REPARATIONS - Part 3
By Amokeh
 
Date: July 5, 1999.
Rating: NC-17
Category: Skinner/Scully Graphic Sex (mmmm-hmmm-hmmm!)
Spoilers: Biogenesis, SR-819, Triangle
Disclaimer: Walter Skinner, Dana Scully, Fox Mulder et al belong to Chris
Carter, 1013 Productions and 20th Century Fox Broadcasting. I'm just 
borrowing them for a little while, at no personal financial gain. But if they were 
mine, oh, the things I would do....
Author's Note: Thanks to all those who've emailed me on this; I appreciate it
greatly. Also a big thank-you to Jvantheterrible for all her support and input. 
Love ya, babe! Special thanks to Red Valerian for her phenomenal web site and
for posting my attempt at fan fiction. You're a wonderful person for doing what
you do and we all appreciate your time and efforts on our behalves.
Feedback: Treasured at amokeh@aol.com. 

Reparations - Part III
by Amokeh


University of Abidjan Medical Center
Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Skinner led Scully across the university campus to the medical center where he
had left Mulder. Neither of them spoke on the way; brief touches by his large
hand at the small of her back were the only contact between them as they wove
their way around benches and trees. Their shared silence was kept slightly
uncomfortable by their physical awareness of each other.

Walter was doing his damndest to not read anything into the moment they had
shared in Professor Merkmallen's office. His mind felt as if it had divided into
two separate factions: his common sense and his long-denied hopes and love
for the petite redhead beside him. They were warring bitterly with one another,
and neither side was about to back down. 

She's tired and scared, his common sense persisted. She turned to you because
she had no-one else. End of Story. She would have reacted the same if Mulder
had been there.

What about that kiss, huh? The hope-filled voice in his head was insistent and
compelling. You may have started it, Walt, but she sure as hell didn't want to
end it! Walter squeezed his eyes shut briefly, trying to quell both voices. He
simply couldn't deal with any of this right now, not with Mulder almost comatose
and Krycek lurking in the background. He hadn't seen that one-armed rat turd
since his departure from D.C., but Skinner knew his reprieve was short-lived. 
The nanocytes had been activated for a reason and all he could do was wait for
Krycek to reveal what that reason was.

Skinner sighed and once more directed Scully around a corridor with the
pressure of his right hand against her lower back. He allowed his hand to 
linger, gently rubbing his thumb up and down the smooth cotton of her shirt. He gave
her a reassuring squeeze before he reluctantly dropped his hand back to his
side. More than anything he wanted to feel her in his arms again, to feel her
arms around him as she finally accepted another person's support and strength. 
For that brief moment in the professor's office, he had felt as if nothing could
touch them, that they were safe there, together. He knew they were possibly 
in more danger than they had ever been before, but still that sense of serenity 
and well-being persisted in his memory. He wanted to feel that again. 

Looking down at the top of Scully's head, he knew he probably wouldn't get 
that close to her again. She hadn't spoken a word to him after leaving the Biology
department; she hadn't looked at him either. She merely trod quietly beside
him, turning where he indicated, her unease not quite hidden by her usual mask
of self-composure. 

She's embarrassed by her loss of control, his common sense patiently
explained. You're her boss and she's afraid you think she can't handle the
situation.

She's worried about Mulder, replied the voice of hope. She probably needs you
to hold her, just like you need her. She's just afraid to ask, afraid of rejection.

Skinner snorted mentally; here he was, halfway across the globe, trying to 
keep himself and two of his best agents alive and instead of attempting to 
determine their next course of action, all he could do was dither over the most likely
non-existent feelings of one of those afore-mentioned agents like a
hormone-driven teenager. He had to stop this and concentrate on the matter at
hand if he wanted to be of any use to Scully and Mulder before he died.

The thought instantly sobered him. There was no "if" in his mind. He was going
to die. They were going to kill him once they discovered his true allegiance. He
knew this to be a certainty. 

Skinner looked down at the fiery cap of Scully's hair again, savoring her
presence at his side. He knew she wouldn't be there much longer and he
wanted to enjoy it while he could. At this realization, his hand again moved,
unconsciously, to her back, this time stroking in a circular motion, working 
its way up to her shoulder where it rested as they approached the door to Mulder's
room. He would do everything within his power to see Scully and Mulder walk
away from this, alive. If it meant his life, so be it. He owed them that much
after the part he unwillingly played to put them in this precarious situation. If he
had stood up to Krycek in the beginning, his friends probably wouldn't be in 
such danger now.

A muscle in his jaw clenched with determination. I will get them out of this, he
silently vowed. And when I die, at least Scully will know I was on her side. 


At Mulder's door, Skinner stopped and squeezed Scully's shoulder. She looked
up at him finally, her blue eyes filled with anxiety and some other emotion he
couldn't quite discern. "Ready?" he queried in a voice soft with concern.

She nodded, then chuckled drily. "I've done this before. Many times." Walter
gave her a little smile, recognizing the truth of her statement. He then pushed
open the pale blue door, keeping his hand on her shoulder as he ushered her
through.

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

Mulder's vitals looked fine; there seemed to be nothing wrong with him,
physically. Except for the fact he wasn't responding to any external stimuli, he
could have been sleeping peacefully there on the bed. Dana slipped into her
M.D. mode as she examined Mulder and read his chart, trying not to dwell on 
the man waiting patiently behind her.

God, what was happening to her!? On the long trek across campus she was
barely able to focus on walking, reminding herself, one foot in front of the 
other, Dana. It wasn't fatigue. Nor was it frustration or anxiety. It was the 
burly, gentle man beside her, his brief but tender caresses at the small of her back sending
shockwaves of pleasure up her spine to her brain making everything but him
fuzzy, then traveling back down again to her core, gathering there in a molten
pool, begging him to take a dip. 

That's great, Dana, she scorned herself, you could write Harlequin romances
with drivel like that; it would beat the hell out of your current job.

She had tried desperately to concentrate on Mulder, how his presence in 
Abidjan changed everything. She had attempted to determine what their next course of
action should be, where they could look next for answers. Every time she was
able to almost think clearly, the touch would come again. There. On her back. 
She felt branded - as if it didn't matter if his hand was there or not, the imprint
was visible on her flesh, marking her as his. God! If only! Then when his
thumb had stroked up and down, up and down - she had sworn she could feel
the calloused whorls, creating wave after wave of friction against her
over-sensitized skin. She was losing it. Yep. That was it. Nothing else 
could explain her extreme reaction to such a casual gesture.

Now as she stood there, quietly, next to Mulder's prone form she again strove 
to put him out of her mind. Walter's concern and dismay was evident on his 
face, but he didn't bother her as she checked on her partner. When did I 
start thinking of him as Walter, she asked herself. The nagging little voice 
in her head replied, probably the same time you started wondering if his 
chest was as solid as it looked under those starched white shirts, or when 
you dreamed about running your hands across those broad shoulders. Or 
maybe it was when you started having to tear your eyes from his expressive, 
sensual lips, imagining what they would feel like pressed to yours... Chagrined 
to realize that she had been thinking about the handsome A.D. in a romantic 
fashion for some time, she tried, once again to push his compelling presence to 
the back of her awareness. 

Unfortunately, she couldn't seem to tear her mind away from those moments in
Merkmallen's office when she finally knew what it felt like to have his arms
wrapped tightly around her. Her mind kept returning again and again,
reprocessing everything she had experienced in those too-brief minutes when
she could hear his heart beating steadily beneath her cheek as she breathed in
the wonderful masculine scent of him. God! She rebuked herself, exasperated. 
Get a grip, Dana Katherine! 

The problem was, she knew exactly what she wanted to get a grip of. She
wanted to hold on to Walter Skinner and not let go. Ever.

Dana sighed and for what seemed like the hundredth time, forced her mind back
to the task at hand. As she flipped a page on Mulder's chart, she heard the 
door open behind her. She turned to see Walter moving to leave and asked, "Where
are you going?"

