"Skinner's back," Mulder says before I've fully got the door to our basement office open. He's sitting hunched over his desk, an air of doom looming over him.

"Back?" I say, confused, "he still has a few weeks..."

"He knows," Mulder interrupts in a near whimper.

"About the car?"

He nods. "And the gun, and - everything. He'll be here any minute to ... you know." Mulder looks like he already wants to cry.

Skinner came back early? I'd want to cry too if I were Mulder. What a horrible way to start the day.

I hang up my coat and set my purse down, thinking. Every time he's been punished, I've always soothed Mulder before and after. His behavior has gotten better, but apparently only when Skinner is around.

"Well Mulder, what you did was reprehensible. You broke multiple rules and almost got yourself killed."

He looks at me in shock and heartbreak, "You think I deserve to be punished, Scully?"

Taking a deep breath, I lick my lips to give me time to gather my willpower, "I do."

Mulder's brow furrows and he holds his head in his hands despondently. His eyes drop to his desk top.

Poor Mulder.

"That reminds me," I say, and go to my purse. "This was returned last night," I set his new gun - the one that he'd bought to replace the gun he lost when he ditched me and which Skinner is upset about - on his desk in front of him.

"Krycek," Mulder hisses. His eyes glare at the gun and then they flash up to me. "Was he waiting in your apartment again?"

I nod.

"Why didn't you bring him in, Scully?!"

Here we go.

"He came to apologize..."

"And that excuses him from charges?!" Mulder yells indignantly, jumping up from his chair. He paces behind his desk. Then he spins to me and asks in terror, "He didn't hurt you, did he? I'll kill'em."

"No," I answer, my voice showing my appreciation of Mulder's fear for me. "I hurt him."

Mulder goes still and stares at me blankly. Then, "Good job, Scully! Did you shoot him?"

I chuckle and look at the floor. "No," I answer in an amused voice, "I spanked him."

Mulder goes open mouthed.

"He brought our guns back, apologized and asked me to spank him again," I answer defensively.

"Again?"

I shouldn't of said 'again.'

"The first time he broke in, I was angry and was going to arrest him. I had a gun on him..."

"Should of shot the rat bastard," he mutters.

I raise my eyebrows to quiet him. "He didn't reach for his gun, he just stood there, unarmed, and told me about the file. Then he said that if I thought he'd done anything wrong that I could always spank him."

"Great, so he's a pervert, too." Mulder folds his arms.

"He didn't like it."

He gives me a disbelieving look, "How would you know?"

I raise an eyebrow at him like he's very stupid.

He huffs. After a moment he says, "So you spanked him instead of arresting him just because he asked you to."

"No, I spanked him because..." I stop, realizing that now I'm going to have to tell him about the gifts.

Mulder is giving me a scrutinizing look, "Because why?"

"Mul-der," I say.

"Because why, Scully?" He sits on the edge of his desk and fiddles with a miniature basketball.

I close my eyes and sigh. When I open them again, Mulder is looking at me with fear in his eyes.

"Is he blackmailing you?" he asks gently.

"No. He's..." I really don't want to talk about this.

Mulder sets the ball down and stands, looking afraid for me again. "You can tell me," he says softly.

I have to tell him. It isn't right not to.

"He's been leaving me gifts. I'd thought they were from a neighbor down the hall."

"You didn't arrest him because he's interested in you?" Mulder whispers; he's very concerned now. "Scully, if you need more personal time..."

"No," I say, waving away such a ridiculous reason, "That night he'd brought me wine and chocolates. I saw them on the table when I came in, and I still thought it was the neighbor, but then I found Krycek..."

Mulder knows the layout of my apartment, and he asks "Where was he?" The only rooms not visible from the front door are the kitchen, the bedroom and part of the bathroom.

"In the bedroom," I say and wince.

"I'll kill him!" Mulder yells. "He just wanted to get you in bed!"

"Well, he did ask if I wanted to," I say, and Mulder growls. "But I told him I wasn't interested. He got upset and tried to eat all the chocolate and drink all the wine he'd brought, right in front of me to spite me. I asked him to leave, but he wouldn't. So ... I spanked him."

Mulder doesn't say anything.

