Life from the Ashes Book 3 - SBS

---

Chapter 2
Duffy

by Jo B.
ppurplefox@usfamily.net

***

Miami
Friday, January 14
9:30 a.m.

Mulder opened his eyes and peered at the empty space beside him in bed, he rolled on his side and stared across the room at his lover who stood motionless in front of the hotel window.

"Alex."

"Fox, you're awake, thank god." Krycek turned around relief showing in his eyes. "How do you feel?" he asked, strolling over to the bed and sitting next to his lover.

"Fine. How long?"

"Sixteen hours." Krycek lovingly brushed the hair off Mulder's forehead.

"How's Colton?"

"Physically he's in better condition than he's been in years, mentally he's going to require a lot of counseling," Krycek replied, lovingly stroking Mulder's arm. "I talked to Walter last night and told him we're going to stay and check into SBS."

"Damn! Alex, I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you what happened at the hospital with that sorcerer," Mulder exclaimed sitting up abruptly, he swung his feet onto the floor.

"Fox, what's wrong?"

"I couldn't heal him, Alex, the only injuries or illnesses that I can't heal involve the alien virus. We need to check the local sorcerers that haven't been stricken and find out if they were living in Miami a year ago," Mulder said, standing he headed into the bathroom.

Krycek followed him and leaned against the door as his lover used the toilet. "I think I know where you're going with this, Fox. The anti-ghoul virus was released in Miami a year ago on January 4th and the first victims of SBS were reported around January 4th."

"Yes, exactly. We should check the cities where the anti-ghoul virus was next used to see if there are any cases of SBS," Mulder replied, standing, he flushed and went to wash his hands.

"Fox, you wouldn't happen to remember which cities were after Miami?" Krycek asked nervously, feeling a tightening in his stomach.

"Yeah, Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Houston, it was released on January 11th."

"Damn. Fox, I think you just found the connection. Cases of SBS have already been reported in five of those cities. I'm going to call the CDC with the information."

Mulder followed Krycek back into the bedroom and waited for him to finish his telephone call. He hugged himself while staring sadly out the window toward the beach; the sunlight sparkled off the pristine blue waters. Krycek's arms wrapped around him hugging him from behind, the younger man rested his chin on Mulder's shoulder.

"A penny for your thoughts?" he purred into his lover's ear.

"Alex, the virus was released in D.C. on January 22nd, if it is the anti-ghoul virus that's causing this disease that leaves only eight days before you and Walter are affected."

"Fox, once the CDC knows for sure what's causing the outbreak, they should be able to develop a cure. I'm sure they'll have one before either of us is affected. C'mon, it's a beautiful day out, let's round up the guys and spend it on the beach like we planned," Krycek soothed. Deep down he was afraid of what was going to happen if the CDC didn't have a cure in eight days. The thought of leaving Fox and his daughter and niece unprotected scared the shit out of him.

"Okay, but first I'm going to take a shower, and remember, Alex, we still need to get me a swimsuit," Mulder replied softly, pulling out of his lover's arms not wanting Alex to know how truly scared he was.

"I'm going to call Walter and tell him your theory on SBS," Krycek informed him, sitting on the bed he picked up the telephone again.

***

St. Petersburg
Friday, January 14
10:30 a.m.

Nikolai Slava stood before his daughters' growth cylinders they were less then six weeks away from being born. He smiled contentedly. He had his workers putting the final touches on the nursery, and he had selected seven nannies from the Russian female survivors. All of the nannies were young, pretty, and intelligent. Marat Fyodorov was instructing the women on the protocol of the palace their duties.

Slava had one problem with bringing the seven female nannies into the winter palace. The n'thrals that guard the palace all became physically ill upon smelling and seeing the women. He realized that his security force would be affected similarly with his daughters when they were born so he had his scientists working on a way around the problem. The only solution that they had developed so far was suppressing the n'thrals' sense of smell, but it wasn't totally effective. The scientists discovered that besides being repulsed by the females' scent the n'thrals were also repulsed by their appearance. However, suppressing the n'thrals' sense a smell did alleviate them becoming physically sick.

"Moi Tsar." Marat Fyodorov interrupted the larger man's meditation.

"Yes, Fyodorov."

"The workmen have finished yours and master Fox's bedroom. Would you like to approve their work?" the shorter man asked.

"Yes. Did they install everything I asked for?" Slava inquired, heading toward the door.

"Yes, moi Tsar. All of the sexual pleasure devices have been installed, your lover will be most pleased with them," the clairvoyant stated. He was personally looking forward to the arrival of the Tsar's lover almost as much as the Tsar, he intended to spy on the couple as they made love. The mere thought of seeing the beautiful immortal in the throes of passion caused his cock to swell.

"Moi Fox will be here in four weeks, and I want everything to be perfect for his arrival. Warn the staff, Fyodorov, no one is to tell him about our daughters. I want the babies to be a surprise for him on the day of their birth."

"Yes, moi Tsar," the smaller man replied as they headed off down the hallway.

***

Miami
Friday, January 14
2:30 p.m.

The hot sun bore down on them; Mulder sighed contently as his lover massaged suntan oil into his skin. He was lying on his stomach on a beach towel with Alex Krycek straddling his legs as the younger man applied the oil onto his long back. The looming crisis was currently far from his mind, all that mattered was spending some quality time with Alex. They were far removed from the FBI, their family, and the demands the government had placed on their lives.

The other three agents lay on beach towels next to them and appeared to be totally relaxed, but Mulder knew that the three men were alert and watchful. Earlier, they had run off half a dozen n'thrals that had gotten too close, and their current method of discouraging others from approaching was novel. The sand surrounding the area where they lay was hot as charcoals, preventing anyone from getting near them. The five men inside its confines could not feel the heat from the red, glowing sand, but outside it was like approaching a blast furnace.

"Fox, get up and do me," Krycek purred, handing Mulder the oil as he eased himself off his lover's body and back onto his own beach towel.

"Do you, babe?" Mulder leered seductively, taking the oil from him then glancing over at his security team.

