by plmorrell [at] gmail dot com

THIS STORY MAY NOT BE REDISTIBUTED

WITHOUT THE AUTHOR’S EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This story takes place sometime between "Ascension" and "One Breath".

***

Kaytlin Dar pulled her 4X4 Toyota pickup into the driveway of her beach front home. She shut off the ignition and sighed. It had been a very long day at the hospital. She wasn’t sure which was worse, 12-14 hours at work or the short time she spent in the quiet, lonely house. She had seen several patients who had been struck by cars, poisoned, and some who were regular patients being treated for chronic problems. She had managed to save them all. She always saved them. That’s why she was noted as the best veterinarian in Dares Beach, Maryland. She saved everyone’s pets, but her own. And every time she came home to the silence, she felt the pains of guilt for not pulling Lucas through.

The Samoyed had been Kaytlin’s constant companion for nine years, since her senior year in high school. She knew she had tried everything that day he was pulled under the surf by riptides. She could not get him to breathe. She had cried on his lifeless body for a long time before someone wandered down the beach and found her. The beach front property was not public, her grandfather had owned the mile stretch of beach and surrounding property and it had been passed down to her. So very few people strolled up and down its shores.

Sandy, the closest neighbor Kaytlin had, had helped her take Luke’s body into the garage and comforted Kaytlin as best she could. Kaytlin buried her faithful companion at sea, the sea where he always loved to play.

Two months had passed, and home wasn’t the same. Kaytlin forced herself from the car and into the house.

The house stood two stories tall. The kitchen, living room, and dining room occupied the downstairs, while the three bedrooms were upstairs. The entire east wall facing the sea had once been windows. Kaytlin had grown tired of having to replace them after heavy storms. So, she hired the best construction company in town to turn all but the window in the dining room into wall and put in a wooden door to lead out to the beach. She then had them install a two-inch thick piece of glass for the dining room window. That was two years ago and she hadn’t had to replace it yet.

The downstairs was sparsely furnished. A simple smoked glass dinette table and four black leather chairs stood in the center of the dining room. In the living room was a matching sofa and love seat that looked like someone had taken a multitude of different colors of paint and splattered it on a black fabric. A black lacquer end table sat next to the couch and perpendicular to the loveseat. The matching coffee table was in front of the couch, which faced the fireplace.

As Kaytlin walked into the house, she took her trenchcoat and purse in her left hand and dropped it on the loveseat. She looked to her right, up the stairs still hoping to see a white ball of fur coming running down the stairs. No such luck.

She went into the kitchen and pulled the chicken from the refrigerator. She turned around and tossed it on the counter next to the sink. She turned to the right and stared at the stove. Do I bake it or stir-fry it? A creaking noise came from above her head. She froze. She knew exactly where someone had to step to make that sound. She slowly reached to her left and opened a drawer. She pulled out her Colt 9mm. There were three guns in the house, always loaded and ready to use. And one of them was in the master bedroom above the kitchen.

Grasping the gun with both hands, she quietly approached the stairwell. She peeked around the corner at the stairs. No one there. With her back to the right side of the stairwell, she crept up to the second floor. She checked the bathroom at the top of the stairs. Empty. She found nothing in the spare bedroom or her office on the west side of the house. She didn’t expect to. The only place that creaked up here was in the master bedroom. She walked to the other side of the stairs and started for the master bed’s double doors. One of them was closed. I thought I closed both of them this morning when I left, she said to herself. She stopped just before the first door.

"I’m not armed!" a voice called.

"Well, I am." Kaytlin replied. She racked the slide to prove her point.

"Put your hands out the door."

Two empty hands slowly appeared. "See?"

"Yeah. Now come all the way out and keep your hands up."

A young man about 25 wearing a dark blue suit stepped out of the bedroom.

His brown hair slightly amuss, he looked afraid.

"Who are you and what the hell are you doing in my house?"

"My name’s Alex Krycek. I’m with the FBI."

"Yeah, right. If you’re with the Bureau then why are you unarmed?" She motioned to the closed door. "I’m sure you know the procedure then."

Krycek stood with his hands against the wall and allowed Kaytlin to frisk him. When she came up empty, he said, "I told you."

"Take your ID out of your inside left breast pocket and give it to me." She eyed this Krycek character closely. She snatched the ID from him and flipped it open. After checking it carefully, she handed it back. "Okay you’re legit." She lowered the gun. "Why don’t you have your weapon? It’s against Bureau regulation to be without it."

"I lost it somewhere, during a struggle."

Kaytlin looked him up and down. He looked like he could have been in a fight; messed up hair, wrinkled and dirty suit, and even a bit of dried blood on his face. But, she knew this could just as easily be a trick. For now though, she’d play along. "Are you hungry? I was just getting ready to fix some dinner."

"Yeah...I am...a bit." He looked down at the floor, nervous and unsure.

"Okay. Clean up in that bathroom." She motioned to the spare bathroom. "And don’t try anything, I’m gonna wait right here."

Krycek nodded and carefully squeezed past her. He walked into the bathroom and turned to shut the door.

"Leave it open." Kaytlin demanded and he complied. As she watched him, she reached back, locked, and shut the bedroom door. She didn’t need him snooping through her things. Still keeping a close eye on Krycek, Kaytlin walked to the office door, shut and locked it, too.

Krycek looked up from the sink and grinned wryly. "What’s the matter? Don’t trust me?"

"If I didn’t trust you at all, you’d be dead," Kaytlin replied bluntly.

The wryly smile faded. He stared in the sink then sighed. Finally, he took off his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his white shirt. "Okay, I’m done."

"Good." She nodded towards the stairs. "You first." She followed him down. She cocked her head to one side and thought, "He’s got a nice ass." She pushed the thought out of her head. I don’t need the involvement again.

Krycek went down the stairs and made a right into the dinning room.

"Where do you want me?"

Kaytlin walked into the kitchen and stood in front of the sink. "Sit on the counter." She pointed to her left. She waited for him to hop up before setting the gun down near the stove. Unwrapping the chicken, she asked "Now, what the hell are you doing in my house?"

