ONE

Alex Krycek looked around the small bustling Oxford street cafe, smiling as he watched a young couple walk hand in hand down the street.

He could see that both the men were very much in love, the way they both smiled into each other's eyes. The way that their fingers were twined around each other's.

Alex watched them with undisguised envy in his eyes. He could remember a time when he and a certain Assistant Director had been like that. Close and loving and happy. Not any more though. No things had never been the same, not since the day that Walter Skinner had discovered the depths of Alex's treachery.

Alex had tried to explain to Walter the reasons why he had done the things he'd had. Why he had worked for Spender and the Consortium, but Walter had refused to listen to him. It had broken the ex-Consortium assassin's heart knowing that Walter had blocked him out, refusing to listen to him.

No, instead Walter had pulled his gun and shot him. He had left Alex lying dead with a bullet in his arm, another glancing off his leg and the third, the piece de resistance so to speak, lodged in his brain.

Alex could not be sure how long he had lain there for, his life having been so quickly cut short. The aliens had found him lying there in a pool of his own blood, sightlessly staring straight ahead, his eyes already dull and glazed over with death.

The aliens must have decided that it was worth their while to save him because they returned to the mothership, a very dead Alex in tow. The bullets were removed and Alex was then stripped and immersed in a huge tank which was filled with a thick, warm fluid that was used to heal and restore life to the lifeless.

The strange reddish coloured fluid did it's job and Alex awoke to find himself alive and well on his way to full health once more.

He could not been sure how long he had floated in that huge transparent tank for, a small breathing apparatus attached over his mouth and nose. At first, he found it difficult to get used to the thick almost gelatinous fluid that constantly surrounded him, but he soon learned to be able to move through it using simple swimming motions.

He had watched the aliens through the transparent walls of the tank, fascinated and yet somehow repelled at the same time. The aliens for their part had not paid much heed to the strange looking one armed human in the tank. In fact, they had virtually ignored him until it had been time to bring the human out to finish the final repairs on his body.

Lying on the cool metal of the examination table, fluid from the tank still dripping from his pale skin, Alex had watched while the aliens had removed all trace of scarring from his body, including evidence of old wounds as well as the new ones. Then they had quickly and efficiently restored Alex's arm as well.

Stammering his gratitude, Alex had tried to thank the Grays for saving his life and restoring his arm into the bargain but the aliens had simply stared back at him with their deep expressionless eyes.

Alex had felt a chill. There was nothing human at all to be seen in those obsidian depths and he realized that to them, he was a sub life form. A sub life form of many that they would very soon enslave and use as a workforce to strip the planet of all the natural resources.

Alex had been grateful when they had finally released him. The aliens for their part had never explained to Alex why they had restored his life back to him, or more importantly, why they were letting him go. It no longer mattered now, Alex had decided to make a clean break, to get as far away as he could. From the Consortium, the Grays, and most of all from Walter Skinner.

And that was how he had come to find himself in Australia. Even though it was only a temporary reprieve, after all, once the aliens put their colonization plans into effect, there would be no where safe to hide. But for the moment, he was satisfied with being this far away

Finishing his coffee, Alex paid the waiter and left the small cafe. He headed up the street, towards his favourite bookshop, hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his faded jeans.

Suddenly he stopped in front of a clothes shop. There in the window someone had placed a Christmas tree, the plastic branches covered with fake snow. Alex sighed, snow. He could recall a childhood where Christmas meant snow and Yule logs blazing in the fireplace.

He chuckled at a people that celebrated their Christmas right smack bang in the middle of summer and still insisted on spraying their windows panes and Christmas trees with fake snow.

Race memories run deep, he thought with a chuckle, many people who lived in this bustling city had come from countries where it snowed at Christmas, or their parents had. Still, he found kind of charming in an eccentric kind of way.

With a shake of his head, Alex left the window display and continued up the street to the large bookshop on the corner. It was one of the oldest bookshops in Sydney and had many old and out-of-print volumes for sale.

Not that he could afford to buy them of course. He could barely afford to eat.

After his rather unfortunate falling out with his former employer, Mr Spender, his financial situation had become somewhat dire. What remaining money he'd had, had been spent on a ticket to the other side of the world. He had managed to make ends meet the few weeks he had been here, staying in cut price hotels and eating the cheapest foods he could find, but his money had just about run out now and Alex had to admit that if things did not change soon, he was going to find himself living out on the street.

