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CHAPTER TWO


Walter knew exactly what he was looking for when he went into the jewelry store. He found it right off. A gold locket in the shape of a heart and on the front he had “EVIE” engraved. Now it was just a matter of going through the files and coming up with a photo, down sizing it, and inserting it. The next day on his lunch hour we went back to the jewelry store and had it gift wrapped.


The next two weeks went agonizingly slowly. Work was routine and boring to him now. He still watched his back and stayed alert; just in case. He was in the elevator between floors on the 28th when he felt the vibration in his pock from his new cell phone that Alex had given him. He answered it quickly.

“Yes?” He said as the doors opened and he walked down the hall towards his office.

“Did you get a better offer or are we still on for tomorrow?”

“We’re on. Just tell me when and where you want to meet and I’ll be there.”

“OK. How about the mall; back behind Sears; by the loading dock. Can you leave early and be there by 7pm?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Great! Just drive up there and park. I’ll find you.”

“You got it. See you tomorrow.”

He snapped his phone shut and Mulder stepped up beside him.

“Sounds like you got a date!” Mulder teased, walking beside him.

“As a matter of fact, I do; with a beautiful blonde!” He walked through his office door and Mulder followed him.

“Anyone I know? I know Harris in the cafeteria has been eyeing you but she’s a red head.”

“This week anyway,” Skinner opined.

“No; it wouldn’t be her. She’s not your type.” Mulder followed him into his inner office and sat on the corner of his desk.

“Exactly what is my type, Mulder?” Skinner removed his coat, hung it up and took a seat at his desk.

“Well, I don’t know. I mean, I met your wife …”

“Ex-wife,” Skinner corrected.

“I would imagine your type would be sophisticated, intelligent and attractive.”

“Don’t you have some swamp monsters you could be tracking?”

Mulder stood up with a shrug. “I *could* but I’d need this 302 signed.”

“So that’s why I have the pleasure of your company so early this morning. Let me see it.” He reached for it and scanned it. “This seems simple enough. What’s the catch?”

“Catch? There’s no catch. I need to go to Denver.”

“Mulder, with you there’s always a catch. I guess I’ll find out when I read your report on how you managed to waste the tax payers money on another of your wild goose chases.”

“Not this time. It’s pretty straight forward.”

“OK.” He signed the paper and handed it back. “Just try and stay out of trouble because I’m going out of town for the weekend and I won’t be around if you get into any trouble.”

“You’re going out of town again? This relationship serious?” Mulder stopped half way to the door and turned around.

“Could be,” he grinned and opened his brief case and started working. Mulder stared at him for a minute then left.


The next day he left his office at 5:00 on the dot. His stunned secretary asked if anything was wrong when he passed her as she was putting on her coat. They never left at the same time. Skinner was always at his desk long after she left.

“Everything’s fine” he assured her. “I just have an appointment this evening. Have a nice weekend.” He walked on past her, to the elevator and headed home.

At 6:50 he pulled up into the Sears parking lot and parked. Within minutes a car with tinted windows pulled up along side of him, next to the driver’s side. The front passenger door opened a bit. Skinner looked around, got out of his car, locked it, opened the other car door and looked in. Alex sat there smiling, all in black except for a dark red turtle neck shirt.

“You’re early.”

“So are you.” Skinner got in and closed the door behind him.

“Thought you were going to bring a gift. Did you forget? You could run into Sears and grab something.”

Skinner reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the small box.

“Oooh. Must be jewelry in that small a box.” He grinned.

“It is. Where’s yours?”

“Right here.” He reached into the back seat and pulled out a small stack of presents.”

“She’ll like mine better,” Skinner said with a little grin.

“Oh, you think so? Wait till you see what I got her! She’ll love them!”

“We’ll see.”

“OK. Let’s do it.” He reached over and took Skinner’s arm and closed his eyes. When he opened them they were in the transporter room.

“That thing is just amazing. I didn’t feel a thing.” Walter said as they exited the room and headed for the festivities in the court yard that had already begun.

“Yeah it is.” Alex agreed as they walked down the ramp.

“Oh my God! Is that spaghetti I smell?” Walter asked.

