Life from the Ashes Book 3 - SBS
by Jo B.
purpleFox@usfamily.netRating: NC-17
Keywords: M/Sk/K SLASH
Disclaimer: The X-Files characters Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Alex Krycek, Walter Skinner, Jeffrey Spender, CSM, the Lone Gunmen, Kimberly Cook, Senator Matheson, Bill Scully, the morph etc. are the property Chris Carter, 1013 productions and Fox Broadcasting. All other characters in the series are mine.
Summary: This is an Alternative Universe Story. It takes place after an alien virus has killed off most of the world's females and caused mutations in forty-five percent of the remaining males.
Authors Notes: This is the third book in my AU series "Life from the Ashes - SBS." You might want to read the prequel and the first two books of the series to understand this one.
I would like to thank my beta-readers Nicole, Laurie, Tarlan, Dawn, Cerulean Blue, Kiyoko, Michael, Bee Lan, and Susan for all their hard work and patience in editing this story and plot suggestions. Special thanks to Dawn and Tarlan for their advice and help on the birth scene.
Feedback is always welcome. Any constructive suggestions are appreciated.
WARNING! This story contains explicit Sex/Romance between two or more men. Turn back now, if the subject matter offends you.
Okay to Archive: please ask first.
Chapter 21
New Friends
White Mountain
Sunday, May 28
8:30 a.m.CGB Spender awoke to a pounding headache. He was lying on the cold, stone floor and covered with a lightweight blanket. He opened his red-tinged eyes to find Fyodorov staring intently at him.
"What happened?" Spender asked, regaining his feet.
The little man moved back as the smoker stood swaying unsteadily on his clawed feet. "Ari Summers poisoned you, then tried to shoot you in the head."
"Where is he? I'll have his carcass skewered over the fire in place of the deer!"
"Ari escaped with Aton, Azure, your son, and that n'thral lover of his. You've been out nearly thirty-six hours."
"WHERE WERE MY GUARDS?" The smoker's bellow had Fyodorov cowering.
"Ah, my Eminence, Ari's people killed most of your guards. However, I do have some good news. Not all of Ari's gang escaped, one of their vehicles was destroyed inside the barrier, and another has just gotten out of the protected zone. They were too frightened to cross through the barrier until a couple of hours ago. You should be able to capture them still. They are southeast of us."
"I will really enjoy making them pay for attacking me and stealing what's mine. What direction did Ari and my traitorous son go?"
"Due east, toward the Yukon Territory of Canada. I haven't been able to track them once they were fifty miles from us; your son is putting up a shield around them. I think he is getting stronger."
The smoker thought briefly. He could go in search of Ari, but it might take days to find him. On the other hand, he could capture Ari's surviving gang members who would still be easy to locate. He would torture Ari's destination out of them.
***
Crystal Palace
Sunday, May 28
9:30 a.m.Justin Blaise leaned against Pyetr as they stood under the soothing spray of the shower. He had been having back pains and Doctor Pendrell suggested he take a hot shower. He rested his head on his Russian lover's shoulder as Pyetr massaged soothing circles around his sore back. It had been three hours since they arrived at the Palace's hospital. A special delivery room had been designed for the immortals. Justin had yet to see the room. Instead, his doctor had examined him in another room, and had him walking around until he was closer to his delivery time. His immortal lover had gone back to their apartment to pack some additional clothes for him.
"Oh," Justin moaned.
"Was that one bad?" Pyetr asked, reaching down to caress Justin's swollen belly. If anything Justin appeared to have gotten even larger in the past two hours.
"They're all frigging bad!" the Texan snapped. "No one ever warned me that it took so long to give birth."
"I find that hard to believe, Justin." Pyetr caressed his lover's back as he held him. "It can take well over a day of intense labor for some women."
"When I was working as a Ranger, my partner's wife went into labor and delivered before they could get her to the hospital. It took under an hour," Justin grumbled. He looked into Pyetr's dark brown eyes, wondering what this handsome man was doing standing in the shower with someone like him who had a swollen belly and fat swollen ankles.
Pyetr chuckled, and brushed the red bangs off Justin's forehead. "It probably wasn't her first child. I'm surprised you didn't research the topic when you became pregnant. And, Justin, your ankles aren't that swollen, neither is your belly."
Justin pouted. "I didn't want to know, and stop reading my mind." He stood with his back facing the shower spray and allowed the hot water and Pyetr's hands to soothe him. When another painful contraction hit, he cried out for his other lover Joe. "Pyetr, where's Joe? Why isn't he back yet? Doesn't he know I need him? Dammit! This is his baby, too!"
"Calm down, Justin. He'll be here soon."
"I don't want him SOON! I want him here NOW!"
"Hey, I can hear you yelling all the way down the hallway," Joe said, stepping into the bathroom off his private room.
"Joe, where have you been?" Justin pouted miserably.
"Clothes," Joe replied, holding up the suitcase.
"Oh."
"Come on, Justin, out of the shower and I'll massage your feet, while Pyetr massages your back," Joe said, setting the suitcase down outside the bathroom door in the hospital room.
***
Shinji accompanied Mulder as he sought out Doctor Pendrell. Mulder would have preferred to talk to Pendrell alone, but he didn't want to leave Shinji by himself with all of the foreigners wandering around the palace. They found the Doctor setting up in the delivery room. Several other men were in the room with Pendrell, going about various tasks. Mulder frowned when he spotted a television camera focused down from behind the glass enclosed observation room that circled the entire delivery room from above. He wondered if Justin knew that his baby's birth was going to be televised.
"Kyle, do you have a minute?" Mulder asked nervously.
"Sure, Mulder. What can I do for you?" Pendrell replied.
All the men in the room had stopped their work and turned to stare at the two beautiful immortals.
"In private," Mulder said, blushing under the intense scrutiny of the men.
Pendrell turned to one of the technicians. "Marcus, I'll be right back. Okay, Mulder, this way." He headed over to the door where Mulder and Shinji stood and walked past them into the hallway.
Shinji leaned in to whisper to Mulder as they followed the young doctor down the hallway. "Did you see that camera? I think I'll have my baby in my own bedroom."
Mulder smiled at him. "I don't think Rory will like that, Shin. He is already panicking."
"Rory will be fine once I go into labor. You know his protective nature will kick in, and if you haven't noticed, he does extremely well under pressure. Besides, I'm not having my baby while sitting in some chair! I want a bed," Takeda said.
Pendrell was listening to their conversation, and as he held open the door to his office for them, he said, "That chair was designed with your comfort in mind. It even has a built-in body massager. And I want you both to know that I had nothing to do with the television camera. Place that on your husband, Mulder."
"Walter arranged to have Justin's delivery televised?" Mulder asked in shock.
"Not directly, but the man he put in charge of Public Relations did, which is close enough in my book. Okay, Mulder, what did you want to see me about? Do you have some questions about your pregnancy?" Pendrell asked, leaning up against his desk.
"In a way. Kyle, I would like to have an abortion."
"Mulder, no!" Shinji gasped. He was shocked that his friend would even consider such a thing.
Pendrell stared hard at the agent. "Mulder, I won't be the one to give you an abortion. No way! You'll have to find someone else."