The thought of sleeping in a bus shelter did not particularly appeal to him and he knew that he was going to have to try and get a job somewhere.

But where?

Alex frowned, pondering over these depressing thoughts. He could always go back to doing what he did before, but did he really want to go down that path again? Being forced to constantly be on the run. Having to live in the underbelly of life. Down in the basement with the rats. That had been the way he had described it to Mulder. Down in the basement of life. Well fuck that. No he didn't want to live what was left of his life like that again.

The aliens had given him back his arm and his life, they had in fact given him a second chance at life and he knew how precious that gift had been. No Alex had no intention of blowing it a second time. No more running with the rats. As far as he was concerned, that part of his life was as dead as he had once been on that garage floor.

But it still begged the question, what the hell was he going to do for money?

He had some funds stashed away in hidden bank accounts and secret locations but it was simply not safe enough for him to try and access the money. The Consortium may be down, but they sure as hell were not out. Not to mention the fact that Alex had many old enemies, old friends and compatriots with scores to settle. No, if he was to get his hands on some money, he was going to have to come up with a few ideas...and fast.

TWO

"God it's hot." Mulder said as he helped Walter carry their bags out of the airport terminal.

"It's summer here Fox." Walter reminded him, beads of sweat already forming on his own brow.

"Tell me about it." Mulder muttered under his breath. Walter glanced at him, then smiled. It had actually been his lover's idea to visit Australia. Since they had both started living together, Walter had retired and of course now Mulder was no longer an FBI agent.

Walter had left the X Files in the care of John Doggett and Monica Reyes. He had left with the knowledge that the X Files were in good hands. The older man both liked and respected John and Monica, knowing that they would get the job done no matter what.

After that last encounter with the Elders of the Consortium, or rather what had been left of them, Walter had decided to get out while he still could. He had driven straight to his apartment and had dialed a number.

He had told the person on the other end of the phone about his decision, then had waited for the reaction. He had not been disappointed.

A couple of hours later, Mulder had turned up on Walter's doorstep, a bottle of scotch in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other.

Walter had swept the younger man up into his arms, kissing him soundly on the lips. Mulder had responded with an ardor that Walter knew was genuine. The only other man that Walter had aroused such passion in had been Alex Krycek, but he was gone now. Dead and more than likely buried.

Walter had felt terrible regret, having to shoot his former lover and agent but he had been left with no other choice. Scully's baby's life had been on the line. Walter had done the only thing that he could do at the time. He had squeezed the trigger that had sent the bullets straight into Alex's body. He had watched while Alex had crumpled to the ground, helpless and bleeding. Then he had walked over to where Alex had lain, watching impassively while the blood flowed out onto the concrete floor.

Later that night, after Mulder had gone flying to Scully's rescue, Walter had sat alone in his darkened apartment. A bottle of J&B whiskey sitting in front of him. He had drunk the fiery liquid, feeling it slide down the back of his throat.

That had been the way Walter had mourned, silent and stoic, sitting in the dark drinking. He'd had no other way of being able to express his grief and his anger at the senseless loss.

Finally, eyes red and dry, Walter had made his way to bed and had fallen into a deep dreamless sleep.

The following months passed by in a blur of FBI cases, and the specter of conspiracy once again raising it's ugly head.

Walter had thrown himself into his work and into trying to protect the two people that he had come to care about more than anything else. It had not been easy, Walter had spent every second trying to juggle his duties as Assistant Director and trying to keep Mulder and Scully safe.

It had broken his heart when Scully had finally been forced to give William up. He knew that she had been faced with no other choice. The decision had been the right one though when Scully had found that she could no longer keep her little boy safe. Things had simply become too dangerous for all three of them and she had realized that the only way to keep her child safe was too make the ultimate sacrifice.

She had come to Walter one night, eyes red and swollen with weeping and he had held her in his arms, letting her cry away her grief and anger at the decision she had been forced to make. He had held her close to him, feeling her small delicate frame rack with heartbroken sobs. Helpless and angry at the cruelty of it, all Walter could do was hold her until exhaustion had overtaken her, and she had leaned against him like a small tired child.

But it was all over now, Dana had decided to stay in the States. Walter had sensed that a relationship was forming between Dana Scully and John Doggett and that had pleased him no end. John Doggett was a decent and honest man and Walter was sure that he would take good care of his red haired agent. Besides that, he knew that she would want to stay as close to William as was possible.

