Midnight Angel

by Dr. Ruthless and PaulaMP

(Sequel to "Tidal Wave")

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RATED NC-17 for squidgy thoughts, naughty mindedness and boy on boy hot
stuff. You have been warned.

SUMMARY: M/K - Fox'n Alex wake up together after Alex's seduction of Fox in
"Tidal Wave"

DISCLAIMER: They are too ours, but they were switched at birth and now we
can't prove it.

SPOILERS - Vague for Dreamland

FEEDBACK - Please! sashworth@home.com and PaulaMP@aol.com

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: *Many* thanks to Dr. Ruthless who was the "driver" and let
me go along for the ride! :-)

************************************************************

Alex Krycek was totally blissed out. He sprawled out on the floor of Fox
Mulder's apartment, lying on his belly with his feet in the air, reading the
newspaper and eating a chocolate chip cookie while he waited for Mulder to
return with breakfast for them both. He wore a pair of Mulder's sweat pants
and a white T-shirt, and his hair, still damp from the shower, glistened in
the sunlight from the window. All he needed to make this day perfect, was a
coffee and Mulder himself.

//It's the modern equivalent of 'a book of verse, a flask of wine and thou'
// he mused. //a tall non-fat latte, a New York Times, and thou, though if I
really had to I could live without the first two if I just have thou! //

He closed his eyes, recalling the night before. He had turned up expecting
to fight with Mulder, and ended up sleeping beside him, waking in the night
to kiss and be kissed, as the two of them discovered that they did not
actually hate each other at all.

//I don't know what I'm thinking of. I should just take off and run as far
away as I can, but I'm not going to. I can't remember ever feeling quite
this relaxed and carefree before. It's almost like a dream. I think I love
him.//

Beside the window, Mulder's telephone rang, and he heard Mulder's voice kick
in as the answering machine picked up.

"I can't come to the phone right now. I'm entertaining a *very* special
guest." Mulder's voice was a purr, and he made the sentence ooze with sexual
innuendo.

Alex's brow furrowed. What the heck was happening here? When had Fox
recorded that?

The door flew open, and Mulder himself stood there bearing paper sacks from
which came a savory smell that reminded Alex that he was starving. Mulder
closed the door and took his burden through to the kitchen, where he could
be heard rattling plates as he prepared breakfast for the two of them. He
took off his jacket, tossing it negligently over the back of a chair and
carried out a plate on which a pair of "Egg McMuffins" and a mound of hash
browns was reclining. He returned a moment later with a couple of oversized
containers of coffee, and handed one down to Alex.

"Oh, gourmet cookery, Mulder! Macdonald's, huh? You really know how to show
a guy a good time. You know what? I really prefer food!" His grimace of
apparent distaste was spoiled by the loud sound of his stomach rumbling.

Alex rolled over lazily and lay, coffee balanced on his chest, gazing
dreamily up at the other man through spiky lashes. He sighed.

Mulder poked at him with the toe of one of his sneakers. "Come on lazy. Get
yourself together or I'm going to eat everything." Alex grinned, a boyish
grin that held no malice.

"I can see right up the leg of your jeans." He confided, grabbing Mulder's
leg and tweaking a bunch of hairs out. Mulder, choked, yelped and wrested
his foot free hastily, moving with great speed to place himself outside of
Alex's reach.

Snickering, Alex roused himself to sit up, placing the coffee on the floor
beside him, and reached for a sandwich.

Mulder spotted the light flashing on his answering machine and slouched over
to check his messages, snagging the other sandwich as he went.

"I don't get it." Alex looked up at Mulder, cheek bulging as he chewed on
his breakfast.

"Funny, that's not how I remember it." Mulder's leer was pure Groucho Marx
as he wiggled his eyebrows at the man with whom he had just spent the most
incredible night of his life.

Alex rolled his eyes.

"No, you fool, I mean I can't figure out how you knew I'd be in town." he
chomped down on his breakfast again, reaching for a hash brown as he did so.

"I didn't!" Mulder was a little confused.

"Oh, come on, you don't have to pretend anymore. I heard your answering-
machine message." Alex's smile was shark-like. The hash browns were
disappearing rapidly, and Mulder quickly moved to intercept the plate,
forestalling Alex's attempt on the final one.