"Don't let us stop you, Mulder," Jones replied, grinning up from his beach towel.

Mulder smiled back amazed at how handsome the other man was without the deep pockmarks that had scarred his face and body. "Dream on, Jones," he chuckled and started rubbing oil onto Krycek's back, his lover was sitting cross-legged on his towel.

Krycek laughed. "Really, Fox, don't you want to give them something to dream about?"

"I'd also be giving our other audience a show, which I'm not prepared to do," Mulder replied, indicating the over two hundred n'thrals that had set up camp a good distance outside the burning sand.

"You're right, love, that would not be smart. They might end up overlooking how hot the sand was between us and them."

"Alex, what time do you want to leave tomorrow?"

"I have us booked on the morning flight at nine o'clock. Fox, I can't wait to get back home to Faith, I've been gone over a week since . . . I wonder if she'll still recognize me," he grumbled.

"Alex, you're her father, of course she'll still recognize you," Mulder scolded as he rubbed the oil down Krycek's arms, enjoying the swell of his lover's hard muscles beneath his fingertips.

"Maybe, but I've never been away from her for this long before."

Mulder pulled the younger man up against his chest, kissing the side of his throat. "I'll bet that she crawls to you first," he soothed.

"Fox, the babies always go to you first," he sighed, leaning back into his lover's warm embrace. "What do you want to bet?" Krycek asked, knowing a sure thing when he heard one.

"Breakfast in bed Sunday morning, let's say Swedish pancakes with lingonberries," Mulder replied, licking his lips.

"Fox, do they even have lingonberries in D.C?" Krycek asked.

"You're the sorcerer, wiggle that cute nose of yours and whip us up some," he replied saucily.

"Brat," Krycek chuckled, extracting himself from Mulder's arms he laid flat on his stomach, he couldn't hide the happy smile that spread across his lips.

Mulder smiled at the look of contentment on his lover's face then joined him in sunbathing.

***

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Friday, January 14
8:30 p.m.

"Walter, if what you're saying is true we'll have to double our security here," Major Kazuo Sawada stated.

"It is true Kazuo, and I agree we need to tighten our security, I want to be prepared for the worse. If this new virus continues on its current course Alex, Tony, and I could be affected in about week," Skinner replied, pacing around the kitchen.

Rory MacIver swirled around on the tall kitchen stool, watching him. "So, let me see if I got this straight, after being exposed to the virus it takes a year for it to gestate before producing these debilitating symptoms?" he asked.

"That appears to be the case, but the CDC hasn't issued a public statement yet. The government is trying to conceal the extent of the disease for as long as possible," Skinner informed them. He knew that once word got out that this disease was striking down American sorcerers it would open the nation up to attack by foreign governments.

"That's a wise move, hopefully it will give them enough time to find a cure," Gabriel Hunter replied, reading his thoughts. He was leaning up against the counter next to Justin Blaise. "I personally shouldn't be affected until May, I was in Hawaii when the anti-ghoul virus was released on the mainland. What about you, Kazuo?"

"I was exposed in May, too. That was when I came to this country to be interviewed as Shin's lover," he replied solemnly. "The anti-ghoul virus was released in Japan last July." Sawada shivered as the ramifications to his country sunk in; ruthless warlords surrounded Japan, if anything happened to Japan's sorcerers nothing would stand in the way of their armies. The rest of Asia hadn't used the anti-ghoul virus so their sorcerers would be unaffected.

"I would have been exposed April 1st," MacIver replied. "Walter, we could probably defend the estate against any threat from n'thrals or humans, but if we are attacked by other sorcerers we'll be in trouble without you, Tony, and Alex."

Skinner stopped his pacing; he looked into the family room at his daughter and niece playing in the playpen. "That's what concerns me, Rory. Five immortals would be too tempting of a target for foreign governments, not to mention the children. We've been lucky so far that word hasn't gotten out about Justin's, Joe's, Hans', and Shin's pregnancies."

"Tell me about it! The last thing I want is to have my picture plastered on the cover of Time magazine with the headline 'Pregnant!' that would be too embarrassing," Blaise grumbled.

"I think you're being a little egotistical there, Justin, the cover will probably have all of our faces on it," Hawk replied.

"Walter, what about bringing Duffy here? He'll offer some protection until a cure is found," Rory replied. He had discussed the issue with Skinner already, but the larger man had wanted to discuss it with his lovers first. However, this was before they found out about SBS.

"It might be something to consider. Jason Duffy was in Special Forces in Vietnam he'd be able to provide considerable protection for the family, but I would like more evidence that the drug is really controlling his sex drive effectively," Skinner replied.

Hans Schatz looked at them shocked. "You're not seriously thinking about bringing a n'thral onto the estate are you?"

"Hans, Duffy isn't like most n'thrals. He's kind and gentle, with the drug he won't pose any threat to you or the other immortals," MacIver assured the frightened younger man.

"Rory, he's a n'thral! All n'thrals are alike, *sex* is the only thing on their minds!" Schatz shouted, dismayed at the prospect of being anywhere near a n'thral. "Melvin, do something!"

Frohike had been sitting quietly listening to the men's discussion. He had his own concerns and fears, which he couldn't voice without adding more worry for Skinner. "Hans, I know you're afraid, but we're going to need Duffy here for protection. He may be the only thing that stands in the way of other n'thrals raiding the estate."

"Melvin, how can you agree with them? I thought you loved me," he snapped, turning, he fled the kitchen for his bedroom.

Frohike sprang out of his chair and ran after his distraught lover.

Hunter sadly watched the beautiful blond immortal leave. "Fox isn't going to like the idea anymore than Hans. We need to seriously address their fears before we move that creature under our roof and into our family," he warned. He wasn't particular happy with the idea of having a n'thral on the estate, he'd witnessed too many atrocities committed by their kind.

Skinner removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Of course you're right, Gabriel. Fox has been attacked three times in the past by n'thrals; he has a severe fear of them. How do you propose we handle this?" he asked.