Walter had realized that even though Dana would not be able to see her son, Dana could not bring herself to stray to far away from where he was living. It was the tenuous hope of perhaps one day being able to see him again that seemed to give the diminutive agent hope and strength.

"Penny for your thoughts."

"Huh what?" Walter turned to look over to where Mulder was standing, grinning over at him.

"I said a penny for your thoughts." Mulder replied. "You were in a far away place just then Walter."

For his part, Walter chuckled and shook his head. "Just dusting away some cobwebs." He replied.

"Must be quite a few to dust away, being a man of your advanced years and all." Mulder said, his grin widening.

Walter mock glowered at his young lover. "What do you mean, 'a man of my advanced years'?" He replied sternly. "You just wait until we get to out hotel room, I'll show you advances years alright."

Unfazed by the threat, Mulder rolled his eyes. "Promises, promises."

"Come on, let's see if we can get a cab and get the hell out of this damned heat." Walter said gruffly.

With that, Walter took hold of the trolley that their luggage was strapped onto and they both headed towards the airport's exit.

THREE

"Ho ho ho, merry Christmas." Alex intoned, trying to simultaneously inject some real cheer into his voice and ignore the itchy beard he was wearing at the same time.

"Merry Christmas boys and girls."

Alex rang the large heavy brass bell that was part of the whole Santa Claus act that he had been hired to perform at the Pitt street mall shopping center.

"Hello Santa." A tiny little voice lisped. Alex looked down, it was a little girl, her blonde hair done up in pigtails, pink bows in her hair matching the colour of her light summer dress.

"Well hello there little girl, what can Santa do for you?" Alex boomed, hoping he was getting the tone and pitch just right. That was what the prissy little prick of a store manager had told him when he had hired Alex for the job of store Santa. Tone and pitch, you have to sound just like Santa Claus so that the kids would buy the whole act.

Not that Alex thought that the kids believed he was the real thing in the first place, but what the hell, after all it was a paycheck.

"Are you really Santa?" The little girl's eyes were as round as saucers.

"Of course I am." Alex replied hoping he sounded authentic at least. "See, I have the red suit and the long white beard, that means that I am the real Santa doesn't it."

"Where are your reindeer then?" the little girl asked, her small round race perfectly serious.

Alex refrained from rolling his eyes, there was always one...

"Why, my reindeer are at home waiting for Christmas eve, that's our busiest time of year you know." Alex confided with a wink.

The little girl nodded, clearly mulling this piece of information over. "Well, can I have a Barbie doll and a new Barbie townhouse then, my old one broke," she added.

"Have you been a good little girl?" Alex inquired. The little girl stared back at him for a moment, obviously weighing up how much she could tell Santa before she made it to the 'naughty' list. Finally making up her mind, she leaned forward conspiratorially to whisper.

"I am but my baby brother's not."

Alex feigned a look of shock for the pre schooler's benefit. "Is he really?"

Eyes wide, she nodded. "He won't eat his dinner and he cries for Mum all the time."

"That's very naughty indeed." Alex agreed. "How old is your little brother?"

The little girl thought for a moment, the replied. "He's a baby."

"Oh." Alex nodded wisely. "I see. Is he very little?"

Fingers in her mouth, the little girl nodded.

"Well, I tell you what, I won't put him on the naughty list this year." Alex assured her with a smile.

"Okay, but can I still get a Barbie?" She asked, very worried now.

"Oh, I think Santa can manage that." Alex gave the little girl a wink and in return was rewarded with a huge smile.

"Melissa, where are you honey?" A tall slender woman was making her way through the crowd, a small baby strapped to her in a baby carrier.

"Over here I think Ma'am." Alex called over to her. The woman gave him a smile of thanks, then turned to her daughter. "Don't wander away from me love, I'll never find you in this crowd."

"Sorry Mummy." The little girl replied, then pointed at Alex, her face lighting up again.

"Mummy, Santa's going to give me a Barbie doll and a Barbie town house and a Barbie camper and a Barbie oven and a..."

Alex watched amused as the woman rolled her eyes. "That's nice sweetheart." The little girl was still prattling on about Barbie and her accessories as her mother led away through the crowd.

With a chuckle, Alex began to ring the bell once more. "Merry Christmas everyone. Ho ho ho...

THREE

"Hey Walter, take a look at this."

