TITLE:    A VAMPIRE'S TALE 6: COVENANT OF BLOOD
AUTHOR:   Donnilee 
E-MAIL:   donnilee@snet.net 
WEBSITE:  http://donnilee.tripod.com 
RATING:   NC-17 
CATEGORY: MSR + Sk/O + Kr/Other-Slash (m/m) + KR/O/O-
Slash (m/f/m)

SUMMARY:  Gareth decides he cannot rule alone and forms a 
hierarchy of blood drinkers as they strive to run the new 
Consortium and find an antidote to the alien virus.

SPOILERS:   Um, nope.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Takes place near the end of Season 7.  Mulder 
was abducted but Requiem didn't happen.

DISCLAIMER: I have a list of people to blame for my 
perversions, so let's not go there.  Oh, you mean the characters 
herein?  Nope.  Not mine.  Used shamelessly and without remorse.  
They belong to Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen, and Fox Broadcasting.

DEDICATION: This one is dedicated to Dani, who has been a 
faithful reader of my fics for a long time and always sends 
feedback, AND visits my message board regularly, which garners 
her extra favor points!  Hope you enjoy it!

THANKS:   Muchas gracias to my beta reader extraordinaire, Fran 
Hartman, who always makes me look good!  Thanks Fran!  You 
are a rose among marigolds

WARNING:  Here there be M/M slash between Krycek and an 
original character.  There is Sk/Kim, and there is Krycek in a 
threesome with a male and female.  There is M&S horizontal 
mambo, too.  If this isn't your cup of tea, you can skip those parts.  
I've rated each chapter AND marked the beginning of the 
descriptive sex, so that you can tell which chapter contains the 
descriptive sex and then skip over that part if you wish.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 1:  This a sequel to "Steeped in Blood", and 
"Trail of Blood", "Blood Red Rose," "Undead Rules", and "Blood 
Exchange", A Vampire's Tale 1, 2 3, 4, and 5, respectively.  You 
could read this one on its own, but I would love it if you read the 
first four beforehand.  If you didn't, you need to know that Mulder 
and Scully are lovers now.  There's a new Deputy Director, 
Kendall Fair whose real name is Gareth and who is a vampire.  He 
is also Alex Krycek's lover and maker, as he is a vampire too.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2:  The sex between vampires in this story is 
"supposed" to be fantastic and unrealistic.  It is pure fantasy and 
not meant to be picked apart with tweezers!  The "endowments" of 
the participants are "supposed" to lean toward the ridiculous to 
give a feel of separating human sex from vampiric sex.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 3:  When characters speak to each other 
telepathically, those words are between asteriks **, rather than 
quotes.

Synopsis of VT1:  Alex is made a vampire.  D.D. Fair manipulates 
M&S into an investigation that leaves them owing Alex their lives 
after a narrow escape from a rogue blood drinker.  They return to 
D.C.  Alex continues to learn of his abilities and how to control 
them.  When Kersh disappears, Skinner is promoted to Deputy 
Director.

Synopsis of VT2:  M&S investigate D.D. Fair and find some 
disturbing information.  They end up witnessing a vampiric battle 
between Gareth and an old time enemy, Zebrosia, in which Alex 
again saves Scully's life.  Gareth (D.D. Fair) is revealed as the head 
of the *New* Consortium whose agenda is X-Files friendly and 
alien colonization unfriendly.  Protection is traded for silence.  The 
story ends with a new murder, much like the ones before the 
Zebrosia battle, which Alex and Gareth claim were not by their 
hand.

Synopsis of VT3:  Gareth and Alex catch a rogue blood drinker 
and find out they have a much bigger problem; a rogue Maker who 
is building an army and planning to kill world leaders.  They travel 
to Egypt where they find Gareth's family tomb desecrated.  Gareth 
destroys the Maker and agrees to become the leader of some 50 
fledglings and train them to survive.

Synopsis of VT4:  Gareth and Alex travel to Egypt and round up 
the fledgling vampires after killing their leader and his faithful 
followers.  Alex begins training while Gareth rushes back to the 
States to help Mulder and Scully when he finds out Pierre has 
escaped.  He saves them in time and kills Pierre, but now Walter 
Skinner also knows his secret.

Synopsis of VT5:  Gareth and Alex find the other five blood 
drinkers, suffer the loss of one of the fledglings, move people 
around so everyone has a partner and make Walter Skinner into a 
vampire after he is nearly killed by an Alien.  Now Kimberly also 
knows their secret and has entered into a relationship with Walter.  
He now lives in Gareth's townhouse in Georgetown.

XXXXXXXXXXX

PART 1 (NC-17)
D.D. SKINNER'S OFFICE
THIRD FLOOR
HOOVER BUILDING
WASHINGTON, D.C.

I looked at Gareth sitting in a chair in front of my desk.  "There's 
got to be a way to replicate those ice pick things."

"I'm sure there is, Walter," he answered.  "It's a bit more 
complicated than a switch blade though.  I'm going to talk to Dr. 
Brian Sullivan and see if he has anyone on his team that's good 
with mechanical engineering and might be able to duplicate this 
thing with pewter or steel."

"Despite knowing I'll survive an attack now, I wouldn't mind 
having one for myself."

"I understand and feel the same way.  Right now though, Mulder 
and Scully are the most vulnerable and I want them to have all the 
protection they can get.  I'm still concerned about her pregnancy."

"Why?"

"My spider sense is tingling.  Even though she's eight months 
pregnant, something tells me they missed out on her and that they 
are going to try and take her.  The other women are all in their 
eighth month also, and all of them are bearing twins now."

"Except for Scully," I stated.

"Right.  Doesn't that seem strange to you?" he asked.

"Maybe.  Or perhaps with these other women, Scully isn't as 
important anymore."

"That would be nice.  Somehow, I don't buy it though."

I sighed.  "Neither do I.  What do we do about it?"

"I was thinking of having Liam and Christine come down here for 
a while to watch over her."

"They'll freak.  Mulder will think it's an insult to his ability to 
protect her, and Scully will be pissed that we even suggest it."

He met my gaze.  "I know, but they may have to deal with it."

"Do we really want to piss them off like that?" I asked carefully.

He looked at me.  "I'd rather have her pissed and alive, along with 
her baby, than happy with us and dead."

"You've got a point," I concluded.  He was still staring at me.  
"Don't look at me.  It's your idea.  You tell them."

He chuckled good-naturedly and stood up, heading for the door 
without making a sound.  It had been two months now and I was 
just now getting used to our special abilities and the idea of being 
the creature that I had become.  I was surprised at how readily he 
had accepted me into the fold and included me in his plans, dealing 
with the Consortium and other things.

I had a sneaky suspicion that he was testing me or feeling me out 
for some reason.  I didn't have a clue as to why, though, and that 
made me nervous.

Kim entered just after he left and shut the door behind her.  
"Almost done?"

I glanced at the closed blinds, sensing that the sun was going 
down.  "Yeah, another fifteen minutes or so, and I'll be ready to 
go."

"Okay."  She blushed prettily and left, closing the door behind her.  

We were still working through things.  One routine we had 
established was going home to the townhouse every night and 
making love.  Every day.  Good lord.  Who would have thought a 
man my age could enjoy mind-blowing sex every day.  We'd 
talked a lot about it and I was worried about her, but she seemed to 
take it in stride.  When we'd gotten to the part of talking about my 
now voracious sexual appetite she had bristled when I suggested 
prostitutes or some other method of relieving my lust so as not to 
overwhelm her.

She adamantly insisted that she could handle it and unless it 
proved to be too much for her, she would satisfy my needs, 
whenever and wherever I wished. 

I wasn't used to that kind of consideration or attention from a 
woman.  I loved her, without a doubt, but I knew I didn't have a 
normal sexual appetite now.  I had been horrified by the damage I 
could do to her on occasion.  After a few sessions of healing her up 
and assurances that she had felt no pain as long as I planted my 
hypnotic suggestions beforehand, I felt my tension drain away.

She was no longer afraid of me and I didn't have to hide my teeth 
from her, which was an incredible liberty in and of itself.  While 
hiding them from her, I felt like there was a piece of me she would 
never be able to accept.  That hurt, even though I knew it was 
irrational and I had no right to expect that a human being would be 
comfortable with all the aspects of my existence now.

When she'd told me one night not to block the sight of them from 
her, my heart had trembled, unsure of the impact they would have 
on her.  I'd been leaving a hypnotic suggestion that she wouldn't 
see them and only see my normal teeth.  I was afraid they would 
scare her and end this relationship that I was fast becoming 
dependent on.  Her whispered plea had been my undoing.  "Show 
me, Walter.  Show me all of you, everything you are.  I know you 
won't hurt me," she said calmly.

I was still afraid, but granted her wishes, just blocking the pain.  
The look of wide eyed wonder on her face the first time I hissed 
and my fangs emerged would have been almost comical if I hadn't 
felt the dart of fear ripple through her.  She'd bravely stared at 
them and I'd waited for her to relax under me.  When she did and 
smiled as well, I'd smiled too and began taking her as I always did.  
From then on, I hid nothing from her and we had grown even 
closer.  There was nothing about me now that she did not know.  I 
was able share my fears and my excitement as I grew in my control 
over my powers.

Every once in a while, I would catch a look on her face when she 
thought I wasn't looking.  It was pensive, thoughtful and a bit 
wistful.  I knew something was bothering her.  Out of respect for 
her, I never entered her mind except to place the suggestions that 
would prevent pain.  I'd almost asked her about it several times, 
but always chickened out, afraid that the look meant that she was 
reconsidering the wisdom of a relationship with me.  Perhaps I 
would get up the courage to ask her about it this evening.  After I 
fucked her stupid, I thought, grinning in spite of my crude 
thoughts.

I thought about it often, the long-term consequences of this union.  
Eventually, she would grow older and I would not.  What would 
happen then?  I had no fear that I wouldn't find her attractive 
anymore.  She was beautiful and always would be to me, whether 
her hair was red or gray.  Eventually though, she would grow old, 
feeble and die.  What then?  Where would I be?  Would I be able 
to face that when the time came?  Would she even still be with me 
when that time came?  I was assuming this was a lifetime 
relationship.  When I'd been human and asked her out on a first 
date, the words forever were already in my mind.  

Now, forever took on a whole new meaning for me.  It wasn't one 
lifetime, it was eternity now, many lifetimes, and that changed 
everything about me, not only physically but mentally.  The way I 
viewed the world had done a 180-degree turn.  It wasn't easy and I 
still struggled with the new concept of forever now and again.  I 
imagined that I would for some time come.

I signed papers waiting for my signature, scanning them with my 
now preternatural speed and committing them to memory without 
even having to concentrate on it.  That was a benefit I was glad to 
acquire.  So many things that were drudgery, tiresome, and time 
consuming before were now accomplished in a matter of minutes.  
I had to be careful not to do things too fast and make people 
wonder about me.  Doubling or tripling my workload all of a 
sudden and not complaining would raise a red flag with the brass.

I was part of the brass now myself, a Deputy Director, but that 
didn't mean I still didn't have people I needed to answer to other 
than Gareth.  I couldn't think of him as the King of the Vampires.  
That was simply too much for me to comprehend.  I'd known him 
as a colleague and later as a friend, long before I'd entered this 
bizarre life of being a blood drinker.  

He didn't seem to mind.  As long as I respected him and listened to 
him, he didn't seem to expect anything more than that.  I knew 
from the beginning that he was not a power hungry individual.  He 
did what he had to do, and used his power sparingly and fairly.  He 
was not a show off and didn't need to be.  I could also tell, and 
from conversation with Krycek I had confirmed, that he was 
uncomfortable with his title, if not with his role as King.

I sighed, finishing the last of the paperwork.  I locked up the office, 
grabbing my coat and left for the parking garage.  I went down and 
exited the garage through a side door that led to a tunnel, sloping 
up and into the dusk.  It wasn't quite fully dark, but nearly.  Due to 
the infusion of blood from the two strongest vampires in the world, 
I was able to withstand the shades of dusk and emerge before full 
dark and be relatively safe.  It didn't escape me how privileged that 
made me.  I was sure there were others that would give their 
eyeteeth, no pun intended, to drink from either Alex or Gareth.

They had explained to me that the power I possessed was normally 
acquired after a couple thousand of years.  It was a hard concept to 
grasp, but I believed them.  I couldn't fly yet, but I could run so 
fast that I was invisible to the naked, human eye.  I looked around 
and found a tree to shield my presence as I crossed into the park 
across the street.  No one was around, so I took off running, 
heading for home.  Even with her head start, I often beat her home.  
This time, I'd dawdled, wrapped in my own thoughts for a bit 
longer than usual and she was already home when I got there.  I 
absently noted her car in the driveway.

She didn't live here full time yet.  She was waiting for her lease to 
run out at the end of the month.  At that time, the remainder of her 
belongings would migrate over here or be sold and she would live 
with me full time.  I couldn't wait for that.

I walked in and sensed her presence but didn't see her right away.  
I threw my coat on the couch, tugging at my tie as I made my way 
to the bedroom, intending to change into more comfortable clothes.  
I had my shirt unbuttoned and my pants unzipped, riding low on 
my hips as I entered the bedroom.  I sucked in my breath.

She was sprawled across the center of our enormous bed; face 
down, her head to the side, her naked bottom thrust up into the air 
in silent invitation.  "Kim?" I whispered.

She didn't move.  She was asleep, and I smiled devilishly.  I 
stripped quickly and nearly moaned aloud, feeling my groin swell 
and harden.  I swallowed the moan, not wanting to wake her. 

I opened the bedside drawer and extracted a condom, opening the 
package and sliding it onto my now rigid flesh.  I crawled carefully 
onto the bed, straddling her petite form and slipped easily into her 
mind, planting my usual suggestions.  Feeling like mischief, I 
planted the suggestion that she remain asleep until I entered her.

XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

Careful not to touch her otherwise and alert her to my presence, I 
reached down and stroked her sex.  She moaned, opened her legs 
wider and pushed her ass in the air.  I felt my cock bob, throb, and 
grow longer and thicker, stretching into its tenth inch.

I snarled, feeling her wetness soak my fingers.  My pheromones 
were doing their job, exciting her even in sleep.  I placed my 
swollen shaft head against her wet lips.  I pressed gently, making 
her moan.  Then I braced myself and forced my way in, opening 
her quickly and sinking deeply into her body.  I thought I might 
have actually heard a pop when I forced my way past the tight ring 
of muscle at the entrance to her vagina.  She gasped loudly, 
shrieked and lifted her head from the pillow.  She was awake and 
aware now.  I chuckled as she groaned loudly and began to quake 
around my engorged shaft.

Exquisite.  I hissed, feeling my fangs extend and my cock throb, 
growing a bit more and punching deeper.  She wailed and came a 
second time.  Even knowing that it was my pheromones, I loved 
that she responded like this.  Vampire or no, it was such an ego-
feeding proposition.  I pulled out, shoved deep again and she 
screamed, "Wwaalltteerr!  Oh God!"

She began to squirm, pushing her torso up on her forearms, which 
only bowed her back further and pushed her further against my 
shaft.  I roared, feeling my cock grow again.  Retreating, I 
slammed back into her.  I felt warmth flood the area around my 
shaft and smelled it.  I was tearing her apart and it felt so good.

XXXXXXXXXX

I jolted awake feeling something that felt the size of a baseball bat 
ram inside me, stretching me to the limit.  I felt a flash of pain, so 
fast it was almost undetectable.  Then it was pure pleasure.  He 
shifted and I orgasmed on his enormous cock.

He snarled and hissed and I felt myself tense, only to have him 
retreat and ram back inside.  I felt him throb, hot and huge, and 
then grow, punching the head of his cock deeper into my stretched 
channel.  I orgasmed again.  Screaming his name, I was still unable 
to believe how good he made me feel.  He'd ruined me for other 
men.  

He was so big that I could feel each individual ripple and vein in 
his cock, which must be ten or eleven inches by now.  Another 
throb in the thumb size vein running along the bottom of his shaft, 
another swelling and elongating, another stroke and I felt an odd 
tearing sensation, as though the skin inside had split.  There was no 
pain, nothing but pleasure as I climaxed even harder than the first 
two times, throwing my head back and howling, raising my torso 
up on my arms and forcing him deeper. 

