The Bait, by Glacis. Rated NC17. No infringement intended. Follows The Deal.

He couldn't believe he was having such a hard time getting it out of his mind. Just once, taking advantage of a chance fate had dropped in his lap, and now it was making him crazy. And it was making him take crazy chances.

He shouldn't be anywhere near Washington, DC. He sure as hell shouldn't be anywhere near the FBI. And if there was a God out there, then god knew he shouldn't approach his own pair of albatrosses, Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

But he couldn't get the taste of him out of his mind. And he had to taste him again. No matter who he had to kill to do it.

She had that itchy feeling back again. Mulder had been unusually silent the last couple days, and she'd caught him looking over his shoulder a few times, but when she called him on it, he'd looked oddly embarrassed and shrugged it off. He wouldn't tell her what was bothering him, so she let it lay. After the experience he'd had a few months ago when the rat bastard had kidnapped him and drugged him, he seemed off balance, somehow. Dana laughed a little to herself, wondering when she'd picked up her partner's habit of calling Alex Krycek 'rat bastard.' In a way it was too bad. Objectively, she supposed you could call him an attractive man, even handsome. But it wasn't possible to be objective about a man who aided in your abduction, murdered your sister, killed your best friend's father, then kidnapped that same best friend to use him as bait in setting up a truce, so you couldn't even go after the little punk. The itching faded, and she shook her head, determined to ignore it. Maybe Mulder's paranoia was rubbing off on her a bit more than she knew. Shrugging off her light jacket, she turned to flip the hall light on, and froze midmotion. Her reflexes weren't quite quick enough, however, and she could only get out a half-strangled shout as a sharp pain and sudden blackness confirmed her itchy warning.

The dark figure in black denim and leather caught her slight figure before she could hit the floor. New bait, for a fresh trap. A small voice in the back of his head told him he was crazy, but he just grinned at it. Maybe he was, but he might as well enjoy it. The hounds were closing in, and he didn't have much time left anyway.

"Damnit, Scully, c'mon, answer the phone..." There was a distinct edge to Fox Mulder's normally calm light tenor. She was supposed to meet him almost three hours ago, and it wasn't like his partner to be late. She knew what happened to him when she was late -- he started contacting shadow figures and revving up illegal computer systems, not to mention freaking out and seeing little gray doctor fiends around every corner. Shit. He hated it when she did this to him. Good thing it didn't happen very often-

The buzz of his cell phone interrupted his increasingly frantic thoughts.

"Scully! Where the hell are you!?"

Silence.

"Scully?" Less angry, more frightened, very perplexed.

"No." Oh, God, not him again. Mulder squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them widely a moment later as scenes he had tried to block out for weeks appeared behind the closed lids with eidetic detail. He swallowed, then tried to sound businesslike.

"What do you want, Krycek?" God, I hate this man, he grimaced to himself. He steadfastly refused to acknowledge the tiny jolt of arousal that went through him at the images he was ignoring.

"You." There was a gravelly sound in Krycek's voice that sent another little electrical jolt through Mulder's body. Damn, damn, damn...

"For what?" Play his little head game, see where it went. He was the psychologist, right? He could think circles around this creep ... he just couldn't outfight him. Unless he was drugged ... he shied away from that thought as well. "I asked, what the hell do you want?"

"I don't have a lot of time, Mulder. Cancerman's closing in." There was an oddly fatalistic tone in Krycek's voice, as if he knew it was almost over, but had a few more tricks to play before the end came.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Sarcasm fairly dripped from his words.

"Nothing. There's not a fucking thing you or anyone else can do. But there's something I ... want to ... I've got to do first."

Mulder sighed. Krycek really did sound like he was at the end of his rope, but he couldn't bring himself to give a damn. "And what's that?" he asked, more by rote than from any interest in the answer.

"Fuck you again." Krycek almost whispered the words, and Mulder froze in shock. Before he could slam the phone down and cut the connection, his tormentor continued. "I have Dana."

No! Oh, goddamnit, no. He felt his hand start to tremble, a shakiness starting from the middle of his chest and spreading in waves through his body. "Where? When do we meet? I swear to God if you hurt her I'll-"

"Third and Tandey, warehouse three, basement. Fifteen minutes. Call anyone, even Skinner, and she dies."

