Title: Doorbell   Walter stood on the doorstep for quite a while, his hand lifting and dropping several times as he listened.   Mulder’s familiar teasing tone.   ‘Alex, did you turn the iron on when you did the laundry? These sheets look like you slept in them.’   Krycek’s teasing voice, softer, as if he were far away.   ‘That’s it Fox. I pressed ‘em, then I slept in ‘em.’   A pause then John Doggett’s long-suffering questioning tone.   ‘You gotta scent everything?’   After a pause, Alex’s teasing response.   ‘Yup.’   Walter turned to leave, unable to cope with the overload of information in the previous few minutes. He froze as the door opened and Fox stepped out, sweats and a t-shirt indicating he was ready for his morning run.   ‘I’m gonna head out, I’ll see you…Walter?!’ Fox stopped in mid-sentence.   ‘Sorry, I think I’ve got the wrong house.’ Walter lied quickly.   Mulder nodded. ‘Okay. How are you?’   Walter began to back up the path. ‘Fine thanks. You?’   John opened the door. ‘Fox, phone. It’s your agent…uh…hi Walter.’   Walter looked into the house and saw Alex standing at John’s side. ‘Walter, what are you doing here?’   Sensing Walter’s unease, Fox replied for him: ‘Walter came to the wrong house.’   John nodded. ‘If you’re looking for breakfast you sure did. These two eat like it’s their last meal.’   Walter smiled slightly. ‘That doesn’t sound like Fox.’ He noticed Fox had put a little padding on his slight frame.   ‘I need brain food to write.’ Fox whined.   Walter laughed. ‘Now *that* sounded exactly like Fox.’   Fox scowled and jerked his head at the front door. ‘Wanna come in? We know most of the people round here. We can probably help you find the place you’re looking for.’   Unable to think of a realistic excuse, Walter nodded. ‘Thanks.’   John made an impatient noise. ‘Fox, your agent?’   Fox jogged back up the path and into the house. Alex disappeared back upstairs somewhere, leaving John to show Walter into their kitchen.   ‘Luckily, three caffeine junkies means there’s always coffee on.’ John waved at the kitchen table as he unhooked a large blue mug from a pine-colored mug tree and filled it from the hotplate.   ‘Thanks.’ Walter took the mug, holding it in his hands, hoping the slight nervous tremble wasn’t obvious.   ‘You had breakfast?’   Walter nodded. ‘Yeah. At the hotel.’   ‘So…the place you’re looking for? You have the address.’   Wondering if he were doing the right thing, Walter pulled a small piece of paper from his shirt pocket and handed it to John, sipping his coffee while he waited for John to work it out.   ‘This is our address all right. Who’re you looking for?’   Walter took a deep breath. ‘Why here John?’   ‘It’s quiet.’   Walter had seen the large house from the outside and guessed it had at least three or four bedrooms. ‘And big.’   ‘Yeah. Sometimes Alex and Fox need the space.’   Clearly, Walter realized, John was comfortable discussing his domestic situation with his former boss. More comfortable than he was hearing about it. He got up suddenly and picked up the sheet of FBI headed notepaper. ‘I should get going.’   ‘Okay.’ John nodded, not understanding Walter’s sudden hurry. He turned to the open door and shouted:  ‘Alex! Walter’s leaving!’   Walter was almost at the front door before Alex came down, arms full of bedclothes. ‘You know where you’re going?’ He asked.   Walter nodded. ‘Yeah. Thanks for the coffee.’   ‘Anytime Walter.’ John smiled.   ***********************   Walter changed before going down to the bar for a pre-dinner drink. He was sitting at the bar slowly working his way through an over-priced whiskey. He jumped, startled, at the hand on his shoulder. ‘What..?’   Fox smiled. ‘Not a lot of hotels in this town Walter.’   Walter shrugged. ‘Guess not.’   Continued in Part Two…