn't 
say anything.  Alex joined her.  "What's wrong?  Don't you like it?" he asked.

"The tree is beautiful," she answered.  "It's just a little strange seeing it up in 
here, that's all."

"You'll get used to it," he said.  He ran his hands up and down her arms, then slipped 
them around her waist and nuzzled her neck.  "It's been hours," he murmured.  

Katie dropped her head to one side, giving him greater access to her neck.  "Seems like 
longer," she sighed.

His hands moved to tug her T-shirt out of her jeans, pulling it off quickly and 
letting it fall to the floor.  He cupped her breasts, teasing the nipples into hard 
peaks.  His mouth returned to her neck, nipping the soft flesh at the base.  Katie 
pressed against him, slipping one hand behind her to stroke the front of his jeans.  
He bit her harder than intended when her hand made first contact.  He started to 
apologize when the phone rang, breaking.  "Shit," he hissed.  

"Ignore it," Katie whispered.  "It's probably a telemarketer; the machine will 
pick up."  They waited for the fourth ring and listened as the machine answered the 
call.  

"Hanna, it's me."

Katie groaned and shook her head. 

"I should have known it would be Matthew," Alex growled.  "Better take it or he'll be 
calling all night."  

"I guess you're not there," Matthew continued.

Katie looked at Alex and shrugged her shoulders.  "Maybe if we just ignore him..."

"He'll call back until you finally answer," he said in defeat.  "Get it over with."

Katie hurried over to the phone and picked up the receiver.  "Hi Kid, what do you 
want?"  Alex crowded in behind her, nuzzling her neck and running his fingers gently 
across her nipples.  She arched her back to increase the contact. "Everything's fine.  
Dinner Wednesday night?"  Alex nodded against her neck.  "Yeah, sure, OK."  Katie 
held back a moan as Alex reached down to pop the button on her jeans.  She closed her 
eyes as he lowered the zipper and slipped his hand inside.  "What?  Oh, whatever you 
want.  Surprise us."  Alex tugged ather jeans until they puddled around her 
ankles.  She stepped out of them and he kicked them across the floor.  His hand 
brushed through her curls, then dipped down and caressed her folds.  She bit the inside 
of her mouth as Alex plunged a finger inside of her.  "Hmmm? Oh what?  Chicken's fine; 
anything's fine. Yeah, I'm great, just a little...well, things are..." She smiled as 
she felt his hand move behind her and heard the sound of his jeans hitting the floor. 
"Let's just say I'm not sure if I'm coming or going at the moment."

Alex chuckled into her neck, then took the phone from her hand.  "Matthew, here's the 
deal," he said, still chuckling.  He moved his finger slowly in and out of her body, as 
he gently leaned her over the counter.  "Katie knows exactly who's coming and going.  
She's about to take care of the former, so you will have to take care of the latter.  
Bye, bye."  He disconnected and returned the receiver to its cradle, before sheathing 
himself inside her.

============================================
Matthew's jaw dropped in disbelief as Alex's words registered.  He held the phone in his 
hand, too stunned to remember what he was supposed to do with it now.  Tyler walked in 
and stared at him.  "What happened?"

Matthew snapped out of it long enough to hang up the phone.  "Oh, I...uh," he 
stammered.

"You called them, didn't you?" Tyler asked, shaking his head.  "You couldn't have given 
them a day or two alone?"

"I was just calling to invite them to dinner Wednesday night," Matthew huffed.  "She 
could have told me it was a bad time."

Tyler's eyes lit up.  "Oh?  Do tell," he smiled.  "What did our Katie say?"

"Katie didn't say anything," Matthew admitted.  "It was what Alex said."

"You spoke to both of them?"

"Well, he spoke to me, actually."

Tyler stepped closer and sat down on the arm of the couch.  "And he said..."

Matthew took a deep breath and repeated Alex's parting words slowly.  Tyler 
snickered, at first, then broke into full-blown laughter as Matthew stormed into the 
bedroom.  Tyler followed him in, still snickering.  "Loosen up, Matthew!  OK, so it 
wasn't the subtlest brush off I've ever heard; you have to admit, it was funny."

"No it wasn't," Matthew snapped.  "It was crude and childish."

Tyler pushed up against him, putting his arms around Matthew and kissing his 
shoulder.  "You're cute when you're angry," he said.  "Have I ever told you that?"  His 
hands moved to Matthew's belt and began to pull on the buckle.  "Want me to help you 
work out some of that aggression?" he whispered seductively.

Matthew relaxed against him and sighed.  "I don't know, might take an awful lot of work 
this time."

Tyler grinned and pulled the belt free of the loops.  "Good.  I love a challenge."

============================================
A short time later, Katie and Alex were curled up on the couch and admiring their 
tree.  "You will have to take care of the latter," she snickered.

"I can't believe I actually said that to Matthew," Alex groaned, hiding his face in 
her shoulder.  "So much for fostering a good relationship."

"Don't worry about it," Katie soothed.  "Besides, knowing Matthew it probably 
thoroughly pissed him off, which probably really turned Tyler on, which probably 
kicked off an evening of mind-blowing sex for the two of them."

Alex raised his eyebrows.  "Seeing Matthew angry turns Tyler on?"

"Oh yeah," said Katie.  "Big time.  As long as Matthew isn't pissed off at him."

Alex shifted on the couch to face her. "Do you mind telling me how you happen to know 
this interesting bit of trivia?"

"Well, we did all live together for about four months, while their condo was being 
built," Katie said with a grin.  "And this place doesn't leave much room for privacy.  
You hear things, see things, you normally wouldn't."

"And you heard and saw some things that led you to this conclusion?" he asked.

"Well, OK, I'll admit, I wasn't entirely sure, so one night, I put my theory to the 
test and...uh...let's just say it proved out," she answered with a wink.

Alex's eyes widened in surprise. "Katya!  You set up your best friend and his 
boyfriend, just so you could prove out a theory about their sex life?"  She shrugged 
and nodded.  "I'm shocked.  I didn't realize you had such a devious mind."

"Hey, I hadn't had a date in almost a year, so I set up a vicarious thrill for myself," 
she replied. He continued to stare at her.  "Oh Alexei," Katie started, rolling her eyes 
at him.  "You've read my books; certainly you can't be all that surprised."

 "Yes, but that's fiction.  These are your friends."  He sat back on the couch and 
looked her over slowly, as if seeing her for the first time.  Katie slid away from him 
slightly, trying to read his expression.  He let her squirm in the silence for a few 
minutes, before speaking again.  "You do know what this means, don't you?" he asked 
seriously.

"What?" she asked defensively.  This whole conversation had taken a weird turn and she 
wasn't sure she liked where it appeared to be going.  Alex looked awfully serious and 
more than a little put out with her.  

Alex leaned in close, until they were almost nose to nose.  "I own you," he whispered, 
wiggling his eyebrows. 

Katie released the breath she'd been holding, relieved that he wasn't really 
angry with her.  She smiled back at him.  "Lock, stock and barrel, baby," she 
whispered back.  

Alex climbed onto her, straddling her lap, then kissed her passionately.  When he came 
up for air, he stroked her cheek gently.  "Let's see, I just had you over a barrel," 
he said, with a leer.

"It was countertop," Katie corrected with a smirk.

"Barrel, countertop, whatever," he said, waving her off.  "Guess that leaves the 
locks and stocks.

Katie snapped her fingers and put on a disappointed face.  "Damn, I knew this was a 
bad week to have the stocks refinished," she teased.

Alex grinned wickedly.  "Then I guess I'll just have to improvise."  He got up and she 
started to follow.  "Oh no, you stay right there until I'm ready for you."  He backed 
away a little.  "Don't move," he warned, before disappearing into the bedroom.  She 
could hear drawers opening and the sound of furniture being moved.  The longer he was 
gone, the more nervous she became.  She was startled when he suddenly appeared behind 
her and tied a scarf over her eyes.  "Didn't think I was going to let you see what was to 
come, did you Katya?" he asked quietly.  She heard him walk around the couch and felt him 
take her by the hand.  "Come with me; I won't let you run into anything."  Katie 
stood and allowed herself to be led away from the couch and into the bedroom.  He 
stopped just inside the room, to remove her shirt.  "You won't be needing this," he 
said.  He led her to the side of the bed and gently pushed her down.  "Lie down, on your 
back," he instructed.  "Arms over your head."  She did as she was told, feeling a 
soft, fabric noose being secured to each of her wrists. Katie jumped as it was pulled 
tight, feeling her body tremble involuntarily.  Alex saw her start to shake 
and crawled into bed next to her.  He held her and kissed her softly.  "Too much?" he 
asked in hushed tones.  

"No, I'm all right," she replied shakily.

"We don't have to do this, sweetheart." He kissed her again, caressing her gently.  "I 
love you, Katya.  I won't hurt you.  You know that, don't you?"  

She nodded. "I know."

 "Good, then trust me not to hurt you now. Just say the magic word and I'll stop," he 
promised.  Alex waited to see if she would say the word and when she didn't, he 
continued.  He undid her jeans and pulled them off slowly, then ran his hands up her 
legs to ease off her panties.  Another fabric noose was put around each ankle, but 
this time, he didn't pull them tight.  "I'll leave them loose, for now," he warned.  "But 
if I have to, I'll tighten them down."

"Am I allowed to touch you?" she asked, sliding one foot up his leg.

He pushed her foot back down.  "Absolutely not."

"Then you better tighten the ropes," she sighed.  "Because I won't be able to stop 
myself."

Alex smiled and chuckled quietly.  The trust he was looking for was there, given in a 
simple statement of surrender.  He moved to the end of the bed and secured the ties 
snugly.  He pressed his lips to bottom of her foot.

Katie's foot twitched when she felt Alex's lips on its sole.  She tried to stay still, 
hoping he hadn't noticed, but knowing that he was too sharp to have missed such an 
obvious gesture.  He moved to the other foot and kissed the sole there as well, getting 
the same response.  She felt him smiled against her foot.  'Oh shit,' she thought.

"Ticklish, Katya?" he asked.  

She didn't need to see him to know that he was grinning evilly at her.  "Of course 
not," she started to lie.  Thinking better of it, she changed her answer.  "Maybe a 
little."

He walked his fingers from her heel to the soft pad under her toes.  Katie struggled 
slightly, trying to back away from his touch.  "Just a little?" he asked.  "I 
wonder."  He took his index finger and retraced the path with his fingernail gently 
grazing her skin.  This time she pulled away harder.

"OK, OK," she protested.  "A lot.  I'm a lot ticklish.  Happy now?"

Alex squeezed her foot.  "Oh yes, very happy.  It does make me wonder where else 
you're ticklish though."  He wiggled his fingers on her ankles, then up her calf, 
with no discernible response.  "Hmmm, not here.  How about..." He continued his ascent 
over her knee and up her thigh, noticing a slight twitch at about the midpoint.  "Maybe 
a little here," he decided.  His fingers slid to the top of her leg, then moved to 
the joining of her leg and hip, halfway between her inner and outer thigh.  Katie 
jumped as his fingers danced over the soft flesh.  "Oh, here's a good spot."  He let 
her squirm briefly, then flattened his hands across her belly.  He kissed her scar, 
resting his head there for a moment, before sliding his hands up her sides.  Katie let 
out a tiny yelp as he hit the sensitive area around her ribs.  "Well, well, what have we 
here?" he grinned, letting his fingers skim her side.  She squirmed and fussed as he 
continued to tease her, chuckling as she protested.  "Had enough?" he asked.  She 
nodded furiously.  "You can talk, Katya.  It's allowed."  Katie shook her head and bit 
her lip.  He kissed her neck and nipped her earlobe. "Afraid you might say something 
you'll live to regret?"  She nodded her head.  Alex laughed into her shoulder.  
"Wise move."  He kissed her shoulder and back up to her ear.  "Are still OK with 
this?" he whispered.  

"Yes," she replied. 

He closed his mouth over hers, pushing his tongue inside.  She pulled her tongue away, 
forcing him into a game of hide and seek.  It wasn't much, but it was the last 
stronghold in her defense and she intended to use whatever she had at her disposal.  
Alex took note of the game she was playing and allowed her the illusion of victory, 
before playing his trump card.  Just when she thought he was pulling away in defeat, 
Alex brushed his hand across her breast, causing her moan.  Her last defense 
shattered, she surrendered her mouth to him completely.  "You are so stubborn!" he 
murmured, as he pulled away from her mouth.  

"And you love it," she answered.  He didn't reply, but she knew he was smiling.  
"Alexei?  I need to see you; take the blindfold off?" she asked sweetly.

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you, Katya?" He bent down and flicked his tongue over a 
nipple, causing her to arch her back.  "You think you can just ask me anything with that 
innocent little voice and I'll cave right in, don't you?"  He watched as she tried, 
unsuccessfully, to stifle the grin forming on her face.  "And you called me a rat!"  
She snickered, releasing the grin.  "Oh boy, I'm afraid you've put your foot in it, 
darling," he sighed.  "I'm going to have to play dirty now."  He lowered his mouth to 
her breast and suckled it tenderly.  Katie moaned as his tongue drew circles on her.  
He kissed his way over to the other and gave it the same loving attention.  His hand 
rubbed slowly across her ribs, working its way down to her stomach, moving lower with 
each pass.  Katie tried to shift her hips to encourage him to slip even lower, but he 
held firm just above her folds.  

Katie ached for him to touch her, but she wasn't about to beg.  No way. No how.  One 
more gentle stroke, so close, yet so far.  "Alexei," she whimpered.  'Damn it, Katie, 
you're such a wimp!' she chastised herself.

"Is this what you want?" he asked, trailing his fingers over her clit.  

She pushed up.  "Yes," she sighed.

"Just like this," he asked, repeating the motion.

"Oh yeah, just like that," she answered.

"Are you sure this is it?" 

"Yes, damn it!"

"Just checking," he said, lifting his hand.  "I want to be sure to hit the right spot, 
when and if, I decide to let you off the hook." 

Katie growled.  "This is bordering on torture."

"Told you I was going to have to play dirty.  What's the matter tough girl, can't take the 
heat?" he teased.

"I can take anything you can dish out, ratboy," she snapped.

"We'll see about that," he chuckled.  'One of these days I'm going to have to tell her 
about *ratboy*,' he thought, shaking his head.   His fingers brushed lightly against 
her, imitating his actions of the night before.  Katie whimpered in frustration and 
he felt his already snug jeans tighten beyond any reasonable comfort level. 'But 
not right now,' he thought.  "That's it," he hummed.  "That's the sound I've been waiting 
to hear."

"Anybody ever tell you that you have a sadistic streak, Alexei?" Katie whined, 
pulling against the restraints.  She regretted her choice of words, the minute 
they left her mouth.

"More times than you could possibly imagine," he replied, quietly, resting his 
head on her stomach.  

"I'm sorry, baby," Katie said softly.  "I wasn't thinking."  

"Don't worry about it, that was a lifetime ago."  He kissed her stomach, then slid his 
hand back down.  "All I want right now, is hear you make that noise a few more times."  
His fingers skimmed her twice more and each time, she offered the sound he was looking 
for.  He stopped briefly, then reached down to untie her ankles.  Katie flexed her feet, 
but made no move to change position.  She felt the bed shift as he got up, then heard 
the sounds of clothing being removed.  The bed dipped as he knelt to untie her wrists.  
Alex sat down beside her and took the scarf off of her eyes.  Katie looked at him, 
silently questioning.  He stretched out on top of her and brushed the hair away from 
her forehead.  "I don't want to play anymore," he whispered.  

"So I can touch you now?" she asked, not wanting to move her arms until she was sure.

"I wish you would," he answered.  "I need you to touch me, Katya."

Katie put her arms around him and pulled him closer.  She could feel him poised and 
ready, seeking entrance, so she bent her knees and pressed her hips upward, until she 
felt him sink inside her.  He moved gently, easing almost all the way out her body, then 
sinking in just as slowly.  "Don't stop, don't change a thing," she pleaded.  "Feels 
so good."

"Not stopping," he whispered.  "Feels to good to stop."

Little by little the sensations grew more intense; building to a fever pitch that 
couldn't be ignored.  He knew she was close; he knew he was close, too.  "Come for me, 
baby," he whispered in her ear.  She quivered at his words.  "That's it," he 
said.  "Let go.  Let go."  He flicked his tongue just behind her ear, then blew gently 
across the moistened skin.  Katie cried out as her body finally let go.  Alex went only 
a split second behind her.  They held on tight, until their bodies stilled.  

Katie held on to him, not letting him move when he tried to roll off of her.  "No, stay 
here," she said.  "Just for a few more minutes."  Alex nodded his head and nuzzled 
in closer.

After a few minutes, he could feel sleep threatening to take over.  He pulled her in 
tight and rolled her over on top of him.  "I can't stay awake much longer, baby," he 
whispered.  "I'm sorry."

"Shhh," Katie replied.  "Go to sleep.  I'm nodding off myself."

"K," he answered sleepily.  "I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered.

Katie woke a few hours later with a blinding headache.  She rolled carefully off of Alex, 
let out a small cry of pain, then pressed her hands to her temples and pushed, hoping 
to stop the throbbing.  When that didn't work, she crossed her arms over her head and 
curled up in a ball.  An hour later, when Alex woke, she was still in the same 
position.  

"Katya?  What's wrong?" Alex asked.  He touched her shoulder and felt the tension 
there.  

"Head hurts," she forced out.

Alex felt a chill run through his body and tightened his hand on her shoulder.  When he 
realized what he was doing, he loosened his grip and began to gently rub up and down her 
arm; panicking wasn't going to help anything.  "How long have you been curled up 
like this?"

"I don't know," she moaned.  "What time is it?"

Alex looked up at the clock.  "Almost 4:30."

"About an hour then," she answered.

"I'm calling Matthew," Alex said.  

As he moved to get up, Katie whimpered in pain.  "No, don't move, it shakes the bed.  
Just stay still for a while, OK?"  She felt him settle back in beside her.  "Besides, 
it's a headache, what's Matthew gonna do for it beside tell me to take a pill?"

"Want me get you something?  Aspirin, ibuprofen?" he asked. 

"A sledge hammer would be nice," Katie joked weakly.

Alex smiled.  "If you can make jokes, I guess I don't need to call Matthew, just 
yet."  He touched her arm gently.  "Do you usually get headaches like this?"

"Not usually," she admitted. 

"Damn it!  I knew I should never have let you talk me into..." he sputtered

Katie cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "It's just a headache, Alexei; 
don't turn this into something it's not.  I'm going to be fine."

"I'm just..." he started.

"I know," she replied.  "You worry too much."  Pain rippled through her head, just 
as the words left her mouth.  She pushed down on the top of her head harder, trying 
to increase the pressure, as if she could squeeze the pain away.

Alex brushed the hair back away from her neck.  He could feel the anger building up 
inside, but knew that he had to keep calm; stay focused.  "Here, let me try something," 
he whispered.  "I want you to try to relax.  Focus on my voice and nothing else."

Katie smiled a little.  "Are you trying to hypnotize me?"

"In a manner of speaking," he answered.

"Won't work," she replied.  "I've tried every relaxation technique in the book."

"Works better if you let someone else take control," he said, as he began to massage 
her neck and shoulder.  "Now shut up and listen to me, will ya?"

"You're lucky I feel so crappy, Alexei," Katie grumbled.

Alex kissed the back of her neck.  "I know.  You can get me back later for the shut up 
remark."  He couldn't see the smile, but he knew it was there.  "Now do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Shut up."

Katie chuckled, followed quickly by a moan.  "Ow.  OK, shutting up."

Alex put his hand back on her neck and began to gently rub the base of her neck.  "I want 
you to know that I don't do this for just anybody," he whispered.  

"K," Katie answered.

Alex continued to massage her neck for another minute or two, in silence.  Katie 
could feel his hesitation in the way he breathed.  Another minute went by before he 
made a sound. 

Well the sun is surely sinking down
But the moon is slowly rising
So this old world must still be spinning 'round
And I still love you

She smiled as the strains of the familiar 
song filled her ears.  It had worked when 
she sang it to him a few short 
weeks/lifetimes ago; maybe it would work for 
her, too.

So close your eyes
You can close your eyes; it's all right

Katie did just as Alex and JT suggested; she closed her eyes. 

I don't know no love songs
And I can't sing the blues anymore
But I can sing this song
And you can sing this song
When I'm gone

'Oh, you're not going anywhere, baby,' Katie thought with a smile.

It won't be long before another day
We gonna have a good time
And no one's gonna take that time away
You can stay as long as you like

'How about forever?'  she asked, wondering if he could hear her thoughts.

So close your eyes
You can close your eyes; it's all right
I don't know no love songs
And I can't sing the blues anymore
But I can sing this song
And you can sing this song
When I'm gone

Alex moved closer to her, trying hard to keep the bed from bouncing.  He kissed the 
top of her head, never stopping the gentle massage of her neck.  "Is that helping, at 
all?" he asked quietly.

"A little," she whispered.  "Sing it again."

Alex sang again and again; each time Katie's body relaxed a little more.  By the sixth, 
or was it the seventh, time, he realized that she'd drifted off to sleep.  He also 
realized that most of his anger had disappeared as well.  'Maybe music really 
does soothe the savage breast.'  He snuggled against her and closed his eyes.

Katie stirred just after 8, waking Alex.  He rolled off of her and checked to see if she 
was awake, then reached out to feel her forehead; it was cool to the touch.  For a 
while, Alex considered going back to sleep, but soon found that he was too restless.  
Slipping out of bed, so as not to disturb Katie, he walked into the kitchen to make 
some coffee.  After finishing his cup, he decided to take a shower.  He made one last 
trip into the bedroom to check on her, before going into the bathroom.

============================================
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted into the bedroom, causing Katie to wake up.  
She hated the smell of coffee in the morning.  Hated. It. She never drank the 
stuff and only kept it in the house for Matthew, Tyler and now, Alex.  She rolled 
over and hugged his pillow to her face, hoping the traces of AlexScent would block 
out the unpleasant odor coming from the kitchen.  It worked, but only long enough to 
make her realize that she wanted the real thing and not the trace remnants.

Alex stepped into the shower and washed his hair.  He hadn't intended to stay in very 
long, but the water beating down on his back felt so good, that he leaned against the 
wall and closed his eyes.  

Katie opened the bathroom door and saw Alex leaning against the wall through the glass 
door of the shower stall.  He didn't move when she closed the door, which made her 
think that he wasn't aware she was in there.  She wanted to sneak into the shower, but was 
afraid that she might end up startling him, so she made some noise, brushing her teeth, 
going to the bathroom and losing what little clothing she was wearing, until he moved 
away from the wall and looked toward her.  She went to the door and opened it, just a 
little.  "Room for one more in there?" she asked.

"I think I can squeeze you in," he replied, as he pushed the door open wide.  Katie 
stepped in, walking right past him and into the stream, letting it soak her completely.  
Alex pressed against her and kissed the top of her head.  "How do you feel this 
morning?" he asked softly.

Katie leaned back against his chest and looked up at him.  "I feel fine; the 
headache's gone.  I didn't know you could sing."

Alex rolled his eyes.  "Yeah, I'm a regular Frank Sinatra."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Katie teased.  "But you could give James Taylor a 
run for the money."

Alex laughed.  "Tell you what, we'll form duo and go around the country singing 
lullabies to the masses.  We could put people to sleep from coast to coast."

"Nah, too risky.  We wouldn't want folks falling asleep in public places; think of 
the insurance liabilities.  What if we record a CD of our greatest lullabies and 
sell them on the Internet?  We could put people to sleep in the privacy of their own 
homes, without ever having to leave the privacy of ours," she grinned, as she turned 
to face him.  

"That just might work," he chuckled.  Alex leaned down and kissed her; gently at first, 
then deepened the kiss, pulling her tightly against him.  His hand trailed down her 
back, coming to rest briefly on her ass.  Katie reached between them and began to 
stroke him, just as he slipped two fingers inside her.  They touched, and stroked, 
until they came in each other's arms.

Alex slid his fingers from her body and brought his hand to her face, caressing her 
cheek.  He pulled his hand away in horror, looking from her cheek to his hand.  "Jesus, 
Katya!  You're bleeding!"

Katie touched her cheek, then looked down to see the pink-tinged water around her feet.  
She frowned.  "Hmmm, I thought I had another day."  She looked back at Alex, who was 
rapidly losing all color in his face.  She couldn't help but grin at his stricken 
expression.  "Good Lord, Alexei; didn't you have sex education in that fancy private 
school?  Maybe human sexuality in college?"  He furrowed his brow, trying to grasp where 
she was going with this.  Katie sighed and shook her head.  "Would you forget that 
damned vaccine for just a minute and use your head!  I'm a woman...you have to expect 
this to happen every twenty-eight days or so...is any of this starting to ring a bell 
with you?"  

The blank expression rapidly changed to understanding and Alex's face flushed.  
"Oh...yeah."  He turned his head away from her, feeling incredibly stupid.

"Houston, we have comprehension," Katie joked.  When he didn't turn back to look at 
her, she touched his back, then pressed up against him.  "Sorry, that was mean."

"No, I deserved it," he chuckled.  "You will tell me if..."

"Yes," Katie answered.  "I will tell you if anything unusual happens to me. Now, let me 
wash my hair, so we can get out of here.  I think you need to get out in the real world 
for a while."

============================================
Alex stood eyeing the tree, trying to figure out how many lights it would take to 
properly illuminate it.  Katie walked out of the bedroom and caught him deep in thought.  
"Uh oh," she said.

"What?" he asked.

"I've seen that look before," she answered.  "Matthew makes that same face when he's 
trying to figure something out and since you're staring at the tree, I can only 
conclude that we're about to embark on the shopping spree to end all shopping sprees."

"Well, why not?  This is our first Christmas together and we are starting from scratch," 
he reminded her.  Katie moved up beside him and put her arm around his waist.  He draped 
his arm over her shoulder.  "Besides, we can certainly afford it, so let's live a 
little."

Katie smiled.  "Yeah, I guess we can at that.  Better take my car though; I don't 
think yours will hold everything."

Six hours later, they drove into the garage; car loaded down with boxes and bags of 
Christmas ornaments, lights and Chinese take-out.  Katie grabbed the food and headed 
to the elevator, while Alex picked up as many bags as he could safely carry.  She 
held the door open for him and as soon as he was on, hit the button.  "Let's eat first, 
then come back for the rest of the stuff," she said.  "I'm starving."

"Why don't you get everything ready," he said.  "I'll make one more run to the car 
while you do."

"A little excited, are we?" Katie smiled.

Alex smiled back.  "Just a little."

The door opened.  Katie took the food into the kitchen and began getting down plates 
and cups, while Alex put the first load near the tree.  "Be right back," he called.

Katie nodded and poured drinks.  She put the cups and plates on the table with the food, 
then grabbed utensils.  By the time she had everything ready, Alex was back with his 
second load of Christmas things.  He put those down next to the first group of bags, 
then joined her at the table.  

She slid a plate of food over to him.  He picked up his fork and jabbed at the shrimp, 
putting a few in his mouth.  Neither said a word.  Katie watched as he slowly chewed his 
food, his eyes drifting back to the tree.  His fork hit the plate gently, mostly moving 
food around, not actually picking anything up.  A small part of her was annoyed with 
him, but that didn't last long.  Finally, Katie reached over and moved the plate away, 
until his fork hit the table, startling him back to the moment.  "Go play with your 
tree, will you?" Katie teased.  "I'll heat this up for you later."

Alex grinned and jumped up from the table.  He turned toward the tree, then stopped and 
turned back to face Katie.  "You're mad at me, aren't you?" he asked.

"A little, but I'll get over it.  I don't think I've ever been dumped for a Christmas 
tree; nice to know where I stand in the grand scheme of things," she answered 
sarcastically.

Alex shook his head, walked over and put his arms around her.  "I love you more than life 
itself, Katya," he whispered in her ear.  She smiled and kissed him.  "And I'm not 
dumping you for the tree," he started as he released her from his grasp and slowly 
backed away.  "I'm just putting you on the shelf for a little while."  He snickered as 
her mouth dropped in surprise.

"You bastard!" she exclaimed.  "Oh you are SOOO sleeping on the couch tonight!"

'Yeah, right,' they each thought with a smile.

Katie finished eating and put the rest of the food away, watching Alex the whole time.  
She was fascinated by his precision in adorning the tree with the hundreds of 
lights they'd purchased.  Each light apparently had its proper spot and he 
wouldn't move to the next until the one in his hand was positioned just right.  Katie 
considered joining him, but decided against it.  This was his baby and she was going to 
let him play until he was satisfied.  She was, however, fidgety for something to do 
and unloading the rest of the bags from the car wasn't going to cut it.  Wandering out 
into the living room, she looked around for inspiration and found it at the CD player.  
Perfect.  Alex would probably object to her choice, opting instead for some Christmas 
music, or at least something gentle and soothing.  Gentle and soothing was not the 
mood she was looking for however.  Katie wanted to fly and this was her airline of 
choice.  She placed the CD in the player, threw her head back and closed her eyes.  
The familiar strums of the badly out-of-tune Fender guitar filled the air; Katie took off 
on air Rent.

**disclaimer in part one**

Alex, lost in his tree trimming, didn't notice the music until he heard someone sing 
"Christmas bells are ringing, Christmas bells are ringing, somewhere else, not 
here."  'What the Hell is she listening to?' he wondered.  As the next song began, he 
watched as she disappeared into the world the music was creating for her.  

Katie felt his eyes on her and smiled.  She sang along with Mimi's part of the duet and 
when she reached 'won't you light my candle', Katie turned around and sang 
directly to Alex, wiggling her eyebrows wickedly at him

Alex grinned and returned to his lights.  'Nice try, sweetheart,' he thought.  

Katie made a face at him behind his back and turned the music up louder.  

Alex positioned his lights over and over again, until they were just right.  He 
periodically threw glances her way, just to see what she was doing.  She never looked 
back at him.  He had to admit that the music was interesting and after a few songs, 
decided that it must be that play she'd been so excited about seeing.  He listened as he 
finished the lights, finding himself moving with the music.  When they were all in 
place, he plugged in the extension cord and stepped back to admire his handiwork.  A few 
needed adjusting, but for the most part, it was perfect.  He wandered over to the living 
room.  A new song was just starting, so he decided to wait until it was over before 
disturbing her; she was too far-gone to hear him anyway.  This one was gentle and sweet, 
a duet.  He liked this one a lot.  When it was over, he put his arm around her waist 
and kissed her neck.  "Play that one again."

Katie leaned back against him.  "Sure."  She walked to the CD player and hit the back 
button.

Angel:
Live in my house
I'll be your shelter
Just pay me back
With one thousand kisses
Be my lover and I'll cover you

Collins:
Open your doors
I'll be your tenant
Don't got much baggage
To lay at your feet
But sweet kisses I've got to spare
I'll be there, I'll cover you

Both:
I think they meant it
When they said you can't buy love
Now I know you can rent it
A new lease you are my love
On life, be my life

Just slip me on
I'll be your blanket
Wherever---Whatever---I'll be your coat

Angel:
You'll be my king
And I'll be your castle

Collins:
No---You'll be my queen 
And I'll be your moat

Both:
I think they meant it 
When they said you can't buy love
Now I know you can rent it
A new lease you are my love
On life

All my life 
I've longed to discover
Something as true as this is

Collins:	     Angel:
So with a thousand 	
Sweet kisses	     If you're cold
I'll cover you	     You're lonely

With a thousand 
Sweet kisses
I'll cover you	     You've got one
	             Nickel only
		     With a thousand
		     Sweet kisses
		     I'll cover you
When you're worn 
Out and tired        With a thousand 
		     Sweet kisses
		     I'll cover you
When your heart
Has expired

Both:
Oh lover I'll cover you
Oh lover I'll cover you

"I like that," Alex said.  "Sounds like us. I think we can do better than a thousand 
kisses," he added, kissing her neck.

"I was thinking the same thing, about the song and the kisses," Katie replied.  
"Um...Alex.  You do know that both characters are male, right?"

"I suspected," he answered.  "Doesn't matter, the sentiment still fits."  Alex 
tugged at her hand.   "Come see the tree." He held her hand, practically dragging her 
behind him.  "Well, what do you think?" he asked.

"It's beautiful," she answered.  "Almost seems a shame to put anything else on it.  
It's simple and pretty just the way it is."

"You're just trying to get out of bringing up the rest of the bags," he teased.

"No, really.  I like it this way.  Can we leave it alone for tonight?  I promise I'll 
help decorate it first thing in the morning and I'll even go down and get the rest of 
the bags right now, if you want," she offered.  

"Just for tonight?" he asked.  "No backing out on me in the morning?"

"I promise." She stood on tiptoe to seal the deal with a kiss.  One led to two, which led 
to three and four.

Alex pulled back and chuckled.  "Oh no, you're not getting out of hauling the rest 
of the bags up that easily.  Scram woman.  I'll start a fire."

Katie nuzzled his neck.  "I think you already started one, darling," said 
whispered in his ear.  "Oh, you meant in the fireplace, didn't you?" she said with a 
wink.

"Get out of here!" Alex laughed.

Katie stuck her tongue out at him, then ran for the elevator.

"Watch where you point that thing, Katya," he warned.

"Bite me, Alexei," she sang back, as the door closed.

"That can be arranged, baby," he said as he struck a match to start the fire.  "That can 
definitely be arranged."

It took her three trips, but Katie got all the bags out of the car and into the 
elevator.  As she put down the last bag, a cramp grabbed her, causing her to grab the 
right side of her abdomen.  "Damn."  She gave it minute to subside before pushing the 
button.  Another one hit just before the door opened and she felt herself break out 
in a cold sweat.  "Shit!"  Alex was still playing with the fire when the door opened.  
She hoped that he wouldn't pay any attention to her for a few more minutes; just until 
she could get her breath back. Katie grabbed a few bags and put them with the ones Alex 
had brought up earlier.

"Need some help?" Alex called.

"No," she said, a little too quickly.  "You got the first load, I'll get the rest."

"OK.  Let me know if you change your mind," he answered.

Katie nodded and went back for more bags.  By the time she was going back for the last 
two bags, she felt fine.  She dropped these with the rest then went over to the fire.  
Two steps away, another strong cramp made her double over.  Alex jumped up from the 
hearth and caught her.  She had tears of pain in her eyes.  He didn't ask, he simply 
picked her up, carried her into the bedroom and put her down on the bed.  He left long 
enough to get the phone.  "I'm calling Matthew," he said firmly.

"No, don't Alex.  It's probably just menstrual cramps."

"Bullshit.  Your face is dead white and it looked like you were about to pass out.  
When did this start and don't you dare lie to me," he warned.

Katie sighed.  "Downstairs, when I was unloading the car."

"How many?"

"Three.  Two in the elevator, then this one."  He stopped mid-dial and stared at 
her.  "That's all, really," she said.  She watched Alex finish punching in Matthew's 
number.  "What are you going to tell him?"

Alex put his hand over the receiver.  "Everything, Katya.  I can't afford to keep 
him in the dark; not now." He moved his hand.  "Matthew, it's Alex.  Katie's sick.  
Cramping.  No, not little cramps.  The one I saw drained all the blood from her face and 
almost knocked her to the floor.  She's clammy, too." He reached out and touched her 
forehead.  "No, I don't think she's running a fever.  She had a really bad headache last 
night.  I woke up and found her in the fetal position.  Yeah, just started this morning.  
I don't know, you'd better ask her that."  

Katie took the phone from his hand.  "Hi Kid.  No, nothing excessive.  He's 
overreacting; I'm fine.  Sure, hang on."  She handed the phone back to Alex and put 
her head on the pillow.

"Matthew?  Looks like it, too.  OK.  Thanks, man."  Alex hung up the phone and looked at 
Katie.  "He says to tell you that you sound like shit and he's on his way."

"You two are a match made in Heaven," she frowned.  "I'm fine!"  Another cramp washed 
over her, a small 'ow' escaping her lips.

Alex curled up next to her and draped an arm across her waist.  "Yeah, you're fine. Keep 
telling yourself that."  He nuzzled her neck.  "I won't let anything happen to you," 
he whispered.

"I know," she whispered back.  "Hey, I didn't know you could pick me up like that."

He smiled into her shoulder.  "You'd be surprised what I can do with this thing."

"I look forward to discovering all the options," she hummed.  "Matthew's going to 
go apeshit when we tell him what we've done."

"I know," Alex replied.  "We don't have a choice, Katya.  He's going to have to find 
out sooner or later, especially since there are syringes waiting for both he and Tyler.  
He's going to want to run tests, you know that don't you?"  Katie nodded her head.  
"So will Scully."

"I know," she whispered.  "We don't have to call her right away, do we?"

"Let's see what happens tonight and we'll decide from there," he answered.  "I'd like 
to wait until after the holidays, if Matthew thinks it's all right."  

The elevator door opened and Matthew rushed to the bedroom.  "Hi, got here as soon as I 
could.  Did you know that the streetlight is out, Hanna?  You might want to call the city 
and have them fix that."

Alex cracked a smile and Katie giggled.  "Gee, thanks Kid.  I'll look into that right 
away."

"You look awful, kiddo," Matthew observed.  "What's going on?"

"I had a headache last night and some cramps this evening," she answered, trying to brush 
him off.

Alex sat up and climbed off the bed.  "Matthew, can I talk to you, alone," he 
asked.

"No, Alexei," Katie started.

"Stay there," he said.  "We'll be back shortly."

"Let me do it," she begged.

Alex shook his head and closed the door behind him.

"What's going on, Alex?" Matthew asked.  

"Sit down. This is going to take a bit of explaining.  I need you to hear me out and 
really listen to what I'm going to say."  Matthew sat back in the chair and waited.  
"Part of what the Consortium was working on was a vaccine against an alien virus," he 
began.  He spun his tale for Matthew, explaining about the tests, the black oil, 
the virus and it's effect on humans.  He finished with Spender's visit and Katie's 
being given the vaccine.  

Matthew gripped the side of the chair.  "You gave her an untested vaccine for a mythical 
alien virus!" he bellowed.  "Are you out of your fucking mind!"

"It's not completely untested, Matthew.  There are a handful of people who've been 
given the vaccine before.  I know one of them and she's fine.  She works for the FBI 
and she's a medical doctor.  I'm taking Katie to see her soon," Alex added.  "Once 
Scully checks it out and declares it safe, I have some for you and Tyler too."

"There's no way in Hell I'm letting you put that stuff in either me or Tyler!" Matthew 
yelled.

"Matthew! Will you stop yelling and listen to him...please?" Katie stood in the 
doorway, leaning against the frame.  "I made him give me the vaccine; he didn't want to 
do it.  He's telling you the truth about the aliens and their threat to us."

"Hanna, how can you believe this crap? It's pure science fiction," he said, frustrated 
with both of them.

Katie pushed off the doorframe and made her way to Matthew.  She put her hands on either 
side of his head and pulled his face down to hers.  "I just know.  I have a feeling; a 
strong one, Kid."

Matthew stared back at her, pleading with his eyes.  "No Hanna, not this time."  It 
was more of a question than a statement.  Katie's 'feelings' were never wrong; not in 
the twenty-eight years they'd been friends, had he ever seen one of them fail to come to 
pass.  Now it was Matthew's turn to go pale.  He reached for the chair behind him and 
slowly sank into it.  "Are you sure?" he said quietly.

"I was sure the moment I touched the box," she answered.  "Spender said five or six 
years, but it's going to be six.  You and Tyler have to be vaccinated; it's the only 
defense we have.  It doesn't have to be right away; we'll go see Scully first.  I 
think she needs to look at me, before we go injecting anyone else."  Katie's knees 
buckled as a cramp hit her again.  Alex and Matthew grabbed her and led her back to bed.  

Matthew checked her vital signs.  Her heart rate was slightly accelerated and her blood 
pressure was up.  He had Alex leave the room, so he could do a more thorough exam; 
much to Alex's dismay.  "Look Alex, I know you want to be here for everything, but I 
promise you, this isn't something you need to experience, OK?  I'll call you when I'm 
done," Matthew said as he closed the door.

Alex paced outside the door for a ten-minute eternity, before Matthew called him back 
into the room.  "So?"

Matthew looked at Alex, then at Katie.  "The good news is, everything looks fine," he 
said, closing his bag.  "The bad new is, I don't know what to make of the cramping.  It 
could be nothing more than a particularly hard period; that would explain the headache 
as well.  It could also be a reaction to the vaccine or a combination of the two."  He 
sat down on the bed next to Katie.  "Do you still have those muscle relaxants I gave you 
when your shoulder went out?"

"Yeah, they're in the medicine cabinet," she answered.

"What are they called?" Alex asked.  "I'll go check."

"Flexeril," Katie replied.  "Should be about half a bottle of them left in there."

He came back with the bottle in hand.  "Here you go," he said as he handed them to 
Matthew.

"OK, I want you take these for next day or so; see if they help with the cramping.  If 
it isn't better by tomorrow night, I'm going to take you in, kicking and screaming if I 
have to," he said with a frown.  "Oh, I'm going to draw blood from both of you 
tonight.  I want to take a look at what's going on in there.  I'm serious about taking 
you in if the pills don't help, Hanna." He turned to Alex. "I'm counting on you to keep 
her honest."

Katie touched Matthew's hand.  "If it still hurts tomorrow night, I won't fight you.  I 
promise."

Matthew raised his eyebrows in surprise.  "Excuse me?  Could you repeat that, because 
it sounded like you agreed to go the hospital?  I know that can't be right, so I 
must have misheard you."

