Title: An Ode To Maybe

Author: Carla (moviebuff001)

Rating: Pg-13-Language, sexual content, violence

Category: The X-Files

Archiving: Sure, just tell me

Feedback: Who doesn't?

Spoilers: Most Alex Krycek episodes and some of the mythology.

Summary: Alex Krycek is hired to kill someone, but he has a little trouble completing the job…

Disclaimer: If I did own Alex Krycek, he’d still be alive. So, alas he belongs to Chris Carter and 1013. All quotes are from the Matthew Good Band.

Between the night and day lost in the law of averages

Chapter 1

New York City

Sandra Ames threw her car keys at a nearby table, missing by at least a foot. Uncaring, her jacket dropped in a heap by the door, followed by her shoes and purse. She didn't bother turning on any lights, despite the fact that she ran into an end table and a couch.

She was just about to enter her bedroom, when she felt a piece of cold metal against the nape of her neck. A strong arm quickly wrapped across her chest, pressing her into the body of the intruder.

"Don't say a word," the voice was a harsh unfamiliar whisper.

The thought of struggling never crossed her mind, she was frozen.

"What do you want," much to her chagrin, her voice shook, as did her breath.

The intruder didn't move, he was so close to her that she could feel his breath against her bare neck. His breath was fast and hard, betraying whatever calmness, he was supposed to have.

The gun that was now placed beside her temple, dropped quickly, only to be replaced in her back. Sandra could barely even feel the gun, the arm, though still holding her firm, relaxed slightly.

They stood there for what seemed like an eternity before their silence was broken, "You can do this easily or hard, it's up to you," he told her gently nudging her forwards and releasing her out of his grasp. The gun was still at her back, though she wasn't sure whether it was going to be used or not.

Sandra walked slowly towards the door where he was leading her with his gun. She contemplated his voice when he had spoken, although she had never heard it before, she had a strange feeling about it. When he had spoken she knew he meant for his words to be harsh and menacing, but his tone betrayed him. She got this strange feeling that he was leading her to some kind of execution.

"Get your keys and your coat," he demanded, his tone steadier, "I'm being nice but don't think that'll deter me from shooting you," he warned.

Sandra kept her back to him as she picked her coat and keys off the floor. Her brain was going a hundred miles a minute trying to devise a plan to escape.

She lived in an apartment on the third floor, her door was three doors down from the door to the stairs. She could run to her neighbours, though they would probably have no idea who she was, but hopefully, that would be enough to scare off this man.

The door opened, she had her chance and she took it. Running, she got the door, slamming it behind her, locking it with her key. She ran to her neighbours, the door to Sandra's apartment opened, her kidnapper appeared.

It was the first time either had seen each other and for that eternal second they just stared at each other. Unknown to either why, they felt a strange bond something unlike what they had either felt before.

Even from the distance she could see his green eyes, which were swarmed with warring emotions. Hate, fear, sadness and guilt, all mixed together, attempting to hide behind his glare.

That brief second was interrupted by him walking towards Sandra, she instantly reacted, banging on the door and yelling for help. The man was on her quickly, covering her mouth and pulling her behind a corner. She tried to struggle and make some noise but to no avail.

"If your neighbour gets in the way I will kill them, so you really want that?" His threat was hot in her ear.

Her neighbour opened the door, the old lady looked around, Sandra kept her mouth shut. Seeing no one, the old lady went back in her apartment.

Pushing her towards the stairs, they both ran down them to the parking garage and over to her car.

"You drive." He dragged her over to the passenger side of the SUV, making her climb over the seat to the driver's side.

Sandra gripped the steering wheel, she stole a quick glance at her assailant. His jaw was clenched and he was scanning the lot constantly.

"Where are we going?" She was practically yelling she was so tense.

"Turn left up here and follow the road," he seemed to relax once they were in the night traffic.

She knew she had to keep calm but her voice was taking its own route, "Listen, you better tell me where you're taking me or-"

"Or what?" He motioned to the gun, "It doesn't matter anyways, you don't want to know where were going." There was a hint of guilt, or was it sadness, in his voice.

"At least tell me your name," Sandra said more calmly.

"It's Alex. Alex Krycek."

 

My devil’s on roller skates

Chapter 2

The mood was solemn, no one dared to speak until the leader had arrived. Each person had only heard rumours about what this meeting was about and they could only fear the worst.

James Haden scanned the room, he was by far the youngest. Most of the men and spent their entire lives here, searching for whatever their themed justice was that week. Although his twenty-three years of existence was deceiving, he wasn't new, he knew how things worked and he had enough experience to gain respect.

