Author: Kindli Title: A Rat's Life Status: part 3 of 3 Disclaimers: Chris Carter, Fox Productions, 1013-- Panzer/Davis Productions Fandom: X-Files/Highlander crossover Rating: NC-17 slash Pairing: Mulder/Cory Raines-Mulder/Alex Krycek UST Feedback: Kindli27@hotmail.com ======================================================================== ~~~Chapter One~~~ ****** While in rat form, Alex had realized Skinner wasn't always working in the best interests of the X-Files. Though it was obvious he did what he could, the smoker held too much control. Since Alex considered it imperative that Skinner be on his side when necessary, he used the AD as a test subject for the nanobiotics experiment. He figured that it should help Mulder's boss decide who to support. Besides, it was pay-back for the abuse he had taken while on the balcony three years ago. Without rancor he knew that Mulder wouldn't thank him, but he refused to defend his actions to anyone. ***** ~~~~A few weeks after Skinner's 'near death' experience~~~ ***** Alex awoke to again find himself bound to the same chair in the same room with the same weird looking man standing in front of him one morning and he decided the Guardians obviously hated him. The demon looked annoyed as he waited for Alex to realize where he was. "I told you to behave, Alex-- or should I call you Lexi? The Guardians have decided to torment you to a greater degree this time. It'll be harder for you to attach yourself to him; but if you decide not to, you'll find yourself in the pound where you have only one week to find an owner before you're put to sleep. So I suggest you do what you have to in order to convince Mulder he needs you, because I don't want you down here." He waved his arm around the dark cell vaguely. "The pound?" "Get used to playing fetch." As the man laughed, Alex cringed, shutting his eyes as he whispered a soft plea to a god he didn't believe in, and hoped this would all be a dream. Alex opened his eyes again and blinked at the sudden change of surroundings. Before he could thank some mysterious god, he realized he was covered with fur again, this time brownish black, and had four paws instead of his single arm. He recognized the alley he was standing in as the one outside Mulder's apartment complex. The morning sun beat heavily against the ground outside the alley, and Mulder would be going on his daily run soon. Alex wondered how he could appease the *asshole Guardians* this time. He resented the fact that they could determine his future, just because they were annoyed. It was cold comfort knowing that Mulder wouldn't approve if he realized what was happening to him. The fact that he would never have known how Mulder would feel about it at all if not for his time spent as a rat was besides the point. It appeared that half of the neighborhood had decided to come to the park today. Alex ignored the crowd and waited until Mulder relaxed on a bench taking a moment to enjoy the morning sun before he approached him. Seeing a beautiful German Shepherd without a collar or leash walking toward him, Mulder sat up a little taller, watching it cautiously. The animal stood in front of him wagging his tail and proceeded to rest it's head on his lap, looking up at him with big soulful eyes. Tentatively, Mulder reached out a hand to pet it. Apparently relishing the attention, the dog nudged his nose into his hand and licked his palm. Mulder wondered when the dog's owner would appear. He expected someone to be calling for it at any moment. The dog encouraged his attentions and watched him with intelligence. Something about the dog reminded him of Lexi. He wondered if all animals had this quality of awareness and he'd just never noticed it, or if he were just imagining things. "Who do you belong to?" The dog tilted his head to the side and moved to sit on his haunches, resting his front paws on Mulder's lap to give him an expectantly hopeful look. Mulder knew he couldn't take care of a dog, even if by some twist of fate this dog needed a home. He traveled too often, and while a rat was relatively easy to bring along, a german shepherd was another matter entirely. As he thought about Lexi's disappearance, it occured to him that the rat may have been caught by a cat on one of its independent forays. He shook his head a little, pushing such thoughts into the back of his mind. Chuckling, Mulder shook his head. "Sorry big guy, my apartment doesn't allow dogs your size. You'll just have to find your absent master." Standing up, he absently gave the animal a pat on the head before jogging back to his apartment. Fearful of being taken to the pound, Alex went to hide in the alley again. He hated Mulder's Guardians, whoever the hell they were. With a squeal of tires, Scully's car pulled up outside Mulders apartment and as she climbed