Title: Wicked Game

Author: Mare (MareZX@aol.com)

Category: SR

Rating: NC-17 for explicit sex. Lots and LOTS of explicit sex.

Keywords: Scully/Krycek

Spoilers: Up to and including Memento Mori. Nothing after that ep happened in this universe. (Well, okay, the very beginning of Tempus Fugit did. An AU TF, that is.)

Summary: Scully makes a deal with the devil. A devil with beautiful green eyes...

The disclaimer song & dance: All characters are property of Fox, Ten-Thirteen, etc., etc., no copyright infringement intended. I'm only borrowing the characters and, well, maybe it's better that CC & Company don't know what I'm doing with them...

Notes: This was begun in response to a challenge from a member of the original NLEB, who wanted to see a .... well, a story with the theme this one has. (Check the start date -- NOBODY was writing SKipper fic in those days...) I never really thought about this particular subject, but then this intriguingly sick idea came to me on the way to work one morning (hey, I gotta find some way to occupy my mind during the hour-long bus ride), and voila, this story was born.

WICKED GAME

by Mare

7/9/96-

Dana Scully sighed heavily as she unlocked her apartment door. The day had not been a good one. First thing in the morning, she’d gotten a call from her oncologist, telling her that in the two short weeks since her diagnosis, her tumor had grown. Although she still felt okay, that news started her day off just the wrong way, and it went downhill from there. A pedophile she had personally arrested had been acquitted despite her testimony, her car had broken down, and she had endured a 20-minute chewing out from the Assistant Director because Mulder couldn’t find the paperwork for their latest case. On top of that, the heel had broken off one of her shoes. She slogged into the apartment, removing shoes and suit jacket as she went, and plopped heavily onto the sofa. She wanted nothing more than to relax in a long, hot bubble bath and turn in early, putting an end to this awful day.

Then she became aware of the enticing aromas emanating from the kitchen.

"Mom, is that you?" she called, rising and drifting toward the kitchen. "Whatever that is, it smells wonderf --"

She froze and the words died in her throat at the sight of the man standing by the stove.

"Thank you very much." He replaced the lid on a pot and turned around to face her. "Welcome home, Dana," Alex Krycek said.

Her mind had trouble registering what her eyes were seeing. "But... but... I thought you were dead!"

His lips curved in an amused smile. "Like the man said, only the good die young. Where’d you hear that, anyway? Mulder?"

Freed from her temporary paralysis, Scully went for the gun still at her waist. "Hands in the air! NOW!"

He watched as she drew the gun and chuckled softly. "You’re not going to shoot me," he informed her with supreme confidence.

She aimed at his head. "What makes you so sure?"

"You had your chance already. You blew it."

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Making dinner." He fixed his gaze on her. "Might as well put the gun down. You know you won’t use it."

The cocky little grin on his face infuriated her, but she found that he was right; she couldn’t shoot. Krycek still held the key to the mystery surrounding the MJ-12 files, as well as a couple of deaths, and, even aside from her natural aversion to killing except when absolutely necessary, she knew she couldn’t just waste him without at least trying to get some answers.

Krycek leaned back against the counter. "Y’know, if you just relax a little, you’ll see that I really am harmless... not to mention unarmed."

"Harmless? You?" she spat. "Maybe I should ask my sister how harmless you are! Or Mulder’s father!" She couldn’t argue with his statement that he was unarmed, though. She didn’t see a weapon, and there didn’t seem to be anyplace on his person that he could have one hidden.

Her fury seemed to amuse him. "I can see we have a lot to talk about," he said, his voice friendly, conversational. "You seem to have a lot of misconceptions that need clearing up."

That was about the last thing she expected to hear from him. "Talk?"

"Yeah, talk. What’d you think I was here for, to kill you? I just want to talk to you, Scully."

She just stared at him for a moment longer. Finally she said, "I’m calling Mulder."

He studied her for a long moment; long enough for her to punch a couple digits of her partner’s phone number. Then, "I’m not really into threesomes, but if that’s what you want, go ahead. I can adapt."

The image sprang unbidden into her mind: herself, Krycek, and... Mulder?, naked limbs entwined... She shuddered and put the phone down.

"What? Mulder’s not into threesomes, huh? I sort of thought he would be..."

"Pervert," she muttered.

He just laughed at her.

"Krycek, what the hell do you want?"

"You."

Mulder was gone from the mental image now, and Krycek was licking... "I’d rather eat bees," she spat, forcing the picture from her mind. She only needed four words to sum up that mental picture. Not. In. This. Lifetime.

He laughed softly. "No wonder they call you the Ice Queen. Seriously, I just want to talk."

"Just talk?" She could always call Mulder from the bedroom... assuming he let her out of the room.

"And eat." He glanced down at the timer next to the stove. "Dinner’s almost ready. Why don’t you go..." He leered at her and his voice dropped. "... slip into something more comfortable?"

Despite being handed her chance to call her partner, she didn’t move.

He gave her a disapproving look. "Chill, will you, Scully? I’m not trying to poison you or anything. I spent so much time preparing this great dinner; the least you could do is share it with me."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Oh, this and that..."

"Cut the crap. What do you want?"

"I want you to have dinner with me, okay? And... just maybe... explore the possibility of making a deal..."

"What kind of deal?"

"Dinner first. Then the deal."

She still didn’t move.

Krycek shrugged and turned back to the stove, stirring the contents of a pot. "Okay, suit yourself," he said. "If that’s what you want, I can just disappear. You’ll never see me again... and you’ll never get the answers you’re looking for..."