Shinji Takeda spoke up. "They both need to meet and talk to Duffy. I'm afraid of n'thrals too, but I'm no longer afraid of Duffy, not since I met him today at the Center. He has warm gentle eyes . . . the drug has removed any wanton lust from their depths. I felt absolutely safe around him."

"Okay, Shin, good suggestion. I'll arrange for Doctor Pendrell to bring Duffy here for Sunday dinner then both Fox and Hans can get to know him," Skinner replied. "Does anyone have a problem with this?"

"N'thrals can't stand the smell of females, what about the babies won't they cause him a problem?" Joseph Shadow Hawk asked.

Skinner looked at him thoughtfully. "Joe, we'll see how he responds to them on Sunday. If need be we'll suppress his sense of smell like I had to do around Fox before the anti-pheromone drug was invented. I'm going to request that the government assign the National Guard to patrol the outside perimeter around the estate until a cure can be found for the virus. I'll insist that all n'thrals in the unit be given Shinji's drug."

Takeda swiftly rose and went into the family room when he heard his daughter Ayako crying. He scooped her up and carried her back into the kitchen. "Kazuo, I'm going to feed her and put her to bed," he said, heading for their living quarters.

"I better do the same with my daughter and niece, it's way past their bedtime and I don't want them getting in the habit of staying up late," Skinner replied.

"I'll help you, Walter," Blaise offered, following the older man into the family room he picked up Faith from the playpen. She started crying and struggling to get down. "You don't want to go to bed, do you, cutie?"

"She's starting to be a night owl like her fathers," Skinner said as they entered his bedroom, he laid Hope on the bed and started removing her romper.

"Walter, you know they're not going to find a cure before you and Alex are stricken. Do you really think the others can protect this place without you?" Blaise asked, bouncing Faith on his hip to get her to stop crying.

"I'm not too worried, Gabriel is a better sorcerer than I am, and Rory and Kazuo function as the perfect team now that they've buried the hatchet. What I'm concerned about is Fox, he's going to start going through withdrawal pains, and I don't want to have him suffering. I thought I'd talk to Rory and ask if he can service Fox until we're cured," Skinner sighed. He scooped up his daughter, and carried her to the changing table.

Blaise laid a much calmer baby on the bed and proceeded to remove her outfit. "Walter, wouldn't it be better if Mulder went the three weeks to become withdrawal free? I mean, we don't know how long it will be before a cure against the virus is found."

"No. Fox can't be incapacitated for that length of time; he's needed to protect our daughters and the household. Fox has connections in high places and he'll be able to garner their support if needed," Skinner told him as he slipped Hope's legs into her one-piece sleeper.

"What happens after April 1st if there's still no cure and Rory falls into a coma, too?" Blaise asked, balancing the diaper-clad baby on his hip as he rummaged through the dresser for her sleeper.

"I pray that there is a cure before April 1st," he murmured quietly, hugging his daughter as fear tied his stomach in knots.

"I do, too," Blaise murmured, placing Faith in her crib.

***

Dana Scully's Resident
Friday, January 14
8:30 p.m.

"Mulder, I'll contact the CDC in the morning and get samples from them. No, I don't mind helping," Dana Scully replied.

"Are you going to be coming back tomorrow?" she asked, smiling up at her husband who place a cup of tea in front of her. "Good, I'll see you soon."

"Dana, is there a problem?" Jonathan Carter asked.

"Yeah. There seems to be a new virus spreading through the country that's affecting only sorcerers. Mulder thinks it's connected to that anti-ghoul virus the government released a year ago. The disease causes the victims to fall into comas. Currently there are one hundred and sixty sorcerers afflicted with it in Miami, and it has spread to seven other cities. Jonathan, there's an estimated one million sorcerers living in the U.S., we could have a major health crisis on our hands."

"Dana, is Mulder afraid that Walter and Alex are going get the virus?"

"He didn't say as much, but yeah, I think he is. Dear, I'm worried for him. Mulder will be an easy target without Walter and Alex there to protect him," Scully sighed.

"If this virus only affects U.S. sorcerers this whole country could be in for trouble," Carter replied, reaching across the table to take his wife's hand in his.

"The n'thrals are bound to take advantage of the situation, we could have a civil war on our hands," Scully replied.

"Dana, we could have a world war on our hands."

***

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Saturday, January 15
Noon

Krycek parked the SUV in front of the garage door. It felt good to be back home again, he turned and smiled over at Mulder. "I'll get the bags," he said, concentrating briefly on their luggage, it vanished and reappeared in their bedroom.

They climbed out of the truck and walked toward their home, Mulder shivered against the cold. "I want a hot chocolate and a hot bath."

"Good idea, I'll join you," Krycek replied, his teeth clattering as a gust of wind blew through the fabric of his dress pants. His shoes made crunching sounds on the frozen ground.

They entered through the front door of the mansion and were somewhat surprised that no one was around to greet them, they heard voices coming from the direction of the family room.

The whole family was there with their eyes glued on the television set. Skinner glanced up with a displeased expression on his handsome face and he forced a smile when he saw them. He was holding Hope on his lap; the baby was playing contentedly with a set of plastic keys.

Faith was playing quietly on the rug at Skinner's feet. She smiled up at her fathers upon seeing them then crawled quickly over to greet them. She paused briefly; glancing up at Mulder Faith gave him a wide grin then veered toward Krycek grabbing his pants cuff she tried to pull herself up. "Dababbadadd," she cooed happily.

"Hey, cutie, how's my sweetheart," Krycek murmured lovingly, scooping her into his arms, he hugged and kissed her small warm body.

Faith squealed with delight and concentrated her full attention on her father's face, sticking her fingers in his mouth she giggled when he pretended to eat them.

"See, lover, I told you she'd go to you first," Mulder stated smugly, wrapping his arms around Krycek's waist he kissed his daughter on the cheek. Mulder enjoyed the look of utter joy on his lover's face.

"I'll have to learn never to doubt you, but I'm still amazed she came to me first." He smiled happily, then focused his attention on the gloomy expressions on the faces of the other men in the room.

"What's going on, guys?" Krycek asked cautiously.