"I need your help." He watched as she rinsed the chicken. The pictures he had seen of her didn’t do her justice. She was very pretty.

Kaytlin laughed. "Why, on God’s green Earth, would the Bureau need my help? Do you guys need rabies shots or something?" Kaytlin slapped the washed chicken down on the built-in cutting board and pulled out a butcher knife from the block off to her right. "I hope you like stir-fry."

"The bureau doesn’t need your help. I do." He rubbed his hands together nervously.

"Oh, yeah? And why, Agent Alex Krycek, do you need my help?"

"Your father..."

Kaytlin stopped cutting the chicken and turned to Krycek. "What about my father?"

"I know he worked for the Bureau up until several years ago when he was killed under...well...mysterious circumstances."

Kaytlin put her hand on her hip. "And?"

"I also know the Bureau’s been trying for several years to recruit you." He sat up straight and took a deep breath. "I know what happened to your father and why the Bureau wants you so bad."

Kaytlin pointed the butcher knife at Krycek. "You’d better not be pulling my leg, buddy!"

"I’m not." He slowly reached into his right jacket pocket. He pulled out a floppy disk. "It’s all on here. Plus more government cover-ups. A few of which, I’ve recently been involved in."

"Give it to me." She held out her hand.

"You won’t be able to access any of it." He set it in her palm.

"Then what good is it to me?"

"This is where I need your help. If you take to Special Agent Fox Mulder at FBI headquarters’ in DC, he can retrieve it and tell you what happened."

"And you can’t deliver it yourself because you’ve figured out what’s been going on and they’re after you." Looking down at the disk, she whispered, "Just like Dad."

"Yeah."

"But what makes you so sure this Mulder guy will believe me when I tell him what’s on the disk?"

"He will. Just don’t tell him who you got it from."

Kaytlin smiled. "He doesn’t like you?"

"Not any more. I may have been responsible for the death of his partner, not to mention a couple of others before I realized what exactly was happening."

"You killed his partner?!?!"

"Not personally. I don’t know if they’ve even done it yet. But, that’s why I’m here...to make restitution." He looked Kaytlin straight in the eye for the first time. "I’m not a rat. I just didn’t know how deep I was getting into things."

"I’ve got one question to ask you, if you get it right, I’ll help you."

"And if I don’t?"

"If you don’t, you’ve got two minutes to get out of here before I turn you into Swiss cheese."

Krycek nodded. "Deal."

"What’s the name of the Agent my father secretly gathering evidence against before he was killed?"

"Michael Deneau."

Kaytlin sighed. He was right. No one but her and her father knew who it was. A week before he died, he had told her he was building a case against this man and made her promise to tell no one. He then took all his notes and computer disks, locked them in a plastic box and sealed it with shut. He dug an eight foot hole in the beach one night and buried it. Two days later, the Bureau called saying he had been killed in the line of duty. Kaytlin knew something wasn’t right about the story they told her, but she had no proof. Ever since then, they have hounded her to join the Bureau. The first time they approached her at the hospital. They asked to speak to her in private. So, she took them in an examination room. Lucas had followed her, growling at them men. This told her that they should not be trusted. When they finally asked her, she laughed so hard, she cried. She then said to them, "Are you out of you’re fucking tree?!" And escorted them out of the hospital. Tears ran down her face. Thinking of Lucas and her father was just too much.

"Hey, are you okay?" Krycek asked pushing himself off the counter. He stepped forward. Gently lifting her chin, he wiped away the tears. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry."

Kaytlin sniffled and wiped her face on her sleeve. "It’s not you." She reached past Krycek and set the disk on the counter. Taking a deep breath, she calmed down. "I’d better get this chicken cooking."

Krycek stood against the counter and watched in silence as she fixed the stir-fry chicken and vegetables.

After she had everything in the pan, she turned the rice cooker on and looked at Krycek. "It’s gotta cook for a few minutes."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yeah, you can help me set the table." She pulled plates and glasses out of the cupboard and handed them to Krycek. She then got out a set of chopsticks for herself and a fork for him. She grabbed a pot holder and two napkins before heading to the dining room. When the table was set, she noticed Krycek staring out the window. "Beautiful, huh?"

"Mmm."

She stood closely next to him. He smelled of a very nice men’s cologne.

"Alex..."

He turned to her.

"I want to thank you for bringing me the information about my father. I only hope I can put it to use." She gazed into his eyes and something inside her stirred.

He brushed her cheek with his fingertips. She looked beautiful in the slowly fading sunlight. He wanted her. But, not because this might be his last chance to get laid. She touched something in his heart the minute he’d seen her. Too bad it happened now. He knew he could only stay here a day, two at the most before they’d catch up to him. And he knew he couldn’t hide from them forever.

Kaytlin pressed his hand to her cheek. She felt a burning desire in her that hadn’t been satisfied in a long time. She stepped closer to him, putting her arm inside his jacket. He took Kaytlin’s face in his hands and kissed her. It was a short kiss, testing the waters so to speak. She responded by pressing herself against him. She kissed him back, exploring the inside of his mouth with her tongue.

Suddenly, the rice cooker’s timer buzzed, making them both jump. They laughed.

Kaytlin tucked her hair behind her ear. "I’ll... uhh...just go take care of that." She walked past Krycek and into the kitchen. She unplugged the rice cooker and stared at it for a moment. What am I doing? I’m setting myself up to be hurt again. For some reason that really didn’t matter at this point. All that mattered was that in her dining room stood a man who made her hormones rage like no one else ever had. And she wanted him. Even if it was just for one or two nights, however long he could or would stay. Knowing how the FBI worked, unless he didn’t want to prolong the inevitable, he would have to leave here soon. A hand brushed her hair off her neck. Soft warm lips caressed her neck.

"Can that sit for awhile?" He kissed her neck some more.

"Yeah, it can sit all night." She reached behind her and felt his crotch.