An image came to her of her sister Melissa, lying in a hospital bed, bandages wrapped around her head. If Luis Cardinal could be believed (and she wasn’t by any means sure that he could be), then Krycek was responsible for Melissa’s death. Or at least involved somehow. But - this was a very big but - he was also the last known custodian of the DAT tape with the MJ-12 files on it. The tape that had the answers. If she had it, maybe she could finally ease Mulder’s mind about his father and his sister... and maybe she could make some sense of Missy’s death. He also knew about that damn rock. Krycek knew what was in it, he knew what the organism did to people... and he just might know how to kill it...

Can it really be that easy? she wondered. Would he really be willing to give up important information for a simple dinner? Or is there more to it than that? Oh, come on, Dana, there has to be more to it. What does he want? And will that information be worth whatever price I have to pay?

She heard herself speak before she knew she was going to. "I’ll just be a minute."

"Take your time." He glanced at the gun still in her hand. "But the gun stays here."

Scully’s eyes moved from her guest to her gun and back again, but she didn’t move.

Krycek leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. "Look, if you’re going to shoot me, just shoot me already. If not, drop the gun."

She still didn’t move.

"You’d rather have me take it away from you? That can be arranged. Might even be fun..."

Looking at him, she knew he was right. He could probably disarm her with one hand. Could definitely kill her if he wanted. Watch out here, Dana, she told herself. Something’s going on here that you don’t understand. Pick your battles carefully. You can afford to let him win this one. She sighed and laid the gun on the table.

"Thank you," he said with a self-satisfied little smile and a glance at the timer. "You’ve got about 5 minutes. If you’re going, go."

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

Scully traveled most of the way toward her bedroom backwards, keeping a watchful eye on her enigmatic guest. He busied himself with the food, not making any move whatsoever to follow her. With him busy elsewhere, she should have a chance to call Mulder from the bedroom phone...

The instant she closed the bedroom door, she put her hand on the phone... but then stopped. What would Mulder do if he came over, drop his gun and beat the hell out of Krycek again? What the hell was she going to say to Mulder if she called him? "Krycek’s here, he broke into my place... and he’s making me dinner." Right, making dinner was just cause to arrest him. Well, there was the breaking and entering, not to mention the outstanding warrants... That was enough to justify a phone call. Better to have backup when arresting somebody like Alex Krycek anyway.

She snatched up the phone... but there was no dialtone. Tapping on the disconnect buttons didn’t bring one either, so she started to examine the phone. Handset was connected to base, which was connected to... nothing. There was no cord connecting the phone to the jack.

"Damn it!" She started tearing the room apart in search of the cord, but she knew she wouldn’t find it. "He took it," she hissed. "That bastard took it!" Suddenly remembering her cell phone, she turned back to the bed, only to curse again when she pictured her bag, cell phone nestled comfortably inside, lying where she had dropped it. In the living room.

"Okay, calm down," she said, speaking aloud and pacing up and down in an effort to do just that. "Examine your options here, Dana. You have no weapon, no phone. You’re being held hostage in your own home by a wanted felon. He wants to have dinner with you..." She shook her head. Dinner? What the hell was he getting at? "...and he wants to make a deal. A deal. What kind of deal? What the hell could he possibly want from me that would make him take the huge chance to come here?"

She flung herself on the bed with a sigh. "What can I do? Absolutely nothing, that’s what. I can’t call Mulder, I can’t disable Krycek... Well, I could try, but he’s probably prepared for anything I might do... What choice do I have? Unless I send smoke signals out this window or something, nobody has any idea that anything weird’s going on. Nobody at all. Unless..."

Maybe her cell phone was an option after all. It was only in the living room, easily reachable if Krycek should leave her alone at any point during dinner. He couldn’t watch her every moment, could he? All she needed was a minute, just one little minute, to punch the speed dial button for Mulder’s number and tell him to come over. That would end this before it went too far. All she needed was an opportunity. Which meant that she needed to at least make a show of having dinner with Krycek.

She sat up and faced her reflection in the dresser mirror. "Face it, Dana," she said, "you have to do it." She sighed again and got up. "Might as well try to make it look good."

After thinking about it for a moment, she changed quickly into leggings and her FBI Academy sweatshirt. She had to admit to herself that the prospect of a deal was intriguing. From what Krycek had said, she was pretty sure he was offering the information from the tape and whatever else he knew about the smoking man’s operations. If she and Mulder had that information, maybe they’d be able to nail both the smoking man and Krycek, finally giving both of them what they deserved. Maybe, just maybe...

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

When she went back out to the dining area, she found that Krycek had been busy while she’d been deciding what to do. The table was now elegantly set for two, there was a bottle of wine waiting in the middle of the table, soft music was playing, and the lights were dimmed. Candles were burning, their delicate fragrance wafting through the air as she tried to identify it.

Krycek noticed her presence and uncorked the wine bottle. "We still have a few minutes," he told her, handing her a glass of wine. "Here, taste this while you’re waiting. Tell me if you like it."

She accepted the glass and sipped from it without thinking, her mind still fixed on the candle question. Where had she gotten those candles, anyway? Missy’s candle party, more than two years ago. The memory came back in a rush: her sister pleading with her to "just come and look, Dana; you don’t have to buy anything if you don’t want to." She’d gone just to be polite and felt guilty about it, so she’d bought two boxes. The scents were... vanilla and cranberry. Yes, that was it. That was what was burning now. Her mysterious guest was burning her dead sister’s candles.