“Probably is. It’s Evie’s favorite.”


They made their way through the crowd and was met by a loud squeal as Evie saw them and threw herself into Alex’s arms as he bent down to give her a hug.

“You came! You came! And you brought Mr. Walter! I’m so glad you’re here.” She hugged Alex’s neck and reached over and gave Walter a hug too.

“We wouldn’t have missed your party for the world, would we, Walter.”

“No way!” Skinner agreed.

“I’m just about finished opening presents but I can show you everything I got later, OK?”

“Sure thing, Doll.” Alex handed her his stack of presents.

She set about opening them and thanked him for each present in turn: two new books; an artists set of color pencils and inks; and three games. She loved them all. Alex gave Walter a triumphant grin.

Walter took his package out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Here, Sweet girl. Happy Birthday.”

She carefully unwrapped the package and her eyes lit up when she saw the locket. “Oh, Mr. Walter, it’s beautiful! Look, Mommy; a locket!”

“Push that little button on the bottom and it opens up.” Walter told her. She did and sucked in a great breath of air.

She jumped in Walter’s arms and kissed him several times on the cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! It’s the best present I ever had!” She ran over to her folks and showed them. “Look Mommy; Daddy; see what Mr. Walter gave me?”

Krycek gave Skinner a quizzical stare and got a smug grin in return. “What did you put in there?” he finally asked.

Walter answered in his most serious tone; “I thought she should have a photo of her fiancée.”

Krycek’s jaw dropped, “You didn’t!”

“As a matter of fact I did!” Walter was quite pleased with himself and that his gift had gone over so well.

“Evie; honey, let me see that,” Alex called and she came running over to show him the new locket her Mommy had just fastened around her neck.

“OH MY GOD!” Alex was stunned to see a tiny photo of him that was obviously a mug shot from some time ago.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t find one of him smiling for you Evie; all I could find was that one looking like a sour-puss.”

Evie dissolved in giggles repeating over and over again; “Sour puss, sour puss, sour-puss.”

“Something wrong, Alex?” Walter asked innocently. “Maybe you can come up with a better picture for her. That was all I could find.”

“I’m going to get you for this! If it’s the last thing I do; I’ll get you!” Alex warned, wagging a finger in Walter’s direction.


They ended the evening with a drink in a small bar off the courtyard. They sat at a table and listened to the small combo playing some soft jazz tunes.

“This was really nice, Alex. Thanks for bringing me to Evie’s party.”

“You’re welcome. She loved having you and she’ll never get over that locket. I’m afraid I’m in for a whole lot of hearing her call me sour puss now.”

Walter chuckled. “I figured she’d like it.”

“You figured right. I need to go,” Alex stood to leave.

“Yeah,” Skinner finished off the last of his drink and they walked to the transporter room.

“You getting a little more used to all this?” Alex asked as he stepped up on the platform.

“I guess I am. I still don’t understand it; but I really like it here.”

“I’m glad you like it. You made some friends? I heard Carl talking about the two of you playing cards and Willie at the gym said he went a few rounds with you.”

“Yeah, Carl was sitting there playing solitaire one day and I watched for a while. He asked me if I played and we started playing a game I used to play back in College called Shanghai Rummy. We had a good time. And Willie was using the bag and I asked him if he’d like to go a few rounds. It was a good workout.”

“Good. I like Carl. He teaches languages. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him out of his classroom without a deck of cards in his hands. He loves to play. And Willie teaches martial arts.”

“I enjoyed myself.”

“Good. They both asked me when you’d be coming back up.”

“I’ll look them up while I’m here.”

“I’m sure they’ll like that. I’ve got to go back down for a few hours. I’m supposed to pick the old man up at the air port. Your room is ready for you. Just ask anyone if you need anything.”

“I’ll do it. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.”


Skinner went to his room, took a shower and went to bed. He slept soundly and awoke seven hours later rested and relaxed. He decided what he needed was a good workout so he headed for a light breakfast of toast and coffee and headed on over to the gym. Willie was there and after Walter finished with is workout, he and Willie went a few rounds. Afterwards he was ready for a big lunch. He was just finishing up when Jeremiah approached him.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Skinner. I’m glad to see you again. I heard you were back and I spoke to the Elders and they have agreed to a short meeting with you if you are still interested.