Skinner stopped abruptly, looking almost guilty and replied, "Just down the hall -
I...need to talk to someone." Her brow raised in question, but before she could
open her mouth, he hurriedly continued. "I'll be back in a minute. Wait here for
me, please?" Scully didn't get a chance to answer as he rushed out the door. 
Although part of her was curious at his behavior, a larger part of her was relieved
he had left her alone to concentrate on Mulder. Lord knew she couldn't
concentrate while he was near. Shaking her head, she set down Mulder's chart
and sat next to him on his bed, taking his hand in both of hers.

"Well, Mulder," she quietly began, "I don't know what's wrong with you or how
we're going to fix it, or even where to start." Dana chuckled in self-deprecation. 
"I guess I don't know much of anything right now." She looked down at his hand
in hers and continued, "They say that people in comas may be able to hear
what's said around them. And although I don't think I could tell you what I'm
feeling if you were awake, I have to talk to someone. I just don't know how to
handle this myself." 

Reaching out with her left hand to brush Mulder's hair from his forehead, Dana
tried to explain what had happened between her and Skinner in the professor's
office. The words came out hesitantly, cautiously as it was the first time she had
tried to vocalize her feelings for the assistant director. She spoke for several
minutes, trying to make sense of it. "And now, it's driving me crazy, Mulder. I
just can't stop thinking about him." Dana looked into her partner's face,
searching for any sign of response or understanding. She wasn't surprised to
see none, but continued her monologue anyway. She checked over her
shoulder to verify Skinner's continued absence before leaning in to Mulder and
whispering, "The worst part is that I think I'm falling in love with him." 
Emphatically she squeezed Mulder's hand. "Tell me how it can be possible,
Mulder. I mean, I'm not even sure if I trust him! How can I love him?" Pulling
away from the unconscious man, she shook her head again. "You know, I
almost wish you were awake to hear me telling you this, just so you could 
argue with me. I miss you, Mulder." 

Dana tenderly stroked the side of Mulder's face, gazing at him with affection. "I
know how you feel about me," she said, remembering his hospital-bed
confession to her in Bermuda, "and I love you, too. Just....not that way." She
fiddled with the edge of his hospital blanket, trying to explain the depth of her
feelings. "What we have is so much....bigger, you know? It's a bond greater
than friendship, partnership, lovers..." Clutching his hand to her chest, she said
with intensity, "I know that you're going to wake up and be all right, because what
we have can never be broken, Mulder. Not by the Consortium, not by alien
clones and not by half-buried space ships. And whatever happens between
Walter and me, I hope you can understand it and accept it, and stand by me 
like we've stood by each other for the last six years." She kissed his hand 
before returning it to his side, and continued to sit next to him as she waited for 
Skinner to return.

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

Skinner looked down the corridor in time to see the door to the stairwell gently
close. Damn! He had hoped for a little more time before he had to deal with
Krycek, but when he saw the little prick pass by Mulder's door, he knew his
reprieve was over. 

Hurrying down the hallway, Skinner grimaced at the impending confrontation. 
Showtime, his inner voices chimed in unison. He pushed open the stairwell 
door and drew himself up to his full, intimidating height despite the increasing 
pain throughout his torso. His jaw clenched in determination, he concurred with 
his inner voices. Showtime indeed.

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

Alex Krycek was not having a good day. 

Although he had been able to stow away on Skinner's flight to Lisbon, the
accommodations had been less than acceptable. Flying cargo wasn't exactly his
idea of a good time. Then when he had arrived in Lisbon, it had taken an
inordinate amount of time for that stinkin' old bastard to forward official
documents to him so he could continue on to Abidjan. Once in Abidjan there
had been some confusion over his luggage, and Krycek was sure he was facing
a body cavity search. Fortunately, his diplomatic documents swayed the
customs official (along with five hundred American dollars), and Krycek had
been allowed to leave, body intact. It hadn't taken much work to find Skinner
and Scully's hotel, but when he got there, he wished he hadn't. Pretty 
obvious the government wasn't footing the bill for this one, Krycek grumbled to 
himself as he had scanned the dirty and dark lobby. Finally, he had tracked the bald
motherfucker to the university's hospital. Showtime!

Krycek leaned against the wall just inside the stairwell door, waiting for Skinner. 
When the door swung open and his former boss stepped through, Krycek slowly
pulled himself away from the wall and just smiled. His smile grew wider as
Skinner's eyes flared coal-black with hatred and disgust. The door clicked shut,
and the two adversaries glared at each other. 

Finally, Krycek broke the intense, angry silence. Clasping his good right hand
over his prosthetic left one, he clucked, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Well, Mr. Skinner, it
seems you've been a naughty boy."

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

Shit! I'm getting too old for this, Skinner told himself, as he glared at the traitor
just a few steps away. If I moved quickly, I could grab him by the throat and
squeeeeeze.... The thought was extremely tempting, but Skinner knew he'd
have to keep a cool head and play this one out. He doubted Krycek would carry
the device to a meeting with his "prey," so if he killed the rat now, Skinner 
would eventually die from the nanocytes, leaving Scully alone. No, he'd just have 
to wait for his chance to throttle the bastard. Throttling, strangling, breaking his
neck...anything that involved Skinner's hands around Krycek's throat would be
just fine.

Skinner exhaled in irritation and said, evenly, "It took you long enough to contact
me."

"Well, you didn't exactly leave a forwarding address now, did you?" Krycek
countered. "It seems to me that if you had wanted to be contacted, you would
have informed me where you were going."

Skinner growled, "There wasn't time. And speaking of not leaving forwarding
addresses...you didn't exactly make it easy to contact you either." There. Let's
see him dispute that one. "I assumed you were watching me, watching us. You
would figure it out eventually. Nice to see that FBI training put to use." He
couldn't resist adding, "That is, if you ever were FBI at all..."

"Oh, I was FBI, Skinner," Krycek assured him, "I just knew a dead end when I
saw one and decided to play on the winning team." His green eyes blazed at
Skinner, his smile turning more vicious. "I wanted to actually make a difference
instead of sitting behind a desk, pushing useless papers from 8 to 5 everyday."

If possible, Skinner's eyes darkened even more. "Oh, you made a difference,
Krycek," he sneered, "but usually when people want to make a difference, they
want to make it for the good." Skinner glared at Krycek with unconcealed
contempt, "The difference you've made is by bringing tragedy into the lives of
innocent people. You're a reeaal hero."

Hatred seething from every pore, Krycek hissed out between clenched teeth,
"Why did you come here? Why did you bring Mulder?"

Skinner had been expecting this question, and gave him the response he had
crafted on the long flight. "I came here looking for Scully. I knew she'd be on
her own and would need help. I brought Mulder to gain her trust. Also, I knew
she'd be worried about him. This way, she can look for answers and not worry
about him being alone in D.C." He knew that to convince Krycek, he'd also 
have to supply him with some truth. "I won't bother trying to lie about my 
concern forboth of them. You know I don't want to see either of them hurt. I felt that 
by placing myself between you and them I could keep them safer than if I stayed 
in D.C." Skinner watched Krycek carefully, calculating the exact moment when
Krycek started to really listen to what he was saying. "I wasn't choosing sides. 
Rather I decided to stay on the side I've always been on: right in the middle." 
He winced inwardly, recalling his deathbed confession to Scully, that he had
regretted never choosing sides. I'm on your side now, Scully, he thought
fervently, wishing she could hear him. I'm doing this for you.

Krycek regarded the older man cautiously. What he said made sense; Skinner
wasn't the type to idly sit by in Washington when Scully, a woman he had 
placed himself in danger for before, was halfway across the earth. Morley Man knew
Skinner's weakness for his agents and had used it against him in the past, so
they shouldn't have been surprised when he grabbed Mulder and ran. Dammit! 
Krycek cursed to himself, the son of a bitch could be telling the truth! He really
wanted to kill Skinner; he wanted to watch him writhe, helplessly, in pain. But if
they could use Skinner to collect information, especially with Scully trusting him
again...he could still be of use after all. Dammit! I hate it when that old smoking
bastard's right!

