ooo)O(ooo

Alex

I shivered as I leaned against the wall of the apartment building. I could feel the chill coming from the bricks and concrete through the old leather jacket that I was wearing, my only protection from the cold night air. I watched as my breath puffed out in a thin cloud in front of me. The cold did not bother me overly much though, I was used to it.

I was staring up at the apartment building opposite, waiting patiently as one by one the lights went out in the windows. It was after eleven and people were starting to settle themselves down for the night.

There was one light in particular that I as waiting to see extinguished. Up on the seventeenth floor. I waited another half hour, then judging that it was reasonably safe, I pushed myself away from the wall and headed towards the apartment building.

The elevator pinged softly as the doors slid noiselessly open. Stepping out, I noted the empty corridor. All the good hard working folk had finally tucked themselves and their kiddies into their warm comfortable beds for the night. Moving as noiselessly as possible, I made my way over to the apartment door I wanted.

Slipping the lockpick in was easy, a quick twist and the door opened. Like a shadow, I stepped into the darkness of the living room.

My heart had begun to thud painfully in my chest now, my pulse racing. A coppery taste had filled my mouth I recognize the beginnings of an adrenaline high.

Jesus, why do I put myself through this? Then I can felt a wry smile lift the corners of my mouth. Why ask the question when I know already know the answer.

Carefully I moved towards the open door of the bedroom, my senses hyperalert. I could feel the blood thrumming through my veins. Everything seems so clear somehow. I could easily pick out the dark shapes of the furniture so carefully placed around the room. I moved around them easily.

The door to his bedroom was standing partially open and with a swift movement, I found myself inside the room, my eyes fixed on the bed...

...which to my utter surprise, was empty.

I felt my mouth go dry and I whirled around, just in time to see a fully dressed Walter Skinner standing just behind the door.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" The words burst out of me, more from the shock than anything else. The son of a bitch had been hiding behind the door, waiting for me.

"Krycek..." He began but I had no intention of waiting around to hear whatever else he had to say.

With instinct and the pure need for survival taking over now, I lunged straight at him. The plan being of course to knock him off his feet and make my getaway.

But the best laid plans of mice and men as they say...

"Krycek...Alex, wait!"

I felt a strong pair of arms wrap themselves around my waist, pulling me off balance. Walter had anticipated my move and with his boxer's instincts and weight lifter's strength, had grabbed me, hauling me back against him.

But I was no weakling myself. With strength born of sheer desperation, I turned, wrenching myself out of his grasp. I heard Walter spit a curse and made to lunge at me. Nimbly side stepping, I raced past him, out into the living room. With my head tucked down, I ran full tilt towards the front door, fingers reaching out for the knob. I had almost made when when I felt my legs knocked out from under me. I had almost made my escape, only to be brought down by a full flying tackle.

The both of us fell crashing to the floor. Me cursing in a mixture of English and Russian and him just plain cursing.

"Goddamn it Krycek, hold still." Walter barked at me but I was in no mood to listen to him. I could taste blood in my mouth from where I had bitten my tongue when we had both hit the floor. Seriously pissed off now, I managed to dislodge the heavier man off me and clambered to my feet.

"What the fuck are you doing here Krycek?"

I took a deep breath, leveling a glare at Walter.

"I asked you a question boy and I want an answer."

"Fuck you Skinner." I rasped out angrily, lifting my good hand to wipe the trickle of blood off my chin.

Walter lifted his head slightly at that, cold brown eyes spearing me with a glance. Then he saw the blood on my face and frowned.

"You're bleeding Alex." He stated coldly.

That brought a grin to my face. "Really Walt old boy." I replied insolently. "How fucking observant of you. No wonder you made Assistant Director."

"Stow it Krycek!"

The sheer force of Walter's voice made me stop. I watched warily as he took a step towards me. I braced myself, fully expecting a fist to connect with my face, but instead I felt his fingers grasp my chin-tilting my face up.

"I can't see any cuts."

"Because I bit my fucking tongue, that's why." I snapped, pulling my head away from his grasp. "What the fuck do you care anyway." I could hear the sullen note that had crept into my voice now, but I no longer cared. What the hell, I was well and truly screwed anyway.

