Disclaimer: These characters mostly belong to Chris Carter. I won't say 'all' 'cause some are mine. A scarce few. Of course, if FOX and 1013 productions are suing people, I'd say that a poor, Krycek obsessed 14 year old would be pretty far down their list. I don't see why they would sue me - all my money pretty much goes to them anyway....but Chris, I am only borrowing your little darlings for a little while. If you really want, I'll give 'em back when I finish. If you don't want, I'll give 'em all a good home. At least the ones I like. Actually, I like most of them. Contrary to popular belief, I don't hate Mulder. I wouldn't kick him out of the bed for little reasons - only if Krycek wanted in and didn't want Mulder there. :::shrugs::: he'd be gone pretty fast. I like disclaimers! They make me happy, even though they're saying that they're not mine...I do wish they were, so much! Chrissy, why don't you just give 'em to me? I'll give you a surfboard...! But...you're getting sloppy, with the lax security - I've stolen 'em! Krycek, Mulder, Scully, even the enigmatic Cancer Man and Skinner, they belong to me now. And god, do I have fun with them! Explanation: If you know me, you'll know I've been in a weird mood lately, and fanfic has come out of it. Don't ask. Return of Ratboy Assistant Director's Office FBI Headquarters Washington, D.C. 11:21 A.M. Agent Mulder sat outside the A.D.'s office. His secretary, Kimberly, came out. "Agent Mulder? Assistant Director Skinner will see you now" Mulder muttered his thanks, and walked into the office. The A.D. was seated at his desk, and standing beside him were two other men, both who Mulder recognised. The Cancer Man. And Alex Krycek. 'Bastard' mouthed Mulder, to Krycek. Krycek shot back something in Russian. "Watch your mouth" Skinner advised. Cancer Man simply lit a cigarette, staring hard at Mulder. "Sir?" Mulder began, keeping one eye on Krycek, whom he trusted about as far as he could throw him. "You called me up here?" Skinner nodded. "Agent Mulder, you are familiar with the 'abduction' case you have recently been assigned?" Mulder nodded. He was indeed. In a little known town, not even in America, there were several reports of alien abductions. The thing that set this case apart was that there were two teenagers, who claimed that they weren't actually abductions, but two people (who they refused to name when first asked) who were performing tests on them. Which, basically, was what Mulder suspected had happened to Scully, Duane Barry and the rest. "Well, Agent Krycek is being reinstated, and will be working with yourself and Agent Scully, investigating this case." Mulder stood up straighter. "What?! Krycek?!" Skinner gave Mulder a warning look, which did nothing to stop him. "Sir, all due respect, but are you out of your mind?! Krycek killed my father, Scully's sister, Duane Barry, that tram operator, probably a hell of a lot of others, and what's more.." Mulder was ticking off Krycek's various accomplishments on his fingers, and trailed off slightly, realising the three in the room all looked rather unimpressed. "Agent Mulder!" Skinner exclaimed. "Don't you dare question my integrity of re-assigning Agent Krycek. What's more, I will not have you insulting, with absolutely no base, another agent while in my office." Krycek stayed silent. Mulder glanced between him, Skinner and Cancer Man. "That's it, isn't it! You're working for him!" Mulder pointed violently in the direction of Cancer Man. "Sir, I don't know how he has you kissing his ass, but he sure does, and Alex Krycek, you work directly for and under him!" "On what evidence are you basing this claim, Agent Mulder?" Cancer Man asked, sounding bored. "You are far out of line" Skinner looked stunned. He couldn't believe how Mulder was acting. Geez, when they were partners, Mulder seemed to actually enjoy working with Krycek. "Agent Mulder, a flight leaves for New Zealand in one hour, and I expect yourself, and Agents Scully and Krycek to be on it. All right?" Mulder seemed to realise he wasn't getting anywhere, or accomlishing anything except pissing off his boss. Which was never a safe thing. He nodded, and walked out of the office. Krycek followed behind him. The two got into the elevator to go down into the basement. They entered. Scully was there, reading over some files. She didn't look up. "What was that all about, Mulder?" Mulder glanced sideways at Krycek, with