"Don't be a smartass, Kid; it's unbecoming in a doctor," she huffed.  "This isn't just 
about me anymore; there's the greater good to be considered.  I'm a human guinea pig 
now; I understand that."

"No you're not.  I won't let that happen to you, Hanna," Matthew promised.

"You can't stop it, Kid," she sighed.  "Just promise me we'll keep this 'discovery' 
between the six of us."

"The six of us?" Matthew asked.  "Who are the other two?"

"Mulder and Scully," Alex answered.  "They're the only people who'll believe us.  
The only people I trust, outside of you, Katie and Tyler."

"Oh God, Tyler," Matthew exclaimed.  "How am I going to explain this to him?"

Alex squeezed Matthew's shoulder. "I'll tell him," he offered.

"We'll both tell him tomorrow night, at dinner," Katie added.

"If you're feeling up to it tomorrow," Matthew said.  "Let's see how it goes."

"Either way I'm going to have to eat, so if I'm not up to traveling, you guys can come 
over here for dinner.  Tyler won't mind using our kitchen," she said with a smile.  
"Ow," she moaned.  "Would you get me a drink so I can take this pill?"

Alex zipped out of the room, returning quickly with a glass of water and put it 
down on the nightstand.  He opened the bottle and handed her a pill.  She took it 
from his hand and washed the pill down without hesitation.  

Matthew kissed her on the cheek.  "You get some rest.  I'll check on you tomorrow.  
Alex, walk me out?"

Alex gave Katie a kiss as well.  "Be right back."  Katie smiled and blew him a kiss.

Matthew didn't say anything until they were at the elevator.  "You call me if the 
cramping gets worse or if her headache returns.  I don't care what time it is.  If 
anything worries you, call me."

"I will," Alex promised.  "Look about the phone call the other day...I was out of 
line."

Matthew's face reddened slightly.  "Oh, yeah.  I was a little mad at the time, but 
it...um...worked out to my advantage," he said with a shy smile.

Alex snickered.  "Yeah, Katie thought that might happen."

Matthew's face turned even redder.  "Is there nothing she doesn't tell you?"

"'Fraid not, buddy," Alex answered.  "Hey, you want me to call Tyler and tell that 
you're coming home and that you're really pissed off at me again?" he teased.

"No!" Matthew replied, indignantly.  He got on the elevator and reached for the button, 
then he grinned sheepishly.  "Maybe another time," he said as the doors closed.

Alex laughed, then returned to the bedroom.  Katie was asleep, so he went back out to 
turn off the tree and the other lights in the place, then doused the fire, before 
crawling into bed next her.

============================================
"Hey sleepyhead," Katie said, nudging Alex.  "I need to get up; wanna let go of me for a 
minute?"

"Oh, sorry," he said, sleepily.  He rolled off her and onto his pillow.  "How are you 
feeling?" he mumbled.

"I'm fine.  Go back to sleep."  Katie kissed his shoulder and got up.  She looked down at 
him and smiled before leaving the room.  What to do first, eat or bathe?  Katie 
weighed her options and chose the latter.  She stripped and got into the shower closing 
her eyes as the water worked its magic.  So far, so good.  The cramping from yesterday 
hadn't made an appearance since Matthew had left last night.  She would have slept 
through the night, if Alex hadn't been so restless.  'See, I knew you were 
overreacting Alexei,' she thought.  A wave of dizziness and nausea hit her a short time 
later.  Katie slumped against the tile, closing her eyes tightly until it passed.  
'OK, maybe not.'  She opened her eyes, half expecting to see him standing there, but she 
was still alone.  Katie knew if she told Alex, that he and Matthew would have her in 
the hospital within the hour.  She also knew that they would probably be correct in 
taking her there, but she wasn't going in without a fight.  As much as she hated it, 
she made the decision to keep this to herself as long as she could.  Maybe this 
would be the last of it; after all, she hadn't had anything to eat or drink since 
last night, which could account for the dizziness and nausea, she rationalized. 
Besides, that stupid pill sometimes made her dizzy anyway.  The decision made, she turned 
off the water.

Alex woke to find himself alone in their bed.  He sat up quickly, almost losing his 
balance when he tried to use his missing left arm to support him.  'You took it off 
before coming to bed last night dumbass,' he reminded himself.  'Maybe it's a good thing 
Katie's not in here right now,' he thought with a sigh.  The clatter of dishes brought 
him back to the moment.  He shrugged into his arm and his clothes before joining her 
in the kitchen.  

"Good morning," Katie said cheerfully.  "Hungry?" Alex nodded, so Katie pointed to a 
chair at the table.

 "Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked.

She put a plate in front of him and sat down.  "You were tired; I thought you could 
use a little more time."

He reached out to touch her forehead.  "How are you feeling?"

Katie snagged his hand and kissed it.  "You already asked me that once this morning.  
I'm fine; cut it out and eat your breakfast."

"I already asked you?  When did I do that?"

"This morning, when I got up to take a shower.  You were half asleep, but you did 
ask," she chuckled.

"If you say so," he replied.  "So, are you going to help decorate the tree this 
morning?"

"Of course, I was just waiting for you to wake up so we could get started," she 
answered smugly.  "I've been ready for an hour now.  Tell you what, I'll clear the 
table, you go out and unpack the bags."

Alex got up from the table.  "Don't be long."

"I won't."  Katie picked up the plates and carried them to the sink.  She felt a little 
woozy, but nothing she could keep from him, at least for the time being.  

Alex looked into the kitchen and saw her standing by the sink.  'Damn it,' he 
thought.  He wrestled with himself; should he call her bluff or let it go?  He decided 
to let her play it out for a little while, just to see what would happen.  How could he 
blame her for doing the very thing he'd do in her situation?  "You coming?" he called.

"Be right there," she answered.

They spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon decorating the tree.  Alex 
was just as picky about the placement of decorations as he was about the lights and 
Katie took great pleasure in putting her ornaments on carelessly, just to see his 
reaction.  He was so into it, that he didn't realize what she was doing until he caught 
her moving one of his carefully placed ornaments.

"Hey, put that back!" he exclaimed.

Katie giggled and put the ornament back in its designated spot.  

"You've been moving them all morning, haven't you?" Alex asked, his hands on his 
hips.  "No wonder this is taking so long."

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever figure it out," she snickered.

Alex put the last ornament on the tree.  "You know you're in trouble, don't you?" he 
asked, as moved slowly toward her.  Katie backed away, grinning from ear to ear.  
"Big, big trouble."  Katie inched slowly away from him, trying not to let the 
dizziness she felt show in her steps.  Alex rushed at her just as her knees buckled.  
"Gotcha," he growled.  "Hmmm, now how should I pay you back for messing with the tree?"  
He lowered his mouth to her neck and sucked long and hard.  Pulling back, he surveyed 
his handiwork.  "Oh yeah, that's a good start," he grinned.

"That the best you can do, tough guy?" Katie challenged.

"Oh no, I'm just getting started, baby," he said.  Alex grabbed the front of her shirt 
and clutched it in his fist, pulling her toward the bedroom.  His eyes never left 
hers as he slowly backed across the room.  Once inside, he gently pushed her back onto 
the mattress and settled in between her legs.  He kissed her hard, forcing his 
tongue inside her mouth.  She met him with the same intensity, holding on to the back 
of his head to keep him in place.  Alex thrust against her, causing Katie to gasp 
into his mouth.  He pushed his hand between them and fondled her breast through her 
shirt.  Katie arched her back at his touch.  Alex pulled away from her mouth to catch his 
breath.  He flicked his tongue across her earlobe, then moved in closer.  "Katya?" he 
whispered.

"Mmmm, what baby?" she answered breathily.

"I'm going to go take a shower," he whispered.  Before the words had a chance to 
register, he got up and stood beside the bed, leaving her too stunned for words.  He 
smiled down at her.  "I told you not to lie to me, Katya.  You've been dizzy for most of 
the day, yet every time I asked how you were feeling, you said you were fine."

"Alexei," Katie whined, taking hold of his leg.  "No fair."  She ran her hand up his 
thigh, trying to reach his zipper, but he backed away before she reached her goal.

"No way," he said, taking her hand in his.  "You wanna get off?" He took her hand and 
placed it on her stomach.  "Take care of it yourself."  Katie looked like she was ready 
to spit nails.  She opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off.  "I warned 
you," he said, pointing his finger at her.  "Maybe next time you'll remember this."  He 
backed out of the room, shaking his head in amusement.  Katie launched a pillow at him, 
along with a healthy growl.  Alex chuckled as the pillow fell short.  "Be good, Katya 
and maybe I won't tell Matthew on you."

Katie sat up quickly and pushed off the bed, sending herself hurtling toward the door.  
Big mistake number two.  She had just enough time to yell, "better lock that door, 
Alexei" before she hit the ground with a thud.  "Shit!" she grumbled in frustration.

Alex ran back over to her.  "Are you all right?" he asked, as he bent down to help 
her up.

"I'm fine," she sighed.  "A little embarrassed, but fine."  She allowed Alex to 
help her back to the bed.  "Go take your shower.  I'll just lie here and be useless 
until this thing runs its course."

"Promise?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, yeah.  Go away, will ya?" Katie mumbled, turning away from him.

"OK, but just long enough to get clean."  He leaned down and kissed her gently on her 
forehead.  "You're not useless, just out of commission for a bit, that's all.  Now you 
know I felt all those weeks."  He waited for her to say something, but when she didn't, 
he brushed the hair away from her face.  "Fine, be a grouch; I love you anyway."  
Alex smiled and shook his head as he left the room.

While he was toweling off, Alex heard clicking noises coming from the other room.  
Curiosity got the better of him, so he left the bathroom wearing nothing but the damp 
towel around his waist.  It didn't take long to locate the source of the sound.  Katie 
was sitting at the computer, typing furiously, hair pulled back in a ponytail, 
poking out the back of a black baseball cap.  He frowned and walked over to the desk.  

Katie heard Alex open the bathroom door and listened as he made his way over to her.  He 
cleared his throat, but she threw her hand up to stop him. "Not now." Without ever 
tearing her eyes away from the monitor, she issued a set of orders. "Call Tyler and tell 
him he's going to have to feed us here, get me a large glass of ice water and read the 
hat."  

'Read the hat?' he wondered.  Alex backed away from the desk and went to get the glass 
of ice water she'd requested...demanded?  He returned and placed it beside her on the 
desk, then walked behind her to read the hat.  Embroidered over the strap in the back 
were the words, 'Leave me alone!'  Alex raised an eyebrow at the sentiment, but 
chose to keep his thoughts to himself.  He turned and went into the bedroom to get 
dressed, before completing his assignment.  He'd barely shrugged on his shirt, when the 
phone rang.  "Hello?"

"So, how's the patient this morning?" Tyler asked cheerfully.

"I'm not really sure," Alex replied.  "She was dizzy earlier this morning, so I put her 
back to bed and went in to take a shower.  When I got out, she was sitting at the 
computer typing like a woman possessed."

"Is she wearing the hat?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah," Alex said slowly.

"Oh boy," Tyler sighed.  "We'll be over around six to feed and console you, in the 
meantime, here's what you do.  Number one, don't speak unless spoken to, not even to 
ask if she wants more to drink or something to eat.  Number two, keep the glass full.  
Number three, whatever Katie wants, Katie gets; don't ever forget that.  This is where 
you play the humble manservant, my dear.  If she asks you for the moon on a platter, 
you'd better figure out a way to get it for her.  This is that mood we told you about 
once before.  Just keep your mouth shut, follow the rules and it'll pass in a few 
hours. And whatever you do, don't read over her shoulder.  I know you've been granted 
special reading privileges, but all bets are off when she gets like this."

"Is this your way of saying the honeymoon's over?" Alex responded.

Tyler laughed.  "For you two?  Never.  Since she seems to delight in sharing our sexual 
secrets with you, I'll let you in on one of hers.  This 'possessed' mood swing you're 
seeing right does have some nice side benefits, but I'll let you discover those 
for yourself."

"So the honeymoon's not over?" Alex asked with a grin.  "That's a relief."

"DAMN, DAMN, DAMN," Katie yelled.  

"Uh oh, see you tonight, Alex," Tyler said.  "Good luck."

"Thanks, Ty," Alex replied.  He hung up the phone and turned to see what Katie was 
yelling about.  She had her hands on her head and was rocking frantically in the 
chair.  Not knowing what to do, he hung back and watched.

"No, no, that's not right," she said aloud, just before making a growling noise.  
"Noise, I need noise.  Alex put on something loud.  Music, loud music."  Katie beat on 
her legs, nervously and continued to stare at the monitor

Alex rushed to the CD player to see what he could find.  Loud music?  Oh shit, what was 
loud?  He ran his finger across the CDs looking for names of groups he recognized.  
'Styx Greatest Hits; was that loud enough?' he wondered.  Alex dropped it in, punched it 
up to start on track 9 and crossed his fingers.  

The piano played its opening solo.  Katie stopped beating on her legs and kicked back 
in her chair, eyes closed.  "I'm sailing away..."  Katie grinned.  'Oh yeah, this 
guy's good," she thought with a chuckle.  'Maybe I'll keep him around after all.'

'Must have picked right,' Alex thought, feeling oddly relieved.  At what point did 
he lose control over his life?  There was a time when an attitude like hers would have 
been met with a rousing "fuck you" followed by the sound of his footsteps marching out 
the door.  He settled in on the couch to watch her.  

The song ended and she resumed typing.  Her fingers flew through the next few songs, 
before coming to a rest on the keyboard. The CD had stopped playing and Alex braced 
himself for the next outburst.  What was it about this woman that kept him on the edge 
of his seat?  Then, Katie took off the hat and spun around in her chair.  She looked at 
him and smiled, biting her lower lip as she did.  "Hi," she said quietly.

"Hi yourself," he replied, relaxing against the back of the couch.

"Did you have a nice shower?"

"Very nice.  How are you feeling?"

"No more dizziness, no more cramping," she answered.  He fixed a stare at her.  
"Honest.  Want me to walk a straight line for you?  Touch my nose with my fingertips?"  
Not waiting for an answer, Katie stood up, extended her hands and slowly brought her 
fingertips to her nose.  "See?"  She stood on tiptoe and walked a straight line all the 
way to the couch.  "Could I do that if I was still feeling dizzy?  I don't think so."  
She could tell that he still wasn't entirely convinced.  Katie climbed onto his lap, 
straddling his legs.  She took his face in her hands and stared back at him.  "It was 
the Flexeril.  Sometimes it makes me dizzy, but usually not like this.  Maybe it didn't 
agree with the vaccine; I don't know, but it's out of my system now and I feel fine."  
She felt him start to relax, but he still wasn't buying the act entirely.  "You can 
ask Matthew tonight; he'll tell you the same thing."

Alex frowned.  "Why didn't Tyler mention it when I spoke to him earlier?"

"Did you ask him?" Katie answered.  Alex shook his head.  "He's not psychic, 
sweetheart; he can't answer questions you don't ask."

Alex gave her a half-smile and conceded the point.  Katie moved slowly toward his mouth, 
giving him every opportunity to pull away, if he wasn't ready to let her make it up to 
him just yet.  She pressed her lips to his.  He yielded slightly.  Katie pushed back, far 
enough to look him in the eyes.  "Have I told you lately that I love you?" she 
whispered.

'Oh yeah,' he thought.  'That's what happened.'  He smiled.  "You know, I don't 
believe I've heard you say that all day."

"Mmmm," Katie nodded.  "My mistake.  Here, let me spell it out for you."  She kissed 
him softly. "I."  Kiss. "Love."  Kiss.  "You." Kiss.  "Is that better?"

Alex shrugged his shoulders.  "I suppose, if that's the best you can do..." he said, 
rolling his eyes upward.

Katie swooped down on his mouth, catching him by surprise.  She forced his lips open 
and plunged her tongue inside, while unbuttoning his shirt as fast as her fingers 
could push the buttons from their holes.  Alex pulled her shirt free from her 
sweatpants and shoved his hand up and under, to run his hand up her back.  She smoothed 
her hands across his chest, stroking his nipples with her thumbs.  He hummed 
contentedly into her mouth.  Katie came up for air briefly, then turned her attention 
to his neck.  She nibbled her way up to his earlobe, giving that a nip as well.  
"Alexei?" she whispered.  Alex froze.  'She wouldn't...would she?' he wondered.  Katie 
felt him go still and stifled a chuckle.  'Gotcha,' she thought.  "Care to join me in 
the shower?"

The elevator door wooshed open.  "I see the mood has passed," Tyler observed.  "Am I 
interrupting?"

"Yes," Alex growled. 

"Nothing that can't wait until later," Katie chirped.  She bent down. "What goes around, 
comes around, baby," she whispered in Alex's ear.  

Katie bounced off of Alex's lap and over to Tyler.  "So, what are you cooking tonight?" 
she asked, as she kissed him on the cheek. 

"Beef stroganoff," he answered.  "Your favorite.  I had planned something 
different, but after speaking to Alex earlier, I decided to change the menu."

Katie looked at Alex and back to Tyler.  "Just what did he say?"

"He said you were wearing the hat.  That's all I needed to hear.  What he didn't say 
was that you were still lounging around in your pajamas."

"These are sweatpants, you toad, not pajamas!" Katie replied indignantly.

"Whatever.  You still didn't bother to take the time to dress and, my love," he added, 
patting her head, "you have hat hair.  Go take a shower.  I'm not serving MY beef 
stroganoff, with you looking like that."  

Katie gave him the 'evil eye' and put her hands on her hips.  "You know, Ty, you can 
be a real prick sometimes."

"And you can be a real bitch, so we balance each other out," he retorted.  "Now scoot."  
He turned her around and pushed her gently toward the bathroom. "Go make yourself 
presentable for the fabulous meal I'm about to prepare." 

Katie huffed, but went to the bathroom door.  She turned and stuck her tongue out at Tyler 
before slamming the door shut.

Alex watched the exchange from the comfort and safety of the couch.  As soon as the 
door closed, he let out a snicker before it had a chance to blossom into a full-blown 
laugh.  He got up to go out to the kitchen to give Tyler a proper welcome.

Tyler was standing by the sink, looking in the direction of the bathroom door. Alex 
started to say something, but Tyler held up his hand.  "Shhh."  Alex heard a soft noise 
from the bathroom, then the sound of the water turning on in the shower.  Tyler 
smiled over at him and wiggled his eyebrows.  "Now's your chance," he grinned.  "Go get 
her."

Alex's eyes widened.  "Tyler!"

"Don't give me that," Tyler chuckled.  "She's thoroughly pissed right now and still 
horny; something the two of you have in common," he added, nodding at Alex's crotch.  
"I'm just repaying the favor.  Get out of here before you pop the zipper on those 
jeans, because if that happens, I will not be responsible for my actions," he sighed 
dramatically, as he put his hand on Alex's shoulder for effect.

"Why Tyler," Alex said in mock surprise. "I never knew you cared."  He moved his head 
down and gave Tyler's hand a quick kiss.  

"Tease," Tyler said, as he smacked the underside of Alex's chin with his fingers.  
"Go already, you only have an hour before dinner."

Alex laughed, then slipped quietly into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

Fifteen minutes later, the elevator door swung open once again.  Matthew could smell 
the onions sauteing on the stove.  He dropped his bag next to the couch and headed 
into the kitchen.  Tyler had just finished cubing the meat and was putting the last of 
it in a bowl for the time being.  "Stroganoff?" he asked.  

"She was wearing the hat when I called Alex this afternoon," Tyler explained.  He 
grabbed the bowl with the rice in it and placed it in the microwave.

"Oh," Matthew replied.  "So where is the manic one now?"

Tyler smiled.  "In the shower."

Matthew picked up a spoon and gave the onions a stir.  "Where's Alex?"

Tyler gave him an evil grin.  "In the shower."

Matthew's eyes opened wide.  "Oooooh really?"  A noise from the bathroom caught 
their ears.  They exchanged glances.  "She really should insulate those walls."

"Truly," Tyler agreed.  "You can hear...everything."  He took a few steps in 
the direction of the bathroom door.  "No privacy whatsoever."

Matthew came closer to Tyler.  "Nope, no privacy at all."

"We really shouldn't," Tyler said, inching closer to the door.

"No, it's completely inappropriate," Matthew agreed, leaning up against the doorframe.  

"Some might even think it childish," Tyler grinned.

"And crude?" Matthew asked, returning his grin.

"No, not crude," Tyler answered.  "Now betting on the outcome...that would be 
crude."

Matthew smiled broadly and reached for his wallet.  "Twenty bucks he makes her scream 
in," he stopped to check his watch, "fifteen minutes."

"Matthew!  I'm surprised at you!" Tyler exclaimed.  "I give it ten minutes, tops."  
He sniffed the air.  "Oh damn, let me take the onions off the burner."  He ran in, 
moved the onions to a cool burner, then returned to his spot by the door.  "Eight 
more minutes."

"No way, thirteen." At the ten-minute mark, Matthew held out his hand.  "Pay up, 
sweetheart."

Tyler frowned and shook his head.  "Nope, I may have been wrong on the time, but you 
haven't won yet."

"Fine, we'll wait five more minutes." Five minutes passed, then ten.  "Damn, looks like 
neither of us wins," Matthew said.  "Come on already, Alex.  Finish the poor girl off so 
we can eat."

"There you go, being the hopeless romantic," Tyler said, rolling his eyes.  

"Hey, we had a steady stream of patients today; I never got a chance to eat lunch.  
If I'd known I was in for a show before dinner, I would have grabbed a snack on the 
way home.  I'll be romantic after you feed me," he winked.  "Oh...wait...what was 
that?" he asked, putting his ear to the door.  "Come here." 

Tyler put his ear to the door and listened.  "Oh yeah," he whispered.  "Won't be long 
now."

Fifteen minutes later, Matthew poked his head into the kitchen.  Tyler had the meat 
cooking and was getting ready to add the sour cream.  "Come on, they're almost done."  
He stopped what he was doing, followed Matthew to the bathroom door and waited for 
it to open.  When it did, Katie and Alex were greeted with a round of applause and a 
few assorted catcalls.

Katie shook her head.  "Perverts!" she chuckled.  "See the kind of shit I have to 
put up with, Alexei?"

"Appalling...I'm shocked," Alex replied with a snicker.  Tyler held up his hand allowing 
Alex to high-five him.  

Katie's jaw dropped, but she was smiling.  "Pigs!" she exclaimed.  "You're all pigs!"

============================================
Matthew pushed his plate away and dropped his napkin on the table.  "How are you 
feeling, Hanna?"

Katie swallowed and took a drink, before answering.  "Much better.  That Flexeril 
gave me a bad case of the 'dizzies' this time though; worse than usual.  Scared Alex, 
scared me a little, too," she admitted.

"I forgot to mention that, didn't I?" Matthew said, looking at Alex.  "Sorry about 
that."  He looked back at Katie.  "How bad was it?"

"I spent most of the morning woozy, fell down once, but I managed to flush it out of 
my system eventually," she answered, waving him off.  "I think it might have been a 
chemical reaction between the drug and..." she stopped, realizing that they hadn't told 
Tyler about the vaccine yet.  Everyone went still.

Tyler looked at his friends and suddenly felt left out of the loop.  "A chemical 
reaction between the drug and what?" he asked slowly.  "Did I miss something?"

"Yeah," Matthew replied, blowing out a breath.  "There's something we need to tell 
you."

Alex reached out and squeezed Matthew's hand.  "Let me do it," he said.  Matthew 
nodded and sat back in his chair.  

"This isn't a good thing you're about to tell me, is it?" Tyler asked.  He saw Katie, 
Matthew and Alex nod their heads in perfect synchrony.  "I think I need a drink first."  
Katie reached for his glass and poured him more wine.  He picked it up and threw it 
back in one gulp.  

"Remember that hush-hush work I couldn't tell you about?"  Alex began.

Tyler listened as Alex attempted to explain everything.  Every so often, he glanced over 
at Katie and Matthew, looking for a telltale smile or giggle; something to let him know 
that this was an elaborate joke they'd set up for his benefit.  He saw nothing.  When 
Alex stopped talking, Tyler stared at him blankly, still waiting for the 'gotcha'.  
Katie left the table, only to return momentarily, with the box in her hand.  She 
put it on the table in front of him and opened the lid.  Tyler looked at the box, 
then at Katie, then at the box.  He reached out and gingerly touched the syringes.  His 
hand recoiled as soon as his fingers met the cold plastic casings.  "This is real?"  All 
three nodded their heads.  "How long before they..."

"Six years," Katie answered.  Tyler looked at her, his brow furrowed.  "I feel it," she 
said with a shrug.

"You really have this stuff inside you, Katie?" he asked.

Katie nodded her head and gave him a little smile.  "Yeah, I do.  One of these is for 
you and another for Matthew, if you'll agree to it." Katie closed the box.  "You don't 
have to decide now; we want to have Alex's friend, Scully, check it out before we give 
it to anyone else.  If it is what it's supposed to be, I'm hoping you and Matthew 
will let us vaccinate you both."

Tyler looked over at Matthew, who was rubbing his temples with one hand.  
"Matthew?"  

"Yeah?"

"What do you think?"

Matthew put his elbows on the table, then rested his chin in his hands.  "If this is 
what Alex believes it to be...if this Agent Scully confirms his suspicions...then we do 
it," he sighed.  "Besides, Hanna has a 'feeling'..." He shrugged and made a lame 
attempt at a chuckle.  

Katie got up and cleared the dishes from the table, leaving Matthew and Alex to answer 
Tyler's questions.  She'd heard quite enough about the vaccine for now and needed a 
break. 

Matthew watched as Katie rinsed the dishes and put them into the dishwasher.  Something 
about the way she moved disturbed him.  She didn't look sick, just restless.  He got up 
from the table and joined her in the kitchen.  "What's wrong?"

"I...I don't want to talk about this anymore tonight," she said quietly.  "It's important 
that Tyler knows everything and he needs to know now, but I need a breather."  She put 
her hand on Matthew's arm.  "Take me for a walk?"

Matthew frowned.  "Hanna, I don't know if that's such a good idea.  You've been sick 
and I know you're feeling better..."

"I'm fine now and besides, I'll have my own personal physician by my side," she said 
with a grin.  "Please Kid?  Just a short one, I promise."

"Just a short one," he agreed.  "I'll go get your coat; you tell them we're going."

Katie nodded and went back out to the table.  Alex was patiently trying to explain the 
intricacies of the conspiracy to a very confused Tyler.  Poor guy, he was trying so 
hard to get a grip on the weirdness that had been dumped in his lap and he was failing 
miserably.  Katie put her arms around Alex's neck and kissed his cheek.  "Matthew is 
taking me out for a walk.  We'll be back in a little bit," she said softly.  

Alex turned to look at her.  "Want me come along?" he asked.

"No, stay here with Tyler," she answered.  "I need to spend time with Matthew right 
now.  We haven't spent any time together for quite awhile; he needs me."

"And you need him," Alex added.  

Katie smiled as Matthew returned, coats in hand.  "Yeah, I do."  She took her coat from 
his hand.  "Ready?"

Matthew leaned down to give Tyler a quick peck on the cheek.  "Yeah, I'm ready.  We 
won't be long; I don't want Hanna to overdo, but I think a short walk will be good for 
her."

They turned and walked to the elevator, together.  Tyler waited until the door 
closed before speaking to Alex.  "He needs this more than she does.  Matthew's missed 
her the last few weeks.  I mean, he's seen her, but he hasn't been able to really talk 
to her or just hang out with her; it's been hard for him."  Alex shifted uncomfortably 
in his chair.  "Don't take that the wrong way, Alex," Tyler continued.  "He knows, 
intellectually, that you're not taking Katie away from him; his heart needs a little time 
to catch up, that's all."

============================================
Katie and Matthew emerged onto the dark street behind the loft.  Matthew glanced up 
at the streetlight.  "Have you called the city about that light yet?"

"No," Katie smiled.  "I'm not going to either.  It was a present from Alex."  He 
gave her a questioning look.  "Don't ask."

Matthew nodded, then reached for her hand.  "Come on."  She took his hand and let him 
lead the way.  They walked in silence for a couple of blocks, then Matthew squeezed her 
hand.  "I've missed you," he said quietly, not looking at her.

Katie pressed up to his side and dropped her head against his shoulder.  "Missed you, 
too."  

"He makes you happy."  It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact on Matthew's part.

"He makes me whole," Katie replied.  

"I know," he sighed.

Katie brought her head back and looked at him, brow furrowed. "You do?"

Matthew smiled sadly.  "Yeah, I do.  He kicks you in the butt when you need it; 
comforts you when you're down, holds before you realize you want him to.  You move with 
him, even when you're not in the same room, you speak with your eyes and he understands, 
you're calmer with him than I've ever seen you before."  He paused and shook his head 
in amusement.  "You let him read your manuscript," he added.

"There you have it," she chuckled.  "Undeniable proof."  Katie slipped her arms 
around his waist and rested her head against his chest.  "I still need you, Kid; always 
and forever.  Especially now."

Matthew put his chin on the top of her head.  "I'm scared, Hanna.  The clock's ticking and 
I can't make it stop.  I'm mad at Alex for telling us, but at the same time, thankful 
that he's given us a chance for survival."

"So you really do believe him?"

Matthew nodded his head.  "I believed him from the start."  Katie raised her eyebrows 
and smirked at him.  Matthew smiled back at her. "Well...part of me believed him and you 
were so sure...I ran some preliminary tests on your blood today; there's an element in 
it I can't explain.  Alex has it in his, too.  How could I not believe?  I have 
physical evidence of...something." He took a deep breath before continuing.  " I also did 
a little checking on this Dr. Scully Alex keeps talking about.  Seems she and Mulder 
are the FBI's resident experts on unexplained phenomena."

"How did you find that out?" Katie asked.

"Remember Byron Odera?"

"How could I forget?  His name still makes my flesh crawl.  What about the little 
creep?" 

"The little creep," Matthew snickered, "works in the Federal Crime Lab now.  I just 
got his annual 'aren't I special' Christmas letter, so I decided to take advantage of 
him to gather a little information.  By the way, he sends his regards."

"Oh goody," she replied, rolling her eyes.  "If he helped to make you feel better about 
things, I guess he served his purpose."  Katie stopped for a second and rubbed her 
side.  "Can we sit?  I've got a stitch in my side."

Matthew led her to a bus stop bench and sat down beside her.  "Maybe this wasn't such a 
good idea after all," he said.

"No, I'll be fine.  It really is just a stitch.  If we'd stayed inside, I'd be 
climbing the walls about now and none of us want to see that happen," she assured him.

Matthew reached down and rubbed her side, trying to ease the muscles. "Hanna?" he 
asked, wanting to change the subject.  "I know that you and Alex have shared an awful 
lot about your past experiences."

"Yeah, we have," she answered.

"Have you had the past lovers conversation yet?" he asked.

"No," Katie replied.  "We haven't gotten to that yet."

Matthew shifted on the bench.  "Are you going to tell him?"

"What do you think?" she asked.  "It's going to come up very soon and I'm not keeping 
anything from him.  You do understand that by now, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," he sighed.  "How do you think he's going to react?"

"He'll probably want to rip your head off and shove it up your ass," she teased.

Matthew couldn't quite make out her expression in the dimness of the street 
light.  "You think he's going to be upset?" he asked, worry evident in the tone of his 
voice.

Katie laughed and patted Matthew's leg.  "I was kidding, sweetheart.  Don't get your 
shorts in a bunch.  It's a sweet story, Matthew; most first time stories are. He's 
probably going to smile and say that it explains a lot about the way you treated 
him," she reassured.   "You know he thinks you're jealous of him, don't you?"

Matthew nodded.  "Both he and Tyler have said that to me."

"Is it true?"

Matthew dropped his head and ran his fingers through his hair.  "Maybe...yeah, I am," he 
admitted.  

"Why?  I've dated other guys before without you going ballistic."

"But Alex is different, Hanna.  He's the one that's going to stay."

"Are you going to be OK with that, Kid?"  Katie asked.  She leaned against his 
shoulder and put squeezed his leg.  "I need you to say that you'll be OK with this, but 
if you're not, I'll understand."

Matthew put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.  "I'm fine with it.  I 
promise."

"Will you still be fine with it when I'm pregnant and lumbering around like a circus 
elephant?"

"You haven't told him about the accident?"  Matthew pulled back in surprise.  "You know 
what the doctors said, Hanna."

"Yes, I've told him about the accident.  He's seen me naked after all, so there 
really wasn't anyway of getting around it," Katie replied.  "I've told him what the 
doctors said, but he believes that we're going to have a little boy one day." Katie 
chuckled and rubbed her stomach gently.  "And you know what?  I believe him."

Matthew shook his head and chuckled as well.  "This may sound crazy, but if this is 
something the two of you have your hearts set on, then I have no doubt you'll make it 
happen."  He gave her side one more quick rub.  "Feel better now?"  Katie nodded.  
"Let's go home; they're probably staring out the window waiting for us to appear."

Katie stood first and put one hand on Matthew's cheek.  She leaned down and kissed 
him sweetly.  "I love you."

Matthew looked down at the ground, then back up at her, shyly.  "I love you, too."  He 
stood up and took her hand.  "Come on, we'd better go before people start to talk." 

============================================
"I'm going to take Tyler home," Matthew announced, as they rode the elevator up to 
the loft.  "You don't need to hear any more about this tonight and, if I know Tyler, 
he's still trying to get answers to questions Alex doesn't have the answers to."

"Coward," Katie joked.  "You're afraid to look Alex in the face right now, aren't 
you?"

"Shut up!" Matthew exclaimed.  "I am not afraid to look him in the face.  If you 
want, I'll tell him myself."  His last words flew out as the elevator doors opened.

"Tell which him what?" Alex asked.

Katie burst into laughter at Matthew's stellar timing.  "Well, go on," she urged.  
"This is your golden opportunity to come clean, Kid.  Alex, Matthew has something 
important he's simply dying to tell you."

"Katrina Elizabeth Heyes!" Matthew sputtered.  "Shut your mouth right now!"  He 
looked at Tyler, his face getting redder with each passing second.  "Come on, Ty, 
we're going home before I say something I might regret."  

Tyler nodded and went to get his coat.  Alex followed him back.  "What do you think 
that's all about?" he asked Tyler.

"I have an idea, but it's not my place to say anything," Tyler answered.

"Come on, Ty," Alex prodded.  "What is it?  Matthew's obviously embarrassed about 
whatever it is."

"Look, I really can't help you out with this one," Tyler replied.  "This has to come from 
either Katie or Matthew, my dear; I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole.  Suffice it 
to say that there is still much you have to learn about those two."  He put on his coat 
and walked back to the elevator.  Katie and Matthew were deep in conversation, so he 
turned back to Alex.  "Do yourself a favor, Alex.  Don't ask; she'll tell you when she's 
ready and judging from what's already been said, it won't be long," he whispered.  

Katie motioned toward Tyler and Alex, causing Matthew to stop talking.  "Sorry to 
see you two leave so early," Alex said.  "Thanks for dinner, Ty; it was delicious."  
He extended his hand to Matthew.  "Thanks for taking care of Katie."

Matthew threw a glance at Tyler, who shrugged.  "No problem; she's my favorite 
patient.  It looks like we're over the worst of it, whatever it was, just make sure she 
takes it easy for the next day or two."

"You hear that, Katya?  I think we'd better keep the trapeze in the box for a few more 
days," Alex sighed.  He had to bite his lip when Matthew's eyes widened. "I'm kidding, 
Matthew," he snickered.  "Sometimes you're just too easy."

The elevator door closed, leaving Katie and Alex alone.  "How was your walk?" he asked 
her, as they moved back into the loft.

"Nice.  I needed some time with Matthew and I really wasn't up to hearing any more about 
the virus and the vaccine and the aliens.  I know it's not going to go away; I'm not 
trying to hide from it," she explained.  "I just didn't want to go there anymore 
tonight."

"Probably just as well," Alex replied.  "I think Tyler needed to be able to ask 
questions and have only one person attempt to answer.  He'll be all right with 
this, eventually.  For all his open-mindedness, I have a feeling Tyler's going 
to take longer to come to terms with everything, than Matthew did."

Katie nodded in agreement.  "It'll take him a while, but he'll be fine."  She walked 
into the kitchen to finish cleaning up, but found that the room had already been taken 
care of.  Katie picked up the sponge and started idly wiping down the counters.

"It gave him something normal to do while we talked," Alex said.  "He washed and asked, I 
dried and answered."  He took the sponge from her hand and tossed it back into the 
sink.  "You have something to tell me."  She turned and tried to move away from him, 
putting off the inevitable.  He put one hand on either side of her, trapping her between 
his body and the counter.  "Spill it, Katya."

"Not right now, Alexei," Katie stalled.  "This isn't something you just blurt out 
over coffee at the kitchen table."

"So where do you talk about this?" Alex asked.

"In the bedroom, in the afterglow of really great sex, when you're sharing intimate 
secrets in the dark with your lover," she answered.  "Even then, you have to be 
careful that you say it just right."

Alex considered her words, then chuckled softly.  "Then I guess I should be relieved 
that Matthew didn't want to tell me after all."  He bent down and kissed her hard, 
forcing his tongue deep into her mouth.  Katie responded in kind, clutching the back 
of his neck to keep him place, until they both had to come up for air.  Alex inclined 
his head toward the bedroom. "Bedroom, great sex, intimate secrets?"

Katie laughed softly.  "Meet you in there in a minute."

"Where are you going?"

"Bathroom," she answered.  "Go on, I'll be there before you know it."

Alex nodded and went into the bedroom.  He kicked off his shoes and socks, then threw 
back the blankets on the bed.  True to her word, she was there almost before his ass 
hit the mattress.  She tossed him a couple of towels.  "Towels are easier to replace 
than mattresses," she explained.  He spread one of the towels out on the bed, then 
pulled her down.  Clothing fell down on the floor as they made short order of the 
inconvenient garments. As he reached the final scrap of material keeping the last 
part of her body from his view, she stopped him.  "Turn the light off," she whispered.

"Why?  I want to see you, Katya," Alex whispered back, nuzzling her neck, his hand 
still on the waistband of her panties.

"Please?  The shower was one thing, but here...I don't want you to see," she 
hesitated.

"I've seen blood before," he soothed.

"That's the point," she countered.  "You've seen too much, in all the wrong situations."  
Katie reached up and stroked his cheek.  "Maybe I'm being overprotective.  Indulge 
me?"

Alex rolled over and turned out the light.  He moved back to her and placed his hand 
back in its former position.  "Better?" he asked.  She kissed him and wrapped her arms 
around his neck.  "I'll take that as a 'yes'," he chuckled.   Katie smiled against 
his neck and lifted her hips slightly as he slid the panties off and dropped them onto 
the floor.
============================================

He lay still, allowing her to use the other towel to clean him up afterwards.  Alex had 
started to protest, but she was insistent.  There were worse things she could have hang-
ups about, he supposed.  He took the towel away from her when he felt she was stalling.  
"OK, I'm clean.  Relax," he said.  He put his hand on her shoulder and urged her 
downward, until she was lying on his chest.  "Is what you're planning on telling me that 
awful?" he asked.

Katie shook her head.  "No, it's not awful...I've just never had to tell this to 
anyone before.  It's not exactly common knowledge, but I think you have the right to 
know."

"I'm guessing this has to do with Matthew," he started.

"Yeah, it does," she answered.

"And Tyler knows," he continued.

"He's the only other one that would have any reason to know," she said quietly.  Katie 
stayed still, trying to figure out how to begin.

Alex kissed her hair, then started talking.  "On my sixteenth birthday, my benefactor had 
a dinner party in my honor; just a few of his associates and the two of us.  It was 
more of a business meeting than a party, with the exception of the presence of a 
young lady I'd never seen before.  I assumed she was a secretary or someone's daughter, 
since we really weren't introduced beyond first names.  At the end of the evening, 
everyone left, except her.  My benefactor took me aside and explained that, in 
addition to the car he'd presented me with earlier in the day, that he was giving me 
this woman for the evening.  He'd assumed, and rightly so, I might add, that I was a 
virgin, and decided that my birthday would be the perfect time to rectify the 
situation."

"Sounds like every sixteen-year old boy's dream gift," Katie chuckled.

Alex nodded.  "I suppose so.  I won't lie to you and say that I didn't enjoy it, but the 
experience didn't do much for my overall self-esteem; I mean, what kind of guy has to 
pay someone in order to get laid?  Losers, that's who.  Far from making me feel like a 
man, I felt like a loser in his eyes and mine."

Katie kissed his chest and looked up at him.  "How sad for you," she sympathized.  "No one 
should have their first time make them feel anything other than wonderful and loved."

"Did Matthew make you feel wonderful and loved?" he asked quietly.  He felt her stop 
breathing for a moment, so he hugged her tight.  "Of course he did," he said, 
answering his own question.  

"How did you..." Katie started to ask.

"It was a logical conclusion, Katya.  Matthew's reaction to me makes perfect sense 
now; he really was jealous," Alex smiled.  "Then, just before Ty and Matthew left, I 
asked Ty if he knew what was going on.  He told me he had a pretty good idea, but that 
you or Matthew were going to have to tell me.  He advised me to wait and let you tell 
me in your own time and said that I still had a lot to learn about the two of you."  
He rolled her onto her back and balanced on his side to look at her.  The room was still 
dark, but he could just make out her features.  "Want to tell me about it?"

"Sure you want to know?" she asked.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't," he answered.  "How old were you at the time?'

"Sixteen, same as you," she replied.  "You want the whole story or the Reader's Digest 
version?"

"Your story; you tell it anyway you want," Alex said.