As he took his seat, he saw the nervous rustling of papers stop, the wringing of hands desist and he could see out of the corner of his eye the reason. Joseph Neller.

All eyes were locked on Neller as he took his seat. A large sigh escaped his lips as he prepared to address the group, then an almost smile graced his lips.

"She's been found and captured," breaths that had been held, were joyously released. "She should be dead within the hour." Neller assured the group.

Haden was unconvinced, "How do we know that this Alex Krycek can be trusted? Especially when every source we have says otherwise."

Neller turned to face the younger man, annoyance clear on his face, "Alex Krycek has wanted to join The Resistor's for quite some time, he will not betray us."

"Can you be sure of that, I sure I don't have to remind you of what could happen if the consortium gets a hold of her."

"Mr. Haden, you have every reason to be concerned but I assure you, we have several constituency plans in place if any thing were to go wrong," Neller turned his attention back to the rest of the group, "You will all be contacted when the assassination is confirmed. That is all, thank you." Neller stood up and swiftly walked out the room, leaving behind a group of men to talk enthusiastically about the next step in their plan.

 

The secret’s out, but it’s too loud to think it

Chapter 3

She could feel his hand pressing lightly into the small of her back, Sandra wasn't sure if it was just an ingrained form of chivalry or whether it was a form of control. When their eyes locked for a brief second, she tried to read his eyes. A wall, it was the only way to describe his eyes and him.

The smell of smoke was potent as they entered a large, dark office. The only light was coming from four small lamps in the corners of the rectangular room. A large, long oak wood table filled most of the room, with the exception of the back of the room. She was lead to a grey couch with a stark chair directly across from it. If she believed in that kind of stuff, she could swear that she felt an malevolence to the room.

"Ms. Ames, it is truly a pleasure to finally meet you," said a man holding a cigarette as he came in through a hidden doorway. He turned to Krycek, "Alex, it's so good to see you again. It's been such a long time since we truly worked together."

Krycek's only response was a hard, cold stare, his contempt as obvious as the lit cigarette dangling in the man's hand.

The smoking man's tone changed to a less kinder version, "that will be all for now." He motioned for Krycek to leave.

Krycek walked straight up to the man, staring him down, "I found her, I got her here, I want to know why."

CSM smirked, slowly inhaling his cancer stick. "Very well."

Sandra finally found her voice, "Excuse me, but I think I have the right to know what's going on." Her voice was surprisingly strong, despite the shaking her hands.

"I have no desire to keep anything from you, my dear. Please, have a seat. I'll be right back."

Her stomach cringed at the sound of him calling her his 'dear', not to mention just about everything else about him.

Krycek took a quick look around before sitting down on the couch, he continued to watch her as she paced. Reluctantly, Sandra sat down beside him, if only to get him to look somewhere else. His eyes drifted away, settling her stomach a bit.

Sandra nervously played with her ring, wringing her hands, Krycek quickly put his hands over hers. Either it was an action to stop annoying him or to comfort her.

Krycek left his hand there for a long time, longer than he had intended, in actuality he hadn't even meant to touch her, it was just a reflex. That unnerved him, this whole situation unnerved him. He was getting a strange feeling about this girl. He was discovering emotions that he didn't think he contained anymore.

At the sound of the door opening, his hand jerked back. CSM re-entered, a disturbing grin on his face.

As if she had found some form of inner strength, Sandra stood up, "If you don't tell me exactly what is going on, I'll break both your kneecaps and take that stupid grin off your face with my shoe."

Krycek placed his hand over his face in a weak attempt to cover his own grin.

His smile gone, CSM calmly took another drag off his cigarette, blowing the smoke in her face, she didn't even flinch.

He tried a different tactic, "Did you know Ms. Ames, that you were adopted?"

"Did you known that liars go to hell?" She mirrored his flat tone.

CSM, clearly not amused, forced a file folder into her hands.

Sandra opened it; pictures, birth documents, her parents signatures on adoption papers, strange medical tests. The pure weight of it all forced her back into her seat.

"Now then, " CSM took a step closer to them, still standing. "Are you ready for the truth?"

Had she not been so confused she might have laughed at his over-dramatic words. Her eyes passed over CSM but unconsciously stayed on Krycek.

CSM began, "More than 25 years ago an idea was conceived, to make an alien-human hybrid. You, my dear, were the result."

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She'd been kidnapped by a bunch of lunatics. She relaxed a little, the contents of the file she'd just seen, must have been doctored by these alien-UFO chasers.

