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Title: If Alex Fell 2. I'll Cover You It just works so well for my purposes and, you know James, it is one of Nick's favorite songs. Lyrics from I'll Cover You are also printed without permission. This really isn't songfic, despite evidence to the contrary. Harlan Ellison belongs to himself. Katie, Matthew, Tyler and Miranda are mine all mine. This is part two of the If Alex Fell series. If you haven't read part one, If Alex Fell: Fate, go back and read that first or you'll be lost for sure. If you have read part one, bless you and welcome back to my world. Thanks to Mim for continuing to encourage me, all the while, never letting me forget that I'm selfish in my steadfast refusal to share Alex with anyone. *g* He's mine, mine I say! Chris Carter be damned! Well...not really. ::humbly apologizes to the Master:: To Jonathan Larson, who gave us the beauty of Rent. I hope you know how many souls you've touched. Oh, and someone I totally forgot in my first story...why no one bothered to mention this to me, I'll never know ::tapping feet in irritation:: but special thanks to Nick Lea, without whom my head would be a lot clearer and a lot more boring. *g* Feedback: Yes, please. Praise will make my day. Flames will be used to lure Alex to my door. Either way, I win. Can you say 'incendiary device'? Sorry, inside joke. Talk to me people. Katie zipped her overnight bag and snapped the handles together. She sighed and turned to Alex. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Alex nodded. "You don't need me there this weekend, Katya. Go. Have fun. You'll hang out with Harlan and the other writers; you won't even know I'm not there." He put his arms around her and gave her a squeeze. "Anyway, this will give me time to get to know Matthew and Tyler, without you hovering," he added with a grin. "I do NOT hover," she replied indignantly. Alex laughed, picked up her bag and carried it into the living room. "Yes you do," he called over his shoulder. "Do not," Katie huffed, under her breath as she followed him out of the room. Alex smiled, but didn't respond right away. He put the bag down on the floor, in front of the couch and waited for her to come closer. When she did, he grabbed her and pulled her down on the couch with him. "Yes you do!" He put his lips against her ear and whispered, "and I wouldn't want it any other way." Katie smiled as Alex's mouth latched onto her neck. "Trying to mark me before I leave?" she asked. "You got it," he replied, before moving further down her neck. "Gotta let those good-looking writer types know you're taken." "Not to discourage you or anything, but you've got nothing to worry about in that department. These are all talented individuals, but not one of them could hold a candle to you," she hummed. "Well, you don't mind if I take out a little insurance, do you?" he murmured into her neck. "No, insure at will," she giggled. It didn't take Alex long to move from her neck to her mouth. Fifteen minutes later, when Matthew and Tyler arrived, they were so engrossed in each other that they never heard the elevator door open. "Looks like we're going to need the hose, Matthew," Tyler exclaimed loudly. Katie pulled back from Alex and shot them a dirty look. "Damn you for being punctual, Tyler!" Alex chuckled at Katie's annoyance. "Katya, you knew we only had a few minutes when we started this; don't take it out on Ty. Besides," he added. "You have a plane to catch." He stood up, coming dangerously close to dumping her on the floor as he did. Alex caught her before she actually fell over. Katie scowled. "You seem awfully anxious to get rid of me, Alexei." She looked at him suspiciously. Matthew snickered, making her turn her attention to both Matthew and Tyler, as well; they all had a vague 'cat that ate the canary' look about them. "What are you three up to?" she asked. "Who? Us?" Matthew asked innocently. "Hanna! Would we do anything behind your back?" "Yes, you would," she replied. "Maybe I should stay here after all." "NO!" the three shouted, in unison. Alex reached down, picked up her bag and tossed it to Matthew. "Oh, now I KNOW you're up to something," she frowned, tapping her feet nervously. Matthew caught the bag and draped the strap over his shoulder. "Time to go, Hanna. Don't want to miss that flight." Katie crossed her arms and planted her feet defiantly. "I'm not going anywhere, until one of you comes clean." Matthew started to say something, but Alex cut him off with a shake of his head. "Matthew, why don't you and Tyler take Katie's bag to the car? I'll bring her down in a couple of minutes." Matthew nodded and headed to the elevator, with Tyler close behind. "Hey, Matthew," Alex called. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. "Take the Ferrari." Matthew smiled broadly, clutching the keys in his hand, as the elevator door closed. When they were gone, Alex pulled Katie close. "What's wrong, Katya? You've been looking forward to this for weeks." Katie rested her head against his chest. She had been looking forward to this, but now that the time was at hand, she didn't know if she could walk out the door. Today was Friday; she'd be back Sunday night, so it wasn't a long trip, just over two days, if you counted the hours. Alex's hand rubbed up and down her back and she nestled in as close as she could manage; realizing that this was what she was afraid of losing. "You will be here when I come home? Won't you?" Alex pushed her away, just enough so he could see her face. Katie tried to look down at the floor, but he lifted her chin with his hand. "Is that what this is all about?" he asked, looking surprised. Katie shrugged. "Katya? Don't you know how much this last month has meant to me? For the first time in my whole sorry life, I feel like I have a home, friends, people who care about me. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop; the one where you tell me it's been nice, but it's time for me to go." He leaned down and kissed her gently. "I'm not going anywhere." Katie smiled and pulled him back down for another kiss. Then two, then three. Finally, Alex made her stop. "You, however, have a plane to catch. I'm sure Matthew's down there pacing the floor and wondering just what's taking so long." Katie laughed and nodded her head. "You're probably right." "Feel better now?" he asked. "Yeah, I do," she answered. "I still want to know what the three of you are cooking up for the weekend, but I'm not going to push you on it." Katie smiled and wiggled her eyebrows. "I'll work on Matthew instead." Matthew paced the floor in front of the car and checked his watch for the tenth time in as many minutes. "That's it. I'm going back up there." "No, you're not," Tyler scolded. "Alex will bring her down soon. Let him take care of this." "Take care of what? Take care of getting in a few extra gropes while we stand here, killing time?" he asked, angrily. Tyler sighed, wanting to smack his lover upside his head. "Jesus, Matthew! Are you really that blind?" He stared at Matthew, waiting for some kind of reply, when none came, he continued. "Oh, for crying out loud; she's panicking, Matthew. They haven't been apart for more than a few minutes in the entire time he's been here; she's afraid he won't be here when she gets back. Add to that her 'love' of going to these damned conventions, not to mention flying, and you've got a full-blown panic attack waiting to happen." Matthew dropped his head and huffed. "Yeah...maybe." "Yeah, maybe, nothing. Grow up. We're not the only men in her life now and the sooner you get used to the idea, the better. He gets to be the one to chase the demons, not you. You have to back away, Matthew," Tyler said calmly. "I know, it's just that...we don't know anything about him, other than what he's told us, and it bugs me." Matthew leaned back against the car. "Some of his story checks out, his parents' death, the school, his benefactor, but after graduation, he just disappears. Where the Hell has he been all this time?" he asked in frustration. "He said that he'd been working for an international consortium and that most of what they did was hush-hush work, so he couldn't talk about it," Tyler reminded. "Look, I'll admit the story is little fishy, but everything else he's told us has checked out, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I like him, Matthew. He may have a mystery or two in his life that he doesn't want to share, but I think he's a good guy." The elevator door opened, stopping Tyler from continuing his speech. Alex had his arm around Katie as he walked her to the car. "And I love the way he takes care of our Katie," Tyler added. Matthew nodded at Tyler. "It's about time, you two," he yelled. "Let's get going, Hanna." "We have almost two hours to get to the airport, Kid; it's only a forty-five minute drive," she said, as they approached. "Stop being so God-damned anal!" Tyler smirked and opened his mouth. "Shut up, Tyler," Katie snapped. "You know what I mean." Tyler closed his mouth, but snickered all the same. Alex leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Nature of the beast, Katya." She drew back in surprise and smacked him on the arm. "Alex! Not you, too?" Katie sighed. Alex chuckled and kissed her. "Get out of here. I'll see you Sunday night." Katie walked over to the passenger side and opened the door. Alex held it and waited for her to secure her seatbelt, before closing the door for her. She watched as he walked over to Matthew and said something to him. Matthew nodded, then opened his door. "Have fun, Katie," Tyler called. Alex waved and blew her a kiss. She smiled and waved goodbye, as the car backed out of the garage. When they'd gotten a few blocks away, Katie finally spoke to Matthew. "What did Alex say to you?" Matthew grinned. "I was wondering how long it would be before you asked." Then he didn't say anything more. Katie waited a few more minutes. "Well?" Matthew reached over and opened the glove compartment. "Is there an envelope in there?" Katie looked in and found a letter-sized, white envelope with her name on it. "This one?" "I guess so," Matthew said. "Alex just told me to make sure you got the envelope in the glove compartment when we got a few miles from the loft." Katie held it in her hand, turning it over and over. "Aren't you going to open it?" Matthew asked. "I'm afraid of what I might find inside," she said quietly. "Would you do it?" she asked, handing it to him. Matthew pulled off to the side of the road and parked the car. "Sure," he replied. He tore the flap and looked inside. "It's a picture," he said, pulling out a small black and white shot of a woman and young boy. "Does this mean anything to you?" he asked. Katie took the picture from his hand and nodded. "It means everything," she whispered. He watched her gingerly trace the outline of the boy in the picture, as a tear rolled down her cheek. Dying to know, but realizing that this was not the time, he pulled away from the curb and continued to the airport. They drove in silence for most of the way, before he broke down and asked. "Who are the people in the picture?" "Alex and his mother," she answered. "This is all he has left of her." Katie pulled out her wallet and slipped the picture inside. "It's a promise, Kid. He's letting me know he'll be there when I come home." "Tyler? Can I ask you a question about Katie?" Tyler shrugged his shoulders. "I guess. I don't know if I'll be able to answer it, but you can ask." Alex shifted uncomfortably on the couch. He didn't know quite how to approach the subject, but he knew that he'd rather ask Ty, than Matthew. "What happened with her last relationship?" "What do you mean?" Tyler asked, cautiously. "Things have been going well, you know? She was looking forward to this trip. I thought she was OK with me not going, then she tried to pick a fight when we were getting her out the door." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "After you two went downstairs, she asked me if I'd be here when she got home. Why does she think I'd leave? What did the last guy do to make her so afraid to leave me for a couple of days?" he asked, looking over at Tyler. Tyler leaned forward, imitating Alex's position. "Can't blame that on Scott, my friend. He was a jerk, but he didn't mess her up; she didn't care about him that much." "Then what is it?" Tyler patted him on the back. "She's lost everyone she's ever loved, except for Matthew. Everyone, Alex," he stressed. "Now that she's opened her heart again, she's scared to death that she'll lose you, too." Alex dropped his head. "I love her, Tyler; doesn't she know that?" Tyler chuckled and shook his head. "Have you told her that, Alex? I think she knows, but have you actually come out and told her that you love her?" "No," Alex sighed. "I've been waiting." "For what? A written invitation? The sky to fall?" Tyler shook his head again. "Alex, I know you love her, Matthew knows you love her, but you still have to say it out loud, so that Katie knows you love her," he said with a smile. "And I'll let you in on a little secret," he added. "You're going to have to say it first, because she can't. She can risk anything, but saying I love you first." "I guess I've been waiting until I was well enough to show her," Alex answered. "You know, 'actions speak louder than words'? Pretty stupid, huh?" "Not stupid," Tyler replied. "Misguided maybe, but not stupid." Alex nodded and sat back on the couch and looked at his watch. "She should know that I'll be here when she gets back now. I left something for her in the glove compartment. Assuming Matthew shows it to her, that is. It's not an 'I love you', but she'll understand what it means." "He'll make sure she sees it," Tyler assured. "Matthew's not out to sabotage you; he likes you, Alex, even if he doesn't let it show much. His first priority is protecting Katie, so before he breaks down and gives you his open approval, he's going to remain distant. Between you and me, he's wearing down." Alex smiled. "My turn to ask a question," Tyler continued. "Purely to satisfy my curiosity, mind you. Feel free to tell me to piss off." Alex laughed. "Gee, I can't imagine what you could be interested in knowing, Tyler," he said sarcastically. "But go ahead and ask." "Have you and Katie...you know?" Tyler asked. "Wink, wink, nudge, nudge." "Winking, yes," Alex answered, with a twinkle in his eyes. "Nudging, not yet. It's hard to nudge when you can't draw a deep breath." He paused, then gave Tyler a sly grin. "Katie doesn't know it yet, but I've been feeling really good the past couple of days. She's in a for a surprise when she gets home Sunday night." Tyler jumped up from the couch. "Well then, there's our project for the weekend. We need to plan out this first encounter." He looked down at Alex. "Any thoughts?" "Flowers and candlelight?" Alex offered. "Traditional, nice, very romantic," Tyler remarked. "One thought to keep in mind though. You know that whole rose petal on the bed thing?" Alex nodded. "Don't do it," Tyler continued. "It sounds lovely, it makes the room smell wonderful, it's very romantic...in theory. In practice...you'll be pulling rose petals out of the most interesting places for days to come." Alex's eyes grew wide and a broad grin spread across his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Tyler cut him off quickly. "Don't ask, just trust me on this." Alex collapsed in gales of laughter. Katie tossed her bag in the overhead compartment and sat down, hoping that she'd be fortunate enough to have no seatmates for the flight. The only thing she hated more than flying, was flying with a stranger who insisted on sharing his or her life story. She always managed to get stuck with one of those talkative souls. A short time later, when the flight attendants began their preflight spiel, she was blissfully alone in her row. Her seatbelt securely fastened, seat tray and chair in the upright positions, she took out her wallet and pulled the picture from its slot. "I love you, too, Alexei," she whispered. As soon as the captain allowed, Katie turned on her laptop and went to work on her latest story. That lasted about twenty minutes. Much to her surprise and frustration, she found that she couldn't focus without Alex in the room. 'When the Hell did this happen?' she wondered. She shut down in disgust and looked out the window. "Maybe this weekend away was a good idea after all," she muttered. "Excuse me, Ms. Heyes?" Katie turned and saw one of the flight attendants leaning across the seat. "Yes?" "There's a young woman a few seats back who'd like to meet you. She wanted to come over and introduce herself, but she's afraid of disturbing you. I don't usually do this, but she's a regular on this flight." She leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "Her parents are divorced and they fly her back and forth once a month. She's a sweet kid. I promise, she won't be a nuisance," the attendant added. Katie looked at the attendant's nameplate. "Sure, Teri, bring her over. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I could use the company." Teri smiled and started to straighten up. "Oh," Katie said. "What's her name?" "Miranda," Teri answered. "Thank you, Ms. Heyes. You don't know how much this will mean to her." Katie slipped the laptop under the seat and waited for Miranda to make an appearance. She hoped she wouldn't be kicking herself later for agreeing to this. "Ms. Heyes?" Teri said. "This is Miranda Jenkins." Miranda was about fifteen, a pretty little thing with jet-black hair and the bluest eyes Katie had ever seen. She was clutching a copy of A Yardstick for Lunatics in her hands, trying hard not to show how nervous she was. Katie patted the seat next to her. "Hi Miranda, have a seat." Miranda glanced back at Teri, who nodded and gently pushed her forward. "It's all right," Teri told her. "Sure, it is," Katie said. "C'mon. I don't bite...hard," she added with a grin. That broke the ice. Miranda giggled and sat down next to Katie. She handed Katie the book. "Would you sign this for me, Ms. Heyes?" "I can do that. Can you do something for me?" Katie asked. "Sure," Miranda answered. "Can you call me Katie? The only people who ever call me Ms. Heyes are my publisher's lawyers, stuffy old men with bad breath. I can't stand them." Miranda giggled again. "OK, Katie. I'm not crazy about lawyers either. Whenever they show up, bad things seem to happen." Katie nodded. "Teri told me your parents were divorced. Must be hard traveling back and forth like this all the time." "It is," Miranda said quietly. "But you get used to it. At least they don't fight anymore." She looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry, Katie. I didn't mean to come over here and start talking about my parents. I should go back to my seat." Katie put her hand on Miranda's shoulder. "Hey, I brought it up, you didn't. Let's change the subject, OK? I think we could both use some company about now." She smiled at Miranda. "So, how did you like the book?" They spent the rest of the flight talking about the book, the state of horror and Harlan Ellison. Miranda was surprised to learn that Katie was as nervous about meeting him, as she had been about meeting Katie. "But you're a famous writer," she said. "Why are you nervous about meeting another famous writer?" "Just because we're in the same business, doesn't mean that we can't be fans, too," Katie explained. "He was the first speculative fiction writer that ever scared me. I used to dream of being half the writer he is and now I'm going to be sitting on a panel with him, at his request." Katie leaned over and lowered her voice to just above a whisper. "Just between you and me, I'm hoping I don't throw up on his shoes when we're introduced tonight." Miranda laughed into her hands. "You'll be fine, Katie." The captain made his pre-landing announcement, so they fastened their seatbelts. Miranda closed her eyes as the landing gear dropped. Katie remembered the book, still in her lap, and signed it for her. When the plane touched down, Miranda opened her eyes. "I hate landings," she explained. "I hate flying in general," Katie answered. "Here's your book. I put my email address in there, in case you feel like writing me sometime." Miranda's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? You wouldn't mind me writing to you?" "I'll be disappointed if you don't," Katie replied. Katie and Miranda gathered their things and walked into the terminal together. They wished each other luck, before joining the people waiting for each of them at the gate. "Will you sit down!" Matthew exclaimed. "I told you, she's not going to call until later tonight. She'll go straight to the hotel from the airport, check in, meet with Michelle the bitch, and then it's dinner with the other guests. If Harlan's half the windbag I think he is, we'll be lucky to hear from her before midnight." "I know, I know," Alex grumbled. "Look, can we get out of here for while? Let's go grab something to eat; my treat. Maybe shoot some pool, hit a bar...we can even hit the mall for all I care; I need to get out of here." Matthew glared at him. "There's no way in Hell I'm setting foot in a pool hall with you, Alex." Alex grinned. "Yeah, OK. I suppose that was a bad idea," he said, rubbing his ribs. "You tell me. What is there to do around here?" "Nothing," Matthew and Tyler answered together. The phone rang and Alex jumped to answer it. Matthew and Tyler shook their heads and laughed as he ran across the room. "Hello? Oh, yeah, he's here. Hang on." Alex held up the receiver. "It's for you Ty." Tyler took the phone and shrugged at Alex. "Sorry," he whispered. "Hello? What? Great," he frowned. "Is Becky all right? No, tell her not to worry about it and take all the time she needs. Yeah, I'll be there shortly. Thanks Lisa." He hung up the phone, still frowning. "So much for a relaxing Friday night with the boys." "What happened, Ty?" Matthew asked. "Becky's mother was admitted to the hospital a few hours ago," he replied. "Oh no," Matthew said. "What happened?" "I don't know, Lisa didn't say too much about it, but I'll ask her when I get to the store," Tyler answered as he walked over to get his coat. "Anyway, as awful as this sounds, this leaves me short at the store, which means I've got to go in." "You want another pair of hands?" Alex asked. "I'm going stir crazy, you need help at the store," he hesitated, watching a silent exchange happening between Matthew and Tyler. "I'll work for bagels," he offered with a grin. "It can get pretty hectic in there Alex. Christmas time is the worst. You wouldn't believe the number of people coming in who want a specific book, but can't remember the author or the title, then get snippy with you when you have a hard time finding it for them," Tyler warned. Matthew got a thoughtful look on his face, then started laughing. "Do you remember, last year, the guy who wanted a book for his wife and all he could remember was that it was green?" Tyler snickered as he put on his coat. "We found that damned book for him though, didn't we? Still want to come along, Alex?" "Yeah, sure," Alex answered. "Let me grab my jacket." Matthew followed Alex back to the rack and grabbed his coat, as well. "I'll go over to the hospital and see what I can find out about Becky's mom, then meet you at the store." Tyler smiled. "Thanks babe. I know Becky will be glad to see a friendly face." Alex took once last look at the phone before getting on the elevator. 'What is wrong with me?' he wondered, shaking his head. Tyler smiled, sighed loudly and squeezed Matthew's arm. "Isn't young love grand, Matthew?" "Shut up, Tyler," Alex chuckled. Matthew patted Alex on the back. "The store closes at nine, we'll be back here by ten. I'm telling you, she's not going to call before then." Katie was bored. Not just a little bored, stone-fucking bored-out-of-her-mind bored. Harlan was trapped in Chicago for the night, maybe longer, depending on the storm currently raging through the greater Chicago area, so she was stuck having dinner with Michelle and two other authors who, in her mind, wrote complete crap. 'Tell me Harlan didn't hand pick these two,' she thought. In a vain attempt to keep herself awake, she decided to ask how everyone came to be invited. She was relieved to learn that organizers had chosen the panel members. When one of the authors had to bow out, Harlan had suggested Katie as a replacement. The board members had happily taken his suggestion and, knowing that Katie rarely accepted invitations to conventions, asked him to make the offer. "See darling," Michelle droned. "I told you he wanted to meet you." Katie smiled woodenly and checked her watch. 'God, is it really only 8?' She hung on for another fifteen minutes, then decided she had to get out of there. At precisely 8:15, she pushed back her chair and said her good nights to the group, thanking them for a lovely evening, but saying she needed to get out and do a little Christmas shopping while she had the chance. Michelle offered to go with her, but Katie quickly squashed that by saying she didn't want to take a cab. Michelle hated walking to the point of obsession, so Katie knew that she wouldn't try to follow her out of the hotel. Matthew once said that Michelle would have rollers attached to her feet and a luggage strap sewn to her ass if it meant that someone else would get her from point A to point B. That same year, Tyler had a caricature drawn of Michelle, complete with rollers and luggage strap. It was still among her top ten favorite birthday presents of all time. Katie headed upstairs to grab her coat. She hadn't been serious when she said she was going shopping, but after thinking about it, decided that it was a good idea anyway. It had been weeks since she'd been out of the loft and this might be her best shot at getting Alex a Christmas present. Once in the room, she considered calling home, but decided against it. If the boys were home, she'd end up spending hours talking to them and blow her chance to get out. If they weren't home, she'd spend the next few hours wondering where they were. She grabbed her coat and left the room before she had a chance to change her mind. The frigid air restored her mind to its original state. The mind-numbing conversation at dinner had put her brain to sleep and the shock of the 19-degree, feelslike-8-when-you-factor-in-wind-chill, weather was just what she needed to get back on her feet. "OK, weather, do your stuff. I need inspiration and I need it now," she said to the sky. "What can I get Alexei?" The usual gift ideas sprang instantly to mind, but were dismissed just as quickly. She wanted to give him something that showed what was in her heart, something that would let him know how much she loved him. A few blocks up, in a small shop window, she found her answer. "Can I help you?" the shopkeeper asked. "I hope so," Katie replied. She reached into her backpack and pulled out her wallet. "I have a picture I'd like to have enlarged." "Do you have the negative?" Katie bit her lower lip. "No, all we have left is the picture itself. Is that going to present a problem?" The shopkeeper smiled. "Depends on the quality of the picture. Do you have it with you?" "Yeah," Katie opened her wallet, pulled out the picture of Alex and his mother and handed it to him. "This is the only copy we have. I'd like it enlarged to an 8x10, if that's possible." He looked at the photo and pursed his lips. "Tell you what," he started. "Why don't we try 5x7 and see what it looks like? This is pretty small and trying to take it up to 8x10 might make it too grainy. If the 5x7 looks good, then we can try going a little bigger." "OK, that sounds good to me," Katie replied. The shopkeeper placed the picture on the copy machine and adjusted the settings. "All set. In about 5 minutes, we'll have copy for you." Katie busied herself looking at frames and camera gadgets, while the machine did its thing. When the picture slid into the tray, she rushed over to look at it. The smaller size was going to be just right; it was clear and beautiful. The shopkeeper cropped the excess paper and carefully placed the picture between two pieces of cardboard, before placing it in a bag. He asked if she needed a frame for it, but she politely declined. She wanted a simple frame, one that was primarily glass and rested on an easel. Something he could put on his nightstand or dresser or wherever he wanted it to go. 'something he could easily take with him, should he decide to leave,' she thought sadly. "Good night," the shopkeeper called. Katie smiled and waved as she walked out the door. She hugged the bag close to her body. "Snap out of it, Katie," she said. "He's not going anywhere." Checking her watch, she saw that it was only 9, plenty of time to search for the frame. It wasn't an uncommon design, so she didn't think finding it would be a problem. An hour later, frame in hand, she made her way back to the hotel. Michelle ran into Katie in the lobby. "I can't believe you ran out and left me with those...people," she sputtered. "Now you know I feel every time I have to do one of these things," Katie replied smugly. "Any word on Harlan?" "No," she huffed. "They won't know anything until morning. Not to worry though, the first panel discussion isn't until 1; plenty of time to get him here before it starts." "I hope you're right," Katie frowned. "Sorry your evening was so miserable, Michelle. I'm off to get some sleep. Why don't you go home and to the same?" "That's just where I was going," she replied. "'Night darling." "'Night, Michelle." Katie grabbed the elevator, anxious to get up to the room and call home. The boys arrived home shortly before 10. Alex went straight over to check the answering machine, half-relieved, halfannoyed, when there was no message. "Did she call?" Matthew asked. "No," Alex replied. "Told you so," Matthew said smugly. He looked at his watch. "I'd say you have another 10, maybe 15 minutes, before she calls. Might be a good time to take care of any personal needs, while you have the chance." Alex tapped his foot nervously. "I could use a shower." He looked over at Tyler. "You'll make sure he keeps her on the line until I get out, won't you?" "Yes dear, I'll make sure," Tyler answered, sounding like the poor put upon wife. "But do you really think that she'd hang up without talking to you?" Alex grinned and scratched his head. "No, I guess not." He paused. "I hope not." "I don't know, Ty," Matthew offered. "You know how quickly she winds down. She might just fall asleep before Alex has the chance to get to the phone." Alex looked at Tyler for confirmation, not sure if Matthew was kidding. Tyler shook his head and pushed Alex in the direction of the bathroom. "For God's sake, will you go take a shower? And you...stop picking on Alex!" he growled at Matthew. "I promise, if Katie calls while you're in the shower, I won't let her hang up, Alex. Now go!" When Alex closed the door to the bathroom, Tyler glared at Matthew. "What?" Matthew asked. "You know perfectly well 'what'," Tyler answered. "You've been pissy with him ever since you got back from the hospital. You're jealous, Matthew, and you don't wear it well." "Jealous? What the Hell are you talking about, Ty? Why would I be jealous of Alex?" Matthew asked, crossing his arms in front of him. "You're jealous because Katie's in love and you had no say in the matter," Tyler challenged. "I am not!" Matthew said loudly. "Deny all you want, but we both know it's true," Tyler smirked. "Alex is 'the one' and you can't handle it." Matthew opened his mouth to argue, but the ringing of the phone stopped him. He bolted over and picked it up. Tyler muttered under his breath. "Oh yeah, no jealousy here." He snickered and went over to knock on the bathroom door. "Alex? Katie's on the phone." Alex emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later and made a beeline for the phone. Matthew was still talking, so he went into the kitchen to get a drink. He wasn't thirsty, but he needed to do something to keep himself occupied. He wandered out to the living room and sat down on the edge of the couch. Tyler strolled over and sat down beside him. "He'll be off soon," Tyler assured Alex. "Katie's already asked about you once. I'll give him a few more minutes, then force the phone out of his hand, if I have to." Alex chuckled at the thought. "As soon as you get on, I'm going to drag Matthew into the whirlpool for a nice, long soak, so you'll have some privacy." "Ty," Matthew called. "Katie wants to talk to you." He met Tyler halfway and handed him the phone. "How is she?" Alex asked. "She's fine; a little irritated, but she'll survive," he answered. "What happened?" "Harlan's snowed in at O'Hare. She'll tell you all about it," Matthew replied, waving him off. Alex let out a slow, deep breath. He'd been putting up with Matthew's crap for the last few hours and it was beginning to piss him off. Over-protectiveness was one thing, but this felt suspiciously like jealousy. "Yeah, he's here," Tyler said, putting his hand on Alex's shoulder. "And more than a little anxious to talk to you, I might add." He chuckled and handed the phone to Alex. "She's more than a little anxious to talk to you, too," he whispered. Alex grinned and put the receiver to his ear. "Hi." "Hi yourself," Katie replied. "Tyler says Matthew's been giving you a hard time tonight." "Yeah, you could say that. Matthew tells me that Harlan's stuck in Chicago. Is he going to be able to get there?" "Matthew's still standing right there, isn't he?" Katie asked. "OK, you can give me a more detailed answer to my question as soon as Tyler pulls him away." "I'll do that," Alex chuckled. "Yeah, Harlan's snowed in and the weather doesn't look too promising for tomorrow. I'm looking at the Weather Channel right now and they're saying that the mess won't work its way through the area for another 36 hours or so. If I have to do this thing without him..." Katie sighed. "Dinner was deadly. Michelle and I were stuck with the organizers and the other two guests, who will remain nameless. The organizers are nice enough, but so in awe of the authors, that they could barely carry on a decent conversation. Anyway, I managed to hang on long enough to be respectable, before running screaming from the restaurant, into the night." "Sounds awful," Alex said, snickering. He looked behind him, just in time to see the bathroom door close. "At least you got away. Matthew's bound and determined to make me squirm this weekend." "Sorry about that. I don't know what's gotten into him lately. He's always been a bit...protective, but he's outdoing himself this time," Katie sighed. "Tyler thinks he's jealous of you, did he tell you that?" Alex stifled a laugh. "No, he didn't. I had that same thought though." Alex paused. "Can we talk about something else?" he asked softly. "Sure," she said. "What do you want to talk about?" Alex walked to the bedroom, closing the door behind him. "How about how much I miss you?" "You do?" she asked, with a smile. He dropped down onto the bed, propped the pillows up behind him and leaned back. "Yes I do. What have you done to me, Katya? I've been acting ridiculous ever since you left." "Define ridiculous." "Pacing, fidgeting, checking my watch every five minutes waiting for you to call, rehashing our last conversation and wishing I'd had the courage to say more to you before you left. If Tyler hadn't let me go to the store with him tonight, I'd probably be a raving lunatic about now. Does that define it well enough?" he asked. "Matthew gave me the picture, Alexei. That said everything I needed to know. I'll keep it safe for you." She could hear him sigh softly through the wires. "I miss you, too. A part of me kept hoping you'd walk into the restaurant and rescue me tonight." "Do you need me to come rescue you, Katya?" "If I said yes, would you come get me?" she asked. "In a flash," he answered. "Then no, I don't need you to rescue me." They hung on in silence for a few minutes, before Katie started talking again. "When were you planning on telling me that your ribs were feeling better?" Alex's eyes widened. 