I realized I was weeping from the pleasure, feeling my vagina 
ripple with aftershocks.  He increased his speed, holding my hips 
and fucking in and out of me with force.  His balls were slapping 
my thighs, swollen and feeling hard.  I was moaning steadily now 
as he continued to stroke me.  He grew again and cooed to me as 
he felt my muscles spasm on his gigantic shaft.  Every time he 
grew, I orgasmed like clockwork.  I didn't know why or how and I 
didn't care.  It was the most mind-bending pleasure I'd ever 
experienced.

Without warning, he reached down and lifted my legs, holding the 
front of my thighs.  It tipped my head into the mattress and my legs 
rose off the bed.  My legs were spread wide around his hips and he 
supported me easily, pressing so deep I thought he would bump 
into my stomach.

He snarled again, ramming himself home in one stroke.  I felt my 
eyes roll back in my head.  He could punch even deeper this way.  
The sheer girth of him spread me so wide that my clitoris was 
nearly flat against his shaft.  It was pure blissful sensation with 
every thrust.  He was so strong, holding my body in the air as if I 
weighed nothing.  He thrust into my tightly stretched pussy and 
waves of ecstasy rolled over me.

The sound of his hips slapping up against my thighs and ass was 
mesmerizing and nearly drowned out the grunts of lust that were 
pouring from the back of my throat.  After long minutes where he 
grew more and caused three more orgasms, he finally bellowed 
with his own ecstasy and reamed me wide open, holding himself 
embedded.  I felt his cock jump and he began flooding me.  I could 
feel the force of his sperm hitting my cervix as it stretched with 
unbearable pleasure, even as the condom stopped it.  It set me off 
again and I continued to come for the next five minutes straight as 
he emptied his softball sized balls into my body.

XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

I collapsed onto her back, pinning her firmly to the mattress, 
feeling my cock pulse and shrink inside her.  She shivered with 
aftershocks every time I pulsed and retreated a bit from her tunnel 
as I shrank.  I was still incredibly large, and stiff enough to bring 
her pleasure. 

I slid back and out, causing her to groan.  I wasted no time in 
pulling her ass off the bed and snaking my lengthy tongue up 
inside her, healing her torn tissues and tasting her blood.  I 
shivered and moaned at the taste of her until she was completely 
healed.

She sighed loudly and then curled into my side as I moved to lie on 
my back.  I kissed the top of her head as she lay down on my chest.  
"Nice way to wake up," she murmured.

I chuckled, sounding replete and relaxed.  "Glad you thought so.  
Seeing your luscious little ass sticking up in the air nearly did me 
in when I walked in here."

She laughed this time and sighed again, her eyes closing.  She 
always needed a nap after we had sex and I had gotten used to it.  
In a couple of hours, she would get up and I would go out to feed 
and she would make herself something to eat for dinner.  This was 
our routine.

I gazed down at the top of her head, wondering what it would be 
like if I didn't have her.  She'd been a great help while I was trying 
to adjust to my new self.  I felt a wave of emotion hit me and 
realized I would be devastated if I lost her.  Even though I had 
begged for this from Gareth upon my deathbed, I had been sorely 
unnerved by some of the changes that had taken place in me.  I was 
now six feet, five inches tall, having sprouted another three inches 
before my transformation was complete.  She'd been with me all 
the way, never wavering in her devotion.  I wondered what I had 
done to deserve her.

I was going to have to talk to her about the future.  If she agreed to 
stay with me, I was going to have to ask Gareth for permission 
before making any moves.  The idea filled me with dread.  Could I 
ask it of her?  I just didn't know.  What would I do if he said 'no'?

XXXXXXXXXX

PART 2 (PG-13)
KENDALL FAIR'S ESTATE
FALLS CHURCH, VA

"How was your day?" Alex asked as I entered the study.

"Pretty good.  We need to talk to Sullivan about developing the ice 
picks to match the specs on the one that Mulder has.  I want us all 
to have one."

He nodded.  "I just got off the phone with him.  He's made 
improvements on the vaccine."

"Yeah, the last one was disappointing."

"He's trying, Gareth."

"I know."  I sighed.  "I'm just frustrated."

Alex grinned at me.  "It's a shame money can't buy everything, 
eh?"

"Brat," I said playfully, chucking him lightly on the shoulder as he 
sat in front of the computer.

He chuckled.  "What else is going on?"

"Well, there is one other thing," I said as I sat in a chair next to 
him.  He stood and went around behind me, kneading my 
shoulders.  I groaned because it felt so good.  My muscles were in 
fine shape and didn't need the massage, but that didn't mean it 
didn't feel good.  It was more of a comfort and intimacy thing 
between us.  Made us feel connected outside the bedroom.  I 
enjoyed the fact that he was so affectionate and so willing to touch 
me in the normal course of things.

"Lay it on me," he offered.

"I want to talk to Liam and Christine and see if they could come 
down here for a couple months."

He stopped kneading my shoulders and rounded the chair to face 
me.  "Why?"

He hadn't expected that.  "I want to see if they will watch over 
Agent Scully."

He raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips.  "Do you know what 
kind of a fight you're going to have on your hands?" he asked.

I smiled.  "Walter said the same thing."

"We've known them a lot longer than you have."  I frowned, and 
he held up a hand to stop whatever I was going to say.  "That's not 
an insult.  It's just a fact.  We know those two like the backs of our 
hands.  They've always been loners.  Both of them feel that no one 
can watch the other's back as well as they can watch each other."

"I understand, but they have to realize these are special 
circumstances."

"You'll still have a fight."

"What are they going to do about it?" I asked, feeling irritated that 
both he and Walter didn't seem to think this was a good idea.

He looked at me, contemplating my response.  "You will force it 
on them?" he asked carefully.

I looked at him.  "I don't know."

He looked surprised and not a little put off by that answer.  Then 
he looked puzzled.  "Why is this so important to you?" he asked, 
driving to the heart of the problem as usual.

"I have a bad feeling, Alex."

"About the aliens?"

"Yes.  I can't explain it, but I feel that they're close."

"You think they're gearing up for something?"

"I don't know, that's what so frustrating.  I have no proof."

"Scully likes proof," he said unnecessarily.

I nodded.  "I've learned to trust my instincts, Alex.  That's all I can 
tell you.  It bothers me that those three women were taken and 
came back hauling twins."

"Hauling?" he repeated, sounding amused.

I smiled.  "You know what I mean."

He nodded.  "And it bothers you that they didn't take Scully for 
some reason?"

"Yes.  Not that I want her taken.  Don't misunderstand me.  I just 
feel like there's something special about her and her baby and I 
don't want to take any chances."

"There's nothing to say that they will try to take her," he countered.

"There's nothing to say they won't," I fired back.

He looked at me for a bit and then said, "It's your call, Gareth.  It 
always is."

Was that a note of sarcasm I detected in his voice?  "Look, Alex,  
Can we at least talk to them about it?"

"I would," he said.

"In other words, don't call in the troops just yet."

"Right," he said with a grin.

"Why?"

"'Cause if they refuse, you'll have a problem."

"Again, what would they do about it?"

Alex met my gaze and said, "It wouldn't be the first time they 
disappeared."

"What?"

He sighed.  "Mulder and Scully are good at disappearing.  They've 
done that for each other in the past.  Mulder disappeared and was 
presumed dead.  Scully disappeared and was presumed dead.  
Reports of their deaths were obviously greatly exaggerated."

"Obviously," I said.  Now I was sounding sarcastic.

He smiled.  "Those two have more lives than Morris the Cat."

"The aliens aren't a human foe, Alex."

"I know that," he said calmly, not irritated that I had stated the 
obvious. 

"So do they, huh?"

"I'm not saying they aren't scared.  I'm sure they have all kinds of 
questions about how this conception occurred.  On the other hand, 
they aren't like the others; so blinded by the happiness and miracle 
of it all that they don't know something could be fishy about the 
whole thing.  Unlike most humans, they aren't new to fighting 
aliens.  They know exactly what they're up against.  I'd even dare 
say they have killed more aliens than any other humans alive 
today.  They are still alive.  That means they're good, and they 
aren't stupid.  I know what you're trying to say.  Nobody stays 
lucky forever.  The fact that they have survived, however, only 
lends credence to their belief that they are their own best 
protectors."

"I must admit, they've fought aliens more impressively than any 
other humans.  There is no doubt about that, but Christ, they give 
ME pause, and I know they can't really destroy me."

"Just make you miserable and in excruciating pain," he reminded 
me.

I swallowed hard.  "Are you with me on this or not?" I asked 
finally.

"I think it would be great to watch over her.  At least until the baby 
is born and we see if anyone comes around trying to snatch it.  I'm 
just warning you, it's not going to be an easy sell," he advised me.

"Let's go talk to them."

"Now?" he asked.

"Yes, now."  I paused.  "No, let's feed first."

He waved toward the door as I stood up.  "After you," he said.

XXXXXXXXXX

SCULLY & MULDER'S TOWNHOUSE
GEORGETOWN, D.C.

Mulder and Scully had moved into a townhouse upon getting 
married and gotten rid of their apartments.  Their townhouse wasn't 
that far from Walter's.  We had officially signed the deed over to 
Walter, and he now owned the townhouse outright.  He'd insisted 
on paying for it.  Gareth had laughed in his face, making Walter 
none too happy.  He was a proud man, and wanted to pay his way.  
Gareth had explained that the townhouse was nothing to him and 
he had more property than he knew what to do with.

Finally, they had come to an agreement.  Walter would receive no 
salary for working for the new Consortium for at least five years in 
order to 'pay off his debt' on the townhouse.  Gareth had thought 
that was silly, but agreed, realizing Walter needed to have some 
dignity in the matter.  He was not a man to suffer handouts.

I knocked on the door to the townhouse and waited.  Scully opened 
the door and her eyes widened at the sight of us.  Obviously, we 
weren't expected.  She stepped back and waved us inside.

Mulder was on the couch with the remote.  What a surprise.  He 
looked up and upon seeing us, clicked off the TV.  He stood and 
waited while we entered and took seats in two chairs on either side 
of the couch.  Scully came over and they both sat back down on 
the couch.  "What's going on?" Mulder asked.

I cleared my throat.  "We would like to discuss something with 
you," I said seriously.

Mulder was instantly on the alert.  Scully looked back and forth 
between Gareth and I.  She said, "Why do I get the feeling we 
aren't going to like it?"

I didn't say anything, and just raised an eyebrow at Gareth.  He 
looked amused, but I knew that he was continually surprised at 
how perceptive these two were.  They didn't have our powers and 
yet, they sensed our moods without much trouble at all.  Mulder 
especially had quite the sixth sense.  Scully did too, but it didn't 
rival Mulder's.

Gareth said, "I've been concerned about some things and I have a 
proposal for you."

"Concerned about what?" Mulder asked.  "Is there something you 
need us to do?"

"Not really," Gareth answered.  "The women in Arizona that we 
found," he began.  "You know that they all came back carrying 
twins."

Scully nodded.  "Yes, you told us.  They are all due to deliver 
about the same time as me."

Gareth nodded.  "It bothers me that they didn't take you," he said 
carefully.

Scully squinted at him and finally asked, "Do you wish they had?"

He shook his head.  "No, you misunderstand.  I have a bad feeling 
about it.  I'm wondering if they have something special in mind for 
you," he suggested.

Mulder glared at him.  "We have no proof that they have anything 
to do with this pregnancy."

"We have no proof that they don't," Gareth countered, sounding 
like our previous discussion less than an hour ago.  There were no 
absolutes in this game.  That was what could make it so frustrating.

Scully hung her head and swallowed noisily.  She looked up again 
and said, "I know this is Mulder's baby."

Gareth held her gaze.  "I know it is, too.  However, we both know 
that SOMETHING made you fertile."

"It could have been Mother Nature," she said.

I couldn't help laughing, and she glared at me.  I squelched my 
mirth and said, "Sorry.  Just sounds so funny coming from you, the 
ultimate scientist."

She actually smiled at me and I felt warmth spread through my 
chest.  Oh, tamp that down, old boy, I reprimanded myself.  I 
wondered if I would ever get over my affection for Scully.  I 
doubted it.

Gareth said, "I sincerely doubt it was Mother Nature."

"Then what was it?" Mulder asked.

"I don't know.  My point is that you are in danger.  If not now, I 
fear that when the child is born, you might be in danger."

"From what?" Mulder inquired.

Gareth sighed.  "I'm not sure.  I'm wondering if they won't want to 
see your child, test him, and see what he is.  We suspect they are 
trying to make human/alien hybrids.  We think they made those 
women fertile, possibly by injecting them with something.  At the 
same time they made them able to conceive, they could have added 
things to their bodies that would affect the nature of the children 
they bore."

Scully looked alarmed.  "Are you saying I may be carrying a child 
with alien attributes?"

Gareth blinked.  "I think it's possible, yes."

Scully looked at him like he had two heads.  "I wasn't taken.  I 
wasn't injected.  I mean, I was taken years ago, but that's what left 
me barren.  I haven't been taken since."

"No, but you have branched DNA and Mulder is immune to the 
virus.  There may have been no need.  Those components together, 
however, introduced to a fetus might produce a result none of us 
are prepared for."

"Jesus Christ," Scully swore through clenched teeth.

Mulder clucked his tongue in disgust.  "Don't you think we've 
considered all these things?  The bottom line is we don't know.  
We're not gonna figure it out.  We can do nothing but wait and 
see."

Gareth smiled.  "I agree.  However, you can wait and see and still 
have some protection against any mishaps."

"What kind of mishaps?" Mulder asked suspiciously.

"Scully being abducted, your child being kidnapped, to name a 
couple," Gareth responded.

"What do you propose?" Scully asked, clearly skeptical.

Here it comes, I thought.  

Gareth took a deep breath and said, "I'd like to have two of my 
friends come down here and watch over you for a while, at least 
until the baby is born and we feel he is out of danger of being 
taken."

Resigned, I counted down in my head; three, two, one.  "No 
fucking way!" Scully erupted, struggling up off the couch.

"NO!  Not gonna happen," Mulder added.

I looked over at Gareth and gave him a secretive smile.  He almost 
rolled his eyes.  She looked at me and asked, "What the hell are 
you laughing at?" 

I shook my head and raised my eyebrows at Gareth.  He sighed.  
"Alex told me you wouldn't like the idea."

"It's ridiculous!" Scully exclaimed.

Gareth said, "No, it's not.  I don't mean that they would invade 
your privacy in any way.  However, at night, they could watch this 
place, be sure you are safe, and alert me if they suspected anything 
untoward.  They could sense those bastards coming a mile away, 
Scully," he said reasonably.  "By the time you two knew they were 
here, they'd be in your door and it would be too late."

Mulder was shaking his head.  "I have my ice pick.  I can protect 
us."

Gareth sighed.  "Against one, maybe.  What if they send two or 
more?  What if they send a super soldier?"

"We've been injected with magnetite," Mulder reminded him.

"We don't know if that is a strong enough deterrent to destroy 
them," Gareth argued.  "It's never been tested after it's in the blood 
stream of a human.  Sure, it worked in rock quarries but that 
doesn't mean it would work in your bodies."  He looked at Scully.  
"Being a scientist, you know that.  There's no proof it would 
work."

"There's no proof it wouldn't," she countered, sounding like us.

I held up my hand for silence.  They all looked at me.  I sighed and 
said, "Listen to me for a second, you two."

They both scowled.  

I ignored it.  "We only have your best interests at heart.  We aren't 
talking about forever here.  We're talking about a couple of 
months.  One month till the baby is born, one more month after to 
make sure there is nobody waiting to snatch him away.  Two 
months out of your lives?  What is that to ensure the safety of your 
child, your miracle baby?  I know it's a lot to ask, but if something 
happened to you, Scully, or your baby and we could have 
prevented it, I'd never forgive myself," I said, starting to choke up.  

She looked at me queerly and blinked, but didn't say anything.

I repeated, "We'd never be able to forgive ourselves."  I was 
unexpectedly embarrassed by my admission.  "Can you understand 
that?  Gareth has a bad feeling.  No, there's no empirical evidence 
either way.  We had this same discussion before coming over here.  
I can tell you, though, that so far, I've never known his instincts to 
be wrong.  He senses there is danger for you, Scully.  If you two 
are smart, and I KNOW you are, you will take heed and let us 
protect you."

Mulder hung his head.  I could tell he was considering what I'd 
said.  He mumbled, "You sure know how to make a guy feel 
inadequate."

Gareth responded, "This has nothing to do with your competence, 
Mulder and you know it.  Christ, I've been hurt by these things, 
and hurt badly.  What's more important?  Your dignity or the life 
of your child?"

"That's hitting below the belt," Scully announced, sounding 
disgusted.

