TITLE: Journey into the Beyond
AUTHOR: Mel X Lady
RATING: R
CATEGORY: Post-Requiem
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Feel free to post this anywhere as
long as my name stays with the fanfic.
FEEDBACK: DJPDude@Juno.com
SPOILERS: Requiem, Beyond the Sea, Pilot, S.R. 819, Tunguska/Terma, Sleepless...
The 9 minute lapse that abductees experience is mentioned several times.
SUMMARY: Scully searches for Mulder with the aid of an old acquaintance. Post-Requiem.
DISCLAIMER: Well, everyone should have a goal, although!
I DON'T OWN: Scully, Mulder, Krycek, Skinner, The LGM, CSM, and Marita.
I DO OWN: A backpack, X-Files Action figures, A few tapes, A bed and my computer.
NOTES: This came to me over the summer of 2000. My family moved from Oklahoma City, OK to Columbia, SC. So I needed a friend, and my fanfics seem to work just fine.
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Krycek crouched lower as he watched Skinner leave the hospital room. He had no reason to crouch, everyone knew he was there, alive and there, but old habits die hard. He had managed to ditch Martia again. He couldn't help it, she had saved him and he had once loved her. But his heart belonged to himself now, he had vowed he'd never give it away again.
He stood up and leaned against the wall when one of the doctors walked by and looked at him. Krycek said a quiet apology as he walked down to Scully's room. What would he say? What could he say? He just wanted to make sure she was alright, he had heard one of the three stooges say she was there and he wanted to pay his respects; see how she was.
Krycek opened the door and slid in. Scully was watching the news on the TV that rested on a shelf across the room. She turned her head slightly after a minute and looked at him.
"What?" she asked quietly as she faced him.
"What do you mean, what?"
"Well, for one, I hate you; for two, I really hate you; and for three, I'm sure you're responsible for putting me in this bed right now when I could be out looking for Mulder."
He stood there for a moment as her eyes fell to his arm again and back up to his face.
"Scully, if I had my way, I'd leave you and Mulder alone forever. Skinner too. You think I enjoy this? This life?"
"Oh Please, I know you'd rather do that then sit down at a desk and work."
"Scully, if I liked that job, I wouldn't have just left after killing that smoking bastard."
Scully stopped and looked at him as he realized it was the first time he had actually said it out loud. He had killed before, but never anyone he knew or wanted to know. He actually killed the old man on his own time, and he felt better after doing it, too.
"You killed the Smoking Man?" she asked carefully. Krycek saw the fear that was now present in her eyes.
"Yeah, pushed him down the stairs."
"Just like that, you pushed one of the most powerful men in the world down the stairs, and no one is after you?"
"I cover my tracks well, but I'm sure they'll be after me soon."
"Where's your blonde friend?"
"I ditched her."
"That was probably the stupidest things you could have ever done. How much time did she spend with the Smoking Man?"
"What?"
"How much time did she spend with him?"
"I don't know, I guess we weren't together all the time."
"Why did she rescue you?"
"She said the Smoking Man sent her."
"And how many lackeys does he have?"
"Did."
"Does."
Krycek stopped and thought about it. Scully stared at him as he realized his mistake. He'd made a fatal error and trusted her enough to let her live, live so she could tell what Krycek had done. His eyes lit up in fear as he looked toward Scully and toward the door.
"I gotta go."
"Get out of here," she said as he ran toward the door and down the hall.
XXXXXX
Scully held her head for a moment as she stood up and walked around the room. She was going to have to get back to work soon. She remembered the events of earlier that day. Her telling Skinner about her pregnancy and how she was going to search for Mulder as long as she could. He was opposed to it at first, but she managed to make him realize that she needed to search for him; do the same that he had done when she had been taken.
Skinner had reluctantly agreed and he told her the whole story again. She didn't sob that time; she knew Mulder would be returned sooner or later, but she needed to find him and make sure it would be sooner.
She sat back down on the bed and slid down slightly. She touched her stomach, knowing there was someone down there. She smiled at the thought. She had always wanted a child. The pure concept of creating another life, to watch grow and learn was a pure dream to her. She had thought her dreams had come true when she found out she was the mother of Emily, and couldn't have been happier. Until Emily died and Scully felt like she had died too. However, death wasn't the answer, she had learned that many times in her still fairly short life. She sighed as she turned onto her side and closed her eyes. She wanted out of the hospital and into Mulder's arms.