Skinner watched the emotions play across the young traitor's face and, seeing
the look of pissed-off resignation, sighed in relief. He bought it. Ok, first part
accomplished. Now to convince him I'm the reluctant, but beaten slave. That
shouldn't be hard...

"So," Skinner began, his stance one of weary defeat, "what are my 'orders' 
now?" His sneer brought another smile to Krycek's lips.

"You're to keep her trust, go where she goes, and report everything back to 
me." Krycek smiled wider, the effect of which was truly menacing. "Otherwise..."

"Yeah, yeah, you'll kill me. I've got the picture. Speaking of which, could 
you turn these off again? It's kind of hard to concentrate when I'm in constant 
pain. I also won't be able to hide it from Scully for much longer." Skinner felt
victorious as Krycek blinked in surprise at that thought. He obviously hadn't
considered the visible effects of the nanocytes' work. "If you want Scully to trust
me, she can't know I'm being manipulated by you."

Krycek considered his request for a moment, then said softly, barely loud
enough for Skinner to hear, "Yeah, she won't do us any good if she's running
scared." He looked directly at Skinner and said, "I'll put through your request,
but I expect they'll agree with your assessment." Dammit! The only thing worse
than the Morley Man being right was Skinner being right. Krycek was seriously
pissed. He really wanted Skinner in pain for the duration, but if Scully knew it
would ruin everything...

Skinner smiled inwardly at Krycek's slip - up until this moment, the arrogant 
little prick had pretended he was acting on his own. Now that Skinner's suspicions
were confirmed about who was calling the shots, he felt a little more confident. 
He was sure C.G.B. Spender, or whoever the hell he was, was behind this. 
Knowing your enemy and how he thinks is half the battle, he reminded himself. 
Oh, and do I know Ol' Smokey...

Determined to leave in control of the situation, Krycek stated in his most
authoritative tone, "Watch Scully. Learn what she knows. I'll be contacting 
you later." With one last glare in Skinner's direction, Krycek turned and walked
slowly, purposefully down the stairs.

Skinner waited until he heard the stairwell door beneath him open, then close,
before he allowed himself to breathe fully. Another reprieve. 

His feeling of accomplishment was short-lived however, when he remembered... 

"Scully," he said her name aloud. How the hell am I going to keep this from her
without destroying her trust again? He closed his eyes, sagging against the door
in exhaustion. He didn't know how he was going to repair the damage done by
all these lies, but he would have to figure it out later. Right now, he just had to
keep the three of them alive.

Straightening again to his full height, he took another deep breath and exited the
stairwell.

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

When Walter opened the door to Mulder's room, the first thing he saw was Dana
Scully sitting next to her unconscious partner, holding his hand in her lap and
tenderly stroking the hair from his eyes. A lump rose in Walter's throat as he felt
his newly awakened hopes for a relationship with Scully die a quiet death. Watching 
her with Mulder, he knew he could never compete with her love for her partner. It was 
painfully obvious in her every move, in the way she gazed at him lovingly, in the gentle 
way she cradled his hand against the warmth of her body. Walter lowered his head, 
staring at his feet as the muscle in his jaw twitched. It doesn't matter, he told himself. 
It doesn't change the way I feel about her, it doesn't change anything. They're still in 
danger, I'm still going to die. Nothing's changed.

With that fatalistic thought rooted firmly in his mind, he raised his head, 
meeting Scully's questioning gaze. Scully drew in a sudden breath at the despair she
saw in his eyes, and he quickly erected his Assistant Director mask, effectively
shutting away all traces of emotion. Dana let go of Mulder's hand and moved
towards Walter, reaching for him. He clasped her hand in his own and motioned
towards Mulder with his chin, "No change?"

Dana gripped his hand in between both of hers and replied sadly, "I'm afraid not. 
Were you expecting one?" She searched his face for a sign of the sadness she
had seen there before, but found nothing. Disappointed that he had closed
himself off from her, she looked down at his hand enfolded in hers. 

Skinner almost flinched as the look of disappointment crossed her face. He
seemed to make a habit out of disappointing Dana Scully. He sighed then shook
his hand in hers and asked, "You ready to go?"

Dana raised her eyes to his and nodded, tight-lipped. He squeezed her hands,
then led her back towards the door. As he pushed it open, she cast a glance
over her shoulder once more at Mulder, silently begging him to wake up. When
he didn't respond, she turned back to Skinner, letting him tug her through the
door and out of the quiet room, the only noise behind them the soft beeping of
the machines monitoring the unconscious agent's unchanging condition.

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


The rented jeep bounced down the pothole-covered dirt road, jarring its
occupants painfully. After a particularly nasty bump, Scully
unconsciously grabbed Skinner's muscled forearm with her left hand as
her right one clutched tightly at the door handle to keep from being
ejected from the vehicle. Skinner cast a sideways glance at her,
checking to see if she was all right. She caught his movement out of the
corner of her eye and hastily jerked her hand from his arm, returning it to
the safety of her lap.

"You weren't kidding about this road, were you?" he asked, not
expecting her to answer. She had been deep in thought since they had
left the hospital and hadn't spoken other than to warn him about the road
conditions and give him directions to the seashore where the ship lay
half-buried. He missed the camaraderie they had shared in
Merkmallen's office; they hadn't been truly comfortable with one another
since they had left it, and Skinner wasn't sure what he could do to rectify
the situation. He desperately wanted to talk to her, to find out what was
going through her mind, but small talk had never been his strong suit
and he was afraid that whatever came out of his mouth would sound
inane.

Skinner didn't have to think much longer on how to breach the silence
when Scully did it for him. Without looking at him, she said, "I really
only have one question for you at this point."

Her voice had been barely loud enough to carry over the growl of the
engine, but nonetheless her tone set off alarms in Walter's head. In a
voice filled with dread he queried, "And what would that question be?"

Scully's head slowly turned in his direction, and she asked in the same
tone and volume as her previous statement, "What the hell were you
thinking?" Her blue eyes impaled him with her anger.

Alarms were now going off throughout his body, as he felt himself
breaking into a fresh sheen of sweat. How did she know about Krycek? 
Could she have guessed somehow? Fuck! Skinner's mind reeled with
the potential repercussions of his half-truths and outright lies. Instead of
giving in to the anxieties clutching at his gut, he managed to say evenly
in his best pissed-off AD voice, "What are you talking about, Agent?"

"I'm talking about Mulder, Sir. About your dragging him out of a hospital
when he was in no condition to be moved from one room to another let
alone halfway across the earth!" Her voice had increased in volume
slightly as she began to work up a full head of steam. "You had no
business doing that to him! He's in a coma because of your lack of
foresight, and I want to know what possible justification you can give me
for putting him in further danger!" Scully's face was rigid with fury and
her eyes dared him to explain himself.

Walter almost sighed in relief, but caught himself before he revealed
that particular emotion. Thank god she didn't suspect Krycek's
involvement yet! Actually, he had been expecting this reaction from her
and was surprised it had taken her this long to confront him. He slowed
the jeep and cautiously pulled to one side of the 'road.' He shut off the
engine and turned in his seat to face her. "Dana, I didn't act without
foresight. I considered the potential risks to Mulder's health before I
acted. But the reasons for bringing him with me outweighed the reasons
for leaving him in D.C." Walter reached for her hand and she
grudgingly let him take it in his. "All I ask is that you hear me out and try
to understand my position." 

Scully hesitated, but the softness in Walter's eyes reminded her too
much of his gaze after he kissed her. She reluctantly nodded, feeling her
resolve slowly weaken. 

"I had to find you, Dana. I couldn't let you face whomever or whatever
was behind the murders and Mulder's illness alone. You do understand
that, don't you?" At her nod, he continued, "But I couldn't leave Mulder
alone either. I know you don't trust Diana Fowley and neither do I." 
Scully's eyes widened slightly at his admission but she remained silent. 
"If I had left him there in her care," Skinner growled, "I would have been
handing him over to the Consortium on a silver platter." 

