A/N: A part of me wrote this because I wanted to show that I could go above and beyond my familiar safe little bubble. And if you are giving the 'stink eye' right now, then let me explain that I was in that same position at one time. I was all about (still am) 'Mulder and Scully'. But I came across two very enthralling stories about Scully and Krycek, and these two writers just made it…work. They were highly recommended, so I checked them out. They were beautiful and I completely did not expect it. I felt like a traitor. And I wrote, deleted, and rewrote a lot of this, until I liked it myself. I don't expect everyone to like the scenario. But if you are one of my faithful readers that stuck with me through my past 6 stories, then you should know by now that I WILL make it work. And I promise you that I will go right back to writing my Mulder and Scully stories right after this. Sometimes, you just need to do something a little different. Heck, I might not even let the world see this. But I have to admit that it was really fun to write. ;) And I'm thinking the "end" will leave me with the option to add more, maybe a sequel, if people ask for it.

Timeline: Season 4ish, no Mulder/Scully romance in this certain scenario. So sorry! I know…it hurts…and would never happen. _ And everything after the first 4 years is different in this.

Disclaimer: *sigh* I do not own the X-Files, and am only using these characters for my hobby, and to entertain others who are bored. ;)

Summary: Alex Krycek is ordered to abduct and possibly terminate Dana Scully to get her partners attention, so that he will discontinue his search for the truth. But something perplexing happens during it all, leaving the captor and the hostage in an unexpected situation.

Prologue

Stockholm Syndrome, Mulder? Really? How could he even still think that after she gave him her word that she was thinking clearly, the past 3 days…after she had passed all the psychological tests and evaluations with flying colors…and after a professional psychiatrist of 30 years told him that she was indeed NOT suffering from "Stockholm Syndrome", but something far worse and long term. Didn't he trust her judgement anymore? Did she look brainwashed, when she was still acting like herself in every other aspect? Yes, she ended up turning down a road that she had once thought she would never even consider. But this was real. Maybe completely unexpected, and terrifying, and confusing. But it was real.

Oh, God.

Scully had to remind herself that above all else, Mulder was just genuinely concerned for her safety, and that it was hard for him to recognize that one of his supposed enemies had somehow managed to get under his partner's skin, in a positive way. And that maybe she managed to also soften that sonofabitch's heart…or that maybe his tough exterior was really just a front all along.

Mulder's boisterous voice pulled Scully out of her deep reverie. "How can you sit there and tell me that what he did wasn't wrong, Scully?" Mulder spat, running a hand through his hair.

Scully sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Mulder, you weren't there. If you would just let me try to fully explain everything, without interrupting me every few seconds, then I could tell you exactly what happened." Scully stated calmly, watching Mulder pace the floor.

Mulder stopped pacing for a moment, and placed his hands on his hips. "Scully." He sighed. "He kidnapped you. He—he intended on killing you."

"But he didn't. He didn't hurt me." Scully shifted in her seat, avoiding eye contact. "He's not the person you think he is-"Her voice just above a whisper.

"And he's not the person YOU think he is!" Mulder pointed a finger in Scully's direction.

Scully shook her head and looked down at her hands. "No. He's not the person I 'thought' he is." She paused for a second to compose herself. "Other than the kidnapping…he didn't do anything else against my will." She closed her eyes for a moment.

Mulder's blazing eyes softened a bit, as he chewed on the inside of his mouth. "I hope you know what you're doing, Scully. For your sake, I hope you're right."

XXX

THREE WEEKS EARLIER

"You have one week to find out what they know." The older man croaked, before taking a puff of his cigarette.

"And then what?" Alex Krycek asked placidly, his eyes trained on the trail of smoke emanating from the cancer stick.

"Get rid of her."

Krycek swallowed and blinked. "Why just her? Why not Mulder too?"

The wrinkly man smirked. "Because Agent Scully is more rational than Agent Mulder." The cigarette smoking man took another puff off his cigarette. "I need Mulder alive. I believe that once that reasonable logic is removed from his life, that he will eventually cave, and become useful."

Krycek nodded and left the room promptly, ignoring the slight twinge of ambiguity that always crept up with each new job. He couldn't help but think about what his life was like before his own reasonable logic was removed. Had he ever been like Fox Mulder at one time? No. Fox Mulder was the hero. Krycek was never a hero. He was born to destroy things. At least that was what he was told from a very young age. And he hated Mulder for that. He hated him for more than just that. Mulder had the life he could never have. Mulder had a heart. And Alex had…nothing. Absolutely nothing.

XXX

Scully looked at her watch and sighed. "Well, I think I'm going to call it a night."

Mulder nodded, keeping his eyes pasted to the paperwork in front of him. "Alright. See you tomorrow, Scully. Have a good night."

Scully arched an eyebrow and put her jacket on. She knew Mulder would most likely stay the night in the office again. Lately, that's where she'd find him in the morning, at last twice a week. It was exhausting to just watch him work himself to the bone like that.

"Go home soon, Mulder." Scully lightly scolded, heading towards the doorway.

Mulder briefly looked up from his paperwork and smirked. "I will tonight…in a little bit."