Suddenly Walter moved over to the front door, closing it he turned the lock and bolted it, barring any avenue of escape. Swallowing hard. I watched as he walked over to one of the table lamps, switching it on. A soft yellow light filled the room and I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes after being used to moving around in the dark for so long.

"Sit there." He pointed to the couch. Recognizing an order when I heard one, I moved towards it, sitting myself down against the well padded cushions.

Walter moved to stand in front of me, arms folded across his chest in a way that caused my stomach to clench tightly. I tilted my head to stare up at him, trying to cover my nervousness. I was uncomfortably aware of the disadvantage I was at due to the major height difference. That's probably why he had ordered me to sit down, so he could tower over the top of me like some kind of goddamn man mountain or something.

The trouble was-he did it so well.

"Are you alright Alex? Are you hurt anywhere else?"

The question caught me completely by surprise. Walter Skinner asking me if I was alright? And what was with the 'Alex' all of a sudden? What happened to 'Krycek'?

"I have a first aid kit if you need..."

"No." I cut in quickly. Walter Skinner tending to my wounds would be way too much to handle right now.

"I'm fine, it's just a small nick, that all." And it hurt like the dickens but I wasn't going to let him know that.

Walter nodded, then moving over to an easy chair, he lowered his large muscular looking frame down into it.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on Alex?" He asked me. His brown eyes had fixed directly onto mine now. I returned his gaze steadily, determined not to be intimidated.

Walter continued to stare at me, clearly waiting for an answer. Finally he shifted impatiently in his seat, leaning forward slightly his hands resting on his knees.

"We can sit here all night if you like, but you are not moving from that couch until I get an answer."

"Screw you." I replied.

I watched as a smile touched the bigger man's face briefly. //He's enjoying this.// The thought suddenly outraged me. //How dare he?//

"You know Alex, I have been racking my brains trying to figure out why you have been coming here every night for the past week."

//He knew.// I felt a cold leaden weight settle into the pit of my stomach. //All this time I thought he had been completely unaware. He must have been awake during every one of my nocturnal visits.// Suddenly I found myself completely unnerved by the idea that he had been playing some kind of cat mouse game with me starring in the lead role of the totally unsuspecting mouse.

"What is it you're looking for?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about Skinner." There, if in doubt, procrastinate...and if necessary-out and out lie. The assassin's code I called it.

The chair creaked loudly under Walter's weight as he sat back to regard me with those deep brown eyes of his. I could feel them analyzing me, sizing me up. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, looking away-trying to avoid those eyes.
"I am going to ask you one more time." Walter was still speaking in his usual well modulated tones, but now I could hear the new note that had crept in underneath. The smooth steel of a man used to having his orders obeyed.

"What brought you here to my apartment night after night Alex?"

Oh shit, he was still waiting for an answer and he wasn't going to give up until he had one. Suddenly a wave of fatigue washed over me. It was well after midnight and my body clock was beginning to run down.

"Well?"

"Well what!" I snapped back, my already frayed temper finally snapping. "What the hell does it matter to you anyway. You're only going to beat the shit out of me, then more than likely put a bullet through the back of my head and dump my corpse in the fucking river so what does it matter why I keep coming back here!" Temper suddenly spent, I leaned back against the couch. The beginnings of a headache already starting to throb behind my eyes.

"That's no answer Alex and you know it."

The cool calmness of that implacable voice was really starting to make me grit my teeth now.

"Well I'm sorry if that's not the answer you wanted to hear." I grated out.

I heard the sigh issue from the bigger man. He was still looking at me. In fact he seemed to be regarding me with something that could have been akin to...compassion. But no, that couldn't be right. This was Walter Sergi Skinner for christsakes. The man who I had betrayed over and over. The man who I had once controlled with nanocytes and a palm pilot. The man who ever since then, had been out for my blood.

"It's late Alex and I am too tired to play these games with you tonight."

"Fine." Pushing myself up from the couch, I got to my feet. Moving with a swiftness that belied his size. Walter moved to block my exit.

"Sit back down...NOW!"

I opened my mouth to protest, but I couldn't utter so much as a squeak. Slowly I backed up until the backs of my legs hit the couch, then I allowed my body to collapse onto it.