"Last night he was waiting for me again. He was distraught about what he'd done. He brought our weapons back and apologized, and told me he thought he deserved to be spanked again. I warned him it'd be bad and, though he was scared, he insisted. I used the wooden spoon and then a belt on him. I left him bruised and sobbing, Mulder. He's not exactly what you think."

"How did you know he was bruised?" Mulder asks, looking at me sideways.

I bite my lip and blush.

Mulder's eyebrows go up, and then he's quiet for a moment. "Skinner did that to me once. It's terrible." He's quiet for another moment, then continues, "Krycek's a murderer, Scully, he proved it yesterday. He got you kidnapped. He killed my father. He's an evil bastard, don't let him trick you."

"He's a self-hating evil bastard," I amend.

We both look at each other sadly.

"This is my fault," he says.

I laugh incredulously, "How is any of this your fault, Mulder?"

"I should have seen what he was when he was my partner. I should of taken care of it then," he looks down, overwhelmed in guilt. "He's playing you. I don't know what he wants, but he is using you."

"Even so, I can handle it."

Mulder gives me a skeptical look, "Neither of us have been able to so far. He's still out there."

"I think he might want to change sides."

Mulder rolls his eyes. "You're too smart to believe that."

"I don't believe it, but I see it as a possibility. Wanting to change and actually changing are very different things."

Tension visibly leaves Mulder's body at that statement.

"What time did he leave?"

"A little after six, why?"

He nods, "Because I had an unwelcome visitor last night too, Scully. Someone broke in and stole the bottled embryo while I was sleeping. It had to of been Krycek."

I huff and shake my head. Dammit Krycek!

There's a knock at the door, and then Skinner enters.

"Scully," he nods politely. His eyes go to Mulder and bore into him.

I touch Mulder's arm and give him a supportive look, then grab my purse and coat and leave.

So that's why Krycek had to leave, I think to myself as I walk into my favorite coffee shop. I order the seasonal Merry Xmas tea and a cookie and sit at an empty table by the window.

Well, I know he wasn't playing me. Last night was too difficult for him. Or was it? Is he on a job? What could possibly be gained, and by whom? Perhaps the point is simply to gain my trust to make his work easier for him. Or he may be getting ready to ask me for a favor. Perhaps it was always assumed I'd tell Mulder everything - but Mulder isn't budging in his opinion of Krycek. Anyone who knows Mulder would have foreseen that. Is this a way to get Mulder paranoid? And, if so, for what purpose?

I dip half of my cookie in my tea and take a bite. I'm convinced that these are the best chocolate chip cookies on the market. The tea is good as well, I can taste orange, lemon peel, cinnamon ... and something else.

The morning rush hour traffic dies down into normal DC traffic as I sit and watch. I make my tea last a full twenty minutes, and then contemplate if I should get more or head back.

Mulder was so worried, I don't want to leave him waiting for me if Skinner has finished. Part of the punishment is that Mulder has to stand in the corner until I get back, and Skinner never tells me when the spanking is done. It's best to head back, even if I'm early. I think about buying a cookie for Mulder, but decide against it. He's being punished right now for a very good reason, it'd be wrong to give him a treat. I throw away my cup, pull my coat tight against me and head out into the freezing DC morning.

I'm thankful to hear silence when I get to our floor. When I walk into the office, I find Mulder alone with his nose in a corner.

"Scully?" he asks wetly.

I put my things down and go to him. He turns and falls into my arms, crying into my neck.

"How'd it go?" I ask, holding him tight.

Mulder sniffles, "Terrible. I got - I got the belt..."

"On the bare?" I finish for him when he falters.

He nods against my shoulder and cries harder.

"Oh Mulder," I say in a sad voice, and hold him. Like clockwork, he goes into an almost infantile state after being punished. But this state doesn't last long. Soon his sobs quell and his tears dry up.

"Got your walking shoes on, Scully?" he asks suddenly with a grin, pulling himself away and rebounding with lightning speed.

"I have walking shoes here in the office, why?"

He walks to his desk and back again. He holds up and points to a section of the file Krycek gave me highlighting an old twelve story building in old DC, and then shows me his own research.