He was hard. And big. She smiled. Just how she liked ‘em. She turned around and took his hand. "Come on." She led him to the living room. She motioned to the couch. "Sit. I’m gonna get the fireplace going." She opened the fireplace screen. Everything was ready to go from last night when she had feel asleep before she could light it. She took the box of matches off the mantel and lit the paper under the wood and kindling. She closed the screen and laughed at herself. This was one of her fantasies, to have wild, passionate sex in front of a romantic fire. She turned to Krycek. He had taken off his jacket and unbuttoned a few more buttons on his shirt. She walked up to him. Running her finger down his exposed chest, she straddled his lap. "So, tell me something, Special Agent Krycek..." She saw him swallow hard. "Why couldn’t you have come into my life sooner?" She bent down and kissed him.

He put his arm around her waist and pulled her down on to him. She felt his hardness against her and it felt good. He pulled her blouse out of her pants and reached up to undo her bra. She unbuttoned his shirt completely and pulled it open. She ran her hands across his chest. He wasn’t well muscled, but he still felt good to the touch. Krycek pulled Kaytlin’s blouse and bra off. He kissed each of her breasts then circled her nipples with his finger. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back and enjoyed the tingling sensation running through her. He took one breast in his mouth and the other in a hand. With his other hand, he unbuttoned, then unzipped Kaytlin’s pants. Kaytlin slid off the couch, pulling Krycek to his feet. She pulled off his shirt then slipped a finger through a belt loop and led him in front of the fireplace. She licked his stomach just above his pants and smiled as she saw the goose bumps rise on his skin. She undid his pants and slipped her hand down his boxers, as Krycek pulled her up.

They kissed, their tongues toying with each other, playing a game like a combination of tag and hide-n-go-seek. She played with the head of his penis. Intact, she thought, how nice. Finally Krycek could handle no more. He swiftly put Kaytlin down on the floor and pulled off her pants and underwear. He shoved his down far enough to expose his hard, throbbing sex. Kaytlin gasped at the feeling of him shoving inside her. Had it really been that long? Krycek’s thrusts were hard and fast, as if he too hadn’t loved in a long time. Moments later, they both came, moaning and gasping together. They lay still for a minute, letting the feeling of ecstasy slowly fade away. Krycek rolled off Kaytlin, pulling up his boxers and pushing away his pants. He kissed her on the forehead.

"Thank you, Kaytlin."

Kaytlin didn’t know what to say. No one had ever thanked her before for having sex with them. And ‘you’re welcome’ didn’t seem like the appropriate reply. So, she snuggled up to him and closed her eyes.

"Who’s that?"

Kaytlin looked up and followed Krycek’s gaze to the pictures on the mantle behind her. "That’s Lucas. He was my best friend."

"Was?"

"He...he uh...drowned." Kaytlin turned to face the fire and pulled Krycek’s arm around her.

"How long ago?" Krycek propped himself up on his elbow.

"Two months, one week, four days, and eighteen hours ago." Kaytlin closed her eyes and fought back the tears.

"I’m sorry. You must have been close."

"Yeah, who ever said diamonds are a girl’s best friend, never met Luke."

Finally, she stopped fighting. The tears rolled down he cheeks and Krycek wiped them off.

The sun was starting to come up when Kaytlin awoke. She looked around. Her trench had been laid on top of her. She got up and pulled it on. Peeking into the dining room, she saw Krycek staring out the window.

He heard her approach and turned. "You have to take that disk to Mulder today."

Kaytlin was taken back. No good morning, no how did you sleep. "Yeah, sure. As soon as I get ready." She shook her head and Krycek looked back out the window. "I’m gonna go take a shower."

As she showered, she tried to reason to herself why Krycek acted the way he did. The only thing that made sense was that he was afraid, afraid for his life and what he’d done, not just to her, but to the others he had spoke of. After she showered and dressed, Kaytlin trotted down the stairs. "Hey, Alex, why don’t I fix some breakfast..." She looked around downstairs. He was gone. She walked into the kitchen to put away last night’s dinner. It wasn’t on the stove. She opened the refrigerator. "Well, at least he was descent enough to do that." She turned and picked up the disk. "I promised I’d do it."

The drive into DC, that normally took a half-hour, seemed to take forever. Finally, she pulled up to the FBI building. Inside, she approached the receptionist. "I need to see an Agent Mulder, Fox Mulder."

"Do have an appointment?"

"No, I don’t. Just tell him it’s urgent."

"And your name?"

"Kaytlin Dar."

The receptionist picked up the phone and relayed the message. "He’ll be right down."

Kaytlin turned and watched the people going in and out. She could be one of those people. A tap on the shoulder startled her.

"Sorry about that. I’m Agent Mulder." He held out his hand.

Kaytlin took it. "Dr. Kaytlin Dar."

"Doctor?"

"Of veterinary medicine."

"Ahh, as in Dr. Doolittle. So, Dr. Dar, do you talk to the animals?" He smiled.

"Only when the people don’t listen." She laughed. "Can we go somewhere and talk?"

"Sure. Step into my office." He motioned to a small alcove in the lobby.

Kaytlin pulled the disk from her jacket before she sat down.

Mulder looked thoughtful for a moment. "Dar...Dar...That name sounds familiar."

"My father used to work for the Bureau. Until a few years ago."

"George Dar was your father?"

"Yes, that’s part of the reason I’m here." She handed Mulder the disk.

"I was given that disk by someone who said it contained information regarding the death of my father as well as more recent cover-ups. I was told you are the only one who can retrieve it."

Mulder studied the disk. "Who gave it to you?"

"I promised my source they’d remain anonymous."

Mulder wanted to push the issue, but he knew what it was like to try to protect a source. "I’ll see what I can find out."

"Here," Kaytlin handed Mulder a card. "There’s my name, address, and phone number. Not that you need it. The Bureau’s been trying to recruit me. They’ve probably got it hidden around here somewhere." She stood up. "Please let me know what you find."

"I will."

