ONE

Alex Krycek sat in on an old leather couch that had seen better days. A bottle of cheap vodka sat on the scratched coffee table in front of him, nearby sat a gun.

He reached down and picked the bottle up, taking a swig, grimacing as the fiery liquid slid down his throat.

He set the bottle down and glanced over at the tiny little Christmas tree that was sitting perched on a wooden stool. The bright gold and silver tinsel wrapped around the threadbare plastic branches only served to make it look even more dismal than before when it was bare.

"Merry fucking Christmas." He muttered cocking the bottle towards it in a salute. "Season's greeting, yuletide and whatever else."

He settled back against the couch, his eyes going to the heavy looking black gun in front of him.

Another mouthful of vodka, hell to be honest, he hated the stuff, he much preferred Jim Beam, or Jack Daniels, but what the hell. He felt like vodka tonight, had to find his Russian roots somewhere after all, didn't he?

He set the half empty bottle down and leaned over to pick up the gun, weighting it in his hand, watching the light from a nearby table lamp play over the dull surface of the weapon.

He turned it over, studying it as though he had never seen a gun before, it was nothing special just a standard issue weapon, other than the fact that the serial numbers had been filed off, there it was nothing of interest about it at all.

He set it back down onto the table again, it connected with the surface of the table with a dull thump.

It was Christmas eve and here he was, all alone again, as usual. Oh well, what else was new.

Work had slackened off somewhat in the lead up to Christmas, that and the fact that he's had to go underground yet again had not helped matters. Usually he was able to keep himself busy, what with the odd assassination or two and surveillance work he could normally get through this time of year without too much trauma, but unfortunately circumstances beyond his control had seen him end up here, stuck in a dingy old apartment with a bottle of vodka, a cheap little tree and a loaded weapon.

*//And why not.//* He thought to himself, a grim smile picking at the edges of his mouth. *//It's not as though I have anything else to do now is it.//*

Well another drink and then on to business. He went to pick up the bottle...and stopped, a though just occurred to him, he he got too drunk then he would not be able to go through with his little plan, his own personal final solution so to speak.

No he was going to go through with it this time. He was going to finish what he started.

He was sick of it all, sick of everything. Sick of being on the outside looking in, seeing the warmth of humanity but never being able to share in it, only able to watch it's glow from the outside.

Slowly he picked the gun up again, and taking great care, placed it inside his mouth. He could feel the metal, cold and oily against his teeth and tongue. One squeeze of the trigger and it would be all over, everything would be over. The peace of oblivion.

He had been planning this for some time now, this was his escape, his chance to get out, get away to a place where they could never find him. All of them, Spender, the Well Manicured Man, all of those Consortium sons of bitches.

Alex shut his eyes, unaware of the tear that trickled from the corner of his eye. Taking one last deep breath, he tightened his finger against the trigger...then stopped.

Something was scratching at his window. He got to his feet, gun still in hand and walked over the window, ready to confront the soon to be sorry son of a bitch outside, whoever it was would soon realize they had decided to rob the wrong place.

With a snarl, Alex yanked back the curtain and pointed the weapon straight at...a cat.

"What the fuck?" Alex stared at the large black cat for a moment, then he reached over and opened the window.

Without hesitation, the cat leapt nimbly inside, landing squarely in Alex's arms, it's plump furry body vibrating with it's purrs.

"Well, hello there." Alex said, stroking his hand along the soft fur. "Who do you belong to I wonder."

The cat stared up at Alex, wide unblinking golden eyes regarding the human quite solemnly. Alex felt a slow grin spread across his mouth. "Well I guess I'm not going to be spending Christmas alone after all huh."

He carried the cat over to the couch and set it down. The cat promptly curled up on one of the cushions, making itself completely at home.

With a chuckle Alex sat down beside it, then realizing he still held the gun, put that back down onto the coffee table.

"So where did you come from hmmn?" He asked gently, not wanting to startle the sleek golden eyed animal.

The cat let out another loud purr, then rolled over, paws in the air, taking a lazy swipe at Alex's fingers.

Alex laughed and rubbed the cat's stomach, listening to the soft rusty noise as the cat reveled at the playful caress of the human's hand.