absolutely no warmth. "We've got a new partner" he told her. She smiled wryly. "Not Spender, is it?" Mulder shook his head. "You *do* remember Alex Krycek, right?" Scully's head snapped up. "What?!" Krycek gave her a small, trying-to-be-nice, smile. "Hi" Scully stood up. "I don't believe it! You should be in hell by now, after killing my sister..." "I didn't kill your sister, Scully.." Krycek put in a protest. "The hell you didn't!" Mulder responded for Scully. Krycek rolled his eyes, but didn't bother replying. Mulder turned back to Scully. "But anyway, we're...the *three* of us, booked on a flight to New Zealand, which leaves in just under an hour...so we'd better go." Scully nodded, and stalked out, but not before shooting Krycek a cold glare. Mulder followed, close on her heels. Krycek shrugged, looking around the room. He hadn't said much, since Cancer Man informed him he was back with the Bureau. He didn't dare protest, question anything. He just complied. As he would now. Krycek sighed, and followed the other two out the door, intending to head straight for the airport. The Airport Washington, D.C. 12:10 P.M. Krycek tapped his foot nervously. He hated that feeling, being nervous. It made him feel weak, and Krycek was not accustomed to feeling nervous. Inwardly, he wondered if Mulder and Scully had ditched him. He wouldn't put it past them. *Admit it, Alex, they hate you*. For no true reason. All that crap about him killing Scully's sister, and Mulder's father - hell, neither was him. Sure, he'd been there when Scully's sister Melissa was shot. But he hadn't been the one pulling the trigger. And he hadn't killed Mulder's father. Krycek killed *Bill Mulder*. Not Mulder's father. He remembered Cancer Man that morning. "They'll hate you, Alex. Make them trust you again. Make them believe things that aren't true. Lie through your teeth, if it'll get you somewhere. But don't admit to anything. Ever." Krycek still wasn't entirely sure what he meant. But he sure as hell was going to get through this in one piece. He looked ruefully at his prosthetic arm. *As one piece as I can still be.* "Krycek!" came a yell. He stood up and looked down the lounge to where Mulder and Scully were standing, each holding a small bag. The two came up to him. "Are you ready?" Scully asked, refusing to show any warmth towards him still, but at least being civil. He nodded, and the three flashed boarding passes at the hostess, then began the walk down the corridor to the plane. Somewhere over the Pacific 3:10 am NZ time Krycek shifted in his seat, sleeping restlessly. He'd not been wearing his suit when he'd got on the plane - and in his sleep, he looked the perfect opposite of an FBI agent. Scully thought he looked like a street hoodlum, with the leather jacket, jeans, and unshaven look. But she'd also noticed several of the female air hostesses eyeing him up. Mulder took off his earphones. "I think I've seen it before" he informed Scully, referring to the movie he'd just sat through - 'Alien'. Scully didn't bother asking Mulder why he watched it again, and turned back to watching Krycek. He turned in his sleep. "Die.." he muttered, then exclaiming something in Russian. Scully shook him slightly, to try and wake him. He turned away from her, fidgeting and moving like he was in the trap of a nightmare. Then Krycek's expression changed from hostile to frantic, pleading. "Someone, help me! Let me out! Help!" he exclaimed, a note close to hysteria in his voice. Several people around the three began looking at them strangely. The way one would look at a couple with a screaming baby. "Krycek, come on, wake up.." Scully said to him, leaning into his ear. Krycek grabbed her. "They're gonna kill me! They're coming for me.." he cried, sounding scared - an emotion she was unfamiliar with, with Krycek. She shook him, snapping him back into the real world. A sob escaped his throat, and he shuddered. "A nightmare" he muttered in explanation, pulling his cap down over his eyes. Scully could plainly see that he was quite shaken by it. She also wondered what he had been talking about. Mulder leaned over Scully, to tip Krycek's cap back. "Hey, Krycek. You okay?"Mulder didn't like Krycek one bit, but they were working together now, and had to help each other. Krycek nodded, a sullen expression on his face. He hated being weak, or pitied. He remembered the nightmare vividly - too vividly. Being trapped in