XXXXXX
Krycek slowly crept to the house as he expected to see police cars and messangers much like himself at one point, trying to figure out what happened and who did it. He sighed in relief as he saw no one was there as he crept to the house and entered.
"Marita?" he called out as he cautiously walked up the stairs.
"Alex? Is that you?" she called out as he sighed again and ran up the stairs.
"Yeah, it's me."
"Good," she said as Kryeck opened the door and stopped when he saw she wasn't alone. She was standing there with about ten men who he recognized as his bosses, or former bosses; he hadn't decided yet.
"What's going on?" he asked as he reached for his gun but found it wasn't there.
Marita pulled the gun out of a holster she had resting on her hips as she held a stone-faced frown.
"Alex, we've learned of a situation," One of the men said as he stepped toward Krycek.
"What situation would that be?" he asked carefully as he held his hand on the door, preparing to open it if he had to. Even if he did try to escape, someone would probably shoot him before he made it to the third step.
"Well, an old and dear friend of ours has mysteriously passed on."
"Mysteriously?"
"It appears that he was pushed down the stairs, and his nurse was also killed."
It was true, Marita had taken Krycek's gun and shot her. Krycek silently yelled at himself as he realized he had forgotten to get his gun back from her before running off to the hospital to see Scully.
"Two deaths, what's so uncommon about that?"
"I don't know, it's almost as common as one death," he said as Krycek realized he needed to escape.
"Almost," he said quietly as he looked toward the window and stared at it for a moment before his brain registered the sharp instrument he always carried in his right boot. He stared at the window as his hand slowly crept down his jean leg and into the brim of his boot. He pulled the knife out pointed it to Marita.
"Swear to God, Marita, if you shoot me someone else is gonna die!" Krycek yelled out as Marita reached for Krycek's gun but stopped when she felt the cold metal above her hand. How the hell had he moved to her so quickly?
"What ever you want, Alex," she whispered as she pulled her hand away and put them at her side.
"Nu-uh. On the ground. Now."
"Okay," she answered as she lay down on the floor while the other men stood back and watched.
"Good. No one moves until sundown. Never know where I'm gonna be. I could just sit outside the door for a while longer. My choice," he answered as he slipped through the door quickly and ran down the stairs two at a time. He ran out the front door and took down the street. He didn't stop until he was about six blocks away and he knew no one in that room could run as fast as he had if they disobeyed his orders.
He stopped and entered a gas station. He quickly walked back toward the men's restroom and stepped inside. He locked the door and sat on the sink. Krycek caught his breath as he tried to think of what to do next. He would lay low for a while. A while, after what he had done, he'd be lucky if he could ever show his face again. Krycek sighed as he caught his breath and laughed slightly. He had just dug another level of his hole to hell and no one was going to throw him a rope now.
He sighed as he paced in the small room as he tried to think of what to do next. He really needed to find someone, quick. Krycek quickly thought to the Lone Gunmen. Those three were so paranoid, they had to have something he could use. He scoffed at the thought and decided to leave this place soon. It would be dark in an hour or so, so he'd just hang around the gas station and leave after dusk.
Krycek left the bathroom and looked around the store carefully. He was alone except for one old man who was eyeing him somewhat carefully. Krycek picked up a magazine and paid for it before he went toward the back of the store and sat down. He opened the magazine up and read the first article,
"How to Tell if You're Ready for a REAL Relationship."
Krycek laughed at the thought and went to the next article.
XXXXXX
A knock came to the door and Langly looked up quickly.
"Someone get the door!" he called out but no one else was there.
"Damn," he murmured as he climbed out from under the computer that he was fixing and went to the door. He looked through the peephole and furrowed his brow when he recognized the man standing there as Alex Krycek. What was he doing there?
Langly opened the door after a minute and let Krycek in.
"What are you doing here?" he asked as Krycek shut the door and took a few steps in.
"I need a disguise."
"Why?"
"Because I need you to give me a disguise."
"Why?" Langly persisted.