"It's the truth," I said softly.  She looked up and our gazes locked.  
I added, "Scully, don't take chances with this baby.  We both know 
it's the only one you may ever have the chance to have."

She sniffed.  "That's a low blow too," she said.

I smiled softly and Mulder gave me a dirty look.  This time it 
amused me.  "Mulder, nobody believes in you more than I do.  I've 
seen you fight these things since day one, but it's a whole new ball 
game now.  They are snatching women and turning pregnancies 
into twin births.  They are experimenting on the women.  You 
know that and I know that.  Liam and Christine would be very 
discreet.  They would have to live here, but Christ, they would 
sleep in the fucking attic if you asked them to."

"They could only watch us at night," Mulder argued, grasping for 
straws. 

I smiled.  "We know where you are during the day.  We keep track 
of you.  Between Gareth, Walter and I, one of us always knows 
where the two of you are."

"You're spying on us?" Scully asked testily.

I sighed again.  'Why did they have to be so difficult?' I wondered.  
"No, Scully, we merely make sure one of us knows where you and 
Mulder are in case we need to come to your rescue."

That was the wrong thing to say.  "Come to our rescue?" Mulder 
nearly shouted.  "What you don't seem to get, Krycek, is that we 
don't need fucking rescuing!"

I sighed.  "Poor choice of words."

Scully squeezed his hand and said, "Actually, Mulder, we have 
needed rescuing in the past.  They've saved our lives more than 
once."

"You mean he's saved yours more than once," he ground out, his 
jealousy surfacing.

I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender.  "Look, it's not like 
we're worried about a small threat here.  This is real.  These things 
are single-minded, brutal and have no conscience.  You're human," 
I emphasized.  I looked Mulder in the eye.  "As much as you think 
you're fucking Superman sometimes, Mulder, you're NOT."

"Fuck you," he bit out.  He deflated, looking at his lap. 

Gareth decided to join in again.  "Look, how about you think about 
it?  Liam and Christine would watch over you at night.  That's 
when you're the most vulnerable, right?"

Scully nodded, admitting the truth of that statement.  He continued.  
"You're sleeping.  You have no defenses when you're sleeping.  
During the day you do.  Mulder carries the pick.  You're alert and 
paying attention.  We're not trying to run your lives here.  We're 
trying to prevent a tragedy that none of us would ever forgive 
ourselves for.  Can we agree on that?"

Mulder took a deep breath and then blew air out of pursed lips.  
"They may be right, Scully.  As much as my ego smarts 
concerning how many times they've had to ride to our rescue, 
they're right.  We have needed rescuing.  As much as I would like 
to think that I'm all you'll ever need, that I'm all our child will ever 
need, I know that's not true.  We can protect ourselves and him, to 
a point, but we both know what these things are capable of."

She was nodding slowly.  "It's hard for us to accept help," she said 
to Gareth.  "We're not used to it.  We had the Bureau brass, the 
Consortium, our families, everyone literally, against us from the 
beginning.  We learned to be self-sufficient.  We learned to watch 
each other's backs and rely on no one but ourselves.  It's very 
strange to even have anybody care enough about us to want to 
protect us, let alone whether we need it or not."

Gareth was silent a few moments and then said quietly, "I 
understand, Scully.  It's different now, though.  You do have 
people who care for you.  Hell, who love both you and Mulder.  
We all want to see you have the thing that was taken away from 
you, motherhood.  You're important to the aliens for some reasons 
we've never fully understood."

"So that's the real reason for your concern, right?" Mulder asked.  
"Your interest in us has always been because the aliens find an 
interest in us."

Gareth clucked his tongue at Mulder.  "Mulder, you know that's 
not true."

"Do I?" he challenged.

Gareth stared at him and said, "Damn right you do.  If you don't, 
you should.  I CARE about you, as difficult as that may be for you 
to believe.  Yes, the aliens are interested in you, and that may have 
been my initial interest, but I care about you.  That's why I want to 
protect you from them, you and your child," he finished.  "I have 
the resources to do it.  It's not a burden to me.  I care for you two 
more than I've ever cared for any humans.  You won't owe me 
anything and I can have peace of mind that my friends are safe.  I 
consider you my friends."  He paused.  "I don't have that many, 
you know?  I need to know you are safe.  Is that too much to ask?"

Mulder looked chagrined and touched by Gareth's speech.  He 
finally said, "Let us think about it."

Gareth nodded, knowing he couldn't push any further.  Insisting 
would make them resist out of spite.  We said good-bye and went 
home.

XXXXXXXXXX

PART 3 (NC-17)
KENDALL FAIR'S ESTATE
FALLS CHURCH, VA

Gareth seemed weary when we arrived home, flopping onto the 
couch.  I sat down on one end and flipped my sneakers off, lifting 
my legs to place them in his lap.  I relaxed against the arm of the 
chair and sighed, waiting for him to speak.  I knew it was coming.

"You weren't kidding, huh?" he said finally.

"Nope," I said simply.

"Why are they so stubborn?" he asked.

"For all the reasons they gave you.  It's weird for them to have 
support from friends, let alone Bureau brass.  It's automatically 
suspect.  You have to understand, they've been treated horribly by 
most of the people in their lives."

"Including you?" he asked.

I sighed.  "Yes, unfortunately, including me."

His hand came down on my leg and rubbed seductively up and 
down, making my crotch twitch.  "Do you think they will agree?" 
he asked.

"I think they will in the end.  Don't push it."

"We don't have a lot of time."

"You sound sure of that."

"I don't know why I am, but yes, I'm sure of it.  If they refuse, I 
may have Liam and Christine come down anyway and watch them 
from outside in the fucking trees."

I sat up straight and pulled my legs to the ground.  "What do you 
know that I don't?"

He looked at me then.  "Nothing, I swear.  Just my feelings again."

I touched his mind softly and he let me slide in.  He isolated the 
feeling and conveyed it to me.  I shivered with apprehension and 
retreated.  "Is that what you feel when they are close by?"

"Sort of, a lesser version.  It's never felt that strong before.  I don't 
mean to be a doomsayer, Alex, but I don't like it one bit."

"I can see why.  How come I'm not feeling it?"

"I don't know.  Maybe because their thoughts are on me and I can 
sense that?  I really don't know.  Maybe they see me as a threat."

"And they wouldn't see me as a threat?" I asked.

"They would if they knew who you were, what you were, and how 
powerful you were, and perhaps, how important you are to me.  
They must know about the new Consortium.  All their old buddies 
are dead.  That had to shake them up.  They may be concentrating 
on me now and planning the downfall of the new Consortium."

An awful thought hit me and I jumped up off the couch.  "Oh, 
shit."

"What?" he asked, facing me with an inquiring look on his face.

"The lab, in France," he responded.  "If they are targeting you, then 
they could know about the lab in France.  Sullivan and his crew 
know what they're working on, but do they have any experience 
with the aliens?"

"No, and they have no defense against them either."  He paused.  
"Shit."

"Double shit," I agreed.

"Call France right now," he ordered.  "Tell Sullivan to back up all 
his information and send it to me by Fed Ex, any format.  Then tell 
him to shut down the lab for a couple days."

"What are you doing to do?"

"Call on some fledglings to watch the lab, and Sullivan's house."

"Fledglings?"

"Time for them to earn their keep," he stated, standing up and 
striding toward the study.

I turned on my heel and followed him.

XXXXXXXXXX
FRIDAY EVENING

I was on the phone to France, while Gareth talked to our two 
fledglings in France, Gabriele and Sebastian, via cell phone.  Even 
being six hours ahead of us, they were still awake, thank God.  I 
was listening with half an ear while he warned them about the 
damage that could be done to them if they contacted the alien 
blood, and telling them to find a place to buy ice picks 
immediately.  He said he would e-mail a diagram showing where 
to stab the aliens if they encountered any.

Gabriele and Sebastian took their assignments very seriously and 
said they would report daily.  They would contact Sullivan tonight, 
the rest of the lab members tomorrow.  They didn't know what the 
lab was or what was going on there.  Now, however, they knew 
that it belonged to their King and it was in danger from aliens of 
some kind.  They hadn't known about the aliens either, but their 
trust in Gareth was enough that they didn't question his 
instructions.  Whether they believed him about aliens was anyone's 
guess.  He was confident they would do his bidding regardless.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next few weeks went by uneventfully.  The lab was reopened.  
Gareth called fledglings from Spain, Italy and England to join 
Gabriele and Sebastian in guarding the lab and the scientists' 
houses.  There were now eight fledglings watching over the 
operation in France by night.  Gareth hired some security firm to 
protect them during the day, obviously not mentioning what the 
danger was.  Some things, money could buy.  The day force was 
large, and Gareth hoped it would serve more as a deterrent.  They 
risked exposing themselves too, and he hoped that if they attacked, 
it would be at night, which would be more to their advantage 
anyway when most humans were asleep.

The team was informed of the potential danger and Gareth also 
made sure they had state of art security systems in all their houses.  
Not that this would stop them, but hopefully it would be another 
deterrent or bring others running before too much damage could be 
done.  The logic was that if human security personnel were to 
flood a scene at the sounding of an alarm, they would most likely 
flee rather than expose themselves to any number of humans.

At the end of the second week, Mulder and Scully agreed to the 
protection.  They didn't like it, but finally realized it couldn't hurt 
them.  Liam and Christine arrived the following night and Gareth 
and I were there to introduce them.

They'd brought sleeping bags and slept in the windowless attic 
during the day.  By night, one of them stayed in the house and the 
other stayed outside watching the surrounding area.  No one had 
completely let his or her guard down, but when nothing happened, 
Gareth wondered if he had been wrong.  He began to question his 
feelings of dread.

"What if I totally overreacted to this?" he asked me one night.

I shrugged.  "Then you overreacted.  Better that than under 
reacting."

"I guess so.  I feel stupid now, for some reason."

"There's nothing to say the danger has passed," I reminded him.

"There's nothing to say that it hasn't," he countered.

We smiled at one another, having reached the same old stalemate 
of previous weeks.  There was a knock on the door, and I 
immediately knew there was a blood drinker at the door.  "I'll get 
it," I said as I left the study and headed down the hall.  

I opened the door and found Walter and Kim there.  It was just past 
9:00 PM.  I waved them in and they entered, taking seats on the 
couch.  Gareth appeared, offering Kim a drink.  She declined, and 
Gareth and I took seats in the chairs facing the couch.

"What's on your mind, Walter?" Gareth began.

He cleared his throat, visibly nervous.  Must be important, I 
figured.  Finally, he said, "I came here to talk to you about 
Kimberly."

Ah ha!  Gareth and I had both wondered how long it would be 
before he came to us with this request.  Gareth smiled, and Walter 
asked, "What?"

Gareth smiled wider and said, "We wondered how long it would 
take for you to come to us."

Walter looked only slightly puzzled.  He looked back and forth 
between us and said, "You don't even know what I'm going to 
say."

I smiled this time.  "Let me guess.  You want to get permission to 
turn Kimberly."

Both their faces showed surprise.  Walter looked a little sheepish.  
"Was I that obvious, or did you scan me?" he asked bluntly.

Gareth looked at him.  "You know I don't do that without 
permission, Walter, unless it's a dire emergency.  I didn't need to 
scan you to know how much you love Kimberly."

Kimberly blushed but remained silent.  I took up where Gareth left 
off.  "We talked about it.  We knew eventually you would consider 
the ramifications of Kimberly growing old.  However, we knew 
you would want to wait a bit and make sure she could withstand 
the changes in you and lose her fear."

Gareth looked at her and said, "Do you know what Walter is 
asking of you?  It's not a decision to be made lightly.  You have 
many, many years of youth yet to enjoy before this would become 
an obvious issue.  You're 15 years younger than he is."

Walter gave him a dirty look and he just smiled.  "That's not an 
insult, Walter.  You will look 50 for the rest of your life.  A very 
vital 50, but 50 nonetheless.  There's nothing to say Kimberly 
couldn't enjoy her relationship with you for another 15 years as she 
is before you were the same age, physically."

She cleared her throat and said, politely.  "I don't want to wait.  
Anything could happen.  I could be in a car crash, anything.  I 
could die tomorrow."

Gareth eyed her closely.  "That's true."

"I want to make sure that I can be here for him, with him.  I don't 
want to take the chance of a random act taking me out of the 
picture before my time.  I know where my heart lies, and it's with 
Walter.  I know he loves me, always will love me.  Frankly, if I'm 
going to look a certain way for eternity, I'd rather look as I do now 
than wait and let myself grow older.  I'm not particularly vain, but 
why wait?"

Walter cut in.  "We've discussed it for weeks now.  I wanted to 
make sure she understood what it would mean.  I also wouldn't 
want to have a tragedy like what I faced be the deciding factor for 
her, or worse, have her be killed or die and lose our chance.  I 
begged you on my deathbed.  I don't want that for Kimberly."

Gareth was watching them both carefully.  "Well, as I said, Alex 
and I discussed this already.  We knew the request would be 
coming.  We trusted you wouldn't do it without talking to us first.  
We decided weeks ago to grant your request."

Both their faces lit up and Walter turned to Kimberly, pulling her 
into a fierce kiss.  We both chuckled, knowing we'd made the right 
decision.  No, we didn't want the earth crawling with fledglings.  
On the other hand, everyone needed a partner.  The way these two 
felt about each other, we knew that Walter wouldn't accept another 
as his partner, even though we were sure we could find one for him 
if that had been his wish.  No, we knew they were meant to be 
together.  Kimberly had proven her mettle and come through the 
trial by fire.

We spent the next hour explaining the process, and how it would 
take nearly two weeks, just as it had with Walter.  We advised 
them to take the two weeks off from work.  Walter would want to 
be with her almost constantly, feeding daily to keep his own blood 
supply up and give her blood daily to lessen her pain.  Gareth did 
not spare Kimberly the details of the pain she would endure as her 
human body died.

She sat, unflinching, as he described what would happen to her.  
Other than swallowing hard once, she gave no indication that she 
was ready to change her mind.  She faced us stoically and asked, 
"When can we begin?"

It was Friday and Gareth said, "Why don't you start early 
tomorrow night as soon as Walter wakes up.  I can get the two 
weeks off approved for both of you when I go into work on 
Monday.  I'll have Alex stay here tomorrow night after an early 
evening feed.  Give him until 8:00 PM.  Then if you need him, 
Walter, you can call."

"I'll be all right," he stated emphatically.

Gareth raised an eyebrow.  "Just in case something goes wrong, I 
want Alex on call.  He's been through this, and he could help coach 
Kimberly should she need it or become frightened.  And should 
something go wrong, I want you to have someone to call on."

"Where will you be?" he asked.

"I have to make a trip to France.  I'll be back on Monday."

He nodded, and asked, "Something wrong over there?"

Gareth smiled.  "No, I think something might be very right.  
Sullivan tells me he thinks he's created a stable vaccine.  I want to 
see all the work first hand and check on things over there.  I have 
eight fledglings running around on assignment and I want to put in 
an appearance and thank them."

I added cheekily, "And shake them up to make sure they don't get 
lax."

Walter and Kim chuckled as Gareth scowled at me.  "You are truly 
incorrigible, you know that?"

I shrugged.  "Just the facts."

"I'll give you some facts as soon as we're alone."

They laughed at this also, but Kimberly blushed an engaging shade 
of pink.  They took their leave, thanking us profusely.  I could tell 
Walter was extremely relieved.  He had actually been worried we 
might tell him no.

I turned to Gareth.  "You just made him a happy man," I stated.

He smiled.  "I live to serve," he said sarcastically and rose heading 
for the bedroom without a word.  I followed him, knowing what 
we both needed.  We'd been busy and hadn't gotten a chance to be 
together every day.  He was leaving tomorrow for France.  Even 
though it was only three days, I knew I would be starved for him 
by the time he came back.  I didn't want to waste a minute of 
tonight.

XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

We closed the door of our sanctuary and stripped quickly.  We'd 
long since given up standing on ceremony.  He was already excited 
and growled, "On your knees."

I shivered with anticipation as I crawled onto the bed.  He didn't 
spend a lot of time preparing me, but did rub his already leaking 
cock head around the entrance to my ass.  He probed slightly and 
then wrapped his arms around my torso.  With a mighty heave, he 
lifted my not inconsiderable weight right off the bed and dropped 
me down onto his rigid pole, spearing those first few inches of his 
monstrous cock into my ass. 

I hissed, feeling my fangs extend and heard him snarl behind me.  I 
could feel his balls nestled against mine.  His cock throbbed, grew 
longer and widened, sending a bolt of electric arousal through my 
abdomen.

