Life from the Ashes Book 2 - Hope and Faith

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Chapter 18
Amaranthine

by Jo B.
purplefox@usfamily.net

***

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Sunday, August 29
1:00 p.m.

"Mulder, I don't know what I'm going to do," Takeda whined. "It's been eleven weeks and they haven't said one word to each other. Rory and Kazuo won't even try to be civil!" he complained, pacing around Mulder's home office.

"Shin, did you expect them to become good buddies? Rory and Kazuo are total opposites . . . I can't think of one thing they have in common," Mulder, who was curled up on his sofa, commented. The case file that A.D. Murphy had sent over lay open in his lap, abandoned, Mulder hid the gruesome photos from Takeda's sight.

"I thought that they'd at least try to get along for my benefit," Takeda grumbled.

"Not everything revolves around you, Shinji. They have needs, too."

Mulder glanced over at Takeda when he didn't answer. The young man stood frozen, looking out the only window in the room that faced the backyard.

Setting the folder aside Mulder went over to his friend, looking over Takeda's shoulder to see what had his interest. The agent noticed MacIver walking with Justin Blaise, the two men were on the path heading for the lake. They were carrying fishing poles. Mulder could hear the Scotsman's laughter through the open window.

"Mulder, I'm afraid . . . of losing Rory! Perhaps… to Justin," Shinji's voice quivered.

"Shin, Rory loves you, he's not about to dump you for Justin. They just have some similar interests," the agent replied softly.

"Rory threatened he'd leave me if I didn't let Kazuo go!" The younger man turned away from the window and threw himself down on the sofa.

"Rory didn't mean what he was saying . . . he only wanted to hurt you as much as you had hurt him. Rory loves you." Mulder sat on the coffee table, brushing the hair out of the younger man's eyes.

"Shin, if you're concerned . . . you have to talk to Rory about it."

"He's been so happy lately, I don't want to upset him." Shinji's eyes misted over. "He's thrilled that Kazuo is leaving in a few days. I think Rory is hoping that he doesn't come back," Takeda sighed.

"Why don't you grab your fishing pole and go down to the lake and join them?" Mulder suggested, picking up the discarded folder.

"Thanks, Mulder, I think I'll do that . . . at least it will give me a chance to spy on them before I let them know I'm there," he said, standing and heading for the door.

Mulder shook his head in dismay. His young friend's love life was becoming a trial on the rest of the household. It wasn't good that MacIver and Sawada were avoiding each other, it was only adding to the hatred they felt for each other. He feared the two men would come to blows again. The agent rubbed his temple and went back to studying the case file.

***

FBI Hoover Building
Monday, August 30
10:00 a.m.

As Mulder flipped to the next slide, the light from the slide projector illuminated the room showing the intense faces of the other four agents gathered at the table.

"Franklin Jones was the first victim, black male, age 28, truck driver. His body was discovered June 30 on a wooden raft that had banked off the Mohawk river forty miles outside of Utica, New York." Mulder advanced the projector to show the body on the coroner's table, it was sliced open showing a metallic substance in the chest cavity. "He was killed by having molten silver pumped into his body, he was literally cooked to death from the inside."

He advanced to the next slide showing a close up of the corpse's back. "There were signs of torture before he was killed, he had whip marks covering every inch of his body. Some marks were older than others -- it was estimated that he was held for at least a month before he was killed."

Mulder advanced the projector to show another victim. The body was still strapped to a raft. "Zachary Lefevre, white male, age 50, dentist. His body was discovered floating on a raft on the Mohawk River 15 miles outside of Utica. He was murdered the same way as the last victim." He advanced to the next slide. "The most recent victim was Jose Lopez, age 17, Hispanic male, high school student. His body was discovered yesterday 55 miles outside of Utica, again on the Mohawk River. His death was identical to the other two victims." Mulder advanced the projector to show another close-up of the man's ankle. "All victims showed signs of extreme bruising around their right ankle, it is assumed that a power-control cuff was used on them . . . all three victims were believed to be sorcerers."

Mulder shut off the projector and flipped on the light switch. Krycek looked up at him. "What's your feeling, Fox?"

"I think they were all cult killings."

"The local bureau has listed them as hate crimes, what makes you feel they're cult killings?" Agent Donald Anderson questioned.

"Don, you pinpointed the approximate time of death for each victim during the autopsy. Each victim was killed during a full moon and their bodies were laid out on the raft in a ceremonial fashion."

"But, Mulder, that doesn't necessarily mean that they were cult killings. That part of New York is known for being extremely hostile to mutants and all of the victims were sorcerers. You know the myths that are being spread around about mutants. One of them is that the only way to successfully kill a sorcerer is during a full moon and using a weapon made of silver," Anderson replied, leaning back in his chair.

"I'd say that the killer or killers took that myth a little overboard," Pipino quipped.

"I've heard that myth. What Don forgot is that the silver weapon will not kill a sorcerer if it pierces his skin, I guess our killer found away around that one. How do you think the killer gained access to the power-control cuff?" Krycek asked, concerned.

Mulder got an uneasy look on his face, licking his lips; he sat next to Krycek. "Frohike found a site on the Internet that was selling them along with other devices that protected against mutants. They had a spray that smells like the human female, it's supposed to keep n'thrals away. He ordered it . . . it didn't work for me, but it does work for humans. The Gunmen gave me a spray bottle to give to Charlie Scully for his boys. As long as they don't turn out to be mutants it should provide some protection for them." Mulder looked thoughtful. "Sorry, Alex, I got sidetracked. The power-cuff turned out to be authentic, we tested it on Gabriel."

"Shit! Now every damned asshole can get his hands on one!" Krycek growled, standing and pacing the office. He stopped and stared at his lover with a worried expression on his handsome face. "Fox, just how did you test that anti-n'thral spray?"

Agents Sullivan and Pipino glanced nervously at each other and Mulder. Mulder looked up at the ceiling not meeting his lover's eyes. Finally he sighed. "Alex, I was never in any danger. I had Jack and Vinny drive me down to the D.C. PD. The police had several n'thrals in the holding cells. The officers allowed me to go down and stand outside their cells to see what effect the spray had on them."

Mulder swallowed nervously. "The n'thrals all threw themselves at the bars trying to get to me. The spray had the opposite effect on them. I think it enhanced my body's pheromones to make me even more arousing to them. We then tested it on several of the officers . . . while I stayed upstairs in one of the interrogation rooms. The human officers caused the n'thrals to back off and become physically ill. However, the clairvoyant on the force had the same effect I did only to a much lesser extent." Mulder finished, glancing at Krycek. He had left out that most of the officers had been extremely aroused by him too, and that he was lucky to get out of there without being molested.

Krycek glared at him. "Jack, Vinny, the next time Fox has one of these self-destructive impulses, please, come and get me," he replied very softly.

"Alex, I was in absolutely no danger . . . " Mulder started to lie.

"Fox, don't! We've had this talk before about you keeping things from us! And you'd better believe we will discuss this later!" Krycek scolded angrily.

The anger in his lover's voice caused Mulder to back down, he did not want to have a scene in front of the other three men. "Okay, fine, whatever," he replied sullenly.

Krycek looked at his lover's pouty face and sighed. "So, when are we flying out to Utica?"

"I have us booked on a three forty-five flight this afternoon. I thought we could go home now and pack, then meet back at the airport at three o'clock," Mulder stated, angrily shoving the papers back into a folder.

Krycek pulled on his suit coat. "This is our first assignment out of town since our daughters were born . . . do you think Walter will be able to handle both babies?"

"Walter should be fine! He does have help . . . Kazuo and Joe are excellent with them," Mulder snapped.

"But, Kazuo is leaving on an assignment for his government on Wednesday," Krycek replied, ignoring the anger in his lover's voice. He held open the office door and the other men quickly filed out of the room.

"Gabriel and Justin are also good with the babies . . . they'll be fine."

Mulder frowned sadly, heading for the door. Krycek put his arm across the door preventing him from leaving.

"Fox, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you in front of the other agents. But, you know it drives me crazy when you take careless risks with your own safety! Just don't assume that I'd stand in your way of testing a possible retardant against n'thrals. I would have accompanied you to the police station to test the spray."

"You're right, Alex, you shouldn't have spoken to me like that in front of them. You're compromising my ability to do my job! Damnit, I don't need them to think that I have to have my boyfriend's permission before I can do anything! If you can't separate yourself from being my boyfriend on the job, and start treating me professionally, I'm going to need a new partner!" Mulder snapped.

"Fox, I was wrong. I shouldn't have compromised your authority in front of the men. I'll have a talk with them and tell them that my reaction with inappropriate," Krycek assured. "I just can't help worrying about you, especially when you intentional go around n'thrals," he admitted, knowing that he had overreacted, but he was still upset over the risk Mulder took.

Mulder chewed nervously on his bottom lip. "Alex, I don't know why . . . but I'm more afraid of n'thrals today than I ever was before. I wanted to find a way to deal with it. I know it was stupid not to take you or Walter with me, but I wanted to try to face my fear on my own."