"OK.  Well, after my accident, Matthew and I became even closer than we were before, as 
hard as that is to believe.  I had to miss the first four weeks of my junior year while 
I was recovering, so Matthew taped all my classes, brought me my books, helped me 
study; he spent more time with me than with his family.  When the doctors gave me the 
green light to go back, I was not only up to speed; I was actually ahead of the game, 
thanks to him.  Our teachers all commended us on our hard work and everyone else 
figured that we were a couple.  Since there wasn't anyone either of us was interested in 
at the time anyway, we did nothing to dissuade that belief.  By our senior year, 
everyone was sure that we were destined to be married right after graduation.  This was 
probably a good thing for Matthew, since by that time, he'd begun to question his 
sexuality.  There were a few times that he started to ask me things, but he would 
hesitate, then change the subject.  I'd already figured it out, but I didn't want to 
put words in his mouth or make him feel any more uncomfortable than he already was 
feeling.  Anyway, everything finally came to a head during Christmas vacation.  His 
grandfather died the day after Christmas and his mother was the executor of the will.  
She knew that it would take weeks to straighten out her father's affairs and his 
parents didn't want him to miss that much school, but they didn't want to leave him 
alone either.  My parent's stepped in and offered to let him stay with us while his 
parents took care of settling the estate.  It wasn't a big deal; as far as mom and dad 
were concerned, Matthew was a part of the family.  Matthew and his grandfather had 
never been that close, but Matthew still took his death hard.  We spent night after 
night staying up talking until one of us fell asleep on the other.  Most of the time 
we'd wake up and find our way to our beds, but my dad found us together a couple of 
times.  He never mentioned it, except to say that we should think about turning in at a 
reasonable hour so we wouldn't be so sore from sleeping on the lumpy couch.  My guess 
is that since we both had all our clothes on, he figured we weren't fooling around too 
much."  

Alex laughed.  "Your father was either very perceptive or very trusting."

Katie smiled.  "Maybe a little of both," she conceded.  "Either way, it was never made an 
issue of and we didn't spend every night together like that, so we got away with it.  
One night, Matthew finally got up the courage to tell me that he thought he might 
be gay.  He wasn't entirely sure, but he knew that he'd never really been attracted 
to too many girls and that there were certain guys that made him feel the way he 
thought he was supposed to feel toward women.  No one in school, he was quick to 
add, but guys on television and in magazines.  He was so embarrassed by his 
admission that he couldn't even look at me.  We sat quietly for a long time after that.  
I was afraid to say anything at first, because I didn't want to upset him, but I 
realized that I wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't let him know how I felt.  I 
tried to get him to look at me, but he refused, so I took drastic measures.  
Climbing into his lap, I pinned his shoulders to the back of the couch and 
forced him to look at me.  I told him that I loved him, that he was my best friend in the 
whole world and that nothing, nothing, he could ever tell me, would make me love him 
any less.  He totally fell apart.  He grabbed me and held on for dear life, crying 
his eyes out.  He had been so afraid that I'd turn on him; like I'd ever have done 
that," she exclaimed.

"It happens all the time, sweetheart," Alex said.  "People you think you know, turning 
their backs on you when you need them the most."

"Not me," Katie replied.  "I don't do that to the people I love; it surprised me, 
because I thought he knew that."

"He probably knew it on some level, but his fear clouded his judgment," Alex explained.  
"So, how did this end up with the two of you swapping bodily fluids?  An admission of 
homosexuality doesn't seem like a natural lead-in for this story."

"No, it doesn't, does it?" Katie snickered.  "This is so cliched, but here goes.  We 
didn't talk too much about it the next day, mostly because we were never alone.  It was 
New Year's Eve and we were supposed to have a huge snowstorm hit sometime in the next 
twenty-four hours.  We'd had a couple of false alarms that winter, so my parents 
didn't think it would be a problem, but they wanted to be prepared, just in case, so we 
were sent to stock up on food and whatever else we might need.  They almost canceled 
plans to attend the annual party thrown by father's employer, but decided that since 
they'd already made a reservation at the hotel so they wouldn't have to drive home, 
that they'd go anyway.  We were certainly old enough to be left alone overnight and 
more than capable of handling ourselves in just about any given situation.  With the 
food taken care of and explicit instructions to call should any problems arise, mom and 
dad left for their party.  Within an hour after they'd left, we'd ordered pizza and 
opened the first of two bottles of sangria we'd stashed away."  Alex laughed.  "Hey, we 
were generally trustworthy, but we were teenagers," Katie giggled.  "We kicked back 
and watched some of the comedy specials on cable until it was time to watch the big 
countdown with Dick Clark in Times Square.  And yes, we had the traditional kiss at 
midnight, just like every year.  Afterwards, we flipped channels to see what was on.  Our 
cable company was really screwy and some nights the feed from one of the adult 
channels would come through clear, allowing anyone still awake, a free night of porn.  
Being healthy, red-blooded teens, we left it on.  I was getting pretty aroused by the 
action on the screen and finding it difficult to not tip my hand.  I was also 
feeling just a little embarrassed about it, until I happened to notice that Matthew was 
enjoying the show as well.  The guy in this particular flick was nice looking, unlike so 
many of the men you see in those movies.  Now, I wasn't completely drunk, but I was 
feeling very relaxed, which is why I had the courage to do what I did next."

"What did you do?" Alex asked, as he began to gently caress her breast.

"Mmmm," Katie sighed, closing her eyes.  

"What did you do?" he asked again.  

Katie's eyes opened. "Oh, sorry.  I got distracted," she answered.

"Then I'll stop."  Alex lifted his hand away and placed it on the bed next her.

"Just until I'm finished, OK?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded his head.

"Let's see, you wanted to know what I did next.  Well, something he'd said came back 
to me, so I had to ask him about it.  He said that he'd never really been attracted 
to too many girls, so I asked him which girls he had been attracted to.  He turned 
bright red, kind of like this evening, and wouldn't answer me.  Being a pain in the 
ass, I kept asking him, until he finally broke down and told me that the only girl 
he'd been attracted to was me.  In my state of complete relaxation, I admitted that I'd 
always been attracted him as well.  That brought a big smile to both our faces and we 
snuggled in next to each other to watch more of the movie.  Now you know that I just 
can't sit next to someone I love without touching them and Matthew's the same way, so 
pretty soon, I found myself gently rubbing his leg while he was rubbing my arm.  My 
hand went up a little too high and I made a fleeting pass over more than just his leg.  
He jumped and I moved my hand back down.  I really hadn't intended to make a pass at him 
like that, it just happened, you know?"

Alex's hand slid up between her legs, stroking the inside of her thigh.  "Liar."

"No, really," she insisted.  "It really wasn't intentional, but once it happened, I 
wasn't about to turn back."

"If you say so," Alex said.

"I say so.  Do you want to hear this or not?"

"Yes."

"Then shut up and let me finish," she ordered.

"OK, but you realize that you've just used up your payback for the time I told you to 
shut up, don't you," he asked.

"Sure, fine, can I finish now?"

"Please do."

"Where was I?  Oh yeah...well in my brief encounter, I did notice that Matthew was 
just as turned on by the movie as I was, so put my hand on his cheek and kissed him 
square on the mouth.  Then I asked him if he'd ever thought about us doing it, because 
I had.  He said that he had thought about it, but hadn't wanted to say anything to me, 
because he was confused and because he didn't want to do anything to jeopardize our 
friendship.  He never wanted me to think that he was using me to work out his sexual 
questions.   I looked at him and said 'do you love me?'  He said he did.  'Do you 
trust me?'  'Of course,' he answered.  'Then there's no problem, is there?' I said."  
Katie stopped talking and closed her eyes.

Alex stared at her, waiting for more of the story, but she seemed perfectly to content 
to stop right at this point.  He brushed a non-existent strand of hair off her 
forehead, then kissed her cheek.  'You're not really going to quit there, are you?' he 
wondered.

Katie could feel him waiting for her to continue.  She let him hang there, curious 
to see if he was going to ask for more or simply let her stop there.  He let out a 
small sigh and she couldn't help the smile that crept across her face.  

He couldn't be sure, but he thought she was smiling.  His fingers touched her lips and 
he knew she was smiling at him.  "And you keep telling me I'm a rat," he exclaimed.

"Oh, did you want to hear more?" Katie asked innocently.

"Well, a few more details would be nice to kind of round out the story," he replied.

"Such as?"

"Katya!"

"OK...no, we didn't get right down to it.  We spent a good part of the evening working 
up the courage to go beyond kissing.  Matthew was waiting for me to make the next 
move and I was waiting for him.  He figured it out first, which was a good thing, 
because I was starting to lose my nerve."

"You were scared?" Alex asked.  

"Yeah, I was," she admitted.  "But only because I was beginning to think that I'd 
put him in a position of doing something he didn't want to do.  Then he pulled my shirt 
off over my head and put his mouth on me; that pretty much took care of the 
nervousness.  Little by little we got rid of our clothes.  When they were gone, we took 
the time to really look at each other.  Matthew was fascinated with my scars.  In 
the hospital, he was the one who'd look at them when the nurses would come in to change 
the bandages.  They weren't thrilled about having him in there at first, but Matthew 
was always so calm and reassuring, even in the first days when the wounds looked so 
frightening, that they never said anything to either of us about it.  He was my eyes 
for weeks, before he gave me the courage to look at the damage for myself.  Anyway, he 
hadn't seen the scar for over a year and he was amazed at how well they'd healed.  He 
asked if they still hurt.  I think I nodded and said that sometimes they still bothered 
me, but they didn't really hurt anymore.  He kissed the spot that had caused me the worst 
pain in the hospital, letting his hand drop between my legs as he did.  When he touched 
my clit, I jumped and scared the crap out of him.  He was afraid he'd hurt me."  Katie 
laughed and shook her head.  "Took me a few minutes to convince him that it wasn't pain.  
I'd never had anyone touch me there before, you know?  It was an intense, but pleasant 
surprise.  I had to physically take his hand and put it back there again, to prove that I 
was feeling no pain.  Those movies were still on in the background and this 
particularly vocal actress was screaming something like 'lick my pussy'; I snickered 
until Matthew actually followed her instructions.  It felt so good, that when he 
pushed his fingers inside me to open me up, the little bit of pain I felt at the 
intrusion was quickly forgotten.  He moved his fingers around until he found my G-spot, 
then concentrated on working that on the inside, while his mouth worked on the 
outside.  I came so hard, I almost passed out.  When I stopped shaking, he slipped up 
beside me and actually asked if he'd done it right.  I told him that sure felt right to 
me.  I reached down to touch him this time.  He closed his eyes and let me, until I 
slipped down and ran my tongue over him.  That freaked him out at first and he tried 
to tell me that I didn't have to.  I stared him down and said I knew I didn't have to, 
then went right back to doing what I'd been doing.  He didn't say anything more about 
it, after that," Katie grinned.

"I'll bet he didn't," Alex chuckled.

"He didn't let me finish him off though," she continued.  "Pretty soon he pulled me 
back up and kissed me.  He shifted so that he was between my legs and asked me if I was 
sure this was what I wanted.  I don't remember saying anything; I think I just 
nodded and touched his chest.  He guided himself into me, slowly, trying not to hurt 
me.  Didn't work; it still hurt like crazy, but I bit my lip until it passed.  The pain 
lasted for a few minutes, but then everything started to feel really good.  
Felt pretty good to Matthew too.  He didn't last long once we got a good motion going.  
I knew he was going to get all embarrassed and start beating himself up over it, so 
before he had the chance, I kissed him, pushed his hand down between my legs and 
asked him to touch me the way he'd touched me before.  He slid his fingers in and 
stroked me until I came again. We must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I 
remember is waking up naked, curled up against Matthew at noon.  The TV was still 
on, but the porn station had given way to infomercials, so I flipped until I found the 
news.  The storm had come through, closing roads and cutting off phone and electric 
service to some areas.  We were socked in good, but we were among the lucky ones that 
still had power.  I checked and we still had phone services, so I called the hotel to 
check on my parents and let them know that we were OK.  We ended up playing house for 
the next three days, before the roads were clear enough to allow people to return 
home."

"What happened when your parents came home?  Did they figure out what was going on in 
their absence?" Alex asked.

"If they suspected, they never let on," Katie replied.  "Matthew and I didn't act 
any differently toward one another, for the most part.  I think we held hands a little 
more, maybe sat a little closer to one another, but we'd always been hands on with 
each other, so I guess mom and dad didn't think anything of it.  To be honest, I'm not 
entirely sure either would have objected if they'd known we'd had sex.  They loved 
Matthew and knew that he loved me; plus, it wasn't like I was going to end up pregnant 
or anything.  Anyway, it never happened again after that, so it really didn't 
matter."

"Never?  You guys spent three days fooling around together, then ended it, just like 
that?" Alex asked in surprise.  "Why?"

Katie kissed Alex and laced her hands behind his head to hold him in her gaze.  "Because, 
it wasn't enough.  I loved him, but I knew that I wasn't going to be the one satisfy 
his every need.  He knew it, too.  We had a long talk about it that last night.  I told 
him that as much as we loved each other, I had a feeling there was a guy out there who 
was going to knock his socks off and that there was a guy out there who was going to 
do the same for me."

Alex kissed Katie.  "So, did you both find what you were looking for?"

Katie ran her feet up his leg.  "You feel any socks on these feet, baby?"

============================================
Alex woke up before Katie and wandered out to the kitchen.  December 24, Christmas Eve; 
hardly seemed possible that the day was almost upon them, but here it was in black 
and white on the calendar.  Tyler was closing the store at 6 and would be over 
soon after; Matthew would join them after his shift, around 10, barring any 
emergencies.  The plan was to spend the evening together watching the usual 
Christmas specials, most of which they either owned, or had taped earlier just for 
this purpose.  When they'd had enough, it would be off to bed until someone woke up 
and announced that Santa had left his stash for one and all.  He glanced over at the 
window, then ran over to see if what he thought he saw was really what was 
happening.  Snow!  It was snowing steadily, but from the looks of the street, it hadn't 
been snowing long.  He went into the living room and turned on the weather to see what 
the weather guru had to say.  The forecast was for accumulation of 4 to 6 inches by 
nightfall, with more expected on Christmas Day.  This was too good to be true, a real 
white Christmas.  He turned the television off and went into the bedroom to wake Katie. 
She looked so sweet, so peaceful, that he almost hated to rouse her from her slumber.  
Almost, being the operative word.  He briefly considered waking her gently, but 
opted instead for a more decisive maneuver.  

Katie flew up in the air as Alex hit the mattress with a thud.  "What the Hell are 
you doing?" she asked grumpily.

"Get up," Alex urged, tugging at her arm.  "I want to show you something." Katie moaned 
and tried to roll over to go back to sleep.  "No, no, no, get up," he insisted.  She 
shook her head and tried to burrow under the pillow.  Alex ripped the pillow away, 
tossing it on the floor.  "Anyone ever tell you that you're a grouch in the morning?"

"Yes," she grumbled into the mattress.  "Which is why most people don't pounce on me 
when I'm asleep."

"I'm not most people.  Now, are you going to get up or am I going to have to dump you 
onto the floor?"  Katie didn't move or answer, so he got off the bed and pushed his 
hands under the mattress.  "Last chance," he warned.  When she didn't move, he began to 
lift the side of the mattress.  

Katie felt the mattress rise and felt herself slipping off the bed.  She quickly 
scrambled off the bed to avoid hitting the floor.  "OK, OK, I'm up!"  Alex dropped the 
mattress and grabbed her hand, practically dragging her out of the room.  "Alex!  Can I 
at least put something on?  It's cold out here."  He nodded and let go of her hand, so 
she could grab her robe.  "What is it I'm supposed to see?"

"Over there, look out the window," he answered.

Katie yawned and made her way to the window.  She rubbed her eyes, then looked outside.  
"It's snowing!  Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?"

Alex squeezed her from behind.  "It was more fun this way."  He bent down and kissed the 
side of her neck.  "The weather man says we should have 4 to 6 inches by this evening 
and more tomorrow."

"You know what we have to do now, don't you?" Katie asked.

"What?"

"We have to go out and play," she replied.  

An hour later they came back inside, soaking wet from making snow angels in the park and 
from the multitude of snowballs they'd thrown at each other.  They came up the 
stairs this time, so they could drop their wet clothes by the washing machine and avoid 
tracking water through the loft.  Katie tossed on a sweatshirt, while Alex wrapped a 
towel around his waist.

"I need a long soak in the tub," Alex said.

"Sounds good to me," Katie answered. "But first, I need some hot chocolate.  Want 
some?"  Alex nodded enthusiastically.  "OK, you get the water going, I'll make the hot 
chocolate and meet you in a few minutes."

Katie started warming milk in a pan on the stove, then searched the cabinets for the 
cocoa and sugar.  Matthew liked to tease her for making hot chocolate the old-fashioned 
way, when it was so easy to grab a mix packet and pop everything in the microwave.  
Of course, the first time she gave him some made from the mix, he complained that it 
tasted funny and wanted to know what she'd done differently.  

"You coming, Katya?" Alex called from the bathroom.

"In a couple of minutes," she yelled back.  "It's almost ready."  She stirred the cocoa 
for a few more minutes before testing the temperature.  When it was finally hot 
enough, she poured it into two mugs, added the required amount of mini-marshmallows and 
carried the mugs into the bathroom.  Alex was in the bath, head back against the 
tiles, eyes closed.  Katie put the cups on the tile next to him and kissed the top of 
his head.  "Warming up?" she asked.  

Alex smiled and nodded.  "Are you going to join me now?" 

"Absolutely."  Katie peeled off the sweatshirt and climbed into the water beside 
him.  She reached for her cup and let the warm liquid flow down her throat.  "Mmmm, 
warm water, hot chocolate and you," she sighed.  "I think I've found paradise."

Alex drank from his cup.  "This is close," he began.  He put his cup back down and 
reached for Katie, pulling her onto his lap.  "But this is better."  Alex put his hand on 
the back of her head and brought her in for a kiss; Katie hummed her approval.  He let 
his head fall back, eyes closed, as she reached down to stroke him.  She raised up 
slightly and reached for her cup.  He opened his eyes, just a little, and watched her 
take a sip.  Katie put the cup down and kissed him hard, thrusting her tongue into 
his mouth.  She moved quickly, impaling herself on his straining erection.  The act 
caught him by surprise and he almost bit her tongue as she engulfed him.  "Jesus," he 
sighed.  "Did I get you?"

Katie rose up and sank back down on him slowly.  "Did you bite me?  No.  Did you get 
me?  No baby, I got you this time," she said with a wink.  

"Yes you did," he smiled.  "Now, what do you plan on doing with me?"

Katie leaned forward and whispered in his ear all the things she wanted to do to him, 
while she continued to rise and fall at slow, steady pace.  The more she said, the 
more aroused he became.  One particularly well-chosen phrase caused his face to 
redden.  Katie giggled.  "You're cute when you blush."

Alex moved his hand to her waist, smiled, then bucked hard, causing her to gasp.  
"I'll show you cute," he growled.  Grabbing hold as tightly as he could with the one 
arm, he proceeded to 'show her cute' for all he was worth.  In the course of his 
demonstration, both failed to notice that they were inching dangerously close to the 
edge of seat.  Just as they were nearing the finish, Alex's butt slipped over the edge.  
Katie fell into the water scraping both hands on the side of the bench as she 
reached to steady herself.  Alex fared worse, hitting his head on the back of the 
tub and scraping his tailbone as he slipped into the water.  

Katie scrambled to her feet to help him back up.  "You all right?" she asked.  

"I'm fine," he sighed.  "Nothing bruised but my ego."

Katie felt the back of his head and found a bump already starting to rise.  "'Fraid 
there's more than just a bruised ego here, sweetheart.  Stand up; let me see your 
back."  He rose and turned.  "Yep, you have a good sized scrape on your lower back.  
Nothing serious, but it's probably going to bother you later."  She patted him on the 
butt.  "Come on, let's get out of here and get some ice on that bump."

Alex climbed out of the tub; Katie followed.  He started to hand her a towel, but tossed 
it over his shoulder when he saw her hands.  "Oh baby, I'm sorry.  Look at your hands."  

"Yeah, well, these are probably going to bother me later on, so we can whine about 
our booboos together," she said with a chuckle.  "Give me my towel, it's cold in 
here."

They dried off and went into the bedroom to get dressed.  Alex secured his arm, then 
pulled on his briefs, wincing when the waistband hit the small of his back.  He 
pulled it away from the scrape. "Think anyone would notice if I just wore a towel 
tonight?"

Katie laughed as she pulled on her jeans.  "It would be the highlight of Tyler's 
evening.  In fact, if you're really good, he might even offer to kiss it and make it 
better," she giggled.  Alex groaned and let the waistband ease back into place.  "Ah, 
what's the matter?  Are you afraid you might enjoy it?" she asked.

Alex lunged and threw her down on the bed.  "Been there, done that, didn't care for it.  
I much prefer the female of the species."  To prove his point, Alex claimed her mouth 
swiftly, taking her breath away.  He tugged at her zipper and shoved his hand inside her 
panties.  Katie pushed her hips up against his hand and he roughly drove two fingers 
inside her.  

She reached down to push off her jeans, forgetting about the scrapes on her hands.  
As she hit the rough fabric, her hands recoiled in pain.  "Ow," she cried.  

"Need some help with that?" Alex murmured.

"Yes please," she begged.  "Now."  

Alex smiled and tugged the jeans off her body.  He knelt down to pull them off her 
feet, then ran his hands slowly up the inside of her legs.  At her knees, he 
lowered his mouth and began tracing his tongue up her thigh, stopping just short of 
her center, before mimicking his motion down the other leg.  

"Alexei," Katie groaned.  "Don't tease."

Alex grinned against her thigh, then planted tiny kisses as he moved closer and closer.  
He lightly brushed against her clit with his tongue, moving away quickly.  Katie 
whimpered.  Alex sighed happily.  "That's what I was waiting for,"' he said quietly.  
His tongue darted out and began caressing her in earnest.  One finger, then another 
entered her willing opening.  She moaned in appreciation, shifting slightly to meet his 
strokes.  He removed his fingers and replaced them with his tongue, driving it in 
as far as he could reach, while letting one finger tease her anus.  She pushed against 
him, encouraging his exploration.  "You like that?" he whispered.  Katie nodded, unable 
to form words.  He slipped his finger inside, coating it with her wetness, before 
returning to tease her other opening.  He applied more pressure, slowly pushing a 
finger inside, as his tongue worked its magic on her clit.  Just when she thought 
she couldn't possibly feel any better, he pushed his thumb inside, under his tongue, 
filling her every opening.  A few more strokes from fingers and tongue sent her 
into sensory overload.  Not waiting for her to come down, Alex yanked off his briefs, 
cringing as they stuck to the scrape on his back, then plunged inside her.  Katie locked 
her ankles around his knees and thrust upward to meet his every stroke.  There was 
no tenderness in this coupling, just raw desire.  A part of his brain wondered if he 
was hurting her, but the need to possess her, body and soul, kept him from caring.  
Seemingly out of nowhere 'what's the matter?  Afraid you might enjoy it?' echoed in his 
head.  He flashed on the times in prison in when he'd been taken against his will, 
forced to submit to the most humiliating invasion.  'Never again,' his mind screamed, 
as he pounded against her mercilessly.   His body stiffened and he came with such 
intensity that he blacked out momentarily.  When he came to, he felt Katie's fingers in 
his hair and her tears on his face.  His stomach clenched as the realization of what 
he'd just done hit home. "I'm sorry, Katya.  I'm so sorry.  I never meant to hurt you," 
he said, tears welling up in his eyes.  "I'm sorry baby, please forgive me."

"I'm all right," Katie replied quietly.  "What happened?  I lost you for a while."

Alex rolled away, turned and put his face down into the pillow so he wouldn't have to 
face her.  He knew that she would listen and accept and help him through, but he couldn't 
look at her, not yet.  

The bed jiggled as she scooted over to turn out the light.  The door was open, so there 
was still light coming into the room, but the glare of direct light was gone.  Katie 
wrapped her body around him. "Talk to me, Alexei," she urged.  "Let me help."

Alex shook his head.  "I can't...please don't ask me."

"It's time to let go of it, sweetheart."

"No."

Katie rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, kissing it tenderly.  "Someone hurt you.  
Where? Tunguska?  Tunisia?"  He turned his head as far into the pillow as he could 
without suffocating himself.  "Tunisia?" she repeated.  Alex didn't move.  "There was 
nothing you could have done; they'd taken your arm away and left you to deal with 
those animals in that cell.  It wasn't your fault, Alexei."  He started to shake in her 
grasp.  "It wasn't your fault," she repeated softly.  Katie heard a sniff come from him 
and felt him break.  Tears splashed on the pillow as he let the fear and anger he'd 
held inside come to the surface.  "Let it out, baby," she whispered.  "I won't let go; 
not ever."  He reached for her arm and held on, squeezing to be sure that she was really 
there.  "I'm here, I love you, I won't let go," she whispered over and over.  Alex 
cried until he had nothing left inside. She held on, rocking him gently the entire time.  
He fell asleep in her embrace.  Only then, when she was sure he couldn't hear her, did 
she allow her tears to fall.  "You're mine now," she whispered.  "No one will ever hurt 
you again; I promise."  Katie pressed against him, getting as close as humanly 
possible.  "I love you so much," she murmured, before joining him in his 
emotionally drained slumber.

Alex woke with a start.  "Katya?" he called, before realizing that she was draped over 
him.

Katie squeezed his shoulder.  "Right here, sweetheart," she muttered sleepily.  "I'm 
right beside you."

He turned to face her, more than a little apprehensive at seeing her expression.  All 
that greeted him was a look that telegraphed unconditional love.  "I'm so fucked up."  
Not the words he wanted to say, but the first thing that came to mind.

Katie chuckled.  "Yeah, you are.  So am I.  Remember?  Damaged Unlimited?"  Alex half-
smiled as he remembered.  "Just another hurdle to leap over, that's all," she 
continued.  

"But I hurt you," he said.

Katie nodded.  "I'm might walk funny for a day or so, but I'll live.  You scared me 
more than anything.  I didn't know how to reach you, so I let you continue until you 
were done."

"Sounds like rape to me," he whispered, putting his hand over his mouth.

"Oh God, Alex, no.  You had a flashback; you weren't in control.  You weren't making love 
to me, but it most certainly wasn't rape."  She pulled his hand away from his mouth and 
kissed him tenderly.  "Don't do this to yourself; don't put more guilt in your 
head."

"But I hurt you," he repeated.  "I turned an act of love into an act of violence against 
the person that means more to me than life itself."

"Then make it up to me," Katie told him.  "Show me what you meant to do."

Alex's eyes widened.  "Right now?  After what happened earlier?"  He couldn't believe 
what he was hearing.  "Katie...I...what if it happens again?  What if..."

"It won't," she assured him.  "It's out in the open now.  You've brought another demon 
to the surface and we've taken its power.  It can't hurt you anymore...it can't hurt 
us, anymore."  She held out her hand.  "Come here."  He hesitated.  "Come here," she said 
again.  "I'll beg, if I have to."  He grinned shyly, slid over, then rolled on top 
of her.  "Now, show me what you meant to do before."

He reached down and found her wet and willing.  "I thought you were sore."

"I am," she answered.  "But my other ache far outweighs the minor soreness."  Katie 
pulled his face to hers and kissed him deeply.  She looked into his eyes. "Alexei, 
I'm burning up inside." She paused, biting her lower lip. "Please baby, make it 
better?"

Alex reached down to guide himself into her.  "I will, baby," he whispered.  "I'll make it 
better for you."

============================================
"Hey Alex," Katie called out.  "Come take a look at this."  Alex wandered over to the 
desk and looked at the monitor.  Katie pointed to the screen.  "Remember the girl I 
told you about, the one I met on the plane to New York?  Well, she finally got around 
to writing me.  Listen to this.  'Dear Katie, I've been meaning to write ever since 
I got home from the airport, but I was afraid to without an excuse.  Sometimes 
people say things they don't really mean, just to be nice; I didn't want to bother you 
if this was the case.  Being Christmas Eve though, I figured that this would be a 
legitimate excuse for taking advantage of your email address. *g*  How was the 
convention?  I heard that Harlan got stuck in Chicago and didn't make it after all.  
Sorry about that.  Maybe you can throw up on his shoes another time. LOL.  I hope you and 
Alex (that is his name, right?  I'll be totally embarrassed if I'm wrong.) have a 
wonderful holiday.  Merry Christmas, your friend, Miranda.'"  Katie looked at Alex and 
grinned.  "I'm going to send a reply; want to say hi to her?"

Alex grinned back.  "Sure, you start; I'll add a note at the end."

Katie nodded.  "'Miranda!  I'm so glad to hear from you.  If I hadn't wanted to talk 
to you, I wouldn't have given you this address.  Feel free to write me any time, 
you don't need an excuse; I promise you won't be bothering me. *g*  The convention 
wasn't too bad, but I was disappointed at missing my chance to hurl on Harlan. 
*snicker*  You WOULD remember that.  LOL!  We plan on having a very Merry Christmas.  
Hope you have a good one as well.  Love, Katie.'  OK, all done.  Your turn," Katie 
said, getting up from the chair.  "Now remember, she's only fifteen, so be nice."

"Why wouldn't I be nice?" he asked as he sat down.  "Besides, didn't you tell me she was 
cute?" he teased.  Katie smacked him on the back of his head.  "Ow, that hurts."

"Serves you right," she answered. 

"Dear Miranda, Help!  Katie's beating me up for no reason.  She's a horribly cruel 
woman.  Run away, run away.  Alex.'  There, all done," he said with a smirk.

"Alex!  Don't you dare send that!" Katie yelled, as his finger was poised over the 
send button.  

"Why not?  It's the truth," Alex snickered.  "I think your fans should know the 'real' 
Katie Heyes; the madwoman behind the words."  

Katie put her hand on his crotch and began to squeeze.  "You send that note and it will 
be a very long time before you get to know the 'real' Katie Heyes again.  You dig, 
loverboy?"

Alex laughed and grabbed her hand before she had the chance to remove it.  "I dig, baby.  
Feel free to leave your hand there though; it's inspiring me to new heights of literary 
wisdom," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.  

"I'm sure...Dear Penthouse, I know most people think these letters are fake, but..." 
she started.  

Alex snorted then backspaced over his first note to Miranda.  "'Dear Miranda, Yes, my 
name is Alex, so no need to feel totally embarrassed.  I appreciate that you thought 
to include a Merry Christmas wish for me as well.  Katie's told me so much about you and 
we both look forward to hearing from you again.  Alex.'  There, is that better?"

"Much.  Thank you."  Katie kissed the back of his head.  "Sorry for bopping you.  If 
it's any consolation, my hand hurts now.  Does your head hurt much?"

"Yes, it hurts terribly.  So bad in fact, that I might need to go lie down," he 
grinned, getting up from the chair.  "I think I need some personal attention from my 
favorite nurse to help me recover."  Alex pulled her to his chest and pressed his lips 
to hers.  He moved his lips to her ears and whispered his intentions.  

She felt her knees give at his words and almost followed him back into the bedroom. 
"Oh wait," she said, trying to clear her head.  "I have to get the roast started.  
Tyler's going to be here in a few hours and I'm sure he'll be hungry."

"So put the roast in the oven; I'll wait," Alex responded.  "Want some help?"

"No, I think I can manage to do that by myself," she chuckled.  "I'll probably let 
you take it out when it's done though; I don't think my hands will take too kindly to 
the heat."

"Sure, no problem," he said.  He kissed her forehead, then her cheek, before latching on 
to her neck.  

Katie moved her head to one side to allow him room to move.  She hummed her approval, 
closing her eyes as he covered every inch of her neck.  His hand unbuttoned a few buttons 
on her shirt, just enough to allow his hand to slip inside and cup her breast.  She 
arched into his touch and felt him smile against her skin.  He urged her backwards, 
closer to the couch.  As her legs hit the cushion, she pushed him back.  "Roast, I 
have to start the roast," she said breathily.  "Wait here, I'll be right back." 
She ran from the room, before he had the chance to distract her from the task at 
hand.  Katie was so absorbed in getting that roast in the oven and getting back to Alex, 
that she didn't hear him sneak up behind her.  She turned on the oven, put the roast 
inside and closed the door.  "Oh!" she exclaimed, jumping in surprise to find him 
standing behind her.

"I couldn't wait."  He reached for the waistband of her pants and made short order 
of the button and zipper there.  The pants dropped to the floor.  Katie kicked them off 
and out of the way.  

She put her arms around his neck and kissed him, but he removed them and turned her 
around, bending her over the counter.  "The last time we did this, Matthew called," she 
reminded him.

He tugged at her panties until they dropped to floor as well.  "Took the phone off the 
hook," he whispered in her ear.

"Good...Oh God," she moaned, as he thrust inside her.  

"Nope, just me," he panted.

"Even better, I wouldn't know what to say to the Almighty in this situation," she 
giggled.  

Alex pushed the hair up off her neck, peppering kisses on the newly exposed skin.  
"How about 'who are you and what have you done with Alex?'"  

Katie half giggled, half moaned as he quickened the pace.  "You're pretty sure of 
yourself," she said, as she tightened around him.  

"Oh geez, do that again," he mumbled.  "And yes, I am sure of myself.  I know I can make 
you see Him, but I'm not so sure He could make you see me."

"Pretty big words, Alexei; hope you can deliver," she teased.

"I haven't let you down yet, have I?" he whispered.

"No baby, you've never let me down," she answered.  "Oh yeah, right there."

"Just like this?"

"Uh huh." 

Alex took one of her hands off the counter and guided it between her legs.  "Show me."

Katie interlaced her fingers with his.  "Together."

"OK," he said softly.  "Together."  

Alex let his hand go limp in hers, forcing her to carry the responsibility of external 
stimulation.  He was just along for the ride on this end.  His energy was focused on 
driving deep into her body, providing the very best in internal stimulation.  He felt 
her clench and listened, as her breathing became increasingly erratic.  Sounds of 
pleasure filled the air and it took him a moment to realize that he was the source.  

Katie smiled at the sounds he was making.  She couldn't resist. "Looks like you're 
gonna get that audience with God before I do," she stammered.

"No way, not without you, baby," he growled.  Alex went from being passive to taking an 
active role in the external arena.  

Katie gasped at the sudden burst of additional attention.  She zigged when he 
zagged and their fingers slipped off to the side.  Alex moved quickly to replace them, 
but not before she whimpered in frustration.  That was all it took to shatter his control.  
He could feel his lips moving and knew he was saying something to her, but he had no 
idea what it was.  Whatever it was worked, because he felt her spasm around him and 
heard both his name and His name echoing through the kitchen.  

Katie let her head fall to the countertop and Alex rested his head on her shoulders.  
"So, did I deliver?" he asked with a tired chuckle.

"Do you really have to ask?"

"Just checking," he answered.  

"What time is it?" Katie mumbled, not bothering to lift her head up off the 
counter.

Alex turned his head to look at the clock on the stove.  "Almost 5:30."

"No, really," she snickered.  "What time is it?"

"It's 5:27," he answered.  "Is that better?"

Katie stood up quickly, sending Alex reeling backwards.  She looked at the clock for 
herself, not believing her eyes.  "Oh shit!  Tyler's going to be here soon.  I can't 
believe it's so late!"  She fixed a stare at Alex and wagged her finger at him.  "You, 
Alex Krycek, are a very bad influence."

"And?"

"And what?"

"I'm a very bad influence, and..." he trailed off.

"What makes you think there's an 'and' in that statement," Katie said, crossing her 
arms in front of her.

"Because I can see it right here," he said, touching her mouth.  "Right on the tip of 
your tongue."  Katie's mouth turned up at the corners, ever so slightly.  "See, I knew 
it," he said triumphantly.  "I'm a very bad influence, and..."

Katie rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh.  "And I love you anyway," she said 
with dramatic reluctance.  "There, happy now?"

"Yes," he smiled.  "Now what do we need to do before he gets here?"

"I need to take a quick shower...alone," she added.  "You need to pick up the clothes 
we've thrown all over the place and get dressed.  I'll start the rest of dinner when 
I get out of the shower."

"I can start the rest of dinner, if you tell me what we're having," he offered.

"Mashed potatoes and whatever vegetable you can find in the pantry," she said.  "The 
potato flakes are on the second shelf."

Alex chuckled.  "You won't use the hot chocolate mixes, but you will use potatoes 
from a box?"

"Yeah, I'm a regular enigma wrapped in a conundrum.  Or a conundrum wrapped in an 
enigma.  I can never remember how that's supposed to go."  She smiled and kissed him 
on the nose.  "I love you.  Go put some pants on."

============================================
Tyler appeared 45 minutes later bearing fresh bread and Christmas cookies.  He 
handed Alex a small bag.  "Lisa sent this especially for you," he said.  "She made me 
promise to handle it carefully and give it to you as soon as I walked in the door, but 
she wouldn't tell me what was inside."

Alex took the bag from his hand and opened it.  "I don't believe it," he laughed.

"What is it?" Tyler asked, trying to see what the bag held.

Alex pulled a gingerbread man out of the bag showed it to him.  "I helped her set up the 
gingerbread house the night Katie left for New York and I happened to mention that I'd 
never had a gingerbread man before."

Katie came out of the bedroom and gave Tyler a kiss.  "Hi sweetie."  She sniffed the air 
and looked around.   "Is that gingerbread I smell?"

"Lisa made Alex a gingerbread man," Tyler answered.

"She did?  Oh Alex, she must like you," Katie smiled.  "I have to beg her to make 
them for me."

"That explains this," Alex said, pulling out a gingerbread woman.  "I wondered."

"Why don't we go into the kitchen so we can discuss the sweetness of this gift over some 
international coffee?" Tyler said sarcastically.  "Honestly, you two have got 
to get out of the house, you're drowning in sap!"

Katie stuck her tongue out at him.  "Ooooh, aren't we bitchy this evening?  Come on 
Alex, let's get dinner on; Tyler only gets like this when he's hungry."  She put an arm 
around Tyler and pushed him gently toward the bathroom.  "You go wash up, we'll have 
you fed and back to your lovable self in no time."

============================================
Halfway through dinner, Alex reached over and cut Katie's meat for her.  Tyler stared 
at him, then at her, but didn't say anything.  He noticed that she was holding 
her fork strangely and he gave her a questioning look, which she ignored.  
Finally, when he couldn't stand it any longer, he took hold of her hand and turned 
it palm up.  "Katie, what in the world did you do to your hand?" Katie's cheeks turned 
red and Alex kept his eyes on his plate, barely suppressing a grin.  Tyler glanced at 
Alex, then back to Katie, before releasing her hand.  "Never mind.  I don't think I 
want to know."

After dinner, Tyler and Alex cleaned up, in deference to Katie's injuries, while she 
turned on the television to check on the weather.  One look out the window confirmed 
the weatherman's report; it was snowing again, much harder than earlier in the day.  
She wanted to call Matthew and tell him to be careful, but she made it a point to avoid 
calling him at the hospital, unless it was an emergency.  The guys were done in the 
kitchen, so she tore herself away from the window and sat down with them to watch TV 
for a while.  At 9:30, she went back to the window.  The snow was falling in sheets, 
making it difficult to see anything at all.  Katie wrapped her arms around herself 
protectively.  'He'll be fine,' she repeated.  'He'll be fine.'

Tyler saw Katie at the window.  "Alex, hand me the phone," he said quietly.

Alex reached over and picked up the receiver.  "Here.  What's up?"

Tyler nodded in Katie's direction, then held up one finger.  "Dr. Matthew Curry, please."  
He waited briefly while Matthew was paged.  "Hi, it's me.  I know you're getting ready 
to leave.  Have you looked outside yet?  Yeah, it's bad here too.  You need to talk 
to her; she's staring out the window.  Uh huh, tight enough to cut off circulation."  
Tyler walked over to the window and put the phone up to Katie's ear.  "Talk to him."

"Hi Kid," Katie said sheepishly.  "I didn't know he was going to call you.  You will be 
careful, right?  I know you can drive in this...Yes Rainman, you're a very good 
driver," she giggled.  "I'm still gonna worry about you until I see your headlights.  
I love you, too.  Bye."  

"Feel better?" Tyler asked, taking the phone from her hand.

"A little.  Thank you," she whispered.  Katie gave him a hug, resting her head on 
his chest.  Tyler put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.  

Alex placed his hand on her back. "Want us to help you look out for his headlights?" 

Katie nodded.  The three of them stood at the window, watching the snow, until 
Matthew's car appeared on the street.  Only then, did Tyler let go.

============================================
"No, I'm not hungry," Matthew said, when Katie pulled him out of the elevator.  "The 
lounge was loaded with goodies and the emergency room was quiet, so we grazed most 
of the day.  All I really want is a hot shower, a glass of wine and It's a Wonderful 
Life."

"Done.  Go take a shower; I'll have the rest waiting for you when you get out."  Katie 
hung up his coat, while Matthew said his hellos to everyone else on his way in to the 
bathroom. 

============================================
Matthew dozed off minutes shy of the end of the movie.  "Every year," Tyler sighed.  

Katie smiled and gave Tyler a kiss on the cheek.  "Merry Christmas, Ty."  She bent 
down and kissed Matthew's cheek as well.  "Merry Christmas, Kid," she whispered.  "See 
you in the morning," she said to Tyler.  Katie took Alex's hand and led him into the 
bedroom, pulling the door closed behind her.  "Merry Christmas to you, too.  See anything 
you'd like to unwrap?" she asked with a gleam in her eyes.  