the silo - and not being able to get out. Oh yes, he remembered that well. And being double crossed by his son-of-a-bitch boss - he was all too familiar with that memory. He sighed, remembering the car bomb most of all. He was lucky to have escaped that time. A female stewardess came over, and leaned down into Krycek. "Are you okay, sir? You called out.." "I'm fine" he snapped back at her. She raised her eyebrows as if to ask 'What's your problem', and went on down the aisle. Krycek looked at the seat-back in front of him, scowling. He just wished the trip was over. Auckland Airport New Zealand Several Hours later Krycek stumbled off the plane into drizzly, grey skies. He hugged his leather jacket close around him, and looked around for a terminal. Behind him, Scully and Mulder both arrived out into the cold air. "Well." Mulder said, looking around suspiciously. "Where to now?" Scully gave him a pointed look. "The terminal might be a good idea. We've got a connecting flight to the Wakatipu basin in -" she yawned, checking her watch, "one hour's time." "Great" Krycek muttered sarcastically. "You're obviously in a bad mood," Mulder observed. "Haven't been able to find anyone to kill today?" "Fuck up!" Krycek snapped, sick of Mulder treating him like this. His patience had worn thin. "You two," Scully came in, "lay off. Okay? I don't want to spend my time in this country with my two companions snapping at each other. Mulder - let him be, okay?" Mulder nodded, not without shooting Krycek an evil glare out of the corner of his eye. Krycek shot back one of his own, and stalked off towards the terminal. Scully followed him, and Mulder tagged after her. Wakatipu Airport Queenstown 1:45 pm Mulder yawned, and looked around. This airport was even smaller than the previous one, and colder too. Krycek was lucky - he had his jacket. Mulder hadn't really thought of bringing any warm clothing - he'd forgotten it was the dead of winter, and a ski resort. A woman with short brown hair was greeting everyone at the door. "Welcome to Queenstown, enjoy your stay here," she told everyone, with a smile, handing them a small guidebook. Then the three agents walked up to her. "Hello, welcome to Queenstown," she greeted them, eyeing both men up and down. She dutifully handed them the books, and Scully allowed herself to be amused at how she lingered when handing them to Krycek and Mulder. Krycek seemed to wake up a bit more, and gave the woman a teasing grin. Scully noted that his mood seemed to be improved slightly. And she was pleased with the visible improvement. They walked into the main lounge. Which, needless to say, was almost the only room in the entire airport. Mulder looked around. "Well..." he said. It was enough. The airport seemed devoid of life compared to the busy ones they were used to. Not even a luggage carousel. In fact, there didn't seem anywhere to collect their baggage at all. Searching for somewhere, Scully caught sight of two double doors, marked "baggage claim". She walked out, and was blasted by the cold air. Mulder followed, as did Krycek - who seemed the least affected by the cold. "Why the hell aren't you as cold as the rest of us, Krycek?" Mulder asked. "I'm acclimatised to a North-fucking-Dakota missile silo. It was pretty damn cold. I'm now pretty much used to it. This.." Krycek looked around, half amused. "This is warm.." Mulder muttered something that neither of the other two caught, but which included "snow", "rat" and at least one profanity. Krycek ignored him. After collecting their bags, the three went out front in an attempt to hail a taxi. They soon realised, that there weren't actually any taxis around. Which, as Mulder pointed out, is always a problem. Krycek slumped down against the wall, glaring at Mulder from under his cap. Mulder was trying to explain to Scully that they could either walk to their hotel, or catch a bus. Scully pointed out that, for the first, they were over 15 miles away from their hotel, and there weren't any buses running. Mulder went back inside to complain, and Scully eyed Krycek. Krycek eyed Scully. She sighed. "Krycek, who-" she seemed to decide not to finish that sentence. He stared back at her, not saying anything. He seemed to look right through her, and she shivered. He had incredibly spooky eyes. Flat green. Krycek indeed, didn't even notice Scully. In his mind, he was back in the silo again. He hugged his knees to his