Her anger gone, but her doubts still very much at the forefront of her
mind, Dana said quietly, "It doesn't matter whose hands he's in if he's
dead, does it?"

Walter shook his head, denying her words, "I knew in my gut that he
wasn't going to recover with normal treatment; the only way he could get
better was if we actively sought a cure." Walter gave her a probing look. 
"Do you agree with that statement?" Dana sighed, and again nodded
reluctantly. Taking her hand more firmly in his, he captured her gaze
with his own before he asked quietly, "How many times in the past have
you found a piece of the truth, a piece of evidence only to have it
snatched away from you before you could do anything with it?" Dana
didn't need to answer; the set of her shoulders and flash of frustration in
her eyes said it all. The intensity of his look increasing, he queried, "If
you, if WE were to find something here in Abidjan, how long do you think
we would be allowed to keep it? How far do you think we would get with
it? Do you actually believe they would let us return to D.C. with
evidence in hand?" Skinner shook his head fervently, answering his own
question. "No, if we find something of significance, Mulder has to be
here, with us, where we can actually have a chance to help him. 
Otherwise, we might as well not even bother." 

He let out a long sigh before admitting, "I knew the trip wouldn't help
him, that it would most likely be detrimental. But after considering the
situation, I didn't feel like I had much choice. I just prayed that in the
end, I was making the right decision." Walter let go of her hand and
reached up to rub his eyes, pushing his wire rims up in the process. 
Weariness suddenly overtook him. He was tired of fighting everyone: 
Krycek, Spender Sr., Scully - especially Scully. He didn't even look at
her to see if she accepted his explanation.

It was his visible fatigue and resignation that melted the last of Scully's
anger. Walter was doing the best he could, just like she was. She
couldn't find much fault in his logic for bringing Mulder to Abidjan. She
understood how it felt to be in an impossible situation: damned if you
do, damned if you don't. Really, there wasn't a good solution to any of
this. They could only make the best possible decision based on what
little they knew.

Scully unhooked her seat belt and leaned across the gap between their
two seats to entwine her arm around his and rest her cheek against his
shoulder. Startled by her sudden move, Skinner stared down at her in
surprise. Scully simply sighed, rubbing her cheek against the soft fabric
of his shirt. He tilted his head towards hers, cautiously resting his cheek
against her hair, mirroring her rubbing motion. They sat there for a
moment in silence, until Scully sighed again and raised her head to look
up at him. Their faces were so close they couldn't focus on anything but
the other's eyes and the emotions they saw there made them both a little
breathless. 

"I understand why you made the decision you did, and to be honest, I might 
have made the same one." When Scully spoke, her voice was soft and slightly husky,
causing a tightening in his groin and a quickening of his pulse. All thoughts of
Mulder, Krycek, space ships and nanocytes fled his mind as he leaned forward,
traversing the few inches between them to press his lips hungrily against 
hers. 

A soft moan escaped from her as she opened her lips to grant him further
access. She leaned further into him, pressing fully against him as his arms
wrapped around her shoulders, trying to turn them both until they were
completely facing one another. Dana's hands were restless; she had dreamed of
this for what felt like forever, and she couldn't decide what part of him she
wanted to touch first. While her hands roved frantically across his 
shoulders and up to his neck, Walter deepened the kiss, his eager tongue bathing hers in
greeting as he took his first taste of her sweet mouth. 

Pressed as tightly together as the gear shift would allow, they continued to 
kiss feverishly, their lips and teeth and tongues combining to perform an intricate
dance. One of Walter's hands stroked down her back to cup her perfectly
formed bottom as his other snaked up into her coppery hair. Their surroundings
completely forgotten, he gently squeezed her firm ass, eliciting a husky,
feminine moan, as she managed to somehow squirm her arm down between
them and grasp his fully aroused cock through his trousers. Walter groaned
loudly and sucked her swollen lower lip between his teeth, nibbling gently. He
was rapidly losing control of his desire and was about to lift them both to 
the back seat when he was interrupted by a very loud, gurgling sound that lasted 
for several seconds. Startled, he pulled back from Dana to see an embarassed grin
on her face. 

"Was that you?" Walter asked, grinning.

"Yeah, that was me," Dana chuckled, her cheeks flaming crimson. They both
began to laugh, their hands moving from their intimate embraces back to the
neutral territory of one another's waists.

"When was the last time you ate?" Walter asked, finally.

Dana hesitated, thinking, and replied, "Early this morning, I think. I don't
remember stopping for breakfast but I never skip it. No matter what the
occasion." Her eyes still shone with amusement, and Walter couldn't help but
tease her.

"Most important meal of the day. Unfortunately, I think you burned off all 
those calories beating up on me in the Biology department." He raised one eyebrow 
at her and she snorted.

"I've never thought of you as a crybaby, Assistant Director Skinner. Anyway,
you deserved it, " she finished, haughtily. He shook his head at her in
amusement and she suggested, "There's a village only a few miles down the
road. It's on the way to the shore; we can stop there and get some dinner."

"That sounds like the best idea you've had all day," Walter retorted as they both
settled back into their seats. He re-started the engine and pulled back onto the
road. A few minutes passed in companionable silence, then Walter said quietly,
"Dana, what happened back there..."

Dana shook her head decisively, cutting him off. "I don't regret it, Walter. I
can't. It felt too right, too good." She reached for him, caressing his
well-muscled forearm through the starched cotton of his shirt sleeve. "Please
don't start telling me why we shouldn't have kissed or touched each other. Right
now, I need you. Not recriminations." His head swiveled towards her, and her
intense gaze captured his.

"Dana," he said huskily, dragging his eyes back to the road, "That wasn't 
what I was going to say at all." Walter took a shuddering breath, his love for her 
filling his heart to bursting until it was difficult to draw air into his lungs. "I was going to
tell you, to...confess...that I almost lost control back there." Dana's small hand
squeezed his arm, and he knew she wanted him to look at her, but he couldn't
do that and say what he was about to. "I would have dragged you to that back
seat and made love to you, and that's not what I want to happen. I mean," he
made a hasty attempt to amend his statement, "I want to make love to you, but
not here, not now." Finally, he did risk a glance in her direction, to see that he
had her full atttention and to make sure she didn't misunderstand him. 
"When...if...we make love, I want it to be because you truly want me..."

"I thought I made that kind of obvious back there," Dana joked shakily,
interrupting him, "I don't know - maybe my skills of seduction are a little 
rusty." 

"Please, sweetheart, let me finish," Walter pleaded, trying too hard to make her
understand to notice her flush at his endearment. "I want you to want me, not
just the comfort I can provide for the moment." Dana began to protest, but
Walter cut in, explaining further. "We're in a very precarious, dangerous
situation here, our emotions are running high, and I just want you to be sure. 
That's all. I want you to be able to look me straight in the eye and say, 'this is
what I really want.'" Walter was exasperated with his ineptitude at expressing
himself; he hoped she understood what he was trying to say.

Dana looked at him as if for the first time. She couldn't believe the man for
whom she had berated herself for harboring a secret crush was telling her he
wanted her to be sure! She could have laughed, if not for the fact that Walter
looked absolutely miserable. She shook her head at the irony of their situation,
and emboldened with the knowledge of his desire for her, ran her hand up his
arm to his face, caressing his stubble-roughened cheek with the backs of her
fingers. When Walter turned to look at her, she leaned towards him and
assured, "Walter, I understand. Really. You want me to be sure." She smiled at
him and was rewarded with a full smile in return, his dimples creasing his
cheeks. It's a good thing he never smiles around the Hoover building, she
mused to herself, the women would melt into little puddles where they stood. 
She trailed her fingers up his cheek and ran them lightly over his bare scalp,
delighting in his sharp intake of breath, then let her fingers play with the fringe of
his hair. Oh, I know what I want, Walter Skinner.