"Fox, you don't need to face your fears alone! I'm here for you, let me help you! Please, don't shut me out of your life . . . it's too dangerous for you to do anything by yourself," Krycek pleaded. Closing the door, he trapped Mulder against the office wall.

Mulder stared into Krycek's emerald green eyes, the younger man had his body pressed firmly against his, not allowing him room to move away. The agent raised his hand and caressed the side of the younger man's face as he gently kissed his sensuous lips.

"Alex, you'd think that I'd be used to being totally reliant on you and Walter for my life by now. The fact is I hate it. I want to be independent . . . I don't like the fear that has crept into my life. Even Joe and Justin are more independent than I am . . . they don't suffer from sexual withdrawal pains," Mulder grumbled sadly.

"Do you blame me for that, Fox?"

"No. Alex, I love you. I'm happy with our life together, it's only that I miss the freedom I used to have." Mulder wrapped his arms around Krycek's waist and rested his head on the younger man's shoulder.

"I wish I could give you back your independence, my love. I want your happiness as well as your safety," Krycek murmured, hugging Mulder tightly and kissing the side of his neck.

They stayed that way for several minutes until Mulder pulled away. "Do you want to see if Walter is free for lunch?"

"Sure, but he's not going to be too thrilled with us going out of town, especially to Utica, after all of the recent press that city has gotten for their anti-mutant laws," Krycek griped.

"The ACLU is taking them to task for it, too." Mulder opened the door and headed for the elevator, Krycek kept stride beside him.

"Well at least there is one positive aspect of Utica," Krycek replied.

"What?"

"No n'thrals."

The elevator dropped them on Skinner's floor and they wove their way through the bullpen toward the A.D.'s office.

Kimberly was on the telephone when they entered. "Kiss them for me, Tony. I love you, too. Bye," Kimberly murmured into the receiver, placing it back on the hook.

"Hi, Kim. How are your two daughters doing today?" Mulder asked, stopping at her desk.

"Fine, Mulder. It's hard to believe we've already had them for seven weeks. Tony is really amazing with them. We're sorry that he's not able to do as much around the estate as he used to."

"Kim, don't worry about it. Gracie Mari and Emi Mercy are more important than ground maintenance. Although, I haven't noticed that Tony hasn't been doing a good job of it recently," Krycek assured her.

"That's because Rory has been helping him with it." Kim smiled. "Don't tell Rory I told you . . . he has an image to maintain."

Krycek snickered. "Yeah, he loves playing the lazy freeloader. It used to drive Walter nuts, until he caught on that Rory was really doing a lot of work around the mansion. Now Rory's playing the freeloader for Kazuo's benefit."

Mulder smiled. "Yeah, I'm surprised Kazuo hasn't caught Rory working yet. Kim, does Walter's schedule leave him free for lunch?" he asked.

"Sorry, Mulder, he has a meeting in fifteen minutes. He's free now. I'll let him know you're here," Kim replied.

Skinner's office door opened before she could buzz him. "Fox, Alex, come in," the A.D. said, holding the door open for them.

Mulder walked in and leaned against his lover's desk. "Walter, we have an out of town case. Our plane takes off today at 3:45 p.m. and we're going home early to pack. I thought we'd take the munchkins with us, Kazuo and Joe can watch them until you get home."

"What case are you on?" Skinner asked.

"The Mohawk River killings," Mulder replied.

Skinner's jaw clenched tightly. "Damn! Couldn't Murphy have assigned another profiler to that case?" he snarled. "It's clearly a mutant hate crime! The residents in that area are not going to appreciate having you or Alex in their community. Murphy should have assigned a human team of agents."

"Walter, we can't avoid going into areas of this country just because some people are prejudiced against our kind," Mulder murmured.

"Fox is right, Walter, we can't allow these people's hatred to interfere with our job. I promise we'll be extra careful," Krycek added.

Skinner pulled out his keys tossing them to Mulder. "Here take the truck, I'll get an agent to drive Kim and me home tonight. I expect a telephone call from both of you at least twice a day," he grumbled.

"Only twice?" Krycek smiled, heading for the door.

"I don't want to push my luck. Be careful," Skinner groused.

"Don't worry, Walter, we will be." Mulder kissed him softly then followed Krycek out the door.

***

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Monday, August 30
1:40 p.m.

Mulder dropped his bags on the kitchen counter and grabbed an ice tea from the refrigerator. Hope was strapped into a highchair and Hawk was feeding her pureed carrots.

"Don't worry about your daughters, Mulder. I'll help Walter take good care of them while you and Alex are gone," the young man stated.

"Thanks, Joe. I really appreciate your help. If you have any problems, please, call my cell phone number." Mulder walked over to the highchair and kissed his daughter on the top of her head.

She smiled up at him, slapping her hands excitedly on the highchair's tray, babbling, "dabdabdabdabdab!"

Mulder laughed. "You don't say, sweetheart?"

Krycek walked in carrying Faith. She was laughing at him as he made funny faces at her. "Isn't your daddy a character?" he beamed at her. He then handed Mulder an envelope. "The girls' photos have arrived from the photographer. Fox, would you clip apart the wallet-sized ones so we can take them with us?"

"Sure, Alex. I have frames for the larger ones, I'll go get them."

As Mulder passed the library he saw Sawada in the room, the young major was using the computer. "Hi, Kazuo. Is Shinji working at the Procreation Center today?"

"Yes. MacIver took him there this morning," he grumbled. He did not like Takeda working; he felt it wasn't safe for the younger man to leave the protection of the estate. Allowing Shinji to work was another point of contention he held against the Scotsman. The man should have put his foot down and told Shinji no instead of giving in to the younger man's whims.

"Alex and I are going out of town on a case. I wanted to wish you well on your assignment; I doubt we'll be back before you leave," Mulder said.

"Mulder, I wish you well, too. Please be careful," the major murmured. He didn't understand how Skinner could stand having Mulder out from under his protection.

"I will be," the agent said leaving the room.

In his bedroom, Mulder pulled out the frames for the pictures. He put one of the framed photos on the nightstand on Walter's side of the bed. The agent clipped the wallet sized photographs apart and took two photos of each baby for his and Alex's wallets and one framed photo of both girls together. Looking at his watch, he quickly left the bedroom it was time to leave for the airport.

***

Utica
Monday, August 30
5:30 p.m.

Mulder kept his eyes forward, ignoring the lecherous looks and wolf whistles. Krycek bristled with irritation next to him, shooting angry looks at the crowd. "Fox, you seem to be an exception to this town's hatred of mutants."

"Oh joy," Mulder muttered, shifting his hold on his suitcases, frowning.

More men stopped and stared in awe as the beautiful immortal strolled past them into the hotel. The four agents made sure no one got within touching distance of Mulder.

The agents stopped at the front desk. "We're with the FBI, we have reservations for three adjacent rooms," Sullivan said gruffly.

"Yes, sir, rooms 915, 916, and 917," the desk clerk replied. His eyes were focused on Mulder the whole time as he handed them three keycards. The clerk watched as a handsome, dark haired agent took the key to room 916 and passed it to the immortal.

"I need an additional key to room 916," Krycek stated, wrapping his arm possessively around Mulder's slim waist. The clerk passed him another key.

"We should stop and see the sheriff after we unpack," Mulder said, picking up his suitcases and heading for the elevator.

"Agreed. I would like to get this case over with as quickly as possible," Krycek grumbled, looking at the men staring into the hotel's lobby through the windows.

***

Utica City's Police Department
Monday, August 30
6:10 p.m.

Chief Noah Logan combed the thick, gray hair that made him look older than his thirty-seven years. He was the youngest police chief in Utica's long history. Logan had received the news of the FBI agents' arrival in his city and was surprised to find out that Fox Mulder was among them. It had been twelve years since he had last seen Mulder, when they both had been home visiting their families on the Vineyard.

The chief knew all about his friend's mutation, he felt extremely nervous about seeing him again. Logan wasn't sure he could hide his attraction to Mulder like he had in the past. He had realized in high school that he was gay. The hardest part of his teenage years was hiding that fact from his friends and family. He managed to fake it pretty well, he even doubled dated with Mulder a few times. He chuckled, remembering looking over at Mulder's sweet face and wishing they could dump their dates.

There was a knock on his office door. "Chief, the FBI agents are here to see you," Sergeant O'Brien announced.

"Show them in, Sergeant," Logan ordered.

Logan couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips when Mulder walked into his office. He didn't even notice the other two men that had accompanied him. His old friend didn't look any older than his mid-twenties and to describe him as beautiful would have been an understatement. When Mulder smiled at him, he felt his heart skip a beat.

"Noah, it's good to see you again," Mulder murmured, offering his hand to shake.

"Mulder, it's been too long. How have you been?" the sheriff inquired, shaking his hand, but not releasing it.

"Let's just say my life has been interesting lately," the agent smirked, prying his hand free of his friend's sweaty grip.