Mulder listened to the dial tone for a few stricken seconds before dropping it to the floor. He had fifteen minutes and it was a twenty minute drive. He didn't stop for his coat.

He came alone, as Alex knew he would. He cared much too much about his partner to do anything that might jeopardize her, and he knew Krycek well enough to know that he would kill her if he decided to do so. When Mulder stepped into the small, sparsely furnished basement room, Alex smiled at him. Mulder didn't smile back.

Scully's eyes darted back and forth between the two men, and she cursed the electrical tape Krycek had used to cover her mouth and bind her wrists and ankles. She was helpless here, and it was a position she loathed. She was also confused and not a little terrified, although she was keeping the fear on a short rein. Later, when they were safely out of here, she could have the screaming jeebies. She refused to downgrade that 'when' to an 'if'.

Mulder ignored Krycek for the moment, drinking in the sight of his partner. She appeared unharmed, just pale, angry, and uncertain. It didn't look like Krycek had hurt her. Yet. Finally satisfied with the surface scan he had given her, if not completely reassured, he turned to the rat bastard.

"What are your terms?" Cold. Calm. Faking composure for her sake.

"I take it she doesn't know all the ... details of the last time I detained you?" Such an innocent tone. A little half smile causing small dimples to bracket his mouth. Mulder wanted to kill him with every fiber of his being.

"No." Just the one pithy word, to cover the flashes of heat that lanced through him at the memories.

Scully made an interrogative noise, and Krycek moved in front of her, close to Mulder, speaking softly so that she wouldn't overhear his proposition.

"I know you don't want this, Mulder. So I have a deal to offer you." His eyes raked the taller man from ankles to hairline, beginning to burn a little with anticipation. Mulder remained silent, waiting to hear what he had to say. Krycek smiled a bit wider, deepening the dimples. "I'll take one of you. Your choice."

Mulder narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher hidden meaning from the simple sentence. Take? Take where? Suddenly he felt extremely stupid. He bit on his lower lip to keep from yelling his anger at the man who was grinning at him, and swallowed twice before he could speak softly enough to keep her out of it.

"Take as in have sex with." Krycek nodded, once, and Mulder expelled the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "You're not touching her, you rat's ass son of a bitch."

Krycek nodded again, then stepped back, not turning his back to Mulder, not giving him any opportunities to jump him and try to beat the crap out of him, as he was dying to do. With studied nonchalance, he reached down and hauled Scully up with one hand under her arm, half carrying her with him out the side door to the room.

"Wait here. I won't be long." Mulder opened his mouth to protest, and Alex shook his head. "I'm putting her someplace safe. When we're through, I'll give her back to you, and the two of you can go." He paused for a moment in the doorway. "Unless you'd rather she stayed? And watched?" The taunt was clear.

"I'll be here." The sullen threat was equally clear. Stormy hazel eyes met calculating deep brown, and Scully squirmed slightly. Whatever was going down, Mulder was not going to like it. And neither did she.

He hauled her unceremoniously out the door and into a small room further down the dank corridor, settling her into the single padded chair with surprisingly gentle hands. She raised her hands to him, hoping against hope that he'd release her, and he laughed softly.

"No, Dana, I don't think so. You're too dangerous for me to trust you that far. And I will be locking you in here, so you won't ... interrupt the proceedings."

He met her muffled "Mmph?" with a decidedly mischievous grin.

"On the other hand, there's no reason why you should miss all the fun." With a single sharp rip, he tore the tape from her mouth, wrenching a pained gasp from her as the adhesive threatened to take the tender skin along with the tape. Before she could react, Krycek pulled her face to his, holding her tightly with one fist clenched in the heavy weight of hair at the back of her neck. "You really are beautiful. And maybe one of these days I'll get to enjoy that beauty-"

"I'll see you in hell first!"