“Yes, I definitely am! Can you set it up for this weekend?” Walter wiped his mouth on his napkin and stood up.

“They had an appointment for this afternoon cancel on them and I suggested a meeting with you. They agreed. Are you free now?”

“Certainly!” He picked up his tray and deposited it in the racks and followed Jeremiah up the nearest ramp.

“I appreciate you setting this up for me.”

“You’re quite welcome, Walter. Is it OK to call you Walter? We are quite informal here.”

“Yes please. I’ve noticed and I like that.”

“I must remind you that these men are the Elders here and as their name implies, they are very old and tire easily. The meeting will be a short one but you may feel free to ask any questions you wish.”

“I understand.” Walter answered as they climbed ramp after ramp; to a higher level than he had ever been before. “Are there no elevators here?” he asked.

“Only in Medical. Our space here is limited and everyone is in need of exercise so the ramps were devised to insure that each of us gets a good walk every day. Each level has living quarters, class rooms, a gym and of course a medical facility but those who reside on one level must attend class or work on another level. It’s a simple system but it seems to work out well for us.”

“Apparently so. I have noticed that everyone seems to be in pretty good shape.”

“This is it. They are right through those doors there at the end of the hall. There are six Elders but only three are available at the moment. Please, go right on in. They are expecting you.”

“Thank you.” Walter walked through the open doors trying to formulate what questions he wanted to ask.

He saw them sitting at a round table; the three of them sat side by side and motioned him over to an empty chair across from them. His first thought was they were named well. He had never seen anyone quite this old; their age beyond guessing. They were dressed in simple brown robes and might have been mistaken for priests or monks if on Earth.

“Please come in; sit down. I am Elder Eli, this is Elder Robert, and Elder Daniel.”

“I want to thank you for agreeing to see me.” He started off.

“You are quite welcome, Walter. We understand that you have some questions you would like to ask?” Elder Eli said.

“Yes; I don’t really know where to begin. I guess what I want to know the most, is who are you and where do you come from? Why are you here?”

“We come from here. This is our home. It always has been. We are here because we are needed here.”

“This … place is enormous. How is it powered? I hear no motors nor feel the vibrations of any engines.”

“We are solar powered.” The Elder Robert answered.

“How long have you been here?”

“We have been in this facility all our lives.” Elder Eli answered.

“You never leave?”

“Oh we did at one time but that was so long ago now; it is but a distant memory.”

“And this ‘facility’ has been here that long?”

“Oh no. This facility is movable. We go where we are needed.”

“How do you know where to go?”

“We have information gatherers among us. They inform us when there is a need.”

“And you are here, in this particular area, because Earth needs you?”

“That is correct.”

“May I ask what it is that you do? How you fulfill this need?”

“There is never any one specific thing that we do. We do whatever is needed.”

“And are you always successful?”

“Oh my no!” said Eli. “We do our best; whatever we think will help. Most of the time we are successful but there are times, sadly, when things do not work out as we might have wished.”

“There are just six of you? I would think there would be an un-even number; in case you needed to vote on something.”

“We have never had to vote on anything. We discuss situations until we find a path that we can all agree on. We are old men, Walter. We like to talk. We talk a great deal. We decide what is to be done and the young men and women do it. It is our way,” replied Elder Daniel.

“May I ask where the other three are? I hope they are not ill.”

“They are not ill. They are involved in another task at the moment.”

“I see.” Walter nodded his head and thought a moment then added. “I would like to offer my services if I can ever be of any help, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Alex Krycek knows how to get in touch with me.”

“That is most kind of you to offer, Walter. Now if you will excuse us; we tire easily.”

“I want to thank you again for agreeing to see me.” Walter stood to leave. The three Elders remained seated.

“You are most welcome. Perhaps another visit will be arranged in the future.”

“I would like that.” He nodded to each of them and left the room.


Walter made his way down the ramps to his final destination, the courtyard bar section and ordered a drink. He had a lot to think about. He wondered if he did the right think in offering to help these people; not that they seemed in need of any help.