"*What* are you talking about?" Mulder's confusion was muffled by the
mouthful of food. Alex pushed the last piece of sandwich into his mouth, and
got to his knees, crawling across to push the button on the answering
machine. Mulder's voice filled the room once more as the message played.
Mulder listened with increasing bewilderment.

There was a pause, the kind of pause that usually happens at the dentists,
just before the drill goes in. Mulder swallowed, his brow furrowed.

"That's *not* me. I didn't put that message on my machine!"

Alex snorted. "Oh, so we have an X-file? What? Did someone invade your body
and make you leave that message?" He lay back, licking his fingers clean
like a cat. "And what about this *very* special guest? You've been playing
naive about your apartment's make-over when it was part of *your* plan all
along after you found out I was in town." His fingers clean, he took a swig
of coffee, then scrunched around and began to "stalk" Mulder, running his
hand up inside the leg of his jeans, stroking and petting as he spoke. He
rubbed his cheek on Mulder's denim clad leg, his day-old beard rasping
against the faded cloth as he did so. Mulder's hand fell to Alex's hair, and
he began idly twiddling with the short strands as he sat, clumping them up
into spikes, long fingers caressing Alex's scalp. Alex made a sound that
could have been a purr, arching his neck to present the area just behind his
ear to Mulder's busy fingers.

Mulder meanwhile, was thinking things through, and was still totally
confused. "Being a bit presumptuous aren't you Alex? Let me assure you, the
urge to do some spring cleaning hasn't hit me in a long time. And how come
you're so sure I haven't been entertaining a gorgeous temptress?"

Alex flashed him a sardonic grin at this. "Well, you didn't exactly appear
satiated when I arrived earlier. Come on - no need to be shy about your
feelings - I knew you wanted that kiss when I was here last - knew you've
wanted it as long as I have." He pouted a little as Mulder's hand stopped
it's movement in his hair. His own hand slid up Mulder's thigh, lightly
scratching over his groin and moving to explore the zipper.

"Did you forget the rest of your visit - when you tasked me with stopping
some sort of planned invasion of earth? Then surely you heard through the
grapevine about my trip to Antarctica?" Mulder placed his hand on Alex's
wrist, stopping the distraction of his insistent movement. "I need access to
the X-files but I'm being denied at every turn. Why did I have to be the one
who is supposed to save the fucking world?" His voice was bitter and his
eyes looked out beyond Alex as he dwelled on the injustices he was facing.
His voice was flat as he ruffled Alex's hair. "I haven't had much spare time
to get seducing you to the top of my "to do" list. Why would I when I didn't
even think about it..

//Wouldn't let myself think about it!//

..until you came to me last night?"

// I didn't mean for us to get back to this so quickly.//

Alex stiffened, his hand fell to grip on his coffee cup. Mulder could see
that he had upset him.

// Damn the real world !//

Alex took a deep breath. "Look Mulder, maybe I can help." The widely spaced
eyes Alex turned on Mulder were carefully expressionless, his voice
tentative.

Mulder looked incredulous. "You, *help* me?" I don't need your kind of
help." Before he had even finished speaking, he realized how that had
sounded. Watching the guard come down across Alex's face felt like a punch
to his gut. He couldn't look at the other man.

Alex's brain was racing. //He doesn't love me. He doesn't care. What am I
going to do? God, this hurts. I should have stayed away.// He turned his
head away so that Mulder could not see his face. He had never felt so naked
and exposed.

// I wish I could tell him how he came to have the vaccine for Scully. Oh,
God, trust me Fox, just a little bit! I'd give you everything if you'd only
trust me.//

"I thought maybe last night we had begun to build a little bit of trust,
Fox. I guess I had it all wrong."

Alex set down the cup of coffee, remembering his earlier anticipation of
sharing this morning ritual with Mulder. He felt as if he was setting aside
his dream as he left the cup on the table and moved to the bedroom to
retrieve his clothes.

Mulder stood frozen. He could see the sadness in Alex's eyes and wanted to
go after him and fall back into the bliss of the waterbed's tidal wave. But
the tidal wave cresting toward him now was real life and his confusion would
not let him move.

************************************************************

A short time later, Alex came back to the living room and paused along side
the couch where Mulder was sitting. When the other man kept staring straight
ahead, Alex decided to leave quietly, reaching out to grab his cup of
coffee, as he went - wanting to take part of his dream with him after all.