"Dana? Everything okay?" Krycek’s voice cut through her reverie, and she turned to find him standing behind her, faint concern on his face.

She buried the last of the memory. "Fine. Why?" Had he just called her by her first name?

"Nothing; you just looked like you were a million miles away." Krycek disappeared into the kitchen, and reappeared carrying her large serving tray, covered with foil. "I hope you don’t mind about the candles," he said. "I found them at the bottom of the closet and figured they might help..." He drew a chair away from the table, inviting her to sit down. "...set the mood."

Keeping a wary eye on him the whole time, Scully sat. "Oh, you’ve set a mood, all right." She placed her wine glass on the table, very surprised to find that it was empty. She didn’t even remember tasting the wine.

He went back to the kitchen and returned with a small platter of potatoes and a bowl of vegetables before sitting down. "Glad you agree" he said, peeling the foil off the tray.

"What is that?" Scully peered at the platter.

"Stuffed veal chops." He forked one onto her plate.

She stared at the meat, until its tempting aroma made her realize suddenly that she was starving. She poked at the chop with her fork, then mentally chastised herself for such a silly gesture. What did she expect, that it would poke back? He watched her with an amused smile. He had to know how suspicious she was of anything he gave her, right? Sure he knew, and he loved torturing her. She looked up and saw him take a bite of his own veal chop. He wouldn’t do that if he’d done anything to the food, would he? Well, if she died by veal chop poisoning, at least she wouldn’t have endure the rest of this dinner. Steeling herself, she took fork in hand again and flaked off a bit of the chop to taste. He watched with interest as her eyes widened in surprise. "This is very good," she admitted. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"Oh, here and there." Krycek watched her eagerly take another bite. "Here, don’t forget the veggies."

Scully scooped a twice-baked potato off the plate and took a spoonful of the baby carrots dripping in butter sauce, as Krycek filled his wineglass and refilled hers. Okay, so the food was somewhat less healthy than what she usually ate, but what the hell? It was good, and it wasn’t like she couldn’t afford to put on a little weight. "I never would’ve figured you for the cooking type."

He gave her an enigmatic smile. "Yeah, well, I have lots of hidden talents."

She dropped her fork suddenly as she remembered just who she was eating with. "Breaking and entering is at the top of that list, isn’t it?"

Krycek sipped his wine before calmly continuing with his own meal. "Bothers you that your apartment is so easy to get into?"

"No, it bothers me that you got into it." She absently sipped her wine, a particularly good red. Sneaking a peek at the bottle’s label, she discovered that it was a California Merlot. One of the more expensive ones, if memory served. "Just what are you doing here anyway?"

"Patience, Dana, patience," he chided her. "All in due time."

There was her first name again. "Where do you get off calling me that?"

"What, Dana? That’s your name, isn’t it?"

"I wasn’t aware we were on a first name basis."

"We should be, don’t you think?"

"I’d rather not."

"I’d rather we were." His voice was soft, but the command was clear. "Things will seem a whole lot more... civil that way, don’t you agree?"

Scully took a longer drink of wine to wash down the last of her first veal chop as she reached for another. It was more than she usually ate, but then again, she hadn’t been eating much lately, and this was the first time in a while that food had appealed to her this much. She decided not to fight him on the name issue. What was the point? "You said you wanted to talk," she reminded him. "So talk."

He topped off her wineglass again before taking a second veal chop of his own. "You seem to have a lot on your mind," he observed. "Why don’t you start?"

"I already did. What the hell are you doing here?"

Krycek looked at her like she had three heads. "Having dinner with you."

"Cut the crap. You know what I mean -- why did you come here?"

"I came here," he said, "to have dinner with you, talk to you... and maybe make a deal."

How could she forget that? She took another sip of wine. "Oh, yes, the famous deal. What kind of deal is it again?"

"I told you, not till after dinner."

He lifted the bottle to fill her glass yet again, but she placed her hand over it. "Trying to get me drunk?"

He put the bottle down. "Not at all," he said smoothly. "You’re just enjoying it so much, I thought I’d... help."

"My glass is still almost full. If I want more I’ll let you know, okay?" How terribly polite this all sounded.

He shrugged. "Fine."

Satisfied now, Scully sipped at her wine again, becoming aware that she was getting a pleasant buzz on. Nothing to be concerned about, really; she was still in control. "Am I allowed to ask about the silo?" she asked, drinking more deeply. The wine he’d chosen was just too good. She almost never got the expensive stuff, and she was damned if she wasn’t going to enjoy it. On her own terms.

He smiled indulgently. "Sure, you can ask. I suppose you want to know how I got out?"

"Mm-hmm. You lied to us."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Did I?"

"The guy from the militia said so." She couldn’t remember just what the man had said, but she knew it didn’t agree with what Krycek had told them. "So how did you get out?"

"Friends in low places, Dana."

He lifted the bottle and raised a questioning eyebrow at her. She allowed him to fill her glass again as she thought back. Had he refilled his own at any point? He had to -- the bottle was more than half empty, and she couldn’t possibly have consumed all that. Aware that she was watching him, he sipped at his own wine and smiled at her. "I wasn’t aware you had any friends," she said.

His response was a soft, amused chuckle.

She sighed. "What friends?"

"Don’t worry, you don’t know them."

"I know one of them. Luis Cardinal."

"Oh, yes, Luis." Krycek sipped his wine and took another potato. "I understand he had an unfortunate accident while in your custody."

"He said you shot my sister."