'How did she...Matthew!' "Who says my ribs are better?" "They've been fine for days, Alexei. Did you really think I hadn't noticed? I kept waiting for you to say something...do something," she hinted. "All in good time," he said gently. "You said you'd let me set the pace, remember?" "I remember." Alex took a deep breath. Earlier this evening, while helping a customer, he'd come to a decision; he needed to come clean about his past before he made a commitment to her. He needed her to know what kind of man he'd been, what he'd done and why. The thought frightened him, but he knew that he'd have to tell her eventually. It was just a matter of time, before the shit hit the fan, and he didn't want to have to try and explain it all then. He'd start off slow, just the highlights; just enough so she understood that he was damaged beyond the obvious. "Katya? I have to tell you something. You're not going to like what you hear, but I have to tell you before I let this go too much further. It's a long story and I need you to just listen, because if you stop me, I might lose my nerve. If you want me to leave, after you hear what I have to say, I'll understand." Katie felt her stomach clench as an almost overwhelming panic filled her heart. 'Calm down, Katie. Hear him out,' she told herself. "I'm listening." He held on to the phone for dear life, remaining quiet until his heart stopped pounding in his head. "I haven't been completely honest with you about what I've been doing the last few years. I did work for an international consortium, that much is true. What I haven't told you is what I did while working for them. It's ugly, Katya; you can't begin to imagine, but I want you to know that everything I did, I did because I believed it was the right thing to do at the time." He paused and took a cleansing breath. "Are you ready?" he asked. "I'm ready," she answered. Alex began his tale with CGB Spender and the assignment to Mulder. He explained his role in Scully's disappearance and the deaths of both Bill Mulder and Melissa Scully. When she didn't hang up on him or ask any questions, he continued. Alex told her everything, from his theft of the DAT tape to the black oil, the tests, and the loss of his arm, to his crimes against Skinner and beyond. He hadn't intended to tell her as much as he did, but once he started talking, the words wouldn't stop. Throughout his story, she never gasped, never asked questions; she simply listened. When he was finished, he let out another deep breath and waited for her to say something. She remained quiet, but he could hear her breathing on the other end of the line. "Katya? Say something, please," he pleaded. "Is this all true, Alexei? I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around some of it." She paused. "No, I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around most of it." Alex dropped his head back and closed his eyes. "It's all true. I know it sounds like science fiction, but I swear to you, Katya, everything I said is true. Why would I make it up? If I did make it all up, wouldn't I have made myself the hero, instead of the villain? Wouldn't we have won?" He waited for her answer; every minute eating a new hole in his gut. Katie closed her eyes. She could feel his tension and, as it hard as it was to believe, she knew he was telling the truth. By all rights, she should be telling him to pack his bags right now and get the Hell out of her life; that's what Matthew would want her to do. "You honestly believed you were doing the right thing?" she asked. "I'm not passing judgment, I want to know what you were thinking at the time," she added quickly. "Yes, at the time I couldn't see any other way. I believed I was right then, I still believe I was right," he said quietly. For quite a while, the only sound was the distant buzzing of interference on the line. Alex ran an in inventory of his personal belongings through his head and wondered if he'd be able to slip away unnoticed tonight or if he should go out for something tomorrow and disappear then. Katie tried to assimilate everything he'd dropped on her. She tried to make some sense of what he'd said, put it in some logical frame of reference. The more she tried, the more frustrated she became. Suddenly it hit her that she didn't care anymore. If he was right, if the end of the world was coming, she wanted to spend every minute of it with him. "Alexei? What was it you didn't have the courage to say to me before you left?" she asked. Alex felt his heart start to beat again. "Katya, not over the phone. I want to be able to look at you when I say it." "I need to hear it now, Alexei," she said softly. "You can tell me again when I get home and every day thereafter, but I really need to hear it now." 'When I get home and every day thereafter.' The phrase repeated itself in his head, bringing a smile to his lips. "I love you, Katya. I never thought I'd hear myself say those words to anyone, but I do love you." Katie felt her eyes well up. 'He said it,' she thought. 'He'd been planning to say it all along.' A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. "I love you, too, Alexei," she answered, hearing her voice catch. "Are you crying?" he asked. "Maybe a little," she admitted. "Listen closely," he said. The next thing she heard were three distinct sounds filtering through the receiver. 'What is that?' she wondered. 'sounds like...' "Did you hear that?" he asked. "That was me, kissing the tears away. If you'd let me wait until you were home, I would have done it in person." "How about when I get home Sunday night? Will you do it then?" she asked. "When you get home and every day thereafter," he echoed. Alex let his head fall to one side, catching the clock out of the corner of his eye. "Katya? Do you realize we've been on the phone for over three hours?" "Getting bored, Alexei?" she teased. Alex chuckled. "Never, but shouldn't you be getting some sleep?" "Probably," she admitted. "Are you going in to the store tomorrow?" "Yeah, Tyler gave Becky some time off to take care of her mother. Matthew did tell you that she's going to be all right, didn't he?" "Yeah, he told me." "Anyway, I said I'd go in and help out this weekend. It'll keep me off the streets until you get home," he joked. "Good," she replied, suppressing a yawn. "I heard that," Alex said. "What?" "That yawn. Time to go to sleep, Katya." "I know. You will be there when I call tomorrow night, won't you?" she asked anxiously. "I'll be here," he replied. "For as long as you want me. I love you, Katya." "I love you, too, Alexei." They hung up their phones and got ready for bed. One crawling under the covers and falling asleep within minutes of the other. Katie woke up at 8:15 and reached for Alex. It took her a minute to remember that she was in New York and not home, in her own bed. As her brain engaged, she smiled, remembering their conversation last night. Parts of what he'd said were still confusing and scary, but all that mattered was that he loved her and she loved him. If what he said was true, and she believed it was, frightening times were yet to come; as long as they were together, Katie felt they'd be invincible. She knew he was probably still asleep and that she was being ridiculous, 'where have I heard that before?' but she picked up the phone and called home. Matthew snagged the phone the second ring. "Hello?" "Good morning, Matthew," Katie said cheerfully. "Is Alex up yet?" Matthew frowned as Alex poked his head out of the bedroom. "Is that Katie," he asked. "Yeah, he's awake. Hang on," Matthew grumbled. He handed Alex the phone and went back to the kitchen. "He's in a good mood this morning," Katie observed. "What's his problem?" Alex shook his head. "I don't know. I think he's pissed at me for being alive." He walked back into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. "He's just going to have to get over himself," Katie sighed. "Don't let him take it out on you; call him on it. Tell him he's being a jerk; that's what I usually do. Not that I have to do it very often, but still." "Let me get this straight, I have your blessing to kick his ass? Figuratively, of course?" Alex asked. "I've been ignoring him, because I didn't want to start a fight between you and me." "If you're planning on staying with me for the long haul, Alexei, you'd better work this out with Matthew, now," she said. "You are planning on staying with me, aren't you?" she added. "No second thoughts since last night?" Alex put the receiver to his forehead and laughed, then put it back to his ear. "You're asking me if I'VE had second thoughts? You are amazing, Katya. After everything I told you last night, you're the one who should be tossing me out on my ass." He hesitated. "I thought about leaving after I'd finished telling you everything last night, but that was before..." "Before what?" she asked, wanting to hear him say it. "Before you asked me to say it," he answered coyly. 'You're gonna have to work for it a little, Katya,' he thought with a grin. "You said so many things last night, Alexei. Refresh my memory." 'Two can play this game, my dear,' she grinned. "Hmmm, was it the part about spending the evening at the bookstore?" he asked. "No, I don't think that was it," she replied. "How about the part where I told you all about puking up the black oil? That's a personal favorite," he joked. "Hmmm, that was...special...but not what I was talking about," she snickered. "Then maybe...no, that couldn't be what you're looking for...could it?" he stalled. "Could you be referring to that moment when I said I love you?" "Oh yeah, that's it," she hummed. "Say it again." "I love you, Katya." "I love you, too, Alexei." "Call me tonight?" he asked hopefully. "You know it," she answered. "Guess we have to hang up now, don't we?" "'Fraid so," he sighed. "I need to get dressed and get something to eat before we go in this morning. Besides, I want to make sure I have enough time to deal with Matthew." "Give him Hell, baby," Katie chuckled. "I'll do my best, sweetheart," he replied. "I love you." "You just said that," she teased. "Get used to it," he grinned. "I like the way it sounds." "So do I," she whispered. "I love you, too." Alex walked out of the bedroom and returned the phone to its cradle. "That's quite a grin you're sporting this morning, Alex," Tyler observed. "Good news from Katie?" "The best," he answered. "I told her, Ty." Tyler's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "No way! What did she say?" Matthew stood over by the table, listening to the two talk. 'Yeah, what did she say?' he wondered, not really wanting the answer. "She loves me, too." Tyler smiled broadly. "What did I tell you? Congratulations, man," he said, giving Alex a hug. "I'm happy for both of you." Alex hugged him back. "Thanks, Ty. I needed to hear that." Matthew cleared his throat and huffed. "Yeah Alex, that's really swell," he offered, his voice dripping with insincerity. "Just ducky," he muttered as he leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. Tyler started to say something, but Alex cut him off with a quick shake of his head. "No, this is my fight," he whispered. Alex walked toward Matthew and crossed his arms. "Just what the Hell is your problem? A few weeks ago, you gave me your blessing; don't you remember? Now, suddenly, you're acting like I'm the enemy. I'm sorry if our happiness is interfering with your plans, but I'm here for the duration, so you'd better get used to the idea." Matthew's eyes narrowed and he angrily sucked in a breath. "Yes, I remember. I was resigning myself back then in the hope that I'd be able to find out more about you. I don't trust you, Alex Krycek. I think you're hiding things from us and I won't stand by and watch you hurt Katie." Alex raised his eyebrows. "You've been investigating me, Matthew? Digging into my sordid past? What did you find? No wait, I'll tell you what you found. You found nothing, because there's nothing on public record for you to find." Matthew pushed himself away from the counter and took a step toward Alex. "And why is that, Alex? Why is it that after graduation, you seem to have vanished off the face of the Earth?" Alex held his ground. "I told you, my work was...sensitive. It was necessary for security reasons." "Security reasons, my ass! You're not working for them now, so why don't you tell me what you were working on that was so damned important!" Matthew stepped a little closer. Tyler watched from the living room, becoming more anxious with each passing moment. "Back off, Matthew!" Alex snapped. "I don't work for them anymore, the consortium no longer exists, but the work we did is still highly sensitive and I'm not at liberty to talk about it." "How convenient!" Matthew replied, his voice getting louder. "How very fucking convenient! Is this the same line of shit you've been feeding Katie? 'Look at me, I'm a man of mystery.' Is that an effective way of getting the ladies into bed, Alex? Did it work with Katie?" he yelled. Tyler watched as Alex clenched his fist at his side, fighting the urge to bury it in Matthew's face. Tyler held his breath and waited for the first blow. He wanted to yell at Matthew to stop, but he knew that Alex had a point to prove. As much as it would hurt to see Matthew take that punch, Tyler understood that he had to sit back and let it happen. Alex clenched and unclenched his fist. Katie had told him to let Matthew have it, but he didn't think that she intended for him to break Matthew's nose in the process. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm down enough to speak again. When he was ready, he spoke in a slow, even tone of voice. "Is that what this is all about Matthew?" Alex smirked. "Number one, our sex life is none of your business; number two, why would you be so damned concerned about number one? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous." He paused and stared at Matthew. "Are you jealous, Matthew? Am I a threat to you in some way?" Matthew advanced on Alex, fist up, ready to throw the first punch. "Go ahead," Alex challenged. "Hit me, if you think it'll change anything. Here, I'll make it easy for you." He stepped forward and jutted out his chin. "Right here," he said poking his chin. "Come on, hit me with your best shot." Matthew reared back, hesitated, then dropped his fist to his side. "Damn you!" he spat out. "Are you done now?" Alex asked. "Can we talk this out rationally?" Matthew dropped his head and went over to the kitchen table. He pulled out a chair and sat down in defeat. Alex joined him, sitting across the table, out of Matthew's reach. Tyler went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, just to have something to do. "She really said she loves you?" Matthew asked quietly. "She did," Alex replied. "I love her, too, Matthew." He watched Matthew rub his eyes, then rest his head against his hand. "I'm not taking her away from you, you know?" Matthew removed his hand and looked over at Alex. "She loves you, Matthew. No one and nothing could ever get in the way of your friendship. I wouldn't want to try. Watching the two of you together, seeing the way friends are supposed to act...I've never had that; I envy you." Matthew furrowed his brow and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of him, while Alex continued. "I know you're concerned about Katie. I know you're wondering about who I am, who I was, before I showed up here. Would it help you to know that Katie knows everything about my past?" Matthew sat up straight. "What do you mean, she knows everything?" "We had a long talk last night; three hours worth, to be exact. I told her everything there is to tell, every sordid detail of the last few years. And guess what? She loves me in spite of it all." Alex smiled and shook his head. "Look, I've done some things I'm not proud of, but they were necessary at the time. And no, I'm not going to tell you about any of it. Katie knows. I didn't want to tell her, but I couldn't let this go any further without telling her the truth." Matthew squinted at Alex, trying to decide whether or not to ask what 'any further' meant. He'd almost decided to let it slide, when Alex picked up on the look and answered the question for him. "Yes, that means just what you think it means. Geez, don't you and Tyler talk anymore?" Alex teased, trying to lighten the mood in the room. "Get this through your head once and for all, Matthew. I. Love. Her. And, come Sunday night, I'm going to show her just how much. I hope that you can accept that and be happy for us, but it's going to happen whether you like it or not." Tyler came up behind Matthew and put his arms around his shoulders. "Be happy for them, Matthew. Katie needs you to be happy for her, the same way she was happy for us," he said gently. "Do you remember how she supported us when your father first met me? Do you remember how angry he was?" Matthew nodded. "You reminded me of him, just now." Matthew closed his eyes and dropped his head. "It's not the same thing, Ty." "Isn't it, Matthew?" Tyler asked. Matthew remained quiet for a while, before answering. "Maybe." Tyler and Alex exchanged smiles. Matthew was breaking and they all knew it. "I'll take care of her, Matthew," Alex promised. "You'd better," he said, looking up. "I'll take you out if you don't." Alex chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind." Katie stretched and forced her way off the bed; time to shower and think about getting something to eat. She worried a little about what might be happening back in the loft. Matthew had a protective streak, but she'd never seen him quite so...territorial...for lack of a better word. Alex would have to handle things, for now, but if this continued, she'd be the one exchanging a few choice words with her beloved friend. She walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. No sooner had she stripped off her pajamas, then the phone rang. "Shit!" Katie grabbed a towel, wrapped it around her and raced for the phone. "Hello? Yeah, good morning, Michelle," she grumbled. "Oh, tell me you're kidding," she sighed. "Yes, I know you're not. You never kid; you have no sense of humor." She listened while Michelle finished her story. "Sure, whatever. Yeah, I can handle it by myself, I guess. God knows this batch of numbnuts isn't going to present much of a challenge. No, I'm not mad at you; I'm disappointed, that's all. Yeah, OK. I'll talk to you later." She hung up the phone and slumped. O'Hare was staying closed for another twenty-four hours, meaning that she was stuck here to face this panel discussion on her own. "I can't believe I left Alex at home, for this!" she said to the floor. She stared at the phone, wanting to call home to hear a friendly voice, but decided against it. Without warning, an idea struck. She picked up the phone and called Michelle. "Hey, it's me. Do me a favor? Find out if this place has video conferencing capability. Yeah, if they have it here, maybe we can get Harlan someplace similarly linked and salvage this mess after all. I'm going to jump in the shower, then grab something to eat. Call me on the cell when you get anything. Thanks, Michelle. Bye." By three, Alex was exhausted. No one had warned him that this was the big thirtypercent off sale day at MacCreedy's. If he'd been paying attention last night, he would have seen the signs, strategically placed in the windows and on the registers, but he was preoccupied and failed to take notice. Tyler threw him out the door as soon as Matthew showed up from the hospital, saying that he wasn't going to be responsible for wearing Alex out before Katie had the opportunity to do it herself. He went on to tell then that they'd have to manage dinner on their own, since he was staying until closing. Matthew closed the car door and looked over at Alex. He was uncomfortable being alone with him after their conversation this morning, but Matthew knew he'd have to get over that sooner or later. "I have to do a little Christmas shopping, while I have the chance. Do you feel like coming along or would you rather I drop you off at home?" "No, I'll come with you," Alex answered. "This may be the last chance I have to get out of the loft by myself. Think you can help me find something for Katie?" "Sure," Matthew nodded. "Got any ideas?" Alex grinned. "A couple." The one o'clock panel went off reasonably well. The video conferencing idea had died a quick death; the hotel wasn't equipped for such a set up, so she'd had to handle things on her own. The other authors put up a good fight, but in the end, Katie emerged as the belle of the ball. She hung around; talking to fans and signing autographs, until five, before bowing out. One of the organizers called out to Katie as she was exiting the room. She stopped and waited for him to catch up. "Katie, could you do us a big favor?" Zack asked. "Depends on what it is," Katie replied. "Well," he began, shifting uncomfortably. "Harlan was supposed to be a prize in both the charity auction and raffle; you know, brunch with the author? Well, since he's not here, we were wondering if you would mind stepping in. It's no big deal really. You just show up and eat the usual breakfast fare at the same table with the high bidder and the three winners of the raffle. Brunch starts at 10 and runs for about hour or so. It's really low-key and usually a lot of fun," he said anxiously. "Anyway, it would really help us out and after your performance this afternoon, I know we'd bring in some good money for the hospice. Would you mind?" He looked over at one of the other organizers, who was biting his lip, waiting for her answer. "We kinda need to know now; the auction starts in a few minutes." Katie shrugged her shoulders. She was stuck here until Sunday afternoon anyway, so what the heck? "Sure," she answered. "Just leave me a note so I know when and where." Zack breathed a sigh of relief and signaled to his partner, who ran off to the auction room to spread the word. "Thanks, Katie. We really appreciate this." "Hey, no problem. I'm happy to help," she replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things I need to do tonight." "OK, have a good one," Zack said. "We'll see you in the morning." Katie watched Zack run off toward the auction room. 'What a geek,' she thought. 'But a nice one, as geeks go.' She grabbed the next elevator and went up to her room to get her coat. First thing on her to do list, was dinner. She was absolutely starving and the last place she wanted to eat was in the hotel. After dinner, it was out to the theater district. Michelle, in an effort to appease her favorite author, had managed to get Katie a ticket to Rent that evening. She wasn't sure how Michelle had managed, but Katie didn't care; she'd wanted to see the show since it opened and had spent hour upon hour listening to her CD. Katie ran a brush through her hair, then picked up her coat and headed out the door. "So," Matthew asked as they pushed through the crowd at the food court. "What is it you want to get Katie?" Alex grinned. He had a few things in mind, but he wasn't sure that Matthew was ready for the big one, not yet anyway. "First, we need to find a music store. I saw a customer with a new Tracy Chapman CD at the store this afternoon. Katie doesn't have that one in her collection and I know how much she likes her." Matthew nodded. "Good idea. There are a couple of music stores in here; one of them should have it. What else?" "Candles," he said. "Lots of candles." Matthew stared at him, raising his eyebrow. "Candles? Why don't I picture you as the candle type?" "I'm a romantic at heart, Matthew," Alex responded. "OK. Anything else?" Matthew asked. "Yeah, there is something else. Let's just work on these first and go from there," he said, not wanting to tip his hand quite yet. Things were going well and he didn't want to rock the boat. "What about you? What are you looking for?" Matthew sighed. "Tyler wants clothes. A wholly unoriginal gift idea, but he's not being cooperative at all. We're both bad about buying the things we want when we see them, so when birthdays and Christmas roll around, it's always a struggle to find something we don't already have. He has been eyeing your jacket, so I'm thinking about picking one up for him." Alex looked down at his own attire. "You know, I could use a few things myself. I've been wearing the same few shirts and jeans for weeks." Matthew nodded and motioned for Alex to follow him into the depths of the mall. They wandered in and out of every store that struck their fancy. By the time they found the first music store, they'd already accumulated an impressive number of shopping bags. Matthew found the perfect leather jacket for Tyler, with Alex's help. Alex found a few sweaters to add to his wardrobe, as well as one for Tyler. When Matthew wasn't looking, Alex added the sweater that Matthew had been admiring to his purchases. Clothing may be unoriginal, but at least he'd have something for both of them. The music store had the CD Alex was looking for and while he was in there, he picked up a few more to add to their collection. He smiled inwardly when he realized he was already thinking of it as 'their' collection and not 'her' collection. Midway through the mall, they came upon a jewelry store. Alex wanted an excuse to stop and look, but he wasn't sure how to broach the subject with Matthew. Luckily, Matthew decided that he would run the packages out to the car, before they continued, leaving Alex to browse in the meantime. He wandered through the store, trying to decide which ring he liked the best. Alex had the clerk pull out a few of the rings with the larger diamonds in them, but none of them felt right. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't see Matthew come into the store. Matthew stayed off to one side, watching as Alex considered the selection. None of the rings he was looking at was the right one and Matthew knew it; so did Alex, he realized. A part of him wanted to run out of the store and deny that this was happening, but the rest of him gave that part a kick in the butt and told him to grow up. He took a deep breath, walked over to Alex and took him by the arm. "Come here," he sighed. "I'll show you the one." Matthew led Alex away from the traditional engagement rings and down the counter. He stopped at the end and pointed into the case. "That's the one, right there," he said, tapping the glass. Alex looked down and saw a square-cut emerald and diamond ring under Matthew's finger. "I know this isn't a traditional engagement ring, but every time we come in, Katie has to stop and look at it. I almost bought it for her birthday last year, but Tyler stopped me." Alex had the clerk take the ring out so he could look at it. It was a beautiful ring and Katie did say that green was her favorite color. He looked at Matthew. "You really think this is the one?" Matthew smiled and squeezed Alex's shoulder. "Yeah, that's the one. You don't even have to have it sized. She tried it on the first time she saw it and it fit like a dream." Alex looked at the ring one more time, before handing it back to the clerk and telling him to wrap it up. Matthew left while Alex completed his purchase. He sat on a bench outside the store and waited, resting his head in his hands. "Thanks, Matthew," Alex said quietly, as he sat down beside him. "I know that wasn't easy for you to do. I appreciate the help." Matthew kept his head down. "When are you going to ask her?" "New Year's Eve," Alex answered. "You know, ring in the New Year with a kiss and a proposal. Too cliche?" Matthew looked up and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, too cliche." He smiled as Alex frowned. "But she'll love it." Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you going to be OK with this, Matthew?" Matthew gave him a sideways glance. "Does it matter?" "Yes and no," Alex replied. "Meaning I should get over myself and get used to the idea because I don't have any other option?" he asked, shaking his head. "You sound just like her." Alex smiled, but said nothing. "You know, of course, that you still have to come up with a Christmas present?" Matthew reminded. "Any ideas?" "Already taken care of," Alex grinned. He reached into the bag and pulled out a second box. "What do you think of this?" he asked, opening the box. Inside was the matching necklace for the ring he'd just purchased. "I know that she doesn't wear much in the way of jewelry, but..." he trailed off. Matthew gently lifted the white gold chain and held the emerald charm in his hand. "She'll love it, Alex." Alex nodded as Matthew handed him the box. "Come on, let's find those candles." They got up and continued their trek through the mall. Matthew led Alex into a bed and bath shop to take care of the candle problem. While in there, Alex grabbed a bottle of bubble bath and some vanillascented massage oil. Matthew hid his face in his hands when Alex showed him the bottle. "Too much information, Alex," Matthew said into his hands. Alex laughed and put the bottle, along with candles and bubble bath on the counter. Thirty minutes and more candles than they could count later, Matthew and Alex headed out to the car. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving," Alex exclaimed. "Pizza?" Matthew asked. "If we call now, we should get home just ahead of the delivery guy." Alex agreed, so Matthew pulled out his phone and called. They arrived just as the delivery guy was coming to a stop in front of the building. Alex took care of the pizza, while Matthew began unloading the car. Katie returned to the hotel, still jazzed from the play. She'd listened to the music for a few years now, but seeing the play gave the CD a whole new meaning. The music had energized her so much, that she'd danced all the way back to the hotel, hardly noticing the strange looks she was getting from others on the street. She tossed her coat and bags onto the chair, picked up the phone and plopped down on the bed. Tyler answered up the phone on the first ring. "Hello?" "Ty! You'll never guess what I did tonight." Katie's voice came through loud and clear. Even through the phone line, Tyler could tell she was practically bouncing up and down in excitement. "So, are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?" he asked. "I went to see Rent. Oh Ty, you've got to see this show! The CD doesn't do it justice, at all! I had the best time; it almost makes up for Harlan not being here," she exclaimed. Tyler laughed. "That good? Well, now I know I have to see it. How's the convention going?" "Not too bad actually. Harlan's not going to make it after all, but I guess I just told you that. I had to handle our side of the panel by myself, but it went off pretty well. Tomorrow, I'm going to have to do brunch with some of the attendees. Since Harlan couldn't make it, I'm the stand in prize for the charity auction. They had a win-brunch-with-the-authors raffle and a chance to bid on it in the auction as well. I can't wait to hear what the final bid was," she laughed. "Maybe they'll be kind, since the money's going to charity. How are things there? Any problems?" "Doesn't look like, everything is surprisingly calm, but I just got here. Matthew and Alex are watching TV, although, Alex is getting a little fidgety," Tyler snickered. "I have a sneaking suspicion that he wants me to hand him the phone." Katie smiled and chuckled. "Well, he's going to have to wait a few more minutes. I want to talk to Matthew first." Tyler held out the phone and Alex got up to take the receiver. "Uh uh, Alex," he teased. "She wants to talk to Matthew first." Matthew grabbed the phone. "As it should be," he said smugly. "Hi Hanna, still having a miserable time?" "No, actually. I'm having fun. I got to see Rent tonight and it was amazing. But enough of that, I want to know what happened this morning between you and Alex." Matthew sighed loudly. "Hanna...look, it's over now...let it go." "Fine, I'll just ask Alex then." She paused, waiting to see if he would respond. "Kid? You know I love you?" "I know, Hanna. I love you, too," he replied. "I'll see you tomorrow night. Here's Alex." Matthew handed the phone to Alex and went back to his place on the couch. "Hi baby," Alex said softly. "Everything OK?" "Yeah, everything's fine, except I miss you," she answered. "I miss you, too. You're still coming home tomorrow night, right?" he asked. "I land at 6:15, so I'll be home a little after 7," she replied. "Assuming the flight is on time. So tell me, what happened after we hung up this morning? Matthew's not talking." Alex carried the phone into the bedroom and closed the door behind him. "You really want to know?" he asked. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't," she answered. "No, I don't guess you would have," he chuckled. "Well, Matthew started in on me right after I hung up. To be fair, I did bait him. I told Tyler that I'd made it official last night. Tyler was thrilled, Matthew wasn't. Anyway, we exchanged a few loud words, then talked it out. He's still not happy, but he's on the road to acceptance. We spent most of the evening Christmas shopping together, without a problem, so things are looking up." "Christmas shopping?" Katie asked. "The two of you doing the Christmas mall crawl?" she giggled. "I'm sorry I missed that. Did you get anything good?" "Did I get anything for you, you mean?" Alex teased. "That's not what I asked," Katie replied. "But since you mentioned it..." "You're just going to have to wait and see, Katya. Speaking of Christmas, where do you keep your ornaments? I've been poking around and I haven't found any." He waited for her to answer, but was met with only silence on the other end of the line. "Katya? You still there?" "Yeah, I'm here." She paused. "I haven't done anything in the loft for Christmas in a long time. I pretty much stopped celebrating after my parents died. If it wasn't for Tyler and Matthew, I wouldn't bother at all." Alex closed his eyes. They were alike in so many ways. He'd stopped celebrating Christmas when his parents had died. His benefactor had always given him gifts, but it wasn't what Alex considered a traditional Christmas. The tree was there, along with all the trimmings, but it was more for show, an obligation to the season, than a time of celebration. No more, this year was going to be a new beginning. "We can't keep living in the past, Katya. This year and every year, from now on, we celebrate Christmas. I want the tree, the lights, the ornaments, the whole nine-yards, right down to the big Christmas dinner. What do you say? Can we make a new beginning?" "You quoting Tracy Chapman to me, Alexei?" she teased. "Come on, Katya. I'm serious," he answered. "Can we?" "It has to be a real tree, none of those fake things," she said. "And no tinsel. I hate that stuff." "Real tree, no tinsel. Check," he replied. "Anything else?" "Yeah, we do this together. No fair getting the tree without me." "I wouldn't dream of doing it without you," he said. Katie chuckled softly and shook her head. "What just happened here?" "I think we agreed to start celebrating Christmas again," Alex answered. "Didn't we?" "Better than that," she added. "We just made our first major decision as a couple." Alex smiled. "I guess we did. The first of many, I hope." "Me, too." Katie yawned. "Oh, sorry. Guess I'm starting to crash." "OK, you get some sleep. I love you, Katya." "I love you, too, Alexei," Katie replied. "See you tomorrow night." "'Night baby." "'Night." Brunch turned out to be a pleasant affair. The food was warm and tasty; not the rubbery eggs and cold sausage she'd come to expect. The four winners actually had the presence of mind to treat her like just another person in the room, so the conversation was animated and fun. Katie found herself laughing and having a good time; not what she expected at all. By noon, the brunch had to be officially declared over, since the hotel had need of the room for another event. Katie said her good-byes to all in attendance and made her way back to the room to pack for her trip home. She was completely ready to go by 12:30, giving her three plus hours to kill until Michelle came to take her to the airport. The phone sat there, tempting her, daring her to pick it up and call home, but she resisted, opting instead to open her laptop and write. Tyler had gone into work early, leaving Alex and Matthew alone, again. Alex offered to go in and help out, but Tyler had told him to stay home and rest up. 'Rest?' Alex thought. 'Yeah, right.' Instead, he busied himself preparing for Katie's return and his plans for the evening. "Matthew?" he asked around 1:30. "Is there a stockpile of wood for the fireplace? It does work, doesn't it?" Matthew put down the paper and got up from the couch. "Yeah, it works. Katie had the chimney swept back in September. Check downstairs, I think she still as a cord or two down there." "OK," Alex replied, as he started toward the elevator. "Hang on," Matthew called. "I'll go down with you. She's got something else stored down there that you might want to see." They rode the elevator down to the garage floor. When the door opened, Matthew pointed to the left and led Alex around the side of the elevator. Stacked against the wall was a large supply of firewood and a canvas tote to haul it in. Alex filled the tote and put it on the elevator, before following Matthew to the far end of the garage. He found Matthew, knee-deep in boxes, struggling to pull something free of the stack. "What are you looking for?" Alex asked. "This, if I can get it out," Matthew answered. "Grab hold and pull, will ya?" Alex grabbed hold with his good hand and helped pull until the bundle came free. The darn thing was heavy and it was wrapped up in an old sheet, so he couldn't tell what it was. Matthew started dragging it toward the elevator, so Alex followed. "What the Hell is this, Matthew? It weighs a ton." "I'll show you when we get upstairs," he replied, as he pulled it into the elevator. "Lift up that end so we can close the doors." Alex grabbed the other end and lifted it out of the way of the doors, then hit the close button. When the doors opened again, he helped pull it over by the fireplace, then went back for the wood-filled tote. He put the wood in the basket by the fireplace, then helped Matthew uncover the parcel. "Oh my God!" Alex said. "I don't believe this." "Oh come on, Alex, surely you've seen these before?" Matthew asked, as he tugged the items in front of the fireplace. Alex gave him the standard 'eat shit and die' look, before replying. "Yes Matthew, I have seen one of these before. I'm just surprised to find one here; somehow, Katie doesn't strike me as the type to own bearskin rugs." Matthew laughed and continued to smooth out the rugs. "Actually, they doesn't belong to her; they're mine. Tyler won't let me keep them at our place because they don't go with the decor. Katie's been threatening to put them in front of the fireplace for years, but we've never gotten around to doing it. This seemed like a good time." Alex kneeled and ran his hand over the rugs. They were soft and surprisingly dust-free. Oh yes, with a roaring fire and a bottle of wine...this definitely had possibilities. Tyler walked into the loft at 6:45 to find Alex stacking wood in the fireplace. "He finally brought the rugs up, I see," he said by way of greeting. "Yeah, Matthew thought that this was as good a time as any," Alex answered. "Katie's plane just got in a few minutes ago, so they won't be here for about an hour." Tyler sat down on the hearth and stared at Alex. "Is there some reason why you're here and not at the airport?" Alex stopped stacking and dropped his head. "Matthew wouldn't let me go." Tyler's jaw hit the floor. "He wouldn't let you go? And you let him get away with that?" "Yeah, I let him get away with that," Alex said with a chuckle. "Let him have his last few minutes to try and talk Katie out of loving me; it won't do him any good." "So, is everything ready?" Tyler asked, changing the subject. "I managed to take care of all but one thing," Alex replied. "What did you miss?" "Come here," Alex said, getting up. "I'll show you." He walked to the window and pointed to the streetlight. "See that light? Katie hates it. I've been trying to figure out how to get rid of it, even if it's only for a couple of nights." Tyler gave an evil grin. "I know how to do that. It involves an act of vandalism, but I won't tell, if you won't." "Tyler! What would Matthew say?" Alex teased. "What Matthew doesn't know, won't hurt him," Tyler answered. "Now, can you keep a secret or should I just forget the whole thing?" Alex chuckled. "I can keep a secret. Thirty minutes later, the streetlight was sleeping with the fishes, temporarily, at least. Alex made a mental note to ask Tyler how he happened to acquire this most useful skill. Now wasn't the time, however. Katie and Matthew would be home soon and Alex wanted to get the fire going before they arrived. The larger logs were just starting to catch when the elevator opened. He sat still on the hearth and waited. "Katie," Tyler yelled, as he rushed over to give her a hug. "Welcome home. Here, let me take that," he said, taking the backpack from her shoulder. "How was the flight?" Matthew took the backpack from Tyler and carried both it and the suitcase into the bedroom. Katie hugged Tyler back. "The flight was uneventful, except for the delay in New York. Apparently the original pilot had a case of food poisoning and we had to wait for the replacement pilot to arrive. All things considered, it could have been a lot worse." Alex got up and slipped in behind Katie, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the top of her head. "Hi," he said quietly. Katie leaned against him and tilted her head back. "Hi, yourself." Matthew emerged from the bedroom and joined the group. Tyler grabbed his hand. "Well, enjoy the evening, you two. Let's go, Matthew." "But..." Matthew started. "No 'buts'. We're leaving these two alone, now," Tyler stated firmly. "Say 'goodnight' Matthew." "Goodnight, Matthew," Matthew ad-libbed, as Tyler pulled him to the elevator. "Goodnight guys," Katie called. "Thanks for taking care of Alex for me." The elevator door closed, leaving Katie and Alex alone. Alex released his grip long enough to spin Katie around in his arms. He leaned over, kissed her gently, then pulled back. "Are you hungry?" Katie pulled him back down to her mouth. "Very," she whispered before claiming his lips. "That's not what I meant," Alex chuckled, kissing her again. "I know what you meant," Katie replied, kissing his chest. She looked over at the fireplace and the bearskin rugs. "Is that for me?" Alex nodded and smiled. Katie tugged on his sleeve, beckoning him to follow. She started to pull him down to the rugs, but he stopped her. "Wait, there's something I want to show you first," he said. "Go over to the window. I'll be right there." Katie strolled over to the window and waited while Alex doused the lights in the loft. She watched him move from lamp to lamp, until the only light left came from the fire. "Look out the window," he said, putting his arms around her. "What do you see?" Katie looked out; wondering what she was missing. "It's beautiful. The stars are so bright tonight." "Is that all you see?" he asked. She looked closer. The stars were really bright tonight. Why is that? Katie looked back at Alex, then out the window again. Bright stars. What's wrong with this picture? Suddenly it hit her; the light was out! She turned quickly. "You killed the streetlight! How did you do that?" Alex smiled. "I had a little help. It's only temporary; once the city finds out, I'm sure they'll fix it." "I'm not going to report it," Katie said. "So it might be out for a long time." She hugged him tight. "Thank you, Alexei. What a wonderful homecoming gift." "Fugetaboutit," he answered, using his best Don Corleone imitation. "Told you, I'd take care of it for you." "Yes you did." She smiled and turned back to the window. He pressed up against her, resting his chin on her head. Katie could feel his arousal through his jeans and decided to take advantage of the situation. She backed up slightly and began to slowly move against him. Alex moved his hands to still her movement. "Stop, Katya." "Why?" she asked. "Because I have this all planned..." he began. Katie laughed and shook her head. She removed his arms from her body and faced him. "Alexei, I love you and I want to be with you. Believe me, I appreciate all the thought you've put into this, but you're going to think yourself right into a bad case of performance anxiety, if you're not careful." She raised her hand and gently stroked his cheek. "You have me; I'm yours. Stop thinking and start doing." Alex gave resisting one final thought; then Katie brushed her thumb across his lower lip. He opened his mouth and sucked in the tip, realizing in that instant, that his last shred of resistance was gone. He bit down on her thumb, letting his teeth rake the surface as she tried to remove it from his mouth. When the thumb was gone, Alex kissed her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, before gently taking her lips. Katie opened her mouth slightly and met his tongue with hers. Alex's left hand stayed in place at the swell of her hip, while his right moved up her back. She stepped closer, pressing against him, both hands sliding down the back of his jeans. He pushed into her as her hands gave his ass a squeeze. They both made little humming noises as they moved against one another. Alex gave Katie one good thrust, before letting go. Katie groaned and tried to pull him back by his belt. "Don't worry, I'm not stopping this time, Katya. Just moving this to a new location," Alex said, taking her by the hand. "We have a roaring fire and a couple of bearskin rugs over there. Seems a shame to let them go to waste." "Agreed," Katie answered. He led her to the hearth, then sat down, pulling her to the brick surface with him. She gave him a puzzled look, but sat down next to him. Alex reached down and began removing his shoes. "In the movies, shoes always seem to miraculously disappear at times like these," he said. "In the real world, the action has to take a brief pause for their removal." "I knew there was a reason I hated shoes," Katie grumbled. "From now on, no more shoes, only slippers or bare feet for us when we're inside." Alex chuckled, then tossed his shoes off to the side. "Anything you say, sweetheart." He looked up at the sound of her shoes hitting the floor across the room. She fixed her eyes on him, then started to unbutton her shirt. He let her undo the first two buttons, before stopping her. "Don't be in such a rush. Besides," he grinned. "I want to do that." Katie let her hands fall to her sides, clutching the edge of the hearth. Alex knelt down in front of her, unbuttoned the cuffs, and then began to undo the remaining buttons down the front. He ran his hands across her shoulders and eased the shirt off. She picked up her hands and let it fall on the brick behind her. Alex reclined on the rugs and looked at her, smiling. "Come here," he said, crooking a finger at her. She slipped off the hearth and stretched out on the rug beside him. He rolled over, propping himself up on his left arm, letting his right hand trace a path from her lips to the top of her jeans and back again. "You balance pretty well on that thing," Katie said with a wink. "Another necessary skill you have to learn," he replied. Alex moved his hand across her stomach, letting his little finger dip just below the waistband of her jeans. He kept his eyes locked on hers as he moved his hand up higher and higher, finally cupping her breast. Katie arched into his touch and sighed happily. "It's about time!" she moaned. "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to touch me." "Be careful what you ask for," he chuckled. Alex rolled on top of her, replacing his hand with his mouth. He licked and suckled first one breast then the other. Katie put her hands in his hair, holding him in place. When he stopped, she whimpered, until her mouth was too busy kissing his, to put up a fight. After a few minutes, he moved away. "More," he whispered, kissing a path to her chest. He gave each nipple a lick and kiss. "Not enough," he murmured. Down her stomach he kissed, stopping at the button on her jeans. His right hand popped the button from its hole and unzipped the zipper. He tugged on the jeans. "Help me get these off." She raised her hips and pushed both jeans and panties down, kicking them off when they got to her knees. Alex looked up at her and smiled, before continuing his journey down her now naked body. His smile faded when he saw the long, jagged scar running across her abdomen. He gingerly touched it, running his finger from one to the other. Alex looked up at her, the question on the tip of his tongue. She shook her head. He nodded, then kissed the length of the scar tenderly; there would time enough later. His hand drifted down to her thigh, lightly brushing his fingers on the inside. She responded by moving her legs farther apart, leaving no question as to what she wanted him to do next. He was beyond teasing anymore, so on his next pass up her thigh, he kept right on going, sliding a finger deep inside her. Alex rested his head on Katie's stomach, watching his finger slide in and out of her body; listening to the contented sounds she made. His thumb brushed her clit with each stroke. It still wasn't enough; he wanted more. He lowered his mouth, putting his tongue where his thumb had been. Katie cried out at first contact and he almost lost it himself. He experimented with pace and intensity, until he hit on the combination that sent her over the edge. When her body relaxed again, he moved up beside her and held her tight. Katie rolled into him and pulled at the buttons of his shirt. "You are way overdressed for this," she teased. "I've felt the clothes up against me, now I want to see what you feel like," she added. Katie worked on the shirt first, then set about removing the jeans. Alex stayed still, snickering as she struggled with the jeans, until she smacked him to raise his hips. "Hey, no hitting," he exclaimed. "Then stop snickering and start helping," she shot back. "You're looking at a woman in need, Alexei. The appetizer was tasty, but if you don't hit me with the main course pretty soon, I won't be responsible for my actions." Alex kicked off the jeans and briefs, sending them flying across the room. He dumped Katie roughly on her back and rolled on top of her. Alex pushed her legs apart and positioned himself at her center. "Main course coming at ya," he growled, driving into her body with one swift thrust. She tightened around him instantly and he had to stay still to keep from ending this as quickly as it had begun. Katie pushed up, encouraging him to move. "Wait a minute, sweetheart. I just need a second to regroup." "OK," Katie whispered. "Take all the time you need. I just...well, patience isn't my strong suit, you know?" "So I've noticed." Alex chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. "It's a highly overrated virtue, if you ask me." He stroked her cheek. "I love you, Katya, impatience and all." Katie pulled his head down and kissed him hard. "I love you, Alexei, chronic overplanning and all." They grinned at each other; Alex pulled out and thrust back in quickly. Katie gasped. Then he slowed his pace to a nice easy motion. "What do you need, baby? Hard and fast or slow and easy?" he asked. "Right now, hard and fast," she panted. "I'm too close to want to deal with slow and easy." "Thank God!" he answered. "I'm running every unpleasant experience I can think of to keep from embarrassing myself here." Katie put a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle welling up inside her. Alex frowned. "It's not funny," he said. She shook her head, keeping the hand in place as her stomach began to shake with laughter. Alex tried to be mad at her, but her mood soon grabbed him, too. The giggles died down, taking their urgency with them. Alex stroked slowly in and out of her; Katie matched his speed without trying to change it. "Still want hard and fast?" he whispered. "No," she whispered. "Not anymore." "Me either," he agreed. They found a slow, gentle rhythm. Alex watched Katie, taking his eyes away only when he reached down to kiss her. Katie watched Alex, taking her eyes away only when she reached up to kiss him. She was content to watch him rise and fall above her, until she saw his left shoulder twitch. He never said a word, but when it twitched for the third time, Katie knew his arm was tiring. She wrapped her legs around him and rolled him onto his back. "Why don't you let me drive for while?" she offered. He nodded and smiled. Katie straightened her arms to give her better leverage as she thrust against him, picking up the pace. Alex reached up, taking one nipple in his mouth, while he caressed the other with his thumb. Katie closed her eyes, letting the moment take her away. She was close, so when he let go of her breast, she whimpered in disappointment. He pushed her up, until she was sitting on him, then took her hand in his. Alex kissed her fingertips, then guided them between her legs. "Show me," he demanded. "I want to see you this time." Katie hesitated for a second, recalling the first time he'd asked her to touch herself. She'd been scared, but he'd held her close, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, making everything all right. Afterwards, he said that next time, he'd light a candle so he could see her face when she came. She leaned down and kissed him. "Anything for you," she answered. Straightening up again, she put her hand where he wanted it and began circling the sensitized flesh. He offered a sigh of pleasure at the sight and pushed his hips upward. She moaned, spurring him on. He uttered encouraging words, loving the way she responded to the sound of his voice. Alex felt himself growing closer and knew that this time, there would be no holding back. "Come for me, baby. I can't hold out much longer." Katie quivered at his words. "Then don't...I'm almost..." Alex thrust hard one last time, sending both of them reeling. Katie collapsed on top of him and closed her eyes. "I love you, Alexei," she murmured. "Love you, too," he answered as he nuzzled her neck. She felt his shoulder start to spasm again and tried to shift her head to the other side. "Where are you going?" he asked. "Just moving off your shoulder," she replied. "I don't want to hurt you." "Oh," he whispered. "Is that why you switched positions earlier?" Katie nodded and kissed his cheek. "Did that bother you?" "No, not at all," he answered. "I'll have to start doing pushups again to get those muscles back in shape," he grinned. "They're a little weak from not being used." "I'll be sure to help you with those workouts anytime you so desire," she chuckled. Katie rolled off of him, laying on her back, hands tucked under her head. Alex shifted, resting his head on her chest. "Katya?" Katie smiled. "Yes, Alexei?" "How did it happen?" he asked. "How did what happen?" Alex sighed. "Don't be difficult, you know exactly what I'm asking about." "Do we really have to talk about it right now?" she asked. "Yes we do. I've shown you mine," he said, motioning to his arm. "Now show me yours." "Guess that's only fair," she replied. "OK, you asked for it." Katie took a deep breath, before starting her tale. "In August, just before my junior year of high school, I decided I wanted to take a train trip and see some of the country by rail. My parents weren't thrilled with the idea, but they let me go when one of my friends and her mother said they'd go with me. We had a great time; I love trains. Anyway, one night we were in the club car, hanging out with some of the other passengers, when the train jumped the track. The initial impact threw me back against the seats. The windows shattered and there was glass everywhere. Then we hit something else; I didn't know it then, but the paper said it was one of the other cars. I was tossed across the car and into the window. My foot got caught on something, so instead of going out the window, I landed on the shards of glass left sticking out of the window pane; it sliced me wide open. My friend's mom was able to pull me off and she held me together until the paramedics arrived. I shouldn't have survived, but someone was looking out for me that day, I guess." "Your parents and Matthew must have been frantic," Alex remarked. "They were. Mom, Dad and Matthew drove eight hours to the hospital to be with me. At first the doctor wasn't going to let Matthew into the ICU, because he wasn't immediate family, but my parents convinced him that Matthew had to be there. Mom told me that Matthew never left my side, holding my hand, the entire time. They tried to get him to leave, just for a little while to eat or get some sleep, but he refused. The nurses forced him to leave for a while on the second day, but as soon as he did, my blood pressure skyrocketed. They tried to bring it back down, but it stayed high until Matthew returned ten minutes later. As soon as he took my hand, it went back down. That pretty much secured his place by my side for the rest of my stay in the ICU. I don't remember any of this, of course, but the nurses and my parents say that he left my side only to take bathroom breaks, for the next four days. They had to force him out of the room on the fifth day, to make him bathe. After four days without a shower, they were about to declare him a public health hazard," Katie laughed. "One of the nurses told me that he spent a couple of minutes explaining what was happening and telling me that he'd be back as soon as he could. He was afraid that my blood pressure would go up again, I suppose. Whatever he said worked, because it stayed level the whole time he was gone. Everyone tells me that I was in and out of it for the next week. I remember waking up one day and hearing Matthew reading Catch-22 to me. I'd been trying to get him to read that all Summer, with no success. My first words to him were 'is this what I have to do to get you to read?'" Katie paused. "Are you sure you want to hear all of this tonight?" Alex reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed it, then clasped it to his chest. "Keep going." "When I was finally able to stay lucid, Matthew asked the doctor to explain my injuries to us. He didn't want to at first, but Matthew was so knowledgeable about my injuries and asked all the right questions, that the doctor decided we were ready for the full story. The doc said I'd lost a lot of blood and if help hadn't gotten there as fast as it did, I wouldn't have made it. They cleaned it up as best they could, but I was torn up pretty bad, inside and out. There was a lot of muscle and some nerve damage. I have no feeling in the area around the scar." Katie stopped and stared up at the ceiling. "There's more, isn't there?" Alex asked. She nodded. "Tell me," he said quietly. "Just keep talking until it's all out." Katie closed her eyes. "My uterus was punctured and one of my fallopian tubes severed. The other one was nicked. The doctors were able to repair enough of the damage, so I didn't have to have a hysterectomy, but they told me I shouldn't get my hopes up about having children. They didn't say that I'd never be able to have them, just that the chances were slim. I don't know what I would have done if Matthew hadn't been there. That's a strange thing to hear at sixteen; to be told you'll probably never have kids, before you've even had a chance to experience sex. Before that, I took it for granted that I'd have them, you know? It was weird having the choice taken out of my hands." "Then why the birth control pills?" he asked. "If you're so sure you can't get pregnant, why bother with them?" He backtracked when she gave him a quizzical look. "It's not like you've hidden them, Katya; they're right in front in the medicine cabinet." "Yeah, I guess they are, aren't they?" she asked sheepishly. "They're to help regulate my period, that's all." "Have you ever really tried to conceive?" "No," she answered. "Never found anyone I wanted to try with and the idea of having a child without a partner doesn't appeal to me." Alex rolled onto his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows. "I never thought about having kids when I was young. When I started working for the Consortium, the whole idea of having a family never crossed my mind, except as one of those things you sometimes realize you'll never have." "What about now?" Katie asked. "Do you still think of that as something you'll never have?" Alex smiled. "No, I think I've found my family right here. I have you and our sons, Matthew and Tyler," he chuckled. Katie laughed. "Don't let Matthew hear you say that." "We'll just keep that to ourselves," he agreed. Alex leaned over, kissed the skin between her breasts, then kissed a path down to her stomach. "Wanna try with me?" he asked quietly, turning to see her expression. Katie gave him a questioning look. "Not right away. But maybe someday?" he added. Katie sighed. "I'd like that, but we have to be realistic. Chances are good that no matter how much we might want this, it's not going to happen. Besides, I'm 38; time is running out." "It'll happen." Alex kissed the scar on her abdomen. "We're going to have a boy first. It might be a few years, but he'll come to us; I promise." "Don't make promises you can't keep, Alexei." "I always keep my promises, Katya." He kissed her stomach, this time letting his hand slide down between her legs, lightly skimming her folds. She arched against him, trying to increase the contact, but he held back. Katie reached down to touch him. "No, keep your hands behind your head. Let me do this," he whispered. He skimmed the delicate area repeatedly, until he heard her whimper in frustration. The sound made him smile against her stomach. "I felt that," Katie grumbled. "I should hope so," Alex teased, lightly caressing her again. "That's not what I meant," she continued. "I felt that smile. You're torturing me on purpose you rat." Alex's eyebrows arched at her choice of words. Just a coincidence, he told himself; it's a common expression. "Yes I am, and I'll do it again just to hear you make that noise." "What noise," she asked, whimpering as he ran his fingers across her yet again. "That one," he answered. "And don't call me a rat." "Then stop teasing me," she said. "No way, baby," he murmured. "I'm hooked on that sound." "Rat." He let his fingers skim her again. Katie pressed her hips upwards. "Rat," she hissed. Alex took his fingers on another strafing run across her swollen skin, biting back a grin as she whimpered and strained toward his hand. "Give it up, darling. I can do this all night." "Bastard," she growled. "Excuse me?" he asked, more than a little amused. "My, my, my, the lady has quite the potty mouth. I think I like 'rat' better," he chuckled. "Do you really find this that frustrating?" he asked. "Yes, damn it!" "Hmmm. So this," he said, lightly skimming her folds. "This is a source of great frustration to you?" "Rat bastard," she grumbled. Alex stifled a laugh. "What did you call me?" "Rat bastard," she repeated. "Uh oh," he said. "You shouldn't have said that. Now you're in trouble." He trailed his hand down her leg to her knee and rested there briefly. Katie flexed her hips, trying to get him to do something, anything. "Big trouble," he murmured. He quickly slid his hand back up her leg and when he reached her center, plunged two fingers deep inside her. Katie cried out, as much in surprise, as in pleasure. "Is that better?" "God, yes!" she answered. Alex chuckled and moved his thumb so that it brushed her clit with each passing stroke. He eased his fingers in and out of her body, until her muscles clenched and she called out his name. When she relaxed, he slipped his fingers from her, moved up her body and kissed her. "So, am I still a rat bastard?" "Maybe not a bastard," she sighed. "But still a rat." "You ARE stubborn," he said. "And you love me anyway," she replied. "Yes I do," he answered. "Come here," she said, pulling him on top of her. "Let's work on building up that arm." Katie woke up the next morning, to find herself tangled up in Alex's limbs, dripping with sweat. Sometime during the night, he must have pulled one of the rugs over them to keep warm as the fire died down. Now, the fire was out and the temperature under the rug was unbearable. She didn't want to wake him, but if she didn't get out from under the sweltering heat of that rug, she was going to lose her mind. At first, she tried to simply disentangle herself. That didn't work; that damned prosthetic arm must have a locking device, because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't free herself from its grip. "Alexei," she whispered. "Wake up, sleepyhead." He sighed, but didn't wake up, so she tried kicking at the bottom of the rug to see if she could get her feet into the open air. No dice. Her legs were crossed, with the top one wedged securely under his knee. Panic set in. Logically, she knew she was safe and that everything was fine; she tried to calm herself down with the relaxation techniques she'd learned, but her deep-seated fear of entrapment won out. "Alex, come on, I need to get up," she said, patting his chest. He mumbled something unintelligible and pulled her closer. "No, I need to get up now," she said loudly, trying to pull away. Alex's eyes fluttered open. "Don't wanna let go," he slurred sleepily. Katie struggled against him. "Damn it, Alex! LET GO!" All logic escaped her as panic took over. The heat was stifling and every fiber of her being was screaming 'RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY!' Alex moved his arm away, to look at her. "What's..." was as much as got out before she yanked her feet out from under him and bolted upright, tossing the rug off to the side. Katie wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on her knees. Alex could hear her panicked breathing as she rocked back and forth. He sat up behind her, not knowing what to do. "Katya," he said quietly, reaching out to touch her back. "What's wrong? What did I do?" She jumped at his touch and he felt his stomach sink. He pulled away and waited a few minutes before trying again. Katie rocked back and forth, trying to regain some sense of composure. She could feel Alex's concern, but when he first reached out, her initial reaction was to pull away. That was a hurtful thing to do, but it was reflex, not a reflection of her true feelings for him. She wanted to tell him that, but her brain wasn't ready to form words quite yet. How could she explain her unreasonable fear of being trapped in hot, enclosed spaces without sounding like a nut case? She'd been this way for as long as she could remember and no one could ever offer up an explanation. Katie just figured it must have some karmic connection, a leftover from a bad experience in a past life. Matthew had snickered at her the first time she used that as an excuse, but since he couldn't give her something more logical, that's the explanation she stuck with. She felt Alex's hand gently touch her back again. This time, she didn't pull away. Alex touched her back, hoping she wouldn't pull away this time. When she didn't, he slid over and tentatively put his arms around her. "Is this all right?" he asked quietly. "More than all right," she answered. He kissed her back, then rested his head on her shoulder. "What just happened?" "Panic attack," she said. "It's hard to explain." She turned around to look back at him, expecting to see raised eyebrows; instead he simply nodded his head and waited for her to continue. "I can't stand to be confined, especially if it's hot. This sounds so stupid when I try to explain, but I don't know how else to say it." She paused and looked off across the room. "As a kid, I used to freak out whenever I'd get tangled up in the blankets. I felt like I was suffocating if I couldn't at least get my feet out in the air. Whenever I was sick, my mother would come in and cover me up, only to find later, that I'd either completely kicked the covers off or that I'd have my feet hanging off the side of the bed. It's crazy, I know that, but when I couldn't get out from under that rug a few minutes ago, I lost it completely. You had me so wrapped up against your body and it was so hot under that damned rug...I couldn't move..." She dropped her head to her knees. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Didn't know you getting involved with such a damaged individual, did you?" Alex let his hands slide off of her shoulders, then scooted around to face her. "Damaged? Sweetheart, take a look at who you're talking to. I'm as damaged as they come. Hell, I'm the poster boy for Damaged, Unlimited." He reached out and placed his hand on her cheek, running his thumb across her lower lip. "As individuals, we may be incomplete; as a couple, we're unstoppable." Alex leaned toward her and kissed her softly. "How about we come up with a safe word? Something you can use whenever I'm holding you too tight, like this morning or when you're tied up to the bedpost and want out," he said with a leer. Katie raised her eyebrow at that remark, then allowed a smile to slowly cross her face. Alex raised his eyebrows in return. "Hmmm, I take it the being tied to the bedpost idea is one that intrigues you?" Katie smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I'll remember that," he whispered in her ears, before kissing the nape of her neck. "So, what word should we use? It needs to be something you wouldn't normally toss out in everyday conversation." "Amnesty," she whispered. "What?" he asked. "Amnesty." Alex smiled. "Perfect. Just what the governor ordered; it'll be our little secret." Katie looked at him in surprise. "How did..." Alex grinned. "I found your 'Alias Smith and Jones' tapes while you were gone and watched a couple of episodes. What is that Heyes says as they're being shot at? 'I sure wish the governor would let a few more people in on our secret.' Something like that?" "Yeah, something like that," she smiled. "I can't believe you picked up on that! What made you sit and watch anyway?" "I wanted to try to figure out what you were like as a little girl. Obviously, this show made quite an impression on you and Matthew, so it seemed like a good place to start. I have to admit I do understand the nicknames better now; the two of you are a lot like Heyes and Curry. You must have been quite a pair." "Yes we were," Katie replied. "Feel better now?" he asked. Katie nodded. "Good. Now how should we start off the morning? Food? Shower? Sex?" "Yes," she replied. "And in no particular order." Alex smiled, then got up when he saw Katie shiver. "Come on, we're getting you into a nice warm shower, first; the rest of the list, we'll play by ear." A few hours later, bodies sated, stomachs full, Alex announced his intentions. "Come on, grab your shoes; we're getting out of here for a while." He pushed her feet off of his lap and stood up. Katie sat up and eyed him curiously. "Where are we going?" "Christmas shopping. You said we could get a tree. Didn't change your mind, did you?" he asked. "No, I didn't change my mind," she answered with a smile. "But no tinsel!" "No tinsel," he agreed. "And no 'Charlie Brown' tree either. Just because we're a mess, doesn't mean that we have to take pity on the sorriest looking tree on the lot. I want big and full and as tall as we can find. We're going to do this in style." "OK," she sighed. "No 'Charlie Brown' tree. You do realize that we're going to have look for ornaments, too?" she asked. "I only have a few leftover from when I was a child. Never bothered to buy any as an adult." "Way ahead of you," he answered. "There's a place just outside of town, completely devoted to Christmas decorations of all kinds; Tyler told me about it when I mentioned that I'd talked you into a tree this year." "You've thought of everything, haven't you?" Katie teased. "Yes I have," Alex replied smugly. "Here's what I have in mind. We'll go out and find the tree this afternoon, bring it back here and set it up. Tomorrow, we'll go to the Christmas store and buy out the joint. How does that sound?" Katie laughed and shook her head. "Why are we waiting until tomorrow to buy ornaments? Why not just do it this afternoon, then we can spend all day tomorrow decorating?" "Because, my dear," he said, bending over to kiss her cheek. "The tree needs some time to open up and get used to its new environment. You don't just pop it up and toss on the decorations." "Oh," she said, lifting her hand to his cheek. "I guess I've forgotten the intricacies of tree preparation." Alex turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand. "Good thing I'm around to help out with the little details. Now, go get your shoes on so we can get out of here." Less than an hour later, they were on their second lot, checking out the selection of trees. They went from tree to tree, holding them up, checking for fullness, height and straightness of trunk. "How about this one?" Katie asked. "Nah, too short," Alex replied. "We've got huge ceiling, let's take advantage of it." He walked over to the next row. "Here, this one's better." "Nope, the trunk is crooked," she said, shaking her head. "It leans too far to the left." She looked down at the end of the row. "What about that one?" Alex put the tree back in its place and followed her. "This one?" he asked. "Yeah, hold it up," she answered. He pulled the tree out and held it up for her. "Turn it around so I can see the whole thing." Alex slowly turned the tree. Katie smiled and nodded. "Here, let me hold it, so you can take a look." She grabbed hold of the tree and motioned him back, slowly turning it as he appraised the tree from every angle. "Well, what do you think?" she asked. "I think it's perfect," he answered. "Hang on to it. I'll go get someone to tie it up for us." Katie watched him jog off to find the lot owner. She thought she was alone, when the smell of cigarettes wafted by. Turning to find the source, she was surprised to see an older gentleman standing a few feet away. A chill ran through her. 'stop it,' she admonished silently. 'He's probably just a nice man out looking for a tree.' "Beautiful tree," the man said. "You and your husband have good taste." "Thank you," Katie replied. "Been married long?" he asked. Katie stared down the row, hoping to see Alex. "We're not married." The man took a long drag off the cigarette, then let the smoke out slowly. "Oh, I see. I had you figured as newlyweds." They could hear footsteps coming toward them. "Well, Merry Christmas, Miss," he said, tossing his cigarette down and crushing it with his shoe. "Merry Christmas to you, too," Katie replied. The man walked away, leaving her line of sight just as Alex and the lot owner appeared. Alex pointed to the tree and the owner took it from Katie's grasp. "OK, I'll get this bundled right up for ya," he said, before dragging the tree away. Alex sniffed the air and looked around quickly. "Was someone else here?" "Yeah, an older gentleman. He complimented us on our taste in trees," she answered. Alex looked down and spied the cigarette butt on the ground. He bent to pick it up, confirming it to be the brand he suspected. "What did he look like?" "Tall, gray hair, wearing a suit, a face that looked like he'd had a hard life maybe. Why?" "Where did he go?" Alex asked. "I don't know, that way, I think," she said, pointing off to the left. "Stay here," he ordered. "I mean it, don't you move and if he shows up again, I want to you scream bloody murder." "Alex?" "I mean it, Katya," he said, running in the direction she'd indicated. "Don't move!" Alex returned moments later, to find Katie rooted to the spot, arms wound tightly across her chest. "Did you find him?" "No, no sign of him anywhere." Alex walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "Who is he?" "Spender," he answered flatly. Alex reached down to pick up the Morley butt on the ground. "This is his brand." "Yeah, his and about four million other's," Katie responded. "Why would he be here? You said that the Consortium was gone; what could he want with you?" "I don't know," Alex said. "What did he say to you?" "Not much. He complimented us on our choice of trees; he thought we were married." "What did you say to that?" "I told him we weren't married, then he wished me a Merry Christmas and left." Alex frowned. "That's it? That's all he said?" "That's it. Not exactly an awe-inspiring conversation." Katie reached for his hand. "Look, maybe it wasn't him. Maybe it was just a kindly gentleman out shopping for a tree." "No, it was him. He left this little calling card for me," Alex said, flicking the butt to the ground. "He'll be back." "Sir," the lot owner called. "Got your tree ready. Why don't you pull your car around and I'll help you load it." "Thanks, we'll be right there," Alex called back. He tightened his grip on Katie's hand. "You're coming with me to the car. I'm not letting you out of my sight again." The ride back to the loft was quiet. Alex opened his mouth to speak a few times, but stopped short of actually saying anything. He pulled the car into the garage and closed the door behind them. "Katya," he started. "I think I should go. I'm putting you in danger by staying here." "No, you're not going anywhere. I just found you; we just found each other. There's no way I'm letting you walk away from me now," she said, grabbing his hand. "You said yourself, as individuals we may be incomplete; as a couple, we're unstoppable. Besides, didn't you say you weren't going to let me out of your sight again?" she teased, hoping to lighten the mood. He wasn't buying it. "Katya," he started again. "Alexei, don't bother; I'm not listening to you. I know this is a dangerous man we're talking about. I know what he's capable of, you made that abundantly clear the other night." She kissed his hand. "He already knows about us; that much is obvious. If he's half as smart as you say, he already knows that he can hurt you by hurting me, so what's the point of leaving?" Alex opened his mouth to reply, but Katie cut him off. "Look, you don't even know that the man I spoke to is Spender. We could be jumping the gun, so to speak. Let's just wait and see what happens. If it really is him, we'll handle it together." She leaned over and kissed him softly. "This is the long haul, remember?" "I remember," he whispered. "I'm just afraid...what if I can't protect you?" "You don't need to protect me," she answered. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Just watch my back and I'll watch yours." "You make it sound so simple," he sighed. "It is that simple," she replied. "You made a promise to me last night. Do you remember?" Alex smiled and gently stroked her stomach. "Of course I remember." "How are you going to make good on that promise, if you leave me?" He put his hand on her neck and pulled her close. "Guess I'd better stay, then," he said, bringing his lips close to hers. "Can't go back on a promise." "No you can't," she agreed, closing the gap between them. "Mmmm. OK, that's settled. Now, let's get our tree upstairs and into some water." Alex pulled back, smiling. "Anything you say, sweetheart." Katie arched an eyebrow. "Anything?" "First we get the tree upstairs, then we'll talk about 'anything'," he grinned. Getting the tree upstairs proved to be trickier than they'd expected. The small elevator wasn't exactly equipped to handle a ten-foot tree, so they had to angle it just right, bending the top back, in order to fit the whole thing in. Once that was accomplished, there was room enough for only one to fit inside. Katie convinced Alex to let her ride up with the tree, assuring him that she was perfectly capable of dragging it out by herself. He wasn't thrilled with the idea, but he conceded the point. "Look, if it bothers you that much, we can send the tree up by itself and take the stairs," she offered. Alex stared at her. "Stairs?" "You're kidding, right?" she asked incredulously. "You do know about the stairs?" He continued to stare blankly at her. "Oh Alex," she snickered. "You've been here all this time and you don't know about the stairs? You don't really think that the only way up is the elevator? Two words, baby, power outage." She shook her head and closed the elevator door, sending the tree on its way upstairs. "Follow me." Katie led him around the side of the elevator, past the woodpile, to a door at the far end of the garage. She took her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door. Reaching in, she flipped the switch to light their way. "Come on, lock the door behind you." Alex followed her up the stairs. "Where does this come out?" "You'll see," she replied. At the top of the stairs, Katie unlocked the door. "Are you ready for this?" she asked with a grin. He smirked at her and nodded his head. Katie pushed the door open to reveal...the washer and dryer. "Ta da! I can't believe you didn't know this was here; you've done the laundry more than I have this past month. Didn't you ever wonder where this door went?" "Would you believe I never noticed it?" Alex asked sheepishly. Katie giggled into her hand. "Hey, don't laugh. I was too busy trying to picture you in your unmentionables, as I was fluffing and folding, to give any thought to escaping," he protested. "Ah yes, the ever popular 'unmentionables' defense. Tell me, Mr. Krycek, just how many times have you used this particular legal ploy?" she teased. "Never, Miss Heyes. But then, it's never taken me this long to get into a lady's unmentionables before," he stated smugly. "Oh? And whose fault was that?" she asked. "You had me the first time I looked into those beautiful green eyes." Katie moved closer and slipped her hands inside the waistband of his jeans, pulling him closer. "As I recall, I wasn't the one waiting for...what was it we were waiting for? I forget." "Hey, I was on the disabled list," Alex complained. "Remember me, the one with the broken ribs?" "Yes, but you were pretty well recovered a few days before I left for New York," she countered. Alex lifted his hand to her face and caressed her cheek. "You know why I waited, Katya." Katie kissed the palm of his hand. "I know." The sound of footsteps broke the spell. Alex pushed Katie behind him, looking for anything use as weapon against the unseen intruder. "How touching, Alex. I never knew you were such a romantic," Spender said, pausing to light a cigarette. "Nice to see you again, Miss Heyes." Katie stepped out from behind Alex's back. Alex tried to stop her, but she pulled away, stepping up to face Spender. Her hand darted out and she snatched the cigarette from his mouth, crushing the lit end with her fingertips. "You can't smoke here," she spat out angrily. "Now state your business, so you can the Hell out of our home." Spender smiled and nodded his head. "I like her, Alex. She's got spunk." "What do you want, old man?" Alex hissed, pulling Katie back against him. "I have something for you, a peace offering, of sorts," he said. "Nothing you have could possibly be of interest to me. I'm out of it; I quit," Alex replied. "We're all 'out of it', dear boy. You and I are the last; everyone else is dead and I'm afraid I won't be around much longer myself. All that's left now is the waiting." Spender turned his back on them and walked back into the loft. When they didn't follow, he looked over his shoulder. "Aren't you curious to see what I've brought? I assure you, I have only the best intentions." Alex held his ground, until Katie patted him on the arm. "Come on, let's see what he's brought so we can get him out of here." Alex frowned at her. "Look, I don't trust him either, but he's already in our home. Let him finish his little game and be on his way." Katie tugged at his sleeve, until he sighed and followed her. Spender led them to the kitchen and pointed to a wooden box sitting on the table. Alex looked at the box, then at Spender. "Open it," Spender said, pointing to the box. Alex put his hand on the box, then hesitated. "Don't worry, Alex. The demons have long since escaped; what's inside is designed to help protect you from them." Alex tapped his fingers on the top, then slowly lifted the lid. Inside, he found syringes, each filled with a yellow liquid. "Is this..." Alex stopped, not knowing how to finish his sentence. "All that remains," Spender confirmed. "Ten syringes of the vaccine. I trust you'll put it to good use." "Why are you giving this to me?" Alex asked. "I would think you'd want Mulder to have it." "I had planned on giving it to him," Spender admitted. "But I'm afraid I've burned my bridges where Mulder's concerned. Perhaps you can deliver some of this to him. I know, in spite of your differences, that you consider Mulder to be something of a friend." "I don't know that 'friend' is the word I'd choose," Alex replied. "He's one of the few people I trust; he and Scully." "Good, you're going to need that in the days to come. We've stalled them, Alex, but they're coming back and we'll be powerless to stop them this time. This vaccine is all that stands between us and complete annihilation." Spender reached into his pocket and drew another cigarette from the pack. Katie glared at him and he put it back. "Force of habit, Miss Heyes. I apologize." "How long do you think we have?" Alex asked. "If my sources are to be believed, five, maybe six years," he answered. "They're going to wait until we've become complacent, then strike in a worldwide offensive maneuver. They'll wipe most of us out in the first few days. The only ones left will be those receiving the vaccine, the few lucky enough to have survived Tunguska and anyone fortunate enough to have a natural resistance to the virus; that makes you safe, doesn't it, Alex? All told, we'll be lucky to have a quarter of million people left when they're finished." "Why leave any of us?" Katie asked. "Why not just get rid of the entire human race?" "Ecology, Miss Heyes," he replied. "Unlike us, the aliens understand the need for balance in the environment. They will allow enough of us to survive, in order to keep the planet sound. We're nothing more than incubators to them, a necessary evil for the continuation of their species. Some of us will be allowed to live out our lives, while others will be taken as hosts for the breeding of the next generation." "How do we know this is really the vaccine?" Alex said, picking up one of the syringes. "Think about it, Alex. If I'd wanted to kill you, I could have done it a hundred times over. I have nothing to gain by lying to you now," he answered, putting his hands in his pockets. "I have nothing to lose either. So I suppose you're going to have to take it on faith that I'm telling you the truth." Katie touched the remaining syringes, lightly skimming her fingers over the cold plastic. "What about our children? If I'm inoculated, will they inherit a resistance to the virus?" "That is the hope, Miss Heyes. Unfortunately, our studies are limited to three births by parents who've both received the vaccine. The children involved were born with the anti-virus in their systems, but three is hardly a number on which to base a conclusion." Katie nodded, then removed her coat and dropped it on the table. She pulled her sweatshirt off over her head and pushed the sleeve of her T-shirt out of the way. "Hit me, Alex." "Katie...no," Alex protested. "We don't know for sure this is the vaccine." "And we don't know that it isn't," she reasoned. "You don't need it, he doesn't need it, I'm the only one here that's not covered. Someone's got to be the guinea pig and it looks like I'm the logical choice. I'm not willing to risk anyone else's life to find out if he's telling the truth, so either you hit me with it or I'll do it myself." Alex looked down at the syringe in his hand. "I know what you're thinking." He glanced over at her. "You're thinking if you give me this and I die that you won't be able to live without me. Am I right?" He nodded quickly. "I thought so. You don't have to worry about that, you know," she said, placing her hand around his neck. "Because if I die from this, Matthew will kill you." She smiled sweetly up at him, hoping for a grin or a chuckle in return. When neither came, Katie slipped her hand from his neck and took the syringe from him. She pulled the protective cap off, dropping it on the table. Holding the syringe up in front of him, she said "for our son?" Alex closed his eyes and lowered his head in defeat, before drawing in a deep breath and taking the syringe from her hand. "Are you sure?" She smiled and patted her exposed upper arm. With shaky hands, he raised the syringe, putting the tip of needle against her flesh. "I love you," he whispered, as he pushed the needle in and depressed the plunger. Katie winced as the vaccine entered her system. "I know." Spender cleared his throat. "Miss Heyes, you might experience a little discomfort around the area of the injection, possibly a mild headache, but that's all. We've never encountered any serious side effects." "Get out of here, old man," Alex growled. "Yes...well...goodbye, Alex, Miss Heyes. You won't be seeing me again." Spender walked to elevator, pulled the tree out of the way and got on. Katie looked at Alex, then followed Spender. "Mr. Spender," she called. He stepped out. "I don't imagine this is something you hear very often, but if this is the vaccine and your intentions are honorable, then thank you." Spender raised his eyebrows in surprise as he backed onto the elevator and put his finger on button. "You're right, Miss Heyes. I don't hear those words very often. I believe the correct response is you're welcome." He pushed the button closing the door and sending the elevator on its way down to the garage. "Why did you do that," Alex asked, putting his arms around her from behind. "Because if he's telling the truth, he deserves to be thanked," she answered. "Because he's sad, lonely and dying, Alexei. But most of all, because it's Christmas and it was the right thing to do." "You amaze me; that you could find some good in that black-lunged son-of-a-bitch." Alex kissed the top of her head then rested his cheek there. "That you could find some good in me," he whispered. Katie pushed away shaking her hands in front of her. "OK, enough, you're getting maudlin. We have a tree to put up. Go get the saw, we need to make a fresh cut in this before we put it in the stand. We're probably going to have to cut off a few of these lower branches, too." Alex stood silently, grinning at her. "What are you waiting for? Get moving, this poor thing's waited long enough." Katie turned her attention back to the tree and away from Alex. "Yes ma'am," Alex chuckled, before jogging off to get the saw. When she was sure he wasn't looking, she glanced over at him and smiled. "I love you, too," she whispered. Making the fresh cut was easier said than done. The tree oozed sap liberally, forcing them to stop and clean the saw a number of times. When the trunk was ready and the lower branches trimmed to an appropriate height, they put the tree in the stand. Katie held and adjusted, while Alex issued directions until it was centered, then knelt to tighten the screws. "That should do it," Alex exclaimed. He stood and brushed the pine needles from his hair. "Let's see how it looks." Katie stepped back a few feet, then circled the tree. She nodded her head, but didn't say anything. Alex joined her. "What's wrong? Don't you like it?" he asked. "The tree is beautiful," she answered. "It's just a little strange seeing it up in here, that's all." "You'll get used to it," he said. He ran his hands up and down her arms, then slipped them around her waist and nuzzled her neck. "It's been hours," he murmured. Katie dropped her head to one side, giving him greater access to her neck. "Seems like longer," she sighed. His hands moved to tug her T-shirt out of her jeans, pulling it off quickly and letting it fall to the floor. He cupped her breasts, teasing the nipples into hard peaks. His mouth returned to her neck, nipping the soft flesh at the base. Katie pressed against him, slipping one hand behind her to stroke the front of his jeans. He bit her harder than intended when her hand made first contact. He started to apologize when the phone rang, breaking. "Shit," he hissed. "Ignore it," Katie whispered. "It's probably a telemarketer; the machine will pick up." They waited for the fourth ring and listened as the machine answered the call. "Hanna, it's me." Katie groaned and shook her head. "I should have known it would be Matthew," Alex growled. "Better take it or he'll be calling all night." "I guess you're not there," Matthew continued. Katie looked at Alex and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe if we just ignore him..." "He'll call back until you finally answer," he said in defeat. "Get it over with." Katie hurried over to the phone and picked up the receiver. "Hi Kid, what do you want?" Alex crowded in behind her, nuzzling her neck and running his fingers gently across her nipples. She arched her back to increase the contact. "Everything's fine. Dinner Wednesday night?" Alex nodded against her neck. "Yeah, sure, OK." Katie held back a moan as Alex reached down to pop the button on her jeans. She closed her eyes as he lowered the zipper and slipped his hand inside. "What? Oh, whatever you want. Surprise us." Alex tugged at her jeans until they puddled around her ankles. She stepped out of them and he kicked them across the floor. His hand brushed through her curls, then dipped down and caressed her folds. She bit the inside of her mouth as Alex plunged a finger inside of her. "Hmmm? Oh what? Chicken's fine; anything's fine. Yeah, I'm great, just a little...well, things are..." She smiled as she felt his hand move behind her and heard the sound of his jeans hitting the floor. "Let's just say I'm not sure if I'm coming or going at the moment." Alex chuckled into her neck, then took the phone from her hand. "Matthew, here's the deal," he said, still chuckling. He moved his finger slowly in and out of her body, as he gently leaned her over the counter. "Katie knows exactly who's coming and going. She's about to take care of the former, so you will have to take care of the latter. Bye, bye." He disconnected and returned the receiver to its cradle, before sheathing himself inside her. Matthew's jaw dropped in disbelief as Alex's words registered. He held the phone in his hand, too stunned to remember what he was supposed to do with it now. Tyler walked in and stared at him. "What happened?" Matthew snapped out of it long enough to hang up the phone. "Oh, I...uh," he stammered. "You called them, didn't you?" Tyler asked, shaking his head. "You couldn't have given them a day or two alone?" "I was just calling to invite them to dinner Wednesday night," Matthew huffed. "She could have told me it was a bad time." Tyler's eyes lit up. "Oh? Do tell," he smiled. "What did our Katie say?" "Katie didn't say anything," Matthew admitted. "It was what Alex said." "You spoke to both of them?" "Well, he spoke to me, actually." Tyler stepped closer and sat down on the arm of the couch. "And he said..." Matthew took a deep breath and repeated Alex's parting words slowly. Tyler snickered, at first, then broke into fullblown laughter as Matthew stormed into the bedroom. Tyler followed him in, still snickering. "Loosen up, Matthew! OK, so it wasn't the subtlest brush off I've ever heard; you have to admit, it was funny." "No it wasn't," Matthew snapped. "It was crude and childish." Tyler pushed up against him, putting his arms around Matthew and kissing his shoulder. "You're cute when you're angry," he said. "Have I ever told you that?" His hands moved to Matthew's belt and began to pull on the buckle. "Want me to help you work out some of that aggression?" he whispered seductively. Matthew relaxed against him and sighed. "I don't know, might take an awful lot of work this time." Tyler grinned and pulled the belt free of the loops. "Good. I love a challenge." A short time later, Katie and Alex were curled up on the couch and admiring their tree. "You will have to take care of the latter," she snickered. "I can't believe I actually said that to Matthew," Alex groaned, hiding his face in her shoulder. "So much for fostering a good relationship." "Don't worry about it," Katie soothed. "Besides, knowing Matthew it probably thoroughly pissed him off, which probably really turned Tyler on, which probably kicked off an evening of mind-blowing sex for the two of them." Alex raised his eyebrows. "Seeing Matthew angry turns Tyler on?" "Oh yeah," said Katie. "Big time. As long as Matthew isn't pissed off at him." Alex shifted on the couch to face her. "Do you mind telling me how you happen to know this interesting bit of trivia?" "Well, we did all live together for about four months, while their condo was being built," Katie said with a grin. "And this place doesn't leave much room for privacy. You hear things, see things, you normally wouldn't." "And you heard and saw some things that led you to this conclusion?" he asked. "Well, OK, I'll admit, I wasn't entirely sure, so one night, I put my theory to the test and...uh...let's just say it proved out," she answered with a wink. Alex's eyes widened in surprise. "Katya! You set up your best friend and his boyfriend, just so you could prove out a theory about their sex life?" She shrugged and nodded. "I'm shocked. I didn't realize you had such a devious mind." "Hey, I hadn't had a date in almost a year, so I set up a vicarious thrill for myself," she replied. He continued to stare at her. "Oh Alexei," Katie started, rolling her eyes at him. "You've read my books; certainly you can't be all that surprised." "Yes, but that's fiction. These are your friends." He sat back on the couch and looked her over slowly, as if seeing her for the first time. Katie slid away from him slightly, trying to read his expression. He let her squirm in the silence for a few minutes, before speaking again. "You do know what this means, don't you?" he asked seriously. "What?" she asked defensively. This whole conversation had taken a weird turn and she wasn't sure she liked where it appeared to be going. Alex looked awfully serious and more than a little put out with her. Alex leaned in close, until they were almost nose to nose. "I own you," he whispered, wiggling his eyebrows. Katie released the breath she'd been holding, relieved that he wasn't really angry with her. She smiled back at him. "Lock, stock and barrel, baby," she whispered back. Alex climbed onto her, straddling her lap, then kissed her passionately. When he came up for air, he stroked her cheek gently. "Let's see, I just had you over a barrel," he said, with a leer. "It was countertop," Katie corrected with a smirk. "Barrel, countertop, whatever," he said, waving her off. "Guess that leaves the locks and stocks. Katie snapped her fingers and put on a disappointed face. "Damn, I knew this was a bad week to have the stocks refinished," she teased. Alex grinned wickedly. "Then I guess I'll just have to improvise." He got up and she started to follow. "Oh no, you stay right there until I'm ready for you." He backed away a little. "Don't move," he warned, before disappearing into the bedroom. She could hear drawers opening and the sound of furniture being moved. The longer he was gone, the more nervous she became. She was startled when he suddenly appeared behind her and tied a scarf over her eyes. "Didn't think I was going to let you see what was to come, did you Katya?" he asked quietly. She heard him walk around the couch and felt him take her by the hand. "Come with me; I won't let you run into anything." Katie stood and allowed herself to be led away from the couch and into the bedroom. He stopped just inside the room, to remove her shirt. "You won't be needing this," he said. He led her to the side of the bed and gently pushed her down. "Lie down, on your back," he instructed. "Arms over your head." She did as she was told, feeling a soft, fabric noose being secured to each of her wrists. Katie jumped as it was pulled tight, feeling her body tremble involuntarily. Alex saw her start to shake and crawled into bed next to her. He held her and kissed her softly. "Too much?" he asked in hushed tones. "No, I'm all right," she replied shakily. "We don't have to do this, sweetheart." He kissed her again, caressing her gently. "I love you, Katya. I won't hurt you. You know that, don't you?" She nodded. "I know." "Good, then trust me not to hurt you now. Just say the magic word and I'll stop," he promised. Alex waited to see if she would say the word and when she didn't, he continued. He undid her jeans and pulled them off slowly, then ran his hands up her legs to ease off her panties. Another fabric noose was put around each ankle, but this time, he didn't pull them tight. "I'll leave them loose, for now," he warned. "But if I have to, I'll tighten them down." "Am I allowed to touch you?" she asked, sliding one foot up his leg. He pushed her foot back down. "Absolutely not." "Then you better tighten the ropes," she sighed. "Because I won't be able to stop myself." Alex smiled and chuckled quietly. The trust he was looking for was there, given in a simple statement of surrender. He moved to the end of the bed and secured the ties snugly. He pressed his lips to bottom of her foot. Katie's foot twitched when she felt Alex's lips on its sole. She tried to stay still, hoping he hadn't noticed, but knowing that he was too sharp to have missed such an obvious gesture. He moved to the other foot and kissed the sole there as well, getting the same response. She felt him smiled against her foot. 