Mulder looked at him uncertainly. It hadn't occurred to him that his doctor would refuse to give him one. "Can you recommend someone who would?"
"Mulder, I refuse to get involved in this! How could you even think about aborting your babies? Before you went to sleep a month ago you had decided to go through with the pregnancy. What made you change your mind now?" Pendrell growled, appalled.
"A month ago I still had the compulsion to go through with it, now I don't. Kyle, please. I hate being pregnant with that creature's baby," Mulder begged.
Pendrell massaged his temple. "If I could figure out a way to only abort the Seraphim's fetus would you go through with the pregnancy?"
"No. I don't want to be pregnant. I want my life back! Dammit, Kyle! I want to have control over at least my own body!" Mulder shouted.
Shinji touched his arm. "Mulder, killing your babies is not going to give you control back. Feel this," he took Mulder's hand and placed it on his stomach. "This is my son moving. Mulder, don't look on this as a bad thing; no one else on the planet but us can have this experience. We are bringing new life into this world."
Mulder cringed at the emotions that welled up in him as he felt the baby move beneath his fingertips. He squashed those feelings of want. He did not want to have these babies, but feeling the baby moving was filling him with want. Mulder pulled his hand away as if it were burned. "Shin . . ."
Shinji interrupted him. "Mulder, I would like my son to have a playmate, and I had been hoping that you would be having a boy, too."
"Dammit! Don't you understand? We are freaks! Shin, even you don't want to be filmed giving birth on national television. The whole thing is a circus! And we are the sideshow!" Mulder grumbled.
Shinji rolled his eyes. "I am not a freak! I am not embarrassed that I am pregnant! I'll tell you what, Mulder. If you don't get an abortion, then I'll have my baby in the throne room in front of hundreds of men and invite all the foreign camera crews to film it! Although, I would much prefer to have him with only my lovers, friends, and doctor present."
"I'm sorry, Shin. It isn't fair of me to call you or the others names, just because I'm feeling like a freak." Mulder didn't know what to do. He needed to find someone who was willing to help him.
Pendrell stood. "Mulder, talk to Doctor Vettelmen. Maybe your psychoanalyst can help resolve these feelings. I have to get back to the delivery room."
After the doctor left, Shinji turned back to Mulder. "How do Walter and Alex feel about you wanting an abortion?"
"Alex is pissed and Walter is trying to be supportive, but I know that it's breaking his heart. I don't know what to do, Shin. Aren't you afraid?" Mulder walked over to stare out the window. The hospital was in one of the ten-story tall turrets and they were on the top floor.
"To tell you the truth, Mulder, I try not to think about it. It is probably a mistake for me to watch Justin giving birth. I'll probably be scared shitless afterwards. However, you on the other hand have never struck me as someone who is easily frightened. If you don't want to have the babies out of your love for Walter or Alex, then I would have thought that your curiosity alone would have made you go through with this pregnancy."
Mulder looked anxiously at his watch. "Shin, thanks for talking to me about this. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I will think about what you've said. Let's go see if Justin is in the delivery room yet. He is going to need our support." Mulder paused as he started to leave the office when he noticed the photograph on Pendrell's desk. It was of his brother Jeff and Kyle. The two men had their arms around each other's waists. He never knew that they were close; it must have been during Jeffrey's volunteer work at the hospital. Mulder would have to talk to Kyle about it and about what had happened to Jeff. He sighed, wishing that his brother were home; he walked over and held the door open for his smaller friend.
Shinji thought Mulder's sad expression was due to their previous discussion so he didn't question him on it. They stopped in the changing room to dress in hospital scrubs.
When they arrived back in the delivery room, Justin was arguing with the medical staff. He looked up and met Mulder's eyes. "Mulder, do something. You're an FBI agent, arrest those men for invasion of privacy!" he said, pointing up to the observation room windows.
Mulder stared up at the windows where now more than a hundred men sat or stood staring down over the delivery room. He recognized some of them from around the palace but most he had never seen before and assumed they were part of the foreign delegations.
"Sorry, Justin, some of those men have diplomatic immunity, and besides, it's not my jurisdiction." Mulder felt bad that he wasn't able to help his friend, but short of pulling a gun on the men and ordering them out, there was really nothing he could do.
Justin was about to argue when an intense contraction hit and he doubled over. Doctor Pendrell and Joe took his arms and helped him over to the delivery chair. The chair resembled a recliner only the footrest was spread apart to allow the doctor to stand between the patient's legs. Joe and Pyetr held Justin's hands as he sat in the chair. The doctor spread his legs and placed his feet on the footrests.
Tears ran down Justin's cheeks as he sat gasping for air. The pain finally eased and he relaxed in the recliner. "All I need now is a remote and a beer," Justin quipped, trying desperately to get his mind off the pain and the strangers watching him.
"We wanted you to be comfortable," Pendrell said, removing Justin's hospital gown and spreading a sheet over his crotch for modesty sake. He probed Justin's distended belly, while his assistant hooked up the monitors. Pendrell then inserted a gloved finger into Justin's navel to determine how dilated he was.
Justin shifted uncomfortably and looked up at his lovers' concerned faces. "Pyetr, couldn't you wiggle your nose and make the damned camera disappear?"
"Sorry, I've already tried that, Justin, but two of the camera crew are sorcerers and they only teleported it back." Pyetr glared up at the men in the observation room as he rubbed Justin's arm.
Pendrell looked up from where he knelt at the foot of the chair. "Joe, you and Pyetr will be able to track his contractions on this monitor, it will start spiking when his next one is starting. Justin's contractions are about two minutes apart now," he said.
Mulder and Shinji had moved out of the way and over against the wall, they were next to the door that led out into the hallway. Mulder felt like someone was watching him and his eyes drifted back up to the observation window and met Nikolai Slava's who was staring down intently at him. His heart skipped a beat. "Excuse me, Shin, I need to talk to Slava," Mulder said, leaving the delivery room and taking the stairs up to the observation room. He unfastened the back of the white, cloth mask he was wearing.
Slava met him outside in the hallway. "Fox, you are looking lovelier than ever. Pregnancy seems to agree with you," he said, reaching up and brushing his fingers over Mulder's face.
Mulder slapped his hand away. "Why are you here? I thought you'd be at the meeting Walter was having about the Seraphim."
"I intend to have a private meeting with Skinner later. This birth interests me more," Slava replied.
"Why?"
"Hasn't Alexei told you? He's promised to have my baby once he develops a womb. So I want to know what to expect."
"I hardly think Alex would promise that, not with the way he feels about getting pregnant," Mulder snapped bitterly.
"Fox, don't be jealous. I'm sure Alexei will agree to have both our children. After all you are having his, speaking of which, how are you feeling? It distressed me to find out about that incident with that alien," Slava said.
"I'm fine," Mulder replied curtly, feeling uncomfortable under the larger man's intense scrutiny.
"I'm sorry for the way I treated you, Fox, the last time we were together. I realize now that it was wrong, and I should never have deceived you in such a manner."
"Slava, you've stolen a part of me! I have daughters that I have never seen," Mulder said angrily.