He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "You know better than that," he said evenly.

She did -- and damn him for knowing that. "You shot Mulder’s father."

"Dana, you surprise me. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you jump to a conclusion without even a shred of proof."

"How much proof do I need? You went back to finish Mulder off too --"

"And you shot him instead." Krycek gazed at her steadily over the rim of his glass. "Did I ever thank you for that? He would’ve killed me."

"He should’ve!" Scully snapped.

He shook his head reproachfully. "Dana, Dana. And here I thought your mother taught you manners --"

"You leave my mother out of this! Haven’t you done enough to my family already?"

"What have I done to your family?"

"My sister --"

"I didn’t kill her. You know that."

"You were there! You were going to --"

"I never fired a shot that night," he said. "I could have and should have, but I didn’t do anything."

"You think you should’ve buried a bullet in my sister’s head like your friend Cardinal?"

"No," he said quietly. "No, your sister was quite safe from me."

"So your bullets were meant for --"

"That," he interrupted, "is a topic for another time. You’re obviously not in the correct frame of mind to discuss it."

"You were going to shoot me."

He put his glass down and fixed his gaze on her. "If I really wanted you dead," he said, "you’d be dead already. Do you believe that?"

She met his direct gaze, and an odd thought crept into her mind. What beautiful eyes he has. Such a lovely shade of green. Why didn’t I ever notice that before? "Yes, I do," she heard herself say, surprising herself with the words.

"And you still think I was here to shoot you?"

She took a small sip of wine. "Why were you here that night?"

He picked up his glass again and swirled the remaining wine around in it a bit before sipping. "I had my reasons. You’re not ready to hear them."

Scully raised her glass slightly and pondered the ruby liquid as she let his words drift through her mind. Reasons? What reasons could he have, if he wasn’t going to kill her? "What do you want from me?" she asked in a small voice.

"We’re getting to that. You up for some dessert?"

"I’d rather hear you get to the point."

"Okay, I suppose we can take a break before dessert." Krycek rose and extended his hand to her. "Dance with me, Dana."

Only the fact that she continued to see him standing there, hand extended toward her, convinced her that she had indeed heard what she thought she’d heard. "You are completely insane," she told him. "Did you know that? Totally nuts!"

He dropped his hand and rested it on the back of the chair. "Is that your standard reply to any guy who asks you to dance?"

Was it? She couldn’t even remember the last time a man asked her to dance. "No, it’s special, just for you. Why in the world would I want to dance with you?"

He shrugged. "Why not? Dinner and dancing go hand in hand, don’t they?"

Scully settled more firmly into her chair. "Not during business deals, they don’t. And, assuming we ever get to it, this is a business deal, isn’t it?"
"That it is. But no business deal in history ever went down without some schmoozing first."

She shook her head. "No amount of schmoozing is ever going to get me to trust you, you know."

He chuckled. "I’m not asking you to trust me; I’m only asking you to dance with me. One harmless little dance. Is that really so hard?"

She studied his face, which revealed no clue whatsoever as to what might be running through his mind. "We’ll talk about this deal of yours afterwards?"

"Absolutely." He extended his hand to her again. "So... dance with me?"

One little dance. What harm could it do? If it would make him lay out the damn deal any faster, she’d do it. She took his outstretched hand and tried to rise, but as she stood up, a wave of dizziness overcame her and she stumbled. I didn’t drink that much, did I? Careful, Dana, careful... Krycek caught her and supported her until she regained her footing. "Easy there, Dana," he chided softly. "We don’t want you breaking anything, do we?"

Scully froze when she felt his arms around her. When was the last time she’d allowed anyone contact that intimate? Following her diagnosis. It had been Mulder then, and his touch had been comforting and supportive. This touch... was something else entirely. Unknown. Dangerous.

Exciting? a tiny voice in her mind suggested.

She shook that thought from her head, causing another near-stumble as Krycek led her away from the table and toward the center of the living room. Then she was in his arms again and they were swaying together to the soft background music. "Now, is this really so horrible?" he asked her.

Scully felt herself starting to relax somewhat into his embrace. It was probably a good thing that his arms were around her, as she thought she might have trouble standing up on her own. Her head felt swimmy (drank more wine than I thought, didn’t I?) and her limbs felt... sort of floaty. Still in control, though. I know exactly what I’m doing... he’s going to tell me about the deal right after this. Right?

She gazed up into his eyes, and again found herself thinking about how lovely they were. Beautiful green pools, framed by astonishingly long lashes. Not just the eyes, either. He’s really a very handsome man. How did I manage to miss this? "Not horrible at all," she murmured.

"So glad you agree. Kind of nice, isn’t it?"

She closed her eyes and let herself drift. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been held like this by a man, and it really was kind of nice. Shortly after her diagnosis, people -- everyone, including her mother -- had pretty much stopped touching her. It seemed as though they were almost afraid to touch her, for whatever reason. She needed, no, craved that contact, to reassure herself that she was still alive, that she still mattered. So what if it’s Krycek? that little voice said. Feels really good, doesn’t it? "Mmm," she sighed. "Yeah, kind of nice."

He drew her closer, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. She breathed deeply, inhaling his scent -- a heady mix of light cologne and a scent uniquely his own. A nice scent, that little voice put in. Intoxicating...

Her eyes flew open and she pulled slightly away from him as she suddenly remembered who she was dancing with. Stop it, the rational side of her mind told her. Remember who this is. Remember that evil can be very, very seductive...