He finished his drink and decided to take a walk. That was something he really liked doing here. The place was really very beautiful with lots of greenery planted all throughout; lots of flowers and fountains; several water features along the way. One area held a large aviary filled with several different species of birds and yet another was filled with tanks of tropical fish and there were lots of places to sit and rest or chat along the way. The courtyard seemed to be the main social hub of the facility with different activities off the main walkway. There was a children’s play area, and another area for sports; he saw tennis courts and basketball courts off the gym area.

There was a place for the older children, he guessed to be teenagers, to hang out with their loud music and boisterous activities. Then there was the main eating area at the far end of the courtyard with smaller eating places down some of the hallways for more specialized foods; and there was three different drinking establishments that he had located so far. One was purely a beer, pretzels and peanuts place; another was a more sophisticated, up-scale mixed drink in crystal glasses place; and the third was his favorite. It was a middle of the road type place; you could get a beer if you wanted one, or a mixed drink or just straight liquor and the ambience was pure relaxation with soft jazz being played in the back ground. It was a small place; half a dozen booths along either side, maybe a dozen more tables scattered in the center; bar at one end and small dance floor at the other. Any time of the day or night he happened by there, the lights were dim and the mood was mellow and inviting; definitely his kind of place.

He had been walking for about an hour when he spotted Alex and Jimmy. Alex was still in his work clothes; black jeans and leather jacket. He stood leaning back against the wall, feet crossed at the ankles; arms crossed. Jimmy was standing close by in his signature blue jeans cut offs and tank top. He had one hand on Alex’s arm and they were deep in conversation. It appeared to Walter as though Jimmy was trying to talk Alex into something and he was resisting.

Walter decided to join them. Jimmy stopped speaking the minute he saw Alex’s eyes land on Skinner and saw a look pass between them.

“I see you’re back.” Walter greeted Alex and acknowledged Jimmy with a nod.

“Just got back as a matter of fact.” Alex smiled his answer while Jimmy steamed as he had not been the recipient of any such smiles as he awaited Alex’s return in the transporter room.

“I had a meeting with the Elders. I thought maybe we could discuss it; if you’re not too busy.” He glanced at Jimmy and back to Alex.

“No, I’m not busy at all. Jimmy, I’ll catch you later, OK?” Alex turned to walk away with Walter. Jimmy gave Walter a scathing look and watched as the two of them headed towards a bench to sit and chat.

“So how did this happen? Did you go to Jeremiah and ask him?” Alex asked as they sat down.

“No. Actually I had just finished lunch and Jeremiah approached me. He said he had heard from you that I wanted to meet the Elders and that they had an appointment cancel for this afternoon and he asked if I was interested. I said yes and he took me up.”

“So what did you think of them? Quite a bunch; aren’t they?”

“I only met three of them; the other three were off on some other business. But they sure were interesting. How old do you think they are anyway?”

“I haven’t a clue.”

“Me either. My first thought when I saw them was that I had never seen anyone that old.”

“Did they answer all your questions?”

“They did. All that I could think of to ask at the time.”

“If you come up with more, I’m sure they will be glad to answer them.”

“They are accessible to anyone who wishes to speak with them?”

“They are; though the visits are always very short. They say they tire easily and need their rest but it wouldn’t surprise me to find they were all sitting around watching soaps or playing poker or something.”

Walter chuckled at that. “I guess that’s a possibility. But to tell the truth, that thought never occurred to me.”

“I’ve talked with them many times and they all have that twinkle in their eyes; they each have a great sense of humor and are easy to laugh and joke with.”

“And yet they run this massive place; and make incredibly important decisions, direct the actions for the Resistance and there seems to be no dissention among the ranks.”

“That’s because there are no ranks. There are only different departments; Active Resistance, Retired Resistance, Trainees, and Family and Support. Each one is as important as the other; none could survive on its own and each needs all of the others.”

“And you are Active Resistance?”

“That’s right.”

“When do you retire?”

“When they decide it’s time. The decisions are theirs to make. Or someone on Active could request retirement and it would be taken into consideration. I have only heard of that happening twice since I’ve been Active and that’s been just about 20 years now.”

“Were they granted early retirement?”