Scully rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Goodnight, Mulder."

"Goodnight, Scully."

The moment Scully had walked to her car and began to drive home, she felt like something was off. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something felt…different. Almost like she had a pair of eyes watching her the whole day. She found herself frequently eyeing her rearview mirror on the way home, and making sure her gun was accessible when she walked into her apartment. But nothing seemed out of place, so she relaxed a little bit.

An hour later, Scully was freshly bathed with a glass of wine and a book in each hand. She laid in her bed, finding herself yawning profusely, and soon drifted off to sleep. But it was a fitful sleep, and she kept having the same dream about a figure standing over her bed. Except the next time she opened her eyes, there 'was' a figure standing over her bed. And before she could even gasp, a cloth was put over her mouth, and her world went dark.

XXX

Krycek had watched the petite redhead enter her apartment, and waited patiently for over an hour before she finally settled into bed for the night. He didn't know why he turned away when she put her pajamas on, or why he hesitated for a good 15 minutes after he was sure she had fallen asleep. But he was starting to get pissed off by the sudden change in his demeanor. This job wasn't any different from the others. It was just another job. She was just another job. He had to do it. He had signed his empty soul over to the devil long ago, and he had no choice. Scully was never his enemy…and he never hated her. Sure, it annoyed him how she faithfully followed Mulder around like a pet. But personally, he didn't know Dana Scully. It was nothing personal. Just his job. It was either her or him. And it was Mulder that he wanted to watch suffer. He didn't know why he always loathed Mulder, but he did.

"Sorry it has to be this way Ms. Scully." Krycek whispered, and slowly entered the bedroom window.

XXX

Scully awoke with a dull pain in her head and her wrists. Her wrists? She tried to move, and quickly discovered that her wrists were handcuffed, a little too tightly, and that the ground was moving beneath her. No…she was in a…car? She slowly lifted her head up and away from the window she had been leaning against, and sat up straight.

"You're awake." Came a voice from Scully's left.

Scully knew that voice. It was a familiar voice. She whipped her head to her left to get a better look at the person in the driver's seat.

"Krycek." Scully growled through gritted teeth.

"Scully." Krycek displayed little emotion in his voice or face. Impassive. Just like Scully had always known him to be.

Scully huffed out a frustrated breath. "Now that we are on a last name basis, tell me where the hell you're taking me, and why?" She hissed.

Krycek almost smirked at the fierceness of the little redhead to his right. Almost.

"I think you already know the answer to that." Krycek briefly eyed Scully.

Scully glared at Krycek and squirmed in her seat for a more comfortable position.

"You rat bastard! You won't get away with this." Scully spat.

Krycek suddenly swerved off the road and pulled to the side, abruptly stopping the car. He turned his whole body towards Scully, and her eyes instantly locked onto the gun in his lap. Krycek lifted the gun and pointed it at Scully's face.

"Listen to me very carefully. You try anything, at any time, and I will kill you. Do you understand me?" Krycek barked.

Scully pursed her lips and said nothing.

"I was sent for answers…and I will get them. You will tell me everything you know, and if you don't, I will kill your partner as well. I'm not messing around, and you know exactly what I'm capable of, Dana." Krycek sneered.

The use of her first name on Krycek's lips sent a shiver down Scully's spine. But she was going to stand her ground. Krycek hadn't killed her yet, so she still had time to devise some sort of plan. It was the middle of the night, and it seemed that Krycek was driving them to a specific location. This could only mean one thing…Krycek was sent to retrieve information. And then he was probably told to kill her afterwards.

"Mulder will find you…and he will kill you." Scully stated calmly, her icy blue eyes solemnly piercing into the green ones staring back at her.

Krycek had to sneer at that one. This woman was not going to back down, was she? Damn. This was starting to get annoying.

"I'm sure he'll try." Krycek snickered.

Scully lunged forward, catching Krycek off guard, and spit on him.

Bitch.

Krycek impulsively dug the end of the cold pistol into her forehead. "Uh-uh, Ms. Scully. Watch it!" He stared her down, clenching his jaw.

"Go ahead…shoot me!" Scully spat.

She wasn't even sure why the hell she said it, but she just couldn't think straight at the moment. She was seeing red. Mostly because she couldn't believe that she hadn't trusted her gut instinct when she went to bed that night. She had a feeling…and she had been right.

Krycek was somewhat taken aback by Scully's outburst, but quickly recovered, as he pulled the gun away and drove back onto the road.

"Not yet." He replied.

XXX

Krycek had been driving on a dirt road for the past twenty minutes, and Scully was starting to get extremely anxious, as they drove further into the country. Coyotes could faintly be heard from outside, and all the stars were completely visible, as Scully looked up at them. She hadn't said a word to Krycek since she had woken up and had said some things that she was certain hadn't helped her position any. Since then, she had become mute, as the anger quickly dissipated and was replaced with fear.