"If you would like to see them, Fox, I promise that I will bring them on future visits. I would like for them to get to know you." Slava held out his hand. "Come and watch the birth with me. Your friend is getting ready to deliver." Slava had been keeping an internal eye focused on the delivery room.
Mulder didn't take his hand. "I would like to see them very much. I . . . I better get back downstairs," he said, fleeing. His eyes were tearing up as he dashed down the steps. He was finally going to see his seven daughters. He wiped at his eyes before slipping back into the delivery room and over to stand next to Shinji.
Shinji glanced at Mulder, his look turned to concern upon seeing that his friend had been crying. Justin's cry of pain tore his eyes from Mulder and back to the birth.
Mulder felt nauseous as the rush of pink gelatinous liquid spurted out of Justin's navel. He could see the orifice expand and the top of the baby's head appear. He'd seen worse stuff on his job, so he didn't know why this was affecting him so adversely.
"Hold on, Justin, keep breathing, try not to push. I'm going to make sure the umbilical cord isn't wrapped around her neck," Doctor Pendrell said, and gently inserted his gloved hands into Justin's orifice beside the baby's head and felt along her neck.
Shinji turned slightly green upon seeing the doctor's whole hand disappear into Justin's navel. He looked up at Justin's pain-filled face. This had not been a smart idea to watch, what had he been thinking?
Joe was using a wet towel to wipe the sweat from his lover's brow. "You're doing really well, Justin, I hope I do half as well in a month," the young man soothed, his eyes were wide if it weren't for the fact that Justin needed him, he would have been bent over the sink being sick. This was going to be him in a month, he thought looking up at the intrusive faces in the observation room, except sans camera and audience -- over his dead body would there be a camera and an audience during his delivery.
"Oh Jeez, Joe, it hurts," Justin gasped.
Pyetr rubbed Justin's arm soothingly, this was remarkable, he could see the crown of the baby's head. What a remarkable sight! He wouldn't have missed this for the world. Someday Justin and Joe would be having his baby, he couldn't wait, not that he wouldn't be a good father to their other children. He smiled reassuringly down at Justin. "You're doing good, Justin."
Pendrell looked at the monitor, another contraction was starting. "Okay, Justin, push."
Justin bore down with the contraction, and the small baby was ejected along with a gush of even more thick fluid. Pendrell had his hand on the baby and scooped her up into his arms. Tristan handed him a bulb syringe to clean the fluid out of her tiny nostrils and mouth. The room was totally quiet except for the beeping of the heart monitor as the men held a collective breath. When the baby started crying the delivery room and observation room exploded into cheers, with the exception of five men who had fainted during the birth and Mulder and Shinji who were both dazed. Mulder didn't know what to make of this -- it hadn't been what he expected. Besides being extremely gruesome, Justin had been in pain for hours even before being brought into the delivery room. The birth looked extremely painful and was very messy. He watched as the doctor handed the slime-covered baby to Tristan who took her over to a table to clean her up.
Pendrell went back to Justin and started probing his stomach, he felt the mass that was still in the young man's belly from the pouch the infant had developed inside. "I guess I won't have to check for the umbilical cord from now on -- your baby didn't have one. I think it is safe to assume that none of the Immortal babies will."
"Doc, you don't suppose that you could cover me?" Justin asked, shivering, his voice was trembling from exhaustion.
"Sorry, Justin, you still need to deliver the afterbirth. I hope we don't have to induce another contraction," Pendrell said, still frowning at the monitor.
Pyetr had had it! He could no longer tolerate his lover being exposed in such a manner. So, he concentrated and a large umbrella appeared over his lover, blocking him from the observation room above.
The two sorcerers on the camera crew were about to zap the umbrella out of their way when Slava stepped up behind them. "If you touch that umbrella I'll kill you," he growled softly. "The show's over, give the man some privacy."
Slava walked back over to his seat, he could still see Justin even with the umbrella blocking the view of the young man. He watched as Justin delivered the afterbirth. The young doctor collected it into a container and handed it to another assistant who put it in a cooler. Slava wondered about the potential medical use of the tissue would be. Coming from an immortal, it could be invaluable.
Slava looked sadly down at Mulder who was as white as a ghost. His heart went out to him. He was still deeply in love with his Fox and would do anything for him. Only Walter Skinner stood in his way of getting the two men that he loved.
Mulder shook himself and went over to help Shinji who was throwing up into a trashcan. "That's very dignified, Shin. Just the type of thing we like to watch on the evening news."
"Shut up, Mulder," he groaned.
"Hey, look on the bright side, at least you got the face mask down in time," Mulder smirked, the young man glared up at him. "Come on, Shin, let's get you over to the sink so you can rinse your mouth, then we'll go see the baby. That outta make you feel better."
Shinji allowed Mulder to help him over to the sink. "I feel like an idiot. Do you think they really captured me being sick on national television?"
"No. I was joking. The umbrella was in the way."
"Mulder, you seem to be holding up pretty well," Shinji observed, wiping his face with a paper towel. "Weren't you the slightest bit squeamish?"
"Ah, nope. It didn't bother me at all," Mulder lied.
Doctor Pendrell strolled over to them, he had just finished stitching up a minor tear in Justin's orifice, a nurse was finishing cleaning the immortal. "So, Guys, what did you think?" he asked, removing the gloves and washing his hands.
"It looked painful," Mulder said.
"Yeah, extremely," Shinji agreed.
The doctor chuckled. "What did you expect?"
The doors opened and Scully rushed into the room. "Damn, I missed it?" she sighed disappointedly, looking around at the delivery room. Scully and her husband had gone over to the mainland with her brothers to finish packing the rest of the furniture from their house in Baltimore.
"Scully, believe me you should be glad that you did, it wasn't a pleasant sight," Mulder said.
"Nonsense, Fox, it was beautiful," Slava said, stepping into the room.
"You shouldn't be in here," Pendrell said, frowning. "Only family and friends are allowed in the delivery room."
"Don't worry, Doctor, I'm not staying long. I just wanted a word with Fox before I head back to my rooms," Slava replied, giving the young doctor his most winning smile.
Scully interrupted. "I don't think King Walter would like you talking to Mulder without him being present."
"Oh, I was under the impression that Fox was an adult and didn't need permission to speak to anyone." Slava looked at Mulder for confirmation.
"Scully, it's okay. I need to talk to Slava, too. Why don't you and Shinji go over and see Justin and his baby. I'll be right back." Mulder left the room before Scully could argue; he was so tired of everyone being overly protective of him.
General Kline was in the hallway discussing his reaction to the first birth of an immortal baby at the palace with the press. The General's eyes followed Mulder as he led Slava down the hallway. He quickly turned to his aid. "Madson, will you see that each member of the press gets a photograph of the baby with her fathers Mr. Blaise and Mr. Hawk? I have business that needs my immediate attention." Kline rushed down the hallway after the Russian Tsar and Prince Fox.
Mulder led Slava to Doctor Pendrell's office. He closed the door behind them. "Okay, Nikolai, what is it?" Mulder decided to try to be courteous.