“They were.”

“You’ve been at this for 20 years?” Walter was stunned.

“I have. Not at the level that I am now. I started out in Active at 18 with smaller type jobs and worked my way up.”

“There has been no talk of retiring you? I thought maybe when you lost your arm?”

“As a matter of fact there was. I went in and requested a discussion on the matter. It was a very low point for me. I could have had the arm restored and been assigned elsewhere where I wasn’t known but I wanted to stay in the same area if I was going to continue to work. Once I got past the initial shock and got used to this thing,” he lifted his prosthesis, “it wasn’t so bad.”

“And once you do retire, it can be restored and fully functional?”

“Uh huh; that’s the plan.”

“It’s amazing; such technology. It’s a shame it can’t be shared.”

“It will be when they determine the time is right.”

“I hope I’m around when that day comes.” Walter said with a sigh.

“Me too.” Alex agreed.

“Isn’t there anything they can do about Spender and the rest of that group?”

“They are working on it. The Consortium is like the Hydra; you cut one head off and more grow back. It must be handled very delicately so it can be destroyed from its roots.”

“Now that’s something I’d like to be in on. Oh, by the way; I offered them my help if they should ever need it.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Alex grinned at him.

“It seemed like the thing to do at the time though I doubt there is anything I could do.”

“You never know. It’s always good to have another ally; active or not.”

“I suppose that’s true. I would like to help though. Maybe I could help you?”

“Me? Aren’t you afraid you might ruin your reputation?” he gave Walter another grin.

“What reputation, the cold ex-marine AD? I have enough seniority in at the Bureau that if anything serious did come up they would just suggest that I retire.”

“That’s not a bad idea, you know. You’ve got enough time in for a full pension.”

“Yeah, I know; but then what would I do with myself?”

“There’s always something to do.”

“I could always take up golf or take a Caribbean cruise but that’s not me. As long as I can feel like I can make a difference, maybe help a little, then I’ll have to keep at it.”

“I figured you’d say something like that. Who knows? Maybe things will change for you. Maybe you’ll fall in love and run off with someone.”

Walter let out a belly laugh. “That only happens in the movies, Alex. I’ve got too much baggage to saddle anyone with. I’ve got about a snowball’s chance in hell of anything like that ever happening.”

“Miracle’s do happen, Walter. You never know.” Alex stood to leave. “I need to take off. Today is Jimmy’s birthday and I promised him I’d spend it with him. He wants to go to the beach so we are headed to the South Pacific. I’ll be back late tomorrow afternoon and I can take you home then.”

Walter’s disappointment must have been obvious on his face. “OK. See you tomorrow.”

“Are you doing all right here?” Alex hesitated leaving.

“Sure thing; who wouldn’t be in a place like this?”

“Well if you need anything …”

“Yeah, I know.” Skinner stood and gave Jimmy who was standing nearby waiting a wary glance. “Alex, that place you took me that first night where we could look out and see all the stars; what level was that on? I was too shocked to remember and I’d like to go back there.”

“Level 8 G hall.”

“Thanks. I think I’ll take a walk up there.” He gave Alex a little smile; glanced again at Jimmy and headed for the nearest ramp.

Alex stood watching him walk away and Jimmy sidled up to him. “Could we celebrate MY birthday now? The day’s half over and I haven’t even got my feet wet!”

“Sure thing, Jimmy; let’s go.” He took one more look at Walter’s back and headed for the nearest transporter room.


Hours later Alex and Jimmy lay on a sandy beach watching the sun set. Jimmy rested his head against Alex’s shoulder and wrapped an arm around his waist.

“Isn’t this just perfect, Alex? I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

“Yeah, it’s nice.”

“You’re a million miles away! You’re still thinking about him!”

“Jimmy, don’t start.”

“I can’t help it. It’s my birthday. You promised to spend it with me and half the day you’re gone and now that we’re here, the most beautiful spot on this planet and you’re a million miles away thinking about him!” He stood up, brushed the sand off and grabbed his clothes; pulling them on angrily over his bathing suit.

“I told you I didn’t think this was a good idea. I can’t give you what you want, Jimmy; the feelings just aren’t there.”

“And they are there for him?”