'Oh shit,' she thought. "Ticklish, Katya?" he asked. She didn't need to see him to know that he was grinning evilly at her. "Of course not," she started to lie. Thinking better of it, she changed her answer. "Maybe a little." He walked his fingers from her heel to the soft pad under her toes. Katie struggled slightly, trying to back away from his touch. "Just a little?" he asked. "I wonder." He took his index finger and retraced the path with his fingernail gently grazing her skin. This time she pulled away harder. "OK, OK," she protested. "A lot. I'm a lot ticklish. Happy now?" Alex squeezed her foot. "Oh yes, very happy. It does make me wonder where else you're ticklish though." He wiggled his fingers on her ankles, then up her calf, with no discernible response. "Hmmm, not here. How about..." he continued his ascent over her knee and up her thigh, noticing a slight twitch at about the midpoint. "Maybe a little here," he decided. His fingers slid to the top of her leg, then moved to the joining of her leg and hip, halfway between her inner and outer thigh. Katie jumped as his fingers danced over the soft flesh. "Oh, here's a good spot." He let her squirm briefly, then flattened his hands across her belly. He kissed her scar, resting his head there for a moment, before sliding his hands up her sides. Katie let out a tiny yelp as he hit the sensitive area around her ribs. "Well, well, what have we here?" he grinned, letting his fingers skim her side. She squirmed and fussed as he continued to tease her, chuckling as she protested. "Had enough?" he asked. She nodded furiously. "You can talk, Katya. It's allowed." Katie shook her head and bit her lip. He kissed her neck and nipped her earlobe. "Afraid you might say something you'll live to regret?" She nodded her head. Alex laughed into her shoulder. "Wise move." He kissed her shoulder and back up to her ear. "Are still OK with this?" he whispered. "Yes," she replied. He closed his mouth over hers, pushing his tongue inside. She pulled her tongue away, forcing him into a game of hide and seek. It wasn't much, but it was the last stronghold in her defense and she intended to use whatever she had at her disposal. Alex took note of the game she was playing and allowed her the illusion of victory, before playing his trump card. Just when she thought he was pulling away in defeat, Alex brushed his hand across her breast, causing her moan. Her last defense shattered, she surrendered her mouth to him completely. "You are so stubborn!" he murmured, as he pulled away from her mouth. "And you love it," she answered. He didn't reply, but she knew he was smiling. "Alexei? I need to see you; take the blindfold off?" she asked sweetly. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you, Katya?" He bent down and flicked his tongue over a nipple, causing her to arch her back. "You think you can just ask me anything with that innocent little voice and I'll cave right in, don't you?" He watched as she tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle the grin forming on her face. "And you called me a rat!" She snickered, releasing the grin. "Oh boy, I'm afraid you've put your foot in it, darling," he sighed. "I'm going to have to play dirty now." He lowered his mouth to her breast and suckled it tenderly. Katie moaned as his tongue drew circles on her. He kissed his way over to the other and gave it the same loving attention. His hand rubbed slowly across her ribs, working its way down to her stomach, moving lower with each pass. Katie tried to shift her hips to encourage him to slip even lower, but he held firm just above her folds. Katie ached for him to touch her, but she wasn't about to beg. No way. No how. One more gentle stroke, so close, yet so far. "Alexei," she whimpered. 'Damn it, Katie, you're such a wimp!' she chastised herself. "Is this what you want?" he asked, trailing his fingers over her clit. She pushed up. "Yes," she sighed. "Just like this," he asked, repeating the motion. "Oh yeah, just like that," she answered. "Are you sure this is it?" "Yes, damn it!" "Just checking," he said, lifting his hand. "I want to be sure to hit the right spot, when and if, I decide to let you off the hook." Katie growled. "This is bordering on torture." "Told you I was going to have to play dirty. What's the matter tough girl, can't take the heat?" he teased. "I can take anything you can dish out, ratboy," she snapped. "We'll see about that," he chuckled. 'One of these days I'm going to have to tell her about *ratboy*,' he thought, shaking his head. His fingers brushed lightly against her, imitating his actions of the night before. Katie whimpered in frustration and he felt his already snug jeans tighten beyond any reasonable comfort level. 'But not right now,' he thought. "That's it," he hummed. "That's the sound I've been waiting to hear." "Anybody ever tell you that you have a sadistic streak, Alexei?" Katie whined, pulling against the restraints. She regretted her choice of words, the minute they left her mouth. "More times than you could possibly imagine," he replied, quietly, resting his head on her stomach. "I'm sorry, baby," Katie said softly. "I wasn't thinking." "Don't worry about it, that was a lifetime ago." He kissed her stomach, then slid his hand back down. "All I want right now, is hear you make that noise a few more times." His fingers skimmed her twice more and each time, she offered the sound he was looking for. He stopped briefly, then reached down to untie her ankles. Katie flexed her feet, but made no move to change position. She felt the bed shift as he got up, then heard the sounds of clothing being removed. The bed dipped as he knelt to untie her wrists. Alex sat down beside her and took the scarf off of her eyes. Katie looked at him, silently questioning. He stretched out on top of her and brushed the hair away from her forehead. "I don't want to play anymore," he whispered. "So I can touch you now?" she asked, not wanting to move her arms until she was sure. "I wish you would," he answered. "I need you to touch me, Katya." Katie put her arms around him and pulled him closer. She could feel him poised and ready, seeking entrance, so she bent her knees and pressed her hips upward, until she felt him sink inside her. He moved gently, easing almost all the way out her body, then sinking in just as slowly. "Don't stop, don't change a thing," she pleaded. "Feels so good." "Not stopping," he whispered. "Feels to good to stop." Little by little the sensations grew more intense; building to a fever pitch that couldn't be ignored. He knew she was close; he knew he was close, too. "Come for me, baby," he whispered in her ear. She quivered at his words. "That's it," he said. "Let go. Let go." He flicked his tongue just behind her ear, then blew gently across the moistened skin. Katie cried out as her body finally let go. Alex went only a split second behind her. They held on tight, until their bodies stilled. Katie held on to him, not letting him move when he tried to roll off of her. "No, stay here," she said. "Just for a few more minutes." Alex nodded his head and nuzzled in closer. After a few minutes, he could feel sleep threatening to take over. He pulled her in tight and rolled her over on top of him. "I can't stay awake much longer, baby," he whispered. "I'm sorry." "Shhh," Katie replied. "Go to sleep. I'm nodding off myself." "K," he answered sleepily. "I love you." "I love you, too," she whispered. Katie woke a few hours later with a blinding headache. She rolled carefully off of Alex, let out a small cry of pain, then pressed her hands to her temples and pushed, hoping to stop the throbbing. When that didn't work, she crossed her arms over her head and curled up in a ball. An hour later, when Alex woke, she was still in the same position. "Katya? What's wrong?" Alex asked. He touched her shoulder and felt the tension there. "Head hurts," she forced out. Alex felt a chill run through his body and tightened his hand on her shoulder. When he realized what he was doing, he loosened his grip and began to gently rub up and down her arm; panicking wasn't going to help anything. "How long have you been curled up like this?" "I don't know," she moaned. "What time is it?" Alex looked up at the clock. "Almost 4:30." "About an hour then," she answered. "I'm calling Matthew," Alex said. As he moved to get up, Katie whimpered in pain. "No, don't move, it shakes the bed. Just stay still for a while, OK?" She felt him settle back in beside her. "Besides, it's a headache, what's Matthew gonna do for it beside tell me to take a pill?" "Want me get you something? Aspirin, ibuprofen?" he asked. "A sledge hammer would be nice," Katie joked weakly. Alex smiled. "If you can make jokes, I guess I don't need to call Matthew, just yet." He touched her arm gently. "Do you usually get headaches like this?" "Not usually," she admitted. "Damn it! I knew I should never have let you talk me into..." he sputtered Katie cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "It's just a headache, Alexei; don't turn this into something it's not. I'm going to be fine." "I'm just..." he started. "I know," she replied. "You worry too much." Pain rippled through her head, just as the words left her mouth. She pushed down on the top of her head harder, trying to increase the pressure, as if she could squeeze the pain away. Alex brushed the hair back away from her neck. He could feel the anger building up inside, but knew that he had to keep calm; stay focused. "Here, let me try something," he whispered. "I want you to try to relax. Focus on my voice and nothing else." Katie smiled a little. "Are you trying to hypnotize me?" "In a manner of speaking," he answered. "Won't work," she replied. "I've tried every relaxation technique in the book." "Works better if you let someone else take control," he said, as he began to massage her neck and shoulder. "Now shut up and listen to me, will ya?" "You're lucky I feel so crappy, Alexei," Katie grumbled. Alex kissed the back of her neck. "I know. You can get me back later for the shut up remark." He couldn't see the smile, but he knew it was there. "Now do me a favor?" "What?" "Shut up." Katie chuckled, followed quickly by a moan. "Ow. OK, shutting up." Alex put his hand back on her neck and began to gently rub the base of her neck. "I want you to know that I don't do this for just anybody," he whispered. "K," Katie answered. Alex continued to massage her neck for another minute or two, in silence. Katie could feel his hesitation in the way he breathed. Another minute went by before he made a sound. Well the sun is surely sinking down But the moon is slowly rising So this old world must still be spinning 'round And I still love you She smiled as the strains of the familiar song filled her ears. It had worked when she sang it to him a few short weeks/lifetimes ago; maybe it would work for her, too. So close your eyes You can close your eyes; it's all right Katie did just as Alex and JT suggested; she closed her eyes. I don't know no love songs And I can't sing the blues anymore But I can sing this song And you can sing this song When I'm gone 'Oh, you're not going anywhere, baby,' Katie thought with a smile. It won't be long before another day We gonna have a good time And no one's gonna take that time away You can stay as long as you like 'How about forever?' she asked, wondering if he could hear her thoughts. So close your eyes You can close your eyes; it's all right I don't know no love songs And I can't sing the blues anymore But I can sing this song And you can sing this song When I'm gone Alex moved closer to her, trying hard to keep the bed from bouncing. He kissed the top of her head, never stopping the gentle massage of her neck. "Is that helping, at all?" he asked quietly. "A little," she whispered. "Sing it again." Alex sang again and again; each time Katie's body relaxed a little more. By the sixth, or was it the seventh, time, he realized that she'd drifted off to sleep. He also realized that most of his anger had disappeared as well. 'Maybe music really does soothe the savage breast.' He snuggled against her and closed his eyes. Katie stirred just after 8, waking Alex. He rolled off of her and checked to see if she was awake, then reached out to feel her forehead; it was cool to the touch. For a while, Alex considered going back to sleep, but soon found that he was too restless. Slipping out of bed, so as not to disturb Katie, he walked into the kitchen to make some coffee. After finishing his cup, he decided to take a shower. He made one last trip into the bedroom to check on her, before going into the bathroom. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted into the bedroom, causing Katie to wake up. She hated the smell of coffee in the morning. Hated. It. She never drank the stuff and only kept it in the house for Matthew, Tyler and now, Alex. She rolled over and hugged his pillow to her face, hoping the traces of AlexScent would block out the unpleasant odor coming from the kitchen. It worked, but only long enough to make her realize that she wanted the real thing and not the trace remnants. Alex stepped into the shower and washed his hair. He hadn't intended to stay in very long, but the water beating down on his back felt so good, that he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Katie opened the bathroom door and saw Alex leaning against the wall through the glass door of the shower stall. He didn't move when she closed the door, which made her think that he wasn't aware she was in there. She wanted to sneak into the shower, but was afraid that she might end up startling him, so she made some noise, brushing her teeth, going to the bathroom and losing what little clothing she was wearing, until he moved away from the wall and looked toward her. She went to the door and opened it, just a little. "Room for one more in there?" she asked. "I think I can squeeze you in," he replied, as he pushed the door open wide. Katie stepped in, walking right past him and into the stream, letting it soak her completely. Alex pressed against her and kissed the top of her head. "How do you feel this morning?" he asked softly. Katie leaned back against his chest and looked up at him. "I feel fine; the headache's gone. I didn't know you could sing." Alex rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm a regular Frank Sinatra." "Well, I wouldn't go that far," Katie teased. "But you could give James Taylor a run for the money." Alex laughed. "Tell you what, we'll form duo and go around the country singing lullabies to the masses. We could put people to sleep from coast to coast." "Nah, too risky. We wouldn't want folks falling asleep in public places; think of the insurance liabilities. What if we record a CD of our greatest lullabies and sell them on the Internet? We could put people to sleep in the privacy of their own homes, without ever having to leave the privacy of ours," she grinned, as she turned to face him. "That just might work," he chuckled. Alex leaned down and kissed her; gently at first, then deepened the kiss, pulling her tightly against him. His hand trailed down her back, coming to rest briefly on her ass. Katie reached between them and began to stroke him, just as he slipped two fingers inside her. They touched, and stroked, until they came in each other's arms. Alex slid his fingers from her body and brought his hand to her face, caressing her cheek. He pulled his hand away in horror, looking from her cheek to his hand. "Jesus, Katya! You're bleeding!" Katie touched her cheek, then looked down to see the pink-tinged water around her feet. She frowned. "Hmmm, I thought I had another day." She looked back at Alex, who was rapidly losing all color in his face. She couldn't help but grin at his stricken expression. "Good Lord, Alexei; didn't you have sex education in that fancy private school? Maybe human sexuality in college?" He furrowed his brow, trying to grasp where she was going with this. Katie sighed and shook her head. "Would you forget that damned vaccine for just a minute and use your head! I'm a woman...you have to expect this to happen every twenty-eight days or so...is any of this starting to ring a bell with you?" The blank expression rapidly changed to understanding and Alex's face flushed. "Oh...yeah." He turned his head away from her, feeling incredibly stupid. "Houston, we have comprehension," Katie joked. When he didn't turn back to look at her, she touched his back, then pressed up against him. "Sorry, that was mean." "No, I deserved it," he chuckled. "You will tell me if..." "Yes," Katie answered. "I will tell you if anything unusual happens to me. Now, let me wash my hair, so we can get out of here. I think you need to get out in the real world for a while." Alex stood eyeing the tree, trying to figure out how many lights it would take to properly illuminate it. Katie walked out of the bedroom and caught him deep in thought. "Uh oh," she said. "What?" he asked. "I've seen that look before," she answered. "Matthew makes that same face when he's trying to figure something out and since you're staring at the tree, I can only conclude that we're about to embark on the shopping spree to end all shopping sprees." "Well, why not? This is our first Christmas together and we are starting from scratch," he reminded her. Katie moved up beside him and put her arm around his waist. He draped his arm over her shoulder. "Besides, we can certainly afford it, so let's live a little." Katie smiled. "Yeah, I guess we can at that. Better take my car though; I don't think yours will hold everything." Six hours later, they drove into the garage; car loaded down with boxes and bags of Christmas ornaments, lights and Chinese take-out. Katie grabbed the food and headed to the elevator, while Alex picked up as many bags as he could safely carry. She held the door open for him and as soon as he was on, hit the button. "Let's eat first, then come back for the rest of the stuff," she said. "I'm starving." "Why don't you get everything ready," he said. "I'll make one more run to the car while you do." "A little excited, are we?" Katie smiled. Alex smiled back. "Just a little." The door opened. Katie took the food into the kitchen and began getting down plates and cups, while Alex put the first load near the tree. "Be right back," he called. Katie nodded and poured drinks. She put the cups and plates on the table with the food, then grabbed utensils. By the time she had everything ready, Alex was back with his second load of Christmas things. He put those down next to the first group of bags, then joined her at the table. She slid a plate of food over to him. He picked up his fork and jabbed at the shrimp, putting a few in his mouth. Neither said a word. Katie watched as he slowly chewed his food, his eyes drifting back to the tree. His fork hit the plate gently, mostly moving food around, not actually picking anything up. A small part of her was annoyed with him, but that didn't last long. Finally, Katie reached over and moved the plate away, until his fork hit the table, startling him back to the moment. "Go play with your tree, will you?" Katie teased. "I'll heat this up for you later." Alex grinned and jumped up from the table. He turned toward the tree, then stopped and turned back to face Katie. "You're mad at me, aren't you?" he asked. "A little, but I'll get over it. I don't think I've ever been dumped for a Christmas tree; nice to know where I stand in the grand scheme of things," she answered sarcastically. Alex shook his head, walked over and put his arms around her. "I love you more than life itself, Katya," he whispered in her ear. She smiled and kissed him. "And I'm not dumping you for the tree," he started as he released her from his grasp and slowly backed away. "I'm just putting you on the shelf for a little while." He snickered as her mouth dropped in surprise. "You bastard!" she exclaimed. "Oh you are SOOO sleeping on the couch tonight!" 'Yeah, right,' they each thought with a smile. Katie finished eating and put the rest of the food away, watching Alex the whole time. She was fascinated by his precision in adorning the tree with the hundreds of lights they'd purchased. Each light apparently had its proper spot and he wouldn't move to the next until the one in his hand was positioned just right. Katie considered joining him, but decided against it. This was his baby and she was going to let him play until he was satisfied. She was, however, fidgety for something to do and unloading the rest of the bags from the car wasn't going to cut it. Wandering out into the living room, she looked around for inspiration and found it at the CD player. Perfect. Alex would probably object to her choice, opting instead for some Christmas music, or at least something gentle and soothing. Gentle and soothing was not the mood she was looking for however. Katie wanted to fly and this was her airline of choice. She placed the CD in the player, threw her head back and closed her eyes. The familiar strums of the badly out-of-tune Fender guitar filled the air; Katie took off on air Rent. Alex, lost in his tree trimming, didn't notice the music until he heard someone sing "Christmas bells are ringing, Christmas bells are ringing, somewhere else, not here." 'What the Hell is she listening to?' he wondered. As the next song began, he watched as she disappeared into the world the music was creating for her. Katie felt his eyes on her and smiled. She sang along with Mimi's part of the duet and when she reached 'won't you light my candle', Katie turned around and sang directly to Alex, wiggling her eyebrows wickedly at him Alex grinned and returned to his lights. 'Nice try, sweetheart,' he thought. Katie made a face at him behind his back and turned the music up louder. Alex positioned his lights over and over again, until they were just right. He periodically threw glances her way, just to see what she was doing. She never looked back at him. He had to admit that the music was interesting and after a few songs, decided that it must be that play she'd been so excited about seeing. He listened as he finished the lights, finding himself moving with the music. When they were all in place, he plugged in the extension cord and stepped back to admire his handiwork. A few needed adjusting, but for the most part, it was perfect. He wandered over to the living room. A new song was just starting, so he decided to wait until it was over before disturbing her; she was too far-gone to hear him anyway. This one was gentle and sweet, a duet. He liked this one a lot. When it was over, he put his arm around her waist and kissed her neck. "Play that one again." Katie leaned back against him. "Sure." She walked to the CD player and hit the back button. Angel: Live in my house I'll be your shelter Just pay me back With one thousand kisses Be my lover and I'll cover you Collins: Open your doors I'll be your tenant Don't got much baggage To lay at your feet But sweet kisses I've got to spare I'll be there, I'll cover you Both: I think they meant it When they said you can't buy love Now I know you can rent it A new lease you are my love On life, be my life Just slip me on I'll be your blanket Wherever---Whatever---I'll be your coat Angel: You'll be my king And I'll be your castle Collins: No---You'll be my queen And I'll be your moat Both: I think they meant it When they said you can't buy love Now I know you can rent it A new lease you are my love On life All my life I've longed to discover Something as true as this is Collins: Angel: So with a thousand Sweet kisses If you're cold I'll cover you You're lonely With a thousand Sweet kisses I'll cover you You've got one Nickel only With a thousand Sweet kisses I'll cover you When you're worn Out and tired With a thousand Sweet kisses I'll cover you When your heart Has expired Both: Oh lover I'll cover you Oh lover I'll cover you "I like that," Alex said. "Sounds like us. I think we can do better than a thousand kisses," he added, kissing her neck. "I was thinking the same thing, about the song and the kisses," Katie replied. "Um...Alex. You do know that both characters are male, right?" "I suspected," he answered. "Doesn't matter, the sentiment still fits." Alex tugged at her hand. "Come see the tree." He held her hand, practically dragging her behind him. "Well, what do you think?" he asked. "It's beautiful," she answered. "Almost seems a shame to put anything else on it. It's simple and pretty just the way it is." "You're just trying to get out of bringing up the rest of the bags," he teased. "No, really. I like it this way. Can we leave it alone for tonight? I promise I'll help decorate it first thing in the morning and I'll even go down and get the rest of the bags right now, if you want," she offered. "Just for tonight?" he asked. "No backing out on me in the morning?" "I promise." She stood on tiptoe to seal the deal with a kiss. One led to two, which led to three and four. Alex pulled back and chuckled. "Oh no, you're not getting out of hauling the rest of the bags up that easily. Scram woman. I'll start a fire." Katie nuzzled his neck. "I think you already started one, darling," said whispered in his ear. "Oh, you meant in the fireplace, didn't you?" she asked with a wink. "Get out of here!" Alex laughed. Katie stuck her tongue out at him, then ran for the elevator. "Watch where you point that thing, Katya," he warned. "Bite me, Alexei," she sang back, as the door closed. "That can be arranged, baby," he said as he struck a match to start the fire. "That can definitely be arranged." It took her three trips, but Katie got all the bags out of the car and into the elevator. As she put down the last bag, a cramp grabbed her, causing her to grab the right side of her abdomen. "Damn." She gave it minute to subside before pushing the button. Another one hit just before the door opened and she felt herself break out in a cold sweat. "Shit!" Alex was still playing with the fire when the door opened. She hoped that he wouldn't pay any attention to her for a few more minutes; just until she could get her breath back. Katie grabbed a few bags and put them with the ones Alex had brought up earlier. "Need some help?" Alex called. "No," she said, a little too quickly. "You got the first load, I'll get the rest." "OK. Let me know if you change your mind," he answered. Katie nodded and went back for more bags. By the time she was going back for the last two bags, she felt fine. She dropped these with the rest then went over to the fire. Two steps away, another strong cramp made her double over. Alex jumped up from the hearth and caught her. She had tears of pain in her eyes. He didn't ask, he simply picked her up, carried her into the bedroom and put her down on the bed. He left long enough to get the phone. "I'm calling Matthew," he said firmly. "No, don't Alex. It's probably just menstrual cramps." "Bullshit. Your face is dead white and it looked like you were about to pass out. When did this start and don't you dare lie to me," he warned. Katie sighed. "Downstairs, when I was unloading the car." "How many?" "Three. Two in the elevator, then this one." He stopped mid-dial and stared at her. "That's all, really," she said. She watched Alex finish punching in Matthew's number. "What are you going to tell him?" Alex put his hand over the receiver. "Everything, Katya. I can't afford to keep him in the dark; not now." He moved his hand. "Matthew, it's Alex. Katie's sick. Cramping. No, not little cramps. The one I saw drained all the blood from her face and almost knocked her to the floor. She's clammy, too." He reached out and touched her forehead. "No, I don't think she's running a fever. She had a really bad headache last night. I woke up and found her in the fetal position. Yeah, just started this morning. I don't know, you'd better ask her that." Katie took the phone from his hand. "Hi Kid. No, nothing excessive. He's overreacting; I'm fine. Sure, hang on." She handed the phone back to Alex and put her head on the pillow. "Matthew? Looks like it, too. OK. Thanks, man." Alex hung up the phone and looked at Katie. "He says to tell you that you sound like shit and he's on his way." "You two are a match made in Heaven," she frowned. "I'm fine!" Another cramp washed over her, a small 'ow' escaping her lips. Alex curled up next to her and draped an arm across her waist. "Yeah, you're fine. Keep telling yourself that." He nuzzled her neck. "I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered. "I know," she whispered back. "Hey, I didn't know you could pick me up like that." He smiled into her shoulder. "You'd be surprised what I can do with this thing." "I look forward to discovering all the options," she hummed. "Matthew's going to go apeshit when we tell him what we've done." "I know," Alex replied. "We don't have a choice, Katya. He's going to have to find out sooner or later, especially since there are syringes waiting for both he and Tyler. He's going to want to run tests, you know that don't you?" Katie nodded her head. "So will Scully." "I know," she whispered. "We don't have to call her right away, do we?" "Let's see what happens tonight and we'll decide from there," he answered. "I'd like to wait until after the holidays, if Matthew thinks it's all right." The elevator door opened and Matthew rushed to the bedroom. "Hi, got here as soon as I could. Did you know that the streetlight is out, Hanna? You might want to call the city and have them fix that." Alex cracked a smile and Katie giggled. "Gee, thanks Kid. I'll look into that right away." "You look awful, kiddo," Matthew observed. "What's going on?" "I had a headache last night and some cramps this evening," she answered, trying to brush him off. Alex sat up and climbed off the bed. "Matthew, can I talk to you, alone," he asked. "No, Alexei," Katie started. "Stay there," he said. "We'll be back shortly." "Let me do it," she begged. Alex shook his head and closed the door behind him. "What's going on, Alex?" Matthew asked. "Sit down. This is going to take a bit of explaining. I need you to hear me out and really listen to what I'm going to say." Matthew sat back in the chair and waited. "Part of what the Consortium was working on was a vaccine against an alien virus," he began. He spun his tale for Matthew, explaining about the tests, the black oil, the virus and it's effect on humans. He finished with Spender's visit and Katie's being given the vaccine. Matthew gripped the side of the chair. "You gave her an untested vaccine for a mythical alien virus!" he