Scully pulled further away from him. "This is a bad idea --"

Krycek slipped his hands up her back from her waist, then down her arms until he was gently holding her hands. "Now might be a good time for a dessert break. Is that okay with you?" he asked, leading her back to the table.

"Um... yeah, dessert. Sounds good," she mumbled, her mind occupied by what had just happened. He stopped. He actually stopped. What’s going on here? What is he really doing?

He disappeared into the kitchen, returning with two plates, one of which he placed before her. "You like strawberry cheesecake, don’t you, Dana?" he asked, moving back into the kitchen.

Beating back the memory of his arms around her, she stared at the small slab of cheesecake on her plate. "I haven’t had this in years. Do you have any idea how much fat there is in this one slice?"

"Aw, c’mon, live a little," he coaxed, settling across the table from her. "It’s good, and it’s not like you really need to watch what you eat these days, is it?"

She looked up sharply. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"I know about the cancer." The look in his eyes was soft, sympathetic -- and a great surprise to Scully. "I was very sorry to hear about it."

"Yeah, I bet you were," she hissed. "You --"

"Let’s not talk about that, okay? Here, try this." Krycek placed a newly-filled wine glass in front of her.

"What’s this?"

"Dessert wine. Goes great with the cake."

She glared at him. "You are trying to get me drunk, aren’t you?"

"Now, why would I do that? At least taste it. One little sip; that’s all I ask."

"Hmph." She met his eyes for a moment more, then picked up the glass. One sip. That can’t hurt, can it? So she tasted it. "Pretty good," she said with some surprise. "Not too sweet."

He smiled. "Glad you like it. How’s the cake, okay?"

Scully hadn’t meant to eat any, but it did look tempting and she could probably use the food to counteract some of the wine in her system. She picked up her fork and dug a small bite out of the cheesecake wedge. "It is good," she admitted, immediately taking a bigger bite.

He smiled. "Told you. So... nice place you have here."

Chewing thoughtfully, she looked up at him, again wondering what he was thinking. "Thank you. Can we talk about the deal now?"

"I told you, later."

"You said after we danced."

"No, I said after dinner. That means after dessert, too."

Scully sighed and sipped her wine. "What kind of deal is it?"

"Yes, very nice place. How’s the rent? Looks expensive."

"There aren’t any vacancies in the building, in case you were wondering. What kind of deal is it?" Trying to control the urge to reach out and belt her dinner guest, she drained her wine glass without thinking.

Krycek refilled it for her. "It’s a deal I think you’ll find very... enjoyable." He took her hand firmly in his and gently massaged the back of it with his thumb. "You’ll learn lots and lots of new things."

Her eyes locked on his, and she found herself unable to either look away or pull her hand away. "What kind of new things?"

"Things you’ve always wanted to know." His voice was low and inviting now; his gentle massage igniting a pleasant warmth on her skin. "Things that you never thought you’d ever know. There’ll be a lot of new experiences, too."

Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed at him, almost hypnotized by those deep green eyes. "N... new experiences? What kind?" she murmured.

"Only the best kind, Dana. And the best part is, it’s nothing you haven’t done before, and nothing you don’t want to do."

She found herself drinking deeply, without taking her eyes off his. "Something... I want to do?"

"Oh, yes, Dana, you want to. You may not know it now, but you want to. You might even need to."

Suddenly realizing what she was doing, she gave a small cry and snatched her hand away from his. "No... no. I’m not doing anything. Not yet... not until I hear the terms of the deal..."

"Of course not," Krycek said smoothly. "I wouldn’t expect you to do anything unless you knew exactly what you were getting into." He glanced at her plate and her gaze followed his, both of them seeing her empty plate and drained glass. "Done with dessert, Dana? Maybe we should work off some of that food before we talk, mmm?"

Work it off? How? Scully closed her eyes for a long moment when the room started to spin slightly before her. When she opened them, she saw that intense emerald gaze fixed on her again. "No, let’s talk now. Tell me about this deal."

"Come on, Dana, just one little dance," Krycek coaxed. "Just for a couple minutes. After all, we didn’t finish last time, did we? We stopped."

"We stopped so you could tell me about the deal."

"And I will... after."

"You said after dinner and dessert. Is this dance part of dessert too?"

"It’s part of the whole dinner experience, yes. So... dance with me?"

Again the memory of his arms around her came back, and she could almost feel his embrace, how good it felt... "No," she said firmly. "I want to hear the terms of the deal."

"You will -- after we dance."

She crossed her arms and looked up at him.

"No dance, no deal," he said, rising from his chair.

"If there’s no deal, you can just leave. Right now."

He laughed softly. "You really want to just throw the deal away?"

"I don’t know. How can I know unless I hear the terms?"

"Do you want to hear the terms?"

"Yes! Isn’t that what I’ve been asking you?"

"Then dance with me." Krycek came up behind her chair and helped her stand, keeping an arm around her to steady her. "One harmless little dance," he purred in her ear. "The last one was harmless, wasn’t it? Such a small price to pay to hear the terms of the deal..."

Scully allowed him to lead her back to the center of the living room, and then she was wrapped in his arms again. I suppose it is a small price to pay, she admitted to herself, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder. And it does feel pretty nice...

"See, that’s not so bad, is it?" he murmured. "Nice. And harmless..."

At that word, she suddenly froze in his arms. Harmless? Alex Krycek is not harmless...

"Something wrong, Dana?"

She pulled away from him. "This isn’t a good idea --"

Krycek drew her firmly back to him and at the same time spun her around so that his arms were encircling her from behind. "Oh, yes, it is," he whispered seductively in her ear. "This is a very, very good idea..."