He lowered me back onto my hands and knees and began thrusting 
in a nice steady pace.  Despite the easy rhythm, his thrusts were 
hard and brutal, the result of him snapping his hips and burying 
himself deeply inside me.  He reached down, pinching my nipples 
and I screamed, "Ahhh, God, Yes!"

I felt myself stretched to an unbelievable degree.  He bore down on 
me, pressing deep and forcing his entire length into my bowels.  
He was easily eleven inches already and it was just beginning.

His thick girth teased the sensitive nerve endings in my sphincter 
muscle, making me twitch and push my ass back to aid in his 
mission of reaming me with his beautiful prick.  That thick shaft 
was doing delicious, unbelievable things to my insides.

He finally gave up on his sedate pace and began to bang me hard, 
my anus making a soft sucking sound with every stroke.  Within a 
few minutes I was so lost in the throes of passion that all I could 
manage were guttural, animalistic grunts that spewed from the 
back of my throat.  The more he grew, the hotter I got, the more 
my insides cramped and then gave way to waves of ecstasy as he 
impaled me on his marble-rigid flesh.

It was like he was drilling for my soul and I willingly let go and let 
him have it, knowing nothing but the excruciating pleasure of 
being taken by this giant of a man.  I have no idea how much time 
passed, but suddenly my brain was exploding with flashes of white 
light and I began to cum in copious amounts, spraying all over the 
bed.  I felt my insides collapsing on his now enormous shaft, and 
he bellowed as his orgasm coincided with mine.  My cock 
throbbed and burned as I felt myself ejaculate over and over again, 
losing track of all time and everything except the eruption between 
my legs.

He collapsed on top of me and stayed inside, grinding into me for 
some time as I hummed with the pleasure of aftershocks.  We 
rested for a while before we finally disengaged, showered and 
changed the sheets on the bed.

XXXXXXXXXX

'Was there anything more delicious than Alex's ass?' I wondered.  
At the moment, I couldn't think of a thing.  Damn, he was always 
so tight.  The now tremendous strength of his rectal muscles were 
like a constant massage on my pulsing shaft as I stroked in and out 
of him, feeling myself grow and widen, watching him take it all in 
stride. 

He was humping enthusiastically back onto my shaft.  I loved 
hearing the sounds of pleasure that came from him.  It excited me 
to no end.  Although our coupling was always wild, I didn't feel a 
need to rush tonight.

I held him tight, pinching his nipples as he began to thrash 
underneath me with the coming of his climax.  His moans became 
deeper and more intense and I whispered in his ear.  "You are such 
a lovely creature.  I love your beautiful, tight ass, Alex.  Oh Lord 
have mercy, you feel so good!"

His whole body was shuddering as I buried myself over and over 
again in his tight sheath.  I changed my angle and knew I'd hit his 
hot spot, crushing his prostate as he began to howl and ejaculate 
into the sheets.

The added pressure of his strong muscles rippling over my shaft 
was enough to send me careening over the cliff with him.  I 
bellowed loudly, feeling sperm rocket up my shaft and fill him to 
the brim.

Minutes later, we finally ended our climax, and I collapsed on top 
of his svelte, hard body.  I didn't want it to end just yet, and ground 
my pelvis into his ass, causing aftershocks to ripple through both 
of us.  

XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

Not yet ready for bed, we made our way back downstairs.  Gareth 
sat on the couch and spread his legs.  I smiled and sat between 
them, resting my back on his wide chest.  We were both still naked 
and I felt sexy and relaxed sitting in the living room on the couch 
nude, with the fire burning and his hands roaming up and down my 
chest.

I felt so loved and so content.  I mused that I never thought I would 
ever find a place where I felt like I belonged.  I was truly in my 
element, no longer riddled with guilt, possessing the means to be 
my own man, answering to no one, and working for a noble cause.  
Of course, there was the fringe benefit of being fucked royally on a 
regular basis.  I would miss him while he was gone.

"You will be back on Monday night?" I asked, already knowing 
the answer, but wanting to make conversation.

"Yes, I won't be able to stay away from you longer than that 
anyway," he said with tease in his voice. 

I felt my chest flare with warmth from his affection and regard.  "I 
wish I could go with you."

"I know, Pet.  It's not possible this time.  I need you here."

"I'm going to be a raving sex lunatic by the time you get back," I 
said in a deadpan voice.

He chuckled low behind me, his sexy baritone floating into my ear.  
"Go see Liam and Christine."

"They need to watch Mulder and Scully."

"You could probably risk a little love fest during the night.  You 
would still sense them coming if it came to that."

I laughed.  "There's no way we would be quiet enough not to wake 
our intrepid agents."

I felt his mouth smile as his lips pressed against the side of my 
neck.  I shivered at his touch and he said, "Come on, Alex.  Use 
your imagination.  Just put them into a deep sleep that they can't 
wake from."

"Thought that was against the rules."

"Wandering around in their heads is against the rules."

"It wouldn't be like that was a crisis situation, Gareth."

"It could be," he teased.

I laughed again.  "So it would be all right with you if I knock them 
out with a hypnotic suggestion."

"Sure, just don't put them in a coma.  Be sure to mind your 
business.  Go in, plant the suggestion and get out.  No snooping," 
he admonished, his finger waving with mock menace in front of 
my face.

"Yes, Sir," I said and saluted.

He pinched my nipple hard and I shouted, "Ow!"

"Behave," he scolded gently. 

I sighed and leaned back against him.  "I'll miss you, Gareth."

He buried his nose in my neck, hugging me tight.  "Mmm, I'll miss 
you too, Pet.  Count on it."

XXXXXXXXXX

PART 4 (NC-17)
MULDER & SCULLY'S TOWNHOUSE
GEORGETOWN, D.C.
SATURDAY EVENING

Liam Markov was an impressive blood drinker.  He was by far the 
strongest, other than Walter and Gareth of course, that I had met.  
Because he'd earned his strength with years and perseverance, 
rather than from strong blood, I held a certain respect for him.  He 
was old, 1200 years old to be exact, and was incredibly strong.  He 
didn't have near the strength of Walter and myself but he was, in 
my estimation, the next strongest of us all.

He greeted me with a smile when I whistled in the back yard.  I 
caught the movement of him dropping from a tree and landing 
silently on the ground.  He approached me, smiling and held out 
his hand.

We greeted each other and he asked, "To what do we owe the 
pleasure of this visit?"

"Any trouble?" I asked.

He shook his head.  "Quiet as an abandoned church around here."

I chuckled.  "Christine is inside?" I inquired.

He nodded. "My turn to haunt the evening, I'm afraid," he said 
with mock exasperation.

"How are things with Christine?"

He beamed a smile that transmitted his pleasure.  I chuckled.  He 
said, "She's a darling.  I'm still a little in shock that Gareth gave her 
to me."

"Well, he gave you to each other," I reminded him.

He nodded.  "Of course, I didn't mean to imply she was my toy."

I smiled.  "I know you didn't.  She's a strong one."

"She will be," he said.  "I've been giving her small amounts of 
blood.  It will be a long while before she catches up to me.  I'm 
glad Gareth understood that I would want a companion of 
considerable strength."

"He's a wise man.  Something you never need to doubt," I added.

He nodded.  "I know.  I'm relieved.  I hated Zebrosia.  I think most 
of us old timers did.  We knew the cost of being a rebel, though.  
She was simply too strong to resist, and diabolical on top of that."

"She was a recluse until the end.  That didn't help.  It added to her 
mystique and her fear factor."

He nodded.  "She lost her humanity," he said softly.

I grinned at him, impressed with this observation.  "I agree.  You 
haven't spent much time with Gareth, but it is something he highly 
values and reminds me of all the time."

"What do you mean?"

"Humanity.  How important it is for us not to lose it.  He makes me 
serve our human guests drinks, make up their beds, light fires for 
their comfort.  All these things keep us connected to the real world.  
It keeps us in touch with those things that make us men, made us 
human."

He was nodding.  "Wise man, our King Gareth.  I've always 
thought the same.  Without our humanity, we become creatures, 
mindless killers like animals.  We leave all our intelligence behind 
and become savage.  We lose all enjoyment of life's pleasures and 
simply become a creature of need and hunger."

I eyed him cautiously.  "Sounds like you speak from experience," I 
said carefully.

He shrugged.  "My previous partner, Percival Quincy.  He was a 
good man for many years, but then he gave up.  He got tired of 
playing the game, isolated.  He began to see humans only as food.  
He lost complete touch with the fact that he was once a human 
man."

"What happened?"

"He killed ..." he stopped, swallowing deeply.  "He killed a young 
girl, 15 years old.  He raped her first.  Tore her to shreds and then 
drained her dry.  He never hypnotized her.  In fact, he kept her 
awake.  She lived through the entire horror of the episode."

I shivered.  "Jesus Christ.  It's even more horrific knowing it can be 
prevented with a simple hypnotic suggestion."

"Hmmm, he was not there that night," he said sarcastically.  "He'd 
been gone too long.  I'd threatened him, telling him if he killed and 
exposed us, there would be dire consequences."

I held his gaze, silently asking him to continue.

"That night, he was gone too long.  He'd 'almost' killed many 
times, but I'd always been able to stop him before, and block the 
pain from their minds.  He wouldn't hypnotize them.  He thrived 
on their fear.  He was sick with it.  I pitied him, but I also feared 
for us."

"What happened in the end?"

"He slipped out when I was busy.  I felt him go, but I knew he had 
to feed.  I foolishly thought my threats would be enough to contain 
him.  He was about 500 years old at the time, young to give up to 
the creature inside, but some of us don't have the inner strength for 
it."

"What happened?" I asked again.

"When I realized he'd been gone too long, I went out looking for 
him.  It wasn't hard to find him.  He did virtually nothing to cloak 
himself.  He was across town.  Her parents had gone out for the 
evening had left the young girl alone.  He at least had the sense to 
take her into the back yard, rather than attacking her in her bed.  
By the time I got there, however, it was too late.  She was dead."

"Oh God," I whispered.

"Yes, it was gruesome."

"What did you do?"

"I destroyed the body with fire.  He had taken off laughing, 
heading home while I cleaned up his gruesome mess.  When I was 
sure no evidence could be found, I returned home.  I was older 
than he, about 700 at the time.  I could stay awake longer.  I waited 
for him to fall asleep about an hour before dawn."

"And then?" I whispered.

He locked his eyes with mine.  "Then I killed him.  I drained him 
dry.  I let him experience every horrifying minute of it as his heart 
stopped beating.  I could tell by the look in his eyes that he'd never 
expected me to carry out my threats.  He woke enough to know 
what was happening, but he was too weak to fight me or to even 
speak for that matter.  He could only watch as I slowly drained him 
dry.  He did manage to scream a time a two," he finished placidly.

I shivered, knowing he had done the right thing.  I remembered 
draining Zebrosia and how euphoric it had been for me, and how 
painful it had been for her.  It was still horrifying to contemplate.  I 
knew it might not be the last time I was called upon to kill another 
of our kind, as well.  It could happen anytime that Gareth deemed 
someone had broken enough rules that they needed to be 
destroyed. 

Liam tapped me on the shoulder.  "Hey, I didn't mean to ruin the 
party, but you asked."

I smiled at him.  "No problem.  I wanted to know.  As difficult as it 
must have been, you did the right thing."

He nodded.  "I know I did.  It scarred me, though.  I stayed alone 
for the next 500 years.  Had no intention of going out trying to find 
others.  I knew of the five there in New England, and that was 
enough for me.  If I was out of my mind, I could go them and slake 
my lust.  Chen and I met frequently for just that purpose."

"Until we showed up," I stated.

He smiled.  "Yes, until you showed up.  When Gareth asked me if I 
wanted a companion, it hit me suddenly, how lonely I was.  How 
much I missed having someone to share my life with."

"And now?" I asked innocently.

He laughed quietly and leaned forward conspiratorially.  "Now, I 
get to bang that little blonde hottie every night."

I laughed and then we both turned as Christine emerged from the 
back door.  "Talking about me again, Liam," she teased saucily.

We both laughed.  "Sorry, Miss Christine," I apologized.

She smiled widely and said, "I don't mind.  I'm flattered.  I feel so 
lucky to have Liam now."  He smiled and looked at her with such 
affection that it made my heart ache.  "Hello, Prince Alex," she 
said.

I chuckled.  "Just Alex, please."

She grinned, knowing I wasn't any fonder of my title than Gareth 
was of his.  "What brings you out on this fine evening?"

We approached her and I could tell she was much stronger than she 
had been when I left her as a fledgling in Mexico.  Her skin was 
now alabaster and smooth as a china doll's.  Her long, blonde hair 
was lustrous and hung in huge waves down to her waist.  She wore 
a low cut, cotton sweater with a V-neck and jeans that showed off 
her tiny waist and heart shaped ass.  I felt my cock twitch at the 
sight of her.

"Well, Gareth is in France and I'm all alone.  I thought I'd come 
over and see how you were guys were doing and if you needed 
anything."

She shook her head, eyeing me appreciatively from head to toe.  I 
glanced at Liam and the corner of his mouth turned up, telling me 
he noticed.  I detected no jealousy from him, though, which was a 
good thing.  He was old and wise in his own right.  

She whispered, "God, you're strong.  I could sense you from inside 
the house.  I felt you for almost 15 minutes before you got here."

I smiled at her.  "I wasn't cloaking myself.  I wanted you to know I 
was coming.  I didn't want to surprise you."

She shivered and I watched her nipples peak up under the thin 
cotton sweater.  Her breasts were full and round, easily a D cup on 
her slender, five feet, seven-inch frame.  She wore no bra.  As a 
vampire, she had no need, her breasts standing up like inviting 
beacons.  

I looked at Liam.  "Are you inclined to share?" I asked casually.  
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Christine's cheeks grow slightly 
pink and her eyes widen.  She licked her full lips and I felt my 
cock jump in my pants.

He gave me a sly smile.  "I would be.  Did you want to take her 
back to your place?"

I shook my head.  "No, we can stay here."

He looked startled.  "How?" he asked.

I smiled.  "Gareth told me I could put Mulder and Scully in a deep 
sleep so they wouldn't be disturbed."

He frowned.  "Really?"

"Really.  I won't wander around.  That's against the rules, but I did 
get permission to put them under while we have some fun.  You 
and I are both strong enough to detect the aliens even in the middle 
of passion."  

He smiled.  "As long as we have permission.  I've been dying the 
last few days."

I chuckled.  "What have you been doing?"

"Waking as early as possible and fucking like bunnies before they 
get home from work.  They usually don't come home until it's dark 
out anyway.  However, that means that our time is limited and 
we've had to rush for the most part, just to take the edge off."

I smiled and started walking up onto the porch.  "Well, we'll see 
what we can do about that tonight, shall we?"

They both smiled and followed me inside.  I went into Mulder and 
Scully's bedroom, silent as a whisper.  I heard Christine whisper, 
"I've wanted him since the day I saw him in Egypt."

I smiled.  Mulder lay spooned around Scully's tiny body, his hand 
on her belly on top of the covers, her head laying on his biceps.  
They both had slight smiles on their faces, even in sleep.  They 
were so content with one another.  I had envied Mulder for years 
that he had the regard and affection of someone like Scully.  I still 
did in some ways.  Having Gareth now, though, I didn't feel the 
pain of jealousy, just the tug of envy, knowing I had it also, just in 
a slightly different form.  I still did wish I'd found that while I was 
human.  I had it now, though, and couldn't be greedy.  I knew how 
lucky I was.

I walked to the edge of bed and stared down at them.  The 
temptation was great to wander around in their dreams, but I knew 
that I'd never be able to hide my guilt from Gareth.  I closed my 
eyes and slid stealthily into Mulder's mind.  I planted my 
suggestion for a deep sleep from which he couldn't awaken, no 
matter how much noise he heard, for the next four hours.  I 
retreated and then slipped into Scully mind.  I hesitated, feeling her 
baby in her womb.  Careful not to disturb it, I planted the same 
suggestion for her.  

I retreated and opened my eyes, watching as their breathing slowed 
further and they dropped into a near comatose slumber.  I left the 
bedroom, closing the door behind me, even knowing it wasn't 
necessary.  

Liam and Christine were waiting for me in the living room.  
"Where do you want to go?" Liam asked.

I waved for them to follow me back down the hall.  "They have a 
guest bedroom."

They followed and Christine said, "They offered it to us, but we 
decided we'd rather be in the attic.  If someone came in during the 
day, we would be vulnerable out in the open like this."