Kaytlin drove home. Instead of parking in the driveway, she drove down to the beach. She stopped the truck. Leaning against the steering wheel, she watched as the waves lapped up on the shore. Before she knew it, two hours had past and she was hungry. She pulled into the driveway and walked into the house. Tossing her stuff on the loveseat, she went to the kitchen. A box on the dining room table caught her eye. She walked over to it. She reached out to open it when the box moved. Startled, she jumped back. A muffled whimper came from inside. Slowly, Kaytlin opened it. Inside, a small, white bundle of fur wagged it’s little curled tail. She picked it up. "Hey, there little..." she looked at the puppy’s belly "...girl. Where’d you come from?" She looked inside the box. A partially chewed piece of paper sat on the bottom. Tucking the puppy under one arm, she picked up the piece of paper. "Remember me," she read aloud. She closed her eyes and sighed. "I will remember you." She looked at the puppy. "Huh, Alex, we’ll remember." The puppy licked Kaytlin’s face.

Almost a week had passed. Kaytlin had heard nothing from Agent Mulder. He’ll call if he finds something, she kept telling herself. Maybe I’ll call today, she thought, after I read the paper and have breakfast. She opened the front door and watched as Little Alex bounded outside and grabbed the end of the paper. Kaytlin laughed as the puppy tried to pull the paper up the sidewalk, growling and yapping when it would get stuck. Finally, Kaytlin walked out and picked it up. "Someday, Alex, you be big enough to bring it in." She shut the door after Alex bounced inside. She opened the paper on the dining room table.

A small article on the front page caught her eye:

Missing FBI Agent Washes Ashore Near Dares Beach:

The body of Agent Alex Krycek, missing from the Bureau for over a week, was found on the beach near S. Dares. The body, missing several parts, had probably been attacked by a shark.

Kaytlin flopped into a chair. She suddenly lost her appetite. She knew that it would come to this. But, a small part of her hoped that it would have been different. Perhaps, that Alex Krycek could have appeased his enemies and come back to her, sweeping her off her feet. She touched his name, as if to feel him one last time and say goodbye. "Thank God they didn’t print a picture." Kaytlin left the paper on the table and went upstairs to shower. It was her day off and the hospital was closed, but she thought she’d go down and check on the patients. She didn’t want to, but she had to keep busy. If she didn’t, she’d only sit around and sulk.

After showering, she put on jeans, black suede boots, and a black turtleneck. She fixed her hair and walked downstairs. As she got to the first floor, she saw Little Alex, chewing on yet another pair of sneakers. Kaytlin scowled at the puppy, who merely barked and wagged her tail as if she’d done nothing wrong. Kaytlin shook her head. It was hard to be mad at something so cute. Picking up the soggy, mangled shoe, she said "You’re a destructive little bitch, aren’t you?" Alex yapped in apparent agreement. Alex suddenly turned her attention from Kaytlin to the front door. Just as she jumped up and ran to the door, someone knocked. Alex jumped up against the front door, barking as ferociously as she could.

Kaytlin picked her as she opened the door. She was surprised to see who it was. "Agent Mulder, what are you doing here?"

"Well, you did give me your address. Besides, it’s a perfect day to catch a few waves, hang a few tens..." he grinned.

"Come on in." Kaytlin stepped aside for him to enter. "Have a seat." After shutting the door, she set the puppy down. Alex immediately ran to Mulder, who had sat on the couch, and began sniffing his shoes.

Mulder reached down and scratched her head. "So, you’re the one making all the noise."

"Yeah, my vicious watch dog. She’s a protective bitch for being so young."

Mulder’s eyes widened slightly.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that in a negative way. It’s what she is...a female dog...the correct terminology..." Kaytlin stopped as she saw Mulder chuckle. "Never mind, I think you understand. Can I get you something to drink? I’ve got water, cola, iced tea, coffee..."

"Iced tea sounds good."

Kaytlin went to the kitchen and returned with the drink Mulder had requested. She set the glass on the coffee table. "So, what’s the real reason you’re here, Agent Mulder?"

"What? I don’t look like the surfing type to you?"

"Agent Mulder, it’s 52o outside and the surf’s up to 2 maybe 3 inch swells at most. Not even diehard surfers are out."

Mulder looked down at his iced tea and smiled. "It was worth a shot." He took a sip from the glass. "I want to know who gave you that disk."

Kaytlin studied him for a moment. "Why?"

"It’s been cryptically encoded by someone from the Bureau."

"So, you should have no problems with it."

"We are having problems with some of it, but that’s not why I want to know."

"Why then?"

"This individual may be withholding information as the whereabouts of another agent."

Kaytlin shook her head. "Why are you asking me? You already know who it was."

"It was Krycek, then, wasn’t it? You know where he is, don’t you?" Mulder jumped up and headed for the stairs. "He’s here, isn’t he? You’re hiding him..."

Kaytlin had about enough of this guy. She reached under the loveseat cushion and pulled out her other hidden gun, a Colt .357 Magnum. She cocked the hammer. "Hold it right there!"

Mulder whirled around.

"Don’t make me use this, Agent Mulder." Kaytlin rose from the loveseat. "Now, you have two choices, either give me your gun and we’ll talk or get the hell out and come back with a warrant. Which is it gonna be?"

Mulder pondered the situation for a moment. "I’m not too keen on either one of them. Is there a third?" When Kaytlin didn’t reply, he added, "It’s against Bureau policy to voluntarily relinquish your weapon to anyone."

"Yeah, like you follow Bureau policy."

Mulder smiled. "Okay, let’s talk." He reached back for his gun.

"No!" Kaytlin ordered. "Come over here." She waited for Mulder to walk up to her, then reached behind him and unholstered his weapon. She did a quick pat down to make sure he wasn’t carrying anything else. "All right, have a seat." She took the guns into the kitchen as Mulder sat down.

"I just want to know where he’s at."

Kaytlin picked up the newspaper on her way back to the living room. "You already know where he’s at or doesn’t the Bureau let you read the local newspapers anymore?" She tossed the top section at him. "Right bottom corner."

Mulder scanned the article then threw it back at her. "It wasn’t him!"