"CNN has been reporting the latest news concerning immortals all morning. It appears that Cory Greene and immortals from Uganda and Greece are pregnant. Alex, the world now knows that we're hermaphrodites, it's only a matter of time before they discover that we're pregnant, too," Hawk grumbled, he cuddled closer to Blaise for comfort.

"God, this is so embarrassing!" Blaise moaned. "I can just picture the looks on the faces of my Texas Ranger buddies when they hear the news," he sighed, burying his face against Hawk's shoulder.

Takeda looked up from where his head rested on MacIver's lap. The older man was soothingly combing his fingers through his lover's hair. "Mulder, it's more embarrassing than that! They had a panel of experts speculating on us all morning. Somehow they managed to get their hands on Doctor Harris' medical data, including x-rays, chemical analysis about our monthly cycles, and they've been showing detailed diagrams of our new organ and orifice," Takeda complained.

Mulder's face went completely white, the room started to spin, he clung tighter to Krycek to keep himself from falling. "God."

Skinner quickly handed Hope to Hans. He rushed over to help his lover. He gently eased Mulder's hands away from Krycek's coat and pulled him over to the sofa. "Fox, sit. It's going to be okay," he murmured gently.

"No, it's not! God, this is so *humiliating* now everyone in the FBI knows. What happens when they discover that clairvoyants can impregnate us, too? There are six times as many clairvoyants as there are sorcerers!" Mulder griped.

"Ah, Fox, they already know. One of Cory Greene's lovers is a clairvoyant, and one of the babies he's pregnant with belongs to him," Skinner informed him softly, kneeling at his feet.

"One of? Walter, what do you mean? *ONE* of?"

"Fox, it appears that Greene is pregnant with two babies, one belongs to this clairvoyant lover and the other belongs to Stuart Holt."

"Oh, that's just *fucking* great! Wasn't it bad enough that we could become pregnant! Whose fucking idea was it that could become pregnant with *more* than one baby by *more* than one man, God!" Mulder shuddered. "If I ever get my hands on those fucking aliens, I will tear their little gray bodies apart limb by limb!"

"Being pregnant with two babies can't be that much worse than one," Skinner replied, trying to comfort his lover.

"Walter, you're not helping here." Mulder glared, swatting his hands away.

"Sorry, Fox," Skinner sighed, then decided to change the subject to something safer before he further put his foot in his mouth. "I was just going to start lunch, why don't you and Alex take your coats off and relax, I'll call you when it's ready."

Mulder noticed the sadness in Walter's eyes and realized this latest intrusion in their lives was grating on all their nerves. It was bound to come out in the news eventually, and this new information really didn't matter, what mattered was his lovers' continued good health. "That's okay, Walter, I missed you," he sighed. Leaning forward he kissed Skinner softly then hugged him.

"I missed you too, Fox. You and Alex go on and change, lunch will be ready in a half hour," Skinner said, pulling away he stood and headed into the kitchen.

Before leaving, Mulder took Hope from Schatz. "Hi, princess, did you miss me?"

"Dade box," Hope babbled, smiling.

"Hey, I think she said my name," Mulder grinned.

"Fox, that was only baby babble," Krycek corrected as the two men headed toward their bedroom.

"Nope, it was clearly *Daddy Fox* isn't that right, princess," Mulder murmured, hugging his little daughter. "Besides, Alex, she's just two weeks away from how old I was when I said my first word."

"Whatever, Fox."

They carried the babies into the bathroom and set them gently on the tiled floor to play while they stripped out of their overcoats and suits.

"Fox, I'm scared," Krycek murmured, buttoning up his jeans while watching the babies crawl around the bathroom investigating every nook and cranny.

"Alex, everything is going to be okay, the CDC will find a cure." Mulder stood next to him watching his daughters play.

"They're not going to find one in a week, Fox. I can't stand the thought of leaving you and the girls unprotected."

"They won't be unprotected Gabriel, Rory, and Kazuo will never allow any harm to come to our children, and I'm quite capable of looking after myself, Alex."

"Fox, you're capable of protecting yourself against clairvoyants and humans, but you don't stand a chance against sorcerers or n'thrals. What happens if they don't find a cure before Rory, Kazuo, and Gabriel get it?" Krycek sighed, wrapping his arms around Mulder's body.

"They'll find a cure. If they don't I'll see that our family is safely hidden until a cure can be found," Mulder promised, returning the hug.

Krycek shivered. "Fox, promise me that you won't take any foolish chances with your life after Walter and I get SBS? That you'll be there for our daughters?"

"Alex, I can't, I won't promise you that. I will take whatever chances necessary to protect you, Walter, and our munchkins."

"Fox, please, at least promise that you'll never leave the babies unprotected and that you'll be careful?"

"I promise, Alex, you have nothing to worry about. C'mon let's go eat lunch," he soothed, kissing the younger man softly then went to pluck Faith off the floor.

"Fox, I have everything to worry about and too much to lose," Krycek replied, picking his niece up.

***

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Sunday, January 16
5:00 p.m.

"Walter, I can't believe you invited a n'thral to dinner," Mulder complained.

"Fox, you have nothing to be afraid of. The drug Shinji invented works. Besides Jason Duffy is an old friend of mine, he would never dream of harming you," Skinner replied, cleaning the seeds from an acorn squash.

"I beg to differ, Walter! That thing would have *raped* me last spring if you hadn't been there to prevent it! I'm willing to thank *it* for saving Shinji's life last fall, but I still don't want *it* under my roof!" Mulder snapped, slamming the refrigerator after removing a carton of orange juice.

Krycek took the carton from Mulder. "Walter, I agree with Fox. N'thrals are not to be trusted! They have no redeeming characteristics. We definitely cannot allow one of those creatures under our roof or anywhere near our children."

"Fox, Alex, he's coming to dinner! However, if you still have your doubts about his character afterwards, I promise this will be the last time I allow him onto the estate. All that I ask is that you both keep an open mind, and look beyond his outward appearance," Skinner pleaded.