Before she could continue her playful torment, Walter nodded towards the right
side of the road and she pulled her hand away. "Is that the village?" he gruffed,
looking a little flushed. At her nod, he pulled off the road into the brush so they
could investigate options for dinner. When he shut off the engine and turned to
Scully, she was staring at her hands folded in her lap. Her hair hung down,
concealing her face from him, and he reached out to tenderly brush it aside with
his fingers. "What is it?" he asked quietly.

When Dana looked up, she had tears pooling in her eyes. "I'm just so ashamed
of my, of our, behavior," she sniffed. 

She didn't need to say anything else. Walter knew exactly what she meant. 
"Because of Mulder..."

She nodded. "Here we are, trying to save his life and we almost do it in a jeep." 
Walter half-smiled at her choice of words as she rushed on, "God! What were
we thinking?" She looked at him, her expression filled with self-disgust.

Walter gently stroked her hair, a sad smile on his lips. "We weren't thinking. 
We were feeling. Which isn't a bad thing," he quietly assured her, "this just isn't
the time for it." He cupped her cheek in his hand, holding her gaze in his own. 
"Don't beat yourself up over it, Dana. We're running from death. We embraced
life. It's instinctual and nothing to be ashamed of."

Dana's eyes locked with his, trying to accept what he was saying. It made
sense, but at the same time it invalidated what had happened between them and
she absolutely did not want that. Finally, she just nodded, relieved that Walter
didn't press her to ask if she was all right. He simply stroked her cheek with his
thumb a last time before he pulled away and exited the jeep, moving quickly
around to her side. Scully sighed deeply, then exited her own door as he held it
open for her.

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

They found a meal quickly, then continued the journey to the beach in a
thoughtful silence. Skinner was able to park the jeep closer than Scully had 
the previous night as they needed no guide to take them to the ship. She
remembered quite vividly where it was.

They dumped their shoes in the back seat and walked through the powdery
sand, the pound of the surf and the cries of sea birds beckoning them towards
the water. Scully chuckled to herself; if Mulder wasn't lying in a coma, if
unknown forces - well, slightly unknown forces - weren't working against them, if
they weren't walking towards a half-submerged space ship....this would almost
be romantic. She chuckled again at the absurd thought, but had to admit that if
the circumstances were different she couldn't help but be swayed by the orange
rays of the sunset draping over the dunes, flickering over the water as she
strolled next to a very handsome, very muscular man whom she desired very
much. Her mind immediately provided a vivid mental image of the two of them
entwined naked on the sand, her legs wrapped around Walter's trim waist as his
sensous lips made their way down her neck to her breasts....

"Watch it! Are you okay?" Walter grabbed Dana's arm as she stumbled into
him, helping her to regain her balance.

"Yes! I...just...I must have stepped funny." Dana quickly tried to cover her
clumsiness, her face bright red with embarrassment and arousal at her 
musings. "You know how sand is..." She attempted a self-deprecating smile.

Walter didn't respond; they had reached the water line and he stopped 
abruptly, gaping in disbelief at the sight before him.

The same orange rays Dana had admired across the landscape illuminated the
alien vessel, creating a shimmering effect as they bounced off the shining metal,
diffusing through the clear, aqua sea caressing the ship's hull. Dana stood
quietly by Walter's side, giving him time to reconcile what he was seeing with the
beliefs he had stubbornly clung to over the last five years despite Mulder's best
efforts. She watched the play of emotions cross his face; they shifted from utter
stupefaction, to amazement, to puzzlement and finally settled in an expression
of profound awe. Despite the dark circles beneath his eyes and the disheveled
state of his clothing, he had never looked as handsome to her as he did in that
moment with his skin glowing gold from the sunset and the openness and
wonder shining in his eyes. Dana carefully slipped her hand in his, not wanting
to break the spell and turned her gaze to the ship, quietly sharing the moment
with him.

"My god," Walter whispered in a voice filled with awe. "It's real. I mean," he
looked down at Dana as if to confirm the vision in front of him, "it's really real." 
She smiled softly at him and nodded, squeezing his hand. His eyes held hers 
for a few seconds, sharing his amazement and then he pulled his hand away and
strode out into the water to get a closer look. Dana shook her head in amusement 
and followed him through the waves.

They spent almost an hour examining the hull and ineffectually digging at the
sand around the periphery of what they could see. They followed the
impressions in the shiny metal, hoping to be led to a point of ingress. 
Unfortunately, time worked against them as the sun set and the tide began to
rise, effectively putting a halt to their efforts. 

Walter wearily sat down on the beach, the sand clinging to his sodden clothes. 
He removed his wire rims and rubbed at his eyes as Dana lowered herself
beside him, steadying her descent with a hand on his knee. 

"God, I hurt everywhere," she groaned, rubbing her right shoulder. "How about
you?"

Walter was about to answer when he realized that although his muscles were
sore, he wasn't in pain. Startled by the thought, he forgot to answer Scully,
instead concentrating on his own body in an attempt to determine whether or 
not the nanocytes were still active. His vision was a little blurred, but that could be
from fatigue. His muscles were a little achy, but he had spent the last forty-five
minutes frantically digging wet sand with his bare hands. No; it didn't hurt to
breathe and there weren't any waves of pain radiating from his chest, so the
device must have been deactivated! His previous tiredness forgotten, Walter
felt like jumping up from the sand and doing cartwheels out of pure,
unadulterated joy. He turned his attention back to Dana, wanting to share this
news with her but she was no longer sitting next to him. Instead, the exhausted
agent had curled up next to him on the sand, her head resting on one arm,
sound asleep. 

He debated on waking her; she looked so peaceful and obviously needed the
rest. But her clothes were soaking wet and the air was starting to grow cool, so
Walter put his glasses back on and rose from his sitting position. As carefully
and slowly as he could, he lifted Dana up off of the cool sand and, cradling her
tenderly in his arms, carried her back to the jeep. He laid her down in the back
seat, and again debated with himself, this time over whether or not he should get
her out of her cold, wet clothes. The image of a livid Dana Scully waking up in
nothing but his suit jacket quickly killed the idea. He contented himself with
wringing out as much water from her clothes as he could without waking her,
then tucked his jacket around her, trying to cover as much of her body as
possible. He then stripped his own clothes quickly, wrung out the excess water,
then re-dressed and climbed in the front seat. With his clothing still wet and with
no-one to keep him company, it was going to be a long trip back to the hotel.

L'Hotel del'Etang 

Scully's hotel was located next to a large spring that flowed out into a pool 
that supplied the locals with fresh water. It was from this pond which the hotel 
had gotten its name. Despite the exotic moniker which drummed up images of a
desert oasis, the establishment itself left a lot to be desired. Poor design,
inferior building materials and a lack of funds for renovations left the two-story
building in a sorry state of disrepair. Unfortunately, since her trip had nothing to
do with FBI business and therefore wouldn't be reimbursed, Dana couldn't afford
to be picky. On the flip side of the coin, Skinner had had no problem earlier
getting a room adjacent to hers, due to the hotel's pitiful appearance and
reputation. 

Walter had driven slowly from the seashore, trying to miss the largest potholes
so Dana could enjoy a few hours of uninterrupted slumber. They arrived back
to their hotel very late, and despite her three-hour nap, Dana had a difficult time
scraping up the energy to walk to her room. They stopped at the front desk for
messages from the hospital. The last one, two hours old, read simply, "No
change." 

At her door, she and Walter made plans to leave early the next morning for
Merkmallen's residence in the hopes that he had kept a second office there. 
They parted, each of them too exhausted to discuss the day's events any 
further.

Walter closed his door behind him and leaned back against it, closing his eyes
and letting out a long sigh. It had been a very long day and all he wanted to do
was crawl into his pathetic excuse for a bed and get six hours of sleep. 