For a moment Kaytlin’s heart soared and she almost smiled. Only Mulder’s serious look kept her from doing so. "How can you be so sure?"

"I saw the body." A tone of disgust was in Mulder’s voice.

"Then why was it identified as Krycek?"

"That’s just the way they work."

"They? They who?"

"The government, the Bureau, whoever has Scully." He got up and started pacing. "You have some idea of what goes on. Your father worked for the Bureau and you even went through the Academy but never joined."

"How’d you find that out? No one but the Director and Assistant Director know that."

"I have sources too," Mulder replied smartly.

Kaytlin sat down on the loveseat and leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees and resting her head in her hands. This was not a good day.

"Are you going to tell me where he’s at or not?"

Kaytlin slowly looked up and glared at Mulder. "You know, it’s assholes

like you and the people who took your partner and who were after Alex that kept me from joining the Bureau. As far as I know Alex is...." Kaytlin didn’t want to say it. She swallowed hard and forced the word from her mouth. "Dead. The first and last time I saw him was about five days ago. Now, unless you have some kind of proof that it wasn’t him on the beach..."

"I saw the man on the beach. He had black hair and was 30 pounds heavier than Krycek."

"You just walked up to the body on the beach?"

"No, I was a thousand yards away using 25 power binoculars."

"Look Mulder, Alex was in my house when I got home from work that night. He gave me the disk and told me briefly what was on it. When I got up the next morning and came down from the shower, he was gone. I went to see you, came back and spent about two hours on the beach. When I got inside, he’d apparently been here cause he left the puppy from me."

Mulder looked puzzled. "I don’t understand why you’re so protective of him or why he would go through the trouble to get you a dog." Suddenly, the answer sprung into his head and a grin spread across him face. "You slept together, didn’t you?"

"I beg your pardon? My sex life is not the issue here." Kaytlin sighed. There was really no sense in hiding it. What difference did it make if Mulder knew? "All right, so what if we did. What’s your point?"

"My point is, he had to get the dog from somewhere, a pet store or a breeder."

"Pet stores don’t often carry them and the only local breeder is in Annapolis."

"Give me the name and address."

"No. Either I go with you or forget it."

"I can look up the information."

"Yeah, but I guarantee she won’t talk to you. Breeder protocol."

"Fine, get your stuff and give me my gun back."

They drove the hour and half to the breeder’s just outside of Annapolis.

The sound of the car pulling up the driveway set off a ruckus of barking from the kenneled dogs. Before they reached the front door, Kaytlin stopped Mulder. "When we get inside, let me do the talking." Kaytlin went up and knocked on the door. A moment later, a woman in her late thirties, with brunette hair and hazel eyes answered.

"Ms. Bentton?" Kaytlin asked.

"Yes..."

"My name is Dr. Kaytlin Dar..."

"Oh, the Dr. Dar, from Dares Beach?"

"Yes, that’s me."

Her eyes lit up and she smiled, stepping aside. "Please, come in." She allowed them to enter and shut the door. "Please follow me back to my office where we can talk." Ms. Bentton led them down a hallway and into a small room. The floor was tiled and in the center sat a large desk and three chairs. A personal computer sat on one corner of the desk. "Have s seat." She waited for them to get settled. "Now what can I do for you?"

"Did you sell a Sammy puppy, a bitch, to a young gentleman about five days ago?"

"Yes I did, she was the pick of the litter. Let me check something..." She punched some keys on the computer. "That’s what I thought," she said half to herself. "Yes, he was a very nice gentleman. Didn’t you get the puppy? He said he was buying it for you."

"He gave you my name and address specifically?" Kaytlin glanced a Mulder.

"Well, he gave me your name. He couldn’t remember your exact address, but I knew where you worked so I had all the paperwork sent there. He came back a few days ago with your home address. He wanted to make sure you got the papers. Is there a problem?"

"Yes and no. What name did he give you as his?"

"Ummm, let’s see...he paid cash...oh, here it is...Michael Deneau."

Again Mulder and Kaytlin looked at each other, slightly confused. Mulder shifted in his seat. "You’re sure it was Michael Deneau?"

"Yes."

Kaytlin held up her hand to silence Mulder as he started to speak again.

"Did he show and ID?"

"Normally I do ask, but he said it was for you and all the paperwork was in your name, so I didn’t." She paused. "Would you mind telling me what the problem is? You did get the puppy, right?"

"Yes, I did and she’s wonderful. Since then, Michael has disappeared. We were hoping you might have gotten an address for him."

"No, I’m sorry I didn’t."

"That’s okay, thank you for your time." Kaytlin pulled Mulder to his feet. "We’ll find our way out."

"I do hope you find him, Dr. Dar. He spoke very fondly of you."

Kaytlin nodded and drug Mulder from the house.

Mulder stopped in his tracks half way to the car. "Excuse me, Dr. Dar, but who died and made you an FBI agent?"

"That article said Alex had been dead for about four days. She just got done telling us he was here two days ago."

"Using the alias Michael Deneau, the man your father was building the case against."

"Well, I guess the things they said about you at the Academy were true."

Kaytlin rubbed her chin, pondering her next move. "We need to see the body."

"We? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?"

Kaytlin stared blankly at him.

"You’re forgetting something...you are not a Bureau agent. As a matter a fact, you’re not an agent of any kind."

"I can work around that."

"Oh?"

"Is Skinner still the Assistant Director?"

"Yeah, why? Did you sleep with him too?"

"You’re walking a fine line Mulder! So, just shut up and take me to see him!"

After getting Kaytlin a visitor’s pass, they walked into Skinner’s outer office. His secretary looked up. "Yes?"

"Is he available?" Mulder asked.

The secretary looked from Mulder to Kaytlin. "And you are?"

"Kaytlin Dar."

She picked up the phone. "Sir, Agent Mulder and a Ms. Kaytlin Dar are here to see you....yes, sir." She hung up and started for the door. "He’ll see you now."

Kaytlin and Mulder entered the office as the secretary opened the door.

Skinner rose to greet them. He motioned to the chairs.