out, he trotted out to greet her with a woof that he hoped sounded non-threatening as he manuevered his unfamiliar dog body against her legs, preventing her from walking to the door of the apartment complex. Scully kept a wary eye on the animal. But since he looked friendly enough, and knowing that she would heal if he did bit her, she cautiously reached out her hand. Obligingly, he sniffed her fingers and licked them. He whined and nudged his head against her legs when she tried to move past him. "Hey!" Realizing he didn't want to harm her, she laughed and gave him an affectionate hug. The German Shephard cuddled into her embrace, as if he were soaking in the affection and she wondered if he had been abused in the past. "All right, Baby. I'm going inside to meet a friend. You'll like him. If you wait right here, without any fuss... I'll buy you a hot dog from that vendor across the street." She didn't really expect the dog to actually understand, but it seemed to respond well to her voice. To her surprise the dog moved obediently to sit where she'd indicated, and watched her patiently as if waiting. She smiled and gave him a final pat before turning to enter Mulder's apartment. Scully walked to Mulder's room and waited while he got ready. They were going on a case, supposedly an X-File, though she had her doubts. As her thoughts wandered, she wondered about the dog she had left on the street, something about the animal's dark green eyes tugged at her memory. When Mulder was finally ready, they walked down the stairs and stepped outside. The dog was still waiting where she had left him, and about to get in trouble. A cop was standing nearby, keeping a cautious eye on the dog as he spoke into his radio. Scully turned to the dog and saw the look of frightened desperation in the animal's eyes and suddenly realized why the animal seemed so familiar. "Good boy," she cooed, kneeling to pet him. The dog wagged his tail slowly, glancing at the policeman nervously. He licked her face, and let her hug him. "Come on, Baby. I promised you a hot dog." Obediently, --he hoped-- he followed at her heels. The cop stopped them. "Excuse me, ma'am, is that your dog?" Scully stopped to look at him. "Yes, he is. What's the trouble?" "Animals are supposed to be on a leash, and he isn't even wearing a collar." The young man pointed out, nodding at the dog peering at him from behind her legs. Scully's eyes opened wide in surprise and she turned to the dog and realized the cop was indeed correct. The dog had no collar. "What did you do with your collar, Baby?" She scratched his fur behind his ear. "I'm sorry, officer. I'll replace it immediately." The officer wanted her ID to write out a warning and was startled to learn she was an FBI agent. "You have the dog long, ma'am?" "I've had Baby for about a year," she replied as truthfully as possible, if indeed this animal was who she suspected. Incredulously, the officer repeated the name. "Baby?!" He stared at the big animal, sitting at her feet. Watching silently, Mulder wondered why Scully was lying. The dog cocked his head as if hearing his name from the stranger's mouth and looked at Scully inquisitively. Alex was startled by Scully's easy acceptance of his situation. She seemed to realize he understood her. But did she have to call him *Baby*? When Mulder snapped his fingers, Alex went to sit at his feet while they waited for the officer to leave. Alex was too intimidated by the idea of the pound to resent anything right now. On their way to the hot dog vendor Mulder observed, "At least he's well-trained." Scully snorted, an unladylike sound. "He will be anyway. Don't you realize?" She wondered how her 'I want to believe' partner could be so dense. Mulder shook his head as he gave the dog a bite of his hot dog. Watching the exchange, Scully wondered if she could be mistaken. The animal showed no hesitation when begging for and accepting food from Mulder's hand. But it was the dog's eyes that decided her. "His eyes are green." Mulder was a little slow on the uptake this time. "Common for German Shepherds." "Lexi the Rat had green eyes." "Unusual, but not unheard of." "Alex your traitorous ex-partner has green eyes." She watched the dog as she spoke. Alex stared at her wondering if she could possibly be alluding to... "They all attached themselves to you." "You think this animal is Alex?" Mulder asked her incredulously. When Scully nodded, Alex followed the motion with his own head. Mulder watched the exchange. He knelt to look in the dog's eyes. "You're Alex Krycek, in the body of a dog?" He stared at him skeptically. Alex nodded again. Still at eye level with the dog, Mulder glanced up to look at her. "How do we make him human again?" He let the dog finish his hot dog bun. "I'll talk to an old acquaintance. I'd bet almost