Remote Viewing Walter sighed angrily as he read the screen. Alex’s internet surfing was, as usual, confined mainly to a few sites which Walter didn’t have to visit to guess the content. The addresses were a giveaway. He ran his finger down the list, stopping at one at random – undetectablepoisons.net. There was a generous sprinkling of what Walter guessed were ‘adult’ sites, and he didn’t bother checking if his hunch was correct. The software which recorded the sites visited in the previous seven days had been installed after Walter had used the internet one morning, stopping for lunch, and come back to the screen to find the ‘history’ tab showed no sites had been visited that day. When he had asked Alex about it, the younger man had denied he had done it deliberately, claiming it was a habit, borne out of a need for safety and secrecy. Walter checked the following few days and wondered what Alex might have to hide. An experimental programme, a gift from Langly, now recorded every site any of them visited, and the information was accessible only with three separate passwords. Both Fox and Alex understood they were free to use the internet whenever they needed it, but Walter tried on several occasions to deter them from aimlessly interrogating search engines looking for potentially interesting sites. And from visiting blatantly pornographic sites just because they were bored with whatever they were supposed to be researching. He patiently explained that looking at the screen for hours at a time was not healthy, and probably explained Alex’s frequently stiff neck and Fox’s complaints that his back ached. He knew from the connection log that both Alex and Fox didn’t disconnect for his required breaks – ten minutes every hour - unless they had been very recently reminded of the need to do so. Early on, he had given up trying to encourage them to stop more regularly, and they agreed on a compromise, but he knew they almost always ignored the agreement they had grudgingly come to some months earlier. Recalling the conversation he had overheard when Alex and Fox spent the previous night in the bunk bed, Walter wondered how long it would be before Alex broached the subject. He understood Alex’s background made confessing to anything, particularly with the understanding that he would be punished for his eventual honesty, difficult for his youngest lover, but he also hoped Alex would approach him rather than the other way round. He would not punish Alex unless he agreed he deserved it, and, in any case, Alex would get considerable credit for owning up without being prompted. ************* Disturbed from his thoughts by the sound of the door opening, Walter tried to look surprised at Alex’s interruption. ‘Alex?’ ‘Um…d’you…have a minute?’ ‘Of course Alex. What is it?’ Alex swallowed hard, staring at the wooden floor. His voice was barely a whisper. ‘I’m sorry.’ Walter began to panic. Alex never, ever apologised in advance without explaining unless what he had done was really awful. Fighting hard to keep his voice even, Walter asked: ‘What are you sorry for Alex?’ Alex’s eyes were bright with tears and his voice shook. His chest heaving, he forced out: ‘I did stuff on the internet I shouldn’t have.’ Walter nodded, his stress levels dropping immediately. ‘I know Alex.’ Tears in his eyes, Alex pleaded: ‘Please don’t punish me. I still hurt from…’ Firmly, Walter said: ‘Alex, I’m not going to punish you. At least not like that. Ask Fox to come in here please.’ It took Alex only a few seconds to find Fox but he spent a little longer explaining what he had done. ****** ‘Walter?’ Fox walked into the den, Alex trailing behind him. Walter looked up, frowning. Fox looked like he’d just got up. ‘What have you been doing?’ ‘Checking the cars over. If we’re gonna drive up to the cabin, we don’t wanna break down half-way.’ ‘Your hair’s messy.’ Walter observed, leaving Fox and Alex wondering what that had to do with anything. Fox ran a hand through his hair which had flopped everywhere while he had been leaning under the cars’ hoods. Walter smiled. ‘Sit here.’ Fox sat on the floor in the position Walter indicated, his back to Walter, facing a wary Alex. ‘Alex, bring the chair from behind the desk. Sit on it. Sit on your hand. Don’t move. And don’t speak.’ Silently, hand shaking, Alex obeyed Walter’s terse instructions. He knew Walter understood that, as he didn’t usually wear his prosthesis around the house, without it, sitting on his good hand, he was totally vulnerable. He guessed it was all part of his punishment. Walter reached into a desk drawer, pulling something out that Alex couldn’t see as it was immediately hidden behind Fox’s back. He reached down and put his hands on Fox’s shoulders, massaging them gently. ‘Relax Fox. Lean back to me. That’s it…’ Fox closed his eyes and a smile played around his lips as he leaned back into Walter’s soothing touch. ‘Shhh, just relax.’ Walter said softly, his voice flowing across Fox and Fox obeyed, willingly and completely. Alex had been concentrating on Walter’s words, not his movements, and when Fox groaned, he was startled. Then he saw it. A hairbrush. Walter was brushing Fox’s hair. ‘Oh, that’s sooo good. What the hell..?’ Fox’s dreamy blissed-out tone made Alex squirm. ‘It’s a vibrating brush.’ Walter said quietly, aware of the effect his ministrations were having on Fox and his words were having on Alex. Where Fox was making sounds of relaxed enjoyment, Alex was anything but relaxed. And he certainly didn’t seem to be enjoying himself. Reaching the nape of Fox’s neck, Walter flicked a switch of the brush’s handle and the plastic spines retracted into the body of the brush leaving only the raised nodules which had been at their base. Walter continued to work the brush across Fox’s neck and shoulders, enjoying Fox’s reaction and ignoring Alex’s. Suddenly the near-silence was broken as Alex ran from the room. Fox leaned back and looked up at Walter. Stroking Fox’s worried face, Walter smiled reassuringly. ‘Stay here.’ Fox got up and righted the chair which Alex had left tipped up in his haste to get out. He closed the door, returned to the desk and picked up the latest edition of TLG. Sighing, skin still tingling from Walter’s efforts, he dropped into an armchair and began to read. ****** ‘Alex?’ Although neither Fox nor Alex would refuse Walter permission to enter a room they were in, Walter thought it sensible to warn Alex of his entry. He need not have worried. Far from being faced with an angry and armed Alex, Walter found the room in near-darkness and Alex face down on the bed. ‘Alex, what happened?’ Walter sat carefully on the edge of the bed and put a gentle hand on Alex’s shoulder. Alex didn’t dare push Walter away, but he was careful not to move even a muscle. Walter sighed, lifting himself onto the bed. He pulled Alex’s limp body onto his lap and hugged him tightly. ‘Alex, tell me what happened back there please.’ Alex stayed limp in Walter’s comforting embrace for several minutes. His voice was muffled by his emotions and his proximity to Walter’s sweatshirt, but it was clear enough to Walter. ‘Why didn’t you just hit me?’ Walter sighed. ‘Firstly, Alex, I never, ever hit you. Sometimes, I spank you, but I never hit you. And I only ever discipline you when we both agree. Secondly, I knew that doing a nice thing for Fox and making you watch would push your buttons better than a spanking. What I want to know is why you ran out.’ Alex’s voice hitched as he tried to speak, cry and breathe all at the same time. ‘I…can’t…tell you. Please…don’t make me. Hit me…but don’t…’ Walter fought to steady his voice. ‘Shh Alex. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. You don’t have to tell me. It’s all right. You’re safe now. There…’ They stayed like that for some time until Walter’s muscles began to protest at the awkward position and he shifted slightly, hissing at the movement. ‘Did I hurt you?’ Alex asked, his voice panicky. ‘No Alex. I just have to move a little, okay?’ Walter said, tipping Alex’s head up until their eyes met. Alex nodded doubtfully, lifting himself off Walter’s legs. ‘Alex, I’m going to ask you a question, and I want an honest answer, okay?’ ‘Okay.’ Alex whispered. ‘Did you run out because of something I did, or something you remembered from long ago?’ ‘Something I remembered.’ Alex said, his pale face shiny with tears. ‘Okay. Have a nap, then come down when you’re ready.’ Alex nodded, allowing Walter to undress him, waiting until he was stripped to his boxers before pulling the bedclothes across and snuggling down. Walter smiled, leaned down and pushed the damp hair off his sweat-damp forehead. ‘Close your eyes now.’ He dropped a soft kiss Alex’s forehead. ‘When you sleep, dream of how the brush is going to feel when I use it on your hair later.’ Alex smiled sleepily and was asleep in minutes. To be continued in the final part – Cabin Fever – coming soon… Home Send me feedback on this fic Return to the X-Files Fic Index Return to the West Wing Fic Index