"Have a seat, Agent Mulder." He held out his hand. "Kaytlin, it’s been awhile. How have you been?"

Kaytlin smiled softly and shook his hand. "Fine, thank you." She glanced at the man standing behind Skinner’s desk smoking a cigarette and scowled.

Skinner turned to him. "Get out."

The man looked from Skinner to Kaytlin. He put out his cigarette and left the room.

"Thank you." Kaytlin sat next to Mulder. "My father couldn’t stand him and neither can I."

Skinner looked nervously from Kaytlin to Mulder then back to Kaytlin. "What’s the problem, Kaytlin?"

Mulder cleared his throat. "There’s reason to believe the body recovered from the beach was not that of Agent Krycek."

"How so?"

"I was there when the team recovered the body. The victim’s build and hair color were not Agent Krycek’s."

"You were there?"

"I was watching from a distance through binoculars, sir."

"That’s still not proof, Agent Mulder."

"Plus we have a witness who saw Krycek two days ago. The reports stated the body had been dead for about four days."

Skinner looked at Kaytlin. "What does this have to do with you?"

"Dr. Dar was approached..."

"Agent Mulder," Skinner interrupted, "Do you mind if I hear from her?" He saw Mulder shrug. "Thank you." He turned back to Kaytlin. "What’s going on Kayt?"

"This is all real strange, Walter..." Kaytlin told the story of how Alex Krycek came to her with the disk, about the puppy, and about the breeder. She was careful to leave out what had taken place during that night she first met Alex. But, Skinner asked the question she was trying to avoid anyway.

"Why are you so concerned with Agent Krycek? Why did he go through the trouble of leaving you a dog if he believed someone was after him?" Skinner watched as Kaytlin squirmed in her seat. It was enough of an answer for him. He leaned back in his chair. "I see. Agent Mulder, would you wait outside, please?"

Kaytlin watched as Mulder got up and walked out without a word. "Why did you ask him to leave?"

"Because, he doesn’t need to know what our relationship is."

"He’s not stupid, Walter. He’ll figure it out. How many people walk in here and call you by your first name? We don’t have anything to hide. You were my father’s friend. He asked you to be my godfather, what’s so awful about that? If anything, you’ve made it look like more by asking him to leave."

"I’d just prefer it to be this way."

Kaytlin nodded. "Okay."

"Now, why on earth did you get involved with Krycek?"

"It’s not like I was looking to. He found me. What happened after that...." she sighed. "I’m not gonna say it was a mistake. If I had to do it again, I would. There’s a possibility that he’s alive. He might know where Mulder’s partner is. If that’s not reason enough to find him, then do it because I care about him....do it for me."

Skinner rubbed him forehead. "If I agree to this, you’ll have to do something for me."

"What?"

"Join the Bureau. You’ve been through the Academy so, you won’t have to do that again. I’ll have you in the field within a week."

"And give up my vet practice? Just say to everyone ‘Bye, I’m off to join the circus’?" The part that scared Kaytlin most was that she wanted to quit the practice. But, she needed an out. And Skinner had just handed it to her on a silver platter.

Kaytlin scratched her head in confusion. "Wait a minute. When I graduated from the Academy, you’re the one who talked me out of joining. Now, all of a sudden, you’re encouraging it. Why? Do you get a bonus or something for being the one to recruit me?"

Skinner shook his head. "No. When you graduated, you were still young, still naive. You knew nothing about the real world. I didn’t want to see you get hurt."

"And now," she shrugged, "You don’t care?"

"Yes I care." He got up and started pacing. "You think I want to attend your funeral, too? To have to go down to the morgue and i.d. your body on the slab?."

"What are you talking about? You weren’t even at Dad’s funeral!"

"Yes, I was. I could have lost my job for being there. That’s why I stayed in the back of the crowd and left before it was over."

Kaytlin looked down and sighed. "All these years, I hated you for not going. I even called your office the day of the funeral to see if you were coming, but your secretary said you were out of town."

Skinner walked up behind Kaytlin and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know," he said softly. "I’m sorry it had to be that way. If I would have made it known I would be there, I could have been connected to him and what he was doing. I couldn’t take that chance."

Kaytlin looked behind her at Skinner and watched him walk slowly back to his desk. "You still haven’t answered my question. Why now?"

"You’ve had time to experience life, to learn about the bad. Your father kept you too isolated from things that might’ve hurt you when you were growing up. I think you’re better able to handle it now. If you want."

Kaytlin said nothing for a few moments, tossing her options around in here head. "Okay, deal. But, I want two things. One, along with Agent Mulder, to find out what happened to Krycek. And two, to be told what really happened to my father."

"The first one I can do. As far as your father, I only know what I’ve been told, the same as you. The files are locked. I can’t get to them. I’ll call downstairs and have them ready the paperwork for your badge and weapon, so you can pick it up before you leave."

"Thanks, Walter." She stood up and headed for the door.

"Kaytlin..."

She looked back.

"Be careful."

"I will." Kaytlin stepped outside and shut the door behind her. What am I doing, she thought. I’m about ready to go to work for the same people who killed my father.

Mulder rose when Kaytlin walked out. Seeing the look of confusion and uncertainty on her face, he said, "You look like you just stepped into something that smells really bad."

"Yeah, I did....my dad’s shoes." She motioned to the hall. "We need to go pick up my stuff before we leave."

Mulder walked along with her. "So, what’s up with you and Skinner anyway? Are you getting ‘fringe’ benefits with this job?"

Kaytlin shot Mulder a cold, hard look. "Let me get something straight with you, Agent Mulder. What I do with my life is none of your business! This is the second reference to a sexual relationship with him and if there’s one more, I’ll shoot you myself." Kaytlin stormed away.

"Oooh, a wee bit touchy, aren’t we?" He smirked, watching her jab at the elevator button several times.

Kaytlin said nothing to him as they went downstairs. She filled out the paperwork and waited while they readied her ID badge. She had a strange feeling that Mulder was gonna be a real pain in the ass to work with. But, for the time being, he was a necessary evil. The clerk behind the counter handed her the badge and gun. Kaytlin simply nodded and head for the garage.