anything that he had something to do with this." She watched as the dog licked Mulder's face. If this was Alex, she'd bet anything he adored Mulder. It certainly wasn't any animal instinct that would cause a strange dog to be so trusting of a man like Mulder. Mulder wasn't exactly an animal person. It made her angry that anyone would abuse the young man like this. First a rat and now a dog. She could understand changing him for a day or so, as a joke- or a lesson. But they'd had Lexi for almost 2 months. Alex was just a baby, he didn't deserve to be treated like so cruelly. With his childhood as it had been, she hated to think what this would do to his psyche. Mulder gave the dog a final pat before standing up again. "So, do we postpone the case for a day so you can fix him?" Scully nodded. "Let's go to my place. There isn't any surveillance there at the moment." They walked to the car. Alex jumped into the backseat as soon as the door was opened. Once inside her apartment Scully began to prepare for her journey. She used chalk to draw a circle onto the floor of her dining room, and lit some candles and some incense for atmosphere. "Well if this *is* Alex, he's going to know more about your abilities then he does about the Consortium dealings." Mulder plopped himself onto her couch. "I could make him forget." The dog whined and shook its head. "If I make you forget you'll never have to remember your experience as a rat, or a dog." Thoughtfully, the dog tilted its head. "Just think about it, Baby." She affectionately petted his head. Alex narrowed his eyes at her. She chuckled. "You're all babies to me." She gave him a quick kiss on the snout. He looked confused again, until he realized she was speaking of her age. Then he actually shrugged. Until now Mulder had some doubts, but the shrug convinced him. He snapped his fingers again. "Come here, BABY. We can't be in her circle." The dog obeyed immediately. Sitting on the floor at Mulder's feet as Mulder watched Scully from his position on the couch. Scully stood in the center and closed her eyes. One minute she was there, the next she was gone. So what's it like, being a dog?" Mulder asked his companion, not even reacting to his partner's strange disappearance. "If this is true, I can make you into an X-File." Shifting nervously, Alex gave him a panicked look. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with this. --Unless you decide to forget of course. That would make things nice and easy. You could forget all about immortals, Kadia and her abilities, my feelings for you-- we could concentrate on the alien invasion." Mulder kept his tone reasonable, hoping to make the suggestion sound like the most sensible idea for all involved. ***** ~~~Chapter Three~~~ ***** Meanwhile, Scully transported herself to 'hell' -- as it was often called these days. "Kadia!" The odd-looking man approached her nervously. "What brings you here? Just two eons ago you swore you would never return." The demon frowned as he recalled the incident that had so disgusted her. It wasn't something he liked to think on, even now. -------^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^-------- Kadia awoke to the sound of women screaming and immediately she realized that her tribe was being attacked. Littering the ground were the beheaded bodies of her people. Men, women and children that would never see another sunrise... generations of families, hopes and dreams now extinguished with the lives of the young ones, never to be reborn. Antamke stood at the edge of the field, watching as the last of Kadia's adopted tribe was killed off. His followers thought to honor him with the deaths of their adversaries. He glanced at her and shrugged apologetically. Kadia stared at him in disbelief as tears fell from her eyes. With a loud wail, she cursed him and swore never to again acknowledge his existance. -------^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^------- "Two thousand years ago you weren't turning children into rats and dogs, Antamke. What did he do to anger you so much?" She stared hard into his eyes, completely unafraid of the younger creature. "You're angry about Alex? Don't yell at me; Mulder's Guardians are behind this, they're punishing him for his treatment of Mulder." He cringed as she continued to glower at him. "And Alex's Guardians aren't putting up a fight?" Kadia didn't believe they wouldn't have at least protested. "He doesn't have a guardian, Kadia, he's just a clone." "He's a living creature, with emotions and feelings. And as for Mulder's guardians; I'm his mother, those 'children' have no authority over mine. Change Alex back-- and from now on I'll be his guardian too," she hissed, angrily. "Ok, ok. Whatever you say." He raised his arms in supplication. "But, we have to call Mulder's other