Slava smiled at Mulder's use of his first name. "I wanted to give you this." An album appeared in Slava's hands. "It is of our daughters' first few months, I had it scribed in English for you, Fox. I had been planning to give it to Alexei to give to you before I left because I didn't think that I would see you on this visit."
Mulder sat and opened the album. He smiled softly at the photo of his daughter Svetlana and her footprints and handprints on the page next to it. The next page showed Svetlana being held by a pretty young woman. He looked up as the door to the office opened and General Kline stepped in.
"Your Highness, is everything okay?" the General asked.
"Everything's fine, Clay. Tsar Slava was kind enough to bring me an album of my daughters. Look, this is Svetlana, but I'm not sure who the young woman is with her."
Slava heart soared at how proudly Fox showed the older man the photo of their daughter. "That's Galina. Each of our daughters has their own private nanny. You should look into hiring some nannies to help take care of your daughters, Fox."
"Walter has been interviewing some men and a few of the surviving women for the jobs. He wanted to hire four nannies." Mulder left out that it was no longer necessary since he wasn't going to be having the babies.
General Kline leaned over the chair and looked at the photographs. He had been apprised of all that went down between Mulder and Slava. His admiration for Mulder went up two fold that Mulder was able to deal with the Tsar politely and unemotionally. The General knew that they needed Slava's army in order to defend themselves against the Seraphim. Still, he did not want to leave Mulder alone with the Russian. "King Walter will be breaking for lunch shortly, Your Highness. I know that he would enjoy your company. You can tell him all about the birth."
Mulder made a face. "Clay, that is not exactly a subject to talk about over lunch."
"Why? I thought it was quite miraculous."
"It was so gross, Clay. A man just pushed a six-pound object out of his bellybutton. There was nothing miraculous about it."
Slava chuckled. "It was a beautiful baby girl not an object, Fox. General Kline is right it was miraculous and beautiful. You are just nervous."
Mulder shut the album. "Whatever. Clay, I would like to have lunch with Walter, at least I can show him the album. But, I want to stop and see Justin first, and I need to change," he said, fingering the blue hospital scrubs. He stood and headed for the door.
"I'll accompany you," Kline said.
Slava followed as far as the elevator. He was hoping to dine with Alexei again. It would be a bonus to dine with both his lovers. Yes, he still thought of the beautiful Fox as his lover. Someday he'd have both Alexei and Fox in his bed. For now, he'd just have to be patient.
***
It was after noon when Mulder, Shinji, and Scully arrived in the dining hall escorted by General Kline. The room was abuzz with the news of the birth of a female immortal. Shinji spotted Kazuo and his relatives eating at a table near the waterfall. So, he excused himself to go and join them.
Walter and Alex were seated at the table reserved for their royal family. Their daughters were with them along with Slava. As the trio approached the table, Skinner rose and walked over to Mulder, kissing him lightly. "Tsar Nikolai was telling us about the birth, Fox, was it as beautiful an experience as he says it was?" Skinner led Mulder over to a chair between him and Faith.
Mulder set the album he was carrying on the floor under his chair. "I'll tell you about it after I've eaten." Mulder frowned; Alex hadn't even noticed him yet. He was too preoccupied with Slava; it took the Tsar greeting Mulder to draw Alex's attention toward him. Mulder flashed back on Slava's comments about Alex promising to have his baby, it didn't seem so strange to him now.
"Fox, have you had a chance to look through the album?" Slava asked.
"Yes, Scully and I looked at it while we were visiting Justin."
"What album?" Skinner asked slightly miffed that Slava had apparently had contact with Fox.
"I'll show it to you later, Walter." Mulder reached over and squeezed his hand reassuringly.
Alex was mortified that he hadn't even noticed Fox's arrival. "Fox, how is Justin doing?"
"Fine, Alex. Although, he would like a word with our King," Mulder said, smirking over at Walter.
"With me. Why?"
"Walter, they had a television camera broadcasting the birth live. Do you realize how embarrassing that would be? Not to mention all the men in the peanut gallery."
"What do you mean? Didn't Justin give his consent for them to televise it?" Skinner looked across the table at his General and chief advisor. He was livid. "Clay, O'Connell was supposed to get each of the immortals' written consent."
"He was supposed to, Your Majesty. I'll have a word with him and find out what happened," the General said gruffly, setting his napkin down, he rose and left the dining hall.
"I wouldn't want to be in O'Connell's shoes," Scully said.
"Clay's not one for tolerating any blatant disregard of orders," Skinner said. "I suppose I should find a way to make it up to Justin. Fox, do you have any suggestions?"
"Groveling, Walter, plenty of groveling. Don't forget to take a pillow with you. I expect you'll be spending most of your time with Justin on your knees," Mulder said, looking sideways at his lover as he picked up the French dip sandwich.
Scully snickered. "Flowers wouldn't hurt either."
Skinner sighed. He needed to keep a tighter reign on his staff, that would mean spending less time with Fox and Alex, and his daughter. Life was so much simpler when he was only an Assistant Director. Skinner was feeling depressed lately, his job was unbelievably stressful to begin with, and the one thing in his life that he wanted more than anything was being taken away from him. He wanted another child by Fox. A boy would have been nice, but even another daughter would have been a Godsend. It hurt that he had no control over his lover's decision to end his pregnancy. The baby was his child too, not just Fox's.
Mulder set the sandwich back down on his plate. He had suddenly lost his appetite. He could sense Walter's unhappiness and he sadly glanced over at the large man who was silently brooding. "Walter, I'm going upstairs. I'll take the girls so you and Alex won't have to watch them any longer today." He stood and started to unfasten Faith from her highchair.
"Fox, finish your sandwich," Skinner said.
"Not hungry." Mulder scooped his daughter up and went over to retrieve Hope. "I'm tired, Walter, I didn't sleep too well last night," he confessed. "I'm just going to go upstairs and have a nap."
"You're not going to get any sleep watching Hope and Faith. I'll take care of them," Alex volunteered, feeling guilty about not noticing Fox earlier.
"Alex, no. You and Walter have more important things to do today. They'll take a nap with me. Walter, teleport my photo album upstairs for me," he said, carrying both girls out of the dining hall before his lovers could put up any more objections. Mulder wasn't really planning on sleeping, he didn't want the dreams that would come the minute he closed his eyes. It had been terrible last night. He didn't want to believe that the children in his dream were the same ones he carried in his belly. They had been so innocent and loving. It was only his guilt giving him those dreams, they weren't premonitions.
Walter and Alex watched Fox leave. Their lover had been distant and short-tempered since waking up yesterday and neither man wanted to do or say anything that would upset him.
***
Yukon Territory
Sunday, May 28
4:30 p.m.Ari was sore and tired. Giving birth had taken more out of him than he would have thought possible with him being an immortal. His nipples ached. Damn, that was the weirdest sensation having his nipple sucked with such intensity and knowing that his daughter was actually drawing milk out of it. It really didn't seem possible, considering he was still flat-chested He wished there was a way for him to tell how much she was drinking. He hugged her tightly and breathed in her delicious scent. Ari was sure he'd be able to identify Kat by her scent alone. She was a part of him. He had never created anything in his life that was even remotely as magnificent as his daughter.