chest, wondering when someone would come. "Let me OUT!!" he hollered, but in reply all he got was a spooky, lonesome echo of his own voice. "Some-ONE!" He knew, when he saw that son-of-a-bitch man's trail of smoke disappear, that he wasn't getting out of here fast. The rats had started coming up to him an hour ago. He wasn't sure if he'd have the strength or energy to beat them off for much longer. A whimper escaped his lips, without him meaning it to. And before he could stop himself, he was crying. Shitdamnhell. He hurriedly wiped the tears away, and felt the oil still on the back of his hands. "Krycek.." someone called. He looked up, wondering if he was finally going insane. Fuck, it sounded like Mulder. "Mulder??" he replied, voice shaking. "Are you gonna let me out?" "Krycek." Mulder repeated. "Get in the real world. Our taxi's here." Krycek's eyes focussed on Mulder, who had him by the shoulders in order to wake him up. Still not feeling a hundred percent on top of things, he nodded, and stood up. Aspen on Queenstown hotel Fernhill, Queenstown 2:32 pm "And these are your rooms," the hotel worker finished, indicating rooms 103 and 104. Mulder looked quizzical. "Didn't we request three rooms?" She sneered at him, and Mulder realised she was probably just a teenage worker, on the minimum wage. She shrugged, and flipped him the two keys. She then proceeded to walk off down the hall. Halfway down, she stopped and turned back, as if struck by an idea. "Mister.." she said, flipping her blonde hair over one shoulder, "It's the Winter fest. We don't have a third room available. It wouldn't matter if you were James Bond. These are our last two. Enjoy." Mulder watched her retreating form resignedly. Behind him, Krycek sighed. "I guess I'm sleeping alone then.." About ten minutes later, Krycek sat down on his bed, inwardly wondering when the nightmares would stop. Get over it, his mind told him. It was a long time ago. He knew that. But for some reason, the images didn't stop coming back in his mind. He didn't know why - he'd seen enough horrifying things in his lifetime. But the experience in the silo had rattled him beyond belief. And after that, having his arm forcably amputated. He ran his right hand over the plasticated left one, shivering. Gently, without hurting himself, he removed the prosthetic. He hated it. God, did he hate it. It wasn't nearly a part of him, and never would be. But he still couldn't look at his arm when it was off. A knock on the door sounded. "Hey, Krycek, you decent?" Mulder opened the door without waiting for an answer. Krycek jumped in fright, and accidently fell off the bed. Ohhh, shit..his mind swore as he landed on his left side. He scrambled around to find the prosthetic before realising it was on the other side of the bed. He blushed. "Mulder, get out. Get the hell out." Mulder looked surprised at his immediately harsh reaction. He looked further surprised at the fact Krycek didn't get up. Which Krycek didn't. It occurred to him that he'd also discarded his leather jacket across the other side of the room, and was wearing a t-shirt. "Please, Mulder," Krycek was almost begging. His face was bright red, from blushing. Mulder took a step. "Krycek, what's wrong?" "Stop!!" he exclaimed desperately. Mulder ignored him, and came around. Quickly, Krycek averted his eyes, instead, looking out the window. He couldn't look at Mulder's reaction. He heard Mulder draw in breath sharply, then sigh. "Alex Krycek, didn't you want me to see your arm, is that it?" Krycek nodded. He didn't know why he was being so stupid about it, but he was really ashamed of his arm. He knew how silly it was, but at the same time he couldn't help it. Mulder sat down beside him, and behind them, Scully walked in. Krycek swivelled his upper torso around, and saw her. "Oh, fuck.." he murmured. He turned away, facing the wall, his left arm hidden in the folds of the bed. Behind him, he heard Mulder get up again. He went over to Scully, and Krycek heard the two talking quietly. A minute later, they were both gone. "Thank fucking God," Krycek whispered, pulling himself up on the bed. He looked in the mirror. You look like shit, Alex. That wasn't exactly a lie. He looked fucking drugged. He fell back on his back, and looked at the ceiling. Several minutes later, the phone rang. He reached over and picked it up. "Yeah.." "Alex." the voice came filtering through the phone lines, like