"Okay, Walter, but the whole family gets to vote on whether to allow him to stay at the estate. If one of us votes no then he goes and there will be no further discussion," Mulder replied, squeezing Hans Schatz's hand reassuringly, the younger immortal smiled appreciatively at him.

"Okay, fine, Fox. I can accept yours and Hans' discomfort with n'thrals, you've both been violated by them in the past. Just keep in mind that Duffy isn't like other n'thrals," Skinner grumbled, sliding a cookie sheet full of quartered acorn squash into the oven.

MacIver watched silently as the men argued, his lover had had his own hatred of n'thrals, but Takeda was able to overcome them to help Duffy. "Lads, I'm sure you'll like Duffy once you get to know him," the Scotsman assured them.

Krycek was about to respond when he frowned angrily. "Fuck, its here already with Doctor Pendrell. I'll go show them in, Walter."

"Alex, be nice," Skinner ordered.

"Aren't I always?" he snipped, heading out of the kitchen.

"No, you're not," MacIver shouted, jumping up he hurriedly followed Krycek out of the room.

As Krycek and MacIver left to escort Jason Duffy and Doctor Pendrell into the mansion, Schatz crept closer to Mulder for protection. Frohike wasn't present he was working at the Lone Gunmen headquarters this weekend.

Mulder went into the family room to check on his daughters who were playing in their playpen. "Don't worry, Hans, there is no way anything will be allowed to happen to you here." The agent bent and checked the babies' diapers.

"Mulder, were you serious that I'd get a say in whether that n'thral is allowed to stay here?" Schatz asked, kneeling down next to the older man.

"Hans, this is your home and you have just as much right to feel safe and secure here as anyone else. If having Duffy here is going to make you uncomfortable then he shouldn't be allowed to stay."

Both men glanced up as the sound of heavy footsteps made their way toward the family room. Mulder shuddered as he stared up at Jason Duffy. It was one thing to see the giant outside, but another to see him framed in the columns leading into their family room, dwarfing the other three men standing next to him. It was a lucky thing for the giant that all the ceilings in the mansion were fifteen to twenty feet high. Duffy still had to bend to make it through the mansions doorways.

The large n'thral's clothes were obviously handmade and ill fitting. Mulder almost felt sorry for the man as he stood nervously shuffling his feet. He didn't see any lust in Duffy's eyes as the giant looked at him and Schatz; he resembled a frightened child.

"Agent Mulder, thank you for inviting me into your home," Duffy rumbled shyly. He awkwardly held out a wrapped package toward the smaller man.

Mulder steeled himself and stepped forward accepting the package. "You really didn't have to bring anything, Duffy."

"It's for the babies," he replied simply, staring down at the two little baby girls who looked back at him with wide eyes.

"You're not bothered by their smell, are you?" Mulder asked.

"No, I don't find them offensive at all, but then the drug I'm on seems to allow me to tolerate the scent of adult females, too," Duffy replied. Glancing around the large room his eyes grazed briefly over Hans Schatz, sensing the immortal's discomfort he quickly focused his attention on other parts of the room. "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you," Mulder replied, unwrapping the gift. He pulled out an exquisitely carved mobile with delicate birds hanging from it at different levels. The detailing and artistry were remarkable, the birds were all in flight, and brightly painted.

"Duffy, this is beautiful where did you find it?" Mulder smiled, showing the mobile to Krycek who had stepped forward to admire the artistry.

"Yes, it is truly remarkable," Krycek replied.

"Thank you, I'm glad you both like it, I carved it myself," Duffy replied, relaxing somewhat.

"Duffy, can I get you a beer?" MacIver asked jovially.

"Sure, Rory," Duffy murmured softly. He smiled broadly when Walter Skinner stepped out of the kitchen drying his hands on a towel.

"Duffy, it's nice to see you again," Skinner greeted, shaking the giant's hand.

"Walt, thanks for inviting me to dinner, you have a lovely family." The large man was feeling less nervous now that his longtime friend was present, and he graciously accepted a beer from MacIver.

Skinner took the mobile from Mulder, holding it up he examined it closely. "Duffy, you're still the finest wood carver that I've ever seen, but I can't say much for your skill as a seamstress though," Skinner joked, referring to his friend's pieced together outfit.

The giant chuckled. "I think that I could eventually get the hang of it, but it would help if I had a sewing machine," he grumbled.

"Fox, why don't you and Hans give Duffy a tour of the estate while Rory and I finish dinner, Alex and Kyle will watch the girls," Skinner ordered sweetly. He did not leave space for either of his lovers to back out without appearing to be rude. Krycek glared at him, not wanting to leave Mulder alone with the immense n'thral. Skinner realized he was being cruel, but he knew Duffy wouldn't hurt either man, and he knew this was the only way that they would realize, too.

"Sure, Walter, we'd love to," Mulder replied tightly. "C'mon, this way, Duffy." Mulder snagged Schatz's arm and the young man reluctantly followed him.

*Walter, we'll talk later,* Mulder informed Skinner telepathically.

*Fox, you have nothing to worry about, I'll be monitoring you at all times,* Skinner replied.

*If Hans has a nervous breakdown, I'm holding you personally responsible.*

Mulder showed Duffy into the library first.

"Wow, this is truly magnificent, even I feel small in this room," Duffy exclaimed.

The library was two stories high its center was open to the other level that had a wrap-around balcony, over the top was a curved ceiling. Duffy went happily over to one fifteen-foot tall bookshelf; and selected a book, and started flipping through it.

Schatz stood stunned, the only n'thrals he knew showed no interest in books, he even doubted they knew how to read. "Mr. Duffy, you like to read?" he asked hesitantly.

"Please, its just Duffy," he smiled. "Reading was one of my favorite pleasures before the virus changed me. Now with Shinji's drug, I'm finding myself able to enjoy it again. It's like a fog has been lifted from my eyes and mind allowing me to focus on other things besides sex."

"Duffy, would you be perfectly honest with us? Are you sexually aroused by us at all?" Mulder asked.

"I find you both extremely sexually appealing, but I have no desire to throw you over the table and fuck you. I'm in complete *control* of my body now, not the other way around," Duffy replied proudly.