"Hey, Ari, I brought you some soup," Duffy said, setting the mug down on the table next to the sofa where Ari laid curled up with his daughter. "It's Campbell's chicken and dumpling. Jeff found a pantry full of supplies over in the old kitchen. Most of the stuff is still good."
"Would you mind holding Kat while I eat?" Ari asked, shifting until he was sitting upright.
Ari noticed Duffy's hesitance. "Jason, you'll be fine, just support her head and neck."
"Ari, she's so small. I'm afraid that I might crush her," he said taking the tiny infant from Ari. Kat fit in the palm of Duffy's large hand -- she was that small.
"See, you're doing fine. Jason, even I could crush her, you just have to be careful that you don't. Isn't our daughter beautiful?" Ari sighed, picking up the mug and taking a deep sip.
"Our daughter, Ari?"
"Yes, Jason. I don't want to raise her alone. Besides, I want her to learn some morals. You don't mind do you?"
"No. Nothing would make me happier. I'm just stunned that you would want me to be an equal part of your daughter's upbringing. What about Paul?"
"Our daughter, Jason. Paul hates kids. Even though I love him like a brother, I don't want Paul to raise Kat. She needs more of a stable life." Ari blew on the hot broth keeping an eye on Duffy and his daughter. He knew he'd made the right decision; Duffy would be good with Kat.
"What about other children, Ari?" Duffy asked, looking down at the pretty infant in his hand.
"What about them?" Ari looked up confused.
"N'thrals are sterile. I could never father a child with you, and what happens if you have a compulsion to have another baby?"
"Don't worry about it, Jason. We'll deal with that, if and, when it happens." It was something that had been worrying Ari, too. He didn't want to become a slut to his body's needs.
***
Gabriel Hunter leaned out of the combat helicopter side door trying for an unobstructed view. He had volunteered for the search and rescue mission after visiting Agent Peacock in the hospital. It was clear to him that they needed a powerful sorcerer to go up against CGB Spender. And he was one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world. If the Batman were to interfere in the rescue mission, he'd have a better chance of defending them.
It had hurt to leave Hans, but Jeff's and Duffy's lives had to be put first. Besides, Duffy was captured and taken into slavery because he was protecting Hans. Then there were the two new immortals. He looked off in the distance and all that he could see for miles and miles were the tops of trees. This was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. Then he smelled it. Smoke. Hunter closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He needed to determine the direction. This part of Canada was now virtually devoid of humans, most had moved south after the virus.
"What is it, Gabriel?" Jack Sullivan asked.
"I smell smoke."
Sullivan sniffed but couldn't smell anything, but he didn't question Hunter's ability to detect the substance. "What direction is it coming from?"
"About one hundred miles from the northwest," Hunter finally said.
"I'll tell the pilot," Sullivan said.
On board the helicopter were only the pilot and co-pilot, Hunter, and Sullivan. They needed the space in case they did find the five men. Duffy alone would need the space of two men.
***
Ian came running into the room from outside. "We have to hide, there's a helicopter approaching our position."
Duffy looked over at Spender who suddenly became alert. "You're the sorcerer here, Jeff. Can you tell if they are friendly or not?"
"Sorry, someone on board is shielding them," Spender said. "I think it would be best if we hid. I can shield us from their detection until we can determine who they are."
Ari was worried about taking his baby out into the cold, but they couldn't stay here, this would be the first place that would be searched. He laid her down on the sofa so he could dress. He pulled on his baggy pants; it felt good to have a slim waistline again. He tightened the robe belt to hold up the borrowed pants, now he only wished that he had pants that would fit him. He left his shirt open as he pulled on the layers of black clothing. Ari covered his hair and mouth with a wraparound scarf that left only his eyes showing. He picked Kat up and cuddled her to his bare chest. "Khalid, could you give me a hand? I need my shirt and coat button over Kat."
"Sure, Ari." The young Egyptian fastened the buttons while Ari held his daughter against his chest. When he was done, it was hard to tell what the young man carried beneath his coat against his chest.
Nighttime had fallen and provided plenty of cover for the unique group to sneak out of the cabin. They avoided the spotlight from the helicopter as it circled over the camp searching for a place to land.
***
Crystal Palace
Sunday, May 28
8:30 p.m."Are you sure, Chuck?" Mulder questioned with growing relief.
"Sure, I'm sure. Doctor Long is willing to give you an abortion, but you'll have to find a way to get to his office in New Jersey. Fox, he wants to keep this under the table, just between us. He won't do it if anyone finds out."
"No one will know, except my lovers. I won't keep them in the dark. How soon will he see me?" Mulder asked loudly, trying to be heard over the background noise. He was sitting on the floor with the phone cradled under his chin, playing with his daughters who were pounding on a xylophone with their toy blocks.
"Friday. Fox, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes." No. He wasn't sure at all and didn't want to dwell on his doubts. When he looked at his daughters, he felt guilty that they'd never get to see their brothers or sisters. Doctor Pendrell hadn't been able to determine if one of the babies he was carrying was a boy. In a way, he was glad not to know.
"Okay, I'll see you then," Chuck said, disconnecting.
Mulder hung up the phone. "Bedtime, munchkins."
"Play," Faith protested as Mulder picked her up. Hope ran toward their bedroom.
"Nope. You can play in the morning. See, your sister wants to go to bed," Mulder commented as Hope climbed up on the step stool to get into her bed.
"No tired," Faith pouted.
"You will be, Cutie, as soon as you lie down."
"No."
"Yes."
"Is there a problem, Fox?" Alex asked, stepping into the room. He had made sure that he had showered before leaving Slava's rooms.
"Can you put your daughter to bed, while I tuck Hope in?" Mulder didn't wait for an answer as he handed Alex their daughter.
Mulder went over to Hope and tucked her under the blankets as Alex argued with their daughter. He watched briefly, before leaving the room and heading across his bedroom to the veranda. The sun was setting by the time Alex joined him.
"Did you get a chance to see Justin and his baby, Alex? Or were you too busy fucking Slava?"
"Fox, if you didn't want me to be with Slava, you never should have given me your permission."
"Alex, I didn't mean under my own roof! I don't understand, why are you here now and not with him? It was obvious at lunch that you loved him more than me," Mulder challenged.
"I don't love Nikolai more than I love you, Fox. How can you think such a thing?"
"Maybe it's because you haven't even tried to touch me or make love to me since I've woken up. You've been with him seventy-five percent of the time. And you hate me for wanting an abortion." Mulder felt like he was losing Alex. He loved Alex too much to lose him, but he didn't know how he could compete with Slava.
"Fox, I don't hate you. You haven't exactly been the easiest person to approach in the last thirty-six hours. Believe me, I wanted to make love to you very much, but I was afraid that you wouldn't let me." Alex wrapped his arms around Fox's waist from behind, resting his chin on Fox's shoulder. "Will you?"
"Yes." Mulder turned around in Krycek's arms and the two men started kissing hungrily.
"Daddee play," Faith said, coming out on the veranda dragging her blanket behind her.
"Do you think four-point restraints would be too traumatic for her?" Krycek quipped.