"Listen. I don't have time," Krycek started to move as Langly stood in front of him and stopped him with a surprising amount of strength.
"Listen. You have information Mulder wants. We have to be on the same page. Why do you need a disguise?" he asked as Krycek closed his eyes and sighed as he realized that for the first time in his life, he was at a loss of words.
"I just, uh, I just killed the Smoking Man," He stuttered as Langly stopped and slowly stepped away.
"Why the hell did you kill him?" Langly asked quietly as Krycek stood and looked at his greasy hair and dark framed glasses.
"Why the hell did who kill who?" Byers asked, joining the conversation, as he walked in through the back door and stopped after he saw Krycek.
"Krycek." He said, stunned. "Who'd you kill?"
"The Smoking Man."
"What? Why?"
Krycek looked up and between the two men. He had plenty of reasons for pushing the Smoking Man down the stairs, mostly along the lines of how much he hated the man. He hated the way he would purse his lips around the end of those damn cigarettes over and over again, and how he had killed so many innocent people without remorse or a second thought, and most of all, how he had destroyed Alexander Krycek and formed him into a loathing man who couldn't or wouldn't show love or compassion for anyone.
"He deserved it," Krycek said plainly as Byers looked at Langly and back toward Krycek.
"So what do you need?"
"A disguise," Langly said before Krycek could even open his mouth.
"Come on," Byers said fairly out of character as he showed Krycek to a back room.
Byers turned on the lights and showed Krycek a room filled with boxes and a single mirror. He looked at Krycek for a moment before he moved to a box and picked it up slowly. He handed it to him and turned around. Krycek slowly opened the box and found a flannel shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Krycek quickly took off his leather jacket and his black shirt. He was glad he had worn an undershirt that day, he always wore an undershirt, he had since he was nine. His dad had worn one to work everyday and it always made Alex feel like a big man to wear one. It was one of his only links back to his home life. He shook the memories to the back of his mind as he pulled the red and black flannel shirt on but left it unbuttoned. He kicked off his boots and pulled down his black pants. He slipped his legs into the worn pair of blue jeans as he tucked in his shirt before he buttoned and zipped his jeans. He quickly slipped his boots back on and looked at himself in the mirror. He reminded himself of his dad slightly, except his dad was a few inches taller and would have a left arm. He quickly noticed that and slightly murmured it to Byers.
"Byers, my arm--" he said quietly as he turned around quickly and faced him as he held a pair of glasses and a solid black baseball cap in his hand. Krycek put the cap on and put the reddish framed glasses on his face and looked toward the mirror. He smiled as he looked like an all American father. He almost expected to turn around and face his son but quickly pushed that idea back into the far reaches of his mind as he turned around and faced Byers instead.
"I'm afraid I can't do much about your arm-" Byers said quietly as he pinned the sleeve's end toward the shoulder of his shirt. "-but I can make it look neater."
Krycek turned toward the mirror and looked. He did have a neater appearance, but he'd still need a story about his arm.
"Okay, if anyone asks, your name is Nick Holmes, you lost your arm in a fire almost a year ago and you just came here from Canada."
"Nick!" Alex said with a laugh in his voice,
"That is probably one of the stupidest names."
"Take it or leave it, I don't care, you can have whatever name you want, but it's best to have a story before you ever leave this room." Byers said as he pulled the collar down on his shirt, took out a comb, and began to comb his hair back. It was different and different was good.
"So what are you going to do now?" Byers asked curiously as he slowly combed his hair and went back to the shelves to look for something else.
"Probably run to the hospital, see if Scully's still there and if she's doing alright. If she is, I'll probably go downtown to see Skinner and see if there's anything I can do to find Mulder before something happens."
"You really want a second chance, don't you?" Byers said as he came back with a container of gel and put some in his hair.
"Yeah, I guess I do." he said as he glanced at his pseudo limb and remembered he now carried his watch on his right wrist.
"There." Byers said as he finished and Krycek looked toward the mirror. He did look different, a mix between his dad and the ideal father.
"Krycek, take the back door out and hang a left. If you go by the back alleys for a few blocks, you wind up across the street from the hospital. Be careful, you don't have any ID and no one is there to back you up," Byers said quickly as he pointed him toward the door. Krycek nodded and mouthed a goodbye as he slowly crept through the door and took off down the alley.