Mulder smiled softly studying the giant, he knew the large man was telling them the truth. "Duffy, please feel free to select as many books as you like."

"Really, Mulder? Thank you." Duffy wandered around the room his eyes were lit up like a child in a candy store as he selected three more books.

"We'll take the main staircase upstairs," Mulder replied, noticing that there was no way that the n'thral would be able to fit up the library's spiral staircase.

The steps creaked under the sheer weight of the nine-foot giant as they ascended to the second floor.

"Upstairs there are mostly bedrooms, an upstairs laundry room, a game room, my office, and of course the second level of the library," he said, showing Duffy into the game room where the rest of the household was playing darts.

"Hello, Duffy," Major Sawada greeted.

"Kazuo, it's nice to see you again. Congratulations on your daughter," Duffy murmured, pulling another wrapped present out of the large pouch that hung from his belt he handed it to the major then slid the books he was carrying into the now empty pouch.

Shinji Takeda walked over cradling Ayako in his arms, he watched as his lover opened the gift. It contained a pair of beautifully carved bookends. The carvings depicted rabbits dressed like people. "This is so cool, Duffy. Its Peter Rabbit, Kazuo, Walter has a storybook with the fairytale in it. I'll show you it later," Takeda replied, taking one of the bookends from Sawada and studying it.

The other four people in the room hung back watching cautiously. Spender didn't feel as uncomfortable around Duffy as when he first met him, but the giant still was intimidating.

Mulder introduced the other men. "Duffy, these are other residents of the estate. You know Jeff, next to him is Tristan Woods he's our family's in-home nurse. "

"In-home nurse, I thought immortals could heal? Why would you need a nurse?" Duffy asked.

"There are some things that we cannot heal. Tristan is here for one of those," Mulder answered tactfully. "The other two men are Joseph Shadow Hawk and Justin Cody Blaise."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Duffy stated, trying not to look at Blaise. Even with the drug he was on, he found himself getting aroused by the beautiful red-haired immortal. He always had a thing for redheads.

"Duffy, we'll take the staircase in the west wing down to the bottom level, I doubt that you'll fit in the elevator," Mulder replied. The mansion had only two staircases that led to the lowest level, one next to the elevator off the kitchen, and the other in the west wing that exited into the hallway by the storage area and Takeda's lab. There was a third staircase, but that was only accessible through a secret passageway in the library.

"Most of the rooms in the west wing are empty, the only rooms that are occupied are Jeff's and Tristan's bedrooms," Mulder told him as the three men walked down the long hallway toward the stairs.

At the landing on the first floor Duffy looked around, it was cold in this part of the wing. The lights were off in the long hallway giving the wing a deserted look, only the staircase light was lit. "How do you get to the rest of the mansion here?" he asked.

"There's a door at the end of the hallway, we keep it closed to conserve on heat. This way," Mulder said as he and Schatz started down the staircase, Duffy followed obediently behind the two smaller men.

When they arrived at the bottom Duffy immediately noticed the difference in temperature. This level was warmer and slightly humid, he could smell chlorine from an indoor swimming pool. Duffy looked around at the walls, floor, and ceiling they were all heavy stone, the ceilings were all twenty feet high, he felt comfortable down here, it reminded him of his cave. He smiled, Rory had mentioned him staying down here, his friend knew him well, -- this place was perfect for him.

"This part of the lower level is completely underground, we use these rooms primarily for storage and Shinji's laboratory is in this section." Mulder opened a heavy oak door revealing a large cavernous space, there were two-foot thick columns every twenty feet supporting the ceiling.

Duffy ducked under the doorway and squeezed his large frame into the room. He roamed around the immense space, estimating the dimensions to be at least one hundred feet by eighty feet. He noted where the water pipes were against the far wall, also several ceiling lights. There were a few boxes stacked near the door, he read the labels on them -- Christmas and Halloween decorations, otherwise the space was completely empty. It was perfect for him. He reluctantly left the room to follow Mulder down the hallway.

Mulder opened a door across the hallway -- it was a similar storage area only smaller -- it was half-filled with lawn furniture, folding chairs, and tables, he closed the door then went down to another door and pushed it open. "This is Shinji's lab," he replied.

The fully equipped of laboratory appeared small compared to the other rooms; it measured only about twenty feet by sixty feet.

"It looks like a scene out of Frankenstein," Duffy commented chuckling.

Mulder laughed. "It does, I thought that when we were building the lab down here. Somehow I can't picture Shinji as the mad scientist though."

"Shinji Van Frankenstein," Schatz chuckled, he startled suddenly as it occurred to him that during the past ten minutes he was no longer thinking of Duffy as a n'thral.

"Shall we continue." Mulder smiled leading them to the last room off the hallway before it opened into a brightly lit atrium.

"This is my favorite room down here." Mulder pushed opened the molded wrought iron gates revealing a large, dimly lit wine cellar. The room was chilly. "The room is climate controlled, Walter insists on keeping it at forty degrees," he informed the giant.

"This is impressive, Mulder." Duffy stayed outside the cellar, he was afraid his large form might accidentally break some of the bottles.

They ended the tour at the atrium that led to the indoor pool, exercise room, and spa. The atrium was filled with plants, it had large windows and French doors that opened onto the outdoor patio.

"Truly a magnificent home you have here, Mulder, Hans," Duffy stated looking out across the patio.

"Thank you, Duffy," Schatz replied happily. No longer feeling any fear of the giant.

"C'mon, let's get back upstairs, Walter should have dinner ready by now," Mulder replied, leading them over to the staircase next to the elevator.

As they entered the dining room, Mulder raised his eyebrows in awe. At one end of the dining room table, the floor had been recessed in the shape of an oversized chair allowing the nine-foot tall n'thral to comfortably sit at the table. Krycek was finishing carving the pork tenderloin as Skinner strapped the two babies into their highchairs. All the other men were present, including Gabriel who had been over visiting Tony and Kimberly earlier. Doctor Pendrell was talking to Tristan; they stopped speaking when they saw Duffy. Only the members of the household were allowed to know about the immortals' pregnancies.