Mulder was left sitting on the couch with his jaw on his chest, not quite
sure what had happened, but with a very uneasy feeling in the pit of his
stomach. He rushed to open the window, thinking he could maybe call Alex
back, but Alex was not to be seen. Defeated, he pressed play on his
answering machine again, scratching his head in bafflement at the message.

He wondered what he could do. He had no way of contacting Krycek. He knew
nothing about where the other man lived. All he did know was that it had
been a year since he had last seen Krycek, and that if he had to wait
another year before seeing him again he would be devastated.

***************************************

Mulder quickly fell back into his routine. He trudged through the scut work
he and Scully were given; staying alert for hints as to the status of the
X-files and once again trying each night to doze on the couch as the TV
droned on. If his heart hadn't a perpetual ache, he would have thought
nothing had changed.

One more thing was different. Each night the phone would ring and his answer
of "Mulder' was met with a soft intake of breath - breath he knew had once
been close to him, spilling over his body, even now making him ache with
longing. Then, just as quickly, there would be only the dial tone in his
ear.

Why did it have to be this way? Mulder had asked himself this question each
night after the call. Tonight he began to ponder the question before the
call came and he wondered not why, but if, it had to be this way. It
suddenly hit him that he had been so headstrong in his belief that he had to
solve all of life's problems on his own, he hadn't given Alex's offer of
help fair consideration.

Maybe Alex was right and they had begun to establish a small bond of trust
during their night together. After all, Alex had had ample opportunity to
harm or even kill him. It occurred to him that the younger man had instead
shown patience and gentleness during that new experience for Mulder, as he
finally revealed feelings he had long kept hidden, even from himself.

Hell, what did he have to lose? How could it get any worse than searching
for hidden manure....

//The shit is out there! //

.....Having a boss out to get you and seeing a weasel who didn't care, much
less believe, working *his* X-files? Could life actually get any worse? How
had he actually managed to chase away the one thing that might have been
good?

//God, I'm self-destructive! //

Yes, he was going to try being a team with Alex - at work and play. But how
could he get Alex back here?

He thought grimly for several minutes, then his brow cleared. "That's it!
The world will beat a path to my door!" He sat back down, and began to
devise a better rattrap!

*********************************

Alex didn't know why he kept torturing himself each night, but he couldn't
help himself. It had only taken one night to become addicted to the
closeness of Fox and if a quick "Mulder" over the phone was all he could
get, he would take it. Alex had gotten into the habit of sipping on his
coffee and picking up the phone to call when he knew it was likely Mulder
would be home surfing through the TV channels. Tonight, the phone continued
to ring and the disappointed man almost hung up before deciding that even if
it wasn't live, he would listen to Mulder's voice on the answering machine.

"Mulder here. Well, actually I'm not here, because I'm at the store stocking
up on champagne and candles. Like a good boy scout I want to stay prepared
for second chances."

Alex nearly choked on the rich dark liquid he had been drinking. Was this
Mulder's idea of a joke? Was this message indeed for him? Or had there been
some other "special guest" all along? Well, he certainly didn't have
anything to lose - best not to waste an opportunity. And Alex was out the
door.....

He pulled up short as he approached Mulder's apartment building. His initial
elation upon hearing Mulder's message was giving way to doubt. Mulder had
made it clear, hadn't he, what he thought of the tactics Alex sometimes
found necessary to use as he also pursued some of the truths Mulder sought.
Despite the way Mulder's apartment had been set-up that night, their
resulting passion had seemed as much a surprise to the apartment's
inhabitant as it had been to Alex. Alex knew Mulder too well, and as much as
he believed Mulder felt the attraction between them, Alex also knew it was
just as likely Mulder was desperately trying to deny those feelings.

Maybe this was some kind of trap Mulder was setting, hoping to capture Alex
and ensure his punishment. Alex pulled his jacket closer around him as the
chill of the night seemed to suddenly envelop him. No, this was too good to
be true and Alex turned, retracing his steps back into the lonely gloom he
had hoped to escape. He rounded the corner and was gone just seconds before
Fox Mulder's yearning face appeared in the window above.

********************************

It was Christmas Eve. Presents were wrapped and in place, people had gone
home and the streets were empty now. Although it was only five, it was dark
already. Outside there was a strong wind rattling the window of Mulder's
apartment. It had begun snowing at about two o' clock that afternoon and
there were several inches of the stuff lying on the sidewalk. Fox Mulder
peered through the window wondering if tonight would be the night. The
message had been on his machine for the last couple of days, and he had just
finished updating it yet again, having decided that tonight would be his
final attempt.