"Sure you're not too tired?" he asked, as he began to remove her shirt.  "I caught you 
yawning out there."

"I'm a little sleepy," she admitted.  "But too tired?  Ooooh," she hummed when his 
mouth closed over her breast.  " I don't think so."

============================================
BANG, BANG, BANG!  

"C'mon guys, wake up.  It's Christmas!" Matthew yelled through the bedroom door.  

"Go away, Kid," Katie growled back.  

Alex yawned and nudged her.  "Don't be a grouch; it's Christmas morning."

"It's 6:30," she whined.  "I just closed my eyes."

"Hanna.  Alex.  Get up!" Matthew called again, banging on the door again.

"I can just see him grinning like an idiot on the other side of that door," she 
grumbled.  

"We'll be right there, Matthew," Alex replied.  He rubbed his eyes, yawned, then 
pushed himself out of bed.  Katie rolled over and buried her head under her pillow.  
Alex shook his head, reached for his arm and jeans and put them on.  "You've got five 
minutes, Katya, then we're coming in to get you," he warned.  He walked out of the 
bedroom, closing the door behind him.  Under the pillow Katie giggled.  

"Let me guess," Matthew huffed.  "The manic one doesn't want to get up."

"And this surprises you?" Tyler laughed.  "When has she ever gotten up without a 
fight?"

"I told her she has five minutes before we go in to get her," Alex informed them.  

"Good, that'll give me time to start the coffee," Matthew chuckled evilly.

"Matthew, don't start," Tyler said with a scowl.

"Ah come on, Ty," Matthew pouted.  "She does this all the time; at least let me get in my 
little dig."

"I'm missing something," Alex said. "Someone want to clue me in?"

Matthew and Tyler exchanged looks.  "Don't you drink coffee in the morning?" Tyler 
asked.

"Sometimes," Alex replied.  "Why?"

"Is Katie always awake when you make it?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Tyler threw up his hands.  "Well, that explains it."

Alex sighed in exasperation.  "What are you talking about?"

Matthew walked into the kitchen and poured water into the coffee maker.  "She hates to 
wake up to the smell of coffee."  He measured the coffee and added it to the 
basket, then turned the machine on.  "Really, really hates it," he snickered.  

Alex rubbed his hand over his face and shook his head.  "Tyler, are we the only adults in 
this household?"

"No darling," Tyler answered.  "You're the only adult in this household.  I'm giving 
her two more minutes before I go in there, rip the covers off and drag her out here."

"There will be no dragging, Tyler," Katie huffed from the doorway.  "I'm up already.  
You," she said, pointing at Matthew,  "had better have some hot chocolate started if 
you're intent on making me inhale the foul stench of coffee before my eyes are fully 
open."  She pushed off the doorjamb and made her way over to Alex.  Her hands ran slowly 
up his chest and she pressed against him.  "Think we can stall them for a half-hour or 
so?" she whispered suggestively.

"NO!" came a collective cry from Matthew and Tyler.

Alex laughed and hugged her tight.  "I don't think so, baby."

Katie grinned against his chest.  "It was worth a shot."  She pulled back and winked 
at him.  "OK, what are we doing first this year, breakfast or presents?"

Matthew handed her a mug of hot chocolate.  "Presents," he answered.  "Let's go."  

Everyone followed Matthew over to the tree.  Alex plugged in the lights, taking the time 
to admire his handiwork once again.  Katie sat down on the floor near Tyler, while 
Matthew sat near the presents.  He reached in and pulled out a small box.  "Alex, come 
sit down," he ordered.  Matthew handed him the box.  "This is from me."  Alex accepted 
the box.  "Go on, open it," Matthew urged.  "It's not going to explode."   

Alex chuckled and tore at the wrapping paper.  He lifted the top of the box to 
reveal a new wallet.  "Thanks, Matthew.  Mine is on its last legs."

"There's more," Matthew said.  "Look inside."

Alex opened the wallet and felt a huge grin cross his face.  "Is this..."

Matthew grinned back at him.  "Yeah.  That's Katie, age eleven.  I thought you might like 
it."  

"Let me see," Katie asked, reaching for the wallet.  "I didn't know you still had a copy 
of this."

"Are you kidding?  I have it framed in my office at work.  You wouldn't know that 
though, since you refuse to come to the hospital," he teased.  He reached back for 
another present and handed it to Tyler.  Matthew continued distributing gifts until 
there were only two left to open; Katie's final gift to Alex and Alex's to her.  
Matthew handed each their last present.  

"Open yours first," Katie said.  "Be careful, it's fragile."

Alex put it down on the floor and carefully pulled off the wrapping paper.  He pried the 
tape up and gently removed the frame from its box.  When he turned it over and saw the 
picture inside, his eyes filled with tears.  His fingers lightly touched his mother's 
face.  "Katya," he said quietly, a single tear running down his face.  

Katie put her arms around him.  "Told you I'd take care of it, Alexei," she reminded 
him.  "Now you have one for your wallet and one to put up wherever you want."

"Thank you," he whispered, struggling for more words.  "I...no one's ever...thank 
you."

She kissed him, brushing the tear away.  "You're welcome."

Matthew got Tyler's attention.  'Let's go,' he mouthed.  Tyler nodded and they started 
to get up.  Alex saw them.  "No guys; it's OK.  Don't go.  Katie still has her present 
to open."  He picked up the box and pressed it into her hands.  Katie started to remove 
the wrapping paper, but Alex stopped her.  He looked over at Matthew, asking him a 
silent question.  Matthew took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before 
nodding his head and giving Alex a smile.  Alex jumped up.  "Wait, don't open it yet.  
I'll be right back."  He ran into the bedroom.  Katie glanced at Tyler, who 
shrugged.  She looked at Matthew for a clue, but he avoided her gaze.  Alex returned 
moments later; his green flannel shirt (her favorite) tucked in, his hair neatly combed.  
He handed something to Matthew. Katie furrowed her brow and looked over at Matthew 
again.  This time, Matthew smiled, but offered no further assistance.  "I had this 
all planned," Alex began.  "But someone once told me I should stop planning and start 
doing."  Katie smiled at hearing her words coming from his mouth.  He rocked back and 
forth nervously, then took a deep breath and sunk to the floor in front of her.  "Katie, 
you know I love you. You're everything to me and I don't want...no, I can't imagine not 
having you in my life."  Alex took another deep breath and looked at Matthew.  "This is 
harder than I thought it would be."  Matthew got up, patted him on the back and whispered 
something in his ear.  Alex smiled and chuckled softly.  "Thanks buddy," he said, 
rolling his eyes.  He turned back to Katie, who was now completely befuddled by the 
entire chain of events.  "Oh Hell, just do it dumbass," he muttered under his breath.  
He reached out and took her hands in his. "I'm laying my heart in your hands, Katya," 
he said quietly.  Matthew leaned over and gave him the box.  Katie's eye widened as 
realization set in.  "Katrina Elizabeth Heyes, will you marry me?" Alex asked, 
slipping the ring onto her finger.

Katie stared at Alex, wide-eyed, for a minute, before looking down at the ring.  
"How did you..."she started to ask, then turned her head.   "Matthew?"

"He asked for my advice," Matthew said with a shrug.  "What was I going to do?"

Alex tugged at her hands.  "Katie," he pleaded.  "I'm dying here."

"Don't leave him hanging, Hanna," Matthew smiled.

Katie put her hands on Alex's face and kissed him.  "Ask me again."

Alex took one more deep breath and repeated his question.  This time she didn't make him 
wait for an answer.  


If Alex Fell: A Halo Newly Acquired
Author: Frohike
Email:  frohike51@aol.com
Rating:  NC-17
Category:  Krycek/other
Spoilers:  Who me?
Disclaimer:  This is part 3 of the Alex series.  If you haven't 
read parts 1 and 2, a lot of this will be confusing, but feel free 
come along for the ride anyway.  Alex still doesn't belong to 
me, damn it!  Neither do Mulder and Scully.  I'm trying to 
come to grips with this reality, but I'm stubborn and refuse to 
let go of the dream.  I'm only asking for Alex, CC, please? 
*sigh*  Lyrics borrowed from Tracy Chapman's beautiful song 
"Unsung Psalm", REM's "It's the End of the World (As We 
Know It), Harry Chapin's "If My Mary Were Here" (I miss 
you Harry) and, once again, James Taylor's "You Can Close 
Your Eyes."  If you've made it through parts one and two, then 
this last entry shouldn't come as a surprise.  Yes, there will be 
nods to the Pythons. Katie, Matthew, Tyler and Miranda are 
mine, all mine.  
Distribution: Anywhere you'll have me.  Just leave my name 
and email address intact and drop me a line so I can come 
visit.

Feedback: Yes, please.  Praise will make my day. Flames will 
be used to lure Alex to my door.  Either way, I win.  Can you 
say 'incendiary device'?  Sorry, inside joke.  Talk to me 
people.

There will be psalms sung by a choir
I would have a white robe a halo newly acquired
I'd be at peace and I'd have no desires
If I'd lived right
"Unsung Psalm" by Tracy Chapman
 
==============================
"So when are we going to set a date, Katya?" Alex asked.  It 
was becoming a ritual, once a week, every Monday night, for 
the last eight weeks; he'd ask, she'd fail to commit.  His 
original plan was to propose on New Year's Eve, but 
Christmas morning; he'd thrown those plans away and asked 
her in front of Tyler and Matthew.  No dinner and dancing, no 
candles or champagne, just the four of them on the floor in the 
midst of shredded wrapping paper.  It was perfect.  She'd said 
yes, of course.  He smiled in the darkness of the room.  He 
thought 'of course' now like it was a foregone conclusion that 
she'd say yes in the first place.  Alex was pretty sure Katie 
would accept, but when push came to shove, he found he had 
to hear the words out loud to really believe them.

"I've been thinking about that," she answered finally.  "We 
need to set up a meeting with Mulder and Scully.  Maybe she 
can help figure out why I get so sick before my period.  I'd 
like to have some answers first."

"What if she can't find anything?  What if you don't like her 
answers?" he asked.  Alex rolled to his side and kissed her 
gently.  "You're stalling.  In sickness and in health, isn't that 
part of the deal?  We're in this together; I'd like it to be 
official."

Katie was stalling; she knew it.  What she didn't know was 
why.  There was nothing more on this Earth that she wanted 
than to be irrevocably joined to this man.  He was here to stay; 
he'd proven that to her.  She took a deep breath, letting it out 
slowly before she spoke. "April twenty-first."

Alex sat up and turned on the light.  Katie hid her face in her 
hands to block out the glare. "Really?  April twenty-first.  
You're serious?  No changing your mind later, this is it?" 

Katie peeked out from between her fingers.  "I promise.  Now 
turn off the light, it's blinding me."  Alex turned the light off, 
but hopped out of bed.  "Alex, where are you going?" she 
asked, as he left the room.

Alex picked up the phone and dialed.  "Matthew?"  He walked 
back into the bedroom.  "Sorry to call so late.  No everything's 
fine.  Here, Katie has something to tell you."  He handed her 
the phone.  "Tell him," he said.  "I know if you tell him that 
you won't back out on me at the last minute."

Katie chuffed and took the phone from his outstretched hand, 
shaking her head.  "Hi Kid.  I need you and Tyler to take April 
twenty-first off.  Yeah, I'm gonna marry this guy and I'd like 
you both to be there.  No, that's it.  Alex wanted assurance that 
I wouldn't change my mind."  Katie smiled. "Yes he is; I'll tell 
him you said so.  Go back to sleep now.  I love you, too.  
Bye."  Katie handed Alex the phone.  "He says to tell you 
you're a very smart man."

"Nah, I just know your weak spots," Alex grinned.  He went 
out to put the phone back on the hook.  A thought occurred to 
him as he put it down.  "You know, that's only ten weeks from 
now," he calculated as he walked back into the bedroom. Alex 
sat down on the bed next to her.  "We should start planning 
this thing."

Katie groaned and hit him with a pillow.  "Alex!  It's one in 
the morning; I'm not planning anything right now!"

"But," Alex started.

"No!" She sat up and put her arms around his neck.  "You 
have two choices.  One, you can go out in the living room and 
plan 'til your heart's content or two, you can stay here with 
me."  Katie pulled him down, straddled him and claimed his 
mouth.  "Choose wisely, grasshopper," she whispered in his 
ear.  

Alex let Katie finish her kiss, then stared at her when she 
pulled back.  "Hmmm, plan or stay here?" he teased.  "I don't 
know.  On the one hand, we do need to give this wedding 
some serious consideration."  He jerked as Katie slid her hand 
down and stroked him roughly.  "On the other hand," he 
gasped. 

"Pick a hand quickly, Alexei," Katie growled.  "I picked a 
date, choosing a hand shouldn't be that difficult.  You can 
have your hand on a pencil or my hand on you.  What's it 
gonna be?"  When he didn't respond immediately, she lifted 
her hand and sighed.  "Fine. I give up.  Go plan." She crawled 
off of his lap and plopped, face down, on the bed.  

Alex stifled a laugh at her indignation as he got off the bed, 
listening to her huff as the mattress bounced up.  He leaned 
over her and kissed her shoulder blades.  "Mad at me, Katya?"

"Yes," she mumbled into her pillow.

He chuckled this time and let his hand smooth a path from her 
shoulders down to her ankles.  "Really mad at me?" he asked, 
lowering his mouth to plant a kiss on the sole of her foot.

Katie jerked her foot away.  "Yes, and stop it, that tickles."

"I know," he said, kissing the other foot.

She jerked that one away, too.  "Alex," she whined.  "Go 
away.  You made your choice, now live with it."

"But darling, I'm planning as we speak," he started to explain.

Katie rolled over and tucked her hands behind her head.  "Oh 
really?"  

"Yes," he said, running his hand up the inside of her leg.  "I'm 
planning on working you into a sexual frenzy, then, when I've 
had my way with you, waking you up bright and early to help 
me with the wedding arrangements."  Nudging her legs apart 
with his knee, he began kissing his way up her thighs.  

"It's not going to work," she said smugly.  "I'm far to irritated 
with you."

"It'll work," he replied, just as smugly.  "You can't help 
yourself."

Katie twitched when he nipped at the soft flesh of her inner 
thigh.  "Not this time, baby."  A rush of wetness betrayed her 
otherwise cool exterior.  

Alex flicked his tongue against her opening, confirming what 
he already knew.  Pushing a finger inside her, then drawing it 
out slowly, he held it up as proof.  "I'm hearing negatives, but 
seeing positives, sweetheart."  

"It's an involuntary reflex," she said, her breathing picking up, 
just a little.

"Then it won't bother you if I do this?"  His fingertips lightly 
skimmed the sensitized skin covering her clit, holding back a 
snicker as she tried to contain the whimpering sound that 
always accompanied that particular maneuver.   Again and 
again he gently moved across her until finally, she broke, 
letting out a tiny moan.  Alex grinned triumphantly and 
repeated his motions until she was whimpering and pushing 
her hips upward.  "Still not working, Katya?"  

"No," she answered shakily.

"Liar."  He lowered his mouth, tasting her essence.  "You want 
me."  He flicked his tongue over her again, smiling when she 
shuddered.  "You want me bad."

"Do not."

"Do so" he said, inching slowly up her body.  Alex kissed her 
belly, dipping his tongue into her navel.  He continued to kiss 
his way to her breasts, sucking on the hardened peaks.  

"Maybe," Katie whispered.

Alex shifted his body, positioning himself between her legs.  
He took her earlobe in his mouth and sucked gently.  "Just 
maybe?" he asked, nuzzling her neck.  

A gentle nudge from his hips, his voice in her ear, his fingers 
on her breast and bye-bye stubbornness.  She locked her legs 
around his hips and tried to pull him inside her.

Alex held back, giving her an evil chuckle.  "Oh no, you have 
to say it."

"Alex," she whined, pulling harder at the back of his hips.

He kissed her neck, not letting her pull him down.  'If she only 
knew how close how close I am to burying myself inside her,' 
he thought.  "Say it."

"OK, I want you bad.  You win," she stammered.  "Please, 
Alexei..." He didn't give her time to finish her sentence before 
thrusting hard and deep inside her.  

==============================
"The bookstore?" He stared at her incredulously.  "You want 
to ask Tyler to let us get married in the bookstore?"

Katie licked the peppermint stick ice cream off her spoon and 
nodded.  "Sure, why not?"  She put down the spoon and 
propped her feet up on the coffee table.  "Look, they're all 
going to want to see us get married.  Lisa would never forgive 
either of us if we made her miss the wedding.  Ty can't very 
well shut down the whole store to accommodate everyone, so 
it's the perfect solution.  And before you say something lame, 
like it's going to annoy the customers...no one comes in to buy 
an emergency book, so they can just wait the short time the 
actual ceremony requires, for someone to ring up their 
purchases.  If they're really nice, we'll invite them to have 
some cake in the cafe." 

"When did you figure all this out?" Alex asked.

"Last night, after you fell asleep," she replied with a grin. 

He reached over and snagged the bowl of ice cream, finishing 
the last few bites.  "You're right, this is good for breakfast." 
He smiled and put the bowl down on the table.  "Hand me the 
phone."

Katie leaned over, picked it up and handed it to him.  "Who 
are you calling?"

"Tyler," he answered.  

"No, don't call him.  We'll talk to him tonight.  I want to see 
his face when we hit him with this one," she grinned.

"Good idea," he said, handing her the phone.

"Uh uh," she said pushing it back toward him.  "I planned with 
you, now call Mulder and Scully.  The sooner we get this over 
with the better."

Alex looked down at the phone in his hand.  "I don't even 
know if he'll agree to meet me, Katya."

"He'll agree.  You've said that curiosity is going to be his 
downfall; pique his interest. Make him an offer he can't 
refuse," she urged.  

He hesitated, taking the time to gather up the courage to dial 
the number he knew by heart.  It never occurred to him to 
wonder why it was he'd committed Mulder's number to 
memory; it simply happened. The phone rang through and he 
breathed deeply, waiting for the voice on the other end.  
"Mulder, do you know who this is?  Yeah, that's right.  Don't 
hang up; you'll be making a big mistake.  There's something I 
need to show you and Scully.  No, I can't discuss it on the 
phone."  Alex held the phone a short distance from his ear 
while Mulder yelled.  He gave him until the count of three, 
before getting back on the line. "Damn it, Mulder!  Will you 
pull your head out of ass for once and listen to me?" he yelled 
back.  "Look, I'm roughly a four-hour drive from DC.  You 
pick the time and the place, I don't care."  There was silence 
on the other end of the line.  Alex looked at Katie who lifted 
her hands, wordlessly asking for information.  He shrugged his 
shoulders, shook his head and waited.  Finally Mulder began 
to speak again.  "All right; day after tomorrow.  It'll be worth 
it, Mulder.  You have my word.  Yeah, I knew you'd say that."  
He handed the phone back to Katie.  "Day after tomorrow, one 
o'clock, Vietnam Veteran's Memorial."

Katie replaced the phone and climbed into his lap.  She put her 
arms around him and kissed his face.  "See, I told you he'd 
agree.  Scully will be there, won't she?"  

"Mulder said they'd both be there," he answered.

"Good, because I take the last pill in the package tomorrow.  
That makes the day after, 'pain' day.  Scully's going to have 
her hands full, if this time is as bad as the last two," she 
sighed.  

"We could put it off for a week," Alex offered.  

"No, this is perfect.  If Scully sees what's happening to me, 
she'll be more inclined to believe.  They both will."  Katie put 
her head down on his shoulder.  Alex held her close, rubbing 
her back.  She stayed there, eyes closed, for quite a while 
before sitting up.  "I need to work."

"I have some things to take care of myself," he said.  "Want 
me to pick something up for dinner while I'm out?"

"You're going to be gone that long?" she asked.

"Probably."  He kissed her lightly.  "You OK with that?"

"Yeah," she said, returning the kiss.  "I'm OK with that."

"Just like that?" he asked.  "You aren't going to ask if I'll be 
back?"

"Just like that," she stated.  "I already know you'll be coming 
back."

"And how do you know?" he teased.  

"I know you; you can't help yourself," she winked.  "Call Ty 
before you decide on dinner; see what he and Matthew have a 
craving for; doesn't matter to me."  She climbed off his lap and 
stretched, then made her way to the computer.  

Alex picked up the ice cream bowl, depositing it in the sink as 
he went back to get his jacket.  Before leaving, he poured ice 
water in the large cup by the sink and brought it out to her.  "I 
love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she whispered in return.  He turned to walk 
away.  "Alexei?" she called out calmly.

"What?"

"You are coming back?"

He shook his head and gave a silent laugh.  "Yes, baby, I'm 
coming back."

Katie smiled and nodded, then turned back to the computer.

=============================
Matthew fidgeted the last thirty minutes of his shift.  The 
intake nurse had forced him to go away after his incessant pen 
tapping on the desk threatened to relieve her of what little 
sanity she had left.  A minor emergency ten minutes later was 
the only thing that made the rest of his time bearable.  He 
stitched up the little girl's knee and made her promise to wear 
kneepads the next time she went roller blading.  Free and clear 
until tomorrow, Matthew ran out of the hospital.  She needed 
him; he wasn't sure why he felt that way and he tried to 
discount it, but the feeling wouldn't pass.  

The first thing he noticed as the garage door opened, was the 
conspicuous absence of the Ferrari.  "Good job, dummy," he 
admonished.  "They're not even home."  He and Tyler were 
expected for dinner anyway, so Matthew decided to stick 
around and soak in the tub, thinking that might help clear his 
obviously overactive imagination.

The elevator door slid open.  Matthew froze at the sight before 
him.  Katie was sitting on the floor in front of the stereo, 
headphones on, arms wrapped around her knees, head bowed, 
body rocking back and forth.  As he got closer, he could see 
she was shaking; her eyes closed, her face wet with tears.  "Oh 
Hanna," he sighed.  Sitting down on the floor behind her, he 
carefully removed the headphones before enveloping her.  

Katie allowed him to hold her, knowing he wouldn't ask 
questions.  He was good at that, not asking questions until she 
was ready to talk and somehow, he always knew when she 
was ready.  She had two men in her life who understood how 
to deal with her panic attacks.  Amazing, she thought, as her 
fear subsided.  

"Did Alex do this to you?" he asked quietly.

"No," she whispered, struggling to find her voice.  "How can 
you ask that?"

"You're on the floor, he's not here.  Can I help it if that's the 
first thought that popped into my head?"

Katie took his hand and brought it to her lips, kissing each 
finger.  "I love you, Kid."  She laid his hand against her cheek 
briefly, then brought it back to her side.  "He called Mulder 
and Scully this morning.  We're meeting with them day after 
tomorrow.  I was just sitting here working, thinking...I 
panicked."

"Where is he?  Why isn't he here with you?"

"He had something to do before we leave.  I wanted to work, 
so he went by himself.  He's supposed to check with you and 
Tyler about what to bring home for dinner," she answered.  

"Want to tell me what set you off this time?" he asked.

"I'm scared.  Something Alex said last night...what if Scully 
can't find out what's wrong with me?  What if she does and I 
don't like the answers?  What if I can't handle the answers?"

"What if she has a simple solution to your problem, Hanna?  
What if it's something stupid that we've simply overlooked? 
You can't deal in 'what ifs'."  He turned her around to face 
him. "We've been through some hard times, kiddo; anything 
Dr. Scully throws our way is just another ditch in the road."  
Matthew smiled lovingly at her.  "Look around you.  You 
have me and Tyler; two people who would do anything 
humanly possible for you.  To top it all off, you have Alex.  
He's hopelessly devoted to you.  Hell, that boy is whipped but 
good," he said with a grin.

Katie chuckled softly.  "He is not whipped and if you start 
singing that song, I will hurt you."

Matthew kissed her cheek.  "No singing, I promise."  He 
struggled to his feet, pulling her up after him.  "Now, as your 
doctor, I'm prescribing a bottle of wine and a long soak.  Go 
get in the tub; I'll be there in a minute."

"Sounds like a plan," she said.  

Matthew waited until she was at the bathroom door, then 
called out to her.  "Oh Hanna?"  She turned to look at him.  
"The boy is whipped."

=============================
Alex pulled into the garage seconds before Tyler.  Tyler 
jumped out of the car and helped him with the cartons of 
Chinese food he'd picked up on the way home.  "Anything 
else?" Tyler asked.

"No, that's it," Alex answered.

"You've been gone since ten this morning and there's nothing 
else to carry in?  What have you been doing all day?"

Alex leaned back against the car.  "I had some legal matters to 
take care of."

Tyler frowned.  "I don't like the sound of this Alex.  You and 
Katie are leaving to start this whole vaccine adventure with 
people you say you trust, but who don't trust you.  We don't 
know how long you'll be gone.  Katie's on the verge of another 
bout of pain.  Now you're taking care of legal matters.  You're 
scaring me."

"Mulder and Scully are good people, Ty; don't worry.  I'll 
convince them, somehow.  I can't tell you how long we'll be 
gone, but you have my cell number, so we won't be out of 
touch."  He rubbed his temple.  "I know Katie's on the brink 
again, but she thinks it will help our cause if they see her like 
that."

Tyler nodded his head in agreement.  "She's probably right.  
What about these legal matters?"

Alex sighed and hesitated before answering.  "My will needed 
to be updated, all right?  If anything happens to me, everything 
I have goes to her.  Not that it will be useful once the invasion 
begins, but it will carry her through until that time," he 
answered.  Alex shifted his feet and looked down at the 
ground. "For the record, you and Matthew are named in it as 
well.  On the off chance that something happens...Katie and I 
both...well...the two of you get it all."  He glanced up at Tyler 
who was doing his best to pull his mouth up off the floor.  
"Look, it's no big deal.  The three of you are all I have; you're 
my family now.  I take care of my family."

"Alex...I don't know what to say," Tyler began.

"Don't say anything.  Forget we even had this conversation."  
Alex sighed.  "Look, I know you're going to want to tell 
Matthew, just do me a favor and wait until after Katie and I 
are out of town.  I don't want her to know about this, not yet."

"OK," Tyler agreed.  "Come on, let's get this upstairs; I'm 
starving."

They didn't speak on the ride up.  Tyler was still a little blown 
away by Alex's news and was finding it hard to know what to 
say to him.  What do you say to someone who's just informed 
you that his death could make you a millionaire?  Is thank you 
appropriate?  'I mean what does one wear that's apropos for a 
party that's also a crime?' He snickered at the stray thought.

"What's so funny," Alex asked.

"Nothing," Tyler answered with a smile.  "My brain just went 
random on me."

Alex started to ask what he meant by that, but never got the 
chance.  The door opened and they heard Matthew and Katie 
singing and laughing hysterically.  He and Tyler exchanged 
questioning looks.  Tyler held up the food and nodded toward 
the table.  Alex returned the nod.  They walked quietly to the 
table and put down the cartons, before carefully approaching 
the bathroom door.  Katie and Matthew were singing 
something, off-key and at the top of their lungs. "...a 
tournament of lies.  Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives 
and I decline. It's the end of the world, as we know it..." 
Tyler's hand flew up to his mouth to keep his laughter from 
leaking out.  Alex cracked a smile and found he had to bite his 
lip to hold back a chuckle as well.  He reached out and slowly 
pushed the door open a little wider so they could see inside.  
On the edge of the tub was an empty bottle of wine, on its 
side, kept from rolling off the ledge by a wadded up 
washcloth.  Between the two revelers was another bottle 
sitting upright.  Neither could see through the dark glass to 
judge the amount of wine left inside, but educated guesses left 
both with the impression that there wasn't going to be enough 
left for dinner.  "...it's the end of the world, as we know it. It's 
the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.  I feel 
fine..."

"Guess we don't have to wonder what started this binge, do 
we?" Tyler asked.  "How was she when you left this 
morning?"

"Fine.  A little quiet, but fine.  She said she wanted to work, so 
I thought it was OK to leave her here alone."  He rubbed his 
head and frowned.  "I should have known something like this 
would happen."

Tyler pulled Alex away from the door and into the kitchen.  
"Cut it out," he snapped at Alex.  "You aren't a mind reader 
and she can take care of herself.  So they decided to get shit-
faced and blow off some steam, so what?  Maybe Matthew 
had a bad day at the hospital and Katie's consoling him, you 
know?"  He took a breath to calm himself down, then took 
Alex's face in his hands.  " Stop blaming yourself for 
everything that happens.  These two do things like this every 
so often; deal with it," he said quietly.  "Now, the way I see it, 
we can either grab another bottle and work on catching up or 
we can haul their drunken asses out of there and feed them."

Another chorus of "I feel fine" floated out from the bathroom.  
Alex shook his head and smiled.  "Let's get them out of there.  
I have a feeling we're going to need to be reasonably sober for 
the puking part of the evening."

=============================
Katie sat at the kitchen table cradling her head in her hands, 
while Alex made her some toast.  He brought over the plate, 
along with a glass of milk.  She winced as the plate hit the 
table, but made no move to touch her food.  

He took her hand and pressed a couple of pills into her palm.  
"Take these," he ordered.  She popped them into her mouth 
without looking at them and chased them with some of the 
milk.  A small tearing noise, then another pill was pushed into 
her hand.  "And this one," he said.  She obediently swallowed 
that one as well.  

The cold milk tasted incredible and she quickly drained the 
glass.   "More, please," she whispered.  The glass disappeared 
and was replaced with another one full of the glorious liquid.  
She finished half the glass before setting it down.  "What did 
you give me?"

"Two ibuprofen and your last birth control pill," he answered.  
"Try to eat something."

Katie picked up a slice and nibbled until it was mostly gone.  
"Thank you."

"It's just toast."

"No, not for the toast.  Well, not just for the toast."  She raised 
her eyes and looked at him for the first time that morning.  
"For last night.  For not losing your cool. For not asking a lot 
of questions.  Pretty much for everything."

"You're welcome.  I would like to ask one question though, if 
you're up to it now," he added.

She chuckled, then held her head.  "Ow. It's going to be an 
essay question, isn't it?"

"Short answer...essay, depends on how long you decide to 
make the answer," he replied.

"Ask."

"What set you off?"

She crossed her arms on the table then dropped her head on 
them.  "I did," she answered.  "I set me off.  It started off as 
nervousness about tomorrow and by the time I finished with 
myself, it had grown into a full blown panic over everything."  
She sat up.  "But no more.  That was the last panic attack; I 
promise.  Matthew slapped some sense into me last night; he 
woke me up."

"Good," Alex said flatly.  "I don't want you to misunderstand 
me, but you no longer have the luxury of allowing yourself to 
panic.  It all starts tomorrow, Katya.  I need you to be strong."

"I know," she whispered.  "I will be.  There's too much at 
stake for me to be acting like an idiot."

He took her hand in his and kissed it.  "That doesn't mean you 
can't be scared; you're going to be scared.  It means that you 
have to work through it, keep your mind on the task at hand.  
You can't let it build up that's all.  Can you do that?"

Katie smiled.  "Of course I can do that.  I can do anything.  I 
am strong.  I am invincible.  I am..."

"Quoting dumb songs from the seventies," he finished.  "Did 
you ever go outside and play as a child?"

"All the time, I just took my radio with me," she answered, 
sticking her tongue out at him as she finished.  Katie picked up 
the last bit of the toast and finished it.

"Want something else?" he asked.

"No, I'm good for now."  She stood up and grabbed the plate, 
taking it into the kitchen and putting it in the sink.  "When do 
you want to leave?"

"In a few hours.  I want to get in tonight, get you settled in at 
my place so you know where things are.  I told you this last 
night," he added calmly.

"Yeah, well last night is a little fuzzy, so you'll have to excuse 
me if I ask stupid questions," she replied sarcastically.  
"Anything else I might have missed?"

"How long are we packing for?"

Katie closed her eyes, trying to remember.  "Wait...I know that 
one. Um...a week, but it might be longer, it might not be that 
long."  He didn't make a sound, so she opened her eyes and 
looked at him.  "Right?"  He nodded.  She smiled, he didn't.  
"Uh huh.  I'm going to go take a shower before I pack."  She 
backed up a few steps looking for a reaction; he just watched.  
She turned and finished the walk to the bathroom without 
turning back.  

The door closed and Alex was left alone. He put his elbows on 
the table, resting his head in his hands, while he listened to the 
argument going on inside his head.   *You were too hard on 
her.*  <No I wasn't.> *She's not ready to handle this yet.* 
<She has to be; time's up.>* She's not a soldier.* <She
 is now.>  The water came on.  He heard the sliding door of 
the shower open and close.  *She thinks you're mad at her.*  
<I am.>  *No you're not; you're scared.  You're scared and 
you're taking it out on her.*  Just like that, the voices stopped.  
Busted.  He was scared.  Before this, before her, he had been 
alone.  His life was unimportant; no one cared whether he 
lived or died, so he didn't care either.  When did the rules 
change?  The minute he hit town?  The minute he got shot?  
The minute he woke up in the loft?  All of the above?  He 
raised his head and gazed at the bathroom door.   <Time's up 
for you too, moron.  Now you care and so does someone 
else.>

The bathroom door opened.  Katie brushed by him on her way 
to the bedroom.  She didn't say anything or even take the time 
to look at him on her way.  He followed her, first with his 
eyes, then with his feet.  

Katie's back was facing the door, her jeans were on and she 
was rummaging in the drawer for a T-shirt and sweater.  He 
waited until she put them on before entering the room.  "I'll be 
ready in about twenty minutes," she said quietly, when she 
realized he was watching her.  Katie couldn't look him in the 
eyes right then, she knew he was upset with her and with good 
reason.  He didn't need her screwing up; too much was at 
stake.  Time to grow up. 

Alex caught her arm as she tried to slip by him.  "Wait," he 
implored. She looked up, then redirected her eyes.  "I'm 
sorry," he whispered.

Her eyes widened and she looked up at him.  "You're sorry?  
For what?  For being right?  I messed up; you didn't.  You 
have every right to be mad at me."

"No, I don't.  I have no right at all."  He pulled her close and 
rested his chin in her hair.  "I realized something while you 
were in the shower.  I am angry, but not at you; I'm mad at 
myself.  I'm scared, Katie.  For the first time in my life I'm 
scared; I'm afraid I won't be able to pull this off and I'm taking 
it out on you."

Katie let out a small laugh.  "That's funny."  She pulled back 
and looked at him.  "I realized something in the shower 
myself.  I'm not scared.  I know we can pull this off.  The only 
thing I'm afraid of, is losing you."

He touched her face, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her 
ear. "One disagreement doesn't mean I'm gonna walk away." 

"I know, but this was our first one; we hit unknown territory," 
she replied.  "I'm sure we'll have some big ones down the 
line."

"I yell," he warned.

"So do I," she warned back.  "Slam doors, too."

"Sometimes I leave," he added.

"Me too," she returned.  "But I always come back."

Before she realized what was happening, Alex kissed her hard, 
throwing all of his fear-turned-to-passion behind it.  "I'll 
always come back," he whispered.

"Alexei," she sighed.  "You need to either let me go so I can 
finish packing or carry me over to the bed, right now.  But I'm 
warning you, if you take me to bed, we're not getting out of 
here anytime soon."

He kissed her, more gently this time, before reluctantly 
releasing her.  "We need to go."

"I know."

=============================
"Is there some reason we're going in through the service 
entrance?" Katie asked.

"Yes," Alex retorted.

Katie followed him up the stairs, waiting for a more detailed 
answer.  At the second floor landing, when no answer was 
forthcoming, she continued.  "Would you care to share the 
reason?"

"Not yet," he replied mysteriously.  "Come on, two more 
floors and we're there."

"OK," she sighed.  

At the fourth floor, Alex unlocked the stairway door and held 
it open for Katie.  "Third door on the left," he directed.  At the 
door, he dropped his bag and put the key in the lock.  "I 
haven't been here for a while, so we'll have to order out for 
dinner tonight.  Later, after dark, we'll go out and pick up a 
few things."  He pushed the door and guided her inside, 
picking up his bag and following her through.  Looking down 
at his watch, he abandoned the bag by the couch.  "Come on, 
he should be here soon." 

Katie followed him to the window.  "Who should be here?"

"Mulder," he answered.  "Maybe Scully too.  They're going to 
want to discuss their strategy for our meeting tomorrow and 
I'm betting they'll come to his place."

Katie scanned the street and the building across the way, while 
Alex pulled the telescope out the small space between the 
bookcase and the wall. "To review, we're standing at the 
window to see if Mulder comes home with Scully to 
collaborate on tomorrow's meeting.  So logically, this means 
that Mulder's apartment is across the street, which is why we 
came in the back.  We're on the fourth floor, so I'm guessing 
that Mulder's place is also on the fourth floor.  How am I 
doing so far?" she asked with a smile.

"Not too bad, for a beginner," he teased.  "Which apartment is 
it?"

Katie peered through the glass, trying to see into the windows 
across from her.  "Move away from the telescope and I'll tell 
you," she said smugly.  Alex backed away and motioned for 
her to take his place. "Prepare to be amazed," she winked.  
Lowering her eye to the telescope, she quickly scanned the 
windows.  In actuality, she figured it out immediately, but 
stalled a minute to make him think she was stumped.  She 
glanced over him standing on the other side of the window, 
arms crossed, smiling in amusement at her perceived difficulty 
in choosing.  "Well, that was easy."  

"So, which one is it?" he asked, eyes raised.

"That one," she pointed.  "The one with the half-raised blinds, 
paper-covered computer desk, well-worn furniture and a 
basketball shoved on top of the bookcase.  It practically 
screams bachelor/Fed."

"I'm impressed," he said, making a show out of tipping an 
imaginary hat to her.  

"Oh, he's been working late, too," she added.

'OK, Sherlock, how did you arrive at that deduction?" he 
asked, leveling his eyes at her.

"Elementary, my dear Watson. You said he had a thing for 
sunflower seeds, right?"  He nodded and motioned for her to 
go on.  "Well, on the desk is a rather impressive pile of shells 
on a napkin.  We should buy him a trash can."

"Maybe for his birthday," he answered sarcastically.  "Any 
other observations you'd care to share?"  

"About Agent Mulder? No."  She moved closer to him and 
wrapped her arms around his waist.  "About Mr. Krycek? 
Yes."

He raised an eyebrow.  "And what, is it you've observed about 
me, Ms. Heyes?"

"I have observed, sir, that you have become distracted from 
the task at hand," she teased.

"Based on..." he inquired.

"Based on the fact that two people matching the description 
you gave me of Mulder and Scully, just pulled up in front of 
his building," she answered, nodding out the window.

Alex turned his attention to the activity outside, just in time to 
see Mulder open the building door for Scully.  "That's them."

"Now what?  Do we sit here and watch them all night?"

"For a while.  Why don't you order something for dinner," he 
suggested.  "Top drawer of the end table.  There are menus 
from a couple of places that deliver.  You decide tonight."

Katie wandered over to the table and pulled out the menus.  
They had Chinese last night, so pizza would have to suffice.  
She lifted the receiver, almost surprised to hear a dial tone.  At 
the third digit of the pizza place's number, she put the phone 
down.  "Um...Alex?"

Alex had his eye glued to the eyepiece, carefully watching 
every move in Mulder's apartment.  "Yeah, baby?" he asked, 
never taking his eyes away from the window.

"Where do we live?"

He cracked a huge smile and raised his head.  "What?" he 
chuckled.

"The address...for the delivery guy...might make it easier to 
order in, if I can give the guy a clue as to where to bring the 
food," she explained.

Alex laughed.

"What's so funny?" she asked.  "You never gave me the 
address, so I know I didn't forget it."

Alex returned his attention to his surveillance and looked out 
at Mulder pacing in his apartment.  "No, I never gave it to 
you; you didn't forget." 

"Then what?" 

"My first night here?  I tried to order in and when the guy 
asked for the address, I couldn't give it to him.  I was so 
green," he snickered.

"You callin' me green, Alexei," she challenged.

"If the shoe fits, Katya," he teased.

"Uh huh," she mused.  "Well then, I guess you better figure 
out a way to season me quick, since I'm the only one you've 
got watching your back right now."

Alex sat back and leered at her.  "Ooooh, season you?  Got 
any suggestions?"

Katie sauntered over, ran her hand down his face and traced 
her index finger across his lower lip.  She bent over and 
brushed her lips against his cheek.  "Plenty of suggestions," 
she said seductively.  She lowered her lips to his neck, 
planting kisses from the base to just under his ear.  He closed 
his eyes and moved his head to one side.  "The first one," she 
whispered, "is give me the address. I'm starving."

"It's written on the front inside cover of the phone book, Mata 
Hari," he answered, chuckling. 

Katie smiled and called in an order for dinner.  "Anything 
happening over there?" she asked.

"No, Mulder finally stopped pacing and made a phone call.  
He's either calling in for dinner or talking to the Lone 
Gunmen.  Scully looks beat; if he's smart he's ordering 
dinner."  

Katie wandered around the apartment, put their suitcases in 
the bedroom, and familiarized herself with where everything 
was, while Alex continued watching Mulder and Scully.  She 
entered the kitchen checking the pantry, before getting up the 
courage to open the refrigerator; nothing in there but a few 
bottles of beer and a couple cans of sodas.  Thank God, she 
thought.  She had not been looking forward to scraping ancient 
foodstuffs.  The freezer held nothing but three ice cube trays, 
all full of ice, she noted.  A knock at the door announced the 
arrival of dinner.  She answered, paid for the pizza and made 
sure to lock the door afterwards.  Her trek through the kitchen 
had yielded no plates, but there were paper towels, so they 
would have something to wipe their hands on.  "OK, Alex, get 
over here.  I'm sure they're not going to do anything earth-
shattering this evening."  She dropped the pizza on the coffee 
table.  "Soda or beer?" she asked.