He shrugged off his jacket and stripped out of his still-damp clothes on his 
way to the small bathroom. Well, he thought, they might not be able to afford 
real mattresses but at least the room had a small shower. Walter turned the water 
on as hot as it would get, dropped his glasses on the small shelf above the sink 
and stepped beneath the weak spray hoping to get some warmth back in his body. 
After about ten minutes, he got out and brusquely toweled off. Draping the 
towel over the curtain bar, he turned to the mirror to inspect the damage done by 
the nanocytes and to confirm that the bruise hadn't spread any further. 

Not too bad, he nodded to himself. The bruise, which had started on his left side
just below his rib cage, had progressed across his abdomen and up his chest,
ending around his armpits. It wrapped around his back on the left, but only
halfway. It also didn't extend below his belt line, so, all things considered, not
too bad. Although he was still slightly sore, the throbbing pain accompanying the
nanocytes' activity had stopped many hours ago. 

His silent self-study was interrupted by the ringing of the room's phone. Walter
grabbed his glasses, shoving them back on his face and walked naked to the
nightstand next to the bed. Picking up the receiver, he barked his customary,
"Skinner."

"You two looked like hell crawling in here. Where have you been playing all
day?" Krycek's tone was sarcastic and mocking: in other words, exactly what
Skinner had come to expect from the slimy little rat.

"I take it an answer isn't optional here," Skinner sighed tiredly into the
mouthpiece.

He could almost hear Krycek smile over the line. "Aw, play nice, Skinner. I
know I don't have to remind you of the consequences. I'll be waiting out by 
the pond." 

Skinner didn't bother to wait for the click signalling Krycek's termination 
of the call. He simply slammed down the receiver in disgust and turned to his 
suitcase for some dry clothes.

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



There wasn't much moonlight to illuminate the figure standing next to the
fountain, but Skinner didn't need light to identify that arrogant stance. He 
strode briskly to Krycek, stopping a few feet from him - just out of arm's reach as
strangling the bastard was foremost in his mind. After all, the nanocytes were
shut off; the only thing holding him back was the thought of answering to the
local officials when the body was found in the morning. Skinner folded his arms
and stood silently, waiting for Krycek to ask his questions.

Krycek didn't make him wait long. "Where did you go after the hospital?" 
Krycek smiled evilly. "And don't bother lying. I'm planning on checking out
whatever you tell me right after we've finished this conversation."

"We found a large artifact," Skinner partially lied. After all, the ship was an
artifact, and it was very large. 

"I didn't see you carrying anything in. You didn't bring it back with you?"

"We couldn't," Skinner answered truthfully. "It was mostly buried beneath the
sand and water and it would have been too heavy to remove without some kind
of machinery. In fact," he continued, watching Krycek's expression carefully,
"since it's beneath the water at all times, I doubt it can be removed at all."

Krycek appeared thoughtful, but seemed to not have any further knowledge of
the 'artifact' beyond what Skinner was telling him. "Are you going back there
tomorrow?" he queried.

"No, we didn't learn anything from it and have no reason to believe further
investigation will yield any more information." Skinner sighed; he hoped this
little interrogation would soon be over. He really was exhausted and was
calculating how much sleep he could get to the minute if he left right now.

Krycek gave him a probing look before saying in an authoritative tone, "Ok, 
then what I need now are the directions to this 'artifact' and your agenda for
tomorrow." 

Skinner nodded and proceeded to give him the directions to the seashore. 
Luckily, he had studied the map carefully before they had set out earlier and
noticed that there was a second road that led to the shore; however, it lay
roughly fifteen miles to the north. 

"So, once you get to the beach, you follow the coast to the south on foot and
you'll eventually reach the artifact. Just keep your eyes on the shallow water
and you can't miss it." Yeah, after about a four-hour hike, you son-of-a-bitch. 

"And your plans for tomorrow...." Krycek prompted.

"We're going to see Mulder at the hospital first thing, around 8:00. Then we're
heading back to Merkmallen's office to go through it once again. I found out he
also had a lab so we'll probably check that out as well. After that, well, I guess it
depends on what we do or don't find." Skinner just made up a story for the
bastard. He figured: three hours to the shore, four hours to find the ship, then
four hours or less - if he gets some help - back to his vehicle, then three hours
back to the city...we should have a good ten to fourteen hour reprieve. But why
even bother? I should kill him right here, right now.... Skinner's aggression
trailed away with the realization that he probably didn't have enough energy at
the moment to kill the sorry-ass piece of shit. Krycek had probably lounged
around, napping all day and was in much better shape than the tired, older man. 
Skinner was no match for him in his present condition. "Is that it?" Skinner
asked impatiently.

"Yes," Krycek sneered, "that is, unless there's anything else you haven't told
me..." The implied threat of what would happen if Skinner withheld information
hung in the air between them. Skinner no longer cared.

"I've told you all of it." Skinner snapped at him. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like
to get some sleep." He glared at the double-agent before turning on his heel,
preparing to leave when Krycek's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"You're welcome," the young traitor said mockingly.

Skinner spun around, staring at the man in disbelief. Welcome? For what? The
question was shouted by his mind, but then he realized Krycek was referring to
the de-activation of the nanocytes. Reluctantly, he responded with a sneer,
"Thank you." He didn't stay to see the wicked smile on Krycek's face. He just
quickly got the hell out of there.

As Skinner turned the corner to his room, he saw Scully sitting on the floor 
in the hallway next to his door, obviously dressed for bed in shorts and a t-shirt. 
When she saw him approaching, she stood up quickly, a look of patient questioning 
on her face. He walked past her, not meeting her eyes and unlocked his door. 
Pushing it open with one hand, he made a sweeping gesture with the other for
her to proceed him inside. He followed her in and softly shut the door behind
him.

Dana stared at her boss, not having seen him in casual clothes before, ever. 
The jeans he was wearing were old, faded and were closesly fitted around his
long, muscular legs. The dark blue henley was also a bit snug, clinging to his
broad shoulders and expansive chest. Although she was tired, she couldn't help
admiring the view before her, remembering the way his chest felt against hers
during their make-out session in the jeep earlier. 

Ignorant of Dana's silent admiration of his body, Walter asked, "What were you
doing at my door?" His voice reflected his resignation; he couldn't lie to her
again, he just didn't have the heart for it.

Quietly, Dana explained, "I heard your phone ring and a few minutes later, I
heard you leave. I've been waiting for you to get back. I thought there might be
something you'd want to tell me..." Her voice trailed off, hoping she wouldn't
have to pry the information out of him. Although, as good as he looks in those
jeans, she thought wickedly, it might be fun...

Walter sighed heavily and moved past Dana towards the bed. He removed his
glasses, tossing them on the nightstand as he took a seat on the edge of the 
thin mattress. Looking up at Dana with unshielded chocolate-brown eyes, he patted
the mattress next to him with his left hand. Dana's heart started to pound a little
faster at the openness she saw in his face and sat next to him, a little closer than
he had indicated. 

"Dana," he started, "I don't want to put you in any more danger than you already
are, but at the same time, I don't want to keep anything more from you." He
smiled at her sadly. "I think we both can agree that I've kept far too much from
you already." At her grin, he continued. "Although the person ultimately behind
this is the man we know as C.G.B. Spender, the go-between he's been using to
threaten me is Alex Krycek." 

Dana's eyes narrowed at the sound of the traitor's name. Suddenly full of fear
for Walter's safety, she grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly and asked, "What
did that bastard do to you? Tell me!" Her voice was emphatic and her eyes full
of concern for the man she had grown to care very much about.

"Do you remember SR-819? The virus I was infected with?" She nodded and
Walter continued his explanation. "The nanocytes are controlled by a hand-held
device, about the size of a palm pilot, a device which Krycek has possession of." 
Dana's eyes grew wide with understanding and her grip tightened on him. 
Walter snorted, "Krycek can turn them on, turn them off, change intensities...basically 
whatever the fucking bastard wants. He can kill me, too. But I think he prefers to keep me 
in pain as long as possible..." His voice trailed off as he registered the tears in Dana's 
eyes, and he disentangled his hand from hers, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, 
trying to offer some comfort. "Dana...don't. It'll be okay."