His apartment was polished and shiny. He had set the table and there were
candles waiting to be lit. In the window, there was another candle, and
beside it, a champagne cooler sat, illuminated by the flickering flame.
Anyone passing on the street below would see it, and would be able to read
the sign that protruded from it. The sign read "For my VERY special guest."

Mulder was hopeful that tonight would be the night Alex would take pity on
him. The phone had rung several times during the evening, and he had left it
to the machine to pick up, waiting, hoping against hope that this time would
be the right one, and that Alex would come home to him.

The first time the phone had rung, it had been Scully of course, wishing him
a merry Christmas and commenting on his voice message, hoping that he was
having a good time. The second time had been Langly and Frohicke, who made a
couple of jokes about his choice of activity for Christmas Eve before
demanding that he call them if he wanted to go over in the morning for a
'really cool Yule, dude!'

The third caller had left no message, hanging up as the message ended.
Several minutes later the same thing had happened, although this time the
caller had held on the line for a minute or two more, and Mulder had grabbed
the phone to yell "Hello, Alex?" before the sound of dead air greeted him.

He was now waiting, as he had done each night for the past few days,
searching the street hopefully, offering prayers to whatever deity might
listen that Alex would come tonight.

He had dressed with care. He was wearing a silk shirt, open at the neck, and
a pair of black jeans. His feet were bare, and his sleeves were rolled back
to his elbows. He had wrapped a number of packages in Christmas paper, and
they were piled in a corner beside the fish tank. He had made an attempt to
put up some decorations, and there was a huge bunch of mistletoe hanging
from the centre of the light fixture. Mulder was leaving nothing at all to
chance.

His stereo, rarely used, was playing softly. He had put on a couple of CDs
and the sound of REM was washing through the apartment. The smell of
something spicy and Italian wafted from his kitchen. Mulder, who had slept
very badly since the night he had spent with Alex, sank down onto the couch
to wait. There was nothing else he could do now except wait.

***************************

He awoke with a start. The music was finished, and the snow was banking
against his window, obscuring the view of the street below. His feet were
cold, and he stirred himself, intending to go to the bedroom and find some
socks. Dragging himself up off the couch he looked at the time and saw that
it was only a few minutes short of midnight. He closed his fist, knuckling
eyes that were suddenly full with tears.

"Oh, God, Alex!" Forlornly, he stood up and turned to go into his bedroom.
Sitting in his armchair, white beard flying, hood pulled down over his
cotton wool eyebrows, was a Santa Claus. Mulder practically jumped out of
his skin.

"What the fuck?" He was over to the chair in two strides, grabbing the front
of the Santa's jacket, and hauling the man out of his seat. He was lighter
than he appeared, and it seemed that much of Santa's bulk was padding. Once
out of his chair, he proved to be at least as tall as Mulder. Mulder held on
to the jacket and gritted his teeth in the Santa's face.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment? Anyone would think I
have signs out inviting everyone over." He gave Santa a shake, and Santa
appeared to grin beneath his cotton wool facial fuzz.

"Actually," a muffled voice said from behind the beard. "As a matter of fact
you do!" The abused Santa was showing an alarming tendency to giggle, and
finally Mulder's light bulb went on.

"Alex! Oh God, my Alex!" He ripped away cotton wool, facial fuzz, wire
spectacles and hat in one smooth movement, and then swept Alex into a
crushing embrace, lips fitting to lips as Alex turned his face up to the
kiss. Mulder's arms went around the rotund figure, hands searching for a way
to get his lover disentangled from the grotesque padding. His tongue teased
over Alex's lips, snaking into the other man's mouth to discover his.
Abandoning his attempts to find a way into that maddening jacket, he brought
his hands up to cradle Krycek's face, deepening the kiss, sucking on Alex's
tongue and trying as best he could to sink into Alex's skin, or have him
become one with him.

When at last he let Alex go, it was to find the buttons on the front of that
maddening jacket, undoing them, and sliding his hands inside to find the
warmth of his body within. As his arms went around him, pulling him close,
Mulder leaned his head on Alex's shoulder and pressed as close to him as he
possibly could.