“I don’t know. I know I care about him; a lot more than I should.”

“Then don’t!”

“It’s not that easy and you should know that by now.”

“Oh I know that for sure! You never let me forget it, do you?”

“C’mon, Jimmy. Let’s not do this. Let’s go home and get something to eat. The guys probably have a party planned for you.”

“They wanted to but I told them I’d be spending the night with you.”

“It’s early yet. Let’s get dinner. I’ll bet the guys will still be up for a little partying.”

“I don’t want to party with the guys; I want to party with you.”

“Jimmy, I’ve told you a thousand times, that’s not going to happen.”

“It happened before! A couple of years ago; have you forgotten?”

“No I haven’t forgotten but that was a long time ago. Things are different now.”

“Why; because he’s around now?”

They were still arguing when they walked out of the transporter room.

“It only happened that one time because you caught me off guard. I was in a bad way and you were there for me. I was, and am, very grateful for that but you can’t build a relationship on one weekend.”

“Why not? It may have been just one weekend for you but it changed my life, Alex!”

“Look; you were just starting out in Active Service and you needed someone to look after you. It was a great weekend but that’s all it was, Jimmy. I admire you; I respect you and I’m very fond of you and in some ways, I do love you but not in the way you want me to. That’s never going to happen.”

“It could happen if you would just relax and *let* it!” Jimmy stopped walking and stopped Alex with a hand on his arm.

“Jimmy, how many times have we had this discussion? Please, can’t you just look around and set your sights on someone else? I’d really love for us to remain close but we can’t keep having this same argument over and over again.”

“We never used to argue until you brought him here.” Jimmy pouted.

“OK, Jimmy, suit yourself. I’m going to go. Evie invited him to her party; I invited him to stay for the weekend and I’ve hardly spent any time with him at all. You’ve got just one thing on your mind and I’m telling you it isn’t going to happen; not tonight, not ever. Now if you’d like to join us for dinner, that would be fine but I’m through arguing with you.”

“No thank you! You’ve managed to ruin my birthday and I have no desire to dine with the competition!” He walked off in a huff and Alex was relieved.

He’d been having this problem with Jimmy for years; but before, it was just jealousy that he wanted to spend time with Evie on her birthday. It wasn’t his fault that their birthdays were only a day apart. Jimmy would just have to learn to cope with the idea that there was never going to be anything more than friendship between them.


Walter had just finished his third game of Shanghai Rummy with Carl and headed out for the food court for dinner. He was trying to decide if he wanted a steak or maybe some of that bar-be-cue he smelled, that made his mouth water. He was just nearing the tables when he saw Alex slouched on a bench deep in thought.

“Hey, I thought you weren’t going to be back until tomorrow?” Walter asked him.

“I got lucky.” Alex answered but he didn’t look like he was feeling very lucky.

“Why is it you don’t look it?”

Alex shook his head and stood up, “I swear, I don’t know how I managed to get myself into this one but it’s wearing me out.”

“Boyfriend troubles?”

Alex gave him a look of exasperation. “I don’t know what to do with him. Say, you heading for the food court?”

“As a matter of fact I am. I was thinking of a steak but now that I smell that bar-be-cue, I was thinking I might just have some of that.”

“I was just thinking the same thing. Mind if I join you?” Alex smiled a tired smile.

“Not at all. Have you had it before? It can’t possibly be as good as it smells; can it?”

“Oh yes it is! I’ve had it and it’s fantastic!”

They hurried on over and filled their trays and took a table. They were silent while they each dug in and made short order of their meals.

“Oh, that was beyond delicious!” Walter exclaimed, wiping his mouth on a napkin.

“You can say that again!” Alex agreed. “Now I need a drink; no – make that several drinks.”

They stashed their trays and started walking towards the bar.

“The afternoon that bad?”

“Yeah. Shit, Walter, I don’t know what to do with him. I care about him, I really do, but I’m not in love with him and I don’t want to be and it’s killing him. We were together once, 2 nearly 3 years ago for one weekend. A lapse of judgment on my part, I’ll be the first to admit, but he won’t let it go. He keeps thinking I’m going to change my mind.”