"Don't even joke about it, Alex."
"Sorry, Fox, I forgot how many times you were restrained that way in your life," Alex said, scooping up Faith and carrying her back toward the bedroom.
"Too many," Mulder muttered, gazing down at the lights below. He wondered if Hunter was having any luck locating Jeff and Duffy. His brother had wings. Mulder didn't know how he would react when he saw Jeff again.
***
Yukon Territory
Sunday, May 28
9:00 p.m.Ari was crouched behind a tree in the thick forest undergrowth and Duffy's protective presence was to his right. He could feel Kat's warm body moving against his chest. The diaper they had made out of a washcloth was damp. Ari cocked his gun as the men from the helicopter approached his hiding place. It was too dark to get a good look at them. Kat started whimpering. "Ssh, Kat," Ari whispered as her whimpering grew louder. He quickly pocketed his gun and unbuttoned his top enough to reach in. Ari positioned Kat's tiny mouth against his nipple and she started sucking hungrily. He sighed, as he held her in position with one hand and reached for his gun with the other, even though he would never be able to use the gun. Not while holding Kat, he didn't want to chance injuring her hearing.
Duffy gasped. Ari had suddenly vanished before his eyes. He reached out a hand and touched the spot where his lover had been and felt a solid form then he picked up Ari's scent. It was all that he could do to remain quiet. Somehow Ari had developed a defensive mechanism that rendered him and his baby invisible at the hint of danger, sort of like a chameleon.
Hunter's ears had picked up the faint sound of a baby whimpering, now he was hearing a distinct suckling sound coming from the direction of the woods. Someone was shielding several people from his detection. That someone was very good, if it weren't for the baby, he'd never have located them. He decided to chance that the people who were hiding were friendly and might be the group he sought.
"This is Special Agent Gabriel Hunter of the FBI. I know someone is out there please identify yourselves." Hunter and Sullivan stood still waiting.
"Gabriel! Thank God," Spender said, stepping out from behind the trees. Followed closely by two other men.
Ari had reappeared as the threat to him and his baby vanished.
"I'll second that," Duffy said, leading Ari out into the open, he leaned down and whispered in Ari's ear. "Ari, you became invisible back there."
Ari looked at him with wide-eyes. "What? You're crackers."
"We'll discuss this later," Duffy replied, smiling down at his lover.
"Jeff, Duffy, are you two okay?" Hunter asked. His eyes looked at the two immortals behind Spender, then they locked in amazement on Spender's wings and remarkable change in appearance.
"We're fine," Spender said
Ian spoke up anxiously, "We have to get out of here. There's no telling when the Batman will find us."
The sound of suckling focused his attention on the tall man next to Duffy. "We have a 'copter standing by," Hunter replied as he walked over to Ari. "How old is your daughter, Mr. Summers?"
"Kat was born this morning. How do you know who I am?"
"Paul Danforth filled us in on your group. Only he failed to mention that you were an immortal and pregnant."
"Paul would never betray my secret. He's Kat's biological father. Has there been any word on the rest of my group?" Ari asked as he followed Hunter and Sullivan to the helicopter.
"We have helicopters searching Alaska for them," Sullivan said, opening the helicopter's sliding door. "We made room in the middle for you to sit, Duffy. We need to distribute the weight evenly."
Hunter showed Ari over to a seat next to where Duffy was to sit. "May I see her?" he asked, as the young Australian sat.
"Yes." Ari pulled his shirt open so the blond-haired sorcerer could see the infant.
Hunter watched the baby nurse in wonderment. "Don't you need breasts? How are you able to produce enough milk?"
"There seems to be plenty," Ari said and shifted Kat over to his right nipple. He wasn't the least bit embarrassed as he pinched his left nipple, causing liquid to drip out. "See, it's still leaking."
"That amazing, I wonder where it's coming from?" Hunter rested a hand on the back of the baby's head.
"You seem to be filled with a lot of questions, is there a reason?" Ari asked.
"Yes, my lover is expecting his child in a month," Hunter said, glancing over at Duffy who had settled down in the small space next to them.
Duffy smiled. "So, you and Hans have finally gotten together. What did Frohike have to say about that?"
"It was Melvin's suggestion. We're all happy with the arrangement. I'm surprised that Jeff hadn't filled you in yet."
Jeff spoke from the back of the helicopter. "We've been kinda busy, Gabriel, with running for our lives and delivering a baby. It didn't allow much time for chitchat."
"I suppose there is that." Hunter smiled and took his seat as the helicopter took off.
"How's Fox doing? I had a strange dream that he was very pregnant," Spender asked.
"*Very* pregnant about describes Fox's condition. He's not handling it too well mentally. Besides being pregnant with Walter and Alex's babies, he's also with an alien's baby from being raped," Hunter said sadly.
"He was raped by one of those gray shape shifting aliens!" Duffy said appalled.
"No, he was raped by a Seraphim. An alien that resembles Jeff."
Ari listened to the men discuss his hero. He was dying to meet Fox Mulder, but it was important to him to make a good impression on Mulder, so he had to find something else to wear. "Is there a place in this palace where I could purchase clothing? I would kill for a shower."
"Don't worry, Ari, as an immortal you will be assigned your own floor at the palace with dozens of bathrooms. I'll call ahead and have some clothes delivered to your rooms," Hunter said.
Ari's mind was whirling over Hunter's words. His own floor? Dozens of bathrooms? He knew as an immortal he was considered invaluable, but usually it worked to his disadvantage as he spent most of his time hiding afraid of being raped or enslaved. He clung desperately to his freedom and his old way of life. "What do I have to do for this living space?"
"Nothing. Don't worry, Ari. You'll be safe at the palace. King Walter would never allow anyone to touch you or any of the other immortals against their will," Hunter reassured the young man.
"King Walter?" Duffy asked.
"You don't know? I thought everyone would know by now that Walter Skinner is King of New America," Sullivan said.
"New America? What was wrong with the old one?" Duffy asked a bit miffed.
Sullivan shrugged his shoulders. "It was on the verge of collapse."
Spender interrupted before Duffy could respond, he was tired of political discussions. "So, is there any other news?" he asked.
"We heard on the radio that Justin gave birth to his daughter this morning," Hunter said.
Ari looked over at Duffy and said with relief, "So, it is seven months. Kat wasn't premature."
***
The Seraphim Home World
The news about the baby Seraphim's birth spread throughout the planet, and its surrounding galaxies. Although the baby was a boy and not the much desired female, it was still the first baby Seraphim born in over two millenniums.
Xochipilli proudly carried the infant into the lavish reception room where all his brothers waited to see the child. The infant had his father's magenta colored wings and Ricardo's dark complexion.
"Xochipilli, he is beautiful. How is Xoric doing?" Xovebena asked as all the Seraphim gathered around the new father and child.
"He has come through the birthing process well. I would have brought him with me, but I want him to rest up a few more days."
King Xowolfe admired the baby. "My mate will be having a Seraphim baby within six months. We must find a way to get him away from the humans who are holding him."
"Yes. And we need to retrieve the other immortals," another Seraphim stated.