I nodded my understanding and closed the door behind us.  We all 
proceeded to undress and crawl into the queen-sized bed of the 
guestroom.

XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

I began with kissing Christine, feeling my arousal raise up like a 
flag the instant her lips touched mine.  Liam lay behind her and 
caressed her ample breasts and rubbed his sizeable erection 
between the cheeks of her ass.

I flicked my fingers over her hard nipples and caused her to gasp 
into my mouth.  She wriggled against me, taking my cock in her 
hands and rubbing up and down the length.  I pinched her nipples 
hard and she yelped and groaned into my mouth.

I swallowed the vibrations, feeling her body turn feverish 
compared to my cool skin.  She must have fed just before I got 
here, I mused.

Liam and I teased her unmercifully until her whole body was 
trembling and she was begging to be fucked.  Her whimpers were 
driving me crazy and the delay from foreplay had caused both our 
cocks to grow easily to the twelve- inch mark.

I whispered, "Who first?" I asked her, handing Liam a condom.  
We both quickly slid a condom on our raging cocks.

She smiled coyly at me.  "Both of you at the same time."

Liam and I both groaned.  "Are you sure, darling?" he asked.

She nodded.  "Yes, I can take it."

She was noticeably bigger than Sabrina all around, but was still 
rather slender.  I qualified by saying, "We'll try.  You first, Liam."

He rolled onto his back, taking her with him, easily supporting her 
with his hands under her hips.  Her arms bent backwards and 
balanced on the bed beside his torso.

She quivered as his large cock head sought out the entrance to her 
back door.  He jabbed up, stabbing himself inside.  She gasped, but 
started bouncing, impaling herself on his thick, pulsing shaft.  She 
groaned, "Oh the deeper he goes, the bigger he feels.  Oh Liam, it's 
so fucking good."

He just moaned in response, apparently already past the stage 
where he could get out coherent sentences.  I stroked myself idly 
waiting for him to seat himself.  "Take it all the way, baby," he 
finally whispered in a choked up voice.  His hands moved up, his 
fingers grasping each nipple and squeezing until the heads turned 
white.

She screamed, her ass opened like a door and he sank all twelve 
inches into her to the hilt.  "AAAAAWWWWW!" he shouted.  

I gasped, "I have to get in you soon, Christine."  I had already 
swollen wider and grown another half inch longer.  

"Yes!  Shove it in her, Alex."

I groaned, straddling them both as he played with her breasts, 
continuing to squeeze her big nipples and pull them up, making her 
moan in pleasure.  I briefly tested her readiness as a formality, 
finding her soaking wet.  Her juices were running out of her and 
coating Liam's cock and balls.

I lined myself up and asked through clenched teeth, "Slow or fast?"

She looked into my crazed eyes, smiled seductively and said, 
"Fast, just cram it in there."

I groaned, snapped my hips and drove twelve and a half inches of 
three-inch wide cock up her vice-like cunt.  It was my turn to 
scream.  Liam's cock buried in her ass made her sheath so tight it 
was an effort to stroke in and out despite the lubrication.

The sensations were exquisite.  I pulled out nearly all the way and 
slammed back in.  She orgasmed quickly and I felt my fingers bite 
into her hips as I rode out the pleasure with her, feeling her vaginal 
walls contract around me.

Liam was groaning and began to stroke up into her in short, quick 
strokes.  We got into a rhythm and as he pulled out, I shoved 
myself in.  As I pulled out, he rammed himself in.  The feel of our 
cocks sliding against one another through that thin membrane was 
delicious.

Liam and I both hissed at the first simultaneous stroke and our 
fangs extended.  I leaned down to kiss her again, feeling her tiny 
fangs prick my lip, drawing blood.  I pulled away and licked it, 
feeling the small wound close up.  I couldn't let her have my blood, 
not that a drop would do much, but I didn't want her to crave it 
either.

"Oh God, I'm so full," she moaned out.  "So full in my ass, so full 
in my pussy.  Fuck me, you two.  Please, fuck me!"

We had no intention of letting her down.  We started to stroke in 
perfect harmony and she began to wail, spasming every five or six 
strokes with another orgasm that squeezed us deliciously.

Her nipples were erect and large.  She held onto my biceps tightly 
as Liam twisted her nipples, which were hard as pebbles now.  "Oh 
fuck, again.  Oh yeah, I'm gonna cum again!" she shrieked.  "Oh 
Jesus!  My pussy is twitching so good, it won't stop!"

"Together," I choked out.  I saw Liam's slight nod and he waited 
for me to pull out as he poised at her ass, just his head inside.  
When I was in the same position, I nodded and we both drove into 
her at the same time, throbbing, swelling, and punching in deep.

She screamed and her contractions became harsher, tighter as her 
body was wracked with climax after climax.  I felt her tissues tear 
and I sank deeper, punching through her cervix up into her womb.

We continued to thrust in time with each other, filling her at the 
same time.  It threw her into multiple orgasms.  We both watched 
as her head thrashed back and forth, her body quivering and 
shaking between us as she rode out orgasm after orgasm.

Increasing my speed, I felt my balls slapping against Liam's with 
every stroke.  With a mighty grunt, Liam drove himself deep and 
stopped.  I felt his cock pulse and begin to ejaculate.  I held out a 
bit longer, stroking into her in long, full strokes.  I enjoyed the feel 
of both of them climaxing.

The little minx somehow summoned up the motor dexterity to 
reach around behind me and poke her finger at my anus.  That little 
added stimulation was all it took and I let go of my own orgasm, 
crying out my pleasure as I joined them in the body wracking 
release.

XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

When it was finally over, I collapsed on top of both of them.  
Neither seemed to mind my weight for a few minutes but then 
Christine was squirming.  "Alex, you're too heavy."

I grunted and rolled off her, feeling my still tumescent cock slide 
out of her body as I turned onto my back.  Liam eased himself out 
of her and we lay there silent for a moment.  Liam said, "How 
about a shower?"

We all agreed and climbed into the shower, soaping each other up 
and washing off thoroughly.  We all dressed again, and they 
resumed their posts, thanking me for the unexpected visit.  I went 
into Mulder and Scully's room, slipping inside their heads and 
telling them to return to normal sleep in five minutes.  That would 
give me enough time to get out of here.

XXXXXXXXXX 

I felt sated and even a bit mentally weary, but I felt good having 
spent myself and enjoyed a different liaison with new people.  I 
was half way home to Falls Church when I felt the first one.  I 
abruptly stopped, standing still and sent out my feelers, trying to 
sense its exact location.  When I finally pinpointed it coming 
toward me, I concentrated and then felt the second one.

I turned around and headed back to Mulder and Scully's townhouse 
at a dead run.  Without even thinking about it, I leaped into the air, 
spread my arms and I was flying.  

I gasped once in surprise but then got my bearings as my body 
rolled once in the air, out of control.  I focused on the townhouse 
and found myself leveling out and zooming toward my destination 
with no trouble at all.  Even from a couple hundred feet up in the 
air, I heard Liam gasp as he sensed me above him.

I descended like a shot into the yard and he was beside me 
instantly, having abandoned his perch in the maple tree.  "Jesus," 
was his only comment to seeing me fly in.  He realized there was 
no time to discuss it.  "What's wrong?"

"Two of them coming this way."

We raced into the house.  Christina had felt my presence again and 
met us in the living room.  "What's wrong?"

"Wake them up.  There's two of them coming, they'll be here in 
about ten minutes."  She whirled on her heels and headed for the 
bedroom.

I grabbed my cell phone off my belt and dialed Walter's number.  I 
tapped my foot impatiently waiting.  He picked up on the third 
ring.  [Skinner,] he barked.

"Get your ass over to Mulder and Scully's.  Now!" I shouted.

[Alex?]

"Now, Walter.  Two aliens coming this way.  No time.  Get over 
here now!"

[On my way,] he croaked and the phone went dead.

Christine emerged from the bedroom with Mulder and Scully.  
Scully was in a knee length flannel nightgown and Mulder was in 
pajama bottoms.  

I turned.  "Throw some clothes on," I barked.  I looked at 
Christina.  "Take them to Falls Church and lock yourselves in our 
bedroom.  Go, go, go!" I shouted. 

They all jumped and I turned to Liam.  He asked, "What's the game 
plan?"

"Ambush," I said.

At that moment, Walter burst through the door without knocking.  
"I can feel them," he said with astonishment instead of a greeting.

"They're close.  Walter, go in the kitchen.  Liam, go in the guest 
room.  I'll wait in their bedroom.  Cloak yourselves as best you 
can.  I'm assuming they'll head for the bedroom.  Once they're in 
the bedroom, you two come in behind them.  We'll try to surround 
them.  I'll take one.  You guys try to take the second one, 
whichever one I don't get.  Don't come until you get my signal."

I saw they were both confused.  "I'll speak to you telepathically."

They nodded.  Mulder and Scully emerged and I looked at Mulder.  
"Mulder, let me have your pick."

He swallowed but pulled it out of his back pocket.  I knew he 
would grab it.  He tossed it across the room and I caught it easily.  
I turned back to them and said to Christine.  "Now, get them out of 
here.  Don't go south.  Go north first and then circle around."

She nodded and shuffled them out the back door.  Walter and Liam 
had already retreated to their places.  I sent out my feelers again 
and sensed them about two blocks away.  I headed for the 
bedroom, and shouted, "Two blocks away, gentlemen.  Cloak 
yourself, it's show time."

XXXXXXXXXXX

PART 5 (R)
MULDER & SCULLY'S TOWNHOUSE
GEORGETOWN, D.C.
2:00 AM

I quickly wadded up sheets and pillows and placed them under the 
comforter.  In the shadows, it looked like two people in the bed.  
However, if they could smell humans this would not fool them.  
Part of the problem was that we really didn't know what their 
capabilities were in many areas, other than morphing like a Gumby 
doll.

I concentrated on cloaking myself and feeling for their presence at 
the same time.  It was still hard to do, but I was much better at it.  
We really didn't know if they had a similar ability to 'sense' others.  
We didn't think so, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.  

I could picture them in my mind; two bounty hunting bastards, 
striding along like fucking robots with no minds of their own.  I 
felt them outside the front door and pushed the button on the pick, 
hearing it slide out of its sheath with barely a sound, just a soft 
whisper.

I crouched, hidden the corner of the room in the shadows, fully 
cloaked.  No need to search for them now.  They were here.  I went 
still in the way only a vampire can, still as a statue and waiting, 
crouched in a fighting stance.  Despite the fact that Christine and 
Liam could probably fight them off, they would be hurt in the 
process if alone.  I was glad I'd been nearby.  They clearly had not 
sensed them.  I wondered how close they would have had to be 
before Liam felt them.

I listened to the shuffling of heavy feet as they traversed the living 
room and headed towards me.  As I suspected, they were so 
arrogant it never occurred to them to check other rooms.  They 
were heading straight for their targets.  'Come to Daddy,' I thought.

I watched as the two identical buffoons entered the bedroom and 
looked at the bed.  One approached and the other circled around 
the foot to stand at the head.  It was pitch black in the room and I 
had no idea how good their vision was.  They obviously hadn't 
detected me here in the shadows. 

Then again, they were probably feeling safe in the knowledge that 
no one else was here.  The one with his back to me looked down at 
the bigger lump under the covers and pulled out a long knife, 
sharpened on both sides and honed to a point.  He held it up 
menacingly.  

At some prearranged signal, the man slashed his arm down toward 
what he thought was Mulder and the man dove for what he thought 
was Scully, attempting to drag her from the bed.

**NOW** I shouted to Walter and Liam.

I roared and sprang from my crouched position, flying through the 
air and landing on the bastard's back.  He fumbled for a second, 
realizing he'd been duped, and then stood up to his full height, 
lifting my feet off the ground.  His hands banded around my 
forearm at his throat. 

It was too late.  I drove the pick into his neck, yanked it out, and 
leaped off his back.  As the other one came for me, Walter and 
Liam burst in the door, their own infravision guiding them and 
giving them the advantage.  He turned and faced them, brandishing 
his own knife. 

I yanked the comforter off the bed and threw it over the collapsing 
corpse of bounty hunter buffoon number one.  His blood would eat 
it away in moments, but it would slow down its permeation into 
the room.  If we could stay out of its path until it fizzled out, we 
might get out of here unhurt.  We could smell it and get away with 
it.  A blast of it to the face however, would be agonizing, as both 
Walter and Gareth had found out.

Liam and Walter dodged the other one easily, circling around him.  
I projected, **Draw him around with his back to me.**

I waited a few more seconds and when they both danced toward 
the door, he swung his arm to slash them with the knife.  I vaulted 
over the bed.  One leg hit the ground and I pushed myself off 
again, landing in the middle of his back, just like the other.  I 
wasted no time jamming the pick into the back of his neck between 
the third and fourth vertebrae.

Again, I yanked it back, expecting the blast of green blood that 
would spurt from him like a punctured balloon and leaped 
sideways.  He bellowed and went down on his knees, crumpling to 
the ground.

Walter had seen what I'd done and grabbed wads of sheets off the 
bed and threw them over his decomposing body.  Liam went into 
the hallway and returned with more linens.  I threw some more on 
each of them as I watched the noxious blood eat through the cloth.  
As it did, we tossed more on top of them from a distance.  All the 
pillows and linens were destroyed by the time these two had boiled 
down to a green slime on the floor that was eating through the 
carpets.

I finally took a deep breath and they did too.  "Shit," Walter said to 
no one in particular.

"Let's get out of here.  We're all staying at the mansion tonight.  
I'm not taking any chances until Gareth gets back.  This was too 
fucking close."

Liam nodded.  "I'm sorry I didn't feel them, Alex."

I clapped his shoulder.  "Don't worry about it.  You would have 
when they got a little closer."

"That might have been too late."

"Maybe, maybe not.  Don't beat yourself up.  You did feel them 
when they got close, right?"

He nodded.  "A minute or so before you said they were two blocks 
away," he admitted.

I smiled at him.  "Now that you know what it feels like, you'll be 
more sensitive."  He nodded, still looking chagrined.  "You did 
fine, Liam.  I'm glad I had you two here."

They nodded.  Walter said, "Can I bring Kim over?  We started 
this morning.  She was fine when I left, but I don't want to leave 
her alone."

"By all means, pick her up and get her to the mansion.  Do you 
need help?"

He shook his head.  "No, I'll meet you there."

XXXXXXXXXX
KENDALL FAIR'S MANSION
FALLS CHURCH, VA

"Let's go."  Liam and I ran back to the mansion, alert for any signs 
of others in our midst.  Neither of us felt a thing and we were both 
relieved to reach the mansion.  I ushered him inside, locked the 
door, and went straight up the stairs with him on my heels.  Walter 
had a key, so I knew he could get in when he got here.

I reached our bedroom door, which was three feet of forged steel 
with an enormous metal bar on the opposite side and three locks as 
well.  I concentrated on them and heard the tumblers move one at a 
time, unlocking.  I heard the faint gasps of all three occupants as I 
raised the metal bar with my mind.

I pushed on the heavy door and it swung open on silent hinges 
before my strength.  Mulder had Scully behind him, backed into 
the corner of the room.  Christina was crouched and ready to 
attack.  I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender and watched 
them all relax as Mulder led Scully back to the bed.  Liam entered 
behind me.  A bedside lamp was burning in deference to Mulder 
and Scully's need for light.

Christina sagged.  "Jesus, you scared the piss out of me."

"Sorry," I smiled.  I glanced at Mulder and Scully and they were 
staring at me openly.  I could feel their fear, palpable in the air as 
Liam walked to Christine and took her in his arms.  She sagged 
against his chest.

She murmured, "Thank God you're safe."

He petted her hair and cooed to her.  "Good thing Alex was there.  
I don't know if we could have handled them."

I walked toward Mulder and Scully sitting on the end of the bed, 
but stopped when I saw them stiffen in fear.  I realized they weren't 
fearful of the events that had been taking place at their townhouse.  
They were afraid of me!  Why?

I held up my hands and said, "It's all right.  Why are you afraid?" I 
asked, truly puzzled.

Mulder folded Scully under his arm in a protective move that made 
my heart sink.  He must have seen the hurt look on my face and 
said, "I'm sorry, Krycek.  But it's a little unnerving to see you 
unlock three locks and lift that fucking bar with your mind."

I smiled gently.  "Sorry, I didn't even think about it.  I would think 
you two would be used to weird shit," I said, trying to lighten the 
mood.