"Noah Logan, I'd like you to meet Agents Alex Krycek and Don Anderson." As the men exchanged handshakes, Mulder answered Krycek's questioning glare. "Noah and I went to the same high school, we were on the basketball team together and used to double date."

"Maybe we can play a game of pick up while you're here, Mulder, there's a court out back," Logan stated, walking on shaky legs to sit behind his desk.

"It's been a while since I've played, we were talking about putting in a court where I live," Mulder replied.

"Chief, Fox won't have time to play, we'll be too busy solving this case," Krycek grumbled. "So, I suggest we get down to business. It's getting late and I'm sure you must want to get home to your family," he stated harshly, taking the chair next to Mulder.

The chief glared at him. "I have no family to go home to . . . but you're right it is getting late. I've arranged for two of my detectives to work with you tomorrow." He pulled out several folders and passed them over to Mulder. "Here are the latest reports on the murders. Mulder, there's a new religious group in Utica and the surrounding communities. They preach against homosexual relationships, and they're also extremely prejudiced against mutants."

"Noah, do you think they might be behind the recent murders?"

"I think they are very capable of it . . . their leader is a zealot in his beliefs, and his followers are growing in numbers . . . I think there may even be a few on my police force," he stated angrily. "They're calling themselves the Amaranthines."

Mulder's face went white at the name; all of his warning bells were going off. "What is their leader's name? Do you know where they meet?"

"He goes by the name Reverend Xsavior. They meet on his estate it's about thirty miles west of Utica. I've heard rumors that he has a large temple within his mansion where he holds secret ceremonies. His congregation has also taken over the old Catholic church on the north side of the city." Logan finished looking over at Mulder's startled expression.

Krycek also saw Mulder's stunned look. "Fox, what's wrong?"

"I've met Reverend Xsavior . . . he gave me a lapel pin, it was of an amaranth," he replied.

"I remembered -- you told me about that incident. Do you still have the pin?"

"It's in my office . . . I have a box that contains all of the presents I've received from deranged lunatics," Mulder admitted, shivering.

"Maybe we should have Walter send it to us, the pin might come in handy. Chief Logan, have you noticed any of the congregation wearing a pin in the shape of small purple flowers?" Krycek asked.

"Yes, I've seen that pin being worn around the city," the chief replied. "Mulder, I don't understand why Reverend Xsavior would give you the pin . . . he hates mutants."

"Did he mention that he hated immortals or is it just sorcerers, n'thrals, and clairvoyants?" the agent asked softly.

"I don't know, Mulder. I've never been to one of his services. I'm gay, and his followers all know that. They hate gays almost as much as mutants. The Amaranthines believe that two men having sex together is a sin," Logan sighed. "I've received hate mail from them and the man I was seeing at the time couldn't handle the threats, he moved to New York City."

"Noah, I'm sorry to hear that, do they still harass you?"

"No. Not since Frank left me. However, I'm sure they will if I started seeing someone else, but that isn't very likely; most of the open-minded citizens have started moving away from here," the chief murmured. "It's getting late, have any of you eaten dinner, yet?"

"No, we came straight here after we unpacked," Mulder replied.

"Good. I would like to take you and your men out to dinner if it's okay with you, Mulder? There's a nice seafood restaurant across the street," Logan said, looking pleadingly at his old friend.

Before Krycek could object Mulder spoke up. "We'd like that, Noah. We have two other agents standing guard outside your office . . . I know they love seafood."

Logan beamed happily at his friend. "Good, let's leave then."

***

St. Petersburg
Monday, August 30
8:00 p.m.

"Izumi, would you like some more wine?" Slava offered, nodding to the servant standing at attention. The man came over instantly with the wine bottle.

"Yes, please," the middle aged Japanese artist replied, watching as his glass was filled.

The Tsar sat at the head of the long table in a full dining room. The Cossack held the Japanese artist Masataka Izumi in high regard and had him sitting on his right. The other guests included Slava's top generals and several foreign diplomats including the American ambassador Thomas Carlson.

"Mr. Carlson, I plan on visiting the U.S. in October. I would like to have a reception at my Washington D.C. embassy on October 31. I will provide you with a guest list of the people I would like invited," the Tsar stated.

"Of course, Tsar Nikolai, the U.S. government wishes to make your visit pleasant." The elderly diplomat smiled insincerely. The U.S. was courting Slava's goodwill; most of the world was in turmoil and they needed the Russian alliance to stave off threats from China.

"I expect my lover Fox Mulder to be at the reception and I would like to see him privately on October 13. You will arrange that meeting for me . . . I would like to keep it secret, even from Fox," Slava commanded.

"I'll see what I can do, Tsar," Carlson replied, picking nervously at his meal.

***

The Wharf restaurant
Monday, August 30
9:00 p.m.

"Mulder, tell me about your daughters," Logan requested. Leaning back in his chair, he brushed up against Agent Sullivan who sat next to him. The table was covered in newspaper, crab legs and lobster shells filled several coffee tins in the center. All the men were pleasantly full.

"If you'd wipe the butter off your fingers, Noah, I'll show you pictures of my girls," Mulder smiled.

The chief cleaned his hands with a wet wipe and took the photos from his friend. "Mulder, they're beautiful. You and Alex must be really proud." He smiled, holding the two pictures out side-by-side. "Which one is which?"

The waiter came over and started to clear the table. The young man looked over the chief's shoulder at the photos. He felt extremely honored that he had been allowed to serve the immortal and to see photos of God's daughters was an added privilege. He wore an amaranth pin under his jacket.

"This is Hope and the other is Faith." Mulder pointed out. "Faith is Alex's daughter and Hope is Walter's."

"It must have been hard for you both to leave them," Logan said sincerely.

"Extremely," Krycek sighed, looking at his watch. "Fox, we should get back to the hotel . . . we promised Walter we would call him. Besides, I'm dying to check on the babies."

Mulder smiled softly at him. "You're right, I'm anxious to check on them, too, and to find out how everyone else is doing. Noah, thanks for the meal, it was delicious. I really enjoyed reminiscing about high school."

"Mulder, it was my pleasure . . . you can't begin to know how lonely it is here." He grinned, licking his lips he met Jack Sullivan's eyes -- the older FBI man smiled back.

***

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Monday, August 30
10:30 p.m.

Skinner tried desperately to get the babies to stop crying. He rocked them, sang to them, made faces at them, but nothing seemed to work. For some reason, they were totally distraught. He glared at the telephone when it rang.

"Skinner!" he growled.

"Nice way to answer the phone, lover," Mulder admonished. Hearing the babies screaming in the background, he became concerned. "Is there something wrong with the munchkins?"

"Fox, they won't stop crying. I was about to call Doctor Carter . . . I'm at my wits end," Skinner admitted.

"Put me on the speaker, I want to talk to them," Mulder replied.

"Okay, babe." Skinner flipped on the speaker.

"Hey, what's wrong, sweethearts?" Mulder purred softly. "How are my beautiful princesses?"

At the sound of their missing daddy's voice, the babies stopped crying, and looked around for the source of his voice. Krycek put his head against Mulder's so he could speak to them, too. "Mouse, cutie, what's the problem? Be good for daddy Walter, we'll be back as soon as we can."

Hope cooed and kicked her feet at the sound of Krycek's voice. Faith looked puzzled at hearing her father's voice, but not seeing him.

"I think you solved the problem, they missed both of you. I should have realized they'd wonder where you were, we haven't been apart since they were born," Skinner replied. He looked at the two babies. They both seemed to have settled down after hearing their other fathers' voices.

"Fox, Alex, how's the case going?"

"We have a possible lead. There is a new religious group in the area that hates mutants and male sexual relationships. You might recognize the leader, he goes by the name of Reverend Xsavior," Mulder stated.

"That bastard who interrupted our one-month anniversary dinner?" Skinner growled.

"That's him," Mulder replied. "Walter, I need you to send us that pin he gave me . . . it's in an old steamer trunk up in my office.

"Sure, Fox. Please, be careful, I wasn't able to read that man. There was something about him that makes me nervous."

"Don't worry, Walter, we will be. Kiss the babies good night for us, we're going to turn in," Krycek said.

"I love you, Walter, see you soon," Mulder murmured, disconnecting.

After Skinner placed the telephone down the babies started crying again. He looked at them with exasperation. Walking over to the laundry hamper he pulled out Mulder's old, soft sweatshirt. He gently lifted the babies out of the way so he could spread the shirt on the bottom of the crib, fastening the sleeves under the mattress so the babies wouldn't get tangled in them. He placed the crying babies back down on top of the sweatshirt and they immediately stopped crying. "I didn't make assistant director for nothing," Skinner quipped. Turning off the lights, he tiredly walked out of the nursery and climbed into bed, falling asleep instantly.

***

Mulder climbed into bed next to Krycek and hugged him. "Alex, this case worries me . . . there is something evil going on here."