"Haines listed this building as his second to last place of employment. It's supposed to be a paper company. Thing is, I think the company is a front and I found out the property owner doesn't really exist. Any guesses what shady government agency owns it?" Mulder smirks at me.

I smile back, "I could make an educated guess. Why do I need walking shoes for a building?"

"No elevator."

Great. I switch my shoes.

We requisition a car and I'm surprised - as always - at Mulder's ease of mobility after a punishment. He doesn't even wince or fidget when he sits in the car.

Mulder parks down the street so that we can watch who goes in and out.

"We having turkey or ham on Christmas?" Mulder asks over a sunflower seed.

I look at him wide eyed. "Orange-brined turkey."

"Oo-la-la! Fancy," Mulder jokes. "You helping your mom cook?"

"I am. Scared?" I tease him.

"Nah. You're a doctor. You can bring me back when I die of food poisoning."

I smack him on the arm and we laugh.

After an hour of surveillance and friendly bantering we have nothing.

"I think we should go in. Yesterday we lost evidence because we were too slow," Mulder says.

"Let's go," I answer, opening my car door.

Mulder chuckles at my eagerness.

There are no cameras outside, so we walk right up and, seeing no one in the lobby, open the door and walk in. The entrance is comprised of an unmanned check-in desk, restrooms and a directory. A large marble staircase is on the right wall.

Mulder takes the stairs ahead of me, and we come to the second floor, which has one hallway with four closed doors.

Glancing at each other, we begin walking down the hall. Mulder listens at the first door we come to, and then opens it quietly. He takes a tentative look inside.

"Empty," he whispers. "It's an office." He nods at the next door and we walk to it. Again he listens at the door, and then opens it silently. "Empty office. You take the first one, I'll look in here."

I close the door gently behind him and turn to walk back to the first office.

"Freeze!" a voice calls from the steps.

I see a guard walking up the stairs, aiming a gun at me.

"We're FBI," I say.

The guard does not lower his gun.

"Please lower your gun, I'm investigating a crime," I say to let Mulder know there's a gun on me.

"You picked the wrong place to investigate," the guard says. The sounds of running feet can be heard approaching in the stairwell. Backup.

I put my hands up and inch away from the office that Mulder's in while the guard waves me to him and walks closer.

The guard's backup arrives - three more guards from the first floor - as the first guard yells, "You're partner needs to come out now with his hands up!"

Mulder opens the door and shuffles into the hall and we share a nervous look.

"Unholster your weapons with your index finger and thumb and set them on the floor. Real easy now," the guard says.

Mulder and I each have two guards aiming at us and, though the demand does not bode well for us, we've no choice but to comply.

"Walk to me," the guard orders.

I get to him first, and he grabs me by my hair and slams me into a wall.

"Scully!" Mulder yells, and I see him start to run to me but another guard gets to him and punches him in the stomach and then hits him on the back of his head with the butt of his gun.

"Mulder!" I yell, and then I hear four bursts of air in quick succession, followed by the sound of the guards dropping to the floor. The guard on me slides down and falls to the floor. Looking back, I see Krycek holding a silenced gun with a stack of files under one arm. He's dressed all in black.

"Krycek," Mulder says in a dazed voice, and I turn to see he's kneeling on the ground and holding the back of his head.

Krycek dances over the floor, and I realize he's avoiding cameras, and runs to me. He sets the files down and grabs me by my arms, tracing the back of his fingers over the area of my face that had been slammed into the wall. His face contorts in anger and he picks me up and sets me away from the guard, and then starts kicking the guard repeatedly, though the guard is dead.

I run to Mulder and check him, his pupils seem to dilate normally, but I'm without a flashlight to check for certain. "Are you nauseous at all?"

"No," Mulder answers, watching Krycek.

"Do you feel like water is running in your neck or your ears?"

"No."

"Are you dizzy at all, Mulder?"

"No. What are you doing here, Krycek?"

Krycek stops kicking the guard and turns to look at Mulder.

"The work I sent for you to do," he tells him, then he picks up the files and hands them to me. "I didn't know if you'd get here in time."

"Thank you," I tell him, and he grins shyly.