cigarette smoke. "How are you handling them." Krycek sat up like a shot. "Fine, it's fine." he replied, trying to keep cool. His boss. Checking up on him, as per usual. There was a sigh from the other end. "You wouldn't be lying to me, would you, Alex?" "Whatever lying tactics I have, I learnt from you.." Krycek wasn't answering. His boss chuckled on the other end, and the sound cut Krycek's nerves. He hung the phone up, and glared at it, daring him to ring back. The phone stayed mute. Dining room Aspen on Queenstown A few hours later "Sorry, but we have a dress code," the overweight guy at the door informed Krycek. Krycek looked down himself, and wondered what the guy could mean was wrong. He was wearing jeans, but they were clean enough, as was his shirt. And his leather jacket. "Look, I'm staying at the hotel.." The guy, whose nametag read Paul, cut him off. "I don't really care, sir. We have a dress code. A strict one.." Krycek looked half longingly down the stairs to where Mulder and Scully were sitting across a small table from each other. Then he noticed Paul glaring menacingly at him. He turned on his heel and stalked back to his room. "Where's Krycek?" Scully wondered out loud, looking around the room. She didn't see him anywhere. "Who cares.." continued Mulder, back in his anti-Alex mood. Scully gave him a slight glare over the table. He smiled innocently back, and the waiter came over before either of them could say anything. "Would you two care to order yet?" he asked. They both shook their heads, intent on waiting for Krycek. Mulder was staring out the window, eyes fixed on the mountains across the crystal-smooth lake. They were loaded with snow, apparently normal for this time of year. Suddenly, across from him, Scully raised a hand to her mouth, looking incredibly amused, like she could hardly contain her giggles. Mulder shot her a 'what's so funny?' look, and she pointed behind him, mouthing 'Krycek'. He turned around and had to grin himself. Krycek, wearing an absolutely sulking face, was coming down the stairs, hair slicked back, suit on, complete with tie, and a pair of Mulder's shoes. He came over to the table, and sat down, pulling down on air by his forehead like he would usually pull his hat down. "Shut up" he told them before they had a chance to say anything. The two looked at each other, amused. "Hey, Krycek, they're my shoes, aren't they?" Mulder asked him, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice. Krycek nodded, blushing a little. "I only brought my boots" he told him, "and they wouldn't let me in here with them on!" Mulder grinned at him, and Krycek guessed it was okay that he had borrowed them. They ordered, and ate without incidence. Poolside Aspen on Queenstown Later Mulder swam the length of the pool, for at least the fiftieth time that evening. Scully was lounging on the side of the pool, still dressed, dangling her feet in the water, and Krycek was in the hot spa - keeping his left arm at least partly submerged in the water. Mulder came over to Scully, only slightly winded. He grinned, his hair sticking to his forehead. She eyed him, inwardly admiring. She handed him a towel, and he proceeded to dry his hair a little. Then he slung the towel around Scully's shoulders, and tugged. She fell into the pool with a slight shriek. Krycek turned around to view the pool, grinning at the antics of the other two. Scully stood up, dripping wet, and still half in the water. For once, she grinned at her partner. He reached over and smoothed a lock of her hair off her face, and she smiled not a little shyly. She turned away, cursing herself inwardly for it, and clambered out of the pool. "Okay, Spooky.." she said, slightly teasing him with the resented nickname, "I'm going. Now that someone got me wet, I have to change. Bye." And turned and walked out the pool room door. Krycek watched her go, then watched Mulder watch her go. He had eyes full of lust. Mulder sighed, and went back to his swimming. Krycek went back to his relaxing. Mulder and Scully's hotel room 11:21 pm "Mulder, go to sleep will you?" Scully called sleepily from her bed. Mulder had been bouncing around the room since he got in, half an hour ago. "Yeah sure Scully.." he exclaimed, sounding hyper. "Hey! Let's go visit Krycek.." Scully gave him an "are you out of your mind?" glance. Turning over so her face was in the pillow, she pointed to the clock as an answer.