"-but until then," he continued, ignoring her furious interruption, "you can watch. Mulder won't have a clue." His laughing mouth captured hers for a scant moment, forcing her lips wide and plunging his tongue inside, then dropping her before she could bite him. Still laughing softly, he flipped a switch on a small keyring, and she was distracted by a large screen that lit up against the far wall. On it, she could see her partner, prowling like a caged animal, a haunted look on his face, his shoulders hunched forward as if to make himself a smaller target, somehow. The slamming of the door swiveled her head around, but it was too late to stop him. Deciding to ignore the screen for now, she got to work with her teeth, digging at the tape on her hands. There might not be any other way out of here, but at least when Krycek came back, she would be waiting for him.

His hands felt cold. If there had ever been a time in his life when he felt less like having sex, he couldn't remember it. For the first time ever, he wished that there was some way for a man to fake it. Mulder heard the door open behind him, and pivoted to face his enemy.

"If you kill me, my friends will kill her before you can find her."

He couldn't tell from Krycek's calm face if it was a bluff or not, but he couldn't gamble on it being a lie, not with Scully's safety at stake. He managed a deep gulp of air, and steadied himself as best he could. Holding Krycek's dark gaze with his own, he growled, "Now what?"

Alex laughed out loud. This was too funny. He was so hot for this man he practically couldn't walk around the rock in his jeans, and Mulder looked like he was heading for the executioner. "You made a deal, my Fox."

"Don't call me that, damnit!" Mulder burst out, unable to stop himself.

Krycek shook his head, walking closer, his approach uncannily like a panther or some other dark hunting cat, stalking his prey. Mulder found himself giving ground unconsciously, and only managed to stop himself when his back hit the wall. "But you are, at least for tonight. That is, if you want your Dana back. Alive and in one piece."

Looking at the eerie mixture of heat and pure ice in Krycek's eyes, Mulder believed him. Completely.

"I... we ... there is ... I think I have a problem with this."

Krycek stopped his advance and watched Mulder steadily. "Would you rather I do Scully?"

"No!" Mulder reached out a hand, then dropped it hurriedly. "It's just, well ... I'm not ...I can't do this on demand!!"

Alex eyed him for a moment longer, then nodded his head. No way was Mulder up for sex. Not in the state he was in. "I have something for that. But you have to ask for it."

What the-? "Ask for it?" Mulder wasn't sure what Krycek's game was.

"Yes." The smile returned, and Mulder swallowed heavily. "You have to ask. Nicely."

Oh, shit. More damned head games. He inhaled, and unclenched his teeth. "May I have some of whatever it is that will help, then?"

"Please, Alex."

He was going to gag. "Please," deep breath, "Alex."

"Very good, Fox!" Krycek turned to a small kit on the end table next to the door, and Mulder had to remind himself that killing him with his bare hands was probably not a good idea. Especially with Scully tied up and stashed somewhere.

Especially when he wasn't sure he could take the cocky little bastard.

When Krycek turned back, he had a syringe and a small bottle in his hand. "I've played with the mix just a little bit, Fox. You responded so well to the aphrodisiac last time, I thought I'd increase it just a bit, see if I can make you a little more wild. You didn't do a hell of a lot last time, just ... laid there and took it."

Mulder wanted to wipe that reminiscent grin off with his fists, but contented himself with jerkily tugging off his jacket. When he started to roll up his sleeve, Alex shook his head 'no.'

"Take it off, Fox. After all, it's all going to come off anyway. Now, tell me again, do you want this?"

Mulder had to concentrate to stop gritting his teeth. "Yes, please, Alex," he finally grunted, "give it to me."

"With pleasure," Krycek responded, sinking the needle deeply into Mulder's arm and feeling a shiver of anticipation run through him at the wince of pain from the agent. This was going to be fun.

The conversation rocked Dana Scully to the core. She couldn't quite believe what Krycek was insinuating, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the two figures on the screen, either. Now Mulder was apparently begging to be shot up with some sort of devil's brew, and Krycek was obviously prepared. Had this happened before? Was this what was haunting her partner, turning him even moodier than usual and strangely quiet? And what exactly *had* happened? Giving up on finding another exit, unable to budge the solidly locked door, Scully moved closer to the screen, unable to stop watching, even though her gut instinct was begging her to close her eyes, plug her ears, and hide.