"How can it be okay when those...those things... are inside you, and he can push
the button anytime he wants?" she asked in a voice shaking with emotion. Her
eyes snapped to his as she suddenly understood the scope of the situation. 
"He's here, isn't he? He's the one who called your room?" Blazing with anger,
her blue eyes darkened several shades as she pushed Walter's arm from her
shoulder. She stood and railed at him, "What the hell are you doing to me? Is
this all part of your plan, huh? Is this part of his plan?" She waved her arm in
the general direction of Krycek. "What, are you here to seduce me while you run
off to him, feeding him information to save your sorry ass?" She paced in front
of him, scorning accusation in her stance, expression and tone. "I mean, isn't
that what you do, Skinner? Save your own ass, right?"

Walter couldn't take any more; he rose abruptly and grabbed Dana by the arms,
stopping her furious pacing. "Stop it! You know me better than that!"

"Do I?" She asked desperately. "Do I know you at all?"

"Yesss," he hissed, the pain of her accusations piercing his heart. "Just hear me
out. That's all I ask. Hear me out before you write me off." His eyes pleaded
with hers and she reluctantly nodded.

"Fine. Just spit it out. I can't take any more of this," she said in a deflated tone. 

Walter let go of her arms and motioned for her to sit on the bed. 

Once she was seated, Walter stood in front of her, preparing to totally come
clean. "My 'orders' did not include getting Mulder out of the hospital and bringing
him here. They did not include following you to Africa, helping you, seducing
you or in any other way interacting with you outside of my normal, professional
duties." Her eyes were glued to his face as he continued, "I basically kidnapped
Mulder, and for the reasons I already told you. God's truth." He placed his right
hand over his heart, staring at her with all the sincerity he felt. "And for that,
Krycek activated the nanocytes. Oh, only to their lowest level," Skinner
hastened to add at Dana's sharp intake of air, "enough to put me in pain, to let
me know that they were on to me, but not enough to kill me. At least, not right
away." Skinner just stared at Dana for a moment, and then he slowly pulled his
shirt out of his jeans and pulled it over his head. He heard Dana's gasp before
he saw her reaction to the sight of his bruised torso. He tossed the shirt aside
and said, "Now you know I'm telling the truth. I can't fake this," he waved at his
chest, "and I haven't faked any of my actions towards you today." 

Dana's eyes were glued to the ugly bruising across Walter's upper body. She
remembered the pain he had suffered the first time, and dragged her eyes up to
his to ask softly, "Are they still active?"

Walter shook his head. "No. That's the good news. I managed to convince
Krycek at the hospital earlier," he caught the surprised look on Dana's face, 
"and yes, that's where I went when I left Mulder's room. Anyway, I convinced him 
that I had brought Mulder to Abidjan in an attempt to win your trust, that I was 
acting both in his interests as well as yours and Mulder's, so he turned them off. I
noticed it when we were investigating the alien ship." Walter knelt down in front
of Dana, covering her hands with his. "But that's going to change in about fourteen hours, give or take."

"But why?" she asked frantically. "What happens in fourteen hours?"

Skinner explained what had transpired by the pool. "So you see, we have - I
mean, I have - a small reprieve. We can continue with our plans for tomorrow
and, hopefully, find something to help Mulder. If it takes longer than fourteen
hours, you might be on your own," he finished softly.

"What do you mean, on my own?" she whispered, not wanting to comprehend
what he was saying.

"I mean, when Krycek discovers I've lied to him - again," Walter quietly
explained, his eyes never leaving hers, "he'll probably re-activate the device,
this time at a sufficiently higher setting. Probably the highest." He pulled her
hands to his chest, holding them there. "He'll most likely kill me, Dana, and
you'll have to find a way to save yourself and Mulder."

"No!" Dana cried, trying to thump his chest with her fists beneath his large
hands. "No! I won't accept that!" Tears started to form in her eyes as she
fought to refute his words. "He doesn't have to kill you! You can still be of use
to him! When he finds out you gave him the wrong directions, you'll just say you
made a mistake - you were tired, you forgot which road you took!" Her voice
breaking, she pleaded, "He doesn't have to kill you..."

"Dana..." Walter sighed, squeezing her hands, "Krycek is a lot of things, but
stupid is not one of them. I've known from the moment I decided to get Mulder
that it would cost me my life. But like I explained to him, my life isn't worth shit if
you or he dies. I've accepted it, Dana. It's all right."

"It is not all right!" Dana yanked her hands from his as she jumped up, striding
away from him. "How can it be all right? How can I lose you just when I've
found you?" she asked, her voice plaintive. Suddenly, her face went grey; my
god, she cried to herself, tomorrow at this time he could be dead... 

Dana looked down at Walter, still kneeling by the bed, watching her sadly. She
made her decision. Without hesitation, she held out her hand to him. 

Although he was puzzled by the sudden change in her mood, he rose and
moved towards her, taking her hand in his.

She stepped closer to him, bringing them within inches of one another and said,
"Make love to me, Walter." Azure eyes raised to startled brown ones, without
anger, accusation or distrust. She slowly reached up with her free hand to cup
his rough cheek. She held his gaze in hers, saying with certainty, "This is what I
really want."

Walter's breath caught at her words, at her touch. He was about to ask her if
she was sure, when she slid her hand to the back of his neck, pulling him closer
to her. She stood on tiptoe, bracing herself against his broad chest as she tilted
her face to his. Her lips captured his in a voracious kiss, her tongue taking
advantage of his surprise to plunge into his open mouth. Walter hesitated only a
second before he capitulated to the waves of pleasure coursing through him and,
with a moan of desire, pulled her flush against his hard body. Their tongues
dueled as Dana's hands kneaded his bare shoulders, reveling in the hard
smoothness she found there, raking her fingers up his neck to the fringe of his
hair and back around to splay across his collarbone. Walter's hands were busy
as well, sliding under the hem of her t-shirt to caress the naked flesh of her back,
her skin hot with the flush of her arousal. 

He tore his lips from hers to plant a fiery trail of kisses down her neck. Her head
fell back, eyes shut tight to better focus on the incredible sensations caused by
his soft, mobile lips sucking at the hollow of her throat, laving her clavicle as his
hands made their way to her breasts, cupping them and pulling at the erect
nipples. Dana growled deep in her throat and dragged his lips back up to hers. 
Their mouths fusing together in a soul-stealing kiss, Walter slid his hands 
back down her body to grab her ass, lifting her slightly and pulling her hard against
him, his erection grinding against her pelvis. Before she got a chance to wrap
her legs around his waist, he set her back down and grabbed for the hem of her
t-shirt, tugging it up her body and over her head. Dana ran her hands up his
muscled chest, tangling in the greying hair as his hands made their own journey
across her small, freckled shoulders, caressing her with a reverence only a man
long-in-love can feel as the object of his affection stands before him naked,
proud and welcoming. They stood there for a moment, devouring each other
with their eyes. 

Walter cupped her face in his hands, leaning down to brush his lips tenderly over
her eyelids and cheeks and murmured, "God, you're so beautiful Dana..." He
continued to plant butterfly-soft kisses across her face as his hands trailed down
the soft skin of her back. His fingers slid beneath the cotton waistband of her
draw-string shorts to squeeze her bare bottom. Without removing his hands
from inside her shorts, he frog-walked them backwards until the edge of the bed
caught the back of his knees. He ran his tongue across her kiss-swollen lower
lip, sucking on it gently before releasing it with a plopping sound. 

She looked up at him with desire-glazed eyes to see a languid, incredibly sexy
grin curling the corners of his mouth. His message was clear: he intended to
take his time. Dana shuddered as a frisson of arousal coursed down her body at
the thought of Walter Skinner taking his time to make love to her. She smiled
back at him lazily, showing him her full agreement with his plan. 