"Yes that is vital, now that we know the human immortals are capable of producing Seraphim offspring, we must get them at any cost," another said.
"I plan on assembling the largest army this universe has ever seen, the Earthlings won't know what hit them!" the King declared. "We still have the portal, when the time is right we will use both to invade the Earth."
***
Crystal Palace
Monday, May 29
3:30 a.m.Ari looked up at the brightly lit palace, he had never seen anything more magnificent in his life and couldn't wait to see it in the daylight. He held Kat firmly in his arms as they followed Hunter through the main doors into a crystal and marble foyer that was the size of a football field.
A very handsome bald man stood waiting for them, he projected an aura of leadership and authority. Five men who Ari assumed to be the man's staff surrounded him.
Skinner watched the strange group as they entered the foyer, his heart fluttered with relief upon seeing Duffy's giant frame and Jeffrey, even with wings, it was still good to see his brother-in-law again. Hunter had called five hours ago to inform him that they had found Duffy and Jeff, and *three* immortals plus a newly born infant. He asked Skinner not to announce their arrival; Hunter felt that the men should rest up before they had to face friends and the crowds who would want to see them.
Skinner's attention was focused mainly on the tall man dressed in layers of fabric with his face and hair covered. The man was carrying an infant wrapped in a blanket. This must be Ari Summers the mysterious third immortal. The other two immortals had been identified as Ian Hennesey and Khalid Kirah both of whom had been assumed dead. It came as a shock to all of them that the two immortals had survived the total incineration of their bodies. Already, Pharaoh Menes II was demanding the return of Kirah, the Egyptian immortal.
Skinner smiled at Spender. "Jeff, thank God. Fox has been going out of his mind with worry," he said, greeting the winged man warmly. His staff just stood gaping at him. It was going to take a while for them to get used to Jeff's new body.
"Where is Mulder?" Spender asked.
"Sleeping. I didn't want to wake him. He hasn't been having an easy time lately."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Jeff said, he had hoped that his brother would have been here. "Walter, this is Ian Hennesey and Khalid Kirah."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen," Skinner said, shaking their hands.
"Same here, Your Majesty," Ian said, in awe at meeting the most powerful ruler in the world.
Duffy put a hand on the small of Ari's back and guided him over to Skinner. "Walt, it is good to see you again," the giant said, staring down at the much smaller man.
"Duffy, I'm so glad to see that you made it back in one piece." Skinner reached up and shook Duffy's hand and looked at the man standing beside him. Ari was tall, around six foot seven, but still he only came up to Duffy's breastbone.
"Walt, I would still be in China if it weren't for Ari. Ari, this is Walter Skinner an old marine buddy of mine."
The men next to Skinner frowned at Duffy's familiar use of the King's first name. They stopped frowning when Ari address the King in a warm, smooth voice.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty." Ari stared into Walter's warm brown eyes and felt an instant liking for the man. He wanted to get to know him better. "Excuse Jason, he's not familiar with protocol for addressing royalty." Duffy rolled his eyes, but held his tongue, he wasn't happy that his country was no more, even with his friend as King.
"Mr. Summers, it is a pleasure to meet you. No need to apologize, Duffy and I go way back. It would feel strange having him call me by anything other than Walt," Skinner said, trying to get a glimpse of the immortal behind the scarves, then he looked at the small bundle cuddled against the immortal's chest. "May I see your daughter?"
Ari held Kat so Skinner and his advisors could see her, she was sleeping but stirred slightly scrunching her face up under the glare from the brightly lit foyer. "Call me Ari. Kat needs a clean diaper," he sighed. "Jack loaned me a cotton handkerchief on the helicopter, but she's already gone through that."
Skinner chuckled, "That's all they seem to do for the first few months is eat and mess their diapers. When Agent Hunter called and informed us of the situation I had a case of disposable diapers sent up to your floor." He touched the infant's hand and smiled when she grabbed his finger. "She's smaller than my daughter was when she was born," he observed.
Ari grinned behind his scarf. Handsome, experienced, and caring, just the type of man he'd imagined Fox Mulder would be attracted to. "I suppose you and Agent Mulder would know what it's like taking care of a baby. I might need to come to you and him for advice, but right now, I could really use a hot shower and a soft bed. Gabriel did mention you'd have rooms available for me and Duffy to crash in. So if someone would be kind enough to show us where, you'd have my undying gratitude."
Several of the advisors quickly volunteered, but Hunter stepped forward more or less dismissing them. "I'll show them it's on the way to my floor. Jeff, why don't you take Ian and Khalid up to their floor and get them settled." He smiled knowingly at the young man, knowing that Jeff and Ian were attracted to each other.
"Sure, Gabriel. Walter, I'll see you in the morning," Spender said, leading his charges across the foyer and over to the tower portion of the palace. He led them to an elevator on the south-side of the tower.
"It's been a long day for all of us," Skinner said, accompanying Hunter, Duffy, and Ari to the north-side elevator. The tower had five elevators.
"Arty, scan these two men for future reference. They're assigned to the twentieth floor," the King said, then turned to Ari and Duffy to explain. "No one other than pre-approved personnel are allowed access above the fifteenth floor. Arty is the palace's artificial intelligence computer system, he provides 24/7 security for guarding the immortals and their families. If anything is amiss he will take the appropriate steps and notify security.
"Your Majesty, I've completed a scan of these men. However, I would be more thorough if the one would remove that ridiculous black scarf. What is he some sort of a ninja?" Arty inquired sarcastically.
"Arty, we all could live without your commentary." Skinner scowled up the elevator ceiling as the door opened on the twentieth floor. "I'm sorry about that, Ari. Arty has an abrasive personality, but he does grow on you after a while."
"That is okay, Your Majesty, no offense taken. I do plan on losing my disguise while I am here. This is just for when I'm on the road."
"Please call me Walter when we are alone or among friends. If you need anything, just ask, and stop upstairs tomorrow, Fox and Alex would like to meet you and see Duffy again," Skinner said. He allowed the doors to close, he was anxious to get upstairs to Fox and Alex -- these eighteen hour days were killing him.
Hunter showed the couple down the long hallway. "This whole floor is yours, Ari. There is a kitchen and large dining room, but most of us prefer to eat downstairs in the main dining hall. The palace has an excellent kitchen staff and several superb chefs."
The high fifteen foot ceilings impressed Duffy, even the doors were ten feet tall, so he didn't have to bend to enter a room. Ari was speechless. When Gabriel had mentioned they would have a floor at the palace with dozens of bathrooms, he assumed the man was joking, he never imagined anything remotely this large and luxurious. When they finally made it to the bedroom, there were stacks of packages piled up against one wall. Ari smiled when he saw the boxes of disposable diapers. A bassinet was set up next to the oversized bed. The bed was large enough for Duffy. For once they wouldn't have to sleep on the floor together.
"The nursery is through these French doors, you can move her in there when she is old enough," Hunter said opening the door. "Up those steps is the bathroom. The tub should be large enough even for you to use, Duffy. If there isn't anything else, I'm going be heading upstairs to bed. I'll see you both at noon for lunch."