Mulder wrapped his arms around Skinner hugging and kissing him. "You're too wise," he murmured softly.

"I see you've had a change of heart regarding our guest," Skinner whispered into his ear and affectionately squeezed Mulder's ass.

"Most definitely, Walter."

Skinner grinned; he sat on Mulder's right then proceeded to prepare a small plate of food for their daughter. On her plate he scooped a small tablespoon of peas, cinnamon apples, and buttered a slice of bread that he broke into bite size pieces. Hope was at the stage of feeding herself with her fingers, but she hadn't quite mastered the use of a spoon, yet.

Faith watched her sister eating the grownup food; she frowned at her daddy who was opening a jar of baby food.

Krycek set the jar of Gerber's pureed beef on Faith's highchair tray then scooped up a teaspoon to feed her. Faith refused to open her mouth; she stuck out her lower lip in a clear pout.

"Yummy, yummy. C'mon, cutie, open up this is really good," Krycek coaxed. Pushing the spoon against Faith's tightly closed mouth. The baby turned her head away; swung her hand out and knocked the full jar of baby food off her tray. Unfortunately, it landed in the middle of Mulder's lap.

The other men at the table tried not to laugh at the look of disgust on Mulder's face as the gray mush seeped through his pants, but they lost the battle and snickers sounded around the dining room table.

Krycek sheepishly took the jar from his lover, making it and the mess in Mulder's lap disappear. "Sorry, Fox, for some reason she doesn't want to eat. Maybe I should try something other than pureed beef. How about pureed peas." Another jar appeared in his hand, he popped open the lid and offered her another teaspoon full.

Faith turned her head again, her little hand struck out knocking the spoon away. "No!"

Everyone at the table froze, looking at the unhappy baby.

"No? Alex, she just said her first word, and don't tell me that was baby babble," Mulder replied.

"No, she clearly said no."

MacIver chuckled. "Why am I not surprised that your daughter's first word would be no."

"Seven and a half months old and already talking. Fox, our daughter is a genius," Krycek beamed.

"She only said one word, Alex. Let's hold off with the genius bit until she says her first sentence," Mulder replied.

Faith was looking more, and more distressed, her sister was happily munching on grownup food and she had nothing to eat. She did the only thing left and started crying.

"C'mon, cutie, do you want to sit at the big table? Is that the problem?" Krycek cooed, unstrapping her from the highchair, she swatted his hand kicking and crying even harder.

"Alex, I think your little girl wants to eat what her sister is eating," Duffy advised.

Krycek looked at him, then over to where his niece was happily eating. He looked at his shrieking daughter then at her highchair and a small plate of food magically appeared on the tray. Krycek showed Faith the food and she immediately stopped crying, so he strapped her back into the highchair.

Faith grinned up at him through red rimmed eyes as she picked up a bite-sized piece of buttered bread and licked the sweet cream off it.

"Another crisis averted," Skinner smiled.

The rest of the meal passed without incident. They retired into the upstairs game room for cocktails and conversation. When the evening ended Skinner showed Duffy and Doctor Pendrell out. "Duffy, I know you've won Fox over, but I'm not too sure about Hans yet. I'll let you know in a few days what the family decides."

"Walt, thank you, I appreciate that you're even considering allowing me to live here," Duffy replied.

"Duffy, you're my friend. However, you should know that one of the reasons I want you here is to help protect my family. I realize that it's a purely selfish reason on my part, but Fox and the babies come first," Skinner replied.

"Walt, we've been friends for almost thirty years, I will be here to protect your family even if I'm not living within your home," Duffy replied softly.

"Thanks, Duff." Skinner watched the giant climb awkwardly into the back of Doctor Pendrell's full size van.

***

FBI Hoover Building
Monday, January 17
1:00 p.m.

Agents Mulder and Krycek strolled into the FBI's lab. The FBI was lending their assistance in trying to find a cure to SBS.

"Hey, Andy, any luck?" Krycek asked.

Agent Andrew Nelson looked up at them from his microscope. "No, nothing yet. Is it true that Agent Scully is also looking for a cure to the virus on her own?"

"Yes, she's doing it as a favor to me," Mulder replied.

"It would help if we could pool our resources and work on it together," Nelson suggested.

"Scully is working with Shinji Takeda at our estate. They would be glad to share any information they have with you, Nelson," Mulder stated.

"You allowed a foreigner access to this information?" Nelson asked annoyed.

"Shinji is hardly a foreigner he's a member of our family. Besides Japan is similarly threatened by this virus and in need of a cure as well," Krycek responded tersely.

"He's not a U.S. citizen so that makes him a security risk. This has to be reported to the government immediately," Nelson huffed.

"The Director already knows as does the CDC," Mulder replied calmly.

"The Director knows?" Nelson stammered. He should have figured the Director would know; Mulder had that man wrapped around his little finger.

"The Director understands how important it is to find a cure quickly, Shinji Takeda has detailed knowledge about the alien virus, together with Dana Scully they stand the best chance of finding a cure. Andy, many lives depend on a cure being found for this, including A.D. Skinner's and Agent Krycek's lives! Is petty politics worth their lives?" Mulder asked.

"Of course not, A.D. Skinner's life comes first. I'm sorry for my outburst, Agent Mulder. I'll prepare a report of my findings to date for Agent Scully," Nelson replied, embarrassed that he almost put the A.D.'s life in jeopardy.

***

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Wednesday, January 19
6:00 p.m.

Walter Skinner looked around at men and women gathered in the family room. He had just finished explaining the situation to them. They needed Jason Duffy here badly to booster their security.

Dana Scully and her husband Jonathan Carter sat listening to the arguments. Skinner had invited them to stay since having Duffy here would indirectly affect Scully who was working with Takeda in his laboratory.

"Walter, what about Dana's and my effect on Duffy? He isn't going to be able to tolerate being around us," Kimberly said.

"The drug he's on to control his sex drive has also modified his sense of smell, he's able to tolerate the female scent to a point," Skinner replied. "I would like to put allowing him to move in to a vote, if there is anyone present that does not want Jason Duffy living here please make your reasons known."