"I was terrified. I thought I'd never see you again. Oh, God, I'm so happy."
Alex turned his head to press his lips onto Mulder's ear. For a minute more,
they said nothing, then Alex, who had been running his hand over the silk on
Mulder's back, pulled away, mouthing "Come on." as he drew Mulder in the
direction of the bedroom. Mulder pulled back.

"Oh, no! I'm not that easy!" He grinned at Alex, and placed a quick kiss on
the corner of his mouth before he continued. "I've gone to a lot of trouble
to set this up. You aren't going to short circuit even one little stage. He
pressed Alex down into a seat, and stood back. "It's my turn to seduce you,
and I've got the full routine all ready for you. I'm not going to miss a
trick, I promise you. By the time I'm finished, we'll be able to compare
notes and decide who's got the best technique! Get out of that dumb suit,
and I'll go heat up supper." With that, he moved over to close the window
drapes, extinguish the candle, and remove the sign that had been displayed
all evening.

*************************************

The candlelight cast flickering shadows over the faces of the lovers. They
had eaten dinner, and between them they had emptied a bottle of wine. Alex
was smoking a cigarette as Mulder moved quietly about, replacing the CD,
clearing dishes away into the kitchen, and pausing from time to time to
touch Alex gently. Alex sat smiling, his eyes bright as they followed Mulder
around the room. As the music began to play, Mulder took Alex's hand and
pulled him up.

"Dance with me?"

"Oh yeah!" As the slow driving rhythm, and the intricate saxophone of
Ultravox's "Hiroshima, Mon Amour" filled the air, the two of them clung to
each other and swayed. Mulder smiled down at Alex, whose head was on his
shoulder and began to tug at him just a bit. Alex looked up into mischievous
eyes. "I thought we were taking this slow."

Mulder grinned as he looked off to the side and toward the ceiling light
from which sprigs of mistletoe hung. "Oh, we are."

Alex's eyes followed to where Mulder looked and his chuckle reverberated
around the room. "I must admit I didn't have you figured for a
traditionalist Fox." Still swaying to the music, Alex began to guide them
toward the center of the room. "Did you really think you would have to trick
me into kissing you?"

Mulder was still grinning. "Well, I couldn't be too sure. It certainly took
you long enough to take me up on my answering machine messages.

Alex's smile had not disappeard either. "Well, maybe if you had thrown a
'Hey Alex' in there somewhere."

Mulder looked at Alex increduously and laughed. "With the people that listen
in on my phone?" The men had arrived under the mistletoe and Fox could feel
the hard length of Alex's body through the denim and silk. He glanced up at
the sprigs of greenery and berries and back down at Alex. "But enough talk.
Just show me how traditional *you* can be." Mulder, reconsidering what he
planned for the evening, paused as he leaned toward Alex and his eyes
sparkled impishly. "Well, at least for a minute or two."

Then Fox turned serious as he put his hand up to cup Alex's chin, raising it
so that he could cover those soft lips with his, his tongue slipping inside
the other man's mouth, discovering all over again the langourous pleasure of
tongue on tongue. Alex drew a sharp breath, and proceeded to kiss him back
so hard that his toes curled up. His hand went to cup Fox's behind and pull
him in against the hardening bulge in the front of his jeans. He moaned
softly as he felt an answering hardness pressing against him. Their kiss
deepened, mouth bruising mouth as they clung to each other. Mulder's arm
around Alex's waist held him against his straining body, and his other hand,
buried in the shiny hair of the back of his head, kept his mouth glued into
that kiss. Alex could feel his knees growing weak as Mulder continued to
explore his mouth.

"Am I getting this right? Are we ready for the next stage yet?"

Alex cocked an eyebrow at the taller man quizzically.

"What next stage, Fox?"

"Hmmm..let me see, how does it go? 'Wine me, dine me, 69 me!' I think that
was it!" His grin broadened as Alex lifted his head to stare at him with a
faintly shocked expression. "You didn't think you were getting out of here
without putting out for me, did you? This is a seduction, baby! Your ass is
mine!"

Alex smiled again. "Fox," he said quietly "it always has been."

Fox Mulder felt his breath stop as he digested that statement. As it sank
in, he groaned, holding Alex to him as hard as he could, mouth once again
sliding over the other man's lips as he tasted him, drank him, drowned in
him. Pulling back briefly, he grabbed a candlestick from the table, and
leading Alex, he headed for the bedroom.

"I've got this all set up! Just you wait!"