Alex took one last look, then joined her on the couch.  "Soda," 
he answered.

Katie returned with two cans of soda, handing him one.  
"That's it, so after that it's water or beer."

"We'll go out in a little while," he said, his mouth full of pizza.  
"When it's dark."

Katie grabbed a slice.  "So, did I miss anything exciting?"

"No, they're just talking."

"Did you expect something more?" she asked.  

He shook his head and took a swallow from the can.  
"Mulder's too predictable.  You want to hear about a typical 
night in his life?"  Katie nodded, her mouth too full to answer.  
"He gets home from work around six, changes out of the suit 
into sweats or jeans and T-shirt.  Then it's dinner; usually take 
out, usually Chinese.  He'll turn on the TV while he works on 
the computer.  If he finds something interesting about a case 
they're working on, he'll call Scully.  After talking to Scully, 
it's time to pull out the porno movies he keeps in the cabinet 
under the fish tank, while he treats himself to a visit from Mrs. 
Palm and her five lovely daughters, before falling asleep on 
the couch."

"Back up.  Mrs. Palm?" she inquired.

Alex grinned and held up his hand.  He put a finger on the 
palm and tipped each finger at her, silently counting to five.

"Oh," she giggled.  "That's a new one for the collection."

"I'm sure she'll be over shortly after Scully leaves, if you're 
interested in the show." Alex raised the can to his lips and 
watched for her reaction.

"Oh, that's tempting," she said, biting on her thumbnail.  "He 
is awfully attractive.  Might be worth checking out.  You 
know," she continued, keeping a straight face, "maybe I 
should go over there and offer to assist poor Mulder in his 
time of need...do a little undercover work...dig up some 
secrets..."

Alex put the can down on the table and lunged, knocking her 
flat on the couch.  He pinned her arms over her head and held 
her in place while she struggled against him, giggling all the 
while.  "Don't even think about it," he growled.  "You're 
mine."  His mouth descended on her neck, leaving a large 
hickey in its wake. 

"Ow," Katie complained.  "What was that for?"

"Marking my territory," Alex answered smugly.

"Well Hell, baby, if it was just my neck you wanted, all you 
had to do was say so.  I'll be sure to have Mulder avoid that 
area," she teased.   

"Tread lightly, little girl," he warned.

"What?  Mulder's a neck man?" she teased.  "I had him figured 
for an ass man, myself."

"I don't care what kind of man Mulder is," Alex growled 
again.  "You're mine. Only mine."  His grip on her arms 
loosened and his mouth returned to her neck, more gently this 
time. Sliding down to cover more ground, his feet hit the end 
of the couch.  Alex huffed and got up, pulling Katie up with 
him, practically dragging her to the bedroom.  He sat down on 
the side of the bed; Katie stood in front of him.  Reaching out, 
he tugged on her sweater.  "Take it off," he ordered.  Katie 
raised an eyebrow at him.  "Don't look at me like that; take it 
off," he said, straddling that fine line between amusement and 
irritation.  She rolled her eyes, then removed the sweater, 
dropping it on the floor.  "That too," he said, picking at the T-
shirt.  "And anything else that's hiding under there as well," he 
added.

"As many times as you've undressed me now, have you ever 
run across 'anything else' under my T-shirts?" she asked, as the 
shirt dropped to the floor.

"No, and I've been meaning to tell you how much I appreciate 
that," he shot back with a leer.

"I didn't do it for you," Katie replied sarcastically.

Alex's hands were on her waist, slowly inching up her sides.  
"I don't care why you do it.  Just don't stop."  His thumbs 
glided across her nipples, making her sigh involuntarily.  He 
watched her eyes close and wondered, not for the first time, at 
how easily she accepted the differences in his touch.  It never 
seemed to matter whether it was the real hand or the artificial 
one that caressed her.  They say that the brain is the largest 
sexual organ in the human body.  He'd always passed that off 
as bullshit, now he wasn't so sure.  His mind snapped back the 
task at hand. 'Whoa, breaking my own mood here.'  It's not 
good to go soft during a power play and a power play was 
exactly what he had in mind.  He stopped quickly and pulled 
on her jeans.  "Keep going.  All of it off. Now."

Katie reached for the button, a snappy retort on her lips.  She 
opened her mouth to give it voice, but changed her mind.  His 
eyes were dark and determined; he did enjoy his power plays 
and so did she.  Usually they were all in fun, but this one had 
more serious undertones; this one involved Mulder. Even 
though they both knew she was kidding about 'going 
undercover' with him, this time Katie wondered if she hadn't 
carried the teasing a bit too far.  The button came free, the 
zipper lowered.  Slowly, she pushed the jeans down, kicking 
them off when they fell to her ankles; grateful she'd long since 
gotten rid of her shoes and socks.  She stood there silent and 
waited for his next move.
 
Alex rose and flung the blankets back.  "Lie down."  He 
waited until she settled in.  His eyes traveled the length of her 
body, coming to rest on the jagged scar that crossed her 
abdomen.  Something made him do a double take.  'Must be 
the light,' he thought.  

"What?" Katie asked quietly.

"Nothing," he muttered.  "I just...never mind."  He raised his 
voice.  "You hush; did I say you could talk?"  She shook her 
head.  "I didn't think so."  Alex pulled the sweater off over his 
head and let it fall on top of Katie's.  The belt came off next.  
A wicked flicker made him drag it slowly up her leg.  Katie's 
eyes widened in a mixture of arousal and apprehension.  He 
wasn't sure which was greater and decided he really didn't 
want to explore that any further.  Been there, done that, didn't 
like it.  The belt joined the sweaters on the floor.  He popped 
the button on his jeans, watching Katie drag her teeth across 
her lower lip as he did.  "What?"  She smiled, but didn't 
answer.  "You want to finish this?" he asked.  

She nodded slowly, then sat up without permission.  When he 
made no move to take back the upper hand, she slid her hands 
up his legs, from knees to hips, crossing at the waistband and 
meeting at the zipper.  He was so firmly pressed against the 
fabric that she held on to the top with one hand while the other 
carefully lowered zipper.  Katie took hold of the waistband 
with both hands, making sure to slip a finger under the 
waistband of his briefs as well, and pulled until they fell to his 
knees.  Her foot snaked between his legs, pushing the 
garments to the floor, where he kicked them off.  His hands 
landed on her shoulders and he attempted to push her down on 
the mattress, but she was quicker than he was.  Her soft, easy 
strokes stopped him in his tracks.  "I know what this is about," 
she whispered.  He looked down at her, then closed his eyes.  
"Don't," she said, touching his cheek.  "I want you to look at 
me."  He opened his eyes and pressed his cheek against her 
hand. "I belong to you, only you.  I tease, maybe too much 
sometimes, but never doubt who I want in my bed at the end 
of the day."  Her fingertips raked along his length as she 
returned to the mattress and to her former position.

Alex remained standing.  "What are you doing?" he asked 
quietly.

"Restoring the balance of power," she answered. 

He climbed into bed and stretched out on his side next her. 
"What if I don't want the balance restored?" he asked, trailing 
his hand over her breast.

"Giving up control, Alexei?" she whispered. 

He shook his head and kissed her.  "No," he replied, rolling 
her on top of him.  "I'm sharing it."

Katie lifted her hips and guided him into her, gently easing 
back down.  "Ooooh," she sighed.  "Sharing's good.  I like 
sharing."

Afterwards, feet tangled in the sheets, arms wrapped around 
one another, Alex brushed the hair away from Katie's ear.  "I 
belong to you, too," he murmured.

"I know." 

=============================
Katie and Alex arrived at the memorial early and looked 
around for any sign of Mulder and Scully.  Alex tapped the 
box nervously against his leg.  Katie reached down and gently 
eased it out of his hand.  "Here, let me hold on to that before 
you break something."  She patted his jacket.  "You want me 
to hold the records, too?"  Alex smiled weakly and shook his 
head, as he scanned the people milling around the park.  
"They'll be here soon.  We're almost fifteen minutes early," 
Katie assured him.  "Honestly, Alexei, I've never seen you so 
skittish before."

Alex stared at her.  "You don't understand.  Mulder and I...we 
have an explosive relationship.  I'll be lucky to get out here 
without a black eye or busted lip.  He hits me and I let him do 
it; I figure I owe it to him after everything I've done to both of 
them."

"He's not going to hit you this time," Katie said firmly.  "I 
won't let that happen."

"You gonna take him down for me, Don Katya?" Alex teased.  
Katie chuckled in reply.  Alex tapped his thumb against his leg 
and checked for Mulder.  "I don't care if he hits me this time 
or not, as long as he believes me."  Alex sighed, still tapping 
his thumb. "He has to believe me this time."

Katie reached up and stroked his cheek.  "Look at me," she 
said.  Alex bit his bottom lip and met her eyes.  "He'll believe 
you; he'll believe us."  She smiled warmly up at him.  "And if 
he doesn't, I'll rough him up until he sees the light."

Alex let out a half-chuckle and pulled her close.  "You would 
do that, wouldn't you?"

Katie gave him a squeeze.  "You know it, baby."  The sight of 
a small redheaded woman and her tall, dark companion caught 
her eye.  Katie pulled back a little.  "I think they're here," she 
whispered, nodding in their direction.

Alex's head whipped around to see what she was seeing.  He 
let out a deep breath.  "Yeah, that's them."   

=============================
Mulder peered through his binoculars from behind a tree in the 
park.  "There he is, Scully," Mulder said, pointing to the far 
end of the wall. 

Scully took the binoculars and saw Alex and Katie walking 
down the sidewalk.  "Who's that with him?"

Mulder grabbed the binoculars from her, frowning.  "I don't 
know.  He didn't mention that he was bringing anyone."

Scully tried to take back the binoculars, but Mulder held fast.  
"Fine, you keep them.  You know, it would have been nice if 
you'd brought me a pair as well, Mulder," she said, glaring at 
him.

Mulder lowered the binoculars and stared back at her.  "Don't 
blame me for your lack of foresight, Scully.  You knew we 
were going to be surveilling the area; you should have come 
prepared."

Scully crossed her arms and leaned back against the tree. 
"Remember that the next time we're on a long, boring stakeout 
and you get hungry.  I'll be there, enjoying the snacks that I 
had the 'foresight' to pack in my bag, while you'll be there with 
nothing."

"You wouldn't share with me?" Mulder pouted.  "I'm hurt."  
He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a second 
pair of binoculars.  "Good thing I picked these up for you."  

"You had these all along and you didn't bother to give them to 
me?" Scully asked in disbelief, as she took them from his 
outstretched hand.

Mulder smiled, then raised his binoculars to his eyes and 
returned his attention to Katie and Alex.  "I didn't think you'd 
mind sharing.  Take a look at these two, will you?"

Scully adjusted her binoculars.  "You know if we didn't know 
Krycek so well, I'd say he looks nervous."

"Krycek nervous?"

"Look at him, Mulder.  He's pacing and tapping something 
against his leg.  Oh...wait, whatever it is, she just took it from 
him," Scully observed.  "Can you see what it is?"

"Looks like a box of some kind," Mulder lowered the 
binoculars and rubbed his eyes.  "I wish I knew who she was."

"Whoever she is," Scully began, "she sure has a hold on him.  
Take a look."

Mulder shook his head.  "What's going on?"

"She just touched his cheek and now he's hugging her."  
Scully put the binoculars in her coat pocket.  "Mulder, I think 
we're about to meet a new Alex Krycek," she said with a grin.

"A new Krycek?  Help me out here, Scully," Mulder said.

Scully pulled him out from behind the tree and started walking 
toward the memorial.  "I think Alex is in love," she said 
quietly.

=============================
Alex let go and turned to face Mulder.  He tried to keep Katie 
behind him, but she moved to stand next to him instead.

"Don't do that," she hissed.  

"Sorry," he said.  "Just a reflex."

Katie squeezed his hand.  "You're not alone anymore."

Alex smiled at her and squeezed back.

"You didn't tell me you were bringing someone along for this 
meeting, Krycek," Mulder stated flatly.

"Nice to see you too, Mulder," Alex replied.  "This is Katie 
Heyes.  She's an important part of what I have to tell you 
today."  He hesitated, then added, "she's an important part of 
my life, too."  Katie smiled up at him and rubbed her thumb 
across the back of his hand.

Scully cocked her head to one side and smirked at Mulder.  
Mulder made a face at her.  "Why are we here, Krycek?"

"Our cigarette smoking friend came to see us just before 
Christmas," Alex started to explain.

"I thought he was dead," Mulder challenged.

"He got better.  Long story short, he gave me what he claims 
is the last of the vaccine.  I kept three, but the last seven are 
yours," Alex said.

Katie reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the box.  
She extended her hand to Mulder and held it there until he 
decided to take the box from her.  

Mulder opened the box and counted the seven syringes there.  
"Why are you giving this to me?  Why not keep it for 
yourself?  I'm sure you could get a hefty price for it 
somewhere."

Alex sighed and turned to Katie.  "See..."

Katie glared at Mulder.  "Can you put the past behind you for 
a minute, Agent Mulder?  We're here because Alex says you 
and Agent Scully are the only people who would believe us.  
We thought that Scully might be able to figure out the 
components and replicate the vaccine; maybe save lives in the 
process."

"Forgive me, but I can't help but notice your frequent use of 
the term 'we'.  Just what is your part in all of this, Ms. Heyes," 
Scully inquired.  

Katie looked up at Alex.  He nodded.  "My part is simple; I'm 
Alex's fiancee.  I'm also recipient number one of this batch of 
the vaccine.  We thought you might need blood or tissue 
samples for your research; assuming you plan on researching 
this at all."

Scully's eyes widened and Mulder's blood began to boil.  "You 
experimented on your own fiancee?" he shouted.  "That's low, 
Krycek, even for you."  He made a fist and closed his other 
hand around it.

Katie stepped up to Mulder and grabbed his tie, yanking him 
down to her eye level.  "Look Mulder, he didn't experiment on 
me.  He didn't want me to have any part in this, but I forced 
his hand, so don't you dare try to lay this all at his feet.  I have 
the vaccine running through me, just like Scully.  The way I 
see it, I'm the only one here who has a pure system, since I've 
never been infected with the virus.  You want to know how 
this is going to affect the rest of the population, then you need 
me.  And another thing," Katie added, putting her other hand 
on Mulder's fist.  "Put this away once and for all.  The next 
time you lay a hand on him it better be in friendship, not 
anger.  You ever hurt him again and I will take you out."  
Katie let go of Mulder's tie and pushed him away.

Mulder straightened his tie and glared at Scully who was 
trying hard to suppress a snicker.  Alex moved up behind 
Katie and put his arms around her.  "I think I just got really 
turned on, Don Katya," he whispered in her ear.  

Katie smiled.  "Hold that thought until we're alone," she 
whispered back.  "Now, if you two think you can play nicely 
together, I'd like a chance to talk to Scully, alone."  She turned 
to Scully.  "Can we sit down over there?"

Scully glanced at Mulder.  "Yeah, OK."

Mulder frowned at the prospect of being separated from Scully 
and eyed Katie warily.  Alex shook his head and extended his 
hands.  "Here Mulder, if it'll make you feel any better."  
Mulder stared at him, considering the offer.  "Go on; you 
know you want to," he urged.  Mulder hesitated, then pulled 
the cuffs out of his pocket and slapped them on Alex's wrists.

"Alex," Katie said, her distress evident in her voice.

"It's all right, baby," he replied calmly.  "Go talk to Scully."

Katie glared at Mulder.  "I promise you...if you so much as lay 
a hand on him..."

Scully touched Katie's shoulder.  "He won't.  Will you, 
Mulder."  Not a question, but statement delivered from one 
partner to another.  Mulder's answer was a simple shrug and 
the shoving of his hands into his coat pockets.  Knowing that 
this was as close to an answer as they were going to get, 
Scully led Katie to the closest bench.  "What did you want to 
talk to me about?" Scully asked as they sat down.

Katie's eyes were trained on Alex and Mulder.  She saw 
Mulder say something to him and watched as Alex nodded at 
whatever had been said.  Alex looked over at her and gave her 
a half-smile.

"Ms. Heyes?"

"Katie," she answered, turning her attention to Scully.  "It's 
Katie."  

Scully nodded.  "All right.  I'm Dana."

Katie smiled.  "OK, Dana, I need your help.  Something's 
happening to me; probably because the vaccine."

"What do you mean?"

"It started the day I made Alex give me the vaccine, which 
also happened to be the first day of my period that month; a 
few hours after the injection, I started experiencing 
excruciating pain.  Not cramps, mind numbing, complete-
inability-to-function pain. It comes on fast; a couple of sharp, 
searing jolts that can drop me to the floor, then the bleeding 
starts.  Within the hour, I hurt so bad I can't move."

"Have you seen a doctor?" Scully asked.

"Yeah, my best friend is a doctor.  He's the only one I trust and 
he knows about the vaccine.  So far he's been unable to find 
anything," she answered.  "We were hoping that you'd be able 
to help.  That you might know what to look for."

"How long ago did this start?"

"Two months," she replied.  "And I'm due to start today," 
Katie added.

"Are you always regular?"

"I'm on the Pill, so that keeps me on track.  Alex has my 
medical records tucked inside his jacket. Matthew said you'd 
need them for your research. Let's get them and you can take a 
look before you decide whether or not you want to help me," 
Katie offered. 

Scully nodded.  "He's right, I will need to take a look at them."

Katie stood up and took three steps before the first wave hit.  
She went down, almost hitting the pavement.  Scully caught 
her, easing her gently to the ground. 

"Katie!" Alex yelled, taking off in a dead run, with a surprised 
Mulder close behind.  He fell to the ground in front of her and 
reached out.  "I'm here, baby," he said softly.  "Take these 
damned things off me," he yelled at Mulder.  Mulder fumbled 
with his keys before being able to release the lock.  Alex's 
arms flew around her; the cuffs still attached to his left wrist.  
"It's all right, baby," he crooned, pulling her into his lap.  "I'm 
here."  He held her, gently rocking back and forth on the hard 
concrete.

"Take me home, Alexei," she sobbed quietly.  "Take me home 
before it gets any worse."

"I will, baby.  Think you can stand?  I don't think I can lift you 
from this position."

"Yeah, I think so."  She slid off his lap and putting both hands 
on the ground for leverage, tried to push herself up.  Mulder 
bent over and placed his hands under her arms, helping her to 
her feet.

"Get your hands off of her," Alex snarled, pushing Mulder 
away.  "You don't touch her.  Ever!."  His arms went around 
her protectively, possessively.

"He was just helping, Alexei," Katie soothed.  "Please 
don't...ooooow!"  Her knees buckled, but he held on tight, not 
letting her go down.  

Alex picked her up.  "I have to get her home.  You can come 
with us or follow us, I don't care, but make a decision now," 
he said, mostly to Scully.

"Where to," Scully asked. 

Alex gave her the address, causing Mulder's eyes to open 
wide.  "Yeah Mulder, right across the street.  Surprise!"  He 
started toward the car.  "I'll leave the door open," he called 
over his shoulder, not waiting to see if Scully was coming or 
not.

Scully started to follow Alex, but Mulder held her back.  
"Come on, we'll go together.  I don't care how sick she seems 
to be, you're not getting into a car with Krycek."

"Mulder..."

"No, damn it!  We'll be right behind them; I'm not letting you 
go in there by yourself.  For all we know this is another one of 
Krycek's schemes.  I'm not taking any chances."  He grabbed 
her arm and pulled her toward their car.  

They arrived at the apartment, just as the main door closed 
behind Alex.  Scully grabbed her bag from the trunk, before 
she and Mulder followed.  In the elevator, Mulder drew his 
gun, releasing the safety.  

"Mulder, put the safety back on."

"No way, Scully," he frowned.  "I don't believe either of 
them."

"I believe she's really sick," Scully returned. 

"You believe what you want, Scully, but I'm not taking any 
chances."

"Fine.  You do what you have to; just don't upset my patient," 
she ordered. 

Mulder nodded and returned the gun to his coat pocket, safety 
off.  "Better?"

"Yes, thank you."

The elevator doors opened.  Mulder peered cautiously down 
the hall before exiting.  True to his word, the door to the 
apartment was open.  "Krycek?" he called out, fingering the 
gun in his pocket.

Alex appeared in the doorway of the bedroom.  "Where's..." he 
started to ask, just as Scully entered the apartment.  "Good, 
she's in here."

Scully brushed past Mulder, ignoring his hiss of displeasure.  
Alex stepped aside, allowing her to enter in front of him.  
Mulder moved to the doorway and looked inside.  Katie was 
curled up on the bed, her face wet from tears?  Sweat?  He 
wasn't sure.  She looked pale and in tremendous pain.  Mulder 
found himself feeling sympathetic and found his fingers 
falling away from his weapon.  Maybe she wasn't faking.  
Alex looked shaken.  He sat next her on the bed, holding her 
hand, touching her face, her hair, while Scully began her 
examination.

"Katie?" Scully inquired.  "I need to do an internal exam.  
Think you can handle that?"  Katie nodded and closed her 
eyes.  "All right," she said, giving Katie a little smile.  Scully 
looked at Alex.  "You don't need to be in here for this.  It 
won't take long."

"Matthew would like her," Katie half-laughed. 

"Yes he would," Alex chuckled back.  He brought his lips to 
hers, kissing her softly.  "I love you, Katya."

"I love you, too.  Go play nice with Mulder for a few minutes, 
OK?"

"Sure, baby.  Anything you want," he whispered.  "I'll be just 
outside if you need me."  He got up reluctantly and walked to 
the door.  "Come on Mulder."

"Mulder?" Katie called from the bed.  He crossed the room 
and knelt to see what she wanted.  "While you're out there, 
would you take those ridiculous cuffs off my fiancee, please?  
I think he's forgotten they're still on his wrist."

"Sure," Mulder replied.  

"Thanks."  Mulder put his hand on the bed to push himself up.  
Katie put her hand on top of his, getting his attention.  "Listen 
to him, please.  He's telling you the truth."  Her eyes bore 
holes into his.  "We're telling you the truth."  The hand slipped 
away quickly as another pain rushed through her.  Mulder 
looked at Scully, helplessly.  Alex moved back to her, but 
Scully stopped him, pushing them both out the door, closing it 
behind them.

**disclaimer in part one**

Alex stood outside the door, head resting on the wall.  Mulder 
watched, reading his actions, adding new information to the 
mental profile he'd written on one Alex Krycek.  He looks 
lost, Mulder thought.  Scully was right; this was a different 
Krycek than the one they'd dealt with before.  Swallowing the 
hatred he felt for this man, Mulder approached carefully, 
putting his hand on Alex's shoulder, fully expecting Krycek to 
lash out.  When he didn't move, Mulder spoke.  "Come sit 
down.  Scully will let you know when you can go back in." He 
didn't speak, but Alex went over to the couch and sat down.  
"What did he say to you?" Mulder asked.  

Alex glared at him.  "Fuck you, Mulder."

Mulder clenched his fists, but held back. "You want me to 
believe?  Convince me.  Give me something more than a box 
with a few syringes in it," Mulder urged.  

"Scully has everything I hold dear in the other room," Alex 
hissed.  "Isn't that enough for you?  Isn't it enough that we're 
here, that Katie's giving herself over as a damned lab rat?"  He 
turned away and stared at the door.  "She's my redemption, 
Mulder.  If I lose her..." 

His voice got lower and lower until Mulder could no longer 
make out what he was saying.  It didn't matter; he knew 
exactly what Krycek was trying to say.  He'd been there every 
time Scully found herself in the hospital.  He knew the 
overwhelming fear of suddenly finding himself alone in the 
world.  A phrase from an old song came back to him as he 
watched the man slumped on the other end of the couch.  'I'm 
a sad sack Sir Galahad, whose sword's around his knees, with 
a grail no longer holy and a prayer that's saying, please.' Until 
this moment he'd believed that Krycek was more monster than 
man; maybe the man was surfacing.  "Scully will do 
everything she can...Alex."

At the sound of his first name, Alex turned slowly.  His eyes 
were glistening with the tears he was trying so desperately to 
keep at bay.  Alex? He wondered what brought that on.  
Sympathy?  From Mulder? He looked at Mulder, searching for 
something, not sure what.  When he didn't find it, Alex nodded 
and turned back toward the door.

=============================
Scully removed the gloves and helped Katie get dressed.  
She'd given her an injection of a mild sedative, to help ease 
the pain.  So far, it seemed to be working. If she hadn't read 
Katie's medical history, then she wouldn't have been struck by 
anything unusual in the exam.  Scarring from her accident was 
still evident, but internally, where there should only have been 
old, damaged tissue, Scully found evidence of new, healthy 
tissue.  She reread the chart, checking the measurements listed 
for the external scarring on her abdomen.  Not having a tape 
measure handy, she couldn't be certain, but using the paper as 
a guide, she estimated that the measurements contained over a 
quarter of inch discrepancy.  She looked more closely at the 
scar line and noticed that the skin on either end looked 
smoother, newer than the skin around it.  Scully touched the 
edges again, feeling for puffiness or tenderness.  Katie tensed 
as Scully's fingers touched skin that should have no sensation.  

"That tickles," Katie complained.

"You felt that?" Scully asked.

"Yeah," Katie answered.  "Why?"

Scully frowned.  "Close your eyes, I want to try something."  
Katie closed her eyes and waited.  Scully took the end of her 
thermometer and lightly ran it over the scar.  Katie didn't react 
until Scully reached the last half-inch of the tissue.  "Have you 
always had feeling along the scar line?"

Katie opened her eyes and gave Scully a puzzled look.  "No, 
of course not; the nerves are dead.  I mean, I feel pressure, but 
that's about it.  Why?"

"Watch," Scully instructed.  She moved the thermometer over 
the scar again.  When it hit the same half-inch, Katie's stomach 
contracted, pulling away from the instrument.

"Oh my God," she exclaimed.  "I felt that.  That's really weird, 
Dana; I haven't had sensation there since before the accident," 
she yawned and clutched her stomach.  "I don't think the 
sedative is going to last this time," she sighed.

"Your last pelvic exam was two months ago, when you had 
the first attack, is that right?" Scully asked.

"Yeah, Matthew came over when Alex called.  He didn't find 
anything."  She looked up at Scully.  "Dana, did you find 
something?"

Scully smiled and squeezed her arm.  "I need to talk to Dr. 
Curry.  Do you know if he'll be at home or should I try the 
hospital?"

"Hospital...he'll be there until ten tonight.  Ow!" she moaned.  

"I don't have anything stronger with me," Scully apologized.  
"I'll write you a prescription and send Mulder out to pick it 
up."  She soothed the hair away from Katie's face.  "Get some 
rest."

"Dana?" 

"Yeah?"

"Send Alex in?"

"Sure, in a few minutes."  Scully opened the door.  Alex shot 
up from the couch, but Scully stopped him with a look.  "He'll 
be there in a minute," she said to Katie, then closed the door.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.  "What did you find?"

"I'm not sure, yet.  There is something there, but I need to 
consult with Dr. Curry before I can tell you anything."

Alex grabbed her arm.  "How bad is it?"  Mulder put his hand 
on Alex's wrist and firmly removed it from Scully's arm.  
"Sorry, Scully," he muttered.

"It's all right.  I can't really say, not without talking to her 
doctor first, but if I'm reading his entries properly, then it's not 
bad at all," she replied.  A moan filtered out from inside the 
bedroom.  "Go be with her.  I gave her a light sedative, but it 
doesn't seem to be working.  I'll have to get something 
stronger.  Right now, I think seeing you would help."

Alex was in the room, before she finished her last sentence, 
not bothering to close the door behind him.  He climbed into 
bed and molded his body against Katie's, holding her close. 

" I'm going to call in a prescription for her.  I need you to go 
pick it up while I try to contact Dr. Curry."  Scully reached for 
the phone to order the prescription.

Mulder fidgeted.  "I don't know, Scully.  Leave you here, 
alone, with him?"

"Katie's sick.  She's not going anywhere and she certainly isn't 
a threat to me."  The pharmacy picked up.  Scully held up a 
finger to Mulder, asking him to wait while she spoke to the 
pharmacist on duty.  "Yes, twenty minutes?  Thank you."  She 
hung up the phone and turned back to him.  "I want you to see 
something," she said, taking Mulder's hand.  She led him to 
the bedroom door.  "Look inside, what do you see?"

He peered into the room.  Alex was speaking to Katie, quietly, 
lovingly.  Her stomach clenched, she cried out, he held on 
tight, caressing her.  When the pain subsided, Alex did 
something Mulder would never have expected; something so 
foreign to his notion of this man, that he found himself 
momentarily speechless.  As she came down from the spasm, 
Alex Krycek, rat bastard extraordinaire, began to sing.  "Well 
the sun is surely sinking down, but the moon is slowly 
rising..." Mulder moved away from the door and stared, wide-
eyed, at Scully.

"Still think I'm in danger, Mulder?" she asked, giving him her 
patented smug look.

Mulder pulled his keys out of his pocket.  "Need anything 
while I'm out?"

=============================
Scully closed the door to bedroom quietly.  She wanted to be 
able to speak to the doctor without having them overhear her 
conversation. "Dr. Curry please.  This is Dr. Scully calling 
from DC.  Yes, I'll hold." She looked over the measurements 
and the results of Katie's last few pelvic exams while trying to 
ignore the annoying Musak on the other end of the line.  

"Matthew Curry."

"Hello, Dr. Curry.  This is Dana Scully, from DC.  I was 
wondering if..."

"Is she all right, Dr. Scully?" Matthew interrupted.  

"Well, she's in considerable pain at the moment, but I suspect 
you already knew that," she answered.  "I've sent my partner 
out for something to help ease her discomfort.  I have some 
questions about your findings, do you have her records 
handy?"

"Yes, they're right in front of me."

"During the exam you gave her two months ago, did you 
notice any signs of new tissue growth or notice any change in 
the size or color of the external abdominal scar?"

Matthew double-checked, to be sure, but he knew he hadn't.  
"No, no changes at all.  Why do you ask."  He paused.  "Dr. 
Scully, do you have something to tell me?"

She ignored him for the moment and charged on.  "And your 
measurements of the external scar...you're sure they're 
accurate?"

"Yes, down to the millimeter. Dr. Scully, forgive my 
impatience, but if you've found something, I really need to 
know what it is," Matthew implored.

Scully hesitated a split second, before answering.  "I 
completed a pelvic exam about an hour ago.  I found evidence 
of new, healthy tissue covering almost one fourth of the area 
you describe as being damaged.  Additionally, the external 
scar measurements appear to be off by almost a quarter of an 
inch and there is sensation in the last half-inch on either side 
of the remaining scar tissue."

Matthew's jaw dropped as he tried to process the information.  
"Are you sure?  There's no mistake?"

"I'd like a second opinion to verify my findings, but yes, I'm 
sure," she answered.  "I believe that Katie's tissue is 
regenerating."

"Have you told her?"

"No, not yet.  I wanted to check with you first.  I'd hesitate to 
say anything at this point," she added.

"I'm coming down," Matthew said.  "Where is she?  Alex left 
me the number, but not the address.  She won't see anyone 
else.  We're the only ones she'll let examine her and, quite 
frankly, the only reason she let you in, is that Alex trusts you."

Scully gave him the address. "How soon can you be here?"

"As soon as I can get someone to cover my shift, might be as 
soon as seven, might be as late as three this morning.  I'll do 
what I can," he said.  "Will you let her know I'm coming?"

"I will.  Alex is with her right now, so it may be a while before 
I can get in to see her."

"Is he singing to her?" Matthew asked.

Scully was caught off-guard by his question.  "Well, yes 
actually.  How did you know?"

"He does that when she's hurting; it calms her down," 
Matthew replied.  "Does this surprise you?"

"You have no idea," Scully replied.

"Dr. Scully, I don't know the Alex Krycek you and Agent 
Mulder know.  He's told Katie everything, but I'm still in the 
dark as to the nature of his past experiences.  I do know that he 
respects you and Agent Mulder and that he's desperate for you 
to believe him.  Whatever he's done in the past, whoever he 
was; he's not the same person you knew."  

=============================
Despite Alex's best efforts, Katie was still hurting when 
Mulder returned with the prescription.  Scully took a pill and a 
glass of water in to her.  "Here, this should help," she said.  

Katie sat up, with Alex's help, and swallowed the pill.  "Finish 
the water," he said, when she started to put the glass on the 
nightstand.  She moved it back to her mouth and emptied the 
glass.  He helped her back down.  

Scully sat down on the side of the bed next to Katie.  "I spoke 
with Dr. Curry a little while ago.  He'll be here later this 
evening."

"Matthew's coming here?" Katie asked, her eye filled with 
fear.  "Oh my God, Dana, is it that bad?"  She clutched Alex's 
hand, squeezing so hard his fingers turned purple. 

Scully reached out and put her hand over Katie's.  "He's 
already lost one hand, Katie," she said gently.

Katie looked down and saw his fingers in all their purple glory 
and released her grip.  "I'm sorry, baby.  Why didn't you say 
something?" she asked Alex.

"S'OK," he whispered.  "Didn't hurt."

"Liar," she said, kissing his fingers.  She looked at Scully.  
"Tell me.  I know Matthew wouldn't be rushing up here, if 
there wasn't something horribly wrong."

"What if there was something horribly right?" Scully asked.

Katie's eyes shut as she tried to block out the latest ripple in 
her gut.  Alex murmured in her ear while rubbing her stomach.  
"Hold on, the pill will kick in soon.  Just a little while longer, 
Katya, I promise."  He looked to Scully.  "Tell us, please," he 
pleaded.  "Even if Matthew disagrees, we need to hear 
something, Scully."

"I wanted to let Dr. Curry take a look before saying anything," 
Scully started.  "But I'm pretty sure he's going to concur with 
my findings."

"Which are?" Alex asked impatiently.

"During my internal exam, I found what looks like healthy 
tissue where there should be only scar tissue.  I'd say that fully 
one fourth of the area described as damaged is now...not.  
Also, I checked the measurements of the exterior scar and they 
don't match the measurements in the chart.  The scar is 
smaller."

"I thought it looked different," Alex offered.  "It wasn't my 
imagination?"

"That's not all," Scully continued.  "There's sensation on either 
end of the remaining scar tissue."

Mulder cleared his throat, alerting them to his presence.  
"Scully, are you saying that her tissue is healing itself?"

"I don't know what else think, Mulder.  If everything in this 
chart is accurate as of the last entry, then that's the only 
explanation."

"You said that a quarter of her damaged tissue is now healed?" 
Alex asked.  Scully nodded.  "It's been two months since the 
vaccine entered her system.  If you're right, at this rate she'll 
be healed by mid-summer.  At least the internal damage.  Am 
I right, Scully?"

Scully shifted uncomfortably.  "I hate to get your hopes up, 
Alex, but that is a possibility."

Alex smiled and kissed Katie's shoulder.  "I promised you, 
didn't I?  We'll have our son someday, just like I said."

"Peter Joshua?" she asked quietly, a smile forming on her lips.

Alex chuckled.  "If you want.  Just promise me that the second 
one won't be Benjamin Thaddeus."

"You have been paying attention," she replied, chuckling.

"Always," he answered, kissing her shoulder once again.  
"Now promise."

"I promise."

"I hate to break this up, but it's way too early to be picking out 
names, don't you think?  We don't even know if..."

"I know, Dana," Katie interrupted.  "It is what you think; 
Matthew will confirm it as soon as he sees for himself.  I feel 
it."

"Katie...just don't get your hopes up too high, all right," Scully 
responded.

Katie smiled serenely back at her and closed her eyes.  "Need 
to sleep now, Alexei.  Doesn't hurt anymore."

"Good," he whispered.  "Get some rest; I'll be right beside 
you."

"Just until I fall asleep," she said sleepily.  "Then you go get 
something to eat; feed these nice people and yourself, OK?"

"Anything you say," he answered.  

"Peter Joshua?"

"Peter Joshua."

Katie smiled and drifted off.  

=============================
"There it is," Tyler said, pointing to the large brick building on 
the right.

Matthew parked the car on the street in front, got out and 
opened the back door to get their suitcase and his bag.  Tyler 
went ahead, opening the front door of the building for him.  
They found the elevator and rode up to the fourth floor.  As 
they stepped out, Tyler took the suitcase from Matthew.  
Matthew gave him a questioning look.  "You go straight back 
to Katie, I'll take care of this," Tyler explained.  Matthew 
smiled and knocked on the door.

"Hi, Dr. Curry?" Scully asked.

Matthew dropped his bag just inside the door and shook her 
hand.  "Yes, nice to meet you, Dr. Scully.  This is Tyler 
MacCreedy, my life partner."  

"And professional gate crasher," Tyler added.  "Nice to meet 
you, Dr. Scully.  Sorry to add an extra person to the mix, but I 
couldn't stay home and wait for a phone call."  He looked 
around for Alex.  "Alex in with Katie?"

"No actually, he and my partner went out to pick up dinner," 
she replied.

Tyler and Matthew exchanged worried looks.  "You think that 
was such a good idea?" Matthew asked.  "Alex has said 
that...uh...he and Mulder don't exactly get along."

"They don't," Scully admitted.  "Katie asked Alex to make 
sure he fed everyone before she fell asleep.  Alex insisted 
Mulder come with him.  I don't think he wants Mulder 
anywhere near Katie."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Matthew snickered.  "Well, 
let's take advantage of their absence and take a look at her."  
He turned to Tyler.  "If they get back before we're done, keep 
them out here, please."

"You got it."

Scully and Matthew entered the bedroom quietly, not wanting 
to wake Katie up any sooner than was necessary.  "I thought 
you'd never come in here, Kid," came a soft voice from the 
bed.

Matthew smiled and crossed to her.  He sat down and kissed 
her forehead.  "How you feeling, Hanna?"

"Better," she answered, her voice just above a whisper.  
"Sleepy.  The pill Dana gave me is working too well."

"No, it's doing just what it's supposed to do.  Tyler came with 
me; he's outside waiting to see you."

"I knew he'd come," she chuckled.  "Always has to be in thick 
of things."

"That's my guy," Matthew sighed.  "Hey, I hate to do this to 
you again this evening..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she frowned.  "Assume the position."

"We could wait a while, but Alex and Mulder are gone, so let's 
get it out of the way, OK?"

Katie sat up.  "They're both gone?  Where did they go?"

Scully stepped closer.  "They went out to pick up dinner.  Alex 
insisted Mulder go with him," she said, shrugging her 
shoulders.

Katie eased her body back to the mattress.  "Damn, no 
undercover work for me," she giggled.

"What?" Matthew and Scully asked, almost in unison.

"Never mind.  Private joke.  So, are we going to get this over 
with or what?"

==============================
Matthew washed his hands, still trying to process what he'd 
just seen.  There was no mistake; the scar was smaller and 
there was new, healthy tissue.  He'd been quiet during the 
exam, not wanting to commit one way or other until he was 
done, but now he was sure.  He dried his hands and prepared 
to give them his findings.

"So?" Katie asked.  She searched his face, then smiled.  "Dana 
was right, wasn't she?"

He nodded.  "I don't know how, but yes, everything Dr. Scully 
said is true.  I'm at a loss to explain how, but...you're healing."

"It's the vaccine, Kid.  It has to be the vaccine."

"I'm inclined to agree, Hanna, but we're going to have to run 
some tests before we can say that with any authority.  Don't 
you agree, Dr. Scully?"

"We'll run some blood and tissue samples through the lab and 
see what they come up with, but right now, the vaccine seems 
to be the most logical choice, Dr. Curry."

"Oh for crying out loud.  Dr. Curry, Dr. Scully...I feel like I'm 
at a medical convention.  Dana, this is Matthew.  Matthew, 
Dana.  Now shake hands and drop the medical posturing, 
OK?"

"Oh yeah, she's feeling better...Dana," Matthew said, shaking 
his head.

"So I see...Matthew," Scully replied.

"That's better."  Katie closed her eyes.  "I want to see Tyler 
before I fall asleep again."

Scully poked her head out the door and waved Tyler over.  He 
got up quickly and rushed into the room, kneeling at the side 
of the bed.  "Anyone ever tell you you're a real pain-in-the-
ass?" he teased.

Katie grinned and opened her eyes.  "Yeah, anyone ever tell 
you you're a real prick?"

Scully's eyes widened with surprise and amusement at this 
rather interesting display of affection.  Matthew took her arm 
and motioned for them to leave.  "That's just their way of 
saying I love you," Matthew joked.

"We were worried about you," Tyler said softly.

"No you weren't.  You're just waiting for me kick off so you 
can move into the loft," she teased.

Tyler looked down and closed his eyes.  "No Katie, I mean it.  
Matthew wouldn't tell me anything until he was sure and he 
drove like a maniac all the way here.  I was really scared."

Katie touched his hair, gently pushing her fingers through.  
"I'm fine, Ty. I'm hurting because I'm healing."  She took his 
hand on placed it on her abdomen.  "The scar, right here, is 
getting smaller and everything inside is changing too, 
becoming healthy."

Tyler squeezed her hand. "How?  Is it the vaccine?"  Katie 
nodded.  "Are they sure?" he asked.

"They want to run more tests before they commit, but 
Matthew's pretty sure.  I'm positive, I know it's the vaccine."

"So, we're still on for April 21st, because I've told everyone at 
the store and Lisa's already fussing about the cake and 
decorations."