Walter's glare speared me and I felt my belly do a slow flip-flop. For the first time in my life, I felt utterly helpless. A feeling that until now, had been totally alien to me. And one I really did not like.

"What the fuck do you want from me Skinner?" I asked dully.

"A straight answer for a start," he replied calmly.

Risking another quick glance, I saw that Walter's eyes were still fixed on me, drilling right into me. Oh there was no way he was going to let me off the hook. Not until he got what he wanted.

In short, I was royal fucked.

ooo)O(ooo

Walter

ooo)O(ooo

Alex

I stared up at him speechless. Was he asking me to spend the night in his apartment? I could feel my throat tighten down with real fear. The last time I had been a guest at Casa Skinner, my suite had turned out to be a freezing cold balcony. The last thing I wanted to do was spend another night handcuffed to a fucking railing.

As if reading my mind, Walter shook his head. "A bed this time Alex, not...out there." His eyes traveled towards the glass door and the balcony beyond, then back to rest on mine once more.

"I don't think so." Saying that I got to my feet and began sidling towards the door but Walter was having none of it. Once again I found the heavier body barring my way. He shook his head, slower this time. The message coming through loud and clear. You're not going anywhere little boy. Jesus but this guy was more alpha than any goddamn top in a leather bar.

"I'm not staying here." I heard my voice rise mutinously. Anger was beginning to replace fear now and I welcomed it. Time to start taking control Alex, I told myself. You can't let this bald headed bastard push you around any more. It was bad enough that he had managed to trap me here for this long. And I was still aching from that goddamn tackle earlier on. Christ, he must have been a hell of a football player in his younger days.

"You can stay in the spare bedroom tonight." Walter was saying, as if I really was going to stay.

//And why is that a bad thing?// An insidious little voice spoke up inside me. //After all, isn't this what you wanted?"//

Yes it was, but this was something I had never thought possible. Walter Skinner actually wanting to help me? Yeah right, and there goes a flying pig. Not in this lifetime Alex old son, I thought grimly. There was an ulterior motive here, there had to be. Why else would Walter be wanting to help me?

"It's not like you have a choice."

Walter's words broke in on my thoughts. "That's where I think you'll find you are wrong Walt." I sneered.

Before I was able to react, I was suddenly grabbed, spun around and with my good arm locked behind my back, forced marched into what was obviously the spare room.

Spitting curses I arched my body backwards, digging my heels into the carpet, I furiously resisted the force behind me but it was no good. I had never been a match for Walter Skinner at the best of times. In fact, the only time I had ever been able to best him was an ambush in a stairwell and then that had taken several punches to bring him down.

Suddenly an arm wrapped itself around my waist and I soon found myself dumped down onto the single bed.

"Bastard son of a whore, fucking jumped up bald headed prick!" I screamed as he produced a pair of handcuffs from seemingly nowhere and used them to secure me to the railing on the bed head.

"Here, why don't I make you more comfortable."

"Screw you!" I yelled, using both my legs to kick out at him. Walter stepped neatly around my flailing feet and grabbing me by the ankle, pulled off my boot. The other one followed and they were both tossed onto the floor.

Then my jeans followed them.

"Would you like me to take your jacket off Alex? You might be find it a little more comfortable sleeping without it."

"Fuck off!" I snarled, infuriated and humiliated now.

I felt the weight of a quilt as it was drawn up over me.

"We'll talk more tomorrow Alex, when you are in a better frame of mind." Suddenly I stiffened as I felt the warmth of Walter's hand as it ruffled my hair. "Goodnight."

I heard rather than saw Walter leave the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"Bastard." I muttered again, then a wave of utter weariness washed over me leaving me feeling so bereft. Without warning, tears scalded my cheeks and I found myself weeping helplessly.

"Walter." I whispered into the tear dampened pillow. "Walter."

I listened carefully, sniffling back tears and snot, hoping and fearing that he would come back into the bedroom. Suddenly something inside me longed to feel his hand ruffle my hair again. Why was it that small gesture had managed to get this reaction?

But the apartment was quiet. Walter had obviously gone to bed, in fact he was probably asleep right now. Closing my eyes, I settled myself down as best I could and waited for morning.

TBC