****************************

Undressing Alex was interesting. Mulder had thought it would be a matter of
seconds before he and Alex were skin on skin, but his fingers were shaking,
and the buttons were sticking. After his third attempt to undo the button on
the other man's jeans, Mulder was preparing to rip the damned things off his
lover's body. Alex, faintly alarmed, pulled away and began to unfasten the
offending button, saying mildly.

"If ever I want to go out in public again, I'm gonna need to keep warm,
Fox." Grinning widely, he wriggled out of his pants, leaving Mulder
twitching with lust as he stretched to take off the T-shirt he was wearing.
Finally he stood naked in front of Mulder, maliciously smiling as he
surveyed the effect he was having on his lover.

Fox ran his hands over him, licking his ear, his cheek, finally fixing his
lips on the other man's neck, sucking until the fair skin there began to
turn red. He lowered Alex onto the bed, grinding his pelvis into him as he
did so. Alex whimpered, and put his hand down to unfasten Fox's zipper,
pushing the harsh denim of his jeans down, freeing his penis to press
against him as he held him tightly. At last they were lying together, hands
exploring each others' bodies, mouths wandering over each other as they
uttered barely audible declarations of love.

Lying pressed alongside Alex, Mulder drew his head back, taking in the
beauty of him as he lay, head thrown back in abandon. His white throat was
bared to him as he arched, eyes closed, inviting Mulder's caresses. He was
biting his lip. The ruin of his left arm was tucked into the tumbled pillows
and he had his other hand twisted into Fox's hair. As Fox slid his hands up
and down on Alex's hardness, and listened to the gasping breath that told of
Alex's growing need. Mulder spoke gently, knowing that he was taking a step
he would never be able to retreat from.

"Alex, Alex love, listen to me." The green eyes flew open as Alex realized
that Fox's voice held urgency. "I'm so sorry about the things I said to you
that morning. I hadn't thought things through. I'd be really glad if you
could help me. You and I both know you have sometimes...um ...used different
tactics than I do as we deal with this conspiracy, so it never dawned on me
that we would ever be working toward the same end. If you can work with me,
it would be wonderful. I'm just not used to needing help - accepting help -
it's a new thing for me."

Alex's eyes shone. The hand that was tangled in Mulder's hair pulled his
head down, and Alex's mouth fastened onto Fox's in a kiss that began gently,
sweet darts of his tongue that searched out pleasure points, teasing them
into tingling fire. Rolling to cover him, Alex deepened his kiss, pressing
him down and running his hand down to squeeze his cock, rubbing an
exploratory thumb over the moisture glistening on the tip.

As Fox gasped and writhed, Alex slowly worked his hand down to draw lazy
circles around his tight asshole, moist finger dipping, pressing, working
its way in to the heat of the channel there. As he pushed his finger in to
stroke Fox's prostate, he released Fox's mouth and dropped his head, working
his way down with gentle nips and licks, pausing to suck a nipple into his
mouth and nibble, before working delicately south once more. Reaching Fox's
belly, Alex ran his tongue around the shadow of his navel, before drawing in
a huge breath and blowing a resounding raspberry. Fox convulsed. Alex
snickered and then, while Fox was drawing breath to protest, he opened his
lips and sucked the full length of his cock inside his mouth and down his
throat. Fox went wild. His hips bucked crazily and as Alex held him, mouth
sucking, fingers stroking and probing, Fox felt the rush of his orgasm
explode somewhere behind his balls, throwing out fiery streamers of hot,
sweet electricity along his cock, up his spine, and across his belly. He
came. Shouting words of love to the man who held him.

As he subsided, lying limply, sweat-bathed and skin flushed, he looked
ruefully at Alex.

"That wasn't supposed to happen just yet. I've got all these things I want
to do to you." His voice tailed off. Alex was eyeing him speculatively,
rather the way that a cat would eye a mouse. "Go for it, Fox. I won't stop
you." Alex flung himself to lie back amongst the pillows, his hand still
stroking circles onto the skin of Mulder's shoulder. Mulder breathed deeply,
and then climbed out of the bed. Padding off to the other room, he returned
with a package, which he tossed onto Alex's chest.

"Here, this is for you." He grinned, and disappeared again. A moment later,
as Alex was methodically working his thumbnail under the tape of the
package, Mulder returned with the champagne bucket, now filled with ice, and
a bottle of the wine. "Oh Lord, Alex! I had you pegged as the type who would
rip and tear, don't tell me you're a methodical unpicker of parcels...I
can't stand it!"