CSM continued on, not even looking at her, "You were going to be used as a weapon against the aliens. When they invade this planet they release a "black oil" that will turn the human race into their slaves. You are immune to this. Unfortunately the very scientist that created you, hid you from us. We've been looking for you for the past twenty years." His smile was back.

Sandra didn't believe a single word that came out of his smoke filled mouth. She had feeling he knew it too, as he turned his attention to Krycek.

"I see you work just as well as with one arm," seeing Sandra's confusion, CSM clarified, "Alex had an unfortunate incident in a Russian forest and lost his left arm." CSM walked away to the phone to make a call.

Sandra absorbed the information she'd just heard, more specifically about her kidnapper. The idea of a weakness added to the layers she was determined to peel away.

Two men suddenly burst through the doors, their appearance reeked of steroid use. They stomped towards her, grabbing her by each arm. A women in a white lab coat walked towards her, brandishing a large needle.

"What are you doing?" Krycek demanded, walking over to CSM.

"We need to run some tests, nothing that concerns you."

The needle jabbed painfully into her arm, causing the room to get hazy, then it started to spin. Her own screams and kicks dissipating as her vision did.

Seeing that she was unconscious, CSM turned his attention back to Krycek. "I suppose you would like your payment, " CSM said, not waiting for an answer.

Krycek stood staring as they dragged her body away.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while

Chapter 4

"This will be quite painless if you just stay calm and don't move," It was a women's voice speaking to her, though she couldn't see the face.

A door slammed and Sandra was sure she alone in what looked like an operating room. The room was cold, with a malevolence atmosphere she could taste in the air. Her wrists and ankles were tied to the table, though she doubted even if they weren't she would have the energy to move.

A sharp sound went off in the distance, a gun shot, then a yell and then another shot. She heard the door burst open and Alex Krycek's face appear above her.

"Do you think you can walk?" He asked while releasing her from her restraints.

"Would it not have been easier to not kidnap me in the first place, then trying to save me now?" Her voice had taken on a nice drunk tone.

"The I wouldn't have gotten my money," he said cheerfully, lifting her off the table with his good arm.

"Oh, so your one of those guys," Sandra tried to stand but only succeeded in stumbling into Alex. He wrapped her arm around his shoulders and half dragged her to the door.

"Do you know how to fight?" He asked, scanning the outside hallway.

"I do Tae Bo," she told him, as they rushed to the stairwell, "2" she added, as if it made a difference. She was still feeling rather drunk.

Alex somehow managed to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder, using his only arm and carried her down the stairs.

"My knight in shining..." she paused to look at him, "leather."

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Alex stopped to pear out the door, putting her back down on the floor but still supporting her body.

"We just need to make it through this hallway and we're out of here."

"Let me guess, is there snakes, two dragon's and a Sumo wrestler in that hallway?" She said sarcastically.

"It's empty."

"Famous last words."

Alex again, half dragged Sandra down the hallway. They were halfway there when two men came charging down around the corner.

Alex swiftly pulled out his gun and managed to wound on the men in the shoulder, before the gun was knocked to the ground.

Finally finding some abnormal strength, Sandra kicked the other man in the stomach. Her leg then hooked around his neck, holding him there for Alex to knock out with his fist. The shot man stumbled towards them, wrapping her arms around Alex's neck Sandra jumped kicked him right square in the face, knocking him unconscious.

"I thought you said you couldn't fight, " Alex stared at her on shock, his arm still supporting her.

"No, I said I did Tae Bo," she, herself was quite surprised by her own strength.

"Tae Bo taught you that?"

"That...and episodes of Kung Fu: The Legend Continues maybe?"

They heard footsteps coming from another hallway, coming towards them.

"Time to run," Alex grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hallway and into the door at the end.

"Can you do me a favour?" Sandra asked, after the door was closed, "Catch me." With that she collapsed into his arm.

This ain’t real baby I’ve got a better excuse for myself

Chapter 5

Sandra felt the same way she had after her four-day eighteenth birthday celebration. Everything was hazy, not to mention the metallic taste in her mouth and the pounding headache that she was sure was the result of someone taking a baseball bat to her head.

"Sleeping beauty awakes," a familiar male voice said to her.

Sandra heard a strange noise, which she later realized was her as she struggled to open her eyes and see who was talking to her.

"Here," the voice was finally paired up with a face, Alex Krycek's. He helped her sit and brought a glass of water to her lips.

After she was done drinking, she finally allowed herself to remember the events of past. "Dammit."

Alex laughed a bit, "So I'm assuming that you remember."

"I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone." She struggled to sit up, her headache and vision clearing.

He helped her sit back against some pillows, "Welcome to my world." His remained on her arm, seemingly unnoticed by him.

