<br>Do Over<br>by PEJA<br><br><br>Fandom: Once A Thief/XFiles<br>Pairing: Vic/LiAnn, LiAnn/Mac, Vic/Mac, Krycek/Skinner/Mulder -- all implied <br>Portrayed by: casts are listed below story<br>Category: Slash, implied het<br>
Rating: FRM<br>Status: Complete<br>Spoilers: Once A Thief pilot movie and the ep where Krycek is killed<br>Series/Sequel: Oh, please....like I need another WIP to complete. <br>Brief Summary: Krycek gets a do over and a second chance to get life right<br>
Warnings: Not a character death. No original Krycek's were harmed in the creation of this story<br>warning of a sort: Mac and LeAnn's private conversation in Cantonese is shown here in English. I don't speak Hong Kong, and it would lose a lot to the rest of us who don't speak the language if we missed the fun bits, wouldn't it<br>
Notes/acknowledgments: Thanks to AmazonX for getting back to me about the language. Written for the IDIC (<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IDIC_fic_fest">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IDIC_fic_fest</a>) challenge. My challenge was X-files/Once a Thief - (Mess with a timeline to make it fit.) After Alex Krycek did everything he needed to he faked his death and started working toward redemption in the guise of Victor Mansfield, a Canadian cop and all around good guy. Now he is once again working for a secret government organization and his partner is making it very, very hard to remember that he is supposed to be a goodie-goodie type. The fact that he can understand all those snide comments in Chinese isn't exactly helping. - I'm fiddling with the challenge a bit to meet my muses demands but I hope it will be close enough<br>
General thanks to all of you folks who are requesting short fics and improvs in the various fandoms. You're keeping the words flowing.<br>Disclaimers: Not mine.<br>Archive: Yes, but ask first, include the complete story and provide a URL to the archive<br>
Forwarding to other lists: Okay, but keep my name and headers attached. A heads up would be nice as well.<br><br><br><br>DC<br>9:37 PM<br>Underground Parking lot <br><br>He didn't see it coming until the needle bit into his neck. In the blinking of an eye, he slumped into the strong arms of the dark-skinned man, Dobrinsky, who had maneuvered around behind him. He opened his mouth to cry out, but no sound passed his lips as the drug froze his vocal cords. Fighting the numbing effects of whatever the bastard, Camier, had pumped into his blood-stream, he tried to break free of the man, but the two cadaverous cleaners, Camier and his seemingly never apart partner, Murphy, immobilized his arms and legs with ease, stifling his feeble struggles with almost no effort at all. <br>
<br>His head whipped round, horrified disbelief written in his paling features, to stare at the beautiful, devious brunette woman at his side. <br><br>She smiled coldly, lifting a finger to her lips, then tilted her head toward the man approaching Mulder in the car, gun in hand. The man who was his mirror image. <br>
<br>A clone?<br><br>Before his eyes, the twin directed his gun toward the unsuspecting agent. Dawning horror splashed over Krycek as his twin's lips moved, but they were to far away to hear. Mulder's head rose, turning toward the twin. His eyes widened on the gun. Good agent to the end, he started talking. Stalling for time.<br>
<br>Krycek recognized the anger in Mulder's face. Cringed at the calm in his twin's mocking grin. A grin he'd played out himself so many times before. He turned imploring eyes back on the woman. Begging her with the power of his gaze to stop this before it went to far. To save Mulder. <br>
<br>God, it would destroy him if Mulder believed he had welded the killing stroke. <br><br>The woman grasped his chin and forced his head around, compelling him to watch.<br><br>A wave of relief swept over him as Skinner appeared, only to be washed away as a shot echoed in the shadowed garage. Skinner had shot him. <br>
<br>Him! <br><br>Well, his twin.<br><br>He watched as the twin spoke again, raising his gun even now, taking aim at Mulder.<br><br>Another shot and the twin was down.<br><br>Krycek allowed himself to believe that it was over for the time it took to draw a breath, but the twin was creeping toward that fucking gun again. Determined to finish what he had begun.<br>
<br>Krycek was wild with disbelief. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't. God in his heaven, Skinner and Mulder would believe he'd pulled the trigger. That he had assassinated Mulder. After everything he'd done for them...all the risk... He'd proven himself...hadn't he?<br>
<br>A third shot rippled through the dimly lit garage and the twin went still. <br><br>Krycek's knees melted under him. The strong arms holding him were the only things keeping him on his feet.<br><br>For all intents and purposes...Alex Krycek was dead.<br>
<br>"Camier, Murphy," the dark haired woman said softly. "Make sure nothing goes amiss here." Her red-tipped fingers slipped into Krycek's hip pocket, commandeering his wallet and handing it to the cleaners. Krycek's gaze followed her hand as she pulled a new wallet out and slide it into his pocket. "Happy birthday, Victor Mansfield."<br>
<br>His lips moved, forming one silent word. Why?<br><br>"Why?" she repeated. "Why kill you? Simple really. Alive Alex Krycek has too many enemies who wouldn't stop looking for him. It would make for complications. I don't like complications. Or why arrange for those two to kill you? Again, simple. You watched them execute you. Saw how easy it was for them to put you down. Now you know that you will never have a place in their world. Now you can move on without pining for either one of them. Now you can be Victor Mansfield without a doubt of what might have been."<br>