Scully smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.  Mulder flashed a sad 
smile but then said, "Yeah, well, we're on edge to begin with."

"I can understand that," I said, taking another step forward.  They 
didn't flinch so I continued talking.  "I'd never hurt you.  Don't you 
know that by now?"

Mulder nodded.  "Yes, intellectually."

I nodded.  "I see."

Scully looked at me.  "You have to try and understand, this is all 
strange to us, even now.  You're strange to us."

I looked down.  I saw her grip her belly and asked, "Are you 
feeling all right?"

She took a deep breath.  "My stomach is tight."

Mulder looked at her with a worried expression.  "Are you going 
into labor?"

"I'm not due for another two and a half weeks," she replied.

"Not unusual to deliver a little early," I said.

She looked at me.  "It would be with a first baby.  Normally, I'd be 
late if anything.  I'm not having contractions, my belly just doesn't 
feel right, it's tight."

I said softly, "Scully, will you let me touch you?"

Mulder scowled but Scully said, "What for?"

"I can ..." I hesitated.  "I can check to see if the baby is all right.  
You just had a really stressful hour.  It could bring on premature 
labor.  I could probably help relax the muscles, too."

Mulder frowned deeper but Scully swallowed and nodded 
tentatively.  I approached slowly and carefully, and knelt down in 
front of her.  "Why don't you sit behind her, Mulder, and support 
her back so she can relax."

He nodded and scrambled behind her, fitting her between his legs 
and banding an arm around her between her breasts and belly.  I 
looked her in the eyes and tried to send her a wave of caring and 
affection.  She felt it.  I watched her relax her rigid posture and 
lean more heavily on Mulder.  He looked tense as a stretched 
rubber band.  I glanced at him and said, "Relax, Mulder."

He nodded and took a deep breath, loosening his hold on her a bit, 
visibly forcing himself to relax.  I knew he hated it when I touched 
Scully.  I raised my hands slowly and placed one on each side of 
her belly.  I could feel the muscles twitching and taut under my 
fingers.  I closed my eyes and slipped inside her belly.  I found the 
baby's mind, devoid of much knowledge, but feeling the tension of 
his mother and rolling in his watery cocoon.  

I sent a wave of love and affection to him and he calmed, going 
still.  I felt Scully relax under my hands.  I moved one up a little 
higher and now moved my mind to her muscles, picturing them 
relaxing.  I used the same type of telekinesis that had opened the 
doors, only now I was using it on her muscles.  I felt the bands of 
muscle loosen one by one and I moved my hand down over her 
abdomen.  I could smell her and I felt my cock start to harden, just 
because I was touching her.  God, I wanted her sometimes, even 
knowing how impossible that was.  I saw her nipples harden and 
knew I was releasing pheromones.  My cock throbbed mightily and 
became fully erect.

I felt the last one let loose, and I opened my eyes and looked up at 
her.  She was slightly flushed, but totally relaxed.  Her eyes looked 
a little glazed and she licked her lips.  I had to swallow a moan, 
realizing that I was giving off pheromones they couldn't smell and they
were exciting her, just because I was starting to get excited.  I'd 
done the same thing with Walter in that hotel room after patching 
Gareth's face up.

I forcibly reigned in my arousal, knowing it was too late.  They'd 
already gotten a snootful, so to speak.  I knew what it would do to 
them.

I cleared my throat and stood up.  "Better?"

"Yeah," she breathed out in a breathy tone.  Mulder looked 
distinctly uncomfortable and I knew he probably had a hard on that 
was nearly painful.

I said, "Let me get you to the guestroom.  Same one you stayed in 
before, O.K.?"

They nodded and Scully slid to her feet.  Mulder stood behind her 
and followed her out into the hall.  I walked behind them as they 
navigated the hall and turned into the room they'd stayed in before.  
I glanced around.  "You should find everything you need in the 
bathroom there.  We keep it stocked."

They nodded, and I noticed Mulder still stood behind Scully trying 
to hide his arousal.  I grinned at them and shut the door behind me.  
I heard Mulder mutter, "Smug bastard."

"He was trying to help, Mulder," Scully replied.

"I know," he said dejectedly.  I couldn't help chuckling.  I 
wondered how long it would be before they were going at it like 
bunnies.

I returned to the bedroom and found Liam and Christine now 
sitting on the edge of the bed.  "Where do you want us to sleep?"

"We have another sealed room in the basement.  But you're 
welcome to stay here," I offered.  They both smiled and nodded.

I grinned and heard Walter's key turn in the front door.  I went 
downstairs to greet him as he came through the door with Kim.  
She looked pale and weak.  I said, "Liam and Christine will stay 
with me upstairs.  Let's get you to the basement."

He nodded and swung her up into his arms.  We went into the 
kitchen and through the basement door, descending the steps.  
They followed me across the basement/workroom and I opened a 
door at the back.  Skinner turned and carefully stepped inside, 
making sure not to bump Kimberly on the frame.  The room was a 
miniature of the one upstairs.  It wasn't as large and the bed was 
only a King, but it was big enough and had a sealed door.  No light 
could get in here.  

He laid her on the bed and didn't object when I sat down next to 
her and hovered over her, looking at her face.  "Can I come in, 
Kim?"

She nodded weakly.  I closed my eyes and slipped into her head.  I 
didn't wander or intrude, just got a feel for what she was feeling, 
and which parts of her body ached.  She was hurting.  She needed 
more blood.

I turned to Walter.  "Have you given her all you can today?"

He nodded, his face turning into a grimace.  "I could go feed 
again," he suggested.

"No, wait here."  I left and went back upstairs, knowing I had to 
call Gareth before I was able to bed down for the night.  That could 
wait.  There was nothing he could do an ocean away anyway.  He 
would be back on Monday.  I would just have to keep a close eye 
on my charges until then.  I wondered if Mulder and Scully would 
be so temperamental about protection now.  Gareth's misgivings 
had panned out.  The aliens had come for them.  I was not 
surprised that they had tried to pull Scully from the bed to kidnap 
her.  I was surprised that they had planned to murder Mulder.  I 
wondered what they thought they would gain by that.  Without 
him, Scully would be useless to them.  They came as a set.  Those 
bastards didn't realize that they were life to each other.

I entered the bedroom and said to Liam and Christine, "Did you 
guys feed before I got there tonight?"

"Of course," Christine said.

"Would you mind giving Walter's new fledgling some blood?"  
She's hurting and needs more.  Walter had given her all he can 
today."

Liam arched a brow.  "Gareth is allowing a fledgling to be made?" 
he inquired.

I answered, "Yes, this is a special case."

He shrugged, unconcerned.  I was afraid he would accuse Gareth 
of breaking his own rules, the very thing Gareth was afraid of 
when he made his decision to turn Walter.

Christine said, "I'm willing."

Liam nodded and stood.  "Me too.  They are in the basement?"

"Yes, follow me."

I knew he could feel them, being as old as he was.  I wasn't sure 
about Christine and right now, it didn't matter.  They followed me 
downstairs beneath the house and they entered the room.  Christine 
held out her hand to Walter.  "Hi, I'm Christine.  We didn't get a 
chance to meet earlier."  He shook her hand.  "Your lady needs 
some help, does she?"

Walter nodded, looking miserable.  I knew he was feeling her pain.  
I reached out to him privately with my thoughts.  **Walter, get out 
of her head.  You're not helping by feeling her pain.  Don't be a 
martyr.**

He scowled at me and grunted but I saw him close his eyes.  A few 
moments later he opened them and the few lines left on his now 
smooth face evened out once he had disconnected from her pain.

Christine was cooing to Kim.  "Do you have fangs yet?"

Kim threw her head back and hissed weakly.  Small but prominent 
fangs emerged from her gums.  Christine smiled at her.  She lay 
down next to her on her back and pulled Kim's weakened body to 
her, nestling her mouth to her neck.  "Drink, little one," she said.

I almost laughed.  To me, Christine was a little one as well.  It was 
ironic that she was now treating fledglings as though she were 
ancient.  Then again, being with Liam had granted her great 
strength.  I could feel the strength of her character and knew she 
was worthy of handling that kind of power.

Kim missed on the first try, but Christine adjusted her neck and 
then Kim was able to sink her fangs into Christine's neck.  She 
drank greedily and Christine hummed, murmuring, "Slow down, 
Kim.  Nice and easy.  Steady and easy."

Kim stopped her frantic sucking and nursed at Christine's neck.  I 
saw her eyes fly open as the blood entered her throat, soothing the 
pain.  I knew exactly what she was feeling.  Been there, done that, 
I thought.

After a minute or so, Christine gently disengaged the tiny fangs 
from her throat.  Kim whimpered but licked her now blood-red 
lips.  Liam took Christine's place and arranged Kim the same way, 
as she seemed comfortable.    

I glanced at Walter, seeing him tense now that it was a man lying 
next to Kim.  Gently, I mind-spoke, **Easy, Walter.  He just wants 
to help.  Liam is old, 1200 years old.  Although he isn't as strong as 
you, his blood will be even more helpful than Christine's.**

**I know.  I'm just not used to sharing.**

I smiled, and smothered the bubble of laughter that wanted to come 
out.  I knew he wouldn't appreciate it.  I almost couldn't contain 
myself, though, when Kim latched onto Liam and began making 
little yummy noises in her throat as she suckled at his artery.  
Skinner's face darkened with a flush of his own blood, although he 
remained pale.  I could see his tension.  **It's just the blood, 
Walter.  Not the man.**

**I know, damn it!** he replied.  **Still not easy to watch 
someone else take care of her and watch her enjoy it so much.**

**I don't know if she is enjoying it so much, as she is feeling the 
pain go away.  Her heart belongs to only you, Walter.  That's why 
she is here in the first place.  Remember that.**

I watched his face carefully as his expression softened.  **God, I 
love her, Alex.**

**I know you do.  Soon, she will be able to share even more of 
you.  Did you turn her with sex?**

He blushed a slightly darker shade of pink and I chuckled.  
**Yes,** he answered carefully.

I smiled.  **The blood lust is unforgettable.  Be careful now, 
though, until she is fully changed.  You don't want to add to her 
pain.**

**I would never add to her pain!** he growled inside my head.

**Don't be so easily offended, Walter.  I know you would never 
intentionally hurt her, but the blood lust is powerful and you are 
new to this.  She is a fledgling in your care now and it's a big 
responsibility.  I just thought it wouldn't hurt to mention it.  Try to 
keep your sex as gentle as possible for a couple weeks.**

He deflated.  **I will.**

I decided I had said enough and watched as Liam put his fingers to 
her jaw and popped her little fangs out of his neck.  She sighed in 
contentment and fell over onto her back.  "Thank you," she 
whispered.

Liam and Christine nodded.  "No problem.  Happy to do it."  They 
left without another word.  

I said to Walter, "Test her pain level now," I said.

He nodded and walked over to sit on the side of the bed.  He closed 
his eyes and slid into her mind as I watched.  Her eyes flew back 
and forth behind her lids.  Otherwise she looked peaceful.  He 
retreated and opened his eyes, turning to look at me with a look of 
relief on his face.  "She feels so much better, hardly any pain at all, 
just an ache here and there."

"I told you.  Dawn is coming.  Get some rest."

He nodded and stood.  I knew he wouldn't disrobe himself or Kim 
while I was still there.  More was the pity, but maybe someday.  
For now I left, closing the door behind me and ascending the stairs 
to the main floor. 

XXXXXXXXXX

PART 6 (NC-17)
KENDALL FAIR'S MANSION
FALLS CHURCH, VA

I went to the study and flopped in the chair.  I could feel the dawn 
coming but knew I still had an hour or so before it put me down.  I 
sighed and picked up the phone, dialing Gareth's cell phone 
number.

It rang twice and he answered, knowing it was me on the other 
end.  [Why are you still up, Pet?]

Although I could stay up for another hour or so, I usually didn't 
unless I had to.  It was draining, especially if I'd been up during the 
day.  Only the strongest of us could withstand staying up during 
the day, but it was infinitely more tiring.

"We had some trouble tonight," I said.

I could hear the worry in his voice.  [Are you all right?  What 
happened?]

I waved my hand in the air even though he couldn't see the sign of 
dismissal of his worry.  "I'm fine, but exhausted."

[Tell me,] he commanded.  I was used to this tone.  I knew it 
wasn't insulting.  It came out when he was worried about me.  I 
smiled, knowing how much he loved me.

"Two bounty hunters came after Mulder and Scully.  One was 
going to kill Mulder; the other was trying to grab Scully."

[Christ!  I was right!  You're O.K.?]

"Not even a scratch.  I had gone over there to be with Christine and 
Liam," I confessed.  Even though he'd given permission, I felt a 
need to tell him.  We didn't have any secrets between us.

[Then what?] he coaxed.

"I left and was on my way home when I felt them, two of them.  I 
flew back to the townhouse and told Christine to take them to the 
mansion.  I called Walter to come over as well."

[Hold up a minute!] he shouted.  [You flew?  Literally or 
figuratively?]

I laughed.  "Literally."

[Oh my God, Alex!  That's fantastic!  I feel so bad we haven't 
gotten around to testing it out,] he confessed.

"Don't worry about it.  When I needed to, I just did it.  I did do a 
fancy little sky diver roll there for a minute, but I got the hang of it 
pretty quick."

His low baritone rumbled into my ear as he laughed.  I knew he 
was picturing it.  His laugh was filled with pride and affection.  [I 
take it you were able to dispatch them?]

"Yes, I borrowed Mulder's pick and had Walter and Liam hide and 
let them pass.  We ambushed them in the bedroom when they tried 
to kill the bedclothes I'd arranged under the covers."

He laughed again.  [I know it's not funny.  Sorry.  I'm just surprised 
they fell for that old trick.]

"So was I, frankly, but I didn't have a lot of time.  By the time 
Christine got them out, they were only two blocks away."

[Whew!] he whistled.  [That was close.]

"No shit.  I was able to kill one and cover him with blankets while 
Liam and Walter maneuvered the other one so I could attack from 
the back."

[Didn't the acid eat the linens?] he asked the obvious question.

"Yes, but we kept throwing more on as the blood ate through them 
until they were nothing but puddles."

He cleared his throat.  [No one was hurt, Alex?  For real?]

He was remembering the pain of his own encounter, I'm sure.  "For 
real.  We got lucky, Gareth.  I was glad I was there, though.  Liam 
said he felt them maybe two and half blocks away, just before I 
told them they were about two blocks away.  I think if he knew 
what to search for, he would have felt them sooner.  But still, it 
would have been a much closer call if I hadn't been there.  Thank 
God Walter is so close, too.  He's five blocks away.  He was there 
in less than five minutes."

[Where is everyone now?  You didn't let Mulder and Scully go 
home, did you?]

"Of course not.  Kim and Walter are in the basement.  Mulder and 
Scully are in the guest room, and Christine and Liam are sleeping 
with me."

[Again?] he teased.

I chuckled.  "I actually think I'm too fucking tired right now," I 
replied.  "Pardon the pun."

I could almost see him smiling on the other end of the phone.  
[Why does this shit always happen when I'm gone?] he asked 
rhetorically.

I shrugged, again, knowing he couldn't see it.  "Murphy's Law."

[You're sure you're all right?] he asked again, the concern evident 
in his voice.

"Yes, I'm sure.  Nothing a good day's sleep won't cure.  I'll go 
clean up the townhouse tomorrow."

[O.K.  God, Alex.  I'm so relieved you're all right.  I'll be home 
soon.]

"I know.  I miss you already," I said, the pout evident in my voice.

He chuckled again.  [I miss you too, cher, dreadfully.]

"Get any while you're over there?" I teased.

He laughed again.  [Not yet, but I may have to nail that Gabriela 
before I leave,] he warned.

I laughed.  "Have a good time.  I'll see you when you get back.  I 
have everything under control here.  Is everything all right there?"

[You don't know how glad it makes me to know you are there, 
steering the ship while I'm gone, Pet.  To answer your question, 
yes, everything's fine.  We need to talk when I get home, but it can 
wait for now.]

"Good, 'cause it's almost dawn here and I'm beat."

[Go get some rest, Alex.  I love you.]

"Love you too," I replied and hung the phone up in the cradle.  Into 
the emptiness of the study, I whispered, "How can I miss you so 
much after one day?"

I stood, mentally weary, and made my way upstairs.  I opened and 
closed the door behind me, finding Christine already asleep.  Liam 
was still awake, but obviously feeling the pull of dawn.

"I was wondering when you would make it up here," he said, his 
words slurred.