Everyone looked around at each other waiting for someone to object. Jeffrey Spender would have objected if it weren't for a vague vision he had earlier, showing Duffy protecting Hans Schatz.

"Since no one objects I'll give Duffy the good news, we can move him into one of the bedrooms in the west wing," Skinner said.

"No, Walter, I think he would feel more comfortable living in the large storage room downstairs. We just need to fix it up to accommodate a nine foot n'thral," Mulder replied.

"Are you sure, Fox? That room is pretty dreary, there are no windows."

"Positive, Walter. Why don't you, Tony, and Alex use your powers and whip up a bathroom, fireplace, and kitchenette, you can oversize one of the mansion bedroom sets. We can surprise him with it when you bring him back here," Mulder advised.

"Fox, that's going to require a lot of power to do all of that," Krycek stated.

"Rory, Kazuo, and Gabriel can help you," Mulder countered.

Justin Blaise stretched out on the sofa. "Yeah, what's the use of having sorcerers living here if we can't depend on them for some minor home improvement projects," he quipped.

"Yeah, guys, quit whining," Takeda replied, smiling sweetly.

"Hey, Alex was the one whining not us," MacIver corrected.

"I wasn't whining, just letting Fox know that it was going to require a lot of power," Krycek grumbled.

"Sounded like whining to me," Frohike stated. "What do you think Hans?"

"Melvin, Alex is just concerned about the amount of energy they will be expending. It isn't wise to waste too much power, what would happen if we're attacked?" Schatz admonished.

"Thanks, Hans," Krycek replied.

"Yeah, Hans is right, Fox. I think we have to scale down your home improvement project to include only the bare necessities. A bathroom would be a necessity and to conserve our powers, we'll purchase the fixtures then use our powers to enlarge them," Skinner advised.

"Oh pleeease, there are six of you. You'd hardly be expending that much power, nothing that you wouldn't be able to replenish in a couple of days at most," Mulder argued.

"Fox, these aren't normal times. We may only have a few more days together, and I don't want to spend them exhausted," Skinner blurted out, showing his feelings of anxiety for the first time.

Mulder blushed and went over to Skinner, wrapping his arms affectionately around the larger man. "Maybe you and Alex won't be affected," he murmured sadly.

"Fox, it hasn't spared anyone yet."

"Yeah, I know. I really don't want to face not having you here with me," Mulder sighed.

"Don't worry, Fox, we have the best people working on a cure. We won't be apart for long," Skinner soothed. "So, do you have a design in mind for Duffy's bathroom?"

"Besides large. No. Why don't you just duplicate of the suite bathrooms," Mulder replied no longer enthusiastic.

***

Foxfire Glenn Estate
Friday, January 20
3:00 p.m.

Walter Skinner had taken the day off work to finish some modifications on Duffy's new apartment in the bottom level of the mansion. His friend was moving in this afternoon and he wanted everything to be perfect for him. He had to admit that the large storage area once fixed up was ideal for the giant. Tony had suggested installing a new doorway that replaced the single six-foot door, so the room now had a pair of ten-foot tall, heavy oak doors.

Skinner was fastening a switch plate over a new electrical outlet; he spun around upon hearing voices coming from the doorway. Duffy stood framed in the doorway with a stunned look on his deformed face. MacIver stood beside him with a satisfied smirk on his handsome face.

"Wow! Walter, this is . . . remarkable," the giant sputtered.

"Duff, don't just stand there come in." Skinner grinned. "Welcome to your new home."

Duffy walked across the space to a large fireplace with a huge mantle. Beside it were an oversized sofa, a wingback chair, and a colorful throw rug on the stone floor before the fireplace. He ran his hand along the empty mantle; it felt strange because it was proportioned to his size. "Walter, even a kitchenette? This is truly amazing . . . but how . . . why?" Duffy questioned as he walked into the kitchen even the appliances were proportioned to his size.

"Fox suggested that we use our powers to make this old storage area livable for you. We were only going to install the bathroom and resize the bedroom furniture, but we got carried away once we started," Skinner admitted.

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble," the giant replied deeply touched, putting his canvas bags on the bed.

MacIver walked over to stand next to Skinner. "There's still plenty to do, we figured you'd want to do your own decorating, and there's plenty of room on the far side of the room for your woodworking equipment," he grinned.

"We'll let you get settled in, Duffy. It's Rory's turn to cook dinner, I'm sure he'll want to get started," Skinner replied.

"No need to hurry, Walter, macaroni and cheese doesn't take that long to prepare," MacIver drawled, following the larger man out of the room.

"Rory," Skinner grumbled, shaking his head in dismay.

"Hey, Hope and Faith both love it," he commented.

"You've made it for them the last two days," Skinner growled.

"See, and the lassies still love it even after two days," the Scotsman replied jovially.

"Rory, you don't have to change their diapers. Just try something different, maybe yogurt with fruit." Skinner yawned tiredly as they entered the family room.

"How about pizza? If we cut the pieces small enough they should be able to handle that," MacIver replied.

"Rory, you can't feed babies pizza. You can order pizza for us, but order a side of spaghetti for the babies," Skinner sighed tiredly.

"Walter, are you feeling okay?" the Scotsman asked.

"I'm just tired, Rory." Skinner sunk down exhaustedly on the sofa.

"Okay," MacIver said hesitantly looking at Skinner with concern. He started for the telephone in the kitchen. "I'm going to call Alex and have him pickup five large pizzas on their way home. Hey, how many pizzas do you suppose Duffy could pack away?" He turned back to Skinner when the larger man didn't answer him.

"Shit, Walter!"

Skinner was slumped unconscious on the sofa; MacIver rushed over to his side and tried to revive him. *DANA! I NEED YOU IN FAMILY ROOM!*

*Rory, what's wrong?* Scully asked, setting down the glass slide she was preparing in the laboratory.

*It's Walter, I can't wake him . . . I think it's the virus.*

*I'll be right up,* she responded rushing for the door.

***

Continued in Chapter 3