“Kind of like Evie in a way.” Walter commented as they sat down and gave their orders.

“I see what you mean; but Evie will grow out of it; I wish Jimmy would.”

Their drinks were placed in front of them and they sipped them.

“So how did you spend your afternoon, Walter? Did you get up to the observation deck?”

“No, as a matter of fact, I didn’t. I was headed there when I ran into Carl and we ended up playing cards.”

“What is it you play, Chinese Rummy?”

“No, Shanghai Rummy. It’s an interesting game. You play seven hands and each hand you need to come up with something different; runs, books and a variation of the number of each for each hand.”

“I’ll have to look Carl up and have him teach me. I used to play cards years ago. I quit when I got where I couldn’t shuffle any more.”

“I’m sure Carl would be more than happy to shuffle for you.” Walter said.

“I’m sure he would. Or maybe you could teach me?”

“You really want to learn?”

“I’d love to do anything right now that will get me out of this courtyard. I keep expecting to see Jimmy lurking around glaring daggers at me.”

“Ok, let’s go!” Walter said as they stood and walked out together.

“Let’s stop at the liquor depot and grab a bottle; I think they’ve got cards there too.”

“Sounds like a plan to me!” Walter agreed as they headed out.


One of them said something funny and they were both laughing as they turned the corner down E hall. They both went silent after seeing Jimmy standing there leaning against Alex’s door waiting for him.

“Oh shit, shit, shit,” Alex muttered under his breath loud enough for only Walter to hear.
He handed Walter the bottle and cards and said, “I’ll be with you in a few minutes, Walter.”

“OK,” he said and walked into his rooms. He had the greatest desire to listen at the door but instead sat at the table and opened the cards and started shuffling them; getting some of the slipperiness out of them. After several shuffles he got up and got two glasses and opened the bottle and poured two drinks. He figured Alex would need it when he came in.

He began hearing louder voices from the hall. Alex’s was stern and angry, “Jimmy, cut this out right now!”

Jimmy’s was high pitched, on the verge of hysteria. “I will not! I love you damn it and you’re dumping me for him? He doesn’t even know you’re alive! You said so yourself; many times!”

“That was before! Things are different now.”

“He doesn’t want you, Alex! I do!”

“This discussion is over right now. I will not go into this with you again. Get it through your head, Jimmy. There never has been anything between us and there never will be!”

“I love you, Alex! I love you! Doesn’t that count for anything?”

“Good night, Jimmy. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“You think you’re going to get it tonight from him in there? Mr. Stoneface? He’ll never love you the way I do!”


The door opened then and Alex walked in. He scrubbed a hand down over his face and sat down. Walter handed him the drink and he drank it half way down.

“I guess you heard. I’m sorry about that.” Alex apologized.

“Don’t worry about it. You did all you could do short of decking him.”

“So are you going to teach me this Chinese Rummy or not?” Alex grinned at him.

“That’s Shanghai Rummy, Romeo. Be prepared to accept defeat. I warn you, I’m good at this.”

“Shut up and deal then,” Alex laughed and their evening began.


They played cards until the small hours of the morning; Alex catching on quickly and giving Walter a run for his money. By the time they quit, they knew they were evenly matched and that further games would be played.

As Alex walked to the door to leave, Walter commented, “Maybe I should walk out with you. He could be still out there waiting for you.”

“Oh God, I hope not!” Alex gave him a tired smile. “It’s been quite a day.”

“Yeah, and I never did get up to that observation deck.”

“Well, c’mon. Let’s go on up. It’s not that far. We can sleep in, in the morning,”

“Let’s do it.” Walter agreed and followed him out into the hall. They were both relieved to find it empty.

The observation deck was empty and they went in and walked around. The floor was slightly raised in the middle and the walls were completely see-through creating a 360 degree view of star light in all directions. Earth sat small and beautiful in the distance among the stars.

“It’s an incredible sight, Alex. I never expected to see Earth from this vantage point.”

“It is breath-taking all right.” Alex agreed.

“What is it with the floor in here? It feels funny.” Walter managed to tear his eyes from the view and look down but the room was dark and he couldn’t make out what he was standing on.