I shucked my clothes as I said, "I had to call Gareth with an 
update."

"How is he?" he asked.

"He's fine.  God, I'm tired."

"Me too, slide on in and cuddle up," he offered.

"My pleasure," I said as I spooned up behind him as he spooned 
Christine.  We must have looked like puzzle pieces.  I heard him 
sigh deeply and then heard his breathing change, telling me he had 
fallen asleep that fast.

I wasn't far behind him.  My head was spinning with what I needed 
to do to clean up the townhouse tomorrow, but I couldn't focus.  
Soon, my eyelids drooped and I succumbed to the dawn.

XXXXXXXXXX

I groaned as I slid into bed naked behind Scully.  She had shed her 
nightgown, and crawled under the covers the minute that Alex left.

"You O.K.?" I asked.

"Yes, I feel fine now.  Get in here and fuck me, Mulder."

I moaned in the back of my throat and scrambled to get the 
remainder of my clothes off.  Now I was spooning her and it felt 
divine.  

My cock was aching.  It was hard, throbbing incessantly, and 
urgently.  "Jesus, Scully, I need you."

XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXXX

"Yes," she hissed, as I slid into position and lunged gently forward.  
Despite my need, I was conscious of her tender belly and knowing 
she had been so uncomfortable earlier, I was extra careful.  
Nonetheless, I HAD to be inside her.  There was something strange 
about vampires.  Even when they weren't being seductive, just 
their nearness could set us off.  I had no idea why that was, but it 
wasn't the first time it had happened.  The erection I got at these 
times was phenomenal.  I always felt diamond hard, so hard it 
almost hurt until I could feel the soothing wet embrace of her 
body.

I stroked into her gently, "Oh yeah, Scully.  Oh God, feels so good.  
Jesus, I'm so fucking hard."

"Ug, Mulder.  Feels good.  Damn, you are hard.  Feels great.  My 
nipples are so hard they ache."

I continued to stroke her gently, one hand on her stomach, feeling 
for any signs of distress.  There were none, she was perfectly 
relaxed, wet and ready for me.  I sped up but was careful not to 
impact her or rock her body.

She moaned and I said, "Touch yourself, Scully.  I'm not gonna last 
long."

She reached and rubbed her own clitoris.  I leaned back and angled 
myself up, stroking a little deeper.  She whimpered and came, her 
insides massaging me in a maddening series of contractions.  I 
shouted once and emptied into her, my nuts tingling with pleasure.  
I groaned as I let loose my final ejaculation and sighed.

We were both asleep in minutes, my slowly shrinking flesh still 
buried inside her.

XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

KENDALL FAIR'S MANSION
TWO DAYS LATER - MONDAY
EVENING - 8:00 PM

I felt them as I sailed onto the front lawn.  It had been a long time 
since I'd had so many of my kind around me.  Not since Egypt had 
I had more than one or two near me at a time.  I counted five, 
including Alex.  I could tell Mulder and Scully were still here too.  
I was reaching for the door when Alex opened it and I stepped 
inside, dropping the overloaded backpack off my back onto the 
foyer floor.  

I didn't even look around.  Kicking the door shut behind me, I 
folded him into my embrace and laid his mouth open under mine.  
I moaned at the feel of his soft, warm lips under mine and his wet 
tongue dancing with mine.  I felt him smile against my lips and 
broke the kiss, looking over his head.  

There in the living room, smiling at my shameless display were 
Walter and Kim, Liam and Christine, and Mulder and Scully.  I 
smiled at them, waved briefly and said, "Just a sec."

I then spun us around, plastering Alex's back to the wall next to the 
door and pressing my big body against his equally hard one.  I 
kissed him again, moaning into his mouth.  After about thirty 
seconds, I pulled back and looked into his face.  He was flushed, 
panting and licking his lips.  I chuckled and growled into his ear, "I 
missed you, Pet."

He gave me a cheeky smile and said, "Welcome home, boss."

Everyone laughed then, and I let go of him.  He slid his arm around 
my waist.  I was glad that he wasn't embarrassed that I had kissed him 
in front of all these people.  He'd finally gotten over the 
embarrassment of being with a man in the open.  I could tell, 
however, that Mulder and Scully, while amused, were the most 
shocked of the crowd.  Even knowing we were lovers, they were 
still taken aback at our public displays of affection, not that they 
had witnessed that many.

I smiled at everyone, walking into the room and sitting in my big, 
wingback chair and pulling Alex down into my lap.  I put my arms 
around his waist, much to the amusement of our guests and smiled 
at them.  I wasn't quite ready to let go of him yet.  If they weren't 
here waiting I would have tossed him over my shoulder and carried 
him right upstairs.

"I hear we had some excitement Saturday night?" I asked.

Everyone nodded.  I looked at Liam and Christine.  "I'm so glad 
you were here.  I'm in your debt for protecting my friends."

Liam shrugged.  "Walter and Alex took care of it."

"Nonsense!" Alex barked, and I realized something else was going 
on here.  "You did perfectly well.  I couldn't have done it without 
both of you.  Christine was perfect too; she got them out of there 
and safely out of the way."  He glared at Liam.  "I don't want to 
hear another word about it."

Uh oh.  I asked Alex, **Trouble?**

**He's beating himself up because he didn't feel them coming as 
quickly as I did.  Thinks he would have failed if I wasn't there.**

**He might have.**

**I don't think so.**

I looked at Liam.  "Everyone plays a part.  I'm grateful to you all."
I then addressed Mulder and Scully.  "I'm glad you're still here."

"Why?" they said in unison.

I smiled.  "I'm glad you stayed with Alex until he could clean up 
your apartment.  Even the smell of those things is noxious.  Can't 
be good for the baby."

Scully put her hands on her stomach.  Mulder was standing behind 
her and put his hands over hers.  They really did make a handsome 
couple.  "At any rate, we have a lot to discuss."

Everyone became alert.  I waved them to sit down.  They did and 
when they were all settled in, I began.  I ticked off all the things I'd 
thought about on the way home and the decisions I'd made.

"One, Sullivan has a vaccine he's sure will work now."

"That's fabulous!" Scully exclaimed.

I nodded at here.  "So listen closely.  Here's what I need from you 
guys.  This gets a little complicated, so stick with me.  Stop me if 
you don't understand anything."

They all nodded.

"First, Walter."

"Yes, Sir?"

I sighed.  "Call me Gareth, please, Walter, at least when we aren't 
at work?"

He smiled sheepishly.  "O.K., Gareth, what do you need me to 
do?"

"I'll put you in touch with Sullivan and a couple of others.  You're 
going to approach FEMA and put out word of a new deadly virus 
that was accidentally released from a research lab in the mid-west.  
I'll arrange it with the people there.  They are moving anyway to a 
new facility under another name so it won't taint them in the 
future."

He nodded.

"Alex and I are going to start a corporation.  Its organization is 
going to be something like this, unless someone has objections."  
Everyone was silent so I continued.  "I will be the CEO, obviously.  
Alex will be the acting President.  As such, his duties will include 
the protection of the vaccine shipments around the world through 
the use of the fledglings we've placed.  Everybody and their 
mother is going to want this vaccine even if they aren't part of the 
aliens' agenda.  They may be the least of our worries.  

"Walter, I want you to be my Vice President."  This clearly 
surprised him.  "One of your duties, besides organizing the 
propaganda with FEMA, will be to find tax shelters for this 
corporation.  My goal is to have one dwelling in each of the fifty 
states.  See Clyde Vogel for any monies you need.  I'll tell him to 
write the checks for whatever you request."

He swallowed harshly but nodded his head again.  "For those of 
you that don't know, Senator Clyde Vogel is part of the new 
Consortium.  He'll be the Treasurer of this new corporation.  He 
already handles all the finances for the Consortium.  I'll be 
contacting him tomorrow night.

"Scully, I want you to be the Health Care Liaison.  Your job will 
be to explain possible side effects and things to watch for after 
giving the vaccine.  Brian Sullivan has also developed an antidote 
in case someone proves allergic to magnetite, which is a major 
component in this vaccine.  I'll need to contact every health care 
organization that this vaccine gets disseminated to."

She opened her mouth and I held up a hand.  "Don't panic, they 
aren't all going to get it at once.  It will be two areas a day, which 
means you will have to make anywhere from 2 to 10 phone calls a 
day.  Your region is the U.S.  I'll find others in each country to do 
the same.  However, you will be their supervisor.  If they run into a 
problem or questions they can't answer, they will come to you and 
you can refer them to me or Brian Sullivan."

She nodded.  

"All this can be done at home, Scully.  You won't even have to 
leave the house.  I'll have an extra phone line installed so it won't 
interrupt your regular house phone."

Mulder was staring at the ground.  I knew he thought he was going 
to be excluded from this project.  I also knew he wasn't sure if that 
was a bad thing, although his ego was smarting a bit.  He believed 
in his wife, but didn't see his place in all this.  I knew this from 
various things he'd said over the last few months, but also by his 
demeanor around me.  He was polite, but guarded and feeling left 
out.  When I said his name, his head snapped up.

"Mulder," I said calmly and smiled at him.

"Yes?" he asked, anticipation clearly in his voice.  

"I want you to be the Secretary of the corporation.  Your job will be to 
keep records of every man, woman and child that's been 
vaccinated.  All records will be sent to you to be catalogued by 
area and health care facility.  With your eidetic memory, that 
should be an easier project for you than most."

He smiled, "I'll do my best."

"I know, you always do."  He smiled at me, pleased that he was 
included, I knew.  "It also allows you to stay home with Scully and 
the baby for the most part.  I'll have to figure out where to house 
this information, but clerks you'll hire can do the actual filing.  
What I need you to do is maintain a computer database.

"Dr. Brian Sullivan is and will continue to be the Head Research 
Scientist.  He and his team will be preparing the vaccine for 
distribution.  When Alex assigns our people to make deliveries, he 
will inform Scully and she will make her calls.  Once those 
facilities administer their supply, they will contact Mulder via 
computer with the pertinent information of who received the 
vaccine.

"Mr. Philip Windemere is also in the Consortium.  His job will be 
Foreign Relations.  He will contact the Red Cross type 
organizations all over the world and determine how much vaccine 
will be needed for the population in their area.  He then sends the 
orders to Brian and we go from there."

I was silent a few moments, letting all of this soak in.  "This isn't 
going to be easy, people, and we are going to need to be on our toes and 
alert to any sabotage.  In addition, any problems, no matter how 
small, I want brought to me.  Understood?" I asked.

There were nods all around.  "Good, the organization is going to be 
called Fair Premise."  I got smiles for that. 

I then turned my attention to Liam and Christine.  "I've also come 
to some other decisions."

Liam raised an eyebrow.  "I assume this concerns us?"

"Very much so," I answered.  "I've decided there are too many of 
us now for me to rule alone."

That statement was met with stunned silence, even by Alex.  He 
stood slowly from my lap and looked down at me.  "There aren't 
that many of us."

"There are, Alex, and now we are spread out all over the world.  I 
can't be everywhere at once.  The Consortium must have 
precedence now.  We must get this vaccine to the people.  In the 
meantime, I've decided to develop a hierarchy of blood drinkers."

Now Liam looked really stunned.  "Share the power?  It's unheard 
of," he said softly.

I smiled at him.  "I'm no dictator, Liam.  I never wanted to be 
King.  I was forced into it due to circumstances beyond my control.  
I'm not giving up the throne, as it were.  I accepted my 
responsibility even if I didn't like it."  I paused.  "I can't do this 
alone anymore," I said quietly.

I met Liam's solemn gaze.  "I want a Covenant to rule the blood 
drinkers.  Alex is already your Prince, and that's not going to 
change," I said firmly.

He nodded, not taking his eyes off me.  "What is it you would have 
me do?"

"I want you to be my First Lieutenant of sorts.  If you can think of 
a better title, go for it," I joked.

He smiled.  "That will do."

"I can't think of any others just now, so I'll use the military 
references.  You are the second oldest vampire in the world that I 
know of, Liam."

He nodded.  "Except for Alex and Walter who have your blood."  
This was said with no malice or envy.

I smiled.  "They are stronger, Liam, but they are not older and they 
are not wiser."

Alex looked slightly insulted and Walter looked amused.  "I want 
you to be the one that responds to threats around the world of our 
exposure.  They will still be reported to me, but if I or Alex can't 
go, which is very likely once this vaccine project is put in motion, 
I'm going to need you," I said sincerely.

He nodded, still looking solemn.  He glanced at Christine and I 
saw her worried expression.  "You will be able to bring Christine 
with you wherever you go, Liam.  I'll not have you separated, but 
you are clearly in charge of any investigations."

I looked at Christine.  "You understand, Christine?  If 
investigating, you must follow Liam's instructions to the letter, no 
exception."

She nodded.  "I trust him," she said honestly.

I smiled.  "So do I.  Now, Liam.  You are to contact Jeremy 
Coldwell, Leticia Meyers, Chen Saito and his new partners, Li 
Ming Long and Shen Zi.  They will all be your Sergeants, as it 
were.  They are to help you in any way that you need.  You can 
bring them with you, have them do research, whatever you need.  
I'll be contacting them as well to let them know what's going on.  
Jeremy, Leticia and Chen are your leaders and your staff.  Their 
partners, like Christine, can come along or help out, but they are 
under YOUR supervision.  I'll make sure they understand."

XXXXXXXXXX

PART 7 (PG-13)
KENDALL FAIR'S MANSION
FALLS CHURCH, VA

"What about Gerard?" Alex asked.

"Gerard Roche is a good man now.  He has Sabrina Chatenauf for 
a companion.  She is very young.  He was rogue for too long.  I 
don't think he's ready to be part of any government.  Maybe later, 
but not now."

Alex nodded, agreeing with me.  I sighed.  I looked at Walter.  "I'm 
asking a lot of you already, Walter," I began.

"What do you need?"

"Liam and his team will take care of all foreign investigations."

Understanding dawned on his face.  "The United States?"

"That will be your jurisdiction.  You are to be my Second 
Lieutenant.  You will report directly to me, as will Liam.  Your job 
will be similar to his, only you will check out any disturbances in 
the United States.  I don't expect many, but you never know.  
There could be others out there."

Alex eyed me strangely.  "You can feel others?"

I licked my lips.  "Not for sure, but sometimes I think I can, but it's 
fleeting and I can't hold onto it.  My point is that there could be 
some rogues out there that we haven't found.  The best way I can 
describe it is that I feel the energy that is generated from intelligent 
thought."

Alex opened his mouth as he realized what I was saying.  
"However, if they had become mindless creatures with no 
humanity and no thought, driven purely by instinct, you might not 
feel them clearly," he surmised.

I nodded.  "That's what I think, yes."  Everyone was quiet after 
that.  "I didn't tell you that to scare you.  It's just a fact.  
If there are others, they could cause problems down the road, just
like Gerard almost did."

"Are you sure you want me to do this?" Walter asked.  "You're 
sure you want me to be part of this government?  This Covenant of 
... Blood?  I'm barely more than a fledgling myself."

I smiled at him.  "You're an ungodly strong fledgling, but that's not 
why I'm asking you to do it."

"Why are you asking?  Besides the fact that I'm FBI and I do have 
some investigation skills."

I met his gaze and said, "Because I trust you, Walter."

His eyes were suspiciously wet, but he blinked rapidly and nodded.  
"I'll try to be worthy of that," he said.

"I'm sure you will be," I said.

After several more minutes, I said, "Let's all go do our own thing 
now.  We'll worry about the details tomorrow.  I need to rest."

They all filed out.  Christine and Liam decided to return to Mulder 
and Scully's townhouse in case more aliens showed up.  Mulder 
and Scully agreed to stay at the mansion.  They were afraid now 
that there had actually been an attack.  I told them they were 
welcome to stay as long as they liked.  They could stay until the 
baby was born, even after, if they wished.  I wanted them to feel 
safe.  Here at the mansion, I had so many safe places for them to 
hide should they need to.  I showed them the basement room that 
Walter and Kim were using.  Its door was also heavy, but it was 
balanced so well, Mulder could open it despite its weight.  I gave 
him a key that would open it from the outside and showed him 
how to lock it from the inside.

This was where they were to run and lock themselves in if they 
ever needed to.  They also were given keys to the front door.  
There was a separate phone built into that room as well only to be 
used for emergency calls out.  Cell phones wouldn't work down 
there.  That phone would and they would be able to call for help.

When they all had wandered away, I stood up and embraced Alex 
again.  

"What now?" he whispered into my hair, kissing my neck.