"Don't worry, Fox, I'll protect you," he replied, kissing the agent tenderly.

"But who will protect you, my love?" Mulder sighed against his lips.

***

Mulder startled awake, he had been feeling strange for the past month. He looked up at the ceiling, watching as neon patterns of light danced across it from lights outside the hotel room window. Krycek had his arm wrapped across Mulder's chest and his head rested on his shoulder. The older man gently lifted his lover's arm off and crawled out of bed. He walked naked into the bathroom, flipping on the light switch, he squinted against the bright glare. After relieving his bladder, he stood in front of the full-length mirror he looked the same as he had for the past sixteen months. However, there was something wrong with him, he had a weird feeling in his belly and at the area around his navel.

Caressing a hand over his belly, he touched an index finger to his bellybutton and pushed. Mulder gasped as his finger slipped inside of him. There was no pain. He looked down and examined the area as he pulled his finger free, his navel looked perfectly normal. Pushing his finger back in, he moaned as waves of pleasure raced throughout his body. His cock became instantly erect.

"Damn!" he swore, pulling his finger out. He stumbled over to the sink and splashed cold water on his face as terror gripped him, causing him to lose his erection. He wasn't sure what was happening.

"Fox, whatsamatter?" Krycek slurred, stumbling into the room.

"Nothing, Alex. Go back to bed. I just have an upset stomach . . . I shouldn't have used so much Tabasco sauce on the shrimp during dinner." He smiled weakly.

Krycek walked over to the toilet bowl and emptied his bladder. "I warned you to go easy on that stuff," he murmured.

"Well, I guess I should have listened to you, love," Mulder replied, heading back into the bedroom, he climbed under the covers. When they returned to D.C. he would have Doctor Harris run some test on him to confirm what was happening to his body. Mulder's thoughts turned to Shinji, he wondered if his friend was experiencing the same change.

Krycek came back and snuggled up against him. "Fox, tell me?"

"I . . . I was thinking about why the aliens engineered the mutations . . . I was trying to figure out what the purpose was. I have a theory on all except ours," he replied. Feeling it was too soon to tell his lover about the new changes his body was going through. He hated keeping another secret from Alex and Walter, but he didn't know how they would react.

"Do you want to tell me what your theory is?" Krycek ran a hand down Mulder's body, but the agent grabbed it before it reached his belly. He brought Krycek's hand up to his mouth and tenderly kissed and licked each finger.

Holding his lover's hand securely, he explained. "I think n'thrals were meant to be used as laborers, to do any mindless dirty jobs the aliens needed done. Ghouls are your scavengers, picking off the weak and sick. Clairvoyants would have been used as a police force finding any resistance or threats against the aliens."

"Couldn't the Grays have used sorcerers for that?" Krycek asked, nesting closer, he knew there was something deeply troubling Mulder.

"Alex, I don't understand why the Grays created the sorcerer mutation. Your powers are too great, you could easily destroy them. Chip implants could easily control any clairvoyant, including Frohike, but they wouldn't control a sorcerer; you could easily destroy the chip. The power-cuff defeats the purpose of the mutation."

"Do you have any theory on immortals?"

Mulder sighed. It was very tempting to tell Alex his suspicions. Instead he merely turned on his side, resting his hand over his belly. "No. Let's try to get some sleep, love."

"Not just yet, Fox." Krycek spooned behind him, placing a hand on his hip. "Could it have been possible that the aliens knew before hand who the immortals were going to be? If so, it could explain a lot."

"What do you mean, Alex?"

"There was a no kill order on you by the consortium. I thought at first it was because of your father . . . but after his death it was still in effect," Krycek replied.

"That smoking bastard was really my father, it was probably because of him."

"I thought of that. However, it was still enforced even during the period of time he was presumed dead. Fox, I think the order came from the Grays. I believe immortals were vital to their plans, look at the recent threat we've had from the morph."

Mulder stiffened. "Do you have a theory why?"

"No . . . I wish I did."

Mulder shivered, he had his own theory and it scared the hell out of him. There was no way he could tell his lovers what it was when he didn't want to believe it himself.

***

Amaranthine Compound
Tuesday, August 31
5:10 a.m.

After three long weeks, the withdrawal pains had finally run their course. Hans Schatz huddled fearfully against the headboard of the bed. He was in a posh bedroom that he had been his prison for the past four months. He had been abducted in Miami after he and his friends arrived in the U.S. from Argentina in hopes of a safer life. They had helped him escaped from an evil n'thral warlord. They heard about a church providing shelter and aid to illegal immigrants. The church's clergy were the ones that imprisoned him.

Since then, he had been forced to have sex during elaborate ceremonies. Afterwards, he was pampered, bathed twice daily, and tenderly held throughout his agonizing withdrawal pains.

It was the same cycle: forced sex, three weeks of withdrawal pains, one week with no pain, and then it started all over again. He felt fine now, that meant he had a week before he would be forced to have sex again then suffer miserably for another three weeks. Schatz never saw the men that were forced to rape him again -- he wondered what had become of them.

The immortal prayed to be rescued, he could not bear another month of agony. He hated Reverend Xsavior! Now that man even invaded his dreams.

The bedroom door opened and a large man carrying a tray entered followed by the reverend. "You're feeling better, Hans?" Xsavior asked. "Come, you can eat outside on the veranda, the fresh air will do you good." The reverend stared compassionately at the immortal. Hans Schatz was wrapped in a silken white robe, his skin was very pale and he was too thin. Even so, he was still breathtakingly beautiful; he had high cheekbones, a straight nose, and full lips. His thick honey-blonde hair flowed past his shoulders and he had the most stunning blue eyes.

"Letting me go would improve my health even more," Schatz replied huskily. His voice was still sore from weeks of screaming.

"Don't be obstinate, Hans! Now up with you or would you prefer being carried?"

The young immortal sighed. Knowing it was useless to argue with the man, he climbed out of bed and followed him out the door.

Schatz sat on the cushioned patio chair looking out over the grounds form the veranda that was two stories above the ground with no way down. He reached out and picked up the glass of cold orange juice sipping it slowly.

A man stepped out onto the veranda carrying a cell-phone. "Reverend, Dr. Chung is on the phone for you, he says it is an emergency."

Xsavior took the phone and walked over to the far corner of the veranda. Schatz listened in trying to follower the one way conversation.

Doctor Chung paced nervously around his lab, he passed four growth cylinders with tiny embryos growing in them. He stopped in front of two dozen more cylinders that had only been install two days ago. "Reverend, the semen you sent us yesterday from Hans Schatz is no longer compatible with the stored semen from Jones, Lefevre, and Lopez."

"What do you mean it's no longer compatible, Doctor?" Xsavior snapped.

"I have a theory, Reverend. We were able to use the semen right away from Jones and Lefevre to conceive the four female embryos we have. The semen we used from Schatz was before he went through withdrawal, ridding his body of its physical bond with Jones and then Lefervre." The doctor walked back over to the cylinders and looked at the fetuses in different stages of development. "We didn't have the new growth cylinders installed until yesterday."

"Doctor, Hans just finished going through withdrawal symptoms yesterday. So what you're saying is that it makes Lopez's semen useless, too. Damn! Why was this only discovered now? If I had known about this sooner I would never have sacrificed those three sorcerers." Xsavior paced back in forth deep in thought.

"Reverend, this whole area of science is new to us. All of the immortals with sorcerer lovers are still with them. They've never gone completely through withdrawal to rid bodies of its physical bond to the men," the doctor interjected.

"Very well, Doctor. I need to find a new sorcerer before the next new moon . . . and I will not make the mistake of killing him!"

Hans shivered as he pieced together what he could hear of the conversation.

***

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Tuesday, August 31
6:00 a.m.

Skinner spooned a teaspoon of warm rice cereal into his baby daughter's mouth. Hope really seemed to like the cereal; she opened her mouth wide for another spoonful. He wiped some of he dribble from her chin as she grinned toothlessly up at him.

"Gee!" she squealed and opened her mouth wide.

"Gee!" Skinner exclaimed back at her, causing Hope to laugh delightedly. Skinner beamed and stroked her cheek; she really was a treasure.

Joseph Shadow Hawk had woken up early to help Skinner with the babies. He sat with Faith feeding her a bottle. Faith was still too young for anything but formula, although she was eyeing Hope's cereal closely. "It won't be too much longer, cutie, and you'll be eating cereal, too," Hawk murmured to the baby.

"Thanks for helping me with the babies, Joe," Skinner said sincerely.

"No problem. Do you know how long Mulder and Alex will be out of town?"

"No. But, it sounds like they may have a good lead, so I'm hoping they'll be able to wrap it up quickly." Skinner wiped a damp cloth over Hope's face and hands then took the bib off. "C'mon, angel, daddy's going to change your diaper, then we'll put on a pretty outfit for you to wear to daycare."

"Walter, can I ask you a question?" Hawk set the bottle aside, swinging the baby up in the air -- Faith squealed happily.

"Sure, Joe."