“It’s grass; feel,” Alex bent down and rubbed his hands through the lush floor covering.

“Grass; you mean real grass?” Walter bent down and felt it.

“Absolutely! I like to come here and lie down in it and watch the stars.” He sat down resting his arms on his knees.

“You’re kidding!” Walter said, feeling the grass beneath him. “This is even more amazing.”

“Everything up here is amazing, Walter.”

“It certainly is; and beautiful beyond words. It’s like something out of a science fiction movie,” he said as he sat down in the grass beside Alex.

Alex chuckled. “I know what you mean.”

“And you’ve lived here all your life?”

“I have; except for the time I’ve been down there, of course.”

“Which do you prefer?”

“That, I couldn’t tell you. Both have a place in my heart. My parents loved Earth and spent a lot of time there. I went to school there as well as up here; I loved them both. I always enjoyed learning new things. To me, and the people up here, knowledge is the real wealth. The more you know the wealthier you are.”

“That’s an interesting concept.”

“It is. As you have seen, we have no need for money up here; we have everything we need or could want and everyone does their share of the work to provide it.”

“So there’s no pay checks, bank accounts, credit cards?”

“None. They aren’t needed.”

“No rent to pay; no electric or gas bills?”

“None. Everyone contributes a little bit towards the work that needs to be done but the whole place is solar powered.”

“I don’t know how this community ever got established but the more I learn of it; the more I like it.” Walter said; gazing at the view.

“I asked one of the Elders that once and he said he didn’t know; that this place had always just been like this, as far as he knew.”

“What happens if there are any real problems up here? I mean, take Jimmy for instance. What would happen if he decided to cause trouble?”

“He would be taken in and reasoned with. If he refused to control himself he would be moved to another location.”

“Another location? You mean there are more of these places?”

“There are. There are five around this sector at the present time.”

“Five? What do they all do?”

“The same as this one; whatever they can to help things run a little more smoothly on Earth.”

“So they are; what, Custodians of Earth?”

“You might call it that, I suppose.” Alex said with a little chuckle and a smile that was barely visible in the dark but Walter saw it and it affected him in ways he never expected.

Walter adjusted himself in the darkness as his eyes slid from the star-lit view to the man sitting next to him. Alex Krycek! He couldn’t believe this man was the same man he had hated and feared so desperately just a short time ago.

Alex’s eyes met Walters and they gazed at each other for a time before Alex spoke. “If you really like it up here; you might consider staying.”

“What would I do up here?”

“Anything you wanted. There’s always something for a man of your caliber to do. You could teach, or train or you could tend bar, or anything at all that caught your fancy.”

Walter broke eye contact out of necessity. He was finding it hard to concentrate so he lay down on the soft grass; hands laced together behind his head and stared at the stars.

Alex lay down beside him on his stomach; propped up on his elbows. “You might find you like it here.”

“I already do like it here.”

“Enough to stay?”

“I don’t know. Are you asking me to stay?”

“I’m suggesting that you give it serious thought. If you decided to become a permanent member of this community you would be given an implant that would allow you to transport back and forth to Earth any time you wanted. So if you had anyone there … anyone there you wanted to … visit; you could.”

Walter stared at him in the dim star light and tried to read behind the words. He thought he had it figured out and answered, “There’s no one, Alex; no one on Earth that I’d need to be visiting.”

Alex looked down at his clasped hands; embarrassed that he’d been read so easily. He was usually much better at this sort of thing but with Walter it was a whole new ball game. In fact, it wasn’t a game at all; with Walter he didn’t want to play games; he was serious. He looked back up to see the dark brown eyes boring into him. The next moment in time, their mouths were together.

One quick frantic moment and Alex jerked away and stood up. Walter stood too.

“I’m so sorry, Walter. I must have had too much to drink. This day has just been crazy.” He rambled on as they walked out into the hallway, neither able to look the other one in the eye. “I need to get some sleep. I’m a mess with this Jimmy thing and the old man’s coming back Monday instead of Wednesday so I’ve got my hands full keeping an eye on him.”

Walter walked beside him in numbed silence as Alex rambled on. “Tomorrow let’s see if we can get Evie to join us; maybe Carolyn and Aaron