"Tell her I want a gingerbread bride and groom on top," Katie 
giggled.  "Alex will like that."  Her eyes closed.  "Love you, 
Ty," she said sleepily.

"Love you too, Katie," he whispered, knowing she was already 
asleep.

=============================
"Will you shut the Hell up about the sauce?" Alex yelled.  "I'm 
sorry the lid wasn't on tight enough.  I'm sorry I hit the brakes 
so I wouldn't run over the dog.  I will personally wash your 
goddamned shirt, if it'll get you to stop complaining!"

Mulder sat, tight-lipped and fuming.  They'd finally agreed on 
ribs and since Alex was driving, Mulder was left with the task 
of holding on to the food.  A collie had run out in front of the 
car.  Alex jammed on the breaks to avoid hitting it and when 
he did, a large amount of sauce sloshed out of the container, 
landing on Mulder's shirt.  He had to be wearing his favorite 
blue shirt, too.  At least he'd taken the tie off; the sauce would 
never have come out of that.  He seriously doubted it would 
come out of the shirt either, damn it.

Alex pulled into the first available space in front of the 
building.  No need to sneak in the back way now.  He took the 
bags from Mulder's lap and got out of the car.  "Look, you go 
home and change; I'll take this upstairs.  Have the shirt dry 
cleaned; I'll pay for it."

"I can afford my own dry cleaning, Krycek," Mulder spat.

Alex sighed. "OK, whatever Mulder.  I'm trying to apologize, 
that's all.  Forget it."  He kicked the door shut and headed to 
the entrance without looking back.

Mulder stood there until Alex was inside.  He frowned then 
hurried across the street to change.  The shirt landed on the 
floor of the bedroom in a heap.  Deciding that since it was 
after hours and he was already shirtless, he might as well 
change into something a little more comfortable than his work 
clothes.  He grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, tossed on 
his running shoes and prepared to head over.  At the last 
minute, he decided to grab a change of clothes for Scully as 
well.  Over the last few months, their relationship had changed 
considerably and now they each had drawer and closet space 
in the other's apartment.  Bet Krycek doesn't know that, he 
thought with a grin.  His eyes caught the shirt on the floor.  
Alex did seem sincere about his apology.  He seems sincere 
about a lot of things right now.  Maybe...Mulder snagged the 
shirt.  Fuck it; let him pay for the dry cleaning.  

=============================
"Dinner's here," Alex announced as he pushed the door open.  
"Hope you're hungry, we bought enough to feed a small 
army."

Scully took a couple of the bags from his hands.  "Where's 
Mulder?"

"Oh...we had a little accident with the sauce.  He went home to 
change," Alex answered, trying not to grin. Scully stared at 
him menacingly.  "I'm serious, Scully.  Have a look for 
yourself."  He walked over to the window, pulling out the 
telescope he'd tucked in its hiding place earlier that day.   
"He's probably over there changing right now."

Scully put the bags down in the kitchen then did just as he 
suggested.  Sure enough, Mulder was sitting on the bed, tying 
the laces of his running shoes.

Alex appeared at her side. "See, safe and sound, just like I 
said," he smirked.  "I told you, I'm not 'him' anymore."

"You're still spying on Mulder," Scully countered.

"I'm not stupid either," he countered.  "I still need to protect 
myself.  And Katie."  He looked to see where Tyler and 
Matthew were and found them in the kitchen laying out the 
food.  "And them.  They're my family now; no matter what, 
their safety comes first."

Scully backed away from the telescope and looked directly 
into his eyes.  She saw something she'd never thought she'd 
see, let alone admit, she saw honesty.  "I'd like to believe you, 
Alex, but..."

"Then believe, Dana," he pleaded.  "I'll prove it to you; I don't 
know how, but I will." He smiled and looked back at Tyler 
and Matthew joking with each other as they pulled out the 
utensils and paper plates he'd picked up while they were out.  
"You've stopped calling me Krycek," he observed.  "That's a 
good start."  He tilted the telescope up and slid it back into its 
hiding space.

Katie appeared at the bedroom door, yawning and rubbing her 
eyes.  "You guys got ribs?"

Alex smiled and hurried to her side.  He put his arms around 
her and kissed her.  "You should be in bed," he scolded.

"I'm hungry," she yawned.  "And I can't eat ribs on my back.  
Or were you going to hide them from me?" she teased.

"No, we weren't going to hide them from you," Alex chuckled.

"Yes we were," Tyler yelled from the kitchen.  "She eats like a 
horse, Dana.  Better grab a plate before she gets out here."

"Don't taunt me, book boy!  In a few minutes there'll be rib 
bones floating around and I can think of a real handy place to 
store a couple of them," Katie warned.

"Ooooh baby, you know I love it when you talk dirty," Tyler 
crooned, blowing her a kiss.

Katie opened her mouth to reply, but a knock at the door broke 
the mood.  "Saved by the bell, so to speak."

"I'll get it," Matthew called.  He pulled the door open.  "You 
must be Mulder; come on in.  I'm Matthew Curry." He 
extended his hand.

Mulder reached out with his unoccupied arm and shook 
Matthew's hand.  "Nice to meet you."

Alex crossed the room.  "Scully was worried that I'd done 
something to you."

Mulder looked at Scully.  "I'm fine, Ratboy just ruined my 
favorite shirt with his lousy driving."  He tossed the shirt at 
Alex.  "I want it back, assuming it's salvageable."

Katie's ears pricked up at the nickname.  'Ratboy?'  She looked 
at Alex, eyes wide, then smacked him on the arm.  "Alexei!  
Why didn't you tell me?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"It wasn't important, Katya," he answered out of the side of his 
mouth.

"What wasn't important?" Matthew inquired for all in 
attendance.

"Nothing," Alex and Katie replied, in unison.  

"Anyone know anything about getting barbecue sauce out of 
fine washables?" Alex asked, changing the subject.

Tyler lifted the garment from Alex's hand, checking the stain 
first and label second.  "You want my advice?  Burn it.  
There's no way that stain is coming out of this fabric."  He 
handed the shirt back to Alex and held his hand out to Mulder.  
"Hi, I'm Tyler MacCreedy."

Mulder shook Tyler's hand.  "You a doctor, too."

"No, he just plays with one at home," Alex and Katie 
answered, beating Tyler to the punch.

"What?"  He looked from Katie and Alex to Tyler and 
Matthew, understanding coming quickly.  "Oh." Mulder 
smiled in spite of himself.  "Are they always like that?" he 
asked Tyler.  

"Sickening, isn't it?' Tyler answered.

Katie stuck her tongue out at Tyler.  "Feed me," she said to 
Alex.  "I'm starving."

Scully met Mulder halfway across the room.  "Here," he said, 
handing her the bag.  "I brought you a change of clothes."  She 
smiled and took the bag from his hand.  "What's with these 
people?"

"It's called having fun, Mulder.  You should try it sometime," 
she smirked.  "Fix me plate, will you?  I'll be right out."

=============================
Mulder and Scully left shortly after eleven.  The six of them 
had spent hours discussing the vaccine, Spender's motives for 
giving it to Alex in the first place, the impending invasion and 
the implications of Katie's apparent tissue regeneration.  Katie 
started hurting around 8:30 and had taken another pill, so she'd 
spent most of the last hour dozing on Alex's shoulder, refusing 
to go back to bed.  

"What do you think, guys?" Alex asked.  "Do they believe 
me?"

Matthew took a drink from his cup.  "I think Scully does.  The 
medical evidence is pretty hard to dispute and once she runs 
those tests, there should be all the more reason to accept your 
story."

"Mulder really hates you," Tyler added.  "He's going to be a 
hard sell."

"Yeah, well, he has good reason to hate me," Alex 
acknowledged.  "And no reason to trust me."

"I don't know, Alex," Matthew offered.  "I think he believes 
more than he's letting on.  He wasn't putting up much of an 
argument."

"I don't know," Alex sighed.  "He's so damned tense all the 
time.  That man needs to get laid."

Katie smiled sleepily, eyes closed.  "He is."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"He is getting laid," she answered, snuggling closer against his 
shoulder.  "He and Dana have been doing each other for a long 
time."

"No way," Alex frowned.  "Those two are strictly business."
Katie felt for his cheek blindly, patting it gently when she 
found it.  "Poor, naive, Alexei," she sighed.  She rolled back 
against the couch and tried to open her eyes.  "Go look," she 
yawned.  "Bet he's copping a feel right now."

The three sat there and stared at their drowsy companion.  
Alex looked at the window, then back at Katie.  Matthew and 
Tyler exchanged glances as well.  Tyler's foot started tapping, 
causing Katie to smile.  "Go look, Ty.  I know you want to."  

He hesitated about thirty seconds, before getting up and going 
to the window.  "Uh...Alex...you might want to come see this," 
Tyler snickered, keeping the telescope pointed toward the 
bedroom window across the street.

Alex closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the 
couch.  "They're not..."

"Oh yeah, they are," Tyler answered, still peering through the 
eyepiece.

"Told you," Katie grinned.  She opened her eyes and held out 
her hands.  "Help me up; I wanna see what Fox has hiding 
under those FBI clothes."

"He is a vision, Katie," Tyler sighed.

Matthew frowned at Alex. "You take care of her, I'll take care 
of him."  He got up and put his hand over the front of the 
telescope, closing the blinds as well.  "That's enough.  Show's 
over."

"Killjoy," Tyler snapped, as he put the telescope away.

Alex nodded and picked Katie up off the couch.  "Come on, 
time for you to go to bed." 

"Ah c'mon.  Just one quick peek?" Katie pouted.

"No, no peeks at all," Alex said firmly.  "The couch folds out, 
guys.  Sheets and towels are in the closet by the bathroom.  I 
think there are some extra pillows in there, too."

"We'll find everything.  You two get some sleep," Matthew 
answered.

Alex got undressed while Katie was in the bathroom.  When 
the door opened, he went in to brush his teeth.  

"Aren't you going to ask?" Katie said when he crawled into 
bed with her.  "I know you're curious."

"Curious about what?" he replied innocently.

"Oh, guess I was wrong.  Never mind.  Good night."  Katie 
snuggled into her pillow and started the count.  One, two, 
three, four...

"OK, how did you know?" he asked.

"How could you not?" she countered.  "You may be good at 
espionage, but you're blind to what's right in front of your face 
sometimes."

"Katya, I've watched those two for years.  I didn't see anything 
here tonight, that I haven't seen a thousand times, so what did 
you see that I didn't?"

"First, the way he touches her, the way he never takes his eyes 
off her, especially when she's not looking."

"Nope, he's always done that.  Keep going," he urged.

"All right, how about the way she smiles, just a little, 
whenever anyone says his name.  That's not traditionally a 
trait you find in people who are just partners," she offered.

"Not good enough.  Come on, you're holding back on me," he 
challenged.

Katie smiled.  "He brought her a change of clothes, including 
socks and shoes.  How many partners do you know that keep a 
complete change of outfits at the other's place? A shirt maybe, 
but socks?  That borders on intimate apparel and no woman 
leaves her socks at a guys place if they're not sleeping 
together."

"That's really reaching, baby," he chuckled.

"No it isn't.  Think about it, clean socks implies drawer space, 
my love and drawer space isn't something you give up after a 
one-night stand.  That's a long-term arrangement," she argued.

"So your conclusion was based entirely on a pair of socks?" he 
snickered.  'Unbelievable."

"Hey, was I right?"

"Well..."

"Was I right?" she repeated.

"A pair of socks?"

Katie rolled over and nipped at his ear.  "Was I right," she 
whispered.

Alex pulled her on top of his body.  "Yes, you were right."  
She kissed him, then snuggled in against his chest.  "But it was 
a lucky guess," he added.

"Yeah, baby, keep telling yourself that," she snickered.

=============================
Scully rolled over and stared idly out the window, while 
Mulder snored softly beside her.  She reviewed the day, trying 
to come up with some explanation for Katie's condition, 
something that didn't have the vaccine at its core.  Her eyes 
widened as she realized that the blinds were still open.  "Oh 
shit," she whispered.  Feeling around on the floor next to the 
bed, she found Mulder's sweatshirt and put it on.  She walked 
over to the window, expecting to see the blinds up at Krycek's 
place as well.  The lights were off in their apartment and as far 
as she could tell, the blinds were drawn.  Scully closed her 
eyes and breathed a short-lived sigh of relief.  Well, they 
weren't watching right now, but what if...?  She lowered the 
blinds and got back into bed.

Mulder curled up around her.  "You all right?" he asked 
sleepily.

"I'm fine.  Go back to sleep."

=============================
"How are you feeling?" Alex asked through the shower 
curtain.

"Achy," Katie answered.  She put her head back and let the hot 
water soak her hair.  "You coming in?"

Alex pulled back shower curtain a bit.  "Not much room in 
there," he observed.

"There's enough.  Besides, I think I could use some help," she 
said with a sigh.  "I'm not feeling all that steady."

Alex stepped into the tub and put his arm around her.  
"Medicine making you dizzy?"

She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.  "I 
guess so."

"All right.  Let's get you cleaned up and see if some breakfast 
helps.  You take the hair, I'll get the rest of you; we'll have you 
out of here in no time," he said, kissing the tip of her nose.

Katie frowned.  "Sounds very...efficient...and no fun 
whatsoever."

"You're just going to have to settle for efficient right now," he 
smirked as he lathered up the washcloth.  "You're wet, 
slippery and dizzy; I have one arm and we're sharing a shower 
the size of a phone booth.  If you go down, I'm going to have 
to call Matthew and Tyler to get us both out of this.  Now, 
maybe you don't mind being naked in front of them, but I do."

Katie giggled.  "Ah, but think of Tyler's expression.  You'd 
make his whole year with one quick flash, sweetheart.  You 
know he's got a bit of a crush on you, right?"

Alex groaned.  "Yes, I know.  Matthew mentioned it a long 
time ago.  I'm just ignoring it in the hopes he'll find someone 
else...maybe Mulder.  Besides, it's creepy, almost incestuous."

"Oh stop," she said, smacking him on the shoulder.  "He's not 
looking to jump you, he just thinks you're cute.  Personally, I 
happen to think that Tyler has excellent taste in men, so you 
should be flattered."

"OK, I'm flattered," he answered, rolling his eyes.  "And he is 
pretty cute..."

 Katie snorted and smacked him on the shoulder again. 
"Tramp," she teased.

"Just trying to keep it in the family," he grinned.  "All the 
shampoo out of your hair?"  

"Feels like it," she replied.

"Good, scoot out of the way and let me get cleaned up."  Katie 
moved over, leaning against the wall for support.  "You OK 
for a few minutes?  I can get you settled and come back in 
here later," he offered.

"No, go ahead.  The way I'm feeling this might be my only 
chance to see you naked all day," she chuckled.

Alex smiled and lathered up his hair.  He leaned back into the 
spray and let the water rinse it clean.  Katie just watched him 
wash, never moving from her spot against the tile.  He turned 
around and shut off the water, then opened the shower curtain 
and grabbed a towel, drying himself off quickly before 
wrapping it around his waist.  "Your turn," he said, grabbing 
the other towel.  He toweled off her hair, then helped dry the 
rest of her body, before putting the towel around her 
shoulders.  "Come on," he instructed, helping her out of the 
tub.  

"I can take it from here," she said quietly.  "Give me a few 
minutes to take care of things."

"Sure.  I'll be right outside that door until you come out.  Call 
me if you need me."

"I will."

=============================
Matthew gathered up the sheets and pillows and put them back 
in the linen closet.  Tyler folded the bed back into the couch 
and replaced the cushions.  "I'm going up the street to get 
some coffee," Tyler announced.  "Want some?"

"Sure.  You have your keys?"

"For what?  The coffee shop's just on the corner.  It would take 
me longer to find a parking space than it would walk there and 
back."

Alex opened the bedroom door.  "Walk where?"

"Up the street to get some coffee.  Want some?"

"Yeah."  He leaned back into the bedroom where Katie was 
sitting on the bed, debating whether or not put on shoes.  
"Baby, you want some hot chocolate?"

"Yes, please," she answered.  "Big and double sweet."

"Marshmallows?"

"Well, duh!"

"Yeah, Alex...duh!" Tyler echoed.  

Alex rolled his eyes.  "Of course, what was I thinking?  Hang 
on, let me grab my jacket and I'll go with you."

Katie got up and walked slowly to the doorway.  "I'm just 
going to sit out here until Dana comes over."  Alex put his 
arms around her and helped her to the couch.

"Back in a few minutes, baby," Alex said, kissing her.

"I'll be right here," she smiled.

Matthew waited until they were gone before approaching the 
couch. "You dizzy this morning, Hanna?" he asked.  "I'd 
hoped the new meds wouldn't do that to you."

"I don't think it's the meds; I think its just part of the process," 
she answered.  "Speaking of the meds..."

"Starting to hurt again?"

"Yeah, just a few minutes ago.  Maybe it won't get too bad," 
she said hopefully.

Matthew frowned and got her pills and a glass of water.  
"Maybe not, but let's not take any chances."  He handed them 
to her.  "Take it now; that's what they're here for."

Katie stared at the pill in her hand.  "They make me feel so 
useless."

"They makes you stop hurting," he reminded her.  "And they 
make us feel better because we don't have to watch you in 
pain."

=============================
Alex and Tyler hit the sidewalk just as Mulder and Scully 
came out of their building.  They stopped and waited for the 
pair to cross the street.  "We're going for coffee.  Want some?" 
Tyler offered.

"I could use some tea," Scully answered.

Tyler nodded.  "Mulder?"  He felt a slight flush creeping up 
his face and fought hard not to smile.

Mulder looked at Tyler curiously.  "Yeah, sure.  Thanks."

Scully felt a little red around the edges herself.  'Well, that 
answers that question,' she thought.

"Katie's upstairs waiting for you.  She's a little dizzy this 
morning," Alex sighed.  "She's a lot dizzy, really, but she 
didn't seem to be in pain.  Matthew's with her."

"Then she's in good hands," Scully soothed.  "I'm going up.  
You coming, Mulder?"  Mulder nodded and followed her up 
the stairs and into the building.

"You're blushing, Tyler," Alex teased. 

"Shut up, Alex," Tyler hissed.

"Lighten up, he's in the building already," Alex chuckled.  
"Besides, I thought I was the only other man in your life," 
bumping the other man's shoulder.

Tyler looked down at his feet and smiled.  "Yeah, but you're 
family now; if I laid a hand on you, Katie would kick my ass."

Alex snickered.  "You got that right.  Matthew wouldn't be too 
happy with you either."

They walked quietly until they were just outside the coffee 
shop, then Tyler started laughing.  Alex stared at him and 
when Tyler looked over, he laughed even harder.

"What?" Alex asked, starting to laugh himself.

"You're getting married in a few weeks," he answered.

"Yeah, so..."

"Well, it is traditional to give the happy couple a kiss," he 
hinted, as he put his hand on the door.

"You wouldn't..."

Tyler nodded his head furiously, laughing all the while.  "Oh 
yeah, big old wet one, right on the kisser and no one will even 
think twice about it."  He pushed the door open and went 
inside with Alex close on his heels.

"Tyler!"

"You are so doomed!"  He walked up to the counter and 
placed their order, adding an assortment of pastries and 
doughnuts.  "Oh, make sure that hot chocolate is double sweet, 
please," he added, giving the waitress a wink. 

 Tyler stood at the counter listening to Alex tap his foot behind 
him.  When the waitress came back with their order, he picked 
up the bag and the drink carrier and looked over his shoulder.  
"Pay the nice lady, Alex."

Alex reached for his wallet.  "When did I lose control?" he 
mused aloud.

"Pardon me?" asked the waitress.

"Oh nothing, sorry, just talking to myself," Alex muttered.

=============================
"When did the pain start?" Scully asked.  "Alex said you were 
dizzy but not hurting when we saw him outside."

"It started just before he left.  I didn't say anything," she 
explained.  "Can I ask you a personal question?"

Scully hesitated.  "I guess so."

"How long have you and Mulder been together?"

"We've been partners since..."

"Dana, don't be difficult."

Scully sighed and rubbed her eyes.  "A little over a year."

"I knew it!  I told Alex you guys were long-termers.  He 
thought I was nuts, until..." Katie stopped abruptly.  Oooops, 
so much for discretion.

Scully's eyes widened as Katie essentially confirmed her fears.  
"Katie..."

Katie grimaced.  "I happened to say that I bet Mulder was over 
there copping a feel right now, so Tyler went over to the 
window...he was only there for a minute before Matthew and 
Alex made him put the telescope away.  Matter of fact, 
Matthew packed it up and put it away for good right after they 
left this morning," Katie said hurriedly.  "Alex won't be using 
it anymore, at least not for anything other than star-gazing."  
She watched Scully try to hide behind her hand.  "If it makes 
you feel any better, Tyler was far more interested in watching 
Mulder."

"That explains why he was blushing this morning," Scully 
sighed.  "We've been so careful to remain professional in 
public, afraid that the Bureau would use this to close the X-
Files, or that others would use it against us."

"You mean, like Alex?"

"Especially him."

"Maybe this is where the trust begins, Dana.  I promise you 
and Mulder will get nothing but support from all of us.  We're 
on the same side, no matter what the two of you believe right 
now."

"Mulder's going to be furious," she worried.

"So let me tell him," Katie offered.  "We don't have to mention 
that you knew Alex was watching his place.  Besides, isn't that 
something he should have suspected in the first place?"  Katie 
shook her head.  "These are reasonably intelligent males; why 
is it they can save the world, but can't manage to find their 
asses with both hands and road map?"

Scully cracked a smile.  "Maybe that's why they have us."

"Exactly," Katie giggled.  "Go on, call Mulder in.  I want him 
calmed down before Alex and Ty get back."

"I don't think I'm ready for this," Scully hedged.

"Don't worry about it.  There's no reason for you to be in the 
middle of this at all.  As far as Mulder's concerned, I told you 
first to get your reaction before telling him.  You don't even 
have to act surprised, OK?  What he doesn't know won't hurt 
him."

"I don't lie to him, Katie," Scully frowned.

Katie rolled her eyes.  "Think of it as an 'I'm fine' then.  We all 
do that, say we're fine when we're not, because it's easier than 
explaining emotions we're not ready to deal with.  It's not a lie 
really, just a self-protection device."

Scully bit her lip and looked down at the carpet.

"Oh, I hit a nerve, didn't I?"  Katie asked.  Scully didn't move.  
"OK, you handle it anyway you want, but let me tell him now, 
for Alex's sake."  Katie yawned.  "Better make it quick, before 
I zone out again."

=============================
Mulder sat on the edge of the bed fuming, hands gripping the 
mattress as he tried to stay calm.  This was too much, even for 
the normally controlled agent.  Watching him, Katie was glad 
she'd sent Scully out of the room.  She slipped to the edge of 
the bed and sat beside him, putting one hand on top of his.  
"I'm really sorry, Mulder.  This was my fault.  I know better 
than to egg Ty on.  Would you believe that I was drugged?" 
she asked, trying to lessen the tension.  He pulled his hand out 
from under hers and put it on his lap.  "OK, now someone else 
knows about you and Scully.  So what?  We're happy for you, 
that's all.  It was a crappy thing to do, but we can't change it."

"No, but now he can use it against us," Mulder spat.  

Katie fell back on the bed and huffed in exasperation.  "No 
one wants to hurt you, Mulder!  At least not anyone in this 
apartment.  We're here of our own accord, hat in hand, so to 
speak.  Alex has given you the vaccine, I'm giving you me as a 
guinea pig, Matthew's offering his time and expertise, and 
Tyler...well you'd be surprised at what lurks behind those 
eyes.  What more do you want?"

"Who are you?" Mulder asked, staring at Katie like she'd 
grown a third eye in the middle of her forehead.  "You come 
barging into our lives with one of my worst enemies, then 
have the nerve to get irritated when I don't fall all over myself 
to believe you."

"What, you haven't already run a check on us?  You must be 
one heck of an investigator, if you haven't run a simple 
security check on the three of us," Katie snapped sarcastically.

"You're an author with a handful of books to your credit; the 
last one, Yardstick for Lunatics spent six weeks on the New 
York Times bestseller list. You're single, never been married, 
no traffic citations, no outstanding warrants and you pay your 
bills on time," he recited.  "Your friends check out as well," he 
admitted.

"There you go, we're the original Hole-In-The-Wall gang," 
Katie sighed.

"Even they had to start somewhere," Mulder replied.

"God damn it, man!" Katie yelled in frustration.  "What do we 
have to gain by coming here?  Do you think Alex would have 
come to you, like this, if he weren't trying to change?" She 
stood up and paced the floor in front of him.  "He made a huge 
leap of faith bringing you the vaccine, but he took the risk 
because he believes in you.  As far as he's concerned, you and 
Scully are our last best hope for survival.  Why can't you 
understand that!"

Mulder got up, standing toe to toe with her. "Because he's a 
lying son of a bitch!" he yelled back.  "And I..."

The bedroom door flew open and Alex burst into the room 
with his fist raised.  "Get away from her," he bellowed, 
lunging forward.

"Alex, don't you dare," Katie screamed, stepping between the 
two men, just as Mulder pulled back to strike.  "No!"  Too 
late, Alex landed a shot on Mulder's chin.  Mulder lashed out, 
but Katie moved into the path of his fist, taking the blow 
instead.  

"Mulder!  What the Hell are you doing!" Scully shouted.  
Tyler grabbed Alex and pulled him back, while Scully pushed 
Mulder away.  

Matthew bent down to help Katie up off the floor.  "Hanna, 
you all right?" he asked cradling her in his arms.  He glared up 
at Alex and Mulder.  "Get them out of here now!" he growled.

"Matthew!" Alex pleaded, trying to get free of Tyler's grasp.

"Not now, Alex.  Just get out of my sight," Matthew snapped.  
"I'll deal with you later." Scully closed the door behind her, 
leaving them alone.  "Talk to me, Hanna."

"Yo, Kid!" she grunted.  "Put me back in the ring; I can take 
him."

"You're a regular Rocky Balboa," he agreed, kissing the top of 
her head.  "Get up and let me take a look at you."

She tried, but found she wasn't steady enough to pull herself 
up.  "Nope, you're gonna have to help."

Matthew got up and pulled her to her feet.  "Oh Hanna," he 
grimaced.  "Your eye."

"I'm not squinting because the light's too bright, am I?" He 
shook his head.  "I was afraid of that.  On a scale of one to ten 
guilt points, how much is this one worth?" she asked.

"I can't speak for Mulder, but knowing Alex..." he turned her 
head, gently touching the rapidly swelling cheek under the 
eye.  "I'd say this is a fourteen."

Scully opened the door carrying an ice pack.  Alex called out 
to Katie, but Scully shut the door quickly.  "Here, thought you 
might need this."  She gave Katie's eye a once over, before 
pressing the ice pack against it.  "Hold this on your eye for the 
next fifteen minutes or so."  Scully turned to Matthew.  "He's 
losing it out there," she said quietly.

"Too bad," Matthew answered.  "Let him deal with it on his 
own for now.  And you," he said, turning to Katie. "What did 
you think you were doing getting in the middle of that?"

"He was going to hit Alex," Katie explained.  "I promised him 
I'd never let Mulder hurt him like that again."

"You deliberately stepped in front of Mulder's fist?" Scully 
asked incredulously.  

Katie nodded.  "No one hurts him anymore, Dana.  I won't 
allow it.  He's been hurt enough."  She looked deep into 
Scully's eyes.  "So has Mulder.  It's time to stop.  Like it or 
not, we've been thrown together for a reason, so we'd better 
find a way to work this out or, as melodramatic as this sounds, 
we're effectively damning the rest of the human race."

"OK, Hanna, you've made your point, although I think you 
could have found a better way to do that than by taking a 
punch.  Lie down and get some rest."  He pushed her down 
gently.  "How's your belly?"

"Still hurts a little, but it's not too bad.  Either that or the 
pain in my eye is canceling it out," she chuckled.  "I should go 
out there and talk to both of them; Alex is probably wearing a 
hole in the carpet, that is if Tyler isn't having to sit on him to 
keep him from killing Mulder."

"You're not going anywhere," Scully stated.  "When I came in 
here, Alex was pacing in front of the door and Mulder was 
sitting on the couch holding his chin.  Tyler's found a spot 
between them and they're both operating under penalty of 
death if either of them goes near the other."

Katie looked from Matthew to Scully, then back again.  "Are 
you sure you two weren't separated at birth?"  They both gave 
her their own special looks. "Don't do that!  It's creepy."  She 
gave them an overly dramatic shudder to emphasize her point.  
"Can I at least see them in here?"  Scully and Matthew looked 
at each other.  "Please?"

"All right," Matthew huffed.  "I'll let you see Alex for a few 
minutes, but then it's my turn at him."

"Kid," Katie warned.  "Let it go."

"Hanna," Matthew protested.

"Let it go," she repeated.  Matthew nodded reluctantly.  
"Good.  I want to see Mulder, too," she said to Scully.

"Katie, I don't think..."

"Perhaps you haven't figured this out yet, Dana.  I'm not 
asking...I'm telling.  See, the number one rule in my house is 
'whatever Katie wants, Katie gets' and I want to talk to 
Mulder."

Scully opened her mouth to respond to Katie's statement, but 
Matthew shook his head.  "Don't bother.  Once her mind is 
made up the only thing to do is let her have her way.  Believe 
me, it's a lot easier in the long run."

Katie smiled triumphantly.  "I want to see Alex first.  I'll send 
him out for Mulder in a few minutes."

"Yes dear," Matthew replied sarcastically.  

"Oh, Kid?"

"Yeeees?"

"One other thing."

"And that would be?"

"We want a shrubbery."  She gave him a wink and blew him a 
kiss as he turned to open the door.  

Alex dove for the door as soon as Matthew opened it.  
Matthew put his hand on Alex's chest, stopping him before he 
entered.  "She talks, you listen.  You better be on your best 
behavior because I'm this close to wringing your neck."  Alex 
nodded and bolted into the room.

"Oh shit!  Your poor eye.  God Katya, I'm sorry.  You should 
have let him hit me, baby." He sat down beside her on the bed 
and leaned over to kiss her.  

Katie backed away.  "You had no right busting in here like 
some crazed lunatic.  I told you, I can take care of myself; all 
you did was start a fight."

"The two of you were in here, alone, screaming at each other; 
I thought you were in trouble," he explained.

"Bullshit!  The screaming had nothing to do with it.  The two 
of us were in here alone, that's what set you off.  If it had been 
Dana in here yelling at me, you never would have come in 
swinging," she accused.  "Now listen and listen good.  I want 
you to go over to the door and ask Mulder to come in; then 
you're to sit right here," she instructed, patting the mattress 
next to her, "and shut up until I'm done talking." Alex set his 
mouth in a frown.  "Don't make that face at me! Go do it."

Alex went over to the door.  "Mulder," he huffed, motioning 
for the man to come in.  "She wants to see you."  He returned 
to the bed and sat on his assigned spot.

Mulder entered the room, but stayed close to the door.  He saw 
the swollen mess that was Katie's left eye and put his hand 
over his mouth.

"Yeah, it's a beaut," she acknowledged.  "Sit down."  She 
tapped the end of the bed with her foot.

"Katie, I didn't mean..." Mulder said, trying to apologize.

"I don't want your apologies.  I want you to sit down and shut 
up until I'm done talking."  Mulder complied and bowed his 
head.  "First, you're real lucky that you hit me and not Alex," 
she told him.  "Like I said yesterday, you ever hit him again 
and I will take you out.  Do NOT underestimate me, Mulder."  
She turned her attention to Alex, who was smirking at Mulder.  
"And you, wipe that stupid look off your face; you're taking 
most of the blame for this one.  If you hadn't come in here 
with your fists up, this wouldn't have happened.  I have had 
enough, so this is what we're going to do.  We're going to sit 
here and figure out how we can work together without 
beating the crap out of one another.  I don't care if it takes all 
day or all week; neither of you is leaving this spot until we 
work this out."  She leaned back against the headboard.  "You 
start," she said, talking to Alex. "Tell Mulder what you want 
from him, what you expect to accomplish.  Mulder, you listen; 
and I mean really listen.  When he's done, it'll be your turn.  
Fair enough guys?"  They grunted their acceptance.  "Good, 
start talking, Alex."

**disclaimer in part one**

"It's been over an hour," Matthew said.  "I'm going in there."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Tyler warned.

"We should check on Katie's eye," Scully added.  

Scully and Matthew went to the door and pushed it open 
slowly.  Mulder and Alex were sitting on opposite ends of the 
bed, with Katie acting as buffer between them.  Mulder was 
talking; the other two appeared to be listening.

"Sorry to intrude," Scully interrupted.  "We wanted to check 
on Katie."  They walked to the bed.  Matthew took the ice 
pack out to refresh it, while Scully assessed the damage.

"Don't stop, Mulder," Katie urged.  "You were doing so well."

Scully arched her eyebrow when Mulder resumed talking.  
She listened intently as he spoke of his contempt for Krycek; 
his hatred for all the pain he'd caused them.  She stole a glance 
at Alex; he was listening, really listening.  Scully looked at 
Katie in amazement. 'How did you do this?' she asked without 
speaking.  

Katie smiled, knowing exactly what was going on in Dana's 
head.  "It's a gift," she whispered.

Matthew came back with the ice pack, as well as a couple of 
pills and some water.  He put the pack on the table and handed 
her the other items.  Katie eyed the pills suspiciously.  "Its just 
acetaminophen, for the swelling," he explained.  Katie nodded 
and took the pills.  He wanted to ask questions, but Scully 
tapped him on the shoulder and motioned for him to come 
with her.  He leaned forward.  "Everything OK?" he 
whispered.

Katie kissed his cheek.  "Yeah, go on," she whispered back.

Matthew smiled and followed Scully out of the room.  When 
they were out of earshot, Matthew turned to Dana.  "What's 
going on in there?"

"I'm not sure, but I think Katie missed her calling," Dana 
answered.  "It's taken me years to get Mulder to open up like 
that.  How she managed to do it in less than an hour..."

Tyler squeezed Scully's shoulder.  "Katie's good at that.  
There's something about her that makes everyone want to drop 
their troubles at her feet."

"You don't know Mulder," Scully said, shaking her head.

"And you don't know Katie," Tyler countered.  "He and Alex 
may not be bosom buddies by the time Katie lets them out of 
that room, but I can promise you they won't be trying to kill 
each other any more."

"You're underestimating her," Matthew added.  "They'll be 
shaking hands before we leave DC."  

=============================
Two hours later, Tyler made sandwiches for everyone, using 
his hunger as an excuse to poke his head in on the trio in the 
other room.  Scully and Matthew saw through his act, but 
humored him all the same.  He knocked on the door, then went 
in before anyone responded, quietly putting the food and 
drinks on the nightstand.  "I thought you might be ready for 
something," he explained.  

"Took you long enough," Katie teased.  "Have they been 
sitting on you out there?"

"No!  I've been extremely patient, if I do say so myself," he 
huffed.

Katie passed drinks and sandwiches to Alex and Mulder.  
"Eat," she ordered.  "Thanks Ty."  Tyler winked and prepared 
to leave.  Katie got up and put her arms around him at the 
door.  "Hey, have I told you lately that I love you?"  

Tyler chuckled.  "Every day," he answered, pushing a strand 
of hair off her face.  He pulled away and stared down at her.  
"How long until you release the hostages?" he asked softly.

"It's going to be a while," she sighed.  "Why don't the three of 
you go see a movie or something; get out of here for a few 
hours."

"Sounds like a plan, but I don't think the good doctors will 
agree."

Katie walked over to the bed.  "I'll be right back.  You two 
keep talking, but stay right where you are," she threatened.  
She took Ty's arm and led him out of the room, leaving the 
door ajar.  "Look, this is going to take a while; the three of you 
need to get out of here and go have some fun.  I'll take care of 
those two," she promised.  

"I don't think..." Matthew started.

"I didn't ask you to think," Katie snapped.  "Get out of here, go 
get some fresh air, go see a movie, go shopping, I don't care 
what you do, but you need to go do something besides pace 
the apartment.  All of you," she added.  "While you're out, 
pick up some movies for tonight.  Something familiar, OK.  
Maybe Holy Grail or Wanda; we need to laugh.  And 
chocolate, good chocolate from a real candy store.  There's got 
be one around here someplace, isn't there, Dana?"  

"Well, yeah," Scully forced out.

"See?  There you have it.  You have something specific to do 
while you're out.  Oh, maybe you could replace Mulder's shirt 
while you're at it.  I'm sure you can help the boys with that, 
Dana."  Katie spun on her heels and moved back to the 
bedroom.  When she didn't hear activity behind her, she 
looked around.  "Now would be good."

Scully walked over to her. "Katie, I'm really not comfortable 
leaving you alone with Mulder and Alex," she protested.  "If 
they start fighting again, you're going to need some help."

Katie sighed and patted her on the arm.  "They're done 
fighting.  Besides, how am I supposed to tie them to bed and 
have my way with them if the three of you are in other room?  
I'd never be able to enjoy myself," she said, fighting hard to 
keep a straight face. Scully raised her eyebrows at that last 
remark. Katie giggled; Dana smiled in spite of herself.  "Go, I 
promise everything will be fine."  

=============================
Three hours later, Scully, Matthew and Tyler returned home, 
not knowing what to expect.  They'd decided against sitting 
through a movie. None of them thought they could concentrate 
on a story when the only one of any interest was unfolding 
back in that fourth floor apartment.  Instead, they went on a 
mission to replace Mulder's blue shirt, find Katie's chocolate 
and pick up movies for the evening, as requested.  On the way 
back, they stopped in a grocery store to get popcorn.  They 
considered picking up some beer, but decided the last thing 
anyone needed was to risk consuming a little too much of that, 
so they ended up with an assortment of sodas instead.  
Dinnertime was approaching, but they elected to leave that 
decision up to Katie and company.

Matthew unlocked the door and pushed it open for Scully.  
"It's quiet," he observed.

Tyler took the groceries into the kitchen and put the sodas in 
the refrigerator, while Matthew put his bags down on the 
couch.  Scully crept quietly toward the bedroom door, 
listening for any sounds from within.  Matthew joined her, 
hesitating just a moment, before gently easing the door open.  
"I am not believing this," he whispered to Scully.  "Take a 
look."  Katie was curled up, head in Alex's lap, fast asleep.  
Alex was stroking her hair, leaning against a pillow wedged 
between his back and the headboard, talking to Mulder.  
Mulder had stretched out on his side at the bottom of the bed; 
head propped up on one elbow, facing Alex.

Tyler saw them staring into the room and hurried over to see 
what was going on.  Matthew moved aside to let him view the 
scene.  "Now that's a Kodak moment," he whispered.

"Either come in or close the door," Alex called out as quietly 
as he could.

The three entered the room.  Scully and Matthew moved close 
to the bed, while Tyler hung out by the door. "When did she 
fall asleep?" Matthew asked.

"About forty-five minutes ago," Mulder answered.  Scully sat 
down near his head.  Mulder rolled over, resting his head in 
her lap.  "She wants us to stay and watch movies tonight.  That 
all right with you, Scully?"

"Yeah, sure," Scully answered, trying hard not to look 
surprised by his question.  "Does this mean that everything's 
settled?" she asked, pushing his hair away from his forehead.

"No," Mulder replied.  "It means we've issued a cease-fire and 
are in negotiations for a peace settlement."

Scully nodded.  "I see.  What were you two talking about 
before we came in?"

Mulder pointed at Katie.  "Alex was telling me how they met."

"I can't believe she fell asleep," Matthew chuckled.

"I guess we wore her out," Alex said sweetly.  

"And I didn't even get to tie them down, damn it," Katie 
muttered sleepily.  She yawned and opened her eyes.  "When 
did you get back?"

"Few minutes ago," Matthew answered.  "Long enough to 
catch you sleeping on the job," he teased.

Katie stuck her tongue out him and looked at Scully.  "Guess 
what, Dana?"

"What."

"Gave them that road map and both of them were able to find 
their asses after all," she said with a wink and a grin.

"Mulder, I think we've just been insulted," Alex said.

"I'm inclined to agree," Mulder responded.

"That's what I love about these guys, their stunning grasp of 
the obvious," Katie snickered, as she sat up.  "OK Mulder, I'm 
waiting." Mulder looked at her, but didn't move.  "Go on, it'll 
only feel kinky the first time."  He closed his eyes.  Katie slid 
down to him and patted his hand.  "You don't have to hide 
here; take advantage of it."

Mulder opened his eyes and tried to smile, falling just shy.  He 
looked up at Scully and crooked his finger, beckoning her 
closer.  Scully wrinkled her brow, not sure what was going on, 
but bent down to him.  Mulder's arm went to the back of her 
head pulling her down to his lips for a brief, but satisfying 
kiss.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Katie inquired.  

Alex tugged at her shirt.  "What about me?"

"You want Mulder to kiss you, too?" Katie asked innocently.  
"Oh, I don't know...Mulder?"

Scully snickered.  Mulder and Matthew smiled and shook their 
heads.  Tyler laughed unreasonably hard, though only Alex 
knew why this amused him to such an extent.  Katie looked 
straight ahead, waiting for Alex to do something.  She waited 
ten, twenty seconds, nothing.  Another ten passed before 
curiosity got the better of her and she turned around.  He 
hadn't moved.  His eyes were cast down on his hand, studying 
his thumb, waiting for her to free him.  Katie got up on her 
knees and crawled over to him, straddling his legs.  She lifted 
his chin with her hand.  "I love you," she mouthed, before 
moving slowly to his lips.  

Alex stopped her before she made contact.  "Say it again."