The drug hit his system in a completely different way this time. His senses were swimming, but unlike the last time, he wasn't filled with lassitude, unable to use his muscles. In fact, he felt energized, as if someone had lit a fire under his skin, and so sensitized the air currents felt like fingers moving over him. Hesitating, giving himself time to adjust to the strange slant on his senses, he barely heard Krycek move closer.

Alex stared at Mulder for a bare second, feeling the arousal surge through him. Then, with a wicked smile, he pulled the dazed agent into the brighter light, angling him so that Scully could get the best show. The knowledge that the woman was watching sent a rush to his head and further hardened his already anxious body. This was better than his daydreams, by far. Not giving Mulder any time to think, if he *could* think with the drugs drenching his system, he quickly pulled the tie from around his throat and ripped open the buttons down the front of his shirt.

Mulder made a slight sound of protest, and Krycek rewarded him with a light slap across the face. Mulder swayed slightly, but made no other move, and Krycek continued to strip him, pulling his shirt off his arms, peeling his undershirt off and tossing it onto the floor. Mulder let him do whatever he wanted, falling deeper under the sway of the drugs. Alex, pulled at his belt with shaky hands, flicking the buckle open and sliding his hand down the zipper, feeling greedy and horny and hungry. The burgeoning erection he found brought a small growl of appreciation to his throat. Apparently the adjustments he made to the mixture were on the mark; Mulder was getting aroused in spite of himself.

Mulder swayed slightly as Krycek knelt in front of him, stripping his slacks off and lifting first one foot then the other to remove his socks and shoes. He had to rest his hand on Krycek's shoulder for balance, or he would have gone over on his ass. The smooth texture of cotton under his fingers felt wrong. "You're overdressed." He sounded lazy, sleepy, the timbre of his voice lower than usual. And he was getting incredibly hot. When Alex raised his head to reply, he had an overwhelming urge to ram his cock down the other man's throat, just as hard and as far as he could. Krycek lost his train of thought when he saw the size of the erection waving in front of his face, and before he could move, Mulder suddenly curled up over the top of him, allowing his weight to bowl Alex over. Krycek started to throw him off, when he realized that Mulder was going after his clothing, pulling them hard, trying to undress him. Krycek smirked, and reached out to calm Mulder down.

Wrong move.

Before he quite realized what Mulder intended, he found himself flat on his stomach, facing Mulder's crotch as the agent knelt in front of him, pulling both of Krycek's arms flat behind his back, holding him down on the floor. Krycek couldn't move, not without risking Mulder breaking his arms at the elbows. As he started to croak out a question, Mulder surged forward, firmly sinking his erect cock between Krycek's open lips.

"Eat me, Alex. Bite me and I'll break your fucking arms." He didn't even hear himself, but Krycek did.

The angle was perfect for Mulder to force Krycek to deep throat him, and he did, barely pulling back to allow him some air between thrusts. The feeling of the open mouth and throat under and around his cock nearly caused his already reeling head to explode, and he bent forward over his captive, watching the thrust of his cock in Alex's mouth avidly. Tears were starting to run slowly from the corner of the other man's eyes from the strain on his neck and the lack of oxygen, but he kept his lips firm around the shaft pounding into his mouth, tried to breath through his nose, fought the gagging instinct that could very well lead to getting his arms broken. He hadn't factored in the fact that Mulder got both stronger and a hell of a lot meaner when he was doped up.

Narrowing his eyes and concentrating on making Mulder come as soon as possible so he could breath again, he sucked as hard as he could and tried to relax his throat, and not choke to death. Mulder's pace increased until he was slamming his balls against Krycek's chin, and the little distressed noises Krycek was making seemed to add to his pleasure, because very shortly he felt the pressure rise until he pressed as hard as he could into the now writhing man and shot so hard he nearly passed out , feeling like he was going to come forever. Finally, he withdrew enough that Alex was able to gasp in some air, and let go of his arms. Krycek wriggled away, rolling into a small ball and waiting for the little lights to stop flashing behind his eyelids. No way on earth would he ever tell Mulder this, but he was more turned on than he had ever been in his life. And he was so hard he though he was going to rupture something.