"How come Mulder was able to go out of town on a case? I thought all of us immortals were under government protection," the Native American inquired.

"I obtained special permission for him to go on cases as long as there are four other FBI agents along to protect him."

"Do you think you could get me special permission to go to Quantico? I have a degree in law and I worked part time at the police station on the reservation," Hawk asked.

"Joe, if that is what you want . . . I'll see what I can do, but don't get your hopes up," Skinner replied. "I'll bring home an application for you to fill out, and you'll have to take an admissions test."

***

Utica
Tuesday, August 31
10:00 a.m.

Detectives Luke Cameron and Garrett Mackenzie pulled up in front of the Blessed Amaranthine's church on the north side of the city, and the FBI's SUV pulled up behind them. Mulder climbed out and stared up at the recently remodeled old church. The old stained-glass had been replaced with new scenes depicted the recent alien attack and the deaths of earth's females. The agent walked around the building to view the rest of the windows, he stopped in his tracks when he saw the last stained-glass window. It was of him, holding a little girl in his arms and at his feet hugging his legs were two more little girls.

Detective Cameron came up next to him. "They must have just installed that window, it wasn't there two days ago. Not a bad likeness though, Agent Mulder."

Several men came out of the church and started gathering around Mulder. Krycek quickly rushed to his side, putting up a barrier around him as one of the men reached out to touch the agent.

"Well at least that answered the question I had about how they felt about immortals," Mulder stated, backing away from the men.

Several of the men glared menacingly at Krycek who had exposed himself as being a sorcerer. The blue light danced around his body as he circled an arm around Mulder's waist protectively. "Stay back and no one will be hurt," he threatened.

"We don't allow your kind in our town, Demon! Remove your foul touch from God's angel!" One man growled stepping forward.

Krycek pointed a finger at him and the man was lifted off the ground, hanging suspended.

"Let go of me Satan's spawn!" he shrieked.

Mulder watched as the crowd grew larger and the men started to circle around them. The other agents pulled their guns, staying between Mulder and the growing crowd.

"We're with the FBI." Mulder pulled out his badge. "We need information involving a recent series of murders we're investigating," he pleaded. Mulder knew Krycek would be able to protect him from the angry crowd, but he wanted to avoid his lover injuring anyone.

"STOP!" A small man in a flowing purple robe stepped forward, he appeared to be of East Indian decent. The crowd parted allowing him through. "Fox Mulder, it is an extreme honor to be blessed with your presence at our humble church. Excuse our church members, they were only trying to protect you from Satan's son." The man stared pointedly at Krycek.

"Agent Krycek is no more a son of Satan than I am!" Mulder replied hotly.

"Your innocence is understandable. It is well known that God has blinded his immortal angels from seeing evil. He has given us that responsibility for you," the priest replied.

"Look, Mr.?" Mulder paused.

"Reverend Khaled," the man offered.

"Reverend Khaled, I would like to ask you some questions about the Mohawk River murders. We can do it here or down at the police station," Mulder replied.

"Whatever you wish, blessed one. However, the church cannot be fouled by his presence." The reverend nodded at Krycek.

"Fine, we'll go to the police station then. But, if you don't mind I would like Agents Anderson and Pipino to stay here and have a look around your church," Mulder growled, irritated.

"I have no objections to their presence as long as they are humans," he murmured.

Mulder rolled his eyes in disgust. He purposely leaned against Krycek and kissed him softly on the lips. Something they never did while on duty with other people present. He got the satisfactory muttering of anger from the crowd.

"Reverend, you may ride with Detectives Cameron and Mackenzie," Mulder stated, lacing his fingers with Krycek's, he headed toward their truck with Agent Sullivan.

"Mulder, that wasn't very nice," Sullivan grinned. "You know the A.D. would have a fit if he found out that you assigned part of your security detail to search the church."

"Are you going to tell him, Jack?" Krycek asked, holding open the car door for Mulder.

"That depends on Agent Mulder," the man replied.

"Dinner?" Mulder asked.

"You know me too well, Mulder," Sullivan drawled, smiling brightly.

"Fox, it sounds like you and Jack have done this before." Krycek looked pointedly at both men.

"It's a cheap price to pay for getting away with some innocent things, Alex," Mulder replied. "Jack, do you mind if you, Vinny, Don, and the boys come over to the estate for dinner this time. It's almost impossible for me to get away in the evening with the babies and the new restrictions."

"No, if you can think up an excuse that would satisfy the A.D. Besides, Vinny's kids love the game room at your estate," the older man replied.

"I can't believe you two . . . if Walter finds out he'll be furious!" Krycek exclaimed.

"Alex, how would Walter find out?" Mulder purred, placing a hand on the younger man's groin and squeezing softly.

"Not from me . . . I'm no snitch," he squeaked as Sullivan pulled up in front of the police station.

Thirty-five minutes later Mulder was growing more, and more, disgusted. Reverend Khaled was spewing all sorts of religious rhetoric and not answering any of his questions.

"Reverend, I'll ask you again, have you ever seen any of these three men?" Mulder spread the photos out in front of the reverend.

"Jose Lopez was in our congregation until he was touched by Satan," the reverend replied sadly.

"You mean he mutated into a sorcerer. Reverend, what happened to Mr. Lopez?"

"He was excommunicated. It broke his father's heart that his son fell under the control of the devil. He requested that we perform an exorcism on the boy."

"Did you?"

"No. There is only one way to save the boy's soul and return him to god, and that would have involved killing him. The Amaranthines are not a violent religion we would never take a life, even one as evil as a sorcerer. That is God's responsibility."

"Reverend Khaled, how exactly would someone go about saving a sorcerer's soul?" Mulder asked.

"The demon possessing him would have to be weakened first. It would be given very little food and sleep. The demon would be forced to suffer pain as a means to encourage it to leave. At the end of that time the man would be returned to God's hands."

"How would he be returned to God's hands?" Mulder looked over at Krycek, who was standing by the door. The younger agent had an angry look on his handsome face.

"After his purification, he would be sacrificed during the full moon then placed upon the water at dawn. The devil fears the water so he would not be able to reclaim the sorcerer's soul before it returns to God," Khaled spoke softly.

"Reverend, you possess a lot of knowledge for someone who doesn't practice this belief," Mulder replied.

"Blessed one, we are schooled in all aspects of our religion -- even areas we do not practice. We are especially schooled in how to protect ourselves from mutants. The Amaranthines spend long hours learning how to shield our thoughts from the evil sorcerers and clairvoyant devils."

"Do you have any literature on your religion?" Mulder asked, leaning back in his chair, he glanced at his watch.

"Of course, if you come back to the church with me, I will retrieve it for you."

"That won't be possible. Reverend, can anyone at the church give the material to Agent Anderson?" The agent pulled out his cell-phone.

"Yes, Brother O'Connell can get it for him," Khaled replied disappointedly.

After they had arranged for Agent Anderson to collect the literature from the church, Mulder dismissed the reverend. "Thank you for your time, Reverend Khaled."

"If you need anything else, Blessed One, just ask." The reverend bowed and left the room.

***

Amaranthine Compound
Tuesday, August 31
3:00 p.m.

Two people sat in the opulent living room at the sprawling estate. The first was Hans Schatz who was curled up in a plush armchair; he glared with hatred at Reverend Xsavior who sat across from him sipping a cup of tea. The door flew open and a small man rushed into the room, he was one of the many religious zealots that followed Xsavior's preaching.

"Reverend Xsavior, God's first and most beloved angel is in Utica," the man gasped out breathlessly. He turned respectfully toward Hans Schatz and bowed deeply. "Blessed One."

"That is excellent news, Brother Barnabas," the reverend smiled pleasantly, looking over at Schatz. "You will soon be united with your brother, Hans. Unfortunately, Fox will not be able to stay with us just yet. He is being too closely guarded by our enemies, but once the Amaranthines numbers are greater we will take Fox from them."

"I don't understand who you are talking about -- I have no brothers," Schatz sighed.

"You have twenty-two brothers, Hans. They are from nearly every continent on earth. At first there were twenty-five of them, but evil men killed two of your brothers, and the other one was abducted by aliens. We have records on all of God's blessed immortals -- most are being held against their wills as sexual slaves of n'thrals and sorcerers. In time we will rescue them from the evil mutants holding them."

"HA! I'd rather be back in Argentina with the n'thral warlord that held me prisoner than here with you!" Schatz snapped angrily.

"Hans, you and your brothers were sent to earth by God for only one purpose and that is to repopulate this planet with females. While sorcerers are wicked creatures, they are necessary in procreating females with you. N'thrals have no redeeming qualities whatsoever . . . they are an abomination!" Xsavior stood and walked over to the door, opening it, he called to the guards waiting outside.

"Return the Blessed One to his room, he is feeling tired. Have him bathed and put to bed," he advised the guards.

***

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Wednesday, September 1
7:00 a.m.

Shinji Takeda cuddled deeper into Sawada's strong arms. "Kazuo, I'm going to miss you, please be careful."