Walter's smile broadened and he sat down on the bed, his hands moving from
her ass back up to the waist of her shorts, his attention focused on the
draw-string closure. She pushed his hand gently away from the knot, shook her
head and knelt in front of him to remove his boots and socks. Once they were
out of the way, she ran her hands up his legs, kneading the heavy muscles
through the tight-fitting denim. She reached his waistband and leaned forward to
plant soft kisses across his sculpted abdomen. Walter's abs jumped, contracting
in response to her wet, teasing lips. She kissed her way up to his chest, laving
his bruises with her agile tongue while her hands rested on his hard thighs,
massaging the tension she could feel building there. Stretching like a cat trying
to lap up its cream, Dana reached with her tongue for the desire-tightened bud of
his nipple, almost buried beneath his chest hair. Walter whimpered when her
mouth latched on to him; his mouth dropped to the top of her head, open and
panting as she suckled first one nipple, then the other, lazily moving back and
forth across the hard plane of his chest. His hands caressed her hair, her back,
her arms - everywhere he could reach until he had to pull her away from him and
drag her up off her knees so he could plunder her mouth with his, thrusting his
tongue deeply between her lips until all she could do was cling to him, her arms
wrapped tightly around his torso, grinding her breasts against the coarse hair of
his chest. He pulled his mouth from hers, their breath coming in short gasps.
Framing her face between his hands he captured her gaze with his intense one,
his jaw clenched in the effort of regaining control. Again, his message was 
clear: my turn.

Walter stood, pulling Dana up with him and turned them so their positions were
reversed. With one yank he untied her shorts, pushing them down her petite but
muscular legs. He took a step backward, staring dry-mouthed at the damp
auburn curls covering her mons. His eyes never leaving her body, he quickly
removed his jeans and boxer briefs, tossing them aside. 

It was Dana's turn to stare as Walter stood before her totally naked, her gaze
sweeping over his broad shoulders and sculpted chest and stomach muscles. 
His broad chest tapered to a trim waist and hips, the muscles flowing non-stop
down his long, long legs. His massive erection was as impressive as the rest of
him, standing straight out from his body at attention while Walter waited for her
to look her fill, a drop of pre-cum glistening on the purple, distended tip. When
Dana's eyes finally made their way back up his body to meet his unflinching
gaze, they were wide with awe at the beauty of the man standing before her. 
Without meaning to, she whispered, "Adonis...in the flesh," and was delighted to
see the pink flush of embarrassment creep across Walter's face and over his
bare scalp. 

Even the tips of his ears were crimson when he finally moved closer to her, his
fists pressing against the mattress on either side of her hips as he leaned in with
a little smile on his face and whispered, "Adonis, huh?" He nuzzled her temple
with his open lips and it was her turn to blush when he added, "If I'm Adonis then
you must be Venus - the goddess of love." He pulled back a little to look at her,
his eyes filled with love and adoration. He shook his head in disbelief and
whispered, "You are a goddess. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever
seen." Walter leaned in close again, his lips stopping scant millimeters from
hers. "And I can't believe you're finally here..." He brushed his lower lip across
her upper one. "With..." He wetly kissed her lower lip. "Me..." His tongue
pushed its way slowly inside her mouth as their lips melded together and she
moaned against him, her hands clutching at his shoulders.

He pressed his entire body against hers, pushing them back on the mattress 
until they lay across it, perpendicular. Skinner growled into her mouth as he 
tried to wriggle them around until they lay correctly on the bed. In the midst of the
repositioning, Dana started to giggle, her chest bouncing against his with her
mirth. Her giggle was infectious and, by the time they were in place, they were
both laughing at the effort it took to get there. As their laughter died down,
Walter raised himself on his forearms so he could look at her better, her smile so
beautiful that his heart felt like it would burst inside his chest from love 
for her.

She studied him studying her, and whispered, "You know, an hour ago I was
exhausted. I could barely walk. But now," she ran her hands softly up and down
his back, occasionally drawing circles with her fingertips, "now, I won't be able to
sleep until I feel you come inside of me." Her smile hadn't dimmed, and the
emotions flooding her eyes mirrored his. "I want you inside me, Walter. I don't
want to wait any longer." Her hands moved to his ass and squeezed, flirting with
the line between his cheeks.

Walter swallowed hard. There was so much he wanted to do for her, to do with
her, but maybe she was right. After all, they had waited so long...

Balancing his weight on his left arm, he reached down with his right hand to her
slick folds, finding her engorged clit with his fingers. She cried out at the
contact, arching up off the bed, almost lifting him with the force of her response. 
His fingers slid lower to her vagina, first pushing one finger inside of her, then
two fingers, loosening her in preparation for his cock. Dana's hips thrust against
his hand as his fingers plunged inside her, his thumb rubbing gently against her
swollen nub. Her gasps grew louder, interspersed with inarticulate sounds forced
from her throat by her increasing passion. He continued to work his fingers
inside her as he laved her breasts with his tongue, grazing her nipples gently
with his teeth. Her legs writhing, she grabbed Walter's shoulder, crying, "Now,
oh, god, now...yes, now..."

Slipping his fingers out of her, he grabbed her left leg behind her knee, pushing
it back towards her chest at the same time as he thrust into her, sheathing
himself fully inside her in one stroke. They both cried out at the incredible
sensation of filling and being filled, and held their movement, suspended at the
completion of his thrust, savoring the moment of total union. Walter waited for
Dana to start moving beneath him before he began a rhythm of long, slow
thrusting. She cried out again at the rock-hard, pulsating feel of him, of all of
him, stroking inside her. She wrapped her right leg around his waist, kneading
his ass with her heel, pulling him deeper inside of her as her left leg slipped out
of his grasp to catch on his shoulder, his hand sliding higher to pin hers to the
mattress as he pumped into her. Although she urged him to quicken his pace
with her hands, hips and soft, animalistic cries, he maintained a steady rhythm,
wanting to keep control of his own passion until he felt her come around him. 


"Oh, Wal..Wal-ter..." she m whimpered, her cries increasing in volume as her
movements became more frantic. Their sweat-slicked bodies slapped together
audibly as Walter's control started to slip. His thrusting lost its constant rhythm
and he began to slam into her with greater force. Dana's head tossed from side
to side, her hair clinging damply to her forehead as she clutched the bedspread
in one fist, his hand in the other, and arched up into Walter's hard, hard body. 
"God, oh...l...god...oh...Wal-" and she screamed the last syllable of his name,
her body arching so high that her shoulders left the mattress. 

The force of her orgasm pushed Walter over the edge. Her vaginal muscles
spasmed tightly around him, he cried out her name as he bucked against her, all
of his daunted control swallowed up by his passion for her. He continued to
pump erratically as his seed burst inside her, cries of "Dana...god...Dana...love...
you..." escaping his lips. 

He drove one final, deep thrust into her as the last spasm shook his body and he
collapsed partially on top of her, trying to roll to the side at the last minute but
not quite making it. Dana wrapped her limbs around him, attempting to pull him
back on top, but neither one of them had the energy for that much movement. 
Instead, he lifted his hand to her cheek, turning her face towards his. 

Stroking her skin lightly with his fingers, unshed tears hot behind his closed
eyelids, he heard her sniffle and opened his eyes suddenly, the tears falling
unchecked. He was startled to see tears in Dana's eyes as well. She lifted 
one hand to his face, wiping away the salty wetness. Walter tried to swallow 
past the lump in his throat, but gave up and just touched his forehead to hers, rubbing
against her gently, his fingers lacing through her hair. He shifted a little, settling
their chests closer together. She sniffled again and clutched at his back, wanting
to tell him what she was feeling, that what she had just experienced had possibly
been the most significant moment of her life, but her throat was too thick with
emotion for any words to get through. Walter raised his head on the pillow,
letting hers fall beneath his chin. He mumbled something that sounded a lot
like, "I love you," before his breathing deepened and evened out. With a sigh,
Dana nuzzled her nose against his throat and finally stilled. Lying there
entwined, their bodies still united, they fell into a deep slumber.

END OF PART 3