"You hungry kitty?" Alex asked. "I don't think that I have much here, but I might be able to scrape up something for us both, what do you say?"

The lifted itself up and pushed it's face against Alex's chin, bumping it to show complete approval of the human's plan.

"Great then, come on, hey I can even give you a tour of the place."

Alex lifted the cat up in his arms and carried it to the small kitchen. He opened the fridge and peered in. He was right, there was not much at all. Some left over Chinese from Wong's Palace, some week old pizza, beer, that was about it.

He sighed, not much here for a human being, let alone a cat, still there was that all night market down the street, it was Christmas eve but they should still be open.

He set the cat back down onto the couch and walked over to grab his jacket.

"You wait right here kitty and I'll be back with something for both of us, okay?"

The cat said nothing, just settled down against the cushions once more, golden eyes regarding the human with sleepy contentment.

Alex opened the front door and stepped out into the dingy badly lit hallway, and stuffing his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket, headed off to buy some groceries for him and his new found companion. All thoughs of suicide, forgotten.

TWO

Mulder yawned as he pushed the shopping cart around the market, looking at the rows of tinned stews.

Normally he hated shopping but his cupboards were completely bare. He grabbed a couple of tins off the shelf and tossed them into the cart, then headed towards where the real food was.

Poptarts and twinkies went into the cart, followed by packets of Oreos.

He grabbed the handles of the cart and headed around the corner, and nearly ran into another cart.

With a muttered curse, Mulder looked straight up into a pair of green eyes. It was none other than Alex Krycek.

"What the..." He pulled his shopping cart back. "What the fuck are you doing here Krycek?" He snapped.

Alex's mouth quirked up as he pointed to his own shopping cart. "Same thing you are Mulder." He replied.

Mulder's eyes narrowed with suspicion as he surveyed the packets of food in Alex's own cart.

"Oh come on Mulder, even assassins need to eat once in a while." Alex snapped impatiently.

"Yeah, well." Mulder glared at the other man, then noticed something in the other cart.

"What's this?" He dived his hand hand into the bright coloured packets of food and pulled out a box of Whiskers.

"It's cat food, okay." Alex said as he grabbed the box off Mulder and placed it back into the cart.

"You must be desperate for protein." Mulder drawled, his hazel eyes regarding the other man with humour.

"Ha ha, it's not for me you idiot." Alex replied. He went to push past Mulder, when the other man spied something else in the cart. He picked up a small Christmas stocking all filled with cat toys.

"Is there something you want to tell me Alex?" He asked with a grin. Alex glared at him.

"How about just minding your own business okay?"

Mulder's grin widened. "Okay, I just never picked you as a cat person, that's all."

"It's a stray all right." Alex replied coldly. "It turned up at my window when I was about to..." He stopped, horrified at what he was just about to reveal.

"What?" Mulder asked, curious.

Alex was painfully aware of Mulder's close scrutiny now. *//Great, now you've just woken up the psychologist side of him.//* He thought angry at the clumsy slip. God how much vodka did he drink tonight?

"Nothing." Alex muttered. "Look I have to get going." He pointed towards the cat food. "I have a hungry cat to feed."

Mulder shrugged. "I prefer fish myself." He grabbed the shopping cart and carried on down the aisle, not sparing a look back at the Consortium agent.

Krycek breathed a sigh of relief, usually when he ran into Mulder he ended up nursing a black eye or a split lip. He had gotten off lightly this time, maybe because it was Christmas eve. Was it possible for Mulder to feel goodwill towards Consortium operatives?

Alex snorted, yeah that would be the day.

Quickly he finished getting what he wanted and hurried over to the checkout, wanting to get out of the supermarket and back home, to his new found companion.

THREE

Alex carried the grocery bags into the apartment and set them down on the small foldaway table that he used in the kitchen.

The cat was instantly on the floor, it sinuous body winding itself around Alex's legs as he unpacked the groceries and put them away.

He then set out a plastic cat bowl and filled it with food, another bowl with milk was set down beside it.

With a loud purr, the cat tucked into the kibbles and pieces of tuna that Alex had carefully mixed in.

He smiled as he crouched down beside the sleek black animal, scratching behind the pointy ears.

"Well, what should I call you, hmmm?" he said thoughtfully. "Well considering that you are a lady cat, I think I should give you a ladylike name."