Alex flashed him a smile. "Instant gratification is OK in it's way, but I
like my pleasures to last..." His smile turned malicious as he surveyed his
own state of arousal. His prick stood tall, and as he finally removed all
the wrapping from his gift, he pulled out a pair of cheap, fur lined
handcuffs. "Oh, please!" He held them out, smile widening as he extended his
wrist. "Do it to me! Give me all you've got!" Mulder clasped them onto him,
fastening the other link to the headboard, and then moved to sit astride his
chest, bringing the bottle of champagne with him.

The sound of the champagne bottle was very loud in the small bedroom. The
music still played in the other room, but the smoky tones of Amanda Marshall
were eclipsed by the shriek that rang out as cold wine spilled from the top
of the bottle to pour onto Alex's chest.

"Fox, you bastard! Yob tvoyu mat!" He writhed from side to side, trying to
escape from the freezing champagne that dripped onto him, but because of
Mulder's weight on top of him, coupled with the forced immobility that the
cuff had imposed, all he could do was curse! Fox laughed down at him,
tenderly stroking the red face.

"What was that you just said? Were you insulting me by any chance?" Fox's
grin was wide, as he scrambled off Alex's chest, placing the cold bottle on
his tummy for a second, and then turning it so that the wine began to pour
onto his stomach. "I'm going to have to punish you for calling me names!
What did you call me anyway?"

"Not you..." choked Alex, "Not you, your mother!"

"Oh, you are a very bad boy. You will definitely have to pay for that!" Fox
put the bottle back into the bucket and began to lap at the pooled wine that
had collected in Alex's navel. As he drank, Alex's whimpers faded. "Are you
cold, baby? Is that what the problem is?" Casually seizing the candle, Fox
tilted it, and drizzled hot wax up and down the tender flesh of Alex's
thighs. Alex screamed. His erection was impossibly hard, and he squirmed in
his attempt to get some pressure on it.

"Oh God! Fox, please. Please....!" His words deteriorated into incoherent
sounds as Fox began to lick the length of him in long, sweeping movements.
Taking hold of his cock with one hand, Fox proceeded to lick around its
head, swirling his tongue over the ridge, tasting him and making him arch to
try and get more, further, deeper. Fox took a healthy swallow of the
champagne, and then dipped his head back to Alex's penis, taking it all in,
the cold wine bathing it and making Alex's eyes bug out. Finally, Mulder
took the ice cube he had been nursing, and pushed it into Alex. The
combination of ice and heat when Fox went down on him made him shriek once
more. Fox gave a low laugh and then wriggled up to share a kiss. Alex was
gasping and panting, and Mulder could see that he was very close to the
edge.

"Alex, I don't want you to come for a minute, just give me a moment. Can you
do that for me? Can you hold on?" Alex groaned, but nodded. Mulder kissed
him once more then moved away, searching for lube. Warming it in his hand,
he began to apply it to Alex's cock, stroking it on with long hard strokes
that made Alex moan and catch his breath. Finally, Mulder straddled Alex
once more, and with a determined wriggle, plunged Alex's penis deep within
him. Alex yelled once again, and the incredible sensation of being inside
the man he loved was almost more than he could bear. He could feel liquid
fire bubbling up inside him, and as Mulder began to rise and fall on him it
erupted to flow in torrents of joy around his cock. He felt himself spurting
wildly, and his body went rigid as wave after wonderful wave of pleasure
jolted through him. At last he collapsed limply, and Fox fell onto his
chest, murmuring soft words of endearment as they lay together.

"Jesus, Fox! I thought when we were together last time it was your first?"
He gave Mulder a speculative look from beneath the veil of his eyelashes.

"It was. I've never been with another man. I've done my homework though. I
can't tell you how many books I've been through this past week." He smiled
wryly. "It was a real education. I' m good for a whole bunch of surprises!"

"Not tonight. I think you broke something. I'm totally unable to move, and
I'm all sticky." Alex lay in a tumbled heap, watching as Fox released him
from the handcuffs.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up" grinned Mulder, tugging his lover to his
feet and leading him out of the bedroom to the bathroom. As they passed the
phone, it rang, and Mulder's Christmas message was played.

"This is Fox Mulder. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now, because I
hope I'm going to be making love to the person I love more than anything.
The champagne is chilling and the candles are waiting. I hope your Christmas
is as wonderful as mine is going to be. Leave me a message, and I'll call
you back when I come back to earth."