They were swaying to the music again, her arms pinned and her movements restricted by his tight embrace. "You’re such a beautiful woman, Dana," he murmured in that same seductive voice, softly kissing her hair. "So beautiful..."

She sighed softly. How long had it been since a man told her she was beautiful? Far too long. She’d almost forgotten how lovely that was to hear.

As if he could sense what she was thinking, Krycek drew her closer. "Hasn’t he ever told you that?" he breathed into her hair.

She felt his right hand begin a slow journey down the side of her body; softly brushing the swell of her breast, tracing the curve of her waist, lightly skimming her hip. "So beautiful," he whispered softly, lightly brushing his lips over her neck. "No, he’d never tell you that, would he?"

His hand reversed its journey and moved around to very gently cup one breast. "How he could’ve missed how beautiful you are, I don’t understand," he went on, kissing lightly around her ear between whispered words. "He doesn’t notice. He’s never noticed." The hand moved to her other breast, gently stroking it all over, lightly teasing the nipple when it rose to meet his finger, and a soft moan escaped her lips. "I noticed," he went on in that seductive whisper. "I noticed a long time ago..."

She felt his hand start to travel down her body again. What the hell is he doing? She moaned a soft protest and tried to free her arms to stop him, but they were still firmly pinned to her body by his left arm. His hand slipped over her hip again and halfway down her thigh, gently caressing as it moved smoothly from the outside of her leg to the inside. She immediately pressed her legs together in an effort to deter him, but she soon found the persistent gentle stroking between her thighs to be an infuriatingly pleasant sensation, and she found herself shifting position to allow him greater freedom. Even as she did so, the rational side of her mind screamed at her, What are you doing? But then his hand moved up again, with just the barest touch over her mound that sent a shock wave coursing through her body, and she ignored that voice of reason.

His roving hand moved to her breasts again, stroking each of them more insistently, teasing her nipples to hard peaks through her clothing. As his hand worked, she felt a sudden warm heaviness settle in her lower body. Each stroke of finger on nipple made the feeling just the tiniest bit more intense, and she heard herself sigh softly. His other arm pulled her tighter against him and his soft kisses moved from her neck to the side of her face. "You feel so good," he murmured into her ear between kisses. "I knew you would." As his hand left her breast and moved slowly, agonizingly downward again, she whimpered in protest... a protest of a different kind.

"Who knew?" he went on softly, sliding his hand down her body again to where her legs met her torso. "Who knew that under those prim suits was such a beautiful body?" His hand dipped down between her legs again, this time lightly stroking her mound. Her breath caught in her throat at that first touch, and the warm heaviness in that part of her body started to take on a form she couldn’t deny as being arousal.

"Nobody noticed, did they?" he continued, gradually increasing the pressure of his strokes but not the speed. "I did. I noticed all sorts of things." A sudden jolt ran through her when his finger brushed over her most sensitive area, and her legs parted of their own accord, wordlessly inviting him to explore further. She gasped aloud when he did, his hand circling gently but insistently around the newly-revealed area. Her arousal was growing now, and it occurred to her that she didn’t want him to stop.

She became aware that the sound she heard was her own breathing, faster now and accompanied by soft moans. Her knees buckled a bit and she cried out when his hand found the precise spot she longed for him to touch, igniting sudden flares of need throughout her body. She lapsed into quiet sighs as his hand continued its circling, the left one now joining in by moving up and toying with a nipple. She relaxed into his embrace, pushing her pelvis forward into his hand, begging him to stroke harder.

His lips brushed over her neck by her ear again. "Feels good, doesn’t it?" he whispered, and she found herself moaning in assent. "You haven’t felt like this in quite a while, have you? I know what you want. I know what you need..."

His hand’s movements became more insistent, making her wish there wasn’t any clothing between it and her body. It did feel good – much too good. When was the last time she’d felt like this? She couldn’t even remember. Her arousal climbed another notch and she felt herself growing wetter, more ready for...

"I can make you feel good. I can give you everything you ever wanted," his voice purred in her ear, its sound now mingled with her own almost constant moans. "More than you ever dreamed... I can give you everything you need..."

Don’t stop, she silently begged. Give me what I need right now...

A sudden jolt of reason hit her and her eyes snapped open when she realized what it was she wanted... and what he meant to do. Fighting against the ache between her legs, she wriggled in his grasp and managed to weaken it. "What the hell do you think you’re doing?" she cried.

His arms immediately encircled her waist again, stilled, but he continued to rain kisses on her neck. "What you want me to do," he murmured. "Why don’t you tell me what you want me to do?"

She took a few deep breaths to steady herself. "Deal?" she asked hesitantly.

His lips moved to the other side of her neck. "After..."

"A-a-after... what?" Inexplicably her arousal grew more intense now that he was no longer touching her... there.

"Whatever you want. Tell me what you want, Dana."

"I want... want..." No, no, I won’t, I can’t... But I want...

His arms pulled her closer against him again, and now she could feel his erection, velvet-sheathed steel against her backside. I want that... I need that... You son of a bitch, I need that...

She turned to face him, meeting those intense green eyes. He gazed evenly at her, and she realized he was breathing harder too. Her breathing intensified as she stared at him, her arousal climbing yet another notch. No, not arousal, she thought. Not anymore. Need. I need...

Completely unaware that she was going to do it, she drew his face to hers and claimed his mouth in a savage kiss.