<br>She smiled brightly, "Time to go."<br><br><br>Vancouver<br>6 months later<br><br>Victor stared over his vodka tonic at his so very unwanted team mate. Mac Ramsey, cocky ex-Tong that he was, was a wildcard. He didn't play by the rules. But worse than that, after all Vic could deal with wildcards, he'd been one himself, back before he was Vic the decorated Chicago cop extraordinaire, but no, Mac was in love with LiAnn. His LiAnn. And he made it damn obvious that he intended to do whatever he had to to win her back.<br>
<br>Sitting in the dimly lit bar, his team mates babbling away in their Cantonese first language, he realized just how close these two had been at one time. Not just in a read it in the files and so what kind of way, but rather in a punch in the gut, fuck me in the heart way. They had grown up together. Been lovers. Depended on each other to protect the other's life.<br>
<br>Hearing it out of their own mouths, listening to them recount seemingly endless stories they thought he could not understand..It was eye-opening. <br><br>And damn disturbing. He didn't want to hear about the life they had shared before leaving Hong Kong. It sliced his own heart to ragged, bloodied ribbons, knowing he could never have that past. That his past belonged to another man. A ghost who shared his body and soul, and even now, even knowing his first love, well, loves, had executed him without a backward glance....Grieving that ghost still burned gaping holes in his heart like acid<br>
<br>So here he was. Victor Mansfield. Chicago cop. Engaged to the lovely LiAnn, who was beloved of Mac Ramsey. It was a fucking mess. A gigantic fucking mess that he tried to ignore just as he was trying to ignore what they were saying. Trying not to hear the little stories of how Michael had done this or that. How one or the other of them had teamed up with the apparently deceased man to play childish, and not so childish pranks on the other. Tried, and nearly succeeded, until Mac chimed in with, "But I am going to miss our bedtime sleepovers. Michael was a damn hot bottom."<br>
<br>That comment had Vic choking on his drink. He mumbled something about the drink going down wrong when they had sent him thier curious glances. <br><br>"How about him?" Mac suddenly said, tilting his head in Vic's direction. "You think he'd bottom for us?"<br>
<br>Vic covered well, plastering a bland look of bored disinterest on his face....the Krycek specter rising to keep his council. <br><br>LiAnn cast a speculative glance his way, then shook her head, her glorious black hair picking up hi-lights from the dimmest lighting as it danced over her shoulders.<br>
<br>"Pity," Mac sighed, leaning back in a long-legged slouch in the booth. "I would have loved to sink into that cute little ass he's sporting." His tongue played over his lips, drawing Vic's secretive speculation. "I haven't had a honest to god virgin piece of ass in a long time."<br>
<br>"Not him, Mac." LiAnn murmured softly. <br><br>Mac thrust out a pouting lower lip that set a slow smoldering in Vic's groin. He shifted, adjusting his suddenly tight jeans. <br><br>"Bet I could teach him to bottom real nice, LiAnn. Make him beg for my cock pounding into him while he's riding you." Mac tilted his head thoughtfully. "Is he as vanilla as he looks?" His smile was pure deviltry. "I'd introduce him to the finer shades of dark lovin' if I had him in hand."<br>
<br>LiAnn glowered. "Shut up, Mac. Vic," she rose regally to her feet. "I'm tired. Will you take me home?"<br><br><br>6 months later<br>Back at the bar<br><br>Mac didn't need to hear what had been said to know LiAnn had finished with Vic. He could read the anguish in the other man's eyes. Recognized the stiff way his body moved, as if any sudden move would shatter him and he'd die on the gleaming bar room floor.<br>
<br>Oh, he'd known it was coming. Had tried to warn Vic that it would happen, but the damn fool man never listened to him where she was concerned. So now all he could do was wait while Vic nursed the soul consuming pain he was feeling. Wait, and be there to take him home before he did something stupid. <br>
<br>Yeah, he recognized the signs. He'd had them all, after all. <br><br>Sighing to himself, he rose and went to the bar sitting beside his companion in heart-break. "Wanna talk?"<br><br>Shaking his head, Vic set down the glass he'd emptied. "Wanna fuck." <br>
<br>"Beg your pardon?"<br><br>He met Mac's eyes and said in Cantonese. "Take me home, Mac. I don't want to be alone tonight."<br><br>Mac's eyes rounded. "You speak Cantonese?"<br>
<br>"Long story."<br><br>"You...that night, you understood...."<br><br>Vic smiled, leaning over to claim a testing kiss. "Everything."<br><br>Mac groaned as the kiss broke. "You know..?"<br>
<br>Vic simply smiled.<br><br>"Are you sure?"<br><br>"Had six months to think it over, Mac." Vic murmured. "Knew LiAnn wouldn't approve so didn't do anything about it, but I want to be with you. I know what I'm doing. Willing to be your fuck buddy if that's all your offering, but I'd like it to be more. Do understand if you can't..."<br>
<br>Mac silenced him with a heated kiss. "Don't over talk it." he whispered, taking Vic's hand and pulling him to his feet. <br><br>It would be a good night after all <br><br>END<br><br>Once A Thief cast<br>
Nicholas Lea (Victor Mansfield) <br>Ivan Sergei (Mac Ramsey) <br>Sandrine Holt (Li Ann Tsei)<br>Jennifer Dale (The Director)<br>Howard Dell (Agent Dobrinsky)<br>Julian Richings (Camier) <br>Greg Kramer (Murphy)<br><br>XFiles Cast<br>
David Duchovny (Fox Mulder)<br>Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully)<br>Mitch Pileggi (Walter Skinner)<br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>PEJA<br>The wwomb archive <a href="http://www.squidge.org/~peja/cgi-bin/index.php">http://www.squidge.org/~peja/cgi-bin/index.php</a> accepts all fandoms, all genres. Come create your personal page with us<br>
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