END

Frankie worked hard and long to beta out little offering. We left her out of
the credits, and here's our penance:

Thank you Franklet! Sorry! Extra snuggles for you.....

*************************************************

Ummpf - kerplunk!!

Both men's eyes popped open, immediately alert. Yes, there was definitely
some kind of noise in Mulder's living room. By instinct, Fox and Alex were
instantly reaching for weapons which were nowhere close by - long forgotten
during a night when an unquenchable Mulder had used more of the lusty
helpful hints he had gathered in his recent "research" to convince Alex he
was anything but broken.

But rather than the smooth transition to a defensive posture, the sudden
movement on the waterbed and the intricate entanglement of the men's bodies
made the scene look like a comedy routine. When the men were finally
standing, Alex managed to locate his jacket, gun in pocket. With Mulder at
his back and gun at the ready, the two men crept to the living room bathed
in the light that noone had remembered to turn off.

The men pulled up short as it appeared someone looking like Santa was trying
to drag a bag *in* through the window. Mulder groaned. "Not another Santa. I
*know* I took that sign out of the window."

Santa swung around to look at the gentlemen and his cheeks seemed to
increase by several shades of rosy. It was at this time that Alex and Mulder
remembered their state of dress - or lack thereof. While Alex kept the gun
trained on Santa, Mulder retrieved sweatpants and t-shirts for them both. As
they took turns dressing, Alex inquired, "Who are you and what are you doing
here?"

Santa had finally gotten the bag in the window and appeared to be looking
for something specific within its confines. "Well, I'm Santa of course. And
I was asked by two ladies, Sue and Paula, to pay you a visit. Apparently, in
two nights together, you have been naughtier than many are in an entire
year. As a matter of fact you were naughty to distraction. With all that
undulating in the waterbed and dripping candlewax, you made these ladies
forget the important thank you they needed to make to Frankie who had been
most helpful with beta and punctuation suggestions for a story they wrote."

Alex let the gun drop to his side and Mulder spoke up. "What are you looking
for in that bag?"

Santa replied as he kept rummaging. "Well, an appropriate reproof of course.
CSM's house was my last stop, so I'm clean out of lumps of coal. I do have
these switches, but I'm pretty sure you would find a way to use those to
your advantage."

Fox and Alex grinned at each other knowingly.

Santa continued ruffling through his bag. "I've got these carrots someone
left for the reindeer. Uhhh, no, nevermind, let's not go there." Santa heard
muffled snickers behind him. "Ah, here's the thing. Not sure how this got in
here.

It's a video of an Agent Screech, uh no, um, Spud, no, Spender - that's it,
Spender. It's this Spender and some lady, Fowley? They're playing badminton.
You young men just sit down and watch that video and I'll go check out the
kitchen. Please tell me you've got something harder than milk in there.
You're my last stop and I need to wind down."

Fox, looking bewildered, nodded and took the video from Santa. Both men
groaned as they sat beside each other on the couch and Mulder grabbed the
remote. Alex chuckled and leaned over to Mulder. "Will your VCR be able to
play something so tame and dull?" Mulder nudged Alex's elbow and looked
toward the kitchen.

Too late. Santa had heard and piped up. "No horseplay boys. Just watch the
video or I'll have to see what else I might have in my collection." The men
quickly scooted to opposite ends of the couch.

A little while later, Santa returned to the living room, looking even more
jovial than Santa usually does, and found Alex and Mulder looking
appropriately chastised. "OK, I need you both to write a quick apology to
Frankie and I'll be on my way."

The task completed, Santa took the note and reached in his bag one last
time. "I think Sue and Paula have a soft spot for you two. They told me to
leave this with you as well." And Santa reached for the window.

Mulder took the package. "Santa, maybe you would like to use the door?"

Santa smiled sheepishly. "You know what they say, old habits die hard." And
Santa was out the door.

Alex tried to grab the package from Fox. "Oh no, Alex, I'm not waiting on
you to make sure there are no rips in the paper." One tear and the package
was open. Mulder got that mishchievous twinkle in his eyes and held out the
package for Alex to see.

Alex's eyes brightened. "Mmm. Edible underwear. Wonder how often those
ladies have to make apologies?"

Neither man waited to ponder the question as they darted toward the bedroom.

******************************************************************************