His lips immediately parted to her and she slid her tongue forward, sweeping it over his lips, his teeth, his tongue, the roof of his mouth, allowing him the same access to her mouth. His tongue still tasted of the wine, a flavor she lapped up greedily. His arms encircled her again as they kissed, pulling her close, the feel of his body against hers setting off sparks all through her. She no longer cared who he was or what he’d done, but only cared that he was willing to give her what she hadn’t had in far too long. To treat her in the way that no man had in a very long time. Reason left her as they kissed; she was operating now only on want and need.

She kissed him until she couldn’t breathe anymore, and when she drew back and looked into his eyes, she saw in them a hunger that mirrored her own. He held her gaze for a long moment, then kissed her again, his mouth conveying that same hunger. At the same time he gently urged her backwards so that if she didn’t step back, she would’ve fallen. So she took a step back and he moved with her, still urging her backwards. She soon realized what he was doing -- moving her in the direction of the bedroom. She went eagerly and he went with her, his shirt and her sweatshirt quickly left in their wake.

The next thing she knew, she was on her back on her bed, the full length of Krycek’s body on top of her, his hand sliding underneath her to unhook her bra. He didn’t remove it, though -- from there his hand glided down her body and slipped inside the waistband of her leggings. He continued to kiss her; hungry, demanding kisses that she returned with equal fervor. Her arms, locked around him, now started to move down. Touching him wasn’t enough -- she needed more. She needed to do something. So she slipped her hand between their bodies, reaching for the waistband of his jeans.

She had just realized that he was no longer wearing jeans when he grasped her hand in his and brought it to his mouth, where he gently sucked on each finger in turn. She’d never thought of that gesture as erotic before, but it was incredibly so now. It showed her, even more than his kisses did, the promise in those lips, that tongue, what they could do to her... and oh, God, did she want... need... him to fulfill that promise...

His hand slid slowly, sensuously up her arm to her shoulder, where he lifted her bra strap and slipped it down her arm. He did the same to the other, and as he was sliding the bra off her, she became aware that she was now wearing nothing but panties... and he was wearing nothing at all. She wondered briefly when he’d had a chance to remove the rest of their clothing, and why she hadn’t noticed, and that voice of reason in her mind suddenly spoke up: What is he doing? No, no, please, no... But then he kissed her again and all other thought was lost.

As he kissed her, she felt his hand softly cupping her breast, his thumb gently teasing her nipple. She moaned softly and kissed him harder, the ache between her legs climbing yet another notch with each movement of his finger. He turned his attention to her other breast long enough to bring the nipple to a hard peak again, then moved his mouth to that same breast.

She gasped as his tongue glided over her nipple; cried out as he took it into his mouth and softly sucked on it. Her need growing greater by the second, she shifted position beneath him, inviting him to take this to the next level, but he only continued the slow, gentle exploration with his tongue. She moved again, her sighs turning to soft cries when his teeth scraped gently across her nipple. That utterly unexpected sensation shot her arousal into overdrive, and she reached for him, needing to kiss him, touch him, do something... but his head was no longer at her breast. His attention was moving lower.

The hands that had been resting on her hips now slid her panties off, and one moved between her legs, where the fingers began gently exploring the skin of her inner thighs. She moaned and shifted position again, aching for more contact, but his touch remained feather-light, teasing her. She moved again, parting her legs more, inviting him to explore further. He did; slowly, agonizingly teasing every inch of the flesh of her inner thighs with surprisingly, infuriatingly gentle fingers. Every nerve ending in her body was on fire now, and she lazily wondered if it was possible to have an orgasm just from this. She thought she could, knew she could, if he’d only move that finger just... one... inch... further...

As if reading her thoughts, he did; that exploring finger starting a lazy journey around her outer lips. She gasped and jerked underneath him, her arousal shooting up yet another notch. Was it possible to be this aroused and not come? She desperately needed to now, but he wouldn’t speed up or increase the pressure he used. He lightly dragged a finger over her opening, gently teasing each and every fold of excruciatingly sensitive flesh surrounding it, using her own secretions for lubrication as he flicked that same finger across her clitoris. She moaned aloud as she felt her orgasm building, knowing she’d come if he just did that again... but his finger returned to exploring less sensitive areas.

She slowly let out the breath she was holding as her arousal ebbed a bit, now that release was no longer imminent... until she felt his finger slip inside her. She gasped and cried out as the muscles inside involuntarily contracted around the unexpected invader, and again she was sure she’d come... but then the finger slipped out. Again it moved away from where she wanted it as she whimpered and squirmed in frustration.

Without warning, something slid into her again; something thicker than before, but still slender... two fingers this time. She moaned aloud and arched her body up to meet his hand as his fingers slipped deeper inside her, further than the other one had gone, until she could feel his hand resting against her entrance. Clutching the sheets in both hands, she groaned louder and squirmed again, begging him to move, to finish what he’d started.

After a moment, the fingers inside her did move, slowly sliding most of the way out, then back in, his thumb lightly stroking her clitoris in time with the movements. As his fingers moved faster, she started to move with him, pressure building inexorably inside her toward the point of no return... until his fingers found it: that one tiny, exquisitely responsive circle of flesh deep inside, the one she’d heard about but never thought she had. One touch there and her muscles contracted violently around his fingers; she cried out as she crashed over the edge and waves of the most intense pleasure she’d ever experienced coursed through her body from deep inside.