The older man hugged him closely. "Shin, don't worry, you've given me something to come back to. I love you so much, I really hate the thought of being apart from you."

"Then why don't you resign? You can find other work in this country," Takeda stated.

"Shin, it's not that simple. Japan needs me . . . I have a duty to her." He kissed his young lover's forehead. "Come, let's get up . . . my flight leaves at noon."

"We still have five hours," Takeda whined.

"It's going to take me an hour to get to the airport. Plus, I want to stop at the Procreation Center to see our daughters," the major replied, heading into the bathroom.

"Why? We're not keeping any of them -- they're all being adopted by families back in Japan," the young immortal commented, stepping into the shower to join his lover.

"Shinji, love, . . . I . . . I asked our government to let me have one of our daughters to raise. I know you don't want the responsibility and I promise to do all the work. I don't want you to feel any obligations toward her . . . she's solely my responsibility." Sawada looked sheepishly at his lover.

"Kazuo, if she's under our roof then she's everyone's responsibility, not only yours! How could you make such a decision without even talking to me about it? What about the family . . .what is Walter going to think about having another baby under his roof?" Takeda raised voice echoed in the shower.

"Walter thought it was an excellent idea. He told me not to worry about her care when I'm out of town on assignments . . . he'd see to it that she receives the same love and attention that his daughter does. Walter understands the importance of a family, Shinji," the major countered gently.

"Oh, you went behind my back . . . you couldn't even discuss it with me first," the younger man gasped, hurt.

"Shin, you already made your feelings on the subject known. But, I want a child . . . I want our child. Please, try to understand! I don't expect you to be attached to her or even care for her. She's a part of me . . . you can consider it selfish on my part, only please don't be angry with me," he begged, pulling the younger man into his arms.

"How did you choose her? They have fifty of our offspring in those cylinders," Takeda asked. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared down at his feet.

"I picked the infant in cylinder eight, since we first made love on June 8. She is the symbol of our love for each other," the major murmured. Lifting up the younger man's chin, he planted a kiss on his lips. "Don't hate me because of it."

"I could never hate you, Kazuo, you are my heart . . . I love you. I just don't like you very much right now," Takeda whispered. He attempted to leave the shower.

"Shinji," the major sighed, grabbing the young man's arm, pulling him into an embrace. "I really want to have this child, please, try to understand," he begged.

"Kazuo, we will discuss this further when you get home from your mission. I don't want you to think you can make decisions behind my back," the younger man admonished angrily, pulling away he stepped out of the shower.

***

Room 916
Wednesday, September 1
8:00 a.m.

Mulder buckled his belt and adjusted the gun at his left hip, concealing it underneath his suit coat. He smiled at Krycek who came out of the bathroom. "I'm starving, do you want to chance the hotel's restaurant or should we opt for room service?"

"They have a breakfast buffet in the dining room, let's do that." Krycek hugged Mulder's slim body from behind. "Besides, I think you could use the added calories . . . you seemed to have lost some weight in the past month," he murmured, concerned.

"Life's been a bit hectic lately between work and the babies, I'm constantly busy. And I don't have magic powers to do it for me, unlike some people," Mulder smirked.

"Fox, I think Walter and I should take some of the responsibilities off your shoulders. I don't like seeing you lose weight. It's not healthy," he replied.

"Alex, I'm fine . . . I don't want you coddling me." Mulder walked over and knocked on the connecting door. Agent Anderson answered.

"Don, Alex and I are going down to the dining room for breakfast, are you ready?" Mulder asked.

"Yeah, let me ring Vinny and Jack's room," Anderson replied, picking up the telephone.

Mulder felt Krycek's concerned eyes following him. "Alex, really, I'm all right . . . don't worry."

"I'll always worry where you're concerned, lover," Krycek replied, hugging him tightly and breathing in his lover's delicious scent.

***

After breakfast, they made their way back to the police station. The sergeant at the front desk informed them that Chief Logan wanted to see them when they arrived.

"Mulder, I got the search warrant for Xsavior's estate. I was rather surprised the judge signed it; we really didn't have enough evidence to back it up, yet." Logan passed the paper to Mulder. "There is something fishy going on here . . . I don't think you should go in with only four agents. I'll assign a team of my men to you."

"Fox, I think the chief is right, this is too easy," Krycek replied.

"We'll just have to be extra cautious then. Noah, I want to have a talk with Carlos Lopez first, can you have him brought in for questioning?" Mulder asked, pacing the office.

"I'll send two officers to pick him up." Logan picked up his telephone and arranged for Lopez to be brought down to the station.

Mulder turned to Krycek. "Alex, why don't you take Noah's men and start searching the estate . . . I'll join you later."

"Fox, I don't think it's wise for us to separate," Krycek replied.

"Alex, don't worry, Sullivan and Pipino will be with me. As soon as we're done interviewing Lopez we'll join you and Anderson at the estate," Mulder murmured reassuringly.

"Okay, Fox. Chief, I would like to get started right away, can you get your team together?" Krycek headed for the door, waiting for Logan to proceed him out.

Logan turned to Mulder first. "Mulder, I'm leaving Detectives Cameron and Mackenzie with you, they'll drive you out to the estate when you're ready."

Mulder nodded vaguely in agreement, he was deeply lost in thought and didn't notice the worried look on his lover's face. Outside the office Krycek turned to Agent Sullivan. "Jack, take care of him for me . . . don't let him do anything reckless."

"Don't worry, Alex. Vinny and I won't let anything happen to him," Sullivan stated reassuringly.

"Thanks," Krycek replied. Turning he followed Agent Anderson and the chief of police to the elevator.

***

Amaranthine Compound
Wednesday, September 1
10:30 a.m.

Four police vans pulled up to the gates of Reverend Xsavior's estate. As the officers and FBI agents climbed out, Krycek noted all of the tents and shacks outside of the gates and hundreds of men milling around. It reminded him of the Northridge Research Facility where a ramshackle tent city had been erected outside of the facility housing earth's surviving females.

A group of men approached the gate, coming from the mansion. They were dressed in robes and carried rifles. "What do you want, Demon?" the leader asked Krycek.

"We have a warrant to search this property," Krycek snarled, passing the paper through the gate to the man.

"You're not welcome on this property, Demon," the man said, tearing the paper in half. A small mob started surrounding Krycek, Agent Anderson, Chief Logan, and the ten police officers.

Krycek glared at the men then started to gather his powers to strike.

"Brother Barnabas, stand aside," Xsavior commanded as he stepped passed his men. "Agent Krycek, you and your men have my permission to search the estate." He nodded to one of his men and the man unlocked the gate pulling it open.

Krycek stared into the reverend's dark eyes; he shuddered at the menace in them, they reminded him of a snake ready to strike. He tried to read the man's mind but was unable to. "Agent Anderson, take four of the officers and start searching the grounds. I'll search the mansion with the chief and his men," Krycek ordered, taking control of the search.

An hour later, Krycek stopped in front of a pair of locked, intricately carved wooden doors. Two Utica police officers flanked him as he reached a hand toward the doorknobs and flung the doors open. They walked into a large temple; the room was almost round in shape with twenty corners. Directly across the room from the door stood a life-sized statue of his lover on a raised pedestal, in the arms of the statue was a baby that was the spitting image of Hope.

Krycek walked up to the statue staring at it in amazement; he glanced over at the other statues. One was of Shinji Takeda. The sound of the wooden doors slamming closed startled him. Almost immediately he felt light-headed; turning, he was shocked to see over fifty robed and hooded figures. The mob parted and the body of Agent Anderson was dumped on the floor.

Blind rage tore through the triple agent's body; he tried to pull the energy around him to strike out at the hooded figures, but found himself sinking to his knees. Krycek held his head as throbbing pain exploded behind his eyes.

"Chain him," Xsavior ordered.

Two men stepped forward attempting to grab Krycek, the agent struck out blindly at them killing one instantly by striking the man's nose and driving the bone through his brain. He drove his elbow into the other man's groin, disabling him. Krycek managed to free his gun and level it at several more men that had rushed toward him.

"Stop!" Reverend Xsavior commanded.

The men backed away from Krycek, and he shakily regained his feet.

A badly beaten Noah Logan was dragged into view, and Xsavior raised a gun to the Chief's head. "Demon, surrender or he dies."

Krycek looked into the Chief's fear-filled eyes and tossed his gun on the floor. He allowed two men to drag him over between two pillars. They chained his arms and legs to each pillar, stretching him between them, with his back facing the room.

A cultist pulled a lever on the wall and a trapdoor was raised up from the marble floor revealing a dark hole. A foul stench of decay and death rose out of the hole. Krycek watched over his shoulder as four men carried the bodies of the dead cultist and Agent Anderson to the hole and tossed them through it, there was a loud splash several seconds later when the bodies hit bottom.

Chief Logan was dragged over to the opening. "Please, don't!" he cried out as he was thrown down the dark, smelly hole.