The cat continued to eat, one ear cocked towards the human, listening to the deep comforting sounds that he was making.

"How about Polly?" He asked, then shook his head. "Nah, makes you sound too much like a parrot." He thought for a moment. "Geraldine? No, Ummm, Roberta, no you're right, that's no good. Hey." He said brightening up suddenly. "I've got it, Natasha, that's a nice name, I can call you Natty for short. Do you like that?"

Another loud purr, of approval this time, she liked it very much. Alex chuckled and straightened up. He headed back into the living room. Spying the gun still sitting on the coffee table, he picked it up.

He stared down at it for a few minutes, then carried it over to his desk over near the bedroom door. He placed it in the drawer and pushed it firmly shut.

FOUR

It was three days after Christmas and no one had come knocking on his door asking about their cat.

Alex figured that perhaps her owner had either died or perhaps moved away and for whatever reason, left her behind. Still it did not matter now, as far as Alex was concerned, she was his now.

And as for Natasha, she seemed in no hurry to be going anywhere. Every day, she would pad around the small dingy apartment, prowling around, or she would curl herself up in her favourite spots, mostly Alex's lap. They would sit and listen to music together, or watch television. Her snuggled against her human, enjoying the warmth of his body and the soft gentle strokes of his hand. And every night, she would settle down at his feet, snuggled against the quilt, her soft purring lulling Alex to sleep.

This was fine with Alex, he was happy to stay holed up in his apartment for awhile, in fact, this was the best vacation he'd ever had. Even though it had been forced upon him. It was time that he faced the facts. He was burnt out, exhausted. Christ, just the other day he had been holding a gun in his mouth, ready to pull the trigger. The truth of it was he needed out.

These thoughts were turning over lazily in his mind as he sat on the couch watching an old movie on t.v. Natasha curled up in her favourite place on his lap, snoozing.

The trouble was, there was nowhere he could go, and of course there was the biggest problem of all, avoiding the Smoking Man and the rest of them.

*//There was still your final solution.//* An insidious little voice spoke up from somewhere inside him.//*

Alex's eyes traveled over to the desk, then back down to the sleeping cat. Somehow that did not seem to be a viable option anymore. Smiling, he picked Natasha up and hugged her to him, feeling happier than he had been in a long time.

FIVE

Alex was sound asleep when the gunshots rang through the apartment block. Eyes flying open, he sat bolt upright and reached for the small handgun that he always kept hidden in the top drawer of the nightstand.

Grabbing it, he raced out into the darkened living room, all his senses on hyper alert now.

Gun held straight out in front of him, his eyes darted around the room, checking to see if there was any movement. More shots rang out and there were sounds of screaming and feet thudding in the hallway outside.

Alex relaxed slightly, from the sound of it, it was a domestic shooting. Probably someone found his wife in bed with the milkman or something.

Gun still clutched in his hand, he headed towards the front door, not realizing that Natasha was right behind him.

He opened the front door, carefully peering out, trying to work out where all the ruckus was coming from.

More shouts and the sounds of someone running down the hall. A half naked woman came flying around the corner, her face frozen with fear.

"Hey!" Alex called out, but she was gone. Alex cursed under his breath. He recognized the young woman, she was shacked up with the drug dealer two doors down from him. He sighed and shook his head, a drug deal gone sour more than likely, well it was none of his business, he mused as he began to close the door.

Suddenly a black streak raced past him and down the hall, fur standing straight up on end. "Oh hell." Alex swore as he watched the freaked out cat head straight for the open door that led to the stairwell, the same door that she screaming woman had fled down.

"Natty, come back here!" Alex called after her, but it was no good, panicked, Natasha bolted down the stairs.

Cursing in both Russian and English now, Alex raced into the bedroom to pull on some sweats and a pair of sneakers, then he headed out of the apartment and down the darkened stairwell in search for his cat, hearing the faint sounds of the sirens as they approached.

SIX

Mulder straightened up as the homicide detective walked over to where he had been examining the body.

"Agent Mulder?" He said. Mulder nodded, then took his ID out to show the detective.

"Hi there I'm Detective Peters." He looked down at the blood covered corpse lying on the brightly coloured woven rug in front of them, then back to the dark haired FBI agent.