"Hey, are you gonna talk to me or what?" Mulder waited for a response. "Look, I’m sorry about the comment, it was just a little joke."

"Very little." She paused as they reached the car. "Okay, look.... Walter for some reason prefers that our relationship remain a secret. But, I’ll tell you just to make you look like an idiot for those comments."

"Oh, well thank you."

"Not that I think you really need any help."

Mulder gave her a sideways smirk. "Har har."

"He and my father were good friends. When I was born, my father asked Walter to be my godfather. It’s that simple."

"Oh."

Kaytlin smiled. The looked of extreme embarrassment on Mulder’s face was priceless. "I need to go back to my place."

Kaytlin opened the front door to her house expecting to be greeted by her puppy. But, she wasn’t. "That’s strange.....Alex....here girl..." She whistled a few times. Finally she heard the familiar thumping sound coming down the stairs. And Alex ran up to her, yapping in excitement. Kaytlin motioned to the couch. "Have seat, Mulder." Out of the corner of her eye she saw him sit down. She had no sooner set her FBI issue Sig. down on the counter in the kitchen, when she heard the upstairs creak. She looked at Mulder and shook her head. Picking up the gun, she walked to the bottom of the stairs and waited for Mulder to join her. The feeling of deja vu overcame her. Only, this time Mulder was with her. She made her way up the stairs, her back pressed against the wall, looking towards the master bedroom.

Mulder, watching the other direction, inched up the stairs.

As they got to the top of the stairs, Kaytlin saw that the master bedroom door was slightly ajar. She covered for Mulder as he quickly checked the other rooms. Again, she knew nothing would be found there. So she crept along the wall to the double doors of the bedroom. She waited for Mulder to get into position before bursting into the room. A cold chill came over her, like nothing she’d felt before. There were no windows in the bedroom to be open. She looked at Mulder to see if he felt the same thing. Apparently he did because his eyes were wide and mouth slightly open. Kaytlin looked on the bed. A single red rose and a key lay upon it. She reached forward to pick up the key when she felt a cold, icy hand grip her arm. She screamed. Whirling around, she saw nothing. And then the coldness in the room vanished.

"What?!? What happened?"

Kaytlin stood staring at the door, trembling. "I...I...felt something. It grabbed my arm."

"When you first came in here, it was cold, wasn’t it?"

Kaytlin nodded.

"And then right after you screamed, the coldness was gone?"

She nodded again. "What do you thing it was?"

Mulder began searching the room. "Probably a spirit or other kind of entity."

"You mean a ghost?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Mulder, there are no such thing as ghosts."

"Oh, yeah, then how do you explain what just happened?"

"It was just a figment of my imagination. My mind playing tricks on me."

"Then why did I feel the same coldness when I walked in here, Scul.... I mean Kaytlin." He paused and looked down. "I’m sorry, you just sounded so much like her."

"It’s okay. I understand." She looked down again at the rose and key. She didn’t want to believe Mulder was right. Ghosts were something adults used to scare little kids with. But, her explanation could not solve the mystery as to how the rose and key got on the bed or who made the floor creak. She picked up the key and the rose.

"Any idea what it might be to?"

"Huh?"

"The key, Kaytlin, the key! What do you think it’s to?"

"I don’t know," she said shaking her head. "Nothing around here."

Putting the key in her pocket, she walked out of the room and back down stairs to the kitchen and put the rose in a glass of water.

Mulder touched her on the shoulder, causing her to jump. "Sorry...look, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I’m fine. I wanna go look at there area of beach where the body was found."

"You expect to find something?"

Kaytlin was about to answer when Mulder’s cellular rang.

He pulled it out. "Yeah.........you’re kidding?.........okay, thanks Danny." He let out a heavy sigh as he put the phone back in his jacket. "I called a friend while you were talking to Skinner to find out about the body that was supposedly recovered."

"What do you mean supposedly?"

"There is no record of any body being brought to the morgue with the past four days that even closely resemble Krycek."

Kaytlin thought for a moment. "Can your friend get us Krycek’s last known address?"

"I don’t see why not." Mulder called Danny again and requested the information which was promptly supplied.

"Good, let’s go to the beach then check out his place." Kaytlin took several steps forward when the puppy ran up to her running in circles and barking. "What? You wanna go too?" She went to the hall closet and pulled out a purple leash and collar and slipped it on the puppy.

"If she makes a mess, I ain’t cleaning it up." Mulder said walking out the door.

The stretch of beach where the body of Krycek was said to have been found looked like any other stretch of New England beach. The sidewalk separated the beach from rows of bushes and the occasional beach house. Small soft waves lapped up on the shore as the breeze carried the ocean mist through the air.

Kaytlin scanned the area, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She really didn’t know what she expected to find. She had hoped answers to the many questions puzzling her. "Where were you when you saw them bring the body ashore?"

Mulder pointed up the street which they stood at the end of. "In front of the fifth house on the right." He then turned back to the beach. "And they were standing about....." He walked down towards the water. ".....here."

Kaytlin followed him to the spot. As she glanced around, Little Alex tugged at the leash, pulling her off balance. "Whoa girl......" She watched as the puppy sniffed the beach. She knelt down and unhooked the leash. The puppy didn’t go far, it just continued to sniff the ground as if to find something.

"You still haven’t told me what you’re looking for."

"Oh come on, Mulder. You can’t be that blind. I’m looking for clues and answers."

"And we just seem to be getting more questions." Mulder’s phone rang again.

"Popular guy." Kaytlin grinned.

"Mulder.......it’s what?!?!.......shit!......did you have copies?.......great. Thanks." He stuffed the phone back where it came from.

"Now what?"

"The disk you gave me and all the papers Danny had on it are gone and he didn’t have copies."

"Damn! I guess someone doesn’t want us to find anything out." Suddenly, Little Alex began to growl and sniff the air. "What’s wrong girl?" Kaytlin looked around.