The bigger man turned in time to see his young husband don a pair of plastic antlers. The thin headband fitted Mulder's head perfectly, the antlers bobbed, the tiny bells attached to them jingling cheerfully.

"We should send these to Dana and John." He said with a grin.

That made Walter laugh. "I'm sure they would love them." He replied. "Now come on, we still have some shopping to do. Then I want to get over to Darling Harbour, that's where they have the Imax cinema." Walter had been looking forward to checking out the giant movie screen that had been featured on the tourist brochure along with the Opera House and The Hyde Park Barracks.

"Okay, okay." Mulder said holding up a placating hand. "We have all day you know Walter."

"Ho ho ho, merry Christmas."

Both Mulder and Walter glanced over in the direction of the red suited figure standing near a department store.

"Wow, too cool, a Santa." Mulder said, sounding like a five year old boy.

"I sincerely hope you are not planning on sitting on his knee." Walter replied with a chuckle.

"Oh I don't know." Mulder drawled. "It all depends."

"On what?"

"On whether he's a hottie or not."

"Oh great, we aren't in this country a week and already you want to seduce the Santa Claus." Walter replied, exasperated. Mulder gave his husband a wink, then started in the direction of the jolly looking figure standing just a few feet away.

"Ho ho ho, merry...." The sentence tapered off. Alex stared in wide eyed disbelief as he watched the horribly familiar figure move through the crowd of shoppers towards him.

Oh shit, what the fuck is he doing here? Swallowing hard, Alex took a step back. Maybe Mulder was just planning on doing some shopping or something.

Gripping the bell tighter, Alex moved back, careful to avert his face from the former FBI agent. It didn't do any good though. Mulder stopped directly in front of him, looking as sexy as ever in faded jeans and a plain black t-shirt.

"Merry Christmas to you Santa." Mulder said with a grin.

"Merry Christmas little boy." Alex said, deepening his voice in the vain hope that Mulder would not recognize him.

"Not so little Santa." Mulder told him with a laugh. Alex blinked, was Fox Mulder trying to pick up Santa Claus? Jesus, the guy was sicker than he thought.

Suddenly another figure appeared, adding to Alex's worst nightmare. It was Walter Skinner.

"Come on Fox." He was saying cheerfully. "Quit harassing the guy in red. okay."

Mulder turned to give his husband his best pout. "I wasn't harassing him, was I?" He turned back to Alex, who, by this time had broken out into a cold sweat, despite the stifling heat outside.

"Not not at all young man." Alex boomed, with forced bonhomie in his voice. "Not at all. Ho ho ho, merry Christmas boys and girls." Quickly Alex began to move off, when a heavy hand descended on his shoulder. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Alex froze.
"Hey Santa, one of your fans wants to talk to you." Walter said with a grin as he pointed a finger downwards.

A little boy dressed in a Batman costume was staring up at Alex, eyes like saucers, thumb firmly planted in his rosy little mouth.

"Well hello there little boy, what would you like Santa to bring you?" Alex's voice was strained with desperation now. It was incredible that neither Walter or Mulder had recognized him yet. But then again, as far as they knew, he was dead and rotting in some grave somewhere. They would have no reason to think that that man in the beard and the white suit could be their former enemy.

"Is that your beard?" The little boy asked, clearly awed by the thick snow white albeit false,chin growth.

"Yes it is." Alex replied. Oh god, why couldn't this brat just tell him what he wanted so that Alex could get the hell out of there? He knew that his luck was damned near close to running out as it was.

"Can I feel it?" The kid asked. Alex shook his head. "Oh no little boy, I'm afraid that Santa's beard is magical, no one is allowed to touch it. Not even Mrs Claus."

"Oh." The little boy looked disappointed. Both Walter and Mulder noticed how his chubby face had fallen. And as luck would have it, Walter decided to step in on the child's behalf.

"Come on Santa, just a little feel. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt."

Yeah, that's exactly what your boyfriend was after. Alex thought sourly. Aloud he replied. "I'm afraid...oh crap!" The sentence finished with a yelp as Mulder reached out and gave the beard a light tug, causing it to come off altogether.

The twin looks of almost identical shock and disbelief would have been comical, if it had not been so disastrous.

"Krycek?" Walter stared at the younger man for a moment. Alex gave Walter a weak grin.

Alex raised his hand in a half hearted waved. "Hiya Walt."