"We have a handle on the case now Agent Mulder." Peters said. "The guy's name is Daniel Harsfield, he's a known dealer in this neighborhood, we have a couple of witnesses that gave us statements as to what happened here. A fight broke out apparently between him and his wife and she went berserk and shot him, a couple of our guys have picked her up, we'll get a statement from her, so I guess we really don't need you here after all."

"Okay then." Mulder replied, he stuck out his hand and the detective took it in a firm grasp.

"Thanks for coming out anyway." He told Mulder, who nodded, then seeing that everything was being taken care of by the local police, turned and left the cold, ill kept apartment.

He was heading towards his car, when a sudden noise caught his attention.

Someone was creeping around the side alley of the apartment block. Mulder frowned, now who the hell could be skulking around in the dark, just after a murder had taken place.

Drawing his gun, he hurried over to where he had seen the dark clad figure moving.

"FBI, don't move!" He yelled out. The figure froze. "Okay, come out, and I want your hands where I can see them."

A tall lanky figure came out from behind several garbage cans, his hands in the air, he stepped out out onto the sidewalk, the light from a nearby street lamp falling across his face.

"Krycek?" Mulder's mouth dropped open, stunned. Then he recovered himself.

"Krycek, what the hell...?"

Alex sighed, Jesus but this night was getting steadily worse. "Take it easy, okay Mulder, I can explain what I was doing out here."

"Okay." Mulder replied, still aiming the gun straight at the assassin's chest. "You have exactly five minutes, starting...now."

"I live here." Alex replied. "You can check with the landlord okay, I have an apartment upstairs."

"All right." Mulder replied skeptically. "But that doesn't explain what you were doing playing around in the garbage cans down here though does it, unless you were taking your trash out that is."

Alex shook his head. "I was looking for my cat." He replied.

Mulder stared at the other man as though he had lost his mind. You were...what?"

"My cat Natty, she heard the shots and kind of freaked out, you know cats aren't great with loud noises and she escaped out of the apartment and took off, I've been looking for her ever since." Alex replied. "I can't find her anywhere and I'm worried about her, there are a couple of big dogs around here, not to mention lunatics and druggies with guns."

Mulder opened his mouth, ready to accuse Alex of lying, when suddenly he recalled seeing the packets of cat food and toys in the other man's shopping cart the night he bumped into him in the supermarket. He sighed, then suddenly, he put his gun back into his shoulder holster.

"Okay Alex, I'm sure that..."

"Natty." Alex supplied. "It's short for Natasha." He added with a slightly embarrassed shrug.

"Well, I'm sure that Natty is around here somewhere." Mulder replied. He looked around the darkened alleyway, hands on slender hips. "I just wonder, if you were a cat, scared from the noise of gunshots, where would you hide?"

Alex shook his head, his teeth worrying at his lower lip. "I have no idea." He replied softly. "Oh shit, where could she be?"

Mulder could hear the anguish in Alex's voice. "It's okay Alex." He replied as reassuringly as he could. "I'm sure we will find... oh shit!" He yelped as a black streak suddenly shot out from behind a large pile of Hefty bags and landed straight into Alex's arms.

"Natty!" Alex laughed with a mixture of relief and delight. "Oh Natty, where have you been, hey? I've been so worried about you." He buried his face in the cat's soft fur, listening as Natty purred with happiness that she and her human had been reunited once more.

Mulder felt a grin spread across his face as he watched the big tough assassin cuddle his kitty cat. *//Alex Krycek of all people.//* He thought with amusement. *//Who would have thought it possible.//*

Alex looked up at Mulder, his green eyes shining. "Thanks for helping me find her." He said, the sincerity clear in his suspiciously husky voice. "Thanks Mulder, I owe you one."

"Hey, I didn't do anything." Mulder replied with a shrug. "It seems she found you."

"Yeah." Alex replied with a grin. "I guess she did at that." He hugged the now calm animal close to his chest, cradling her in his arms. Then he looked up at Mulder once more.

"But thanks anyway." With that, he turned and carried the cat back towards the entrance to his apartment, Mulder watching them go. With a rueful shake of his head, he turned and headed towards his car and back to his own somewhat empty and rather lonely apartment.