XXXXXX
Skinner looked through the files again, allowing every word to soak in before he went on to the next. He had been sitting in his office for three hours now, looking and memorizing the files. Word had come through the grapevine that Alex Krycek was dead. He shook his head as he began on the now familiar second page of the report.
A knock to the door forced him to lift his head and reach for his gun. Life had changed so much in the past few days, it was weird enough to open an X-File on.
"Who is it?" he called as he looked at his watch and noticed it was almost 10:15.
"A friend," he called through the door as Skinner walked to the door and opened it with his gun raised.
"Do I know you?" Skinner asked after he looked at the man for a moment.
"Look at my arm," he said as Skinner nodded and let him in. He shut the door and locked it as Krycek walked in and took off his glasses.
"How the hell do you run with these?"
"You're dead," Skinner said quietly as Krycek put his glasses back on and sat down.
"I must have run very well for a dead man then, because I'm not dead."
"I just heard-"
"You heard incorrectly. The only real news is that the Smoking Man is dead and I am now a wanted man, not just by the Government, but by men above and below it."
Skinner stopped and watched him as he said every word. The words were still shocking and surprising.
"The Smoking Man is dead?"
"Yes."
"And you killed him."
"Yes."
"Krycek, the law can't protect you unless you were defending yourself from him, and even then-"
"I'm not here to ask you to protect me, I'm here to ask if I can help you guys find Mulder."
"Get out of the country. Run for your life, we'll find Mulder. Just get out of here."
"No." Krycek said harshly as he stood up and looked Skinner right in the eyes.
"What?"
"No. I'm going to help find Mulder." He said, determined.
"Krycek, this isn't a game."
"Listen, Skinner, I know, but I'm not going to leave until I know I've helped."
"You've already helped enough. You've killed the smoking man."
"Yes, I did kill him. And I could kill more of them."
"Then what? You kill the Elders and what after that? Me? Scully? The copy boy?"
Krycek turned away from Skinner's intense stare as he looked toward his desk and noticed the open file.
"Listen, Skinner, I spent my whole life running. I want to stop, I'm tired of this, I want the Syndicate down. I want them stopped so they'll leave us alone. I know they have something on everybody, the SR-819, amazing how one little switch can wreak havoc on your mind. Scully's cancer, it's been in remission, yes, but for how long?"
"Stop it. If you want sympthany, just go somewhere else."
"Why won't you believe me?" Krycek said as he walked back over to Skinner and looked at him for a few moments.
"Give me a reason to believe you and I will."
Krycek shook his head as he pushed past Skinner and toward the door.
"I'm going to prove it to you, I promise."
Skinner shook his head and went back to his desk as Krycek shut the door and walked toward the hall. He opened the door and walked out into the dim lights. He walked toward the elevator as it opened and Krycek stopped and turned his body quickly. He quickly started to walk down the hall to go the other way as he strained his ears to listen if anyone was following him. Krycek quickly turned a corner and tried to remember from his past experiences where the stairs were. He stopped after a few more turns as he quickly pushed through a door and started to run down the stairs.
He pushed himself as he ran down a few flights before stopping and looking up. He went down another step before hearing a slight creak of a door. He quietly ran down the stairs until he hit the ground floor and started going to a maze of doors.
He finally stopped at one and turned the knob. He was relieved to find it open, as he pushed himself into the room and shut the door.
"Who the hell are you?" A voice yelled as he turned around and looked at her.
"Scully, what are you doing here?"
"Who the hell are you?" She repeated herself and prepared to stand up.
Krycek quickly ran into the side office and shut the door behind him. Scully stood up and prepared to follow him as she watched her door open and an older man in a suit stepped in.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked quickly as she walked to him.
"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong room." he said as he ran out and shut the door behind him. Scully ran to it and locked it.
"You can come out, he's gone."
Alex slowly opened the door and stepped out. He looked at her and took off his glasses and hat.
"Krycek..." she said quietly as he nodded and leaned against the wall.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she repeated for the third time, this time hoping for an answer.
"I was upstairs talking to Skinner."
"Skinner? Why?"
"I want to help you, Scully."
"The best way you could help is if you were to leave the country, go to Russia or England or somewhere that's not here."