"Thanks for everything, Gabriel," Ari said, laying Kat down on the mattress. As soon as Hunter left he started stripping while Duffy wandered around the room exploring.
"There is a fruit basket and some fruit juice chilling in a bucket of ice over here. Ari, do you want anything?" Duffy asked holding up the basket.
"What type of fruit juice?" Ari asked as he walked nude to get a diaper out of the bag.
"Apple, Orange, and Cranberry." Duffy admired Ari's body, it was the first time he'd seen him naked in weeks. His body no longer even showed signs of having been pregnant a mere twenty-four hours ago, except for the puffy nipples, which Duffy found extremely arousing.
"Cranberry sounds good."
Kat woke up and started crying as Ari removed the blanket and wet handkerchief. "Are you hungry again, Kat?" Ari positioned her against his nipple and held her securely as she started to nurse. He wandered up the steps to the bathroom, and gasped at the opulence of the room. A ceiling to floor window overlooked what he thought was the countryside as he spotted distant lights coming from what he assumed was a town. Gabriel had been right the fifteen foot sunken bathtub was more than large enough for Duffy and him both, but he didn't want a bath just yet. He walked across the room to the open ceramic-tiled shower. It had a detachable shower head with a long hose, that would be handy for Duffy because the shower head was set at only seven feet.
"This place is sure something isn't it?" Duffy said from behind him. "It will take us days to explore all the rooms. I wonder why they are giving us so much space?"
Ari shifted Kat so he could hold her with one arm, and he held out his hand for the glass of fruit juice. "I think King Walter is expecting that the floor would eventually be filled up with my children. He might not be wrong if the compulsion comes back. It sure is going to put a damper on my nomadic lifestyle."
"Do you want to leave?"
"Not yet. Not with Kat. Besides, I've been traveling for months, I just want to take the summer to relax. When my gang gets here we can discuss what our plans are for the future." He wasn't going to think about their plans to abduct Shinji Takeda for Emperor Kong. Not yet anyway.
***
Skinner walked tiredly into the bedroom and over to his closet, he didn't look at the bed as he passed it. He detected the sweet smell of sex. Therefore, he knew Alex and Fox had made peace. He stripped out of his suit and tossed it into the dry cleaners bag. When he finished undressing he headed over to the bed and noticed that Fox wasn't in it. He looked out on the veranda. Not finding Fox there he headed into the nursery. His lover was sitting in the rocker staring at his two daughters.
"Fox, what's wrong?" Walter asked, kneeling beside the rocker.
"I couldn't sleep." They wouldn't let him, they kept talking to him in his dreams. "Walter, I found a doctor willing to give me an abortion."
"Who and when?" Walter asked sadly.
"Doctor Long, on Friday. He's in New Jersey."
"Are you sure you want to do this, Fox?" Walter had avoided asking him, outright until now.
"No," he admitted. "I don't want to but I have to. It's so hard to explain."
"I don't understand," Walter said frustrated. "Can you at least try to understand how I feel? I know it's your body so the final decision will be yours, but I don't want you to abort our child."
Mulder reached out and brushed a tear off Walter's cheek. It broke his heart to be hurting his lover. "I will try to understand, Walter, but I won't promise you anything. If I still feel the way I do now by Friday, then I will be going through with it."
"Fair enough, Fox." He stood and held out his hand to his lover. "Come back to bed, babe."
"I'm not tired, Walter."
"You don't have to sleep, just come to bed so I can hold you. I sleep better with you in my arms."
"Since you put it that way, Bear."
As they walked to the bed Skinner said, "Oh, Jeffrey and Duffy are back."
Mulder stopped. "They're here? At the palace?"
"Yes. I wanted to surprise you when you woke up."
"That's one less worry on my mind. How did Jeff seem?" Mulder asked, stripping off his robe.
"I didn't have that much of a chance to talk to him. They were all tired from their ordeal. He was magnificent looking, but not as beautiful as an immortal." Skinner looked at Alex as he pulled the covers back and allowed Fox to crawl into the center of the bed. Alex didn't even stir.
Mulder noticed the look on Skinner's face. "I wore him out."
"You can wear me out later this morning," Skinner said, pulling Fox's warm body into his arms, he sighed and closed his eyes, breathing in the soothing scent of his lover. He had five days to convince this stubborn man, whom he loved with all his heart, not to get an abortion. He would have to work on Fox's love for children and deep-seated compassion, he thought before falling asleep.
Mulder lay with his head on Skinner's broad chest, he couldn't fall to sleep, they came to him when he slept, he couldn't bear to look into their wide innocent eyes or hear their soft, playful laughter.
***
Ari stepped out of the shower feeling like a new man. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a hot shower. It must have been at least ten months. He dried himself slowly then walked down the steps smiling at Duffy and Kat. His giant lover was attempting to dress Kat in an infant cotton undershirt. Ari just stood there watching as Duffy finally succeeded in gently pulling the sleeves over her tiny arms, then snapped the three snaps to hold the garment on.
Duffy noticed Ari's presence and grinned up at him from where he knelt by the bed. "There is a whole pile of baby clothes in those boxes over there. Kat is going to be extremely well dressed."
"Did they find any clothes for us? I really don't want to get dressed in those things again," he said, looking disdainfully at the discarded borrowed clothing. It would have been different if he still had his leather trousers and boots.
"Check the closets, Ari."
Ari noticed the closet doors for the first time, he walked over and pulled one open. The closet was a deep walk-in. On one side hung rows of pants, shirts, and coats. Underneath, was an assortment of footwear. He picked up a boot and checked inside. It was his size, he remembered Gabriel telling the King their sizes during their radio conversation. It amazed him that Skinner was able to find clothes and shoes that would fit him in five hours. Then again, the man was one of the world's most powerful sorcerers.
"Hey, Jason, it looks like you will be able to go in style when we go down for lunch at noon," Ari said, carrying out a mammoth suit coat and pants.
"Walt knows how much I hate wearing suits, I think that is his sense of humor trying to assert itself," Duffy quipped. "I'm going to take a shower, Ari, you can put Kat to bed. I would like to get at least six hours of sleep before we have to make an appearance downstairs."
***
White Mountain
Monday, May 29
7:30 a.m.CGB Spender looked down on the broken and dead bodies of his prisoners. He hadn't meant to kill the last one, but the man had angered him. He would have to find Ari Summers and his son on his own. He should have started searching the Yukon Territory, instead of wasting time with these insects.
"Your Eminence," Fyodorov said cautiously as a he entered the room. He adverted his eyes from the bloody bodies.
"Yes, Marat?"
"I located, Ari Summers and your son."
"Where?"
"They have been rescued and taken to the Crystal Palace. There is something else you should know. Ari Summers is an immortal, he gave birth to a daughter while they were fleeing from you."
"An immortal? How is that possible?"
"Sir, I think his pheromones changed while he was pregnant, so we weren't able to detect him," Fyodorov said, taking a step back as the smoker growled.
"This changes everything, Marat. I want you to find a way for me to get my hands on Ari and his child."
"I'll do my best, Your Eminence." Fyodorov turned and left the room. He needed to find a way off this mountain and through the barrier, the creature was clearly mad.
***