bellowed. "Are you out of your fucking mind!" "It's not completely untested, Matthew. There are a handful of people who've been given the vaccine before. I know one of them and she's fine. She works for the FBI and she's a medical doctor. I'm taking Katie to see her soon," Alex added. "Once Scully checks it out and declares it safe, I have some for you and Tyler too." "There's no way in Hell I'm letting you put that stuff in either me or Tyler!" Matthew yelled. "Matthew! Will you stop yelling and listen to him...please?" Katie stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. "I made him give me the vaccine; he didn't want to do it. He's telling you the truth about the aliens and their threat to us." "Hanna, how can you believe this crap? It's pure science fiction," he said, frustrated with both of them. Katie pushed off the doorframe and made her way to Matthew. She put her hands on either side of his head and pulled his face down to hers. "I just know. I have a feeling; a strong one, Kid." Matthew stared back at her, pleading with his eyes. "No Hanna, not this time." It was more of a question than a statement. Katie's 'feelings' were never wrong; not in the twenty-eight years they'd been friends, had he ever seen one of them fail to come to pass. Now it was Matthew's turn to go pale. He reached for the chair behind him and slowly sank into it. "Are you sure?" he said quietly. "I was sure the moment I touched the box," she answered. "Spender said five or six years, but it's going to be six. You and Tyler have to be vaccinated; it's the only defense we have. It doesn't have to be right away; we'll go see Scully first. I think she needs to look at me, before we go injecting anyone else." Katie's knees buckled as a cramp hit her again. Alex and Matthew grabbed her and led her back to bed. Matthew checked her vital signs. Her heart rate was slightly accelerated and her blood pressure was up. He had Alex leave the room, so he could do a more thorough exam; much to Alex's dismay. "Look Alex, I know you want to be here for everything, but I promise you, this isn't something you need to experience, OK? I'll call you when I'm done," Matthew said as he closed the door. Alex paced outside the door for a ten-minute eternity, before Matthew called him back into the room. "So?" Matthew looked at Alex, then at Katie. "The good news is, everything looks fine," he said, closing his bag. "The bad new is, I don't know what to make of the cramping. It could be nothing more than a particularly hard period; that would explain the headache as well. It could also be a reaction to the vaccine or a combination of the two." He sat down on the bed next to Katie. "Do you still have those muscle relaxants I gave you when your shoulder went out?" "Yeah, they're in the medicine cabinet," she answered. "What are they called?" Alex asked. "I'll go check." "Flexeril," Katie replied. "Should be about half a bottle of them left in there." He came back with the bottle in hand. "Here you go," he said as he handed them to Matthew. "OK, I want you take these for next day or so; see if they help with the cramping. If it isn't better by tomorrow night, I'm going to take you in, kicking and screaming if I have to," he said with a frown. "Oh, I'm going to draw blood from both of you tonight. I want to take a look at what's going on in there. I'm serious about taking you in if the pills don't help, Hanna." He turned to Alex. "I'm counting on you to keep her honest." Katie touched Matthew's hand. "If it still hurts tomorrow night, I won't fight you. I promise." Matthew raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Excuse me? Could you repeat that, because it sounded like you agreed to go the hospital? I know that can't be right, so I must have misheard you." "Don't be a smartass, Kid; it's unbecoming in a doctor," she huffed. "This isn't just about me anymore; there's the greater good to be considered. I'm a human guinea pig now; I understand that." "No you're not. I won't let that happen to you, Hanna," Matthew promised. "You can't stop it, Kid," she sighed. "Just promise me we'll keep this 'discovery' between the six of us." "The six of us?" Matthew asked. "Who are the other two?" "Mulder and Scully," Alex answered. "They're the only people who'll believe us. The only people I trust, outside of you, Katie and Tyler." "Oh God, Tyler," Matthew exclaimed. "How am I going to explain this to him?" Alex squeezed Matthew's shoulder. "I'll tell him," he offered. "We'll both tell him tomorrow night, at dinner," Katie added. "If you're feeling up to it tomorrow," Matthew said. "Let's see how it goes." "Either way I'm going to have to eat, so if I'm not up to traveling, you guys can come over here for dinner. Tyler won't mind using our kitchen," she said with a smile. "Ow," she moaned. "Would you get me a drink so I can take this pill?" Alex zipped out of the room, returning quickly with a glass of water and put it down on the nightstand. He opened the bottle and handed her a pill. She took it from his hand and washed the pill down without hesitation. Matthew kissed her on the cheek. "You get some rest. I'll check on you tomorrow. Alex, walk me out?" Alex gave Katie a kiss as well. "Be right back." Katie smiled and blew him a kiss. Matthew didn't say anything until they were at the elevator. "You call me if the cramping gets worse or if her headache returns. I don't care what time it is. If anything worries you, call me." "I will," Alex promised. "Look about the phone call the other day...I was out of line." Matthew's face reddened slightly. "Oh, yeah. I was a little mad at the time, but it...um...worked out to my advantage," he said with a shy smile. Alex snickered. "Yeah, Katie thought that might happen." Matthew's face turned even redder. "Is there nothing she doesn't tell you?" "'Fraid not, buddy," Alex answered. "Hey, you want me to call Tyler and tell that you're coming home and that you're really pissed off at me again?" he teased. "No!" Matthew replied, indignantly. He got on the elevator and reached for the button, then he grinned sheepishly. "Maybe another time," he said as the doors closed. Alex laughed, then returned to the bedroom. Katie was asleep, so he went back out to turn off the tree and the other lights in the place, then doused the fire, before crawling into bed next her. "Hey sleepyhead," Katie said, nudging Alex. "I need to get up; wanna let go of me for a minute?" "Oh, sorry," he said, sleepily. He rolled off her and onto his pillow. "How are you feeling?" he mumbled. "I'm fine. Go back to sleep." Katie kissed his shoulder and got up. She looked down at him and smiled before leaving the room. What to do first, eat or bathe? Katie weighed her options and chose the latter. She stripped and got into the shower closing her eyes as the water worked its magic. So far, so good. The cramping from yesterday hadn't made an appearance since Matthew had left last night. She would have slept through the night, if Alex hadn't been so restless. 'see, I knew you were overreacting Alexei,' she thought. A wave of dizziness and nausea hit her a short time later. Katie slumped against the tile, closing her eyes tightly until it passed. 'OK, maybe not.' She opened her eyes, half expecting to see him standing there, but she was still alone. Katie knew if she told Alex, that he and Matthew would have her in the hospital within the hour. She also knew that they would probably be correct in taking her there, but she wasn't going in without a fight. As much as she hated it, she made the decision to keep this to herself as long as she could. Maybe this would be the last of it; after all, she hadn't had anything to eat or drink since last night, which could account for the dizziness and nausea, she rationalized. Besides, that stupid pill sometimes made her dizzy anyway. The decision made, she turned off the water. Alex woke to find himself alone in their bed. He sat up quickly, almost losing his balance when he tried to use his missing left arm to support him. 'You took it off before coming to bed last night dumbass,' he reminded himself. 'Maybe it's a good thing Katie's not in here right now,' he thought with a sigh. The clatter of dishes brought him back to the moment. He shrugged into his arm and his clothes before joining her in the kitchen. "Good morning," Katie said cheerfully. "Hungry?" Alex nodded, so Katie pointed to a chair at the table. "Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked. She put a plate in front of him and sat down. "You were tired; I thought you could use a little more time." He reached out to touch her forehead. "How are you feeling?" Katie snagged his hand and kissed it. "You already asked me that once this morning. I'm fine; cut it out and eat your breakfast." "I already asked you? When did I do that?" "This morning, when I got up to take a shower. You were half asleep, but you did ask," she chuckled. "If you say so," he replied. "So, are you going to help decorate the tree this morning?" "Of course, I was just waiting for you to wake up so we could get started," she answered smugly. "I've been ready for an hour now. Tell you what, I'll clear the table, you go out and unpack the bags." Alex got up from the table. "Don't be long." "I won't." Katie picked up the plates and carried them to the sink. She felt a little woozy, but nothing she could keep from him, at least for the time being. Alex looked into the kitchen and saw her standing by the sink. 'Damn it,' he thought. He wrestled with himself; should he call her bluff or let it go? He decided to let her play it out for a little while, just to see what would happen. How could he blame her for doing the very thing he'd do in her situation? "You coming?" he called. "Be right there," she answered. They spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon decorating the tree. Alex was just as picky about the placement of decorations as he was about the lights and Katie took great pleasure in putting her ornaments on carelessly, just to see his reaction. He was so into it, that he didn't realize what she was doing until he caught her moving one of his carefully placed ornaments. "Hey, put that back!" he exclaimed. Katie giggled and put the ornament back in its designated spot. "You've been moving them all morning, haven't you?" Alex asked, his hands on his hips. "No wonder this is taking so long." "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever figure it out," she snickered. Alex put the last ornament on the tree. "You know you're in trouble, don't you?" he asked, as moved slowly toward her. Katie backed away, grinning from ear to ear. "Big, big trouble." Katie inched slowly away from him, trying not to let the dizziness she felt show in her steps. Alex rushed at her just as her knees buckled. "Gotcha," he growled. "Hmmm, now how should I pay you back for messing with the tree?" He lowered his mouth to her neck and sucked long and hard. Pulling back, he surveyed his handiwork. "Oh yeah, that's a good start," he grinned. "That the best you can do, tough guy?" Katie challenged. "Oh no, I'm just getting started, baby," he said. Alex grabbed the front of her shirt and clutched it in his fist, pulling her toward the bedroom. His eyes never left hers as he slowly backed across the room. Once inside, he gently pushed her back onto the mattress and settled in between her legs. He kissed her hard, forcing his tongue inside her mouth. She met him with the same intensity, holding on to the back of his head to keep him in place. Alex thrust against her, causing Katie to gasp into his mouth. He pushed his hand between them and fondled her breast through her shirt. Katie arched her back at his touch. Alex pulled away from her mouth to catch his breath. He flicked his tongue across her earlobe, then moved in closer. "Katya?" he whispered. "Mmmm, what baby?" she answered breathily. "I'm going to go take a shower," he whispered. Before the words had a chance to register, he got up and stood beside the bed, leaving her too stunned for words. He smiled down at her. "I told you not to lie to me, Katya. You've been dizzy for most of the day, yet every time I asked how you were feeling, you said you were fine." "Alexei," Katie whined, taking hold of his leg. "No fair." She ran her hand up his thigh, trying to reach his zipper, but he backed away before she reached her goal. "No way," he said, taking her hand in his. "You wanna get off?" He took her hand and placed it on her stomach. "Take care of it yourself." Katie looked like she was ready to spit nails. She opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off. "I warned you," he said, pointing his finger at her. "Maybe next time you'll remember this." He backed out of the room, shaking his head in amusement. Katie launched a pillow at him, along with a healthy growl. Alex chuckled as the pillow fell short. "Be good, Katya and maybe I won't tell Matthew on you." Katie sat up quickly and pushed off the bed, sending herself hurtling toward the door. Big mistake number two. She had just enough time to yell, "better lock that door, Alexei" before she hit the ground with a thud. "Shit!" she grumbled in frustration. Alex ran back over to her. "Are you all right?" he asked, as he bent down to help her up. "I'm fine," she sighed. "A little embarrassed, but fine." She allowed Alex to help her back to the bed. "Go take your shower. I'll just lie here and be useless until this thing runs its course." "Promise?" Alex asked. "Yeah, yeah. Go away, will ya?" Katie mumbled, turning away from him. "OK, but just long enough to get clean." He leaned down and kissed her gently on her forehead. "You're not useless, just out of commission for a bit, that's all. Now you know I felt all those weeks." He waited for her to say something, but when she didn't, he brushed the hair away from her face. "Fine, be a grouch; I love you anyway." Alex smiled and shook his head as he left the room. While he was toweling off, Alex heard clicking noises coming from the other room. Curiosity got the better of him, so he left the bathroom wearing nothing but the damp towel around his waist. It didn't take long to locate the source of the sound. Katie was sitting at the computer, typing furiously, hair pulled back in a ponytail, poking out the back of a black baseball cap. He frowned and walked over to the desk. Katie heard Alex open the bathroom door and listened as he made his way over to her. He cleared his throat, but she threw her hand up to stop him. "Not now." Without ever tearing her eyes away from the monitor, she issued a set of orders. "Call Tyler and tell him he's going to have to feed us here, get me a large glass of ice water and read the hat." 'Read the hat?' he wondered. Alex backed away from the desk and went to get the glass of ice water she'd requested...demanded? He returned and placed it beside her on the desk, then walked behind her to read the hat. Embroidered over the strap in the back were the words, 'Leave me alone!' Alex raised an eyebrow at the sentiment, but chose to keep his thoughts to himself. He turned and went into the bedroom to get dressed, before completing his assignment. He'd barely shrugged on his shirt, when the phone rang. "Hello?" "So, how's the patient this morning?" Tyler asked cheerfully. "I'm not really sure," Alex replied. "She was dizzy earlier this morning, so I put her back to bed and went in to take a shower. When I got out, she was sitting at the computer typing like a woman possessed." "Is she wearing the hat?" Tyler asked. "Yeah," Alex said slowly. "Oh boy," Tyler sighed. "We'll be over around six to feed and console you, in the meantime, here's what you do. Number one, don't speak unless spoken to, not even to ask if she wants more to drink or something to eat. Number two, keep the glass full. Number three, whatever Katie wants, Katie gets; don't ever forget that. This is where you play the humble manservant, my dear. If she asks you for the moon on a platter, you'd better figure out a way to get it for her. This is that mood we told you about once before. Just keep your mouth shut, follow the rules and it'll pass in a few hours. And whatever you do, don't read over her shoulder. I know you've been granted special reading privileges, but all bets are off when she gets like this." "Is this your way of saying the honeymoon's over?" Alex responded. Tyler laughed. "For you two? Never. Since she seems to delight in sharing our sexual secrets with you, I'll let you in on one of hers. This 'possessed' mood swing you're seeing right does have some nice side benefits, but I'll let you discover those for yourself." "So the honeymoon's not over?" Alex asked with a grin. "That's a relief." "DAMN, DAMN, DAMN," Katie yelled. "Uh oh, see you tonight, Alex," Tyler said. "Good luck." "Thanks, Ty," Alex replied. He hung up the phone and turned to see what Katie was yelling about. She had her hands on her head and was rocking frantically in the chair. Not knowing what to do, he hung back and watched. "No, no, that's not right," she said aloud, just before making a growling noise. "Noise, I need noise. Alex put on something loud. Music, loud music." Katie beat on her legs, nervously and continued to stare at the monitor Alex rushed to the CD player to see what he could find. Loud music? Oh shit, what was loud? He ran his finger across the CDs looking for names of groups he recognized. 'styx Greatest Hits; was that loud enough?' he wondered. Alex dropped it in, punched it up to start on track 9 and crossed his fingers. The piano played its opening solo. Katie stopped beating on her legs and kicked back in her chair, eyes closed. "I'm sailing away..." Katie grinned. 'Oh yeah, this guy's good," she thought with a chuckle. 'Maybe I'll keep him around after all.' 'Must have picked right,' Alex thought, feeling oddly relieved. At what point did he lose control over his life? There was a time when an attitude like hers would have been met with a rousing "fuck you" followed by the sound of his footsteps marching out the door. He settled in on the couch to watch her. The song ended and she resumed typing. Her fingers flew through the next few songs, before coming to a rest on the keyboard. The CD had stopped playing and Alex braced himself for the next outburst. What was it about this woman that kept him on the edge of his seat? Then, Katie took off the hat and spun around in her chair. She looked at him and smiled, biting her lower lip as she did. "Hi," she said quietly. "Hi yourself," he replied, relaxing against the back of the couch. "Did you have a nice shower?" "Very nice. How are you feeling?" "No more dizziness, no more cramping," she answered. He fixed a stare at her. "Honest. Want me to walk a straight line for you? Touch my nose with my fingertips?" Not waiting for an answer, Katie stood up, extended her hands and slowly brought her fingertips to her nose. "See?" She stood on tiptoe and walked a straight line all the way to the couch. "Could I do that if I was still feeling dizzy? I don't think so." She could tell that he still wasn't entirely convinced. Katie climbed onto his lap, straddling his legs. She took his face in her hands and stared back at him. "It was the Flexeril. Sometimes it makes me dizzy, but usually not like this. Maybe it didn't agree with the vaccine; I don't know, but it's out of my system now and I feel fine." She felt him start to relax, but he still wasn't buying the act entirely. "You can ask Matthew tonight; he'll tell you the same thing." Alex frowned. "Why didn't Tyler mention it when I spoke to him earlier?" "Did you ask him?" Katie answered. Alex shook his head. "He's not psychic, sweetheart; he can't answer questions you don't ask." Alex gave her a half-smile and conceded the point. Katie moved slowly toward his mouth, giving him every opportunity to pull away, if he wasn't ready to let her make it up to him just yet. She pressed her lips to his. He yielded slightly. Katie pushed back, far enough to look him in the eyes. "Have I told you lately that I love you?" she whispered. 'Oh yeah,' he thought. 'That's what happened.' He smiled. "You know, I don't believe I've heard you say that all day." "Mmmm," Katie nodded. "My mistake. Here, let me spell it out for you." She kissed him softly. "I." Kiss. "Love." Kiss. "You." Kiss. "Is that better?" Alex shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose, if that's the best you can do..." he said, rolling his eyes upward. Katie swooped down on his mouth, catching him by surprise. She forced his lips open and plunged her tongue inside, while unbuttoning his shirt as fast as her fingers could push the buttons from their holes. Alex pulled her shirt free from her sweatpants and shoved his hand up and under, to run his hand up her back. She smoothed her hands across his chest, stroking his nipples with her thumbs. He hummed contentedly into her mouth. Katie came up for air briefly, then turned her attention to his neck. She nibbled her way up to his earlobe, giving that a nip as well. "Alexei?" she whispered. Alex froze. 'she wouldn't...would she?' he wondered. Katie felt him go still and stifled a chuckle. 'Gotcha,' she thought. "Care to join me in the shower?" The elevator door wooshed open. "I see the mood has passed," Tyler observed. "Am I interrupting?" "Yes," Alex growled. "Nothing that can't wait until later," Katie chirped. She bent down. "What goes around, comes around, baby," she whispered in Alex's ear. Katie bounced off of Alex's lap and over to Tyler. "So, what are you cooking tonight?" she asked, as she kissed him on the cheek. "Beef stroganoff," he answered. "Your favorite. I had planned something different, but after speaking to Alex earlier, I decided to change the menu." Katie looked at Alex and back to Tyler. "Just what did he say?" "He said you were wearing the hat. That's all I needed to hear. What he didn't say was that you were still lounging around in your pajamas." "These are sweatpants, you toad, not pajamas!" Katie replied indignantly. "Whatever. You still didn't bother to take the time to dress and, my love," he added, patting her head, "you have hat hair. Go take a shower. I'm not serving MY beef stroganoff, with you looking like that." Katie gave him the 'evil eye' and put her hands on her hips. "You know, Ty, you can be a real prick sometimes." "And you can be a real bitch, so we balance each other out," he retorted. "Now scoot." He turned her around and pushed her gently toward the bathroom. "Go make yourself presentable for the fabulous meal I'm about to prepare." Katie huffed, but went to the bathroom door. She turned and stuck her tongue out at Tyler before slamming the door shut. Alex watched the exchange from the comfort and safety of the couch. As soon as the door closed, he let out a snicker before it had a chance to blossom into a full-blown laugh. He got up to go out to the kitchen to give Tyler a proper welcome. Tyler was standing by the sink, looking in the direction of the bathroom door. Alex started to say something, but Tyler held up his hand. "Shhh." Alex heard a soft noise from the bathroom, then the sound of the water turning on in the shower. Tyler smiled over at him and wiggled his eyebrows. "Now's your chance," he grinned. "Go get her." Alex's eyes widened. "Tyler!" "Don't give me that," Tyler chuckled. "She's thoroughly pissed right now and still horny; something the two of you have in common," he added, nodding at Alex's crotch. "I'm just repaying the favor. Get out of here before you pop the zipper on those jeans, because if that happens, I will not be responsible for my actions," he sighed dramatically, as he put his hand on Alex's shoulder for effect. "Why Tyler," Alex said in mock surprise. "I never knew you cared." He moved his head down and gave Tyler's hand a quick kiss. "Tease," Tyler said, as he smacked the underside of Alex's chin with his fingers. "Go already, you only have an hour before dinner." Alex laughed, then slipped quietly into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Fifteen minutes later, the elevator door swung open once again. Matthew could smell the onions sauteing on the stove. He dropped his bag next to the couch and headed into the kitchen. Tyler had just finished cubing the meat and was putting the last of it in a bowl for the time being. "Stroganoff?" he asked. "She was wearing the hat when I called Alex this afternoon," Tyler explained. He grabbed the bowl with the rice in it and placed it in the microwave. "Oh," Matthew replied. "So where is the manic one now?" Tyler smiled. "In the shower." Matthew picked up a spoon and gave the onions a stir. "Where's Alex?" Tyler gave him an evil grin. "In the shower." Matthew's eyes opened wide. "Oooooh really?" A noise from the bathroom caught their ears. They exchanged glances. "She really should insulate those walls." "Truly," Tyler agreed. "You can hear...everything." He took a few steps in the direction of the bathroom door. "No privacy whatsoever." Matthew came closer to Tyler. "Nope, no privacy at all." "We really shouldn't," Tyler said, inching closer to the door. "No, it's completely inappropriate," Matthew agreed, leaning up against the doorframe. "Some might even think it childish," Tyler grinned. "And crude?" Matthew asked, returning his grin. "No, not crude," Tyler answered. "Now betting on the outcome...that would be crude." Matthew smiled broadly and reached for his wallet. "Twenty bucks he makes her scream in," he stopped to check his watch, "fifteen minutes." "Matthew! I'm surprised at you!" Tyler exclaimed. "I give it ten minutes, tops." He sniffed the air. "Oh damn, let me take the onions off the burner." He ran in, moved the onions to a cool burner, then returned to his spot by the door. "Eight more minutes." "No way, thirteen." At the ten-minute mark, Matthew held out his hand. "Pay up, sweetheart." Tyler frowned and shook his head. "Nope, I may have been wrong on the time, but you haven't won yet." "Fine, we'll wait five more minutes." Five minutes passed, then ten. "Damn, looks like neither of us wins," Matthew said. "Come on already, Alex. Finish the poor girl off so we can eat." "There you go, being the hopeless romantic," Tyler said, rolling his eyes. "Hey, we had a steady stream of patients today; I never got a chance to eat lunch. If I'd known I was in for a show before dinner, I would have grabbed a snack on the way home. I'll be romantic after you feed me," he winked. "Oh...wait...what was that?" he asked, putting his ear to the door. "Come here." Tyler put his ear to the door and listened. "Oh yeah," he whispered. "Won't be long now." Fifteen minutes later, Matthew poked his head into the kitchen. Tyler had the meat cooking and was getting ready to add the sour cream. "Come on, they're almost done." He stopped what he was doing, followed Matthew to the bathroom door and waited for it to open. When it did, Katie and Alex were greeted with a round of applause and a few assorted catcalls. Katie shook her head. "Perverts!" she chuckled. "See the kind of shit I have to put up with, Alexei?" "Appalling...I'm shocked," Alex replied with a snicker. Tyler held up his hand allowing Alex to high-five him. Katie's jaw dropped, but she was smiling. "Pigs!" she exclaimed. "You're all pigs!" Matthew pushed his plate away and dropped his napkin on the table. "How are you feeling, Hanna?" Katie swallowed and took a drink, before answering. "Much better. That Flexeril gave me a bad case of the 'dizzies' this time though; worse than usual. Scared Alex, scared me a little, too," she admitted. "I forgot to mention that, didn't I?" Matthew said, looking at Alex. "Sorry about that." He looked back at Katie. "How bad was it?" "I spent most of the morning woozy, fell down once, but I managed to flush it out of my system eventually," she answered, waving him off. "I think it might have been a chemical reaction between the drug and..." she stopped, realizing that they hadn't told Tyler about the vaccine yet. Everyone went still. Tyler looked at his friends and suddenly felt left out of the loop. "A chemical reaction between the drug and what?" he asked slowly. "Did I miss something?" "Yeah," Matthew replied, blowing out a breath. "There's something we need to tell you." Alex reached out and squeezed Matthew's hand. "Let me do it," he said. Matthew nodded and sat back in his chair. "This isn't a good thing you're about to tell me, is it?" Tyler asked. He saw Katie, Matthew and Alex nod their heads in perfect synchrony. "I think I need a drink first." Katie reached for his glass and poured him more wine. He picked it up and threw it back in one gulp. "Remember that hush-hush work I couldn't tell you about?" Alex began. Tyler listened as Alex attempted to explain everything. Every so often, he glanced over at Katie and Matthew, looking for a telltale smile or giggle; something to let him know that this was an elaborate joke they'd set up for his benefit. He saw nothing. When Alex stopped talking, Tyler stared at him blankly, still waiting for the 'gotcha'. Katie left the table, only to return momentarily, with the box in her hand. She put it on the table in front of him and opened the lid. Tyler looked at the box, then at Katie, then at the box. He reached out and gingerly touched the syringes. His hand recoiled as soon as his fingers met the cold plastic casings. "This is real?" All three nodded their heads. "How long before they..." "Six years," Katie answered. Tyler looked at her, his brow furrowed. "I feel it," she said with a shrug. "You really have this stuff inside you, Katie?" he asked. Katie nodded her head and gave him a little smile. "Yeah, I do. One of these is for you and another for Matthew, if you'll agree to it." Katie closed the box. "You don't have to decide now; we want to have Alex's friend, Scully, check it out before we give it to anyone else. If it is what it's supposed to be, I'm hoping you and Matthew will let us vaccinate you both." Tyler looked over at Matthew, who was rubbing his temples with one hand. "Matthew?" "Yeah?" "What do you think?" Matthew put his elbows on the table, then rested his chin in his hands. "If this is what Alex believes it to be...if this Agent Scully confirms his suspicions...then we do it," he sighed. "Besides, Hanna has a 'feeling'..." He shrugged and made a lame attempt at a chuckle. Katie got up and cleared the dishes from the table, leaving Matthew and Alex to answer Tyler's questions. She'd heard quite enough about the vaccine for now and needed a break. Matthew watched as Katie rinsed the dishes and put them into the dishwasher. Something about the way she moved disturbed him. She didn't look sick, just restless. He got up from the table and joined her in the kitchen. "What's wrong?" "I...I don't want to talk about this anymore tonight," she said quietly. "It's important that Tyler knows everything and he needs to know now, but I need a breather." She put her hand on Matthew's arm. "Take me for a walk?" Matthew frowned. "Hanna, I don't know if that's such a good idea. You've been sick and I know you're feeling better..." "I'm fine now and besides, I'll have my own personal physician by my side," she said with a grin. "Please Kid? Just a short one, I promise." "Just a short one," he agreed. "I'll go get your coat; you tell them we're going." Katie nodded and went back out to the table. Alex was patiently trying to explain the intricacies of the conspiracy to a very confused Tyler. Poor guy, he was trying so hard to get a grip on the weirdness that had been dumped in his lap and he was failing miserably. Katie put her arms around Alex's neck and kissed his cheek. "Matthew is taking me out for a walk. We'll be back in a little bit," she said softly. Alex turned to look at her. "Want me come along?" he asked. "No, stay here with Tyler," she answered. "I need to spend time with Matthew right now. We haven't spent any time together for quite awhile; he needs me." "And you need him," Alex added. Katie smiled as Matthew returned, coats in hand. "Yeah, I do." She took her coat from his hand. "Ready?" Matthew leaned down to give Tyler a quick peck on the cheek. "Yeah, I'm ready. We won't be long; I don't want Hanna to overdo, but I think a short walk will be good for her." They turned and walked to the elevator, together. Tyler waited until the door closed before speaking to Alex. "He needs this more than she does. Matthew's missed her the last few weeks. I mean, he's seen her, but he hasn't been able to really talk to her or just hang out with her; it's been hard for him." Alex shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Don't take that the wrong way, Alex," Tyler continued. "He knows, intellectually, that you're not taking Katie away from him; his heart needs a little time to catch up, that's all." Katie and Matthew emerged onto the dark street behind the loft. Matthew glanced up at the streetlight. "Have you called the city about that light yet?" "No," Katie smiled. "I'm not going to either. It was a present from Alex." He gave her a questioning look. "Don't ask." Matthew nodded, then reached for her hand. "Come on." She took his hand and let him lead the way. They walked in silence for a couple of blocks, then Matthew squeezed her hand. "I've missed you," he said quietly, not looking at her. Katie pressed up to his side and dropped her head against his shoulder. "Missed you, too." "He makes you happy." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact on Matthew's part. "He makes me whole," Katie replied. "I know," he sighed. Katie brought her head back and looked at him, brow furrowed. "You do?" Matthew smiled sadly. "Yeah, I do. He kicks you in the butt when you need it; comforts you when you're down, holds before you realize you want him to. You move with him, even when you're not in the same room, you speak with your eyes and he understands, you're calmer with him than I've ever seen you before." He paused and shook his head in amusement. "You let him read your manuscript," he added. "There you have it," she chuckled. "Undeniable proof." Katie slipped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. "I still need you, Kid; always and forever. Especially now." Matthew put his chin on the top of her head. "I'm scared, Hanna. The clock's ticking and I can't make it stop. I'm mad at Alex for telling us, but at the same time, thankful that he's given us a chance for survival." "So you really do believe him?" Matthew nodded his head. "I believed him from the start." Katie raised her eyebrows and smirked at him. Matthew smiled back at her. "Well...part of me believed him and you were so sure...I ran some preliminary tests on your blood today; there's an element in it I can't explain. Alex has it in his, too. How could I not believe? I have physical evidence of...something." He took a deep breath before continuing. " I also did a little checking on this Dr. Scully Alex keeps talking about. Seems she and Mulder are the FBI's resident experts on unexplained phenomena." "How did you find that out?" Katie asked. "Remember Byron Odera? "How could I forget? His name still makes my flesh crawl. What about the little creep?" "The little creep," Matthew snickered, "works in the Federal Crime Lab now. I just got his annual 'aren't I special' Christmas letter, so I decided to take advantage of him to gather a little information. By the way, he sends his regards." "Oh goody," she replied, rolling her eyes. "If he helped to make you feel better about things, I guess he served his purpose." Katie stopped for a second and rubbed her side. "Can we sit? I've got a stitch in my side." Matthew led her to a bus stop bench and sat down beside her. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," he said. "No, I'll be fine. It really is just a stitch. If we'd stayed inside, I'd be climbing the walls about now and none of us want to see that happen," she assured him. Matthew reached down and rubbed her side, trying to ease the muscles. "Hanna?" he asked, wanting to change the subject. "I know that you and Alex have shared an awful lot about your past experiences." "Yeah, we have," she answered. "Have you had the past lovers conversation yet?" he asked. "No," Katie replied. "We haven't gotten to that yet." Matthew shifted on the bench. "Are you going to tell him?" "What do you think?" she asked. "It's going to come up very soon and I'm not keeping anything from him. You do understand that by now, don't you?" "Yes, I do," he sighed. "How do you think he's going to react?" "He'll probably want to rip your head off and shove it up your ass," she teased. Matthew couldn't quite make out her expression in the dimness of the street light. "You think he's going to be upset?" he asked, worry evident in the tone of his voice. Katie laughed and patted Matthew's leg. "I was kidding, sweetheart. Don't get your shorts in a bunch. It's a sweet story, Matthew; most first time stories are. He's probably going to smile and say that it explains a lot about the way you treated him," she reassured. "You know he thinks you're jealous of him, don't you?" Matthew nodded. "Both he and Tyler have said that to me." "Is it true?" Matthew dropped his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "Maybe...yeah, I am," he admitted. "Why? I've dated other guys before without you going ballistic." "But Alex is different, Hanna. He's the one that's going to stay." "Are you going to be OK with that, Kid?" Katie asked. She leaned against his shoulder and put squeezed his leg. "I need you to say that you'll be OK with this, but if you're not, I'll understand." Matthew put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm fine with it. I promise." "Will you still be fine with it when I'm pregnant and lumbering around like a circus elephant?" "You haven't told him about the accident?" Matthew pulled back in surprise. "You know what the doctors said, Hanna." "Yes, I've told him about the accident. He's seen me naked after all, so there really wasn't anyway of getting around it," Katie replied. "I've told him what the doctors said, but he believes that we're going to have a little boy one day." Katie chuckled and rubbed her stomach gently. "And you know what? I believe him." Matthew shook his head and chuckled as well. "This may sound crazy, but if this is something the two of you have your hearts set on, then I have no doubt you'll make it happen." He gave her side one more quick rub. "Feel better now?" Katie nodded. "Let's go home; they're probably staring out the window waiting for us to appear." Katie stood first and put one hand on Matthew's cheek. She leaned down and kissed him sweetly. "I love you." Matthew looked down at the ground, then back up at her, shyly. "I love you, too." He stood up and took her hand. "Come on, we'd better go before people start to talk." "I'm going to take Tyler home," Matthew announced, as they rode the elevator up to the loft. "You don't need to hear any more about this tonight and, if I know Tyler, he's still trying to get answers to questions Alex doesn't have the answers to." "Coward," Katie joked. "You're afraid to look Alex in the face right now, aren't you?" "Shut up!" Matthew exclaimed. "I am not afraid to look him in the face. If you want, I'll tell him myself." His last words flew out as the elevator doors opened. "Tell which him what?" Alex asked. Katie burst into laughter at Matthew's stellar timing. "Well, go on," she urged. "This is your golden opportunity to come clean, Kid. Alex, Matthew has something important he's simply dying to tell you." "Katrina Elizabeth Heyes!" Matthew sputtered. "Shut your mouth right now!" He looked at Tyler, his face getting redder with each passing second. "Come on, Ty, we're going home before I say something I might regret." Tyler nodded and went to get his coat. Alex followed him back. "What do you think that's all about?" he asked Tyler. "I have an idea, but it's not my place to say anything," Tyler answered. "Come on, Ty," Alex prodded. "What is it? Matthew's obviously embarrassed about whatever it is." "Look, I really can't help you out with this one," Tyler replied. "This has to come from either Katie or Matthew, my dear; I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole. Suffice it to say that there is still much you have to learn about those two." He put on his coat and walked back to the elevator. Katie and Matthew were deep in conversation, so he turned back to Alex. "Do yourself a favor, Alex. Don't ask; she'll tell you when she's ready and judging from what's already been said, it won't be long," he whispered. Katie motioned toward Tyler and Alex, causing Matthew to stop talking. "Sorry to see you two leave so early," Alex said. "Thanks for dinner, Ty; it was delicious." He extended his hand to Matthew. "Thanks for taking care of Katie." Matthew threw a glance at Tyler, who shrugged. "No problem; she's my favorite patient. It looks like we're over the worst of it, whatever it was, just make sure she takes it easy for the next day or two." "You hear that, Katya? I think we'd better keep the trapeze in the box for a few more days," Alex sighed. He had to bite his lip when Matthew's eyes widened. "I'm kidding, Matthew," he snickered. "Sometimes you're just too easy." The elevator door closed, leaving Katie and Alex alone. "How was your walk?" he asked her, as they moved back into the loft. "Nice. I needed some time with Matthew and I really wasn't up to hearing any more about the virus and the vaccine and the aliens. I know it's not going to go away; I'm not trying to hide from it," she explained. "I just didn't want to go there anymore tonight." "Probably just as well," Alex replied. "I think Tyler needed to be able to ask questions and have only one person attempt to answer. He'll be all right with this, eventually. For all his open-mindedness, I have a feeling Tyler's going to take longer to come to terms with everything, than Matthew did." Katie nodded in agreement. "It'll take him a while, but he'll be fine." She walked into the kitchen to finish cleaning up, but found that the room had already been taken care of. Katie picked up the sponge and started idly wiping down the counters. "It gave him something normal to do while we talked," Alex said. "He washed and asked, I dried and answered." He took the sponge from her hand and tossed it back into the sink. "You have something to tell me." She turned and tried to move away from him, putting off the inevitable. He put one hand on either side of her, trapping her between his body and the counter. "Spill it, Katya." "Not right now, Alexei," Katie stalled. "This isn't something you just blurt out over coffee at the kitchen table." "So where do you talk about this?" Alex asked. "In the bedroom, in the afterglow of really great sex, when you're sharing intimate secrets in the dark with your lover," she answered. "Even then, you have to be careful that you say it just right." Alex considered her words, then chuckled softly. "Then I guess I should be relieved that Matthew didn't want to tell me after all." He bent down and kissed her hard, forcing his tongue deep into her mouth. Katie responded in kind, clutching the back of his neck to keep him place, until they both had to come up for air. Alex inclined his head toward the bedroom. "Bedroom, great sex, intimate secrets?" Katie laughed softly. "Meet you in there in a minute." "Where are you going?" "Bathroom," she answered. "Go on, I'll be there before you know it." Alex nodded and went into the bedroom. He kicked off his shoes and socks, then threw back the blankets on the bed. True to her word, she was there almost before his ass hit the mattress. She tossed him a couple of towels. "Towels are easier to replace than mattresses," she explained. He spread one of the towels out on the bed, then pulled her down. Clothing fell down on the floor as they made short order of the inconvenient garments. As he reached the final scrap of material keeping the last part of her body from his view, she stopped him. "Turn the light off," she whispered. "Why? I want to see you, Katya," Alex whispered back, nuzzling her neck, his hand still on the waistband of her panties. "Please? The shower was one thing, but here...I don't want you to see," she hesitated. "I've seen blood before," he soothed. "That's the point," she countered. "You've seen too much, in all the wrong situations." Katie reached up and stroked his cheek. "Maybe I'm being overprotective. Indulge me?" Alex rolled over and turned out the light. He moved back to her and placed his hand back in its former position. "Better?" he asked. She kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," he chuckled. Katie smiled against his neck and lifted her hips slightly as he slid the panties off and dropped them onto the floor. He lay still, allowing her to use the other towel to clean him up afterwards. Alex had started to protest, but she was insistent. There were worse things she could have hangups about, he supposed. He took the towel away from her when he felt she was stalling. "OK, I'm clean. Relax," he said. He put his hand on her shoulder and urged her downward, until she was lying on his chest. "Is what you're planning on telling me that awful?" he asked. Katie shook her head. "No, it's not awful...I've just never had to tell this to anyone before. It's not exactly common knowledge, but I think you have the right to know." "I'm guessing this has to do with Matthew," he started. "Yeah, it does," she answered. "And Tyler knows," he continued. "He's the only other one that would have any reason to know," she said quietly. Katie stayed still, trying to figure out how to begin. Alex kissed her hair, then started talking. "On my sixteenth birthday, my benefactor had a dinner party in my honor; just a few of his associates and the two of us. It was more of a business meeting than a party, with the exception of the presence of a young lady I'd never seen before. I assumed she was a secretary or someone's daughter, since we really weren't introduced beyond first names. At the end of the evening, everyone left, except her. My benefactor took me aside and explained that, in addition to the car he'd presented me with earlier in the day, that he was giving me this woman for the evening. He'd assumed, and rightly so, I might add, that I was a virgin, and decided that my birthday would be the perfect time to rectify the situation." "Sounds like every sixteen-year old boy's dream gift," Katie chuckled. Alex nodded. "I suppose so. I won't lie to you and say that I didn't enjoy it, but the experience didn't do much for my overall self-esteem; I mean, what kind of guy has to pay someone in order to get laid? Losers, that's who. Far from making me feel like a man, I felt like a loser in his eyes and mine." Katie kissed his chest and looked up at him. "How sad for you," she sympathized. "No one should have their first time make them feel anything other than wonderful and loved." "Did Matthew make you feel wonderful and loved?" he asked quietly. He felt her stop breathing for a moment, so he hugged her tight. "Of course he did," he said, answering his own question. "How did you..." Katie started to ask. "It was a logical conclusion, Katya. Matthew's reaction to me makes perfect sense now; he really was jealous," Alex smiled. "Then, just before Ty and Matthew left, I asked Ty if he knew what was going on. He told me he had a pretty good idea, but that you or Matthew were going to have to tell me. He advised me to wait and let you tell me in your own time and said that I still had a lot to learn about the two of you." He rolled her onto her back and balanced on his side to look at her. The room was still dark, but he could just make out her features. "Want to tell me about it?" "Sure you want to know?" she asked. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't," he answered. "How old were you at the time?' "Sixteen, same as you," she replied. "You want the whole story or the Reader's Digest version?" "Your story; you tell it anyway you want," Alex said. "OK. Well, after my accident, Matthew and I became even closer than we were before, as hard as that is to believe. I had to miss the first four weeks of my junior year while I was recovering, so Matthew taped all my classes, brought me my books, helped me study; he spent more time with me than with his family. When the doctors gave me the green light to go back, I was not only up to speed; I was actually ahead of the game, thanks to him. Our teachers all commended us on our hard work and everyone else figured that we were a couple. Since there wasn't anyone either of us was interested in at the time anyway, we did nothing to dissuade that belief. By our senior year, everyone was sure that we were destined to be married right after graduation. This was probably a good thing for Matthew, since by that time, he'd begun to question his sexuality. There were a few times that he started to ask me things, but he would hesitate, then change the subject. I'd already figured it out, but I didn't want to put words in his mouth or make him feel any more uncomfortable than he already was feeling. Anyway, everything finally came to a head during Christmas vacation. His grandfather died the day after Christmas and his mother was the executor of the will. She knew that it would take weeks to straighten out her father's affairs and his parents didn't want him to miss that much school, but they didn't want to leave him alone either. My parent's stepped in and offered to let him stay with us while his parents took care of settling the estate. It wasn't a big deal; as far as mom and dad were concerned, Matthew was a part of the family. Matthew and his grandfather had never been that close, but Matthew still took his death hard. We spent night after night staying up talking until one of us fell asleep on the other. Most of the time we'd wake up and find our way to our beds, but my dad found us together a couple of times. He never mentioned it, except to say that we should think about turning in at a reasonable hour so we wouldn't be so sore from sleeping on the lumpy couch. My guess is that since we both had all our clothes on, he figured we weren't fooling around too much." Alex laughed. "Your father was either very perceptive or very trusting." Katie smiled. "Maybe a little of both," she conceded. "Either way, it was never made an issue of and we didn't spend every night together like that, so we got away with it. One night, Matthew finally got up the courage to tell me that he thought he might be gay. He wasn't entirely sure, but he knew that he'd never really been attracted to too many girls and that there were certain guys that made him feel the way he thought he was supposed to feel toward women. No one in school, he was quick to add, but guys on television and in magazines. He was so embarrassed by his admission that he couldn't even look at me. We sat quietly for a long time after that. I was afraid to say anything at first, because I didn't want to upset him, but I realized that I wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't let him know how I felt. I tried to get him to look at me, but he refused, so I took drastic measures. Climbing into his lap, I pinned his shoulders to the back of the couch and forced him to look at me. I told him that I loved him, that he was my best friend in the whole world and that nothing, nothing, he could ever tell me, would make me love him any less. He totally fell apart. He grabbed me and held on for dear life, crying his eyes out. He had been so afraid that I'd turn on him; like I'd ever have done that," she exclaimed. "It happens all the time, sweetheart," Alex said. "People you think you know, turning their backs on you when you need them the most." "Not me," Katie replied. "I don't do that to the people I love; it surprised me, because I thought he knew that." "He probably knew it on some level, but his fear clouded his judgment," Alex explained. "So, how did this end up with the two of you swapping bodily fluids? An admission of homosexuality doesn't seem like a natural lead-in for this story." "No, it doesn't, does it?" Katie snickered. "This is so cliched, but here goes. We didn't talk too much about it the next day, mostly because we were never alone. It was New Year's Eve and we were supposed to have a huge snowstorm hit sometime in the next twenty-four hours. We'd had a couple of false alarms that winter, so my parents didn't think it would be a problem, but they wanted to be prepared, just in case, so we were sent to stock up on food and whatever else we might need. They almost canceled plans to attend the annual party thrown by father's employer, but decided that since they'd already made a reservation at the hotel so they wouldn't have to drive home, that they'd go anyway. We were certainly old enough to be left alone overnight and more than capable of handling ourselves in just about any given situation. With the food taken care of and explicit instructions to call should any problems arise, mom and dad left for their party. Within an hour after they'd left, we'd ordered pizza and opened the first of two bottles of sangria we'd stashed away." Alex laughed. "Hey, we were generally trustworthy, but we were teenagers," Katie giggled. "We kicked back and watched some of the comedy specials on cable until it was time to watch the big countdown with Dick Clark in Times Square. And yes, we had the traditional kiss at midnight, just like every year. Afterwards, we flipped channels to see what was on. Our cable company was really screwy and some nights the feed from one of the adult channels would come through clear, allowing anyone still awake, a free night of porn. Being healthy, red-blooded teens, we left it on. I was getting pretty aroused by the action on the screen and finding it difficult to not tip my hand. I was also feeling just a little embarrassed about it, until I happened to notice that Matthew was enjoying the show as well. The guy in this particular flick was nice looking, unlike so many of the men you see in those movies. Now, I wasn't completely drunk, but I was feeling very relaxed, which is why I had the courage to do what I did next." "What did you do?" Alex asked, as he began to gently caress her breast. "Mmmm," Katie sighed, closing her eyes. "What did you do?" he asked again. Katie's eyes opened. "Oh, sorry. I got distracted," she answered. "Then I'll stop." Alex lifted his hand away and placed it on the bed next her. "Just until I'm finished, OK?" she asked. He smiled and nodded his head. "Let's see, you wanted to know what I did next. Well, something he'd said came back to me, so I had to ask him about it. He said that he'd never really been attracted to too many girls, so I asked him which girls he had been attracted to. He turned bright red, kind of like this evening, and wouldn't answer me. Being a pain in the ass, I kept asking him, until he finally broke down and told me that the only girl he'd been attracted to was me. In my state of complete relaxation, I admitted that I'd always been attracted him as well. That brought a big smile to both our faces and we snuggled in next to each other to watch more of the movie. Now you know that I just can't sit next to someone I love without touching them and Matthew's the same way, so pretty soon, I found myself gently rubbing his leg while he was rubbing my arm. My hand went up a little too high and I made a fleeting pass over more than just his leg. He jumped and I moved my hand back down. I really hadn't intended to make a pass at him like that, it just happened, you know?" Alex's hand slid up between her legs, stroking the inside of her thigh. "Liar." "No, really," she insisted. "It really wasn't intentional, but once it happened, I wasn't about to turn back." "If you say so," Alex said. "I say so. Do you want to hear this or not?" "Yes." "Then shut up and let me finish," she ordered. "OK, but you realize that you've just used up your payback for the time I told you to shut up, don't you," he asked. "Sure, fine, can I finish now?" "Please do." "Where was I? Oh yeah...well in my brief encounter, I did notice that Matthew was just as turned on by the movie as I was, so put my hand on his cheek and kissed him square on the mouth. Then I asked him if he'd ever thought about us doing it, because I had. He said that he had thought about it, but hadn't wanted to say anything to me, because he was confused and because he didn't want to do anything to jeopardize our friendship. He never wanted me to think that he was using me to work out his sexual questions. I looked at him and said 'do you love me?' He said he did. 'Do you trust me?' 'Of course,' he answered. 'Then there's no problem, is there?' I said." Katie stopped talking and closed her eyes. Alex stared at her, waiting for more of the story, but she seemed perfectly to content to stop right at this point. He brushed a non-existent strand of hair off her forehead, then kissed her cheek. 'You're not really going to quit there, are you?' he wondered. Katie could feel him waiting for her to continue. She let him hang there, curious to see if he was going to ask for more or simply let her stop there. He let out a small sigh and she couldn't help the smile that crept across her face. He couldn't be sure, but he thought she was smiling. His fingers touched her lips and he knew she was smiling at him. "And you keep telling me I'm a rat," he exclaimed. "Oh, did you want to hear more?" Katie asked innocently. "Well, a few more details would be nice to kind of round out the story," he replied. "Such as?" "Katya!" "OK...no, we didn't get right down to it. We spent a good part of the evening working up the courage to go beyond kissing. Matthew was waiting for me to make the next move and I was waiting for him. He figured it out first, which was a good thing, because I was starting to lose my nerve." "You were scared?" Alex asked. "Yeah, I was," she admitted. "But only because I was beginning to think that I'd put him in a position of doing something he didn't want to do. Then he pulled my shirt off over my head and put his mouth on me; that pretty much took care of the nervousness. Little by little we got rid of our clothes. When they were gone, we took the time to really look at each other. Matthew was fascinated with my scars. In the hospital, he was the one who'd look at them when the nurses would come in to change the bandages. They weren't thrilled about having him in there at first, but Matthew was always so calm and reassuring, even in the first days when the wounds looked so frightening, that they never said anything to either of us about it. He was my eyes for weeks, before he gave me the courage to look at the damage for myself. Anyway, he hadn't seen the scar for over a year and he was amazed at how well they'd healed. He asked if they still hurt. I think I nodded and said that sometimes they still bothered me, but they didn't really hurt anymore. He kissed the spot that had caused me the worst pain in the hospital, letting his hand drop between my legs as he did. When he touched my clit, I jumped and scared the crap out of him. He was afraid he'd hurt me." Katie laughed and shook her head. "Took me a few minutes to convince him that it wasn't pain. I'd never had anyone touch me there before, you know? It was an intense, but pleasant surprise. I had to physically take his hand and put it back there again, to prove that I was feeling no pain. Those movies were still on in the background and this particularly vocal actress was screaming something like 'lick my pussy'; I snickered until Matthew actually followed her instructions. It felt so good, that when he pushed his fingers inside me to open me up, the little bit of pain I felt at the intrusion was quickly forgotten. He moved his fingers around until he found my G-spot, then concentrated on working that on the inside, while his mouth worked on the outside. I came so hard, I almost passed out. When I stopped shaking, he slipped up beside me and actually asked if he'd done it right. I told him that sure felt right to me. I reached down to touch him this time. He closed his eyes and let me, until I slipped down and ran my tongue over him. That freaked him out at first and he tried to tell me that I didn't have to. I stared him down and said I knew I didn't have to, then went right back to doing what I'd been doing. He didn't say anything more about it, after that," Katie grinned. "I'll bet he didn't," Alex chuckled. "He didn't let me finish him off though," she continued. "Pretty soon he pulled me back up and kissed me. He shifted so that he was between my legs and asked me if I was sure this was what I wanted. I don't remember saying anything; I think I just nodded and touched his chest. He guided himself into me, slowly, trying not to hurt me. Didn't work; it still hurt like crazy, but I bit my lip until it passed. The pain lasted for a few minutes, but then everything started to feel really good. Felt pretty good to Matthew too. He didn't last long once we got a good motion going. I knew he was going to get all embarrassed and start beating himself up over it, so before he had the chance, I kissed him, pushed his hand down between my legs and asked him to touch me the way he'd touched me before. He slid his fingers in and stroked me until I came again. We must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I remember is waking up naked, curled up against Matthew at noon. The TV was still on, but the porn station had given way to infomercials, so I flipped until I found the news. The storm had come through, closing roads and cutting off phone and electric service to some areas. We were socked in good, but we were among the lucky ones that still had power. I checked and we still had phone services, so I called the hotel to check on my parents and let them know that we were OK. We ended up playing house for the next three days, before the roads were clear enough to allow people to return home." "What happened when your parents came home? Did they figure out what was going on in their absence?" Alex asked. "If they suspected, they never let on," Katie replied. "Matthew and I didn't act any differently toward one another, for the most part. I think we held hands a little more, maybe sat a little closer to one another, but we'd always been hands on with each other, so I guess mom and dad didn't think anything of it. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure either would have objected if they'd known we'd had sex. They loved Matthew and knew that he loved me; plus, it wasn't like I was going to end up pregnant or anything. Anyway, it never happened again after that, so it really didn't matter." "Never? You guys spent three days fooling around together, then ended it, just like that?" Alex asked in surprise. "Why?" Katie kissed Alex and laced her hands behind his head to hold him in her gaze. "Because, it wasn't enough. I loved him, but I knew that I wasn't going to be the one satisfy his every need. He knew it, too. We had a long talk about it that last night. I told him that as much as we loved each other, I had a feeling there was a guy out there who was going to knock his socks off and that there was a guy out there who was going to do the same for me." Alex kissed Katie. "So, did you both find what you were looking for?" Katie ran her feet up his leg. "You feel any socks on these feet, baby?" Alex woke up before Katie and wandered out to the kitchen. December 24, Christmas Eve; hardly seemed possible that the day was almost upon them, but here it was in black and white on the calendar. Tyler was closing the store at 6 and would be over soon after; Matthew would join them after his shift, around 10, barring any emergencies. The plan was to spend the evening together watching the usual Christmas specials, most of which they either owned, or had taped earlier just for this purpose. When they'd had enough, it would be off to bed until someone woke up and announced that Santa had left his stash for one and all. He glanced over at the window, then ran over to see if what he thought he saw was really what was happening. Snow! It was snowing steadily, but from the looks of the street, it hadn't been snowing long. He went into the living room and turned on the weather to see what the weather guru had to say. The forecast was for accumulation of 4 to 6 inches by nightfall, with more expected on Christmas Day. This was too good to be true, a real white Christmas. He turned the television off and went into the bedroom to wake Katie. She looked so sweet, so peaceful, that he almost hated to rouse her from her slumber. Almost, being the operative word. He briefly considered waking her gently, but opted instead for a more decisive maneuver. Katie flew up in the air as Alex hit the mattress with a thud. "What the Hell are you doing?" she asked grumpily. "Get up," Alex urged, tugging at her arm. "I want to show you something." Katie moaned and tried to roll over to go back to sleep. "No, no, no, get up," he insisted. She shook her head and tried to burrow under the pillow. Alex ripped the pillow away, tossing it on the floor. "Anyone ever tell you that you're a grouch in the morning?" "Yes," she grumbled into the mattress. "Which is why most people don't pounce on me when I'm asleep." "I'm not most people. Now, are you going to get up or am I going to have to dump you onto the floor?" Katie didn't move or answer, so he got off the bed and pushed his hands under the mattress. "Last chance," he warned. When she didn't move, he began to lift the side of the mattress. Katie felt the mattress rise and felt herself slipping off the bed. She quickly scrambled off the bed to avoid hitting the floor. "OK, OK, I'm up!" Alex dropped the mattress and grabbed her hand, practically dragging her out of the room. "Alex! Can I at least put something on? It's cold out here." He nodded and let go of her hand, so she could grab her robe. "What is it I'm supposed to see?" "Over there, look out the window," he answered. Katie yawned and made her way to the window. She rubbed her eyes, then looked outside. "It's snowing! Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?" Alex squeezed her from behind. "It was more fun this way." He bent down and kissed the side of her neck. "The weather man says we should have 4 to 6 inches by this evening and more tomorrow." "You know what we have to do now, don't you?" Katie asked. "What?" "We have to go out and play," she replied. An hour later they came back inside, soaking wet from making snow angels in the park and from the multitude of snowballs they'd thrown at each other. They came up the stairs this time, so they could drop their wet clothes by the washing machine and avoid tracking water through the loft. Katie tossed on a sweatshirt, while Alex wrapped a towel around his waist. "I need a long soak in the tub," Alex said. "Sounds good to me," Katie answered. "But first, I need some hot chocolate. Want some?" Alex nodded enthusiastically. "OK, you get the water going, I'll make the hot chocolate and meet you in a few minutes." Katie started warming milk in a pan on the stove, then searched the cabinets for the cocoa and sugar. Matthew liked to tease her for making hot chocolate the old-fashioned way, when it was so easy to grab a mix packet and pop everything in the microwave. Of course, the first time she gave him some made from the mix, he complained that it tasted funny and wanted to know what she'd done differently. "You coming, Katya?" Alex called from the bathroom. "In a couple of minutes," she yelled back. "It's almost ready." She stirred the cocoa for a few more minutes before testing the temperature. When it was finally hot enough, she poured it into two mugs, added the required amount of mini-marshmallows and carried the mugs into the bathroom. Alex was in the bath, head back against the tiles, eyes closed. Katie put the cups on the tile next to him and kissed the top of his head. "Warming up?" she asked. Alex smiled and nodded. "Are you going to join me now?" "Absolutely." Katie peeled off the sweatshirt and climbed into the water beside him. She reached for her cup and let the warm liquid flow down her throat. "Mmmm, warm water, hot chocolate and you," she sighed. "I think I've found paradise." Alex drank from his cup. "This is close," he began. He put his cup back down and reached for Katie, pulling her onto his lap. "But this is better." Alex put his hand on the back of her head and brought her in for a kiss; Katie hummed her approval. He let his head fall back, eyes closed, as she reached down to stroke him. She raised up slightly and reached for her cup. He opened his eyes, just a little, and watched her take a sip. Katie put the cup down and kissed him hard, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. She moved quickly, impaling herself on his straining erection. The act caught him by surprise and he almost bit her tongue as she engulfed him. "Jesus," he sighed. "Did I get you?" Katie rose up and sank back down on him slowly. "Did you bite me? No. Did you get me? No baby, I got you this time," she said with a wink. "Yes you did," he smiled. "Now, what do you plan on doing with me?" Katie leaned forward and whispered in his ear all the things she wanted to do to him, while she continued to rise and fall at slow, steady pace. The more she said, the more aroused he became. One particularly well-chosen phrase caused his face to redden. Katie giggled. "You're cute when you blush." Alex moved his hand to her waist, smiled, then bucked hard, causing her to gasp. "I'll show you cute," he growled. Grabbing hold as tightly as he could with the one arm, he proceeded to 'show her cute' for all he was worth. In the course of his demonstration, both failed to notice that they were inching dangerously close to the edge of seat. Just as they were nearing the finish, Alex's butt slipped over the edge. Katie fell into the water scraping both hands on the side of the bench as she reached to steady herself. Alex fared worse, hitting his head on the back of the tub and scraping his tailbone as he slipped into the water. Katie scrambled to her feet to help him back up. "You all right?" she asked. "I'm fine," he sighed. "Nothing bruised but my ego." Katie felt the back of his head and found a bump already starting to rise. "'Fraid there's more than just a bruised ego here, sweetheart. Stand up; let me see your back." He rose and turned. "Yep, you have a good sized scrape on your lower back. Nothing serious, but it's probably going to bother you later." She patted him on the butt. "Come on, let's get out of here and get some ice on that bump." Alex climbed out of the tub; Katie followed. He started to hand her a towel, but tossed it over his shoulder when he saw her hands. "Oh baby, I'm sorry. Look at your hands." "Yeah, well, these are probably going to bother me later on, so we can whine about our booboos together," she said with a chuckle. "Give me my towel, it's cold in here." They dried off and went into the bedroom to get dressed. Alex secured his arm, then pulled on his briefs, wincing when the waistband hit the small of his back. He pulled it away from the scrape. "Think anyone would notice if I just wore a towel tonight?" Katie laughed as she pulled on her jeans. "It would be the highlight of Tyler's evening. In fact, if you're really good, he might even offer to kiss it and make it better," she giggled. Alex groaned and let the waistband ease back into place. "Ah, what's the matter? Are you afraid you might enjoy it?" she asked. Alex lunged and threw her down on the bed. "Been there, done that, didn't care for it. I much prefer the female of the species." To prove his point, Alex claimed her mouth swiftly, taking her breath away. He tugged at her zipper and shoved his hand inside her panties. Katie pushed her hips up against his hand and he roughly drove two fingers inside her. She reached down to push off her jeans, forgetting about the scrapes on her hands. As she hit the rough fabric, her hands recoiled in pain. "Ow," she cried. "Need some help with that?" Alex murmured. "Yes please," she begged. "Now." Alex smiled and tugged the jeans off her body. He knelt down to pull them off her feet, then ran his hands slowly up the inside of her legs. At her knees, he lowered his mouth and began tracing his tongue up her thigh, stopping just short of her center, before mimicking his motion down the other leg. "Alexei," Katie groaned. "Don't tease." Alex grinned against her thigh, then planted tiny kisses as he moved closer and closer. He lightly brushed against her clit with his tongue, moving away quickly. Katie whimpered. Alex sighed happily. "That's what I was waiting for,"' he said quietly. His tongue darted out and began caressing her in earnest. One finger, then another entered her willing opening. She moaned in appreciation, shifting slightly to meet his strokes. He removed his fingers and replaced them with his tongue, driving it in as far as he could reach, while letting one finger tease her anus. She pushed against him, encouraging his exploration. "You like that?" he whispered. Katie nodded, unable to form words. He slipped his finger inside, coating it with her wetness, before returning to tease her other opening. He applied more pressure, slowly pushing a finger inside, as his tongue worked its magic on her clit. Just when she thought she couldn't possibly feel any better, he pushed his thumb inside, under his tongue, filling her every opening. A few more strokes from fingers and tongue sent her into sensory overload. Not waiting for her to come down, Alex yanked off his briefs, cringing as they stuck to the scrape on his back, then plunged inside her. Katie locked her ankles around his knees and thrust upward to meet his every stroke. There was no tenderness in this coupling, just raw desire. A part of his brain wondered if he was hurting her, but the need to possess her, body and soul, kept him from caring. Seemingly out of nowhere 'what's the matter? Afraid you might enjoy it?' echoed in his head. He flashed on the times in prison in when he'd been taken against his will, forced to submit to the most humiliating invasion. 'Never again,' his mind screamed, as he pounded against her mercilessly. His body stiffened and he came with such intensity that he blacked out momentarily. When he came to, he felt Katie's fingers in his hair and her tears on his face. His stomach clenched as the realization of what he'd just done hit home. "I'm sorry, Katya. I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you," he said, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm sorry baby, please forgive me." "I'm all right," Katie replied quietly. "What happened? I lost you for a while." Alex rolled away, turned and put his face down into the pillow so he wouldn't have to face her. He knew that she would listen and accept and help him through, but he couldn't look at her, not yet. The bed jiggled as she scooted over to turn out the light. The door was open, so there was still light coming into the room, but the glare of direct light was gone. Katie wrapped her body around him. "Talk to me, Alexei," she urged. "Let me help." Alex shook his head. "I can't...please don't ask me." "It's time to let go of it, sweetheart." "No." Katie rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, kissing it tenderly. "Someone hurt you. Where? Tunguska? Tunisia?" He turned his head as far into the pillow as he could without suffocating himself. "Tunisia?" she repeated. Alex didn't move. "There was nothing you could have done; they'd taken your arm away and left you to deal with those animals in that cell. It wasn't your fault, Alexei," he started to shake in her grasp. "It wasn't your fault," she repeated softly. Katie heard a sniff come from him and felt him break. Tears splashed on the pillow as he let the fear and anger he'd held inside come to the surface. "Let it out, baby," she whispered. "I won't let go; not ever." He reached for her arm and held on, squeezing to be sure that she was really there. "I'm here, I love you, I won't let go," she whispered over and over. Alex cried until he had nothing left inside. She held on, rocking him gently the entire time. He fell asleep in her embrace. Only then, when she was sure he couldn't hear her, did she allow her tears to fall. "You're mine now," she whispered. "No one will ever hurt you again; I promise." Katie pressed against him, getting as close as humanly possible. "I love you so much," she murmured, before joining him in his emotionally drained slumber. Alex woke with a start. "Katya?" he called, before realizing that she was draped over him. Katie squeezed his shoulder. "Right here, sweetheart," she muttered sleepily. "I'm right beside you." He turned to face her, more than a little apprehensive at seeing her expression. All that greeted him was a look that telegraphed unconditional love. "I'm so fucked up." Not the words he wanted to say, but the first thing that came to mind. Katie chuckled. "Yeah, you are. So am I. Remember? Damaged Unlimited?" Alex halfsmiled as he remembered. "Just another hurdle to leap over, that's all," she continued. "But I hurt you," he said. Katie nodded. "I'm might walk funny for a day or so, but I'll live. You scared me more than anything. I didn't know how to reach you, so I let you continue until you were done." "Sounds like rape to me," he whispered, putting his hand over his mouth. "Oh God, Alex, no. You had a flashback; you weren't in control. You weren't making love to me, but it most certainly wasn't rape." She pulled his hand away from his mouth and kissed him tenderly. "Don't do this to yourself; don't put more guilt in your head." "But I hurt you," he repeated. "I turned an act of love into an act of violence against the person that means more to me than life itself." "Then make it up to me," Katie told him. "Show me what you meant to do." Alex's eyes widened. "Right now? After what happened earlier?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Katie...I...what if it happens again? What if..." "It won't," she assured him. "It's out in the open now. You've brought another demon to the surface and we've taken its power. It can't hurt you anymore...it can't hurt us, anymore." She held out her hand. "Come here." He hesitated. "Come here," she said again. "I'll beg, if I have to." He grinned shyly, slid over, then rolled on top of her. "Now, show me what you meant to do before." He reached down and found her wet and willing. "I thought you were sore." "I am," she answered. "But my other ache far outweighs the minor soreness." Katie pulled his face to hers and kissed him deeply. She looked into his eyes. "Alexei, I'm burning up inside." She paused, biting her lower lip. "Please baby, make it better?" Alex reached down to guide himself into her. "I will, baby," he whispered. "I'll make it better for you." "Hey Alex," Katie called out. "Come take a look at this." Alex wandered over to the desk and looked at the monitor. Katie pointed to the screen. "Remember the girl I told you about, the one I met on the plane to New York? Well, she finally got around to writing me. Listen to this. 'Dear Katie, I've been meaning to write ever since I got home from the airport, but I was afraid to without an excuse. Sometimes people say things they don't really mean, just to be nice; I didn't want to bother you if this was the case. Being Christmas Eve though, I figured that this would be a legitimate excuse for taking advantage of your email address. *g* How was the convention? I heard that Harlan got stuck in Chicago and didn't make it after all. Sorry about that. Maybe you can throw up on his shoes another time. LOL. I hope you and Alex (that is his name, right? I'll be totally embarrassed if I'm wrong.) have a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas, your friend, Miranda.'" Katie looked at Alex and grinned. "I'm going to send a reply; want to say hi to her?" Alex grinned back. "Sure, you start; I'll add a note at the end." Katie nodded. "'Miranda! I'm so glad to hear from you. If I hadn't wanted to talk to you, I wouldn't have given you this address. Feel free to write me any time, you don't need an excuse; I promise you won't be bothering me. *g* The convention wasn't too bad, but I was disappointed at missing my chance to hurl on Harlan. *snicker* You WOULD remember that. LOL! We plan on having a very Merry Christmas. Hope you have a good one as well. Love, Katie.' OK, all done. Your turn," Katie said, getting up from the chair. "Now remember, she's only fifteen, so be nice." "Why wouldn't I be nice?" he asked as he sat down. "Besides, didn't you tell me she was cute?" he teased. Katie smacked him on the back of his head. "Ow, that hurts." "Serves you right," she answered. "Dear Miranda, Help! Katie's beating me up for no reason. She's a horribly cruel woman. Run away, run away. Alex.' There, all done," he said with a smirk. "Alex! Don't you dare send that!" Katie yelled, as his finger was poised over the send button. "Why not? It's the truth," Alex snickered. "I think your fans should know the 'real' Katie Heyes; the madwoman behind the words." Katie put her hand on his crotch and began to squeeze. "You send that note and it will be a very long time before you get to know the 'real' Katie Heyes again. You dig, loverboy?" Alex laughed and grabbed her hand before she had the chance to remove it. "I dig, baby. Feel free to leave your hand there though; it's inspiring me to new heights of literary wisdom," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "I'm sure...Dear Penthouse, I know most people think these letters are fake, but..." she started. Alex snorted then backspaced over his first note to Miranda. "'Dear Miranda, Yes, my name is Alex, so no need to feel totally embarrassed. I appreciate that you thought to include a Merry Christmas wish for me as well. Katie's told me so much about you and we both look forward to hearing from you again. Alex.' There, is that better?" "Much. Thank you." Katie kissed the back of his head. "Sorry for bopping you. If it's any consolation, my hand hurts now. Does your head hurt much?" "Yes, it hurts terribly. So bad in fact, that I might need to go lie down," he grinned, getting up from the chair. "I think I need some personal attention from my favorite nurse to help me recover." Alex pulled her to his chest and pressed his lips to hers. He moved his lips to her ears and whispered his intentions. She felt her knees give at his words and almost followed him back into the bedroom. "Oh wait," she said, trying to clear her head. "I have to get the roast started. Tyler's going to be here in a few hours and I'm sure he'll be hungry." "So put the roast in the oven; I'll wait," Alex responded. "Want some help?" "No, I think I can manage to do that by myself," she chuckled. "I'll probably let you take it out when it's done though; I don't think my hands will take too kindly to the heat." "Sure, no problem," he said. He kissed her forehead, then her cheek, before latching on to her neck. Katie moved her head to one side to allow him room to move. She hummed her approval, closing her eyes as he covered every inch of her neck. His hand unbuttoned a few buttons on her shirt, just enough to allow his hand to slip inside and cup her breast. She arched into his touch and felt him smile against her skin. He urged her backwards, closer to the couch. As her legs hit the cushion, she pushed him back. "Roast, I have to start the roast," she said breathily. "Wait here, I'll be right back." She ran from the room, before he had the chance to distract her from the task at hand. Katie was so absorbed in getting that roast in the oven and getting back to Alex, that she didn't hear him sneak up behind her. She turned on the oven, put the roast inside and closed the door. "Oh!" she exclaimed, jumping in surprise to find him standing behind her. "I couldn't wait." He reached for the waistband of her pants and made short order of the button and zipper there. The pants dropped to the floor. Katie kicked them off and out of the way. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him, but he removed them and turned her around, bending her over the counter. "The last time we did this, Matthew called," she reminded him. He tugged at her panties until they dropped to floor as well. "Took the phone off the hook," he whispered in her ear. "Good...Oh God," she moaned, as he thrust inside her. "Nope, just me," he panted. "Even better, I wouldn't know what to say to the Almighty in this situation," she giggled. Alex pushed the hair up off her neck, peppering kisses on the newly exposed skin. "How about 'who are you and what have you done with Alex?'" Katie half giggled, half moaned as he quickened the pace. "You're pretty sure of yourself," she said, as she tightened around him. "Oh geez, do that again," he mumbled. "And yes, I am sure of myself. I know I can make you see Him, but I'm not so sure He could make you see me." "Pretty big words, Alexei; hope you can deliver," she teased. "I haven't let you down yet, have I?" he whispered. "No baby, you've never let me down," she answered. "Oh yeah, right there." "Just like this?" "Uh huh." Alex took one of her hands off the counter and guided it between her legs. "Show me." Katie interlaced her fingers with his. "Together." "OK," he said softly. "Together." Alex let his hand go limp in hers, forcing her to carry the responsibility of external stimulation. He was just along for the ride on this end. His energy was focused on driving deep into her body, providing the very best in internal stimulation. He felt her clench and listened, as her breathing became increasingly erratic. Sounds of pleasure filled the air and it took him a moment to realize that he was the source. Katie smiled at the sounds he was making. She couldn't resist. "Looks like you're gonna get that audience with God before I do," she stammered. "No way, not without you, baby," he growled. Alex went from being passive to taking an active role in the external arena. Katie gasped at the sudden burst of additional attention. She zigged when he zagged and their fingers slipped off to the side. Alex moved quickly to replace them, but not before she whimpered in frustration. That was all it took to shatter his control. He could feel his lips moving and knew he was saying something to her, but he had no idea what it was. Whatever it was worked, because he felt her spasm around him and heard both his name and His name echoing through the kitchen. Katie let her head fall to the countertop and Alex rested his head on her shoulders. "So, did I deliver?" he asked with a tired chuckle. "Do you really have to ask?" "Just checking," he answered. "What time is it?" Katie mumbled, not bothering to lift her head up off the counter. Alex turned his head to look at the clock on the stove. "Almost 5:30." "No, really," she snickered. "What time is it?" "It's 5:27," he answered. "Is that better?" Katie stood up quickly, sending Alex reeling backwards. She looked at the clock for herself, not believing her eyes. "Oh shit! Tyler's going to be here soon. I can't believe it's so late!" She fixed a stare at Alex and wagged her finger at him. "You, Alex Krycek, are a very bad influence." "And?" "And what?" "I'm a very bad influence, and..." he trailed off. "What makes you think there's an 'and' in that statement," Katie said, crossing her arms in front of her. "Because I can see it right here," he said, touching her mouth. "Right on the tip of your tongue." Katie's mouth turned up at the corners, ever so slightly. "See, I knew it," he said triumphantly. "I'm a very bad influence, and..." Katie rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "And I love you anyway," she said with dramatic reluctance. "There, happy now?" "Yes," he smiled. "Now what do we need to do before he gets here?" "I need to take a quick shower...alone," she added. "You need to pick up the clothes we've thrown all over the place and get dressed. I'll start the rest of dinner when I get out of the shower." "I can start the rest of dinner, if you tell me what we're having," he offered. "Mashed potatoes and whatever vegetable you can find in the pantry," she said. "The potato flakes are on the second shelf." Alex chuckled. "You won't use the hot chocolate mixes, but you will use potatoes from a box?" "Yeah, I'm a regular enigma wrapped in a conundrum. Or a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. I can never remember how that's supposed to go." She smiled and kissed him on the nose. "I love you. Go put some pants on." Tyler appeared 45 minutes later bearing fresh bread and Christmas cookies. He handed Alex a small bag. "Lisa sent this especially for you," he said. "She made me promise to handle it carefully and give it to you as soon as I walked in the door, but she wouldn't tell me what was inside." Alex took the bag from his hand and opened it. "I don't believe it," he laughed. "What is it?" Tyler asked, trying to see what the bag held. Alex pulled a gingerbread man out of the bag showed it to him. "I helped her set up the gingerbread house the night Katie left for New York and I happened to mention that I'd never had a gingerbread man before." Katie came out of the bedroom and gave Tyler a kiss. "Hi sweetie." She sniffed the air and looked around. "Is that gingerbread I smell?" "Lisa made Alex a gingerbread man," Tyler answered. "She did? Oh Alex, she must like you," Katie smiled. "I have to beg her to make them for me." "That explains this," Alex said, pulling out a gingerbread woman. "I wondered." "Why don't we go into the kitchen so we can discuss the sweetness of this gift over some international coffee?" Tyler said sarcastically. "Honestly, you two have got to get out of the house, you're drowning in sap!" Katie stuck her tongue out at him. "Ooooh, aren't we bitchy this evening? Come on Alex, let's get dinner on; Tyler only gets like this when he's hungry." She put an arm around Tyler and pushed him gently toward the bathroom. "You go wash up, we'll have you fed and back to your lovable self in no time." Halfway through dinner, Alex reached over and cut Katie's meat for her. Tyler stared at him, then at her, but didn't say anything. He noticed that she was holding her fork strangely and he gave her a questioning look, which she ignored. Finally, when he couldn't stand it any longer, he took hold of her hand and turned it palm up. "Katie, what in the world did you do to your hand?" Katie's cheeks turned red and Alex kept his eyes on his plate, barely suppressing a grin. Tyler glanced at Alex, then back to Katie, before releasing her hand. "Never mind. I don't think I want to know." After dinner, Tyler and Alex cleaned up, in deference to Katie's injuries, while she turned on the television to check on the weather. One look out the window confirmed the weatherman's report; it was snowing again, much harder than earlier in the day. She wanted to call Matthew and tell him to be careful, but she made it a point to avoid calling him at the hospital, unless it was an emergency. The guys were done in the kitchen, so she tore herself away from the window and sat down with them to watch TV for a while. At 9:30, she went back to the window. The snow was falling in sheets, making it difficult to see anything at all. Katie wrapped her arms around herself protectively. 'He'll be fine,' she repeated. 'He'll be fine.' Tyler saw Katie at the window. "Alex, hand me the phone," he said quietly. Alex reached over and picked up the receiver. "Here. What's up?" Tyler nodded in Katie's direction, then held up one finger. "Dr. Matthew Curry, please." He waited briefly while Matthew was paged. "Hi, it's me. I know you're getting ready to leave. Have you looked outside yet? Yeah, it's bad here too. You need to talk to her; she's staring out the window. Uh huh, tight enough to cut off circulation." Tyler walked over to the window and put the phone up to Katie's ear. "Talk to him." "Hi Kid," Katie said sheepishly. "I didn't know he was going to call you. You will be careful, right? I know you can drive in this...Yes Rainman, you're a very good driver," she giggled. "I'm still gonna worry about you until I see your headlights. I love you, too. Bye." "Feel better?" Tyler asked, taking the phone from her hand. "A little. Thank you," she whispered. Katie gave him a hug, resting her head on his chest. Tyler put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. Alex placed his hand on her back. "Want us to help you look out for his headlights?" Katie nodded. The three of them stood at the window, watching the snow, until Matthew's car appeared on the street. Only then, did Tyler let go. "No, I'm not hungry," Matthew said, when Katie pulled him out of the elevator. "The lounge was loaded with goodies and the emergency room was quiet, so we grazed most of the day. All I really want is a hot shower, a glass of wine and It's a Wonderful Life." "Done. Go take a shower; I'll have the rest waiting for you when you get out." Katie hung up his coat, while Matthew said his hellos to everyone else on his way in to the bathroom. Matthew dozed off minutes shy of the end of the movie. "Every year," Tyler sighed. Katie smiled and gave Tyler a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Ty." She bent down and kissed Matthew's cheek as well. "Merry Christmas, Kid," she whispered. "See you in the morning," she said to Tyler. Katie took Alex's hand and led him into the bedroom, pulling the door closed behind her. "Merry Christmas to you, too. See anything you'd like to unwrap?" she asked with a gleam in her eyes. "Sure you're not too tired?" he asked, as he began to remove her shirt. "I caught you yawning out there." "I'm a little sleepy," she admitted. "But too tired? Ooooh," she hummed when his mouth closed over her breast. " I don't think so." BANG, BANG, BANG! "C'mon guys, wake up. It's Christmas!" Matthew yelled through the bedroom door. "Go away, Kid," Katie growled back. Alex yawned and nudged her. "Don't be a grouch; it's Christmas morning." "It's 6:30," she whined. "I just closed my eyes." "Hanna. Alex. Get up!" Matthew called again, banging on the door again. "I can just see him grinning like an idiot on the other side of that door," she grumbled. "We'll be right there, Matthew," Alex replied. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, then pushed himself out of bed. Katie rolled over and buried her head under her pillow. Alex shook his head, reached for his arm and jeans and put them on. "You've got five minutes, Katya, then we're coming in to get you," he warned. He walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Under the pillow Katie giggled. "Let me guess," Matthew huffed. "The manic one doesn't want to get up." "And this surprises you?" Tyler laughed. "When has she ever gotten up without a fight?" "I told her she has five minutes before we go in to get her," Alex informed them. "Good, that'll give me time to start the coffee," Matthew chuckled evilly. "Matthew, don't start," Tyler said with a scowl. "Ah come on, Ty," Matthew pouted. "She does this all the time; at least let me get in my little dig." "I'm missing something," Alex said. "Someone want to clue me in?" Matthew and Tyler exchanged looks. "Don't you drink coffee in the morning?" Tyler asked. "Sometimes," Alex replied. "Why?" "Is Katie always awake when you make it?" "Yeah, I guess so." Tyler threw up his hands. "Well, that explains it." Alex sighed in exasperation. "What are you talking about?" Matthew walked into the kitchen and poured water into the coffee maker. "She hates to wake up to the smell of coffee." He measured the coffee and added it to the basket, then turned the machine on. "Really, really hates it," he snickered. Alex rubbed his hand over his face and shook his head. "Tyler, are we the only adults in this household?" "No darling," Tyler answered. "You're the only adult in this household. I'm giving her two more minutes before I go in there, rip the covers off and drag her out here." "There will be no dragging, Tyler," Katie huffed from the doorway. "I'm up already. You," she said, pointing at Matthew, "had better have some hot chocolate started if you're intent on making me inhale the foul stench of coffee before my eyes are fully open." She pushed off the doorjamb and made her way over to Alex. Her hands ran slowly up his chest and she pressed against him. "Think we can stall them for a half-hour or so?" she whispered suggestively. "NO!" came a collective cry from Matthew and Tyler. Alex laughed and hugged her tight. "I don't think so, baby." Katie grinned against his chest. "It was worth a shot." She pulled back and winked at him. "OK, what are we doing first this year, breakfast or presents?" Matthew handed her a mug of hot chocolate. "Presents," he answered. "Let's go." Everyone followed Matthew over to the tree. Alex plugged in the lights, taking the time to admire his handiwork once again. Katie sat down on the floor near Tyler, while Matthew sat near the presents. He reached in and pulled out a small box. "Alex, come sit down," he ordered. Matthew handed him the box. "This is from me." Alex accepted the box. "Go on, open it," Matthew urged. "It's not going to explode." Alex chuckled and tore at the wrapping paper. He lifted the top of the box to reveal a new wallet. "Thanks, Matthew. Mine is on its last legs." "There's more," Matthew said. "Look inside." Alex opened the wallet and felt a huge grin cross his face. "Is this..." Matthew grinned back at him. "Yeah. That's Katie, age eleven. I thought you might like it." "Let me see," Katie asked, reaching for the wallet. "I didn't know you still had a copy of this." "Are you kidding? I have it framed in my office at work. You wouldn't know that though, since you refuse to come to the hospital," he teased. He reached back for another present and handed it to Tyler. Matthew continued distributing gifts until there were only two left to open; Katie's final gift to Alex and Alex's to her. Matthew handed each their last present. "Open yours first," Katie said. "Be careful, it's fragile." Alex put it down on the floor and carefully pulled off the wrapping paper. He pried the tape up and gently removed the frame from its box. When he turned it over and saw the picture inside, his eyes filled with tears. His fingers lightly touched his mother's face. "Katya," he said quietly, a single tear running down his face. Katie put her arms around him. "Told you I'd take care of it, Alexei," she reminded him. "Now you have one for your wallet and one to put up wherever you want." "Thank you," he whispered, struggling for more words. "I...no one's ever...thank you." She kissed him, brushing the tear away. "You're welcome." Matthew got Tyler's attention. 'Let's go,' he mouthed. Tyler nodded and they started to get up. Alex saw them. "No guys; it's OK. Don't go. Katie still has her present to open." He picked up the box and pressed it into her hands. Katie started to remove the wrapping paper, but Alex stopped her. He looked over at Matthew, asking him a silent question. Matthew took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before nodding his head and giving Alex a smile. Alex jumped up. "Wait, don't open it yet. I'll be right back." He ran into the bedroom. Katie glanced at Tyler, who shrugged. She looked at Matthew for a clue, but he avoided her gaze. Alex returned moments later; his green flannel shirt (her favorite) tucked in, his hair neatly combed. He handed something to Matthew. Katie furrowed her brow and looked over at Matthew again. This time, Matthew smiled, but offered no further assistance. "I had this all planned," Alex began. "But someone once told me I should stop planning and start doing." Katie smiled at hearing her words coming from his mouth. He rocked back and forth nervously, then took a deep breath and sunk to the floor in front of her. "Katie, you know I love you. You're everything to me and I don't want...no, I can't imagine not having you in my life." Alex took another deep breath and looked at Matthew. "This is harder than I thought it would be." Matthew got up, patted him on the back and whispered something in his ear. Alex smiled and chuckled softly. "Thanks buddy," he said, rolling his eyes. He turned back to Katie, who was now completely befuddled by the entire chain of events. "Oh Hell, just do it dumbass," he muttered under his breath. He reached out and took her hands in his. "I'm laying my heart in your hands, Katya," he said quietly. Matthew leaned over and gave him the box. Katie's eye widened as realization set in. "Katrina Elizabeth Heyes, will you marry me?" Alex asked, slipping the ring onto her finger. Katie stared at Alex, wide-eyed, for a minute, before looking down at the ring. "How did you..." she started to ask, then turned her head. "Matthew?" "He asked for my advice," Matthew said with a shrug. "What was I going to do?" Alex tugged at her hands. "Katie," he pleaded. "I'm dying here." "Don't leave him hanging, Hanna," Matthew smiled. Katie put her hands on Alex's face and kissed him. "Ask me again." Alex took one more deep breath and repeated his question. This time she didn't make him wait for an answer. the End |