Guardians to tell them what's going on so they don't harm Alex in his human form." Scully scowled. "Yes, and they need chastisement." "I can understand your protectiveness of Mulder, but why Alex?" "Alex carries Mulder's blood inside him." She answered every question with that one statement. He summoned Mulder's guardians. ***** ~~~Chapter Two~~~ ***** Mulder paced around the room while the Alex dog sat watching him, as they waited for Scully's return. Alex had seen Scully do some unbelievable things, this disappearing into thin air was just one of many and he took it with as much calm as Mulder. But at the moment his main concern was his memory. Did he want to forget? Did he want to listen to Mulder's vaguely concealed teasing, or would he prefer to simply think it was just another Mulder quirk? He'd forget that Mulder cared about him, that he was a clone, he'd forget everything-- including his reason for subjecting Skinner with the nano-technology. No, he'd put too many plans into motion because of his new knowledge. If he suddenly forgot, well, he might as well destroy himself. He'd just have to put up with Mulder's annoying reminders. When Mulder finally sat down to read a book, Alex jumped up onto the couch, hoping he didn't get pushed back onto the floor. He didn't think he could deal with the humiliation of being reminded of his new position. But it didn't occur to Mulder to care. Bored, Alex lay his head on Mulder's lap and closed his eyes. Mulder continued reading, petting his companion every so often. Mulder had difficulty accepting that this animal could possibly be 'his' Alex. He was too tame, too domesticated. He would never have believed Alex knew how to be so gentle, so accepting. This couldn't possibly be Krycek. But if this truly was Alex, then someone would be doing a lot of explaining once Kadia found them. Nobody deserved this-- and if it were some experiment gone wrong, well, he doubted Alex would willingly have submitted for another test. Not after his experience as a rat. He wouldn't remind Alex of this, not while it was so fresh in his mind. He'd wait until they were older-- if they lived that long. When it was just another weird experience. Maybe Alex would let Scully take away his memory, but he doubted it was an option the younger man would even consider. To Alex, knowledge was better then money, the more he knew, the safer he felt. Mulder wished he could be there for him to help him through the psychological traumas that this foolishness would cause, but he doubted Alex would allow him such a liberty. He might be good enough for safety, but it was unlikely he was good enough for comfort. As he finished his book he began to doze off. The dog lay asleep, head resting on his lap. Mulder moved to lay down and the dog moved to let him without getting up. Then he slept at Mulder's feet, resting his head on Mulder's warm hip, waiting for Kadia's return. Mulder awoke to discover Krycek still asleep at his feet in his human form. Scully stood there looking down at them with a goofy smile on her face. "Baby." He petted the sable head. "Scully's back." Quickly, he pulled his hand away when Krycek's eyes opened. Krycek blinked and sat up encased uncomfortably at the foot of the couch. "My name is NOT Baby, it's Lexi... er.. Alex," he groused as he pulled his legs from beneath Mulders to drape them over the side of the couch. Then he leaned back and rested his head on Mulder's tummy. He raised an eyebrow in Scully's direction, as she took in his naked form lying on her couch. Mulder had been prepared to get up, but decided to settle back wondering what Alex had planned. Alex looked satisfied and content. He stared at Scully, waiting for her to comment. Scully's eyes were dancing with good humor. "There will be no more shape-shifting, Krycek. Your tormenters have been severely punished for their mischief." She raised a brow playfully. "That being said; would you two prefer if I left? I could stay at Mulder's." She tried hard to keep a straight face. "Really?" Alex asked hopefully. Now, Scully did laugh. "Really. I'll be back around 3:00 though. We can decide what to do then." With that, she was gone. Krycek tilted his head, gazing at the empty space curiously. He wondered if that was a learnable trick. Seeming to read his mind, Mulder chuckled. "She says it took her over a thousand years to perfect that trick and that was when the Sidhe first walked on the Earth." "Too weird." Alex slithered up Mulder's body until he could kiss him. Mulder smiled against his mouth and returned the kiss. "What brought this on?" he asked as Alex pulled away to help him undress. "I've thought about this since I saw you together with Cory," Alex replied cheerfully, letting Mulder pull him back for another kiss. ---------------------------------------------------