"You bastards!" Krycek shouted, pulling uselessly on the chains binding him, bruising his wrists. He looked over his shoulder and watched helplessly as the trapdoor was lowered over the hole sealing off Logan's screams for help.

A shudder ran down Krycek's spine at the sound of the door banging shut. "What did you do with the other police officers?" he asked angrily.

"The ones that aren't members of my church are locked up. They will be given a choice of becoming followers of the church or death." Xsavior walked around the pillar to stand in front of Krycek. "Aren't you wondering why you're not able to use your powers or what I have planned for you?" he asked. Reaching out a hand, the reverend removed his prisoner's tie.

"I'm an FBI agent! You will never get away with this!" Krycek glared.

"Of course I will . . . as far as anyone will be concerned you are dead. Officers Jenkins, Savage, O'Ryan, Moran, and Toma will be reporting your death back to the FBI. Unfortunately, you were killed by the same serial killer you came to find, he disposed of your body along with Agent Anderson and Chief Logan by burning them, then tossing the ashes into the Mohawk River." He smiled.

"They will never believe that!" Krycek snarled.

"Why wouldn't they? The police captured the killer and he confessed to killing you, Agent Anderson, and Chief Logan," the reverend murmured, unbuttoning Krycek's shirt.

"You're fooling yourself, Xsavior." Krycek pulled on the restraints, trying to move away from the reverend's hands.

"This room was designed to prevent you from using your powers, it works similarly to the power-dampening ankle cuff." Xsavior nodded to one of his men who came over with a knife and started cutting away Krycek's clothing.

"What are you going to do with me?"

"We discovered a problem with procreating female babies," the reverend murmured.

The reverend stepped back and watched as the agent's body was revealed. "We knew that the immortal's sperm could only be stored seventy-two hours. But, we discovered two days ago, that a sorcerer's sperm is no longer compatible with an immortal's sperm after the immortal has gone through withdrawal symptoms. The sperm we had stored from Franklin Jones, Zachary Lefevre, and Jose Lopez is now useless." Xsavior ran his hand over Krycek's exposed flesh.

The reverend admired Krycek's toned muscular body. "You and Hans will produce some beautiful baby girls together."

The agent shrank away from his touch. "What do you mean? Are you holding an immortal captive here?" Krycek asked, surprised. He wanted to find out more about the immortal's withdrawal symptoms.

"One of God's chosen has turned himself over to us. After we purify you, Demon, you'll be allowed to bond with him." Xsavior walked behind his prisoner and took a whip from one of his men. "The new moon is a week from tomorrow, by that time, your soul will have been cleansed of the evil possessing it."

"You'll never get away with this! Agent Mulder will never buy your story," Krycek snarled. He then shrieked as the whip made contact with his back.

"It doesn't matter, Demon, he will not be able to find anything. This room will prevent him from making contact with you. In addition, within two weeks the facility for housing this nation's immortals will be ready and Fox will be confined there. He will not be allowed to interfere again, the Blessed One will be too busy performing his God given duty." Xsavior brought the whip down again across the agent's smooth back raising another welt and drawing blood.

"Fuck you! Touch him and I'll kill you!" Krycek growled, clenching his teeth against the severe pain.

***

Earlier
Utica City's Police Department
Wednesday, September 1
Noon

"Please, Mr. Lopez, get up off the floor," Mulder sighed with exasperation at the man prostrating himself at his feet. The man rose, but kept his eyes lowered. "You may make eye contact with me, it won't hurt you."

"No, Blessed One, it is forbidden for any of us lowly followers to look upon your beauty," the man replied sincerely.

"By whom?"

"The Amaranthine clergy," Lopez replied. He sat in the chair across from Mulder, but never raised his eyes off the surface of the table.

"Mr. Lopez, I read the literature from your church and I can guarantee you that I was not sent here by God to save the world," Mulder stated. "I'm as . . . " He sighed, "I'm human, like you."

"Blessed One, you are not human . . . you're God's angel."

Mulder sighed and gave up on trying to convince the older man that he wasn't sent by God. "Mr. Lopez, I want to ask you about Jose."

"My son is with God now," Lopez stated.

"Who murdered your son?" Mulder asked.

"Jose wasn't murdered . . . he was saved." Lopez smiled softly. "He died so his daughter, my granddaughters will be born without sin."

Mulder kept the surprise from showing on his face. "Mr. Lopez, tell me about your granddaughters' immortal father."

"I've been told that he is very beautiful, he lives at the estate with Reverend Xsavior," the older man replied.

"You never saw him?"

"It's forbidden, only the clergy may look upon him. Blessed One, you shouldn't be walking around among us common men. The Reverend would offer you protection and a comfortable place to live."

"Mr. Lopez, was it Reverend Xsavior that saved you son's soul?"

"Yes, he is a very holy man."

Mulder stood suddenly and left the room. He pulled out his cell-phone and punched in his lover's number. "C'mon, Alex, pick up," he muttered. Mulder cried out and fell to his knees as a sharp pain lashed across his back.

Agent Sullivan rushed over. "Mulder, what's wrong?"

"We need to get out to the estate, Alex is in trouble," Mulder gasped as he felt another sharp lashing pain across his back.

Sullivan helped Mulder to his feet. "Mulder, I'll call the nearest field office for backup."

"Jack, we don't have time we have to get to him now!" Mulder exclaimed, heading for the office door.

Pipino stepped in front of Mulder preventing him from leaving. "We'll call for backup first, then we'll head out to the estate. Mulder, the field office is sixty-five miles away in the opposite direction. They'll arrive at least forty-five minutes after we arrive there."

Mulder glared at the older man and listened impatiently for Sullivan to finish his call to the field office. He tried to block out the pain, knowing he was feeling the pain his lover was in. The link he shared with Krycek was stronger than ever, but he was unable to make telepathic contact -- something was blocking him.

"All's set, let's roll," Sullivan hastily replied, disconnecting the call. "C'mon, Mulder, shake a leg," he said rushing out of the office.

Mulder quickly followed, Pipino was right behind him. On the main floor, Detectives Cameron and Mackenzie intercepted them. "What's going on?"

"There's trouble out at the estate," Pipino informed them, opening the outside door.

"What trouble?" Cameron asked as he and his partner followed the three FBI agents out of the police station.

Mulder bit his lip and everyone noticed the agony in his bright hazel eyes. He quickly climbed into the back of the SUV, slumping in pain against the door.

"There's no time to explain!" Sullivan shouted as he climbed in the driver's seat. Pipino sat in the back next to Mulder trying to comfort him. The two detectives got in their car and followed the FBI agents the thirty miles out to the estate.

***

Hoover Building
Wednesday, September 1
12:40 p.m.

"Skinner!" the A.D. barked into his speakerphone.

"Sir, Agent Pipino here." The middle-aged agent brushed the bangs out of Mulder's pain-filled eyes as he shifted the cell-phone to a more comfortable position.

"Agent, what's wrong?" Skinner sat up straight in his chair, feeling his lover's pain through the telephone connection.

"We're on our way out to Reverend Xsavior's estate. Agent Mulder says that Agent Krycek is being brutally beaten, he is experiencing the pain that Agent Krycek is suffering."

"Agent Pipino, how many men are in your rescue team?" Skinner barked.

"Ah, Agent Sullivan, two Utica detectives, and Agent Mulder. We have a backup team coming from the closest field office," Pipino murmured.

"Do not attempt rescue until backup arrives! I'm leaving immediately by helicopter!" Skinner disconnected.

Skinner flipped the switch on his intercom. "Kim, inform Agent Davis that I need him to fly me to Utica."

He then contacted Agent Gabriel Hunter at his estate and asked him to come immediately to the Hoover Building with Joseph Shadow Hawk and retrieve Hope and Faith. He placed MacIver in charge of protecting Blaise and Takeda.

"Sir, Agent Davis is waiting for you at the helicopter pad," Kimberly replied.

"Thank you, Kimberly." Skinner disconnected. He grabbed his coat and rushed out of the office.

***

Amaranthine Compound
Wednesday, September 1
1:00 p.m.

Krycek was unconscious; his back was covered in blood and welts. The temple doors opened and Hans Schatz was escorted into the room. The cult members all bowed respectfully toward the immortal. Schatz's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the severely beaten man chained naked between two pillars.

"Blessed One, step around to the front of the demon, I wish him to take in your beauty," Xsavior commanded.

"What have you done to him? You've beaten him unconscious!" Schatz snarled his anger at the Amaranthines. "How can you treat a fellow human being this way?"

"Hans, this man is not human. Stand closer to him," the reverend advised.

The Argentinean glared at him, but stepped forward wanting to comfort the injured man. He reached out his hand to touch Krycek's face.

"Stop! No touching . . . he has not been purified yet!" Xsavior's bark made the young immortal jump back.

Krycek began to stir from his stupor, awakened by the scent coming from the immortal. "Fox?" he groaned.