Scully winced, as she tried to relieve some of the pressure from the cuffs on her wrists, that were undoubtedly rubbing her skin raw. She looked out of the corner of her eye, only to see Krycek staring straight ahead still. He hadn't said a word to her either, and she couldn't help but wonder what kinds of things were going on in that sonofabitch's head right now. It was a shame that someone so goddamned attractive and intelligent had to go and throw his life away, for what, she didn't know. And Scully couldn't help but think about what Krycek was like as a boy. Was he once an innocent child? Or had he always been so defiant? Did someone or something make him this way? Or was he just born like this? Either way, she wasn't about to play 20 questions with her captor.

Scully was jolted out of her deep thoughts, as Krycek pulled into a long driveway, where a fairly decent sized white house could be seen from a distance. Scully gaped at it, slightly taken aback. Was this where he lived? No way. Scully knew that Krycek probably made a lot of money with the type of work that he did, but she hadn't expected him to live in such a beautiful house. Of course, the area was secluded, and that made her extremely nervous. If she did manage to escape, she would be walking for many miles before anyone even saw her.

Krycek pulled the car up to the side of the house and turned it off. And Scully's breath caught in her throat as they just sat there in silence and darkness for a good thirty seconds.

"Don't even think about trying anything. You do exactly as I say, understand?" Krycek's husky voice broke the silence, making Scully jump a little.

"Yes." Scully wasn't sure if she had even spoken out loud, but Krycek seemed satisfied as he got out of the car and walked around to her side.

Scully flinched when Krycek jerked the car door open, and soon felt the cold end of a pistol in her side, after he forcefully lifted her to her feet and slammed the door shut behind them. Scully had contemplated on running for a split second, after remembering Mulder telling her that one of Krycek's arms had been amputated, but thought better of it, after also remembering that Krycek could still succeed in putting a bullet in her back before she got very far. And the splitting headache she had from being drugged didn't help her situation either. Or the fact that it was the middle of the night, and she was in handcuffs, with a 6-foot well-built man standing behind her. It didn't matter that he only had one working arm. He still looked strong.

"Watch your step." Krycek said, instantly wondering where the hell that came from. He had no reason to be nice to Mulder's little pet.

Scully caught a glimpse of Krycek's face in the moonlight, and realized that he was just as confused as she was by the unexpected gesture. But he quickly recovered, as he pushed her forward up towards the door and dug the pistol into her back.

"I left the door unlocked earlier. Open it." Krycek hissed.

Scully arched an eyebrow before Krycek added, "It was just this once." He scowled.

Scully glared back and pushed open the door, tensing when she felt Krycek reach over her to flip on a light with his prosthetic hand, noticing that he hovered over her a second too long, before nudging her further inside.

"Keep walking up the stairs and down the hallway. Last door on the left." Krycek impassively instructed, as he firmly shoved Scully forward.

Scully passed the kitchen on the left and the living room on the right, as she walked up the stairs and turned left, which was her only option. She passed one room on the left, and two on the right, until Krycek stopped her and reached over her again to push the second door open on the left.

"Let's go." Krycek shoved Scully forward again, which she was really starting to get sick of.

There was a full size bed on the right, a nightstand on the left, with a dresser, and a full size bathroom. Scully instantly searched for a window, but her hope quickly faded when she realized it had bars on the outside. She figured all the windows probably had bars on them.

Damn.

"Sit on the bed." Krycek demanded, and tossed Scully the key to the handcuffs. "Unlock one cuff and hook it to the bedframe. And then toss the key back. You got it?" Krycek ordered, pointing the gun at Scully's head.

Scully shakily did as instructed, and once she was finished, Krycek tucked the key back into his pocket and tested the cuffs himself to make sure they were secure. Scully winced when Krycek grabbed her free wrist and examined it.

"You should have told me they were too tight." Krycek murmured, as he subconsciously ran his thumb over the bruise on Scully's wrist.

"What's the point?" Scully snapped, and jerked her wrist out of Krycek's firm grip.

Krycek stared at Scully for a moment, dumbfounded, and then backed away. "Yeah, what's the point." He tightly clenched his jaw and headed for the door.

"Why are you doing this?" Scully angrily muttered.

Krycek kept his back to Scully and switched off the light, ignoring her question. And then Scully was left in the dark, as she listened to Krycek lock the door and walk away. Scully sat there for a long moment in a daze, blinking back the tears, as the realization of everything finally set in. This was really happening.

Krycek sat down on the guestroom bed and scrubbed the side of his face with his hand. He had locked Scully in his bedroom because his bed had a sturdier bedframe to cuff her to. But now he was really regretting it, considering the other bathroom was all the way downstairs. The little redhead was really starting to get on his nerves, even though she hadn't done anything in particular. In fact, she was acting a lot calmer than he had expected. A lot calmer than Mulder would have been. That self-righteous pretty boy.

Alex Krycek was not sloppy, dammit. This was his job, and he couldn't afford to make even one mistake just because a pretty woman was in his house. Special Agent Dana Scully was going to talk in the morning, or die. There would be no more of this nice guy crap. What the hell was he even thinking? She is just Mulder's little sidekick. His bitch. Mrs. Spooky. But Krycek was still wishing it was someone else he had locked in his bedroom. Anyone else. What could this woman even possibly know that was confidential? She was a goddamned skeptic for Christ sakes.

XXX

A/N: I promise this is going to be enjoyable. Don't give up just yet! :)