"No, God I just had this conversation. No, Scully, I'm not leaving. I'm going to help."
Scully looked toward the door and back to him. She walked back toward Mulder's desk and she sat down in his chair.
"You really did kill the Smoking Man, didn't you?" She asked after Krycek took a step toward her.
"Is it that hard to believe?"
"Yes, it is."
"I'm not lying."
"I'm not doubting you are, I know you would do it, but is there a reason?"
"Too many."
"I don't know if there is even a way to find Mulder, and I don't have very long to do it."
"Why? Is there a time limit?"
"Sort of, Krycek. I'm pregnant."
His mouth dropped open as he looked at her and his eyes shifted down to her stomach.
"Mulder's? "
"Yes."
"Well, let me be one of the first to congratulate you, Scully." He said as he walked toward her and shook her hand. It was awkward, but they were touching, and that was a step in the right direction.
"Thank you, Krycek." she said as she allowed a slight smile to appear on her lips.
"So will you let me help you?"
She sighed as she stood up and walked over to him. He was much taller than she was, but she was used to everyone being taller.
"Yes," Scully said quietly as he smiled and looked toward the door.
"Krycek, you can help me, and I thank you ahead of time for that. But I want you to know that as soon as we have a solid lead, I want you out of here, I don't want to wake up one morning and find you dead."
"Just tell me how I can help."
"In time."
Scully glanced at her watch and realized it was almost 11:30.
"Krycek, I have to be getting home, but I want you to do me a favor and stay in the office for tonight. It's too dangerous for you to be out and about."
Krycek nodded as she walked toward the door and unlocked it. Scully turned the knob as she left and set the lock on it. She turned out the lights as she shut the door and walked toward the elevator.
XXXXXX
Scully stepped in front of her apartment and pulled out her key. She shook her head as she turned the key and opened the door. Even though it had only been a few days since Mulder's abduction, it had been too long. The days and the nights mixed together endlessly as she cared for the life inside of her and tried to mend her breaking heart. She stopped as she watched a shadow move and a small clicking sound.
"Who ever is there, Stop! I'm armed!" Scully called out.
"Funny, so am I, and I already have my gun out," a voice called out as Scully quickly flipped on the light and stared at the familiar woman.
"Listen, I don't know your name, but that hasn't stopped me before. Get out of my house." Scully growled as she suddenly became protective and ready to strike at the blonde stranger that she had seen with Krycek.
"Scully, where is Krycek?"
"Why?"
"He's in trouble, and I know you care about him," Marita started as Scully stifled a laugh.
"What? What's so funny? He could be dying right now-"
"Serves him right. The bastard deserves it. I don't love him, I don't care for him, and I want to see him burn," Scully growled toward Marita as she watched her eyes burn back into her. Marita quickly stepped toward Scully and slapped her across her right cheek sharp and quickly. Scully stifled a groan as Marita walked back across the room and continued.
"Do you have any idea what he's done?"
"No, I haven't had personal contact with him in over 4 years," Scully
lied as she remembered watching him charge into her office half an hour earlier. He was so determined to help before he was killed, and he knew he would be.
"He has killed the smoking man, not to mention countless other people,"
"And this is news to you? He's been doing that number for a long time," Scully said as she willed away the memories of Missy and all the pain she'd felt since then.
"Of course I know it, and now I need to help him,"
"Why aren't 'you' with him?" Scully tossed back. She watched Marita's eyes die down as she looked away and toward the door.
"God Damn it Scully! Help me or I swear I will shoot you right here!" She screamed as Dana looked at the deranged woman and opened her door.
"Get out."
"Not until you help me."
"Damn it, I don't know you and I don't care to. Get out now," Scully growled as she stepped away and watched Marita waver for a second.
"I'm going to find him, with or without your help."
"Go right ahead," Scully said as she pulled out her gun with one quick movement and pointed it to Marita. She watched as she sighed and quickly walked out of the door. Scully walked back and shut the door. She hated this so much. Where was Mulder? When would he be back to help her?
Scully sighed as she walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Her hand gently stroked down to her stomach and she smiled slightly. She still had a piece of Mulder with her and she wouldn't give that up. Ever.
XXXXXX