Alex gave her a small smile and walked out of the room. Only then did Sandra take stock of her surroundings. She was in a bedroom and judging from her experience, a guys room. The windows were covered with heavy navy drapes, so she couldn't see outside. Looking to where Alex had just gone into, she could see a small, neat kitchen and den with a black leather couch.

When she slowly got out of the bed, she found that she was only in her bra and underwear. Looking around she saw a robe and put it on. She could faintly smell Alex in it, which scared her a bit, the fact that she had already memorized his scent and secretly it made her feel a little faint.

Shaking her head, an attempt to rid herself of foolish teenage behaviour, she walked out into the kitchen, where Alex was, surprisingly, cooking eggs.

"And he cooks too. How is it you're still single?" She asked in mock surprise. "Oh, I know, you break into people's homes and kidnap them."

"What makes you think I'm single?" Alex countered but Sandra only rolled her eyes.

Normally people in her situation would be terrified, desperately trying to find a way to escape but the idea never even crossed her mind. She felt strangely comfortable here, more so than even in her own apartment. Whether that amounted to insanity or the remnants of the drugs injected into her the night before.

"Do want some breakfast?" He asked turning off the stove.

"No, offence but not entirely sure you wouldn't be trying to kill me." He gave her a lopsided grin. "Meanwhile, where are my clothes?" She motioned to the robe she had borrowed.

Alex stared at her for a moment, up till now he really hadn't gotten a chance to study her. She had short, chin length brown hair, which he usually wasn't a fan of but on her, he thought it looked quite good.

Before he had actually kidnapped her, Alex had spent many days following her, getting her routine. She was tall but shorter than him, but he knew she routinely wore high heeled shoes, whether that was a fashion thing or power thing he wasn't sure. She barely wore much make-up and her clothes were practical and simple.

She was attractive and young but there was something else, something he couldn't describe with words. He felt some strange sort...connection, for lack of a better word, and it was driving him insane.

Sandra knew he was staring and she wasn't one to be intimated by that. It wasn't that it happened regularly or at all but maybe it was him that just couldn't intimidate her. She took advantage of the situation to consider him.

The most striking thing about him was his bright green eyes, yet they were spoiled by the pain she could see desperately hidden in them. He was wearing a black sweater and jeans and she could see his was in good shape. He was attractive but she wasn't about to admit that she was attracted to a total stranger.

He finally answered her question about her clothes, "They're in the bathroom," he motioned to a near-by door.

Sandra wanted to ask him, why exactly her clothes had been taken off but she didn't dare.

Alex saw the question in her eyes as she turned around and walked into the bathroom but he didn't answer it for her. He'd done it in quite a gentlemanly fashion, though it had been quite a struggle to keep his eyes from wandering.

As soon as she had closed the bathroom door, Alex let out the breath he had been holding. He was becoming way too emotional about this girl...about everything. He’d learned over the years to keep his emotions out of his work, which then had resulted in what he thought, him losing all emotion. He hadn’t heard a breath from his conscious in a long time, and now it was yelling and screaming at him.

He’d been hired to kidnap her for CSM and he’d also been hired by The Resistors to kill her. His plan had been simple, bring her to CSM, collect the money, pull her out of there and then kill her. He’d already wasted too much time, he needed to concentrate and finish the job.

He went over to his leather jacket and got his gun, then walking back over to the kitchen counter and leaned forward on it.

He felt the same way he had the first time he had made a hit, it had been in a man’s bathroom and the man’s son had accidentally come in...his memory was interrupted by the door opening.

Alex turned, holding the gun behind his back, his finger resting on the trigger. Sandra walked over to him, not noticing his intentions. She held a damp cloth, she stopped only inches away from him.

“I noticed you were bleeding,” she said quietly, placing the cloth to the cut on his forehead. She was well aware of the change in the atmosphere, though she didn’t know the root of it.

She removed the cloth to take a closer look, she touched his face, examining the cut. It must have been her imagination, but she could have sworn that when she touched the cut, it got smaller. Sandra pressed her finger to the cut again and this time she was sure it shrunk. She ran her finger slowly across the entire cut and saw it disappear before her very eyes.

She stepped away from him, a look of pure terror in her eyes but Alex interpreted as her seeing the gun.

“Will you run,” the words flew out his mouth before connecting with his brain.

She kept her eyes on where his cut had been only seconds ago, “What?”

“If I asked you to run...” he paused, “...run with me, would you?”

Her mind cleared at his question and without thinking she answered, ”Yes.”

Alex shoved the gun into the back of his jeans, grabbed his jacket and her hand and fled.