Kneeling, swaying, on the floor, Mulder stared at Krycek. Whatever was in that syringe was potent, because he'd just come so hard he'd nearly bled and he was already hard again. Crawling over to the curled up body of his enemy, he jerked him straight and ripped the tee shirt off of him, taking no care at all, intent on getting as much bare skin next to his own burning skin as he possibly could, as quickly as possible. Alex was still somewhat dazed from lack of oxygen, and put up very little fight. Mulder's rough fingers digging at his jeans zipper hurt, however, and he instinctively reached down to pull Mulder's hands away.

Mulder didn't even pause, just backhanded him hard, and Alex had ringing ears to go along with the flashing lights. He was disoriented. This wasn't going quite the way he'd planned it, but god, it was incredible. He didn't know Mulder had it in him. Before he could go any further with the thought, he felt his now bare legs pulled roughly apart and Mulder started to rut at him, no lubricant, no preparation, nothing. The pain shocked him out of his stupor and he screamed.

"Goddamnit, Mulder, not like that!" *Fuck, that hurt* he moaned as he batted at Mulder's hands. The agent wasn't getting very far in his attempt to fuck Alex, either, and the frustration was making him even rougher. Krycek finally managed to scramble away, making it to the kit and pulling a tube of ointment from it. "Okay! Okay! Use this!!"

Mulder stopped and glared at him, and Alex was transfixed at the mixture of lust and hatred burning in the other man's deep green eyes. "You use it," Mulder growled at him, "now. Do it."

Krycek stared at him in fascination, eyes huge, as he awkwardly tried to lube himself up. This was either his secret wet dream come to life or his biggest nightmare, and he wasn't sure which. Mulder watched him fumble with the tube for a moment, then crossed the room to rip it out of his hands. Tossing Krycek to his knees, unbeknownst to him sideways to the hidden camera, he slathered a dollop of the lubricant into the soft opening between Alex's cheeks, pushing two fingers deep within him, uncaring of his roughness. Alex's head arched back at the feeling and he moaned involuntarily.

Hearing it, responding almost as if it was a cue of some sort, Mulder tossed the tube aside and guided his straining cock to the small hole. Pushing hard, he put all the strength of his back into his thrust, and sank to the root into Alex's body. The sudden push wrenched a cry of mingled pleasure and pain from the man underneath him, and he paused for a moment, buried as deeply as he could get.

Some part of his mind was telling him that he really shouldn't be enjoying this so much, but another part was crowing in triumph at getting some measure of revenge for all of the pain this bastard had caused him. The crowing was louder than the other voice in his ears, and he reached forward to grip the lean hips in front of him firmly, setting a brutal rhythm that had Krycek writhing beneath his body. Alex dropped down to rest on his chest and shoulders, bringing his right hand up to grip his own straining cock, and Mulder let go of his hips just long enough to knock the questing hand away.

"No. Just take it, you son of a bitch. Just take it." Mulder curled his chest over until it rested along Krycek's back, sending his pounding cock even deeper into the other man, and ran his hands along Krycek's arms until he could lay his hands over Krycek's, twining his fingers with his own so that Krycek couldn't move. Alex couldn't believe how incredibly aroused he was by his feelings of helplessness, and found himself bucking back into Mulder's thrusts, timing his arching hips to meet Mulder in perfect rhythm.

After what felt like an eternity, and when Alex didn't felt like his straining legs and back could take another instant of punishment, Mulder thrust as deeply as possible into him and held himself there, spurting hard, triggering Krycek's own climax. When he stopped coming and relaxed, he felt Mulder collapse on top of him, bearing his weight into the cold floor. Dimly, Alex was aware of his bruised and bloody knees from the concrete, but right at that moment he couldn't have moved to ease his discomfort for all the gold in the world and a ticket to Cancerman's funeral.

Scully stared at the screen in open mouthed shock, her emotions a psychedelic mixture of revulsion, awe, disgust and arousal so strong her throat had dried with it. Whatever revelation she had expected from Mulder regarding his time in Krycek's custody before she and Skinner had arrived had not had any degree of sex in it, and certainly not this uncontrolled frenzy she was witnessing here. Her conscience was determined that Mulder would regret this, that Krycek was using him, via the drugs, degrading him. Her mind told her that her partner would need a lot of support and understanding to get through this horrible experience. Her body wanted to join them.