***

"Alex!" Mulder stared at the closed gate to the estate and the milling men that gathered around their truck. "Sullivan, ram the gates, we have to get to Alex immediately!"

"Mulder, A.D. Skinner told us to wait for backup to arrive from the field office."

"Jack, by then it will be too late!" Mulder closed his eyes as an image appeared in front of them. "Noah doesn't have much time left . . . he'll be dead before backup arrives. We need to get to him now!"

"Fuck!" Sullivan shifted the vehicle into gear and rammed through the locked gates. The older agent had had dinner alone with Noah Logan last night he was attracted to the younger man.

The truck screeched to a stop in front of the large mansion as the FBI agents jumped out. Detectives Cameron and Mackenzie pulled up beside them, drawing their guns as they climbed out of their car.

"Where to, Mulder?" Pipino asked, scanning the area around the mansion for any threats.

"There's a temple in the center of the mansion . . . Alex is there. I still can't communicate telepathically with him," Mulder murmured, heading into the opulent home.

The hallways of the large building were completely deserted. "Don't worry, everyone is in the temple. Don't ask me how I know, but they're not expecting us, we can take them by surprise," Mulder whispered, walking up to the large carved wooden doors.

There was a control panel on the left-hand side and the agent pulled all the switches down, shutting off power to the room. At the same time, the police detectives threw open the door and they all rushed into the room with their guns drawn.

Three of the cultists pulled guns, but hesitated when they saw Agent Mulder. Agents Pipino and Sullivan instantly gunned all three men down. Mulder had his gun leveled at Reverend Xsavior as he advanced into the room.

"Get away from him you bastard!" Mulder snarled, moving toward his lover, he looked at the blonde immortal standing in front of Krycek.

"You may have won today, Fox, but in two weeks you will lose your freedom by orders of the U.S. Government," Xsavior stated, backing up toward the wall.

Panic flashed briefly in front of Mulder's eyes at the thought of being sent to the government facility. He pushed the feeling down refusing to give into it just yet. "Raise your hands where I can see them!" he ordered.

Hans Schatz stood frozen in place; the force with which the five men had taken over the temple shocked him. By the looks on the cultist faces they had been equally surprised. Then his eyes gazed upon a fellow immortal, the man carried himself tall and proud. Schatz stared in amazement as Xsavior backed away from him with fear in his dark eyes. This immortal was someone who could rescue and protect him; whatever he did he could not lose this man.

"Alex," Mulder murmured softly, walking up to his lover's side, but never taking his gun off the reverend. He shivered at the amount of blood covering Krycek's torn back.

"Fox?"

"Yes, lover. I turned off the device preventing you from using your powers . . . can you free yourself?" he asked softly.

Krycek aroused himself enough to use his power to unlock the cuffs securing him to the pillars. He started to collapse to the floor, but Schatz caught him and tenderly lowered him. Blood stained the pristine white robe the immortal was wearing as he gently held Krycek in his arms.

Mulder smiled briefly with appreciation at the younger immortal. His eyes were turned away from Xsavior just long enough for the reverend to open a secret panel in the wall and slip out, closing it behind him and securing it.

After being deserted by their leader, the other cultists fled from the room, the agents and detectives chose not to pursue them; they did not want to leave Mulder unprotected.

Mulder sank to the floor and pulled Krycek's naked body into his arms. "Alex, where is Noah and Don?"

Krycek groaned in pain, turning his head toward the trapdoor, he used his powers to pull the lever on the wall. The trapdoor opened and the stench of decaying corpses filled the room, a very weak cry could be heard from within the dark pit. Krycek concentrated harder and Noah Logan floated up from the depths toward the opening. Sullivan quickly knelt next to the hole and pulled Logan to safety. Slime and muck coated the chief's clothing and hair. Sullivan gagged at the smell, but he didn't move away, instead, he held the younger man as Logan emptied the contents of its stomach on the temple floor.

Schatz knelt down next to Mulder grabbing his hand. "Please, don't leave me here! Please, take me with you!"

Mulder squeezed the frightened young man's hand. "You're under our protection now. What is your name?" he asked.

"Hans Schatz." The young immortal smiled at his good fortune.

"My name is Mulder." The agent smiled back.

There was shouting coming from outside the room and Mulder glanced up, relieved, as their backup from the field office arrived. He was now free to heal his lover.

Mulder looked at the young man holding onto his hand for dear life. "Hans, can you help those men over there? They need to find a washroom to clean up and they need some clean clothes."

At the young man's hesitation at leaving his side, Mulder added. "Don't worry, Hans, no one is going to hurt you. You'll be coming home with me and Alex," he soothed.

Hans hugged Mulder quickly then rushed over to Sullivan's side, glancing quickly over his shoulder at his savior. He turned back to the two men beside the dark hole. "Mulder wants me to show you where you can clean up." The young man made a face at the smell, but most of his inhibitions fled at the warm appreciative smile Sullivan gave him, he was beginning to feel safe around these men.

Sullivan gently helped Logan to his feet, mindless of the smelly grime that was getting on his suit as he supported the younger man. Schatz showed the two men to a bathroom with a large shower. Sullivan removed Logan's clothing then shrugged out of his own filthy suit. He helped the chief into the shower; the younger man sagged against Sullivan and started crying against his chest.

"Ssh, Noah, it's going to be all right. If you'll let me, I'll help you get over this," he soothed. "Would you be willing to move back to D.C. with me?"

"God, Jack." He shuddered. "There's nothing left for me here . . . thank you." He sighed as Sullivan washed the filth from his body. The images and memories of the dead and bloated bodies in the dark pit would stay with him for a long time.

"Good, Noah, you'll enjoy D.C. we don't have the hatred and bigots that this area has." Sullivan softly kissed Logan.

"Damnit, Jack, this area used to be progressive. What's to stop these bastards from spreading their hatred to D.C.?"

"Us . . . we will stop them. Keep the faith, Noah."

Schatz placed the clean clothing down on the counter, he had spent the last few minutes listening into their conversation. He silently left the bathroom deep in thought as he hurried back to Mulder. Schatz carried a robe for the badly beaten man that was in Mulder's care.

The young immortal was shocked to find Mulder lying unconscious in the arms of a beautiful, naked, young man. Schatz realized suddenly that he was the man beaten by the Amaranthines. Schatz took in his blood stained, but unblemished back as he knelt down next to the two men. He handed Krycek a robe then took Mulder's limp hand in his. "What's wrong with him?" he asked softly.

Krycek smiled at the concern in the young immortal's voice. "He's only asleep, it happens after an immortal heals someone, he requires time to regain his energy." He gently eased Mulder's limp body off his lap, standing he pulled on the robe. He then bent down and scooped his lover's body into his arms, carrying him out of the way of the team of agents from the field office. Schatz never released Mulder's hand, sitting next to Mulder when Krycek lowered him against the wall.

They sat watching the team of agents work. The agents had erected a pulley over the hole to help recover the bodies down in the watery pit. Krycek sadly closed his eyes, as Agent Anderson's body was the first to be pulled from the pit. He opened them quickly at the sound A.D. Skinner's voice.

Skinner rushed into the room. The FBI's large, attack, turbo helicopter had set down just outside the front door. "Alex, how's Fox?" he knelt down next to his younger brother, caressing the side of Mulder's sleeping face.

"He's fine, Walter. Thanks to Fox, I am, too," Krycek murmured. He glanced over at Schatz, who was still holding Mulder's hand. "Walter, this is Hans Schatz. Hans, this Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner of the FBI."

Schatz stared in fear of the large stern man and he clutched Mulder's hand tighter.

"Don't worry, Hans, I don't bite," Skinner toned softly after seeing the frightened look in the young man's blue eyes.

"Ha! Don't believe him, Hans. If it wasn't for Fox's recent healing, I'd still have a large bite mark on my left buttock," Krycek whispered smugly.

Hans raised his eyebrows in surprise; he wasn't sure what to make of these men.

"You're scaring him, Alex!" Skinner admonished.

"Walter, do you think we can leave here? The local field office has everything under control," Krycek replied.

"Yeah, the helicopter's out front. Where are Agents Anderson, Pipino, and Sullivan?" Skinner asked.

Krycek sighed. "Don's dead. Vinny is providing the local SAC with a report of our findings. Jack is taking care of the Utica Chief of Police. I'll tell them to meet us at the helicopter." Krycek sent a telepathic message to Sullivan and Pipino.

Walter scooped Mulder's sleeping body into his muscular arms. He met Schatz's terrified eyes. "C'mon, Hans, you're welcome to stay at our home for as long as you like. You will be absolutely safe there, no one will touch you," Skinner murmured softly. He was relieved to see some of the terror leave the pretty immortal's eyes.

***

Winter Palace
St. Petersburg, Russia
Thursday, September 2
10:00 a.m.

Marat Fyodorov stood waiting for the Tsar to comment on the report he handed him. He watched as the corners of the Cossack's mouth turned up in a smile.

"This is excellent, Fyodorov!"

"Tsar, it is important that your lover does not know that