"Time to play ball," I joked.

He laughed and pulled away, taking my hand and leading me up 
the stairs.  I was so glad to be home.

XXXXXXXXXX

MULDER & SCULLY'S TOWNHOUSE
GEORGETOWN, D.C.
TWO WEEKS LATER
2:00 AM

The next few weeks were pandemonium.  Messages flooded in and 
the phone was ringing all the time.  Gareth hired a secretary for me 
to do nothing but answer the phone and take messages.  

I was exhausted and due any day now.  Mulder was hovering like a 
mother hen and driving me absolutely crazy in his annoying, 
adorable sort of way.  At first it felt weird to have two vampires in 
the house all the time, and know they were out prowling when we 
were asleep.  After the attack, however, I had no more doubts 
about the necessity of them being there. 

Truth be told, I'd grown quite fond of Christine.  Despite her 
appearance, that of a beautiful teenager, she was polite and 
obviously very intelligent.  Liam was a little scary at first.  He 
didn't talk much, but I could tell he took his assignment very 
seriously.  At this point, I actually felt better having them around.  
'How ironic was that?' I wondered.  Less than a year ago, I would 
have told anyone that they were nuts had they suggested I would 
WANT vampires around.

Discovering how human they were was what had finally convinced 
me to relax my guard just a bit.  Don't get me wrong, I was still 
wary and understood how easily they could harm us.  However, I 
really didn't see why they would want to at this point.  Other than 
Alex, Walter and Gareth, the rest of them couldn't withstand the 
daytime.  They needed us as their eyes and ears during the day.  
Liam could stay awake until the far fringes of dawn, but even he 
would then succumb to sleep.

Alex and Gareth had done a wonderful job cleaning the bedroom.  
They'd installed new carpet after sanding down the wood floor.  
No traces of the horror that had taken place there remained.

Even our boss, good old A.D. Skinner, was now 'one of them'.  It 
was bit hard to get my mind around at first.  I was surprised at how 
quickly we accepted it, both Mulder and I.  Now, Kim was too.  As 
near as we could figure out, Kim was on the tail end of her 
transformation and expected back at work on Monday.  

The news was flooded with reports of the new deadly virus.  I'd 
even been able to sneak into some morgues and get some pictures 
of partially decomposed bodies to use for propaganda.  I felt bad 
doing it, but made sure their faces were not in the pictures.

Just yesterday, FEMA had announced that Fair Premise, an 
umbrella corporation for scientific research labs, had created a 
vaccine.  After two weeks of total panic, the public was given 
hope.  They couldn't get this stuff soon enough.  Of course, the 
United States was going to be first.

It was useless.  I couldn't sleep.  I gently removed Mulder's arm 
from around my waist and scooted awkwardly to the edge of the 
bed.  He grumbled and flopped on to his stomach, gathering my 
pillow up to his chest.  I smiled and quietly left the bedroom, 
heading for the kitchen to get a glass of water.

I knew the Townhouse very well now and didn't bother to turn on 
any lights.  I'd been having muscle twinges for hours.  They made 
me just uncomfortable enough that I couldn't sleep.  As I reached 
the end of the hallway and turned to walk across the living room 
toward the kitchen, a voice reached me out of the darkness.

"Is everything all right?"

I jumped, literally, into the air and crashed into the wall.  I let out a 
shriek of surprise, having forgotten Christine was there.  I knew 
before it happened that I wasn't going to regain my balance.  I 
bounced off the wall and stumbled with all the non-grace of a 
pregnant woman.  It was like everything was in slow motion.  I 
twisted desperately, trying to fall onto my back.  One thought 
screamed through my mind, 'The Baby!'  I think I yelled 
something.  "Mulder!"

Then I was falling.  I braced for the impact with the floor, knowing 
I'd only made it to my side and not my back.  The impact didn't 
come.  A blur flew by my vision and I was suddenly being set 
gently onto my feet.  Mulder hollered, "Scuulllyyy!" 

He came running around the corner in nothing but his boxer briefs.  
He saw me with Christine and sagged with relief. 

I looked up, gasping in fright from my near miss.  Christina, 
looking so delicate, was bracing me with her arms under my 
armpits.  "I'm so sorry," she whispered.  "I didn't mean to startle 
you.  Are you all right?"

Liam appeared through the back door and crossed the kitchen, 
standing in the doorway, watching.  Christina turned her head to 
him and said, "It's all right.  I startled her and she nearly fell."

I swallowed hard and nodded my head.  I finally choked out, "Yes.  
Stupid.  I forgot you were there."

She smiled gently and handed me into Mulder's arms.  "Jesus, you 
scared the hell out of me when you hollered my name," he said 
roughly.

I patted his back as he wrapped me in his arms.  Guess I had yelled 
his name out loud.  I didn't realize I had.  My heart had slowed to 
normal rate.

"You all right now?" Mulder asked, petting my hair.

"Yeah, I'm good noooooow, oooooohhhhhhhh," I groaned as I felt 
the muscles in my stomach contract like a band around my back.  

"What?  What is it, Scully?" he asked frantically.

I breathed shallowly and wrapped my hands around my stomach.  
Then I felt it.  Liquid splashed down my legs, soaking my panties.  
"Shit, my water just broke."

Christine was calm.  "Get her in the bedroom.  I'll clean this up."

Mulder swept me up into his arms.  Even nine months pregnant, he 
acted like I didn't weigh a thing.  He deposited me on the bed, and 
helped me slide my panties off.  "Do you want new ones?" he 
asked.

"No, get some towels to put under my butt."

"Shouldn't we be heading for the hospital?"

"Not yet, Mulder.  It could be hours.  Let's see how long it is 
before the next contraction."

He nodded nervously, but turned and headed for the master 
bathroom, emerging with two big bath towels.  He slid one 
underneath me.  "Anything else?"

"I was heading to the kitchen for some water.  Could you get me 
some?"

"Yeah, of course.  Be right back."  

I chuckled as he literally trotted down the hall like he was being 
timed.  He was back quickly with a big glass of ice water.  I 
realized he needed to do things to feel useful.  "Can you help me 
prop up my back with pillows?"

"Oh, right," he sputtered and set the glass on the nightstand. 

He shoved several pillows against the headboard and helped me 
reposition myself.  I looked up at him as he handed me the water 
and smiled.  I took a long drink and sighed after I swallowed it.  
"That's good.  I was dehydrated."

"What else, Scully?  What else?" he asked, fluttering his hands in 
the air.  

I smiled at him.  "Relax, Mulder."

He grinned at me sheepishly.  "I'm being a dork, aren't I?" he 
asked.

I laughed.  I couldn't help it.  "A little bit, but it's adorable."

He rolled his eyes.  "Great, I'm an adorable dork.  Just what I 
always wanted to be."

"MY adorable dork.  Now get over here."  I patted the bed beside 
me and he scrambled over and propped himself up on the pillows, 
then maneuvered himself so I could lean diagonally against his 
side.  His arm draped over my shoulder and touched my stomach.  
I turned my head and smiled at him.  

His eyes were wet.  "We're gonna have a baby, Scully," he 
whispered.

"Mmm, I know."

He chuckled.  "That sounded dumb, didn't it?"

I shook my head.  "No, I know what you mean.  It's all a little 
overwhelming sometimes, isn't it?"

"It's impossible.  It's miraculous.  I can't even believe I'm here 
sometimes, with you."

I looked at him again, a bit puzzled.  "What do you mean?"

He looked into my eyes and a single tear rolled down his face.  "I 
love you so much it hurts sometimes," he whispered.  "I can't even 
believe you're my wife, Scully, let alone about to have a baby ... 
my baby," he choked out the last.  He swallowed and then added, 
"I didn't even know it was possible to be this happy."

I turned, my belly now resting against his hip.  I reached up and 
cupped his face, drawing him down into a gentle kiss.  "You 
deserve to be happy, Mulder.  I don't know why you don't think so.  
I've never understood that about you."  I tipped his head down 
further so I could stare into his eyes.  "I love you, Fox Mulder.  
That's one thing that will never change, no matter what."

He pulled me into his embrace, sliding down on the mountain of 
pillows and snuggling me into his side.  I rested my head on his 
shoulder and said.  "Try to rest.  It could be a while."

"Yeah, right," he muttered.

XXXXXXXXXX

GEORGETOWN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
THIRD FLOOR MATERNITY WARD
WAITING ROOM
2:00 PM

As she predicted, it was ten long, arduous hours later before she 
delivered.  And deliver she did, with me right by her side, two 
hours ago.  He was a healthy baby boy, seven pounds, twelve 
ounces.  

I cradled him closely in my crooked arm as I entered the waiting 
room.  The Gunmen were there, as were Maggie, Bill and Tara 
Scully.  Gareth and Walter had called saying they would be here to 
visit as soon as the sun went down, maybe a little sooner.  It was 
cloudy today.

They all stood and moved forward.  I pulled back the baby blue 
blanket from his face and introduced him.  I looked at Maggie 
Scully and said, "Grandma, this is Cote Ryan Mulder.  Cote, meet 
your Grandma Maggie."

She peered into the pile of blanket and smiled; silent tears ran 
down her face.  "It's a miracle, Fox."

I smiled at her.  "Yes, he is.  Would you like to hold him?"

"May I?" she beamed.

"Sure, for a minute.  I'm not so keen on letting him go for too long 
just yet."  I winked at her and she smiled.

I gently transferred him to her arms and looked up at Bill as she 
retreated to a chair and sat down at him, gazing in awe.  Bill stuck 
out his hand.  "Congratulations."  

I knew what this cost him, to swallow his pride.  He still didn't like 
me much, but was trying to accept me for Scully's sake.  Since the 
wedding, he had softened some.  I shook his hand firmly and said, 
"Thanks, Bill."

Langley finally couldn't stay quiet.  "Stats, Mulder.  Give us the 
stats."
 
I smiled.  "Seven pounds, twelve ounces, 21 inches long, all ten 
toes and all ten fingers.  A mop of Scully red hair and ... we don't 
know what color his eyes are.  He hasn't opened them yet."

Maggie rose and handed him back to me.  "I need to get him back 
to the warming bed, but I wanted to let you know he and Mom are 
doing fine."

"When can we see her?" Frohike asked.

"Maybe a little later.  After dinner.  She just got cleaned up but I 
think she wants to rest for a bit.  It's been a long day," I said 
mildly.  I turned to Maggie.  "I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you 
and Bill came in for a minute."

I turned and walked back down the hall.  I entered the birthing 
room and saw that Scully was asleep already.  Maggie and Bill had 
left quietly.  She'd been cleaned up and was wearing a clean 
nightgown.  She looked like an angel there in the bed, her hair 
spread out over the pillow.  I deposited Cote in the warming crib.  
It was on casters and I rolled it over next to the bed.  I carefully 
climbed in next to Scully, staying on top of the covers.

She smacked her chops in a cute gesture and then cuddled into me, 
muttering, "Mul ... der."

I smiled and kissed her hair as her head laid on my chest.  I 
reached up and touched Cote's hand in the crib.  I felt his tiny 
fingers circle my index finger.  A wave of love and emotion spread 
through me and I felt tears sting my eyelids.  I was one lucky son 
of a bitch.  

I fell asleep.  That's they way they found us when Walter, Kim, 
Alex and Gareth showed up.  I jerked awake at the sound of the 
door opening and glanced at the clock, realizing I'd been asleep for 
a good three hours.  I smiled at them and Scully moaned gently in 
her sleep and then rolled onto her back.

Her eyes opened slowly as they approached the bed.  "Hi," she 
whispered.  

They all smiled and moved silently to the crib.  Kim rolled it a bit 
away so they could stand around and look.  I slid off the bed.  It 
was a sight, the three enormous men.  Alex was six feet, three inches, 
Walter was six feet, five inches, and Gareth, of course, was six 
feet, eight inches tall.  Then there was Kim.  She didn't look much 
different, although she looked paler than usual.  She smiled at me 
touched the baby's cheek.  "He's beautiful," she whispered.

One by one they left the crib and came over to Scully and kissed 
her on the cheek.  Gareth whispered, "Get some rest."

They left as quietly as they had entered and I scooped up Cote and 
handed him to Scully.  She opened her gown and placed him near 
her breast.  He latched right on with no trouble and I carefully 
climbed back into the bed, wearing only my sweat pants.  I cradled 
her as she cradled him, breast-feeding.  I kissed her forehead and 
then kissed her softly on the lips.  "I love you, Scully."

"I love you too, Mulder.  Thank you."

"Thank you?  For what?"

"Everything.  For being here for me.  For giving me this miracle.  
For marrying me, for loving me ... just everything."

"Aww, Scully.  Thank YOU.  You're my miracle, and now, so is 
Cote."

She smiled and we kissed softly again.  When he was done and had 
burped gently, I put him back in his warmed crib unit and we fell 
asleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

HOOVER BUILDING
THIRD FLOOR
D.D. KENDALL FAIR'S OFFICE
ONE MONTH LATER

I watched Walter enter and come toward me.  He held out the latest 
reports that had come in from FEMA, Scully and Mulder.  I 
scanned them as he sat down.  "How's it going?  Any trouble?"

"Nope.  Everything's going just like you said."

I looked up at him.  "Why does that sound like a problem?" I 
teased.

He smiled.  "Just seems too good to be true."

"You're a true paranoiac sometimes, you know that?" I teased 
again.

He laughed softly and said, "I think Liam and Christine want to go 
home."

I snapped my head up to look at him again.  "Is that what you want 
to talk about?"

He shrugged.  "They've both talked to me about missing home 
when I've been over there to visit.  I think they are afraid to ask 
you if they can leave."

I scrunched my brow.  "Why would they be afraid?"

He raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'You don't know?'  "Come on, 
you're still their, eh, superior, for lack of a better word.  They don't 
want to let you down, especially Liam, and I think they figure you 
will tell them when you want them to leave.  I can tell they are 
hankering for some time alone at home, though."

"Do you think its safe?" I asked him.

He seemed to consider it.  "I don't know the answer to that 
question.  Will it ever be totally safe?  No.  Is it as safe as it's going 
to get at this point?  Yes.  The vaccine is far from distributed 
everywhere, but so far, so good.  Another month and all but the 
most remote areas should have it.  We have an enormous team 
working on the production, distribution and tracking of it.  I hope 
that if any aliens are still around, they won't survive getting near 
Mulder and Scully.  They were both given the vaccine, even the 
baby."

I scrubbed my hands over my face.  "You're probably right," I 
answered.

"Why do I sense a 'but' in there?" he asked.

I smiled.  "I still worry."

"We all do, but you can't keep them under guard forever.  I'm five 
blocks away.  They have alarms all over that townhouse.  They've 
gotten the vaccine.  We've made them as safe as we can, Gareth."

I looked at him suddenly.  He rarely called me that when we were 
here in the Hoover building.  He didn't flinch from my gaze.  "All 
right, I'll tell them to go home."

I smiled and stood up.  "They love you.  They don't want to seem 
ungrateful by asking to leave."

I nodded.  "I understand.  I'll take care of it."

I nodded.  "I know you will.  I'll talk to you later."  With that he 
left, closing the door softly behind him.

I sighed.  All my plans were coming to fruition.  I called Walter 
paranoid, but the truth was that I was waiting for the other shoe to 
drop as well.  This hadn't been easy, but we hadn't run into any of 
the resistance we had expected and planned for.  When things went 
too smoothly, I worried that I was missing something.  Perhaps I 
was being paranoid.  Only time would tell.

I looked at the clock and it was nearly time to leave.  I didn't get 
physically weary, although the sun did tire me some, even though I 
wasn't exposed to it.  It was always there, beyond my blacked out 
windows.  Maybe it was time to quit the FBI and just work my 
corporation full time.  Once the vaccine was distributed, it was 
going to be set up as a part of the regular group of shots that 
children were given as inoculations.  That would take some 
attention and organization as well.  I knew that I had a team of 
people at my beck and call that would take care of all of this.

I almost felt extraneous at times.  Perhaps I needed a more direct 
role or hand in things.  Then I wondered about my sanity.  I finally 
had a little peace and I was all worried about it.  What the hell was 
wrong with me?  I shook my head and stood up, putting on my suit 
jacket and buttoning it.

I grabbed my trench coat and headed home.  Alex was waiting.  If 
nothing else good ever came from my coming to Washington, I 
would always be grateful for Alex.  He was without a doubt, the 
love of my life, of all my lifetimes.  Together we would rule as 
long as we lived, with the Covenant of Blood.

THE END.