She shook off that traitorous thought and tried to tear her eyes away from the now apparently satiated men, to look again for some way out of this trap. Before she got two steps, a low moan caught her attention, and she found herself caught again. The moan was answered by a soft gasp from her own lips. God. They were both so damned beautiful. Unaware of her actions, she sank into the padded chair and licked her lips, attention riveted to the screen, wandering hands relieving the tension wrought by the actions of her partner and the rat bastard responsible for all of this.

The edge was wearing off from the drugs, but the underlying buzz was still making his head fuzzy and his body hungry. Mulder lay back on the floor, trying to figure out what to do next ... shouldn't he be trying to escape? Rescue Scully? Get the hell out of here? His rambling thoughts were interrupted by the warm weight of Alex pulling himself over the top of him, draping himself chest to chest with Mulder. Mulder closed his eyes with the sensation of crisp curls of hair circling lazily on his smooth skin, only to open them again when he felt the wet warmth of Krycek's open mouth at his throat. Incredibly, he found himself getting hard again.

What the hell did Krycek *put* in that stuff? Before he could gather himself enough to actually ask the question, Krycek worked his way over his jaw and latched onto his open mouth. The salty taste of Alex's tongue caused him to lick his lips, or try to, and Krycek raised himself higher on Mulder's body, concentrating on exploring the sweet warmth opened up to him. The necessary shifting for counterweight brought their groins against one another, and Mulder's erection teased at Krycek's.

Before long, they were thrusting together in a lazy counter rhythm to the workings of their tongues, and they were both reaching, touching, exploring every inch of skin they could touch. Mulder was so far gone that he could have fucked a tree, by that point, and Alex was so happy to get some measure of control in the situation that the sore muscles and bruises and little cuts were almost forgotten. They writhed together, sinuously rubbing against one another, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of hot skin on hot skin, until they gradually worked themselves into a frenzy that spilled over into the third orgasm of the encounter for Mulder. It wasn't a very long one, but it felt incredibly intense because his flesh was so sensitized.

Krycek swallowed Mulder's scream when he came, following shortly afterward with his own. Utterly exhausted, Mulder passed out into something resembling drugged sleep, and Krycek curled up along Mulder's side, panting lightly. Hadn't been quite what he'd expected, but he'd take it.

She stared at the once-again still figures, then started when she realized where her hands were. With a guilty look around the empty room, she quickly withdrew her fingers and pulled her skirt down. She couldn't tell him what she'd seen. She just couldn't. No matter how much he might need someone to talk to about this, she just knew that he'd take one look at her and know exactly what kind of effect witnessing his actions had had on her. One thing was certain.

She'd never be able to tease him about his videos again.

Mulder woke up to find himself in the front passenger seat of his car. His head still felt a little muzzy, and his body felt like he'd been beaten by thugs with baseball bats, and he had distinct memories of very wild sex with Alex Krycek -- his mind shut off, and he concentrated on Scully, silently steering the car through the early morning DC traffic.

"Uhm, Scully?" His voice sounded rusty. Oh, yeah. He'd been screaming a lot recently.

"Yes, Mulder?" Her wide blue eyes met his, then darted away. He missed the guilty flush, too intent on the dashboard, to nervous to really look at her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She paused, but he didn't say anything else. After a moment, she continued. "How about you?"

"I'm fine," he lied. She nodded, he saw the movement in the reflection in the windshield.

"You ... want to talk?" She didn't sound like she really wanted to ask.

Shit, no! "Not right now, thanks." They were quiet for a moment, lost in their thoughts. Pursing his sore lips, he ventured, "So, where'd he take you?"

"Just a room." She stared straight ahead. "One chair, no windows, no way to get the door open. After a couple hours, he came back, unlocked the door, and helped me put you in the car."

"Oh." Eyes shadowed, thoughts chaotic.

"Think he'll be back anytime soon?"

God, I hope not. "No. He sounded like he was running out of time."

"Good." Her tone was unbending. He could only agree.

In a dark back room, an old man in a suit contemplated the smoldering end of his cigarette. His problem child had managed to escape the net once again, but he was still on the run. Time was running against him in this particular race. And one day, he would trip. The old man smiled. He had time.

finis