"Someone’s watching us." Mulder tugged on Kaytlin’s arm. "Get the dog and let’s go."

Kaytlin picked up the still growling puppy and rushed to the car after Mulder. She put the dog in the back and got in. She turned to Mulder to ask a question, but was silenced by him as he put his finger to his lips. She waited until they were clear of the beach before she spoke. "How did you know we were being watched?"

"A car pulled up to the end of the next street over and no one got out."

"I didn’t see anyone pull up."

"They used the stealth approach."

"Where to now?"

Mulder glanced in his rearview mirror. "No where until we lose these guys."

Kaytlin looked in the side mirror. A government issue Ford Taurus was about five or six car lengths behind them. "They are certainly making themselves obvious."

"That’s the idea." Mulder made a quick left turn down a side street, tossing Kaytlin against the door.

A soft yelp came from the back seat.

Mulder made another sharp turn, this time to the right. "You’d better hold on to her."

Kaytlin unbuckled her seat belt and reached back for the dog. She noticed the car still behind them.

As soon as Kaytlin had returned to her seat, Mulder stomped on the gas. He made more sharp turns, then pulled into a covered parking structure. He pushed Kaytlin down across the center console of the car. "Stay down," he ordered, doing the same.

A few seconds later, they heard the other car whiz by. Mulder waited a couple more seconds before he backed out of the space and continued on their way. "Chances are they’ve already been to Krycek’s or will be soon. Hopefully, we’ll get there first."

They cautiously made their way up the stairs to Krycek’s apartment. About 10 feet away, they noticed the door was ajar.

Kaytlin glanced at Mulder who shrugged and readied himself to kick the door open the rest of the way. Kaytlin stood to cover him, but knew whoever had been there was long gone. She nodded to Mulder and followed him inside when the door flew open.

The small bachelor pad looked as if a tornado had touched down in it.

Every drawer was emptied and its contents scattered on the floor.

"You think they found what they were looking for?" Kaytlin shoved a pile of clothes out of the way with her foot.

"Probably. These guys are thorough." He knelt down and began to shuffle through a pile of papers.

Kaytlin walked up to the desk across from the door. She pushed aside some papers when a small receipt floated slowly to the floor. The same cold chill overcame her, just as in her bedroom. She looked at Mulder, who seemed unaffected, then down at the receipt. She slowly bent down to pick it up. Just as she had it in her hand, something gripped her shoulder. Then a low voice whispered in her ear, "Be careful." Chills ran down Kaytlin’s spine as the hair on the back of her neck stood up. It sounded like Krycek. She stood up and the chill in the air was gone. She swallowed hard to calm down and looked at the receipt. "Mulder."

Mulder looked back at her. "What? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost."

"Look at this." She held out the receipt.

Mulder got up and took it out of her hand. "It’s a receipt for locker rentals at the boat dock."

Kaytlin pulled the key out of her pocket. Engraved on it was the number 3256. "It could be for a locker."

"Do you know where these lockers are at?"

"Yeah, you go right by my place to get to them."

"All right, let’s go."

They trotted down the stairs to the car. Kaytlin opened the car door and saw the puppy happily chewing on the center console. "Christ, dog!" Little Alex looked up and wagged her tail.

Mulder looked at Kaytlin in disgust. "You can explain it to Skinner!"

They climbed in the car and head for the lockers. As they passed Kaytlin’s house she noticed something wasn’t right. "Stop!"

"What?"

"Stop!!"

Mulder slammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt just past the driveway.

"What?!"

"My front door is open."

Mulder threw the car in reverse and backed into the driveway.

Kaytlin ran from the car and into the house. She stopped several feet inside the door. The house had been turned upside down. All the pictures on her walls had been torn down and smashed. The sofa cushions, ripped open, lay all over the floor. Kaytlin knew the kitchen and upstairs looked no better.

Mulder came up behind her and whistled. "Haven’t even been with the Bureau 24 hours and you’ve already made enemies."

She walked over to a picture of herself and Lucas. A tear fell on the picture. "Is nothing sacred to these people," she asked herself. Then out loud she said, "Apparently, they didn’t find what they were looking for." The puppy came up and rubbed against her leg. She picked it up. "I think you’d better stay here, little one. It’ll be safe now." She took the dog upstairs and locked her in the bathroom. She came back down and headed for the door. "Come one, let’s go."

They arrived at the boat dock and headed for the lockers at the end of the pier. They approached the young female clerk at the desk and flashed their badges.

"Is this to one of your lockers?" Kaytlin asked, showing the clerk the key.

"Yes."

Kaytlin nodded and headed down one of the many rows of lockers.

"What was the number again?" Mulder asked.

"3256." A minute later Kaytlin heard Mulder shout he’d found it. She darted over several rows and saw him. She went over to him and opened the locker. Inside was a small black computer diskette. She snatched it up and stuffed it in her trenchcoat pocket. "Let’s get outta here!"

They ran out of the locker shop and started down the pier when the bullets began to fly. Kaytlin ducked behind several metal trashcans as Mulder raced ahead. From the sound of the shots being fired, there were probably two shooters. Every time Kaytlin went to run, the shooter forced her back. Finally, she knew she just had to make a dash for it. She had gone almost twenty feet when she felt the hot, sharp pain of a bullet entering her chest. It knocked her down and she rolled off the dock and into the water. Kaytlin tried to keep her head above the water, but the weight of her soaked trench and clothes combined with the pain in her chest made it near impossible. She started to see visions of her first dog, Lucas and of her mother and father. Her parents were standing in front of her , their arms outstretched as if to welcome her. Lucas stood with them wagging his tail. In the background was another familiar figure, Krycek. She felt as though she was moving closer and closer to them. She saw the tears in her mother’s eyes and heard her say "Welcome home, Kayt." Then Kaytlin felt an arm around her chest. It was the last thing she remembered.

A week later, Mulder and Skinner stood in front of Kaytlin. She was wearing her favorite purple and white suit. Her blonde hair was combed neatly over her shoulders and shown up nicely against the black satin lining of the coffin.

*** THE END***