Once she became aware again of feelings other than her orgasm, she realized that his fingers were no longer inside her, and he was starting to repeat his hand’s exploration with his tongue. Never in her life had she experienced foreplay like this; never known a man to pay such lavish attention to her body. He was lightly licking her inner thighs, providing just enough sensation to keep her at mid-level arousal, satisfied yet still wanting, needing more.

He didn’t make her wait as long this time. He quickly turned his attention to her labia, lightly licking every inch of the engorged flesh before covering the entire space with one long tongue stroke that shot her arousal instantly back into overdrive. She moaned and writhed underneath him, twisting the sheets in her hands, powerless to do anything else. Then his tongue swirled over her still-sensitive clitoris as he began to suck gently on it, and she came again.

The second orgasm wasn’t as strong as the first, but she was still panting and still felt the spasms rippling through her as he moved up and kissed her. She immediately snaked her arms around him and pulled his body close against hers, conveying the need she still felt through ravenous kisses, only vaguely aware that the unfamiliar taste on his tongue was that of her own body.

He rained kisses on her face and throat, nibbling her ear lightly as his hand moved down between her legs again. She immediately opened herself to his exploration, still fully aroused, still wet, still ready, still needing more. And then he gave it to her.

She gasped harshly, partly in pleasure, partly in pain, as the head of his organ slowly entered her. He was big, thicker than anyone else she’d been with; big enough to hurt a little. The muscles deep inside her closed in protest against the invader; she whimpered and again the voice of reason took over: No... don’t... no, please, no... But he continued to push relentlessly into her; his hand now stroking between her legs, gently coaxing her open again.

It worked; she could feel herself stretching to accommodate him. She gasped and moaned as she felt him slide all the way into her, deeply, oh so deeply, and start moving. She felt filled, completely filled, and despite the initial pain it felt good, so, so good, much too good, and she found herself moving with him. His rhythm picked up now, and between his hand’s stroking and the friction inside, she felt yet another climax building.

In her state of sensory overload, it didn’t take long. With a cry she came again, harder than before, the spasms tearing through her body with a power she’d never known. Just a moment later she heard him gasp and felt him come too, felt him spurting deep inside her, coating her insides, warming her.

She lay there panting and unmoving for a while, fully sated, exhausted. He didn’t move for a while either, until she felt him withdraw his softening organ and his full weight collapsed on top of her.

Then she opened her eyes and found herself staring into the intense green eyes of Alex Krycek.

Oh my God, no, I didn’t... With a gasp of horror, Scully pushed him off her, and in an instant she was wrapped in her robe and huddled in the chair in the corner of the room. Horror, shame, and an anger of an intensity she’d rarely felt before all coursed through her as she stared back toward the bed, and she found herself grasping a shoe that lay by the chair and flinging it at his head. "You BASTARD!" she shrieked. "You son of a bitch! How could you do that to me?" Another shoe flew toward the bed.

Krycek ducked slightly and the shoe hit the wall behind him, hard enough for the heel to leave a mark. "Does that mean it wasn’t good for you?" he asked, the picture of innocence.

"Son of a bitch!" she yelled again, sending another shoe flying. "You raped me!"

He watched the shoe drop harmlessly onto the bed next to him, then looked up at her and arched an eyebrow. "I never heard the word ‘no,’" he informed her.

"Just because you didn’t hear it doesn’t mean I didn’t say it," Scully seethed, flinging the last shoe’s mate. I did say it... didn’t I?

"You didn’t."

"I most certainly did!" I did, I did, I know I did... oh, God, didn’t I?

Krycek laughed softly. "Sure didn’t seem to me like you wanted to say no," he said. "In fact, if I recall, you were the one who kissed me."

"NO!" No, I know I didn’t do that, why would I do that...?

"Of course, it doesn’t really matter what you wanted to say, does it?" he went on. "It was pretty much inevitable. After all, it’s just as easy to make someone come as it is to make them scream..."

She felt a very unwelcome twinge between her legs at his words, but managed to squelch the flash of memory that brought it on. "Bastard!" she fumed.

"And let’s see now, what was it again? Three orgasms? I think you might’ve stopped after one if you really didn’t want to go any further --"
"PIG!" Out of shoes now, Scully grabbed the first thing she could reach off the dresser and threw it at him. It was her hairbrush, and her aim was slightly better this time -- he had to duck again, but it still didn’t hit him. "Disgusting pig!"

Krycek laughed again. "I just call ‘em as I see ‘em."

Scully settled deeper into the chair, only then realizing that she felt sticky. Should’ve gone to the bathroom first... ran through her mind as she threw something else from the dresser. "You didn’t even use a condom!"

He propped another pillow up behind himself and looked her right in the eye. "Certified disease-free. You can do the blood tests yourself."

"Don’t think I won’t!"

"Oh, I know you will. Why do you think I invited you to?"

Scully closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. It took a few moments, but she finally felt rational thought start to return. Think, Dana, she told herself. What do you do? Call the cops. Right, then try to explain all that wine. Call Mulder? Same problem. Still...

She would’ve picked up the phone to call her partner, except that the phone was on the nighttable next to the bed. The bed her attacker was still in. Seeing him there helped her decide. She was overcome with a sudden need to get Krycek the hell out of her apartment; to erase any evidence that this ever happened. "Get out," she growled at him.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Out?"

"Get OUT!" she yelled, picking up another object from the dresser, ready to throw. "You’ve had your fun; you got me drunk and got your rocks off. Now get out before I call Mulder!"

He laughed softly. "But Dana, don’t you want to hear about the deal?"

End Chapter 1

Chapter 2

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