"I didn't get here fast enough," he says. "Are you OK?"

"I am," I smile, "you got here in time."

His eyes brighten and he offers me his hand. I take it. With me up, he fetches our guns while I help Mulder up and then Krycek holds our guns out for us. I take mine politely while Mulder stares him down and then swipes it from him.

Krycek gives Mulder an amused look and says, "We gotta get out of here. There are cameras, but you've already been seen. They need to see you leave so they don't know I was here, OK?"

"Ok," I agree.

Krycek pulls his silenced gun out again and leads us down the hall, does his little dance to avoid the cameras and hops onto the stairs leading to the lobby as silent as a cat. Mulder and I cock our guns and follow.

When we near the lobby Krycek holds his hand up for us to stop, and he carefully checks to make sure the lobby is clear, then waves us on. We get outside, and I'm surprised that Krycek follows us to our car.

"You taking him to a hospital?"

"I think it'd be best," I say.

"Scully, I'm fine," Mulder protests, even as he's rubbing his head. A severe pout settles on his face.

"Let me go with you. You were on their cameras, they'll be looking for you," Krycek says.

"Don't trust'em, Scully," Mulder whines like a child.

Krycek sneers at him, "She's down a partner - you're not any good to her right now. Let me help."

Mulder gives me a put out look, but doesn't argue.

"Come on, Mulder, let's get you in the car," I say, and he pulls out the keys and hands them to me while I help him into the back seat. Mulder leans his head back and closes his eyes.

"I'll drive. You need to keep him awake," Krycek says.

I toss him the keys and we both get in. He pulls a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and slips both on.

"Any preference which hospital we go to?" Krycek asks as he adjusts the seat and mirrors.

"The closest will be fine," I say, "Mulder, stay awake."

"I don't have a concussion, Scully, I just have a headache," Mulder gripes.

"Crankiness is a symptom of a concussion, we're getting you checked out."

Krycek heads down the road, "He's probably fine. He's just as pissy as normal."

I give him a look in the rear view mirror and he chuckles mischievously.

Mulder kicks the back of Krycek's seat, "Go to hell."

"Mulder," I half-heartedly scold.

Krycek shakes his head and chuckles to himself quietly.

We get to the hospital and park near the emergency room. Krycek pulls the cap down low to hide his face. Mulder refuses help getting out of the car and is a sour mood. Krycek makes sure to grab the files from the car and keeps watch, his eyes never stop scanning our surroundings as we walk in the emergency room.

I sign Mulder in and he's called immediately.

"Want us to go with you?" I ask.

He glares at Krycek, "No."

"Want me to go with you?" I amend.

He shrugs.

I go back with him.

Krycek trails us anyway, and it takes some cajoling for the hospital staff to allow it. He waits outside the room while Mulder and I sit inside and wait for a doctor.


"Told you I didn't have a concussion," Mulder sasses when the doctor leaves.

I roll my eyes and laugh. Mulder grins.

"Everything good?" Krycek asks when I open the door.

I smile. "He's fine."

Krycek shoots Mulder a smart-ass look, "Told you he was as pissy as normal."

"I should arrest you," Mulder growls at him.

"For what? Saving your lives?" Krycek asks, going toe to toe with him.

"You know for what, you bastard!" Mulder yells.

"Mulder," I say, looking around the room to indicate that we were garnering attention.

Mulder relents, turning and walking away.

Krycek and I share a look and then follow.

We get to the waiting room and see that Mulder has already gone to the car.

"I should be going," Krycek says, handing me the files and then the keys.

Looking up, I see he's standing under the mistletoe and so I grab him by his jacket and pull him down to my level, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for being there today," I whisper to him, then let go.

When he stands back up he's blushing, and I'm pretty sure that I am as well. He looks at me sweetly and smiles. "Anytime," he says, and then he turns and walks away. I watch him go and then walk to the car.

Mulder is standing by the passenger door waiting for me.

He smirks at me, "You forgot to arrest him again."

I smile back. "I'm driving?"

"Figured you'd insist."

I unlock the doors and we both get in. Handing the files to Mulder I say, "I wonder what's in these?"

"Probably more breadcrumbs."

He's probably right.