"I love you today, tomorrow and every day thereafter," she 
said softly.  "Remember?"

"I remember."  This time he didn't stop her when she tried to 
kiss him.

Tyler crossed the room and took Matthew by the hand.  He 
motioned toward the door.  Matthew smiled and followed him 
out, with Mulder and Scully trailing close behind.  "They 
might be a while," Tyler said, stating the obvious.  

"Why don't we get the telescope and go to my place," Mulder 
suggested with a wry grin.  "That seems to be the latest trend."

Tyler turned bright red.  "About that...I'm sorry...it was...I 
mean...the telescope's buried in the back of the closet, if that 
means anything," he stammered.

"Make sure it stays there," Mulder ordered.

"I promise," Tyler agreed.  "Excuse me."  He went into the 
kitchen poured himself some water, holding the cold glass to 
his face to soothe his burning cheeks.

Scully watched Tyler squirm as he attempted to apologize.  
When he left for the kitchen, she turned to Mulder.  "You 
should have closed the blinds," she chastised.  "We both 
should have expected that we were being watched."

"That doesn't excuse anything," Mulder protested.

"No it doesn't," she agreed.  "But really Mulder, you're being 
too hard on him.  Let it go."

"You weren't the one being watched," he reminded her.

"That's what's really bothering you, isn't it?" Scully smiled.  
"Mulder, you're bugged because some guy was checking you 
out, and liking what he saw, judging from the blush on his 
cheeks.  You're embarrassed."  Mulder squirmed.  "You don't 
think you're being checked out every time you do laps in that 
little red Speedo you're so fond of?  Get a grip!"

"You been checking me out in that Speedo, Scully?"  Mulder 
asked with a leer.

"Since the first time I saw you in the pool," she answered.  "Or 
more specifically, since the first time I saw you get out of the 
pool."

"So I should be flattered and let this slide?"

"I think that would be the best course of action," Scully 
confirmed.  "Maybe you should tell him there are no hard 
feelings, before he beats himself up any more."

"Do I have to?" Mulder whined.

"No, you don't have to," Scully returned.

"But you think it would be the best course of action..." Mulder 
sighed.

"Yes I do."

Mulder closed his eyes and let his head drop briefly, before 
straightening up to go into the kitchen.  Scully watched as 
Mulder spoke to Tyler, smiling at the relief in Tyler's face 
when Mulder finished.

=============================
"I thought they'd never leave," Alex murmured into Katie's 
neck.

"We have to go out there," she sighed.

Alex bit her gently.  "Why?  They're all adults out there; they 
can find some way to amuse themselves for a little while."

Katie pulled back and looked at him apologetically.  "I never 
thought I'd hear myself say this, but not tonight dear, I have a 
headache."

Alex reached up and lightly touched the skin under her eye.  
"I'm sorry, baby; I wasn't thinking.  Why didn't you say 
something before?"

"Everything was going so well; I didn't want to break the 
mood by whining about my eye," she explained.  "Besides, 
there's nothing anyone can do about it.  I'll take some more 
acetaminophen soon; that'll help."  She pressed her head to his 
chest.  "Maybe later tonight..."

"I'll let you lead," he answered, kissing her hair.  "We really 
have to go out there?"

Katie nodded.  "I got him to talk to you, now I want to see if I 
can get him to laugh."

Alex helped her up off the bed.  "You're a glutton for 
punishment, you know that, don't you?"

"Hey, I have yet to find the individual that can make it through 
Holy Grail without at least a couple of snickers. It's simply not 
done," she stated, as she opened the door.

Matthew saw Alex and Katie coming out of the bedroom and 
checked his watch.  "Ten minutes?  Losing your touch, Alex?  
I didn't think we'd see you for another half hour."

Alex smirked at him.  "Ha ha, funny man.  It just so happens 
that some of us understand the concept of time and place."

Tyler glanced at Katie, then stared at Alex.  "Turned you 
down flat, didn't she?"

Alex's eyes rolled up toward the ceiling and he blew out a 
breath.  "As a pancake, my friend."

Katie chuffed and smacked his arm.  "Just for that, Dana and I 
are going to plop our lovely selves down on the couch and let 
you men, and I use the term grudgingly, figure out what you're 
going to do about feeding us tonight.

"And this would be different from every other night...how 
exactly?" Tyler shot back.

Katie crossed her arms and leveled the evil eye at him.  "Have 
I told you lately what an insufferable bastard you are?"

Tyler tapped his chin.  "Hmmm, I seem to remember being 
called an insufferable prick...but an insufferable bastard?  
Nope, I don't think so."

Mulder leaned down.  "And these people like each other?" he 
whispered to Scully.

"They're family, Mulder," she answered.  

"Come on, Dana," Katie said, taking her arm.  "Let's leave 
them to decide on dinner."  She touched Mulder's arm and 
looked up at him.  "Yes, we do like each other.  Didn't anyone 
ever teach you how to whisper quietly, Mulder?" she teased as 
she took Scully into the kitchen.  "How bad does my eye look?  
I'm afraid to go see for myself," she asked Scully.

"The swelling's gone down," Scully answered.

"But..." Katie implored.

"But...and I'm speaking purely from a woman's point of view 
and not as your doctor...it looks awful.  Right now it's red and 
angry looking; by morning it'll be purple."

"I was afraid of that," Katie frowned.  "Oh well, it'll be gone in 
a week or so and, if it helps keep the peace, it will have been 
worth it."

"Katie?  How long are you and Alex planning on staying in 
DC?"

"I don't know.  We left it open, not knowing how long it might 
take to convince you and Mulder about...everything.  Why?"

"I'd like to run a full battery of tests on you, ultrasound, CAT 
scan, MRI, even an x-ray on your ankle, to establish a 
baseline.  We'd have to repeat all of them again in six months 
to see what, if any, effects the vaccine is having on the rest of 
your system," she explained.

Katie's face paled at the thought of all those tests.  "Dana, I 
don't do hospitals."

"It would only be overnight.  The x-rays and ultrasound won't 
take long, but I'd rather not do the CAT scan and the MRI in 
the same day."  Scully watched Katie hold on to the counter 
for support.  "Are you all right?" Katie shook her head; her 
breathing became rapid and her fingers turned white on the 
counter.  "Matthew?" Scully called.  

Matthew saw Katie's face and dashed to her side.  "Hanna?  
Breathe.  What happened?" he asked Scully.

"We were talking about running some tests," Scully began.

He nodded.  "OK, take it easy."  Matthew glanced over at 
Scully.   "She doesn't do hospitals.  Long story," he offered.  
"We talked about this, kiddo" he reminded gently.  "You said 
you could do it."

"I know," Katie answered weakly.  "I can do it."

"Sure you can," came a voice from off to the side.

"I didn't know you were there," Katie whispered.  "I'm sorry, I 
promised I wouldn't do this any more."

Matthew stepped aside to let Alex embrace Katie.  "And 
you're not doing it right now.  You're afraid, that's all.  It's OK 
to be scared, remember?"  She nodded, pulling him close.  "I'll 
be there with you the whole time; I won't leave your side.  
How soon?" he asked Scully.

"Tomorrow, if I can arrange it.  Can you be ready?"

"Set it up," Alex replied.  "We'll be there."

=============================
Mulder scanned the room and wondered how so much could 
have changed in such a short time.  If anyone had told him that 
one day he'd be sitting in Alex Krycek's apartment, with his 
arm around Scully's shoulders, watching movies and enjoying 
himself, he would have had them committed.  Yet, here he 
was, doing just that.  

He looked to his right, to study the two men at the other end of 
the couch.  Matthew and Tyler made an interesting couple.  
Matthew gave off the appearance of being the dominant one in 
the relationship, but watching them together, when the stress 
of the day had passed, Mulder realized that it was Tyler who 
held the true power. Katie was right, there was more behind 
those eyes and Mulder knew it.  He had uncovered more than 
he'd let on to her.  Tyler, he'd learned, was the only child of 
wealthy parents who'd never given their son the time of day.  
He was sent to the best boarding schools money could buy as 
soon as he was old enough to dress himself.  By the time he 
was eight, it was recognized that Tyler had a gift for 
mathematics.  At twelve, he was given the opportunity to 
spend the summer attending a special camp for gifted children.  
Three years later, he was admitted to MIT, making him one of 
the youngest students enrolled at the prestigious institution.  
Upon graduation, he went to work for a company responsible 
for the design and construction of underground military 
installations.  In the early 80s he reported structural flaws in 
one section of a classified structure.  He brought his concerns 
to those in charge, but they fell on deaf ears.  The project was 
over budget and a year behind schedule as it was, so no one 
was willing to listen to a former boy wonder rant about a few 
minor inconsistencies.  Three months after the structure was 
built, the section collapsed, killing seventeen men.  The shit 
hit the fan.  A Senate subcommittee was formed to investigate 
the accident.  Tyler's files noting the flaws were used as 
evidence against the company; his testimony driving the final 
nail into the coffin.  After that, he'd simply walked away.  He 
had been right about everything, but he couldn't live with the 
deaths of those seventeen men.  He drifted for a few years, 
living off his trust fund, before going back to school to study 
business management.  In '92, he opened his own store, at 
which time he met Katie and Matthew, the rest, as they say, is 
history.  Tyler, who gave the impression of being just an 
average guy, with his lighthearted sense of humor and 
voyeuristic tendencies, was not a man to be taken at face 
value. 

Mulder turned his head slightly, so he could watch Alex and 
Katie.  They were tucked in together on the oversized recliner, 
her legs draped over his, and his left arm, 'prosthesis' he 
corrected himself, around her shoulder.  She laughed a little 
too hard at one line, causing her face to hurt.  Mulder winced 
as her hand went up to the bruise.  Alex said something to her 
and touched her face as well.  She shook her head, took his 
hand and kissed it, before lacing her finger through his.  Alex 
relaxed and squeezed her fingers.  At that moment, Mulder 
knew that everything Alex had said and done in the last day 
was genuine.  He shuddered as he realized he had just 
admitted to himself that maybe Alex could be trusted after all.

"You cold?" Scully asked.

"No.  Why do you ask?"

"I felt you shiver," she replied.  Scully reached up to touch his 
forehead, concerned that he might be coming down with 
something, but found it cool.  "What's wrong?"

'I'm half-convinced I can trust Krycek' he thought.  "Nothing," 
he answered, smiling down at her.  "Nothing at all."  She 
smiled back at him and then, as if it was the most natural thing 
in the world for him to do, he bent down and kissed her.  He 
started to pull away after the one kiss, but Scully's hand 
snaked behind his neck and held him in place a little longer.   
When she finally released him, she nestled against his chest 
and sighed

Mulder happened to glance in Katie's direction and caught her 
smiling at him.  "Feels good, doesn't it?" she asked, just loud 
enough for him to hear.  He looked away quickly, feeling the 
beginning of a smile forming on his rapidly reddening face.  
Katie chuckled.  He turned back slightly and nodded.  "Told 
you so," she teased.

=============================
"You coming to bed sometimes soon?" Alex asked Katie.

"Yeah, I...just need a drink.  I'll be right back," she answered, 
putting her hand on the doorknob.  She stopped short when a 
familiar noise from the other side of the door, caught her 
attention.  "Or not."

"Come here," Alex beckoned.  Katie approached the bed 
slowly.  Alex pulled back the covers and patted the space 
beside him.  She got in and curled up against his body.  "I'll be 
with you the whole time," he whispered.  

"I know.  I'm still scared," she answered.  "But, you'll be there, 
Scully and Matthew will be there, so it's going to be fine.  
Everything's going to be just fine."

"Don't forget about Tyler and Mulder," he reminded her.  
"They'll come by and see you at the end of the day."

"We can have a party in the hospital room," she said, trying to 
sound cheerful.

"Sure, green Jell-O for everyone," Alex chuckled.

"Oh yummy," Katie answered, making a gagging noise.  
"What inspired the creation of Jell-O anyway?  I mean, did 
someone look at a jellyfish and wonder if they could recreate 
that as a sweet dessert alternative?  Yuck!  As far as I'm 
concerned, any food that moves on my plate is not ready for 
consumption.  

"So you won't be having the Jell-O then?" Alex asked 
innocently.

Katie rolled over and stared at him, shaking her head.  
"Alexei...shut up and kiss me."

Alex grinned and complied with her order.  His lips made 
quick contact with hers, before he rolled away.  "Good night, 
baby."

Katie growled soft and low.  "You are kidding?"

"Nope," came his muffled reply.  "Scully said you needed to 
rest; big day tomorrow and you're not to come in looking 
exhausted.  Those are her orders and I don't want to be on 
Scully's bad side."

"What about MY bad side?" Katie huffed.  She unsheathed her 
claws and raked them slowly down his exposed back.  "Dana's 
not here and she'll be far to busy tomorrow to get nasty with 
you about the amount of sleep I've gotten.  I, on the other 
hand, am right beside you and I'm not the least bit sleepy."  
Her hand slipped further, going under the waistband of the 
pajama bottoms to cup his ass.  "I'm wide awake," she 
whispered.  The hand moved up the curve of his hip and down 
to his thigh, allowing her thumb to trace his rapidly growing 
erection.  "Looks like I'm not the only one," she hinted.

Alex reached for her hand and pulled it away.  He held it tight.  
"Katya, we can't, not until after the tests are done.  Scully 
doesn't want anything to contaminate the results.  She 
specifically said no sex until you come home."

Katie's head bumped Alex's shoulder.  "I think I hate her," she 
pouted.

"She's not on my favored nations list either right now," he 
agreed.  He kissed her hand and released it, rolling over.  A 
thought crossed his mind and he gave her a sly smile.  "You 
know, there may be a loophole in Scully's orders."

"Oh?" Katie asked, eyes raised.  "Do tell."

"Well, since she specifically told me, no sex, we can make the 
assumption that she was speaking strictly about 
the...uh...male/female union."

"I'm listening," Katie prodded.  "Go on."

"Well, if we subscribe to the Bill Clinton dictionary of sexual 
relations, then there are a variety of options open to us," he 
leered.  "I do have one perfectly good hand available."  He 
rolled on his side and put his mouth on her breast, suckling 
gently.  Katie sighed.  "And one perfectly good mouth," he 
added, giving her nipple a flick of his tongue.

"I see your point," she murmured.  "Given my present 
situation, I vote for the perfectly good hand.  And Alexei?  
Let's cut to the chase before I explode."

"As you wish," he whispered.  His hand glided over her 
stomach and down inside her panties in one smooth stroke.  

She arched into his touch, voicing her approval at his 
technique.  Her hand snaked over and stroked him through his 
pajama bottoms.  He removed his hand from her body and 
pushed the garment off quickly.  Their hands found each other 
once again, taking up where each had left off.  Whispered 
words of love and encouragement filled the space between 
them.  Gentle moans and sighs filling the gaps left between 
words.  One fell right before the other, neither taking very 
long to arrive at the perfect conclusion to the day.  She curled 
up around him and fell into dreamless sleep.  He waited only 
until her breathing assured him of her slumber before letting 
go as well.

=============================
Tyler's hands pushed at Matthew's t-shirt, swooping down on 
his lover's nipples; suckling with a vengeance.  He moved 
rapidly down Matthew's chest and stomach, using one hand to 
pull off the boxers blocking his path.  Before Matthew could 
stop him, Tyler's mouth had engulfed his penis.

"Geez, Ty!" Matthew gasped.  He glanced at the closed 
bedroom door, then put his hand on Tyler's head.  "What if 
they come out?"

Tyler slowly replaced his mouth with his hand.  "So what if 
they do?" he asked, his hand never stopping its gentle motion.  
"Wouldn't be the first time Katie's caught us."

"What if it isn't Katie?"

"You mean, what if it's Alex?" Tyler asked with an evil grin.  
"Easy, we'll just invite him in."  Matthew's mouth opened in a 
combination of surprise and amusement.  Tyler laughed.  
"Don't even try to tell me that you've never thought about it," 
he challenged.  

"I haven't," Matthew answered indignantly.  

"Not even once?" Tyler asked, kissing Matthew softly.  "Just 
for a fleeting moment?"  He looked into Matthew's eyes.  
"Don't lie, I always know when you're lying."

Matthew opened his mouth, then closed it and turned away.  
'Damn.'  

Tyler chuckled.  "I thought so."

"It was just a fleeting notion, that's all," Matthew said 
defensively.  "He belongs to Katie; I'd never..."

"Me either, baby," Tyler soothed.  "I wouldn't really consider 
it.  Well, not without the express permission of the other 
parties involved," he added, with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Blow me, book boy," Matthew snarled.

"That's what I was trying to do in the first place," Tyler huffed 
in mock exasperation.

=============================
Scully snuggled against Mulder's chest, letting her fingers 
thread through the hair on his chest.  She'd been dying to ask 
him a question all evening, but the timing hadn't been right.  
Now, all was quiet, so she decided to ask while he was in that 
twilight state between wakefulness and sleep.  "Mulder?"

"Yeah?"

"What did she say to you?"

Mulder yawned and kissed her hair.  "About what?"

"About everything.  What did she say to get you to start 
talking to her?  It took me years to get you to trust me enough 
to let me in like that."

"I don't know," Mulder answered.  "She felt...safe."

Scully looked up at him.  "Safe?"

"Yeah, go figure.  Here I am sitting within an arm's length of 
Krycek and this woman made me feel safe."  He smoothed the 
hair from her forehead.  "I'm sorry if that upsets you."

"It doesn't upset me, Mulder.  Confuses me a little, but all 
things considered, I'd say it worked out for the best."  Scully 
put her head back down.

"How's that?"

"Do you realize we actually had a date tonight?" she asked.  
"We were able to sit with a group of people and enjoy a 
movie; no hiding, no pretending.  It was nice."

"Even though Krycek was one of the people?" he asked.

"Yeah, even though Krycek was one of the people."  Scully 
hesitated.   "I know you don't want to hear this," she began.  
"But I believe him, Mulder.  As insane and incredible as that 
may seem; I believe him."  When he didn't respond, Scully 
thought that he'd drifted off.  She lifted her head to check and 
found him staring down at her.

"Want to hear something scary?" he whispered.

"What?"

"So do I."

=============================
"Here," Scully said, poking a pair of surgical scrubs through 
the curtain.  "These are more comfortable than the gowns and 
just as easy to work with."

"Thanks," Katie replied.  "I hate these gowns."  She tossed on 
the scrubs and threw back the curtains. "Let's get this over 
with."  She walked to the table and climbed up, checking out 
the equipment next to her.

"OK, lie down," Scully instructed.  "I'm going to expose most 
of your midsection," she said as she worked.  She took a tube 
of jelly and proceeded to smear the goo all over Katie's belly.  
"I know it's cold, but it's necessary."

"I'm familiar with the procedure, Dana.  Just do what you need 
to do.  If I have any questions, I'll ask them."

Scully nodded and began running the transducer over Katie's 
body.  She scanned each area, watching the screen carefully as 
she did.  Katie watched for a while, then began to squirm.   
"Dana?  How much longer is this going to take?"

"Just a few more minutes.  Why?"

"Because if I have to wait too much longer, I might embarrass 
myself here."  Alex snickered.  "Hey ratboy, you drink forty-
eight ounces of water, then hold it for most of the morning and 
see how you hold up," Katie snapped.

Scully raised her eyebrow at Alex.  "That nickname seems to 
follow you around."

Alex shrugged. "Sounds different when she says it."

"I'll bet."  Scully reached for a paper towel and wiped the 
excess jelly off of Katie's belly.  "All done.  Need some help 
getting down?"

"No, I can do it," she said, hopping off the table.  "Just clear a 
path to the bathroom."

When Katie was out of earshot, Alex began to question Scully.  
"So, what did you find?  Is she healing?"

"This is just to establish a baseline, Alex.  Since we don't have 
an ultrasound prior to this, we have nothing to compare it to," 
she explained.  "However, this does show the healing we 
observed in the physical exam and it gives us a better picture 
of the Fallopian tubes, so that next time we will have 
something to compare." 

"OK, I feel much lighter now," Katie joked.  "On to X-ray?"

"Yeah, I thought we'd get the easy ones out of the way first," 
Scully said with a smile.

"So why are we taking pictures of my ankle anyway?  Do you 
expect to find a change there?"  Katie smiled as she felt Alex 
wrap his arms around her.

"Well, the only x-rays we have of you are from your broken 
ankle, so it will give us something concrete to compare right 
now.  Every break leaves a trace, even after it's fully healed.  
We have your before and after pictures from the original 
injury, so by comparing with a more recent one, we may be 
able to get a better idea of the full scope of the vaccine's 
healing effects."  She turned off the machine and picked up 
Katie's file.  "Or, we might find no change at all," she added.  
"We're starting at zero, so we have to cover all the bases."

"That's what Matthew said on the way over," Katie sighed.  
"He said you usually wouldn't do both an MRI and a CAT 
scan, but that in this case we needed to collect all the data 
possible."

"We wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't necessary," Scully said 
gently.

"I know.  Come on; let's get going.  I want to get the pictures 
taken so I can check out my luxurious accommodations for the 
evening," Katie joked.

=============================
Tyler paced the floor of the basement office.  Mulder had left 
him there alone, while he went in search of some papers or 
something.  He'd only half-listened to what he'd been told.  
His body was here, but his head was with Katie at the hospital.  
He stared at the pictures and articles stuck to the walls with 
thumbtacks and tape, then at the picture of the young girl on 
Mulder's desk.  Tyler touched the frame and wondered who 
the child was.

"That's my sister, Samantha," Mulder said, answering the 
unasked question.  "She was abducted."

"I'm sorry," Tyler replied.  "Is that why you do this?" he asked 
pointing to the walls around him.

"It's why I started all of this, but not why I continue," Mulder 
responded.  "Here, I want you to take a look at these for me."  
He tossed a cardboard tube onto the desk.

Tyler picked up it and removed the contents, spreading the 
papers out on top of the cluttered desk.  They were the 
blueprints to an underground facility.  There were no markings 
to identify the location of the specific site, but he recognized 
the layout and frowned.  "What is it I'm supposed to be 
looking for?" he asked Mulder.  "This is nothing more than a 
bunch of scribbles on paper to me," he lied, turning away from 
the desk.

"A bunch of scribbles you've seen and worked with before," 
Mulder countered.  "What is it that Katie keeps saying...don't 
be difficult?  I ran a check on all of you, Tyler.  I know who 
you are, what you're capable of and what happened in '82."  
Tyler's head turned slightly, but stopped short of looking back 
at Mulder.  "It wasn't your fault.  You tried to get repairs 
made."

"But I failed," Tyler replied under his breath.

"No, you didn't fail," Mulder argued.  "You weren't 
responsible for the accident, the people who knew about the 
flaws and didn't act to correct them were responsible.  They're 
the ones to blame; not you."

"Then why do I feel so responsible?"

Mulder moved closer and put his hand on Tyler's shoulder. 
"Because you care," he answered.  "Look, I need your help.  
When the invasion begins we may very well need to find 
alternate shelter for those who survive.  Underground 
facilities, like this one, may be our best hope.  This isn't my 
area of expertise, it's yours, so I need you to tell me what kind 
of alterations would be needed to make this place livable on a 
long term basis.  Are there structural flaws in these plans?  Is 
there a better site we should consider?  I don't know, I haven't 
thought this through.  That's what I need you to do."

"I'm going to need more than just this," Tyler said quietly.  
"It's been such a long time..."

"It'll come back to you," Mulder assured him.  "This is all I 
have at the moment, but I have some friends who should be 
able to get you anything you need.  I'll introduce you to them 
some day.  In the meantime, see what you can come up with 
from the blueprints.

=============================
"That's the tube you're going to put me in?" Katie asked, 
squeezing Matthew's hand.  Alex tightened his hold on her 
waist, as she peered into the MRI scanning room.

"Could be worse," he offered.  "At least this facility has the 
shorter tunnel design.  I was hoping for the open system, but 
not too many facilities are equipped with that yet.  You won't 
be completely enclosed."

"I guess that's something," she sighed.

"Before we go in, you need to give me your watch, rings and 
any other jewelry.  We can't take any metallic item into the 
room," he explained. "You too, Alex.  Oh, you'll need to leave 
your wallet as well.  The machine will demagnetize your 
credit cards."

Katie handed him her watch, then slowly took off her 
engagement ring.  She hesitated, then gave it to him.

Matthew put it on his little finger.  "I'll take good care of it; I 
promise."

Alex handed Matthew his watch, wallet, and took out his 
earring, placing them in Matthew's hand as well.  "OK, you 
ready?" he asked Katie.

"Alex?" Matthew shifted his feet.  "You're going to have to go 
one better before I can let you in there."

"What?" he asked, confused.  "I don't have any other...Oh, you 
mean..."

"Sorry, if you want to go in, it's going to have to come off," 
Matthew apologized.

Katie suddenly realized what was happening and turned.  
"Alexei... you don't have to.  We can talk through the 
intercom.  I'll be fine."

He shook his head and pulled the sweater off.  "It's all right.  
No big deal."

Scully entered the room as Alex undid the last strap.  "Oh 
Alex, I'm sorry, I forgot.  I should have told you."

Alex handed her the prosthesis.  "I'm just glad Mulder isn't 
here.  He'd probably find some excuse to beat me with my 
own arm."

Matthew bent down and whispered in Katie's ear.  "There's a 
bad joke in there somewhere," he commented with a grin.

Katie bit back a snicker and nodded her head.  "Dana?  What 
about the zipper on the jeans?  That's metal, shouldn't we have 
him remove those as well?"

Alex's eyes widened as he looked from Katie to Matthew to 
Scully.  They looked back at him and shrugged their 
shoulders.  "You are kidding?"

Scully walked over to the closet and brought out a pair of 
scrub pants.  "'Fraid not.  No metal allowed."

"You could have told me this before I took off the arm, you 
know," he huffed in irritation.  

Katie sidled up beside him and put her hand on his chest.  
"Need some help getting out of those pants, sweetheart?" she 
asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

He took a step back and smirked at her.  "No, I can manage, 
thank you.  You could help by not enjoying this quite so 
much," he added. 

"There's a bathroom three doors down," Scully told him.  "Just 
come on in when you've changed.  Alex nodded and left the 
room.  "Let's get you on the table.  We can start the IV while 
he's gone."

The three entered the scan room.  Katie hopped up on the 
table, while Matthew prepared the IV.  Scully pulled a chair 
close to the scanner for Alex.

"Lie down," Matthew instructed.  He pointed to the IV bag. 
"This is Gadolinium.  It's a contrasting agent used to make soft 
tissue organs, blood vessels, what have you, stand out in the 
pictures we'll be taking.  We're not going to start this right 
now; first we'll start with a saline solution.  All that will do is 
prevent the vein from clotting when the Gadolinium is 
introduced.  Now, when we do start the Gadolinium, you 
might feel a slight cooling sensation up your arm; this is 
normal, so don't worry about it.  There is a slight chance of 
allergic reaction, but I don't think you'll have any problems 
with this one."  He took her arm and tapped on the vein until it 
stood out enough for him to insert the needle.  Once in, he 
taped it down and rested her arm on the scanner's bed.  

Alex walked in just in time to see Matthew insert the needle.  
He flinched as it pushed into her skin.  "I hate needles," he 
whispered to Scully.

"Me too," she whispered back.  

"All right, I'm going out to start the scanner.  It's very 
important that you listen and do exactly what Dana tells you to 
do, Hanna.  Breathe at the wrong time or move when you're 
not supposed to and we'll have to start all over again.  If you 
hear the knocking sound, don't move; got it?"

"Got it, Kid," Katie answered.  "Can we get this over with?"

Matthew left them in the room and prepared to begin the scan.  
The procedure took almost ninety minutes; longer than most 
MRIs usually take, but most patients weren't subjected to 
having their entire bodies scanned either.  By the time all the 
angles had been covered, Katie was exhausted and more than 
ready to escape the confines of the scanning room.

"OK, you can get up now," Scully said cheerfully, after 
removing the IV.

Katie shot up and jumped off the table, feeling a little 
lightheaded from her sudden movement.  "Take me outside 
now, Alexei.  Please," she pleaded.

Scully looked over at Alex.  She nodded.  "There are some 
benches out in front of the hospital.  We'll come looking for 
you there in a little bit."

Katie grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door.  He 
thought briefly about taking the time to put on his arm, but the 
look in her eyes told him that there was no time for vanity.

The entrance slid open and Katie sucked in the air, her eyes 
closing as she lifted her face to the sun.  Alex put his arm 
around her shoulders.  He could feel her shaking under his 
embrace.  "You did good, baby," he said softly in her ear.  

=============================
Mulder parked the car in the hospital lot.  Tyler hurried to 
open the door; anxious to see how Katie was holding up.  
They were halfway up the stairs to the entrance, when they 
heard a familiar voice.

"Ty, Mulder, over here," Alex called.

They looked around until they spotted Alex and Katie sitting 
on a bench under a tree.  Tyler broke into a run, leaving 
Mulder far behind.  He cupped her face in his hands and 
beamed at her.  "Well, you look all right."  He glanced over at 
Alex and noticed his missing arm.  "Oh my God, Katie, you 
ripped off his arm?" he teased.  "Do I even want to know how 
Matthew and Dana fared?"

Katie slapped him playfully.  "Shut up!  I was very good in 
there, if I do say so myself."

"So what's with the missing arm, Alex?" Tyler asked.

"No metal allowed in the MRI scanning room," he answered.

"And I didn't give him time to put it on before making him 
bring me outside," Katie continued.  She caught Mulder out of 
the corner of her eye. "Took you long enough, Mulder. I was 
beginning to think you were avoiding me."

"After seeing what you did to him, I seriously considered it," 
Mulder said, straight-faced.

Katie's eyes lit up.  "Mulder?  Did you just insult me?"  She 
looked at Tyler and Alex.  "I think he just insulted me."  Katie 
stood up and advanced on him.  "You know what this means, 
don't you?"

Mulder stood his ground, shoving his hands into his front 
pockets, as she crossed the few feet between them.  "No, what 
does this mean?" he wondered aloud.

She stopped in front of him, toe to toe with the G-man she'd 
fought so hard to convince such a short time ago.  Katie threw 
a quick glance back at Alex, as if to ask permission for her 
next move.  He rolled his eyes, then turned and looked off in 
the distance.  Katie tapped a finger against Mulder's chest.  "It 
means that I get to do this now," she said, letting her arms 
slide around his waist, giving him a bear hug. "Welcome to 
the family, you big jerk."

Mulder slipped his hands from his pockets, not quite sure what 
to do with his arms.  He stood there, arms hovering 
uncertainly.

"Christ, Mulder!"  Alex shook his head in disbelief.  "It's just a 
hug."

Katie felt his arms relax and land gently around her with a 
small squeeze.  She backed away and smiled up at him.  
"Well, that was weak, but it's a start."

Mulder's mouth turned up slightly at the corners; not really a 
smile, but as close as to one as most people usually got from 
him.  He looked at Katie, then furrowed his brow.  Something 
wasn't right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"What?  Is there a wart on my nose or something?" Katie 
asked.

"No, sorry," he stammered, keeping his gaze on her face.  
"There's something..." The lights turned on in his brain and 
realized what was wrong.  "Katie, have you looked at your eye 
today?"

"I purposely avoided it this morning," she answered.  "Why?"

Alex got up from the bench and stood next to Mulder.  "I'll be 
damned," he said, looking over at Mulder.  "Ty, come here."

Tyler joined them, taking a minute to see what the others had 
just observed.  He wet his thumb and reached out to rub the 
skin under her eye.  "No concealer."

"Tyler, what the Hell are you doing?" Katie asked, becoming 
more annoyed with each passing moment.  She wiped at the 
damp spot he'd left on her cheek. "Would one of you please 
tell me why you're staring at my face?  I know it looks awful 
and staring at me like I'm the main attraction in a freak show 
isn't helping my ego any."

"It doesn't look awful," Alex said slowly.  "It doesn't look like 
anything at all, that's the point."

"Oh, well that certainly clears things up," Katie replied 
sarcastically.

"I think what he's trying to say, is that the bruising is almost 
gone," Mulder explained.  He reached out and touched her 
cheek.  "There's still some slight redness here and here, but 
that's it.  Your eye should be one large bruise, but it's not, it's 
almost healed."


"All right gang, party's over," Scully announced.  It wasn't 
quite nine, but she wanted to get everyone out of the room, 
before the nurses had to come down and do it themselves.  
She pulled Mulder aside.  "Will you take Tyler home?  
Matthew and I still have some lab work to look over."

"Yeah, I guess," Mulder answered.  "How long will you be?"

"A few hours," Scully replied, smiling apologetically.  "We 
should be back before midnight."

Mulder nodded and walked over to Tyler.  "The doctors are 
staying a while longer, so you're riding back with me."

"OK," Tyler acknowledged.  "Let me say good-bye to Katie."  
He moved to her bed and leaned down to give her a kiss.  "See 
you tomorrow, sweetheart.  Don't give the nurses a hard time," 
he said with a wink.

Katie laughed.  "I'll try to behave.  Do me a favor?"

"Of course.  What do you need?"

"Check my email when you get home, I haven't looked at it 
since we got here.  It's about time for my monthly 'how's the 
book coming' note from Michelle and Miranda's probably sent 
me a message as well.  You can pretty much delete anything 
else, unless it comes from my urban legend sites.  Read 
through it all and use your best judgment."

"Do you want me to write to Miranda and let her know what's 
going on?" Tyler asked.  "I know you two are close."

"She knows about the problems I've been having, but not the 
cause," Katie started.  "Yeah, if she's written, you can tell her 
I'm having some tests done to see if they can figure out what's 
wrong, but leave it at that.  Let her know I'll drop her a line in 
a day or so."

"What about Michelle?  Want me to send her a note?"

"No.  Let her stew until I decide to write her back," Katie 
grinned.  Tyler nodded and started to move toward the door.  
"Ty?  One more thing." 

He moved back to her side.  "What?"

"Can I have a hug?"

Tyler smiled and wrapped his arms around her.  "You're doing 
great, love.  Just one more day, then you can get out of here."  
He pulled back and gave her a wink, before moving away.

Mulder approached the bed.  "Is there anything you want us to 
bring you tomorrow?"

"No, everything I need is right here in this room," she 
answered.  "I appreciate the thought."

"OK, then I guess I'll take Tyler home and let you get some 
rest," he said.  Mulder rocked on his heels for a moment, 
glanced at Alex, then leaned down and gave Katie a quick 
hug.  

"Two hugs in the same day?" Katie teased.  "Better be careful, 
Mulder.  I might get the idea that you actually like me."

"Wouldn't want that to happen," Mulder deadpanned.  He 
looked over at Scully and Matthew.  "Midnight?"  They 
nodded.  He looked over at Alex.  "Well, good night...Alex."

" 'Night, Mulder," Alex answered.

Katie chuckled and gave Mulder and Ty a wave as they left.  
She turned her head to see Alex's reaction.  He was staring at 
the door and didn't turn back until it swung shut.  "That was 
very civil of you both.  In fact, one might almost think it was 
friendly.  Not quite, but it's getting there."

"I think they've come a long way in the last couple of days," 
Scully offered in their defense.  "We all have.  Now, no more 
to eat tonight and only water until after the CAT scan 
tomorrow," she ordered.  "She needs to sleep, Alex, so I'm 
depending on you to see that she gets it.  We'll be up here at 
eight, tomorrow morning, so be ready.  If all goes as planned, 
you should be out of here by lunch time."  Scully gave Katie's 
hand a squeeze.  "Any questions about tomorrow, before we 
leave?"

Katie shook her head.  "No, you answered everything already.  
I'll be fine."

Scully moved aside to give Matthew some room.  He pulled 
Katie into a big hug.  "I love you, Hanna," he whispered.

"Love you, too, Kid," she whispered back.  

Matthew and Scully left the room.  Alex got up and crawled 
into the bed, next to Katie.  "Thought they'd never leave," he 
murmured.

"Me either."  She snuggled against him.  "Are you all right?  
This hasn't been easy on you."

"I'm fine, baby."

"You handled things with Mulder well today.  Thank you."

Alex closed his eyes and held her tightly.  "It wasn't easy 
seeing him touch you," he offered.  "But I think he's really 
trying to accept all of this, so I'm working to accept what goes 
along with it."

"I know that," she answered.  "I'm a hugging/touching 
person.  I need the contact and I think that Mulder's 
beginning to see that he needs it as well. Besides, it's just a 
hug," she reminded him.

**disclaimer in part one**

Tyler plugged the laptop into the phone jack, sat down on 
the couch and pulled up Katie's online account.  He plowed 
through the forty-seven messages there, finally deleting all 
but two, an update from one of her favorite sites and one 
from Michelle.  With Matthew still at the hospital, Tyler 
decided to do a little surfing to kill some time.  He was in 
the middle of an article on upcoming movies, when he was 
startled by the sound of a new window opening. 

MIRA7:  hi Katie.  Wanna talk?

'Mira7?  Who is that?' he wondered.  Suddenly it hit him. 
Miranda.  

HEYES: Hi Miranda.  Katie's not here.  I'm Tyler.
MIRA7:  Tyler?  Of Matthew and Tyler?
HEYES:  That's me. <g>  I see Katie's been talking about 
us.
MIRA7:  She might have mentioned you once or a million 
times.  <g> Is she all right?
HEYES:  She's in the hospital having some tests done to see   
what's making her sick.  She's fine though, she'll be home 
tomorrow.
MIRA7:  Good.  I hope they figure out what's wrong with 
her.   Well, I guess I should let you get back to what you 
were doing.
HEYES: Don't leave on my account.  Matthew's still at the 
hospital, so I'm on my own for a few hours.  I wouldn't mind 
the company, if you still feel like talking. 
MIRA7:  I'd like that.  It's been a crummy day and I could 
use the company myself.
HEYES:  What happened?

For the rest of evening, Miranda and Tyler talked.  She told 
him about her crummy day; he sympathized.  They 
discussed books and the quality, or lack thereof, of the latest 
bestsellers.  By the time Matthew came dragging in at half 
past midnight, they'd become fast friends.

HEYES:   It's getting late.  Shouldn't you get some sleep?
MIRA7:   Yeah, I should.  Have to fly out to see my
mom tomorrow morning.  <sigh> I hate flying. 
HEYES:   So does Katie, but I guess you already knew that. 
 <g>
MIRA7:   I did. <g>  Can we talk again sometime?
HEYES:   Sure.  Drop in any time.  My screen name is   
TY1ON.
MIRA7:   LOL.  Do I dare ask the origin of that name?
HEYES:   <g> It was an impulse name.  Wish I had a great  
story to go along with it though.  
MIRA7:    Too bad.  Maybe, if you ask real nice, Katie will 
write one for you. <g>
HEYES:   I bet she would.  Hmmm, I'll have to talk to her
about that one day.
MIRA7:   K.  Is Matthew home yet?
HEYES:   I think so.  Hang on.  Yeah, the key's in the lock 
as we speak.  Great timing. <g>
MIRA7:   Then I'll let you go.  Say hi to him for me and tell 
Katie I hope she feels better soon.  I'll talk to her in a few 
days.
HEYES:   Will do.  Have a safe trip, Miranda.
MIRA7:   Thanks.  Be talking to you soon, TY1ON. <g> 
Bye.
HEYES:   :-P  Bye, Mira.

Matthew closed and locked the door behind him.  He 
walked over to Tyler and kissed his neck.  "Anything 
interesting?"

Tyler smiled up at him.  "Yeah, I've just spent the evening 
with Miranda.  Nice kid; I can see why Katie likes her.  Did 
you find anything in the lab results?"

Matthew sat down beside him on the couch.  "Actually, the 
blood we drew from the area under Katie's eye showed an 
elevated amount of that unidentified substance; almost half 
again as much as in other areas of her body.  We found the 
same elevated levels in the tissue samples from her uterus."

"So, does this prove the vaccine is behind the spontaneous 
healing?" Tyler asked.  

"It looks that way to me," Matthew replied. 

"But..." Tyler prompted.

"But, it's still too early to draw a final conclusion."

=============================
Scully dropped her keys, just outside Mulder's door.  "Shit," 
she muttered under her breath.  She bent down to pick them 
up, just as Mulder opened the door.

"I thought I heard you out here," he said quietly.

Scully stood up and put her keys back in her purse.  "Sorry.  
The lab work took a little longer than I expected."  She 
walked into the apartment and tossed her purse on Mulder's 
coffee table.  

Mulder pressed in close against her back, wrapping his arms 
around her.  "Come up with anything?" he asked, as he 
nibbled on her neck.

She let her head fall to one side. "A higher concentration of 
the as yet, unidentified substance, in the blood and tissue 
samples taken from the areas currently healing.  Mmmm, 
that feels good," she hummed.

"Is the vaccine responsible for this?" Mulder asked.  "Has 
Krycek really brought us the means to survive?"

"I can't say, scientifically speaking, that he has," she 
answered.  "But my instincts say yes."

=============================
A call of 'code blue' from the hallway woke Katie.  She 
listened to the sound of running feet, felt the vibrations of 
equipment rumbling past her room and said a silent prayer 
for the person needing all this attention.  Curiosity got the 
better of her, so she slid out of Alex's embrace and quietly 
opened the door.  The commotion was coming from the 
room next to hers.  Mr. Feldman, she remembered.  On the 
way up to her room that afternoon, they'd encountered the 
gentleman in the hall, sneaking down to the lounge for a 
quick smoke.  The nurse caught him and escorted him back 
to his bed, scolding him for leaving his room.  When Mr. 
Feldman was back where he was supposed to be, the nurse 
passed them in the hallway and gave them a forced smile.  
"Eighty-three years old, dying of lung cancer and we still 
have to force these things from his hand," she said, holding 
up a pack of cigarettes.

Katie stood in the doorway, listening.  All too soon, the 
crash cart was wheeled out of the room by a defeated 
looking technician.  She reached out to him and touched his 
arm as he passed.  The young man looked over at her and 
shook his head.  Katie's eyes filled with tears.  She didn't 
know this man, but his lonely death in the early hours of the 
morning mirrored the way she'd lost her grandmother.  
Closing the door behind her, she quietly made her way to 
Mr. Feldman's room.  No one had been there to say goodbye 
to her grandmother; that wasn't going to happen to Mr. 
Feldman.  

She peered into the room, watching as the nurse started to 
draw the sheet over his face.  Katie cleared her throat to get 
her attention.  "Did he have any family?"

"A daughter," she answered sadly.  "But she could never be 
bothered to visit him."

"How sad for both of them," Katie said softly.  She walked 
over to the bed and touched the sheet.  "May I say goodbye 
to him?"

The nurse nodded.  "I'll be back in a few minutes," she 
replied before walking out the door.

Katie pulled the sheet from his face and reached down for 
his hand.  "You shouldn't have been alone," she whispered.  
"Your daughter should have been here with you."  She stood 
silently for a moment, rubbing her thumb across the back of 
his hand.  "When you get there, look for Ileana Dostovich 
and tell her that Katrina sent you; she'll make sure you're 
never alone again."  She kissed the back of his hand, before 
placing it at his side.  "Tell her I love her."  Wiping the tears 
from her eyes, Katie returned to her room.

Alex woke and saw Katie standing by the window.  He got 
up and put his arms around her.  "What's wrong?" he 
whispered.

Katie relaxed against him, covering his arms with her hands.  
"Mr. Feldman died."

"Who?  Oh, the old guy sneaking out for a smoke this 
afternoon?"

"Yeah," she answered.  "He was all alone, Alexei.  I couldn't 
let him go knowing that no one had said goodbye."

"Maybe that's why you were here tonight; to say goodbye to 
Mr. Feldman so he wouldn't be alone," Alex soothed.  

"Maybe," she answered.

"I think your grandmother must be very proud of you right 
now, Katya."

Tears fell from her eyes again and he tightened his hold.  "I 
hope so," she whispered.  She turned in his arms and buried 
her face in his chest, letting him comfort her until she was 
done crying.

"Come on, let's get you back into bed," he said gently.  "We 
still have a few more hours before Scully and Matthew 
come back.  You need to rest."  He helped her up, then 
moved to sit on the chair next to the bed.  "You need to 
rest," he repeated, when she gave him a questioning look.

"No, I need to feel you next to me," she pleaded.  "I'll rest.  I 
promise.  Please?"

Alex looked down at the floor, then back into her eyes.  'As 
if I could say no,' he thought.  He walked around to the 
other side of the bed and climbed in next to her. 

=============================
"We really have to do this?" Katie groaned. 

 Stephen, the technician, shrugged his shoulders.  
"Unfortunately, this is the only way.  I had to have an upper 
GI series a couple of years ago; believe me you'd rather 
have the enema."

"That bad?"

"Worse.  It's like drinking a milkshake made of chalk and 
unflavored Milk of Magnesia, at room temperature," he 
informed her.

Katie felt her gag reflex kick in at his description.  "I'll take 
your word for it."  She climbed up on the table.  "OK, let's 
get this over with."

After the barium enema, the tests began.  The first round 
completed, they moved on to the final stage.

"This time we need to inject an iodine solution into your 
system.  You might feel a warming or a hot flush sensation 
as the solution enters your system.  This is normal, so don't 
worry about it," Stephen said.  "If you start to feel really 
uncomfortable, have trouble breathing or anything, let me 
know right away.  Most patients get through this easily 
enough, but there are always a few, who like to make things 
difficult," he added with a wink.

"Don't look now baby, but I think he's got your number," 
Alex grinned.

Katie's arm shot out to punch him, but Alex shifted slightly 
and her fist fell short of its goal.  She stuck out her tongue 
instead.  "Hey, I've been really good since I've been here; 
stop picking on me."

"Yes you have," Stephen agreed, patting her hand.  "Now lie 
still so we can finish these tests and before our luck 
changes."

Alex snickered and Katie smiled in spite of herself.  
"Anything you say.  I can't wait to get out of here."

They heard the snick of the intercom turning on and looked 
over at the glass wall dividing them from the monitors.  
Scully was standing there, arms crossed, giving them such a 
look.  Matthew leaned in to the microphone.  "Hanna, Dana 
and I would also like to get out of here, so if you don't mind, 
would you please be still and shut the fuck up?"

=============================
Katie tapped her foot impatiently, as the elevator seemed to 
stop on every single floor.  Alex nudged Matthew and 
pointed down at her feet.  Matthew casually lifted his foot 
and planted it gently on top of hers.  She looked sideways at 
him and crossed her arms instead, trading foot tapping for 
finger tapping.

"One more floor," Alex said gently.

"We could have walked up faster," Katie grumbled.  The 
elevator's chime dinged, announcing their arrival on the 
fourth floor.  "Finally!"  She bolted out and down the hall to 
the apartment door and threw it open.  "Tyler, I'm...mmm."

Tyler slid the spoon slowly out of her mouth.  "Does that 
work for you?"

Katie smiled and savored the creamy peppermint taste in her 
mouth.  "Oh God, yes."  She pulled him into a bear hug.  
"Marry me?" she joked.

"Hey!" Alex and Matthew exclaimed in unison.

Tyler smiled smugly and held up the container of ice cream.  
"Behold the power of peppermint stick ice cream, 
gentlemen."

Alex sighed loudly.  "I knew it was too good to last."

"Oh, poor baby," Tyler crooned.  He slipped out of Katie's 
arms and crossed over to Alex.  "Here, let me make it up to 
you," he soothed, scooping up a spoonful of ice cream and 
popping it into Alex's mouth.

Alex closed his eyes.  "Oh God, that is good!"  He opened 
his eyes. "Marry me, Tyler?" he asked, trying to keep a 
straight face.

"Hey!" Matthew and Katie exclaimed.  

"Oh brother!" Tyler laughed.  "Two days without getting 
any and these two go soft in the head."  He handed Matthew 
the ice cream and pushed Katie and Alex toward the 
bedroom.  "Get in there and don't come out until you've 
fucked each other sane again."

"Bossy little prick, isn't he?" Katie asked Alex.

"Yes, and you'll thank me in a few hours," Tyler retorted, as 
he closed the door behind them.

Alex pulled Katie into his arms and smiled down at her.  
"I'm already thanking him," he said quietly.

"Me too," she admitted.  "Do something for me first?"

"Anything."

"Wash my back for me?" she asked, biting her lower lip.  
"As much as I want to follow Tyler's orders, I really want to 
take a shower first.  That test left me feeling...well, less than 
fresh."

Alex chuckled softly, then kissed her.  "Go start the water.  
I'll be in a few minutes."

"Where are you going?"

"Don't be nosy.  Get going; I'll be there soon," he urged.

She nodded and backed slowly into the bathroom.  He stood 
still, until she finally closed the bathroom door.  As soon as 
he heard the water come on, he left the bedroom.

"Don't tell me you're done already," Tyler said with a smirk.

"Not a chance," Alex answered, resisting the urge to hurl 
something in Tyler's general direction.  "Katie wanted to 
take a shower first; I'm just sneaking out to stock up on a 
few provisions.  I don't suppose we have any..."

"Way ahead of you," Tyler said, cutting him off mid-
sentence.  "In the fridge."

Alex went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.  On 
the top shelf, he found a plate loaded with assorted, bite-
sized, goodies.  Next to the plate, a bottle of white wine, 
Katie's favorite Riesling.  "Tyler?"

"I know, I'm wonderful," Tyler sighed.  "I'll bet you're 
thinking 'I could just kiss him' about now.  But no, you can't 
do that.  You're going to have to wait until your wedding 
day," he sighed.

Alex rolled his eyes and shook his head.  "Actually...I was 
going to say thank you and ask if we had any real wine 
glasses."

"Oh," Tyler huffed, clutching his chest. "Shot down again."  
He reached up into the cabinet and produced two 
wineglasses.  "Here," he said, handing them to Alex.  "Need 
some help carrying this into the bedroom?"

"No, I can manage," Alex answered.  "And 
Ty...seriously...thanks for doing all this."

"You're welcome.  Now get out of here before she comes 
looking for you."

Alex gathered everything up in his arms and returned to the 
bedroom.  He put the wine and glasses on one side of the 
bed, the food on the other.  The cork had been loosened 
earlier, so he simply removed it to allow the wine to breathe.  
When he was satisfied that everything was where it should 
be, he stripped off his clothes and started to go into the 
bathroom.  He reached the door and realized that he'd left 
his arm on.  Once inside the bathroom, he removed it and 
hung it on the hook behind the door.

Katie poked her head out of the shower.  "I was beginning 
to think you'd ditched me," she teased.

"Not a chance," he said with a smile.  "You're stuck with 
me."  He stepped into the shower and pressed up against 
her.  Cupping the back of her head in his hand, Alex leaned 
down and kissed her.  Katie's hands went up to his head, 
holding him in place.  She opened her mouth a little, giving 
him just enough room to slip his tongue inside.  He 
deepened the kiss, taking her breath away.  A few brief 
moments of bliss, then he pulled away.  "Bathe.  We're in 
here to bathe," he reminded both Katie and himself.  
"Besides, I need a little more elbow room to work with."

"Says the man with only one elbow," Katie teased.

Alex's eyes widened in surprise at her remark.  A wry grin 
spread slowly across his face.  "Oh, I see how it is.  Go 
ahead, make fun of the amputee.  I have another offer on the 
table, you know?  If I'm not good enough for you, maybe I 
should consider it," he said, turning his back to her.  He 
suppressed a snicker, wanting to see how far he could take 
this.

Katie reached out and touched him tentatively.  "Alexei," 
she said quietly.  When he didn't turn around, she stepped 
closer, resting her head against his back.  "I'm sorry, that 
was in poor taste. I didn't mean..." she whispered, letting her 
words trail off.  Her arms slowly snaked around his waist 
and she turned her face to press her cheek against his 
shoulder.  "I'm sorry," she repeated.

He knew she was upset.  He knew she didn't realize he was 
playing head games with her.  He also knew he had her over 
a barrel and he made the decision to use it for all it was 
worth.  "How sorry?"  The muscles of her mouth formed a 
smile against his shoulder and he knew she'd caught on.

"Very sorry?" she offered.

"Not good enough," he answered.

"How sorry do you want me to be?"

Oh yes, she was definitely on to the game.  "Sorry enough to 
relinquish all control?"  He turned and looked her in the 
eyes.  "Sorry enough to do what I say, without question?"  
She nodded slowly.  "Be very sure, Katya," he warned.  "I 
might not even grant you amnesty, this time."  

She shifted slightly at the sound of their safe word and 
looked at him questioningly, not sure if he was serious.  Her 
mouth opened to ask, but closed before she could form the 
words.  Of course he'd stop, if she used the word, she 
assured herself.  Wouldn't he?  This was just a game.  
Wasn't it?

While he gave her time to think about what he'd said, Alex 
grabbed the washcloth and soap.  He turned her around and 
began to scrub her back, as previously requested.  Tension 
showed across her shoulders, and nothing he did eased her 
discomfort.  Too much?  Had he pushed a little too far?  He 
rinsed out the washcloth and hung it back up.  He'd almost 
decided to give up the game, when she answered his 
questions with a single word.

"Yes."

"Yes?" he asked, not sure he'd heard her correctly.  "All 
control, no questions, no amnesty?  You're sure?"

"Yes," she confirmed.

"OK."  He reached back, turned off the water and opened 
the shower curtain.  "Dry off," he ordered.  Katie complied, 
getting out of the tub and reaching for a towel.  Alex 
followed, then stood and watched as she rubbed the towel 
over her body, drying every spot.  

After she'd dried her hair and hung the towel back on the 
rack, he said "my turn".  She reached for the other towel and 
set about her task, touching everywhere with the terrycloth, 
until he was dry as well.  "Hand me the comb," he 
instructed.  She did.  "Now turn around."  

Katie was surprised to feel the comb being dragged gently 
through her hair as he worked to untangled her locks.  He 
sighed, put the comb down on the counter and took a step 
toward the door.  She thought he was going to leave, then 
she saw him remove his arm from the hook and strap it on.  
Before she knew it, he was back behind her, combing her 
hair.  The tangles now gone, he took the drier of the two 
towels and squeezed out the excess water from her hair and 
redried her back.  He bent down and opened the cabinet, 
pulling out a hair dryer and plugging it into the socket.   
Katie felt her head being pushed forward, so she allowed her 
neck to relax.  Alex turned on the dryer and ran his fingers 
through her hair as the hot air blew on her.  Every few 
seconds, his body, hot and hard, brushed up against her 
backside.  Her legs went weak with each occurrence.  Until 
that moment, she'd never realized how erotic it was to have 
your lover dry your hair.  The dryer turned off and the comb 
was again being pulled through her hair.  It was still damp, 
but apparently dry enough for his taste.  He unplugged and 
put the appliance away.  

She waited for his next move.  Seconds ticked by, but he did 
nothing.  Wanting to look, but afraid to break some 
unknown rule, she stood still and waited.  Just as her resolve 
to keep her eyes forward was about to break, she felt his 
fingers on the back of her calves.  

Alex traced a curvy line up the back of her legs, from her 
calves, slowly up to her bottom.  He placed a quick kiss on 
the small of her back, before pressing against her.  One leg 
pushed between hers, urging her legs apart.  His other leg 
moved to join the first, opening her up even more.  

Katie felt him poised and ready.  She rocked slowly against 
him and he backed away.

"Too easy," he murmured in her ear.  "If I take you right 
here, right now, you'd think I wasn't serious."  He nipped at 
her neck, leaving a small red mark.  "And believe me, baby, 
I am serious."  As if to prove his point, he latched on to her 
neck, this time leaving a hickey the size of Kennedy half-
dollar.  He grinned evilly at her.  "This will probably heal by 
morning," he chuffed.  "Too bad, I'd like to see the look on 
Mulder's face when he caught a glimpse of this one."

"You could always fix it before he shows up," Katie 
suggested.

"I might just do that," he replied.  Alex took her by the hand 
and opened the door.  "Come on."

As they left the bathroom, Katie saw the wine and the tray 
of food on the tables beside the bed.  "Is that what you were 
doing?"

"No questions," he said firmly.

"Sorry."

He walked her to the bed.  "Sit down."  She sat.  He watched 
her for a second, then backed slowly over to the dresser and 
opened the top drawer.  Pushing a few things aside, he 
found what he was after and pulled them out.  The long 
scarves dangled from his fingertips as he closed the drawer 
and returned to her side.  He touched her left hand, wrapped 
his fingers around it and brought it to his lips.  Alex kissed 
each knuckle tenderly before letting go.  "Keep your hand 
right there."  He took one scarf and tied her upper arm 
around her body, just under her breasts.  Then he took the 
second and tied the middle of it around her wrist, leaving 
the ends dangling.  Bending her arm at the elbow, he said, 
"touch your shoulder." When she did, he took the ends and 
wrapped them around her arm, tying them off securely.  
"This is going to be uncomfortable, but remember, it's 
not...forever," he stated pointedly.

Katie tested the range of motion left to her by the restraints.  
The scarves kept her from being able to move her arm more 
than an inch in any direction.  It was a little strange, not 
uncomfortable from a pain standpoint, just a weird feeling 
of being confined.  

Alex pulled back and looked at his handiwork.  The scarves 
were secure, Katie didn't look too disturbed by the current 
chain of events, so why was he suddenly uneasy with what 
he was doing?  He watched as she looked at her newly 
bound arm.  She didn't seem upset, just curious.  The sight 
of her attempting to move the arm up and down made him 
frown.  He reached out to remove the scarves and end the 
game before it had a chance to go any further.

"What's the matter hotshot?  You're not giving up, are you?" 
Katie challenged.  He tugged on one of the scarves, but she 
slapped his hand away and stood up, looking him straight in 
the eyes.  "Stop it!  Don't back down on me again," she said 
angrily.  "You do this every time, Alex.  Why can't you trust 
me enough to keep going?"

"It's not a matter of trust," Alex began.  "It's..."

"Bullshit!  It is a matter of trust.  You think I don't want this, 
you think I'm doing this for you out of some misguided need 
to make you feel good at the expense of my own comfort.  
Well sweetheart, I am uncomfortable, but not the way you 
seem to think I am."  She grabbed his hand and shoved it 
between her legs.  He found her wetter than he'd ever felt 
before and it caught him by surprise.  "Are you catching on 
yet, Alex?  I like this; I want this.  Take control.  Finish 
what you've started."  He hesitated a moment too long and 
Katie pulled away, obviously annoyed.  "Fine.  Forget about 
it.  I'm not going to push you into something you're not 
ready for."  She shook her head with a sigh and turned away 
from him.

"Don't you turn your back on me," Alex snapped, whirling 
her back to face him.  "Don't you ever turn your back on 
me."

"Why not?" she fought back.  "It's not like you're gonna do 
anything about it."

A hand roughly pulled her head back by her hair.  "Shut up.  
Who said you could talk?  All control, no questions, no 
amnesty; those were the rules, or don't you remember?"  

His eyes were dark, his jaw set.  Katie bit her lower lip and 
waited, hoping that she'd finally gotten through to him.  
Hoping that this time he'd keep going.  Her hand dropped, 
she wrapped her fingers around him and made one long 
stroke, before he pushed her hand away.  He was right on 
the edge; she tried not to smile.  "Don't touch me."  He 
pushed her back onto the bed.  "On your stomach," he 
ordered.  When she rolled over, he climbed on top of her, 
not touching, but straddling her hips.  "Now, on your hands 
and knees."  As she struggled to comply, he snickered in 
amusement. She tried to balance herself with one hand, but 
failed, falling back to the mattress.  "Not easy with one 
hand, is it?  On your knees first. Now get up and try again."  
Katie pushed back up, her left arm struggling against her 
restraints as she tried to achieve balance this time.  Her 
instinct was to rip the scarves off her arm, but no amount of 
movement would loosen the bond.  "They don't come off," 
Alex chuckled.  "You're stuck with using what you've got.  
Frustrating, isn't it?"  She fell back down with a groan, then 
tried again and again without being told.  As she hit the 
mattress for the fifth time, her hand smacked the headboard 
in annoyance.  "Get on your elbow," he coached.  "Let your 
hand push back against the mattress; that'll give you some 
leverage.  Spread your legs apart a little more."  She 
wobbled, but achieved a tentative balance.  His left hand 
stroked her ass, then his fingers slipped inside her wetness.  
He generally reserved this pleasure for his real hand, but this 
time, he was trying to make a point; one he knew wouldn't 
be lost on her.  Katie quivered at his touch and had to push 
harder against the mattress to keep from toppling over.  
Alex removed his hand and positioned himself against her.  
"Brace yourself, baby," he growled, then drove home.  Katie 
faltered, but Alex caught her before she fell.  "Push back 
hard," he snarled.  "I have no intention of falling down until 
I'm done with you."

Katie smiled at his words and pushed back with all her 
might.  Whatever it took, she promised herself she would 
not hit that damned bed again, until he'd emptied himself 
inside her.  Suddenly, he sat back and grasped her hips with 
his hands, changing the angle of entry.  She shifted her 
weight just in time to keep from breaking that promise.  A 
few more thrusts, then he slowed down until he was barely 
rocking inside of her.  She took advantage of the change in 
pace to relax her hold a bit.  He slipped out of her and she 
whimpered until his fingers found their way inside.  "Alex?" 
she asked softly.

"No questions, no talking at all."  He drew his fingers away, 
dragging them upwards, circling her anus.  Pressing firmly, 
but gently, he pushed one inside.  She stiffened, but he knew 
it was a reflex, not a fear response, so he kept going.  When 
she relaxed a little more, he added a second finger.

"Oh God," she murmured, when she understood his 
intentions.  They'd never tried this before, mainly because 
she'd been afraid to ask.  His revelation of the attacks in 
Tunisia had made her shy away from the subject; afraid to 
bring back the nightmare he'd suffered.  His fingers eased 
out of her and she felt him move again.

"Hush."  'Should I say something?' he wondered.  'Let her 
know I won't hurt her?'  Katie bumped against him, ever so 
slightly and he realized he'd drifted off for a second.  'Take 
control, man,' he chided himself.  

Katie braced herself, planting her hand in front of her, 
praying for stability as Alex slowly penetrated her.  Too 
slowly, as far as she was concerned.  Between his careful 
ministrations and her less-than-sensual experience with the 
business end of a barium enema tube earlier in the day, she 
was more than sufficiently open to the invasion.  A demand 
to 'just do it' died before it ever reached her lips; to voice it 
would have broken his rules and defeated the purpose, so 
she waited, nudging back every so often, to encourage him 
further.  When at last he was fully inside her, Katie put her 
head down and smiled.

Alex stopped moving, giving his body a chance to adjust the 
incredible heat and tightness surrounding him.  Katie's head 
went down and she clenched around him even more.  "Don't 
do that," he hissed.  

"Sorry," she whispered, with just a hint of a giggle behind 
her words.

"No talking.  That's two, Katya."  Alex smiled in spite of 
himself, at the devilish undertone in her voice.  No more 
Mr. Nice Guy.  He pulled back as far as he dared, then 
slammed into her.  She faltered, but didn't fall.  "Good 
catch," he growled in her ear.  "Don't let me hit the 
headboard," he warned, slamming into her again.  

"I won't," she answered, under a moan.  "Just don't stop."   
Ooops.  Too late she realized her mistake.  Alex stopped 
dead in his tracks.  'Shit!'

"Excuse me?" he asked.  "Did you just tell me not to stop?"  

She nodded, then dropped her head back to the mattress.  A 
sharp sting on her ass woke her up quickly.  'Well, this is 
new,' she thought, surprised at his actions.  

"I said, no talking," he reminded her.  "And I meant, no 
talking."  He remained still, waiting to see if she what she 
was going to do.  When she didn't respond, he began to 
thrust in and out of her at a leisurely pace, heady from the 
rush of power.  He'd forgotten how good it felt to be 
completely in control, to be the one holding all the cards.  
On the rare occasion when he had been the one in the 
dominant position, the final outcome had always turned 
against him somehow.  In that instant, a moment of clarity.  
This is what she was giving him, the opportunity to take the 
upper hand and win.  His hand, the real one this time, drifted 
down to her clit, brushing lightly.  She half-whimpered, but 
cut the noise off quickly.  "That you can do," he said.  "In 
fact, I insist," he added, teasing her again.  The ensuing 
whimper sent a charge through his system, warning him that 
his reign of power was nearing the end.  He stepped up his 
caresses.  Her whimpers turned to moans, soon followed by 
a rapid-fire delivery of 'don'tstopdon'tstopdon'tstop' before 
she arched her back and came, crying out his name.  She 
pulsed around him, taking him with her mere seconds after.  

Katie's head crashed down, but she willed her elbow to hold 
on just a little longer. Her neck and shoulders were begging 
for relief, but she wasn't going to give in, until he gave her 
the OK to collapse completely.  Fatigue set in and she began 
to shake.

Alex felt Katie tremble beneath him as he lay draped across 
her back.  He knew she was tired, but waited until he felt 
himself slip from her body, then cradled her against him and 
helped her roll onto her back.   She grunted in discomfort as 
he eased her legs down, then helped her move her arm to 
restore circulation.  He noticed that she made no attempt to 
remove the scarves, nor did she ask him to.  Propping up on 
one arm against her right side, he brushed the hair from her 
eyes.  "Talk to me, Katya.  Are you all right?"

"Yes," she whispered.  "I want to touch you, but..." she 
looked at her bound arm, then back at him, "you're on the 
wrong side."

"So I am," he answered, making no move to change his 
position.  "I realized a little while ago, what this was all 
about, why you pushed me."  He leaned down and touched 
his lips to hers.  "Thank you," he whispered against her 
mouth, before kissing her.  "You were right to push; you 
saw what I needed and you forced me to take it."

"Good.  I didn't know any other way to give your power 
back to you.  I love you so much, Alexei; I couldn't stand by 
and watch you give yourself away any more.  You may not 
have liked who you were, but that person had some valuable 
qualities and you needed to be reminded of that."  

"Can I call an end to the game then?" he asked.

"If you want to," she replied.

He took the ends of the first scarf in his hands, untied the 
knot and pulled the scarf free.  Red welts marked her arms 
where the fabric had held her.  She winced and tried to relax 
the muscles.  Then he untied the scarf from around her chest 
and let it fall free. Alex rubbed them gently, carefully 
encouraging her elbow to unbend.  He tried to massage her 
elbow, but she jumped when his fingers hit a tender spot in 
the joint.  Alex lifted her arm and saw a large bruise forming 
there.  "Oh, baby."

"No. Don't you dare apologize," she warned him.  "This isn't 
your fault; it's a result of a mutually agreed upon act.  
Besides, I heal quickly these days."

Alex chuckled.  "Yes you do."  He took a look at the already 
fading hickey on her neck.  "Too damned fast," he said, 
tracing the outline with his finger.

"So fix it before Mulder shows up tomorrow, if it means that 
much to you," Katie giggled.  "Won't bother me at all."

Alex grinned and glanced down.  What he saw caused him 
to do a double take, then laugh out loud.

"What's so funny?" Katie asked.  Alex laughed harder and 
pointed down.  Katie lifted her head and looked down.  "Oh 
gross," she laughed.  His penis was covered in a thin layer 
of barium, making it closely resemble a large piece of 
sidewalk chalk.  "I forgot about the coating effects of the 
barium," she giggled.  "Stephen said I'd be seeing it for the 
next day or so.  It didn't occur to me..." 

"Me either," Alex said, in between laughs.  "Shower?"

"Gee, ya think?"

=============================
"She's going to be pretty annoyed with us for leaving 
without telling her," Tyler said.

"Probably, but are you going to knock on the door and tell 
her right now?" Matthew snickered.  "Personally, I'd kill 
anyone who tried to bother me, if they heard those noises, 
coming from our bedroom."

"True enough, but still, we should have told her before 
shoving them in there," Tyler explained.

"I've got to be at the hospital tomorrow afternoon and I'd 
rather travel now than drive straight in to work tomorrow.  
We're leaving a note; everything will be fine."  Matthew 
grabbed his suitcase.   "You ready?" Tyler grabbed the other 
bag and the cardboard tube.  "Let's get going."

"What's that?" Matthew asked, motioning toward the tube.

"Oh, just something Mulder asked me to take a look at.  We 
can talk about it in the car."

=============================
"I should have known," Katie chuckled.

Alex came out of the bedroom, tugging on his shirt as he 
walked.  "What?"

Katie held up Matthew's note.  "They've gone home."  Alex 
made a face.  "Matthew has to be at the hospital tomorrow 
afternoon," she explained.  

"Oh.  Well, I guess its dinner for two then.  You want to 
stay in or go out?"

"Actually," Katie said, biting her lip.  "I want to call Dana.  
If she doesn't need me to stick around for any reason, I'd 
like to go home tomorrow myself."

"I thought you might say that," Alex grinned.  "She said go 
home, she'll let us know if anything unusual shows up.  
Well, anything more unusual," he chuckled.  

Katie's mouth dropped. "When did you talk to her?  We've 
hardly been apart in the last twenty-four hours."

"While you were getting cleaned up in the hospital," he 
answered.  "I had a feeling you'd be ready to go."

"You had a feeling?  Isn't that my line, Alexei?" Katie 
teased, kissing him on the cheek.

Alex laughed.  "Yes, I guess it is.  Um...is it all right if we 
don't go straight home tomorrow?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"A side trip."

"A side trip to where?" she asked suspiciously.

"PNC Stadium," he replied.

"Alex, the Pirates are in Bradenton for spring training and 
construction on PNC isn't due to be completed for another 
six weeks.  I love Pittsburgh, but why do you want to go 
now?"

He held up one finger and disappeared into the bedroom, 
leaving Katie staring at him as he walked away.  A few 
minutes later, he reappeared with an envelope in hand.  
"This was supposed to be a wedding present," he said, 
handing her the envelope.  "But after the last few days, I 
thought you should have it now."  She tapped it on her hand, 
eyeing him warily.  "It won't bite," teased.  "Open it."

Katie hesitated, then looked at the envelope in her hand.  
She turned it over and lifted the flap, pulling out the letter 
inside.  Her eyes went wide as she read page.  "Oh my 
God."  She read the letter again.  "Oh my God, Alex.  Home 
Plate Club?  I have...I mean...we have season tickets?"  She 
read a little closer.  "Four season tickets?  You bought 
tickets for Matthew and Tyler, too?"

Alex smiled as she looked from his face to the paper and 
back again.  "I couldn't very well leave the children behind 
now, could I?  Besides, we may only have a few more years 
left to watch the game, might as well enjoy it in style," he 
said ruefully.

His remark hit home.  "I could have gone a long time 
without hearing that," she said quietly.  "No baseball?"

"We'll bring it back, even if it means breeding a whole team 
ourselves," he said with a grin.  

"We're not even sure I'll be able to have one and you're 
already planning an entire team?  I love you, sweetheart, but 
if you think I'm gonna pop out a dozen kids, we really need 
to talk," she said, eyebrows raised.

"Ah, c'mon, Katya," Alex pleaded with a grin.  "You mean 
you don't want to be the mother of post-invasion baseball?  
We'll name a stadium after you," he offered, putting his 
arms around her.

"A stadium?  Hmmm. Well, since you put it that way..." She 
chuckled at his amused expression.  "So, when do we 
leave?"

=============================
Katie woke up at 3, unable to get back to sleep, so she 
crawled out of bed and logged on to check her email.  
Miranda's name was up on her buddy list, so she sent her 
and instant message.

HEYES:   What are you doing up so late?
MIRA7:   Katie?
HEYES:   In the cyberflesh. <g>
MIRA7:   Just checking.  Last time, Tyler was on using your  
screen name.  
HEYES:   I know.  I asked him to check on my email.  He 
said you two talked for a long time.
MIRA7:   Yeah, we did.  I like him; he seems really sweet.
HEYES:   Ty's the best.  He enjoyed talking to you, too.  
Don't you just love his screen name? <g>  He says there's no 
story behind  it, but I think he's full of shit.
MIRA7:   LOL!  So, how are you?  Tyler said you were  
having some tests run.  Is everything all right?  You still in 
DC?
HEYES:   Everything's fine.  Better than fine, actually. 
Thanks 
for asking.  Yeah, still in DC.  We're heading to Pittsburgh 
tomorrow to take a look at construction on the stadium.   
Alex bought us season tickets to the Pirates this year. <g>
MIRA7:   You're coming to Pittsburgh tomorrow?  I'm there 
now!  My mom had to leave town, so I didn't have to go to 
NY this  weekend.  
HEYES:   Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
MIRA7:   That Barney really is the anti-Christ?
HEYES:   LOL!  Well, that too.  I was thinking more along  
the lines of meeting for lunch or something.  I'd like you to 
meet Alex.
MIRA7:   Lunch wouldn't work; I have school.  How about 
dinner? I know my dad would love to meet you.  He's a big 
fan. <g>
HEYES:   OK.  Are you sure he won't mind?  This is pretty         
short notice.
MIRA7:   No, he won't mind.  I'll let him know when he 
wakes up.  
HEYES:   Tell you what; talk to him first.  If he's ok with it
then call me tomorrow.  We have the cell with us.   Still 
have the number written down?
MIRA7:   Yeah, still got it.  OK, I'll call you tomorrow, but 
it's
going to be fine.
HEYES:   All right.  I'll tell Alex he's finally going to get to 
meet you.   Now go to sleep!  You have school in a few 
hours.
MIRA7:   Yes mother. <g>  See you tomorrow.
HEYES:   Rotten kid. <g>  Sleep well.
MIRA7:   <g> You too.

Katie signed off and went back to bed.  Alex was wrapped 
around her pillow, so she slipped in on the other side and 
snuggled up against him.  

"You all right?" he asked, sleepily.

She kissed his shoulder and put her arm around his waist.  
"I'm fine.  Go back to sleep."  

=============================
"There it is," Katie said, pointing to the red brick house with 
beige shutters.  

Alex parked on the street in front of the house, then sat 
there, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

"What's wrong, Alexei?"

"I don't know.  This just feels so weird," he answered.  

"You'll survive," she laughed.  "This is what regular people 
do, sweetheart; they go to each other's house, have dinner, 
talk.  We do this all the time with Matthew and Tyler; we 
did it with Mulder and Dana, so what's the problem?"

"I know them.  I don't know Miranda or her father," he said, 
shrugging his shoulders.  "This is just a new experience for 
me, most of my previous visits to households have been 
work related and definitely not social calls, you know?"

Katie reached over and stroked his cheek.  "It'll be fun.  
Miranda's a sweet kid and I'm sure her father will be nice as 
well.  Relax.  If it gets to weird, just remind me about our 
early appointment with the realtor or something and I'll get 
us out of there in a flash."

Alex turned his head to place a kiss in the palm of her hand.  
"I was serious about buying a place here, you know?  Beats 
having to make hotel reservations every time we come here 
for a game."

"Agreed.  So, if you get uncomfortable, the realtor ploy 
won't be a complete lie," she said with a wink.  "Come on, 
Miranda's peeking through the curtains at us."

Five hour later, Katie and Alex said their good-byes to 
Victor and Miranda.  The first half-hour had been a little 
strained between the two men.  Alex was having a hard time 
loosening up and Victor was trying to figure out what to say 
to get some kind of conversation going.  Then Alex noticed 
a photo on the mantle; an old black and white shot of a 
castle in England.  Victor was surprised that Alex 
recognized the castle and the two began comparing notes 
about the country.  From that moment on, there was no 
lacking for conversation.  The evening ended with an 
invitation to the wedding and a promise from Victor that 
they would attend, as well as the name of a good realtor in 
town.

=============================
Tyler rested his elbows on the papers in front of him.  It had 
been so long...The geological survey showed the area to be 
sound, so if the structure had been built in accordance with 
the plans, it should be perfect for Mulder's needs.  IF the 
structure had built the way it was supposed to have been 
built.  In his mind, that was a big if.  Exhausted, he put his 
head down on the table and dozed.

Matthew found Tyler, sound asleep at the dining room table.  
He looked at the papers spread out around Tyler and shook 
his head.  'So that's what Mulder gave him,' Matthew 
thought.   He ruffled Tyler's hair.  "Hey you, wake up," he 
said gently.  "You're drooling on the blue prints."

Tyler sat up and pawed at his mouth.  "Am not," he replied 
sleepily.

Matthew chuckled and kissed Tyler's head.  "I know, I just 
like to watch you check."  He began rolling the papers up, to 
Tyler's weak protests.  "No more.  You fell asleep on them, 
which tells me that you've been looking at them for far too 
long.   Whatever Mulder wants you to do with these, I'm 
sure it can wait until morning."

Tyler nodded.  "It can.  Besides, there's nothing more I can 
do, based on the paperwork.  I'd have go out there and 
physically look at the facility before I could give Mulder 
any solid information.  The plans are good, the survey looks 
to be in order, but without a physical inspection, we have 
nothing but speculation."

"Good, then you won't mind putting it away and coming to 
bed."  He stepped closer and put his arms around Tyler's 
waist.  "I was kind of hoping for a little 'physical inspection' 
myself."

"Oh, I think that can be arranged," Tyler smiled.  

=============================
"Come on, Mulder," Scully urged.  "It'll be fun."

"Scullee," Mulder whined.  

"It's a wedding, not root canal," she said, crossing her arms 
in front of her.  "You know Katie will disappointed if we 
don't show up.  Do you really want to call her and tell her 
you're not coming because the Knicks are in the playoffs?"

"But Scully, it's the Knicks," he tried to explain.

"The wedding's at 2, the game doesn't start until 8," she 
countered.  "I'm sure you can slip out and be back at the 
hotel before the game starts."

"Think Katie would mind?" he asked.

"She'd mind a lot more, if you didn't show up at all," Scully 
countered.  "Besides, Matthew tells me that the Pirates are 
playing that day, so they'll all be slipping back into the 
kitchen to catch the score during the reception."

"There's going to be a TV in the kitchen?" Mulder asked.  
"Maybe this won't be so bad after all."  Scully's hand shot 
out and punched Mulder's arm.  "Ouch!  Kidding, I was just 
kidding," he chuckled.
Alex knocked on the bathroom door.  "Katya?  Scully's 
here, so I'll be leaving now.  Aren't you going to at least kiss 
me goodbye?"

"No I'm not.  Get out of here, it's bad luck for you to see the 
dress before the wedding," Katie yelled out.

'Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I've been told," he muttered.  "I love 
you, baby.  See you in a couple of hours."

"I love you, too," Katie answered, opening the door just a 
bit.  "Alexei? You are going to be there?"

Alex smiled and chuckled softly.  "Are you ever going to 
stop asking me that question?"

"No," she answered. 

"I'll be there," he replied.  "Today, tomorrow, and every day 
thereafter."  

Katie smiled and shut the bathroom door, waiting until Dana 
declared it safe before coming out of the bathroom.

"So?" Scully asked expectantly. 

"No, not this time.  I thought it was just nerves, but I was 
hoping..."

"It's too early," Scully said reassuringly.  "Your body still 
has a few more months to go before the rest of the damage 
is undone."

"I know.  This is first time I ever allowed myself to think it 
could really happen.  We talked about it, but until I started 
feeling sick the last few mornings, it was never a tangible 
thing, you know?"

Scully put her arm around Katie's shoulder.  "I know.  Don't 
expect anything to happen for another four or five months, 
at least.  Enjoy being a newlywed first, then concentrate on 
adding a baby."

"It's really going to happen, isn't it, Dana?"

"What, the baby or the wedding?" Scully teased.  

"Dana," Katie huffed.

"Yes, to both," she smiled.  "Now, let's get you ready.  I 
don't know if you got a good look at Alex before he left, but 
he's slightly green and shaking like a leaf.  I don't think it's a 
good idea to leave him alone with Mulder, Tyler or Matthew 
for very long when he's that nervous, do you?"

"Probably not," Katie agreed.  "I'm going to need your help 
though; Alex isn't the only one shaking like a leaf."  She 
held up her hand to illustrate the point.  

=============================
"Will you cut that out, Alex!"  Matthew exclaimed.  "The 
ceremony's not for another half-hour, she'll be here."

Alex nodded, but continued to pace and look out the 
window.  "What if she doesn't show up?  I mean, why 
would she?  Look at what she's getting; at what I have to 
offer her.  Hell, I wouldn't blame her if she ditched me."

"Krycek, will shut the fuck up?" All eyes turned to look at 
Mulder, who had been quiet throughout Alex's nervous 
yammering.  "The woman knows everything about you and 
she's still here, isn't she?  She's subjected herself to the 
vaccine and every medical test Scully and Matthew could 
come up with, for you.  She holed up with the two of us for 
hours to get us to start talking to one another, all because of 
you.  Try having a little faith in the woman, for God's sake.  
She'll be here."

Tyler walked over to Alex and patted him on the back.  "I 
couldn't have said it better myself.  You should listen to 
Mulder; he's a smart man."

"If he's so damned smart, how come he hasn't married 
Scully yet?"  Alex growled.

Matthew and Tyler turned to Mulder.  "He's got a point," 
Tyler stated.  "How come you haven't married her yet?"

"This is about him, not me," Mulder grumbled.

Alex opened his mouth for a snappy reply, only to be cut off 
by a knock at the door.  Matthew pulled it open and let 
Scully in.  "She's here," Scully stated.  "You all right, Alex?  
You're looking a little pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Alex said quickly.  "How's Katie?"

"Looking a little pale herself," Scully smiled.  "Oh, Lisa 
said to tell you that Elijah's here, so anytime you men want 
to leave the sanctuary of the stock room, we can get this 
show on the road."  

Tyler clapped Alex on the back.  "This is it, darling.  You 
ready?"

Alex took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  "Oh yeah."

=============================
Tyler stood next to Miranda.  "Glad you could make it, 
kiddo," he whispered.

"Me, too," grinned Miranda.  "They look good together."

"They are good together."

=============================
Mulder squeezed Scully's hand.  "Interesting ceremony."

"I think it's nice.  It's not traditional, but it suits them," she 
answered.

"Think it would suit us?" he asked.

Scully turned.  "Mulder, we can't..."

"I know, not yet anyway," he shrugged.  "I just wanted you 
to know that I think about it sometimes."

"I know," she smiled.  "Me too."

=============================
Elijah grasped Alex and Katie's hands in his.  "Now there 
will be no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.  
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth 
for the other.  Now there is no more loneliness.  Now you 
are two persons, but there is only on life before you.  Go 
now to your dwelling to enter into the days of your life 
together.  And may your days be good and long upon the 
Earth."  He placed the rings on their fingers and linked their 
hands together.  "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. 
and Mrs. Alex Krycek."


***author's notes*** Well, that's all for the moment. I know 
I didn't deliver on the Tyler/Alex kiss. Can you forgive me? 
*g* The poem Elijah uses as part of the wedding ceremony 
is an Indian wedding poem/song. I haven't been able to find 
an author or tribe to attribute it to, so if you happen to have 
any information about it, please drop me a line. For the few 
of you beloved loyal readers, there will be more. It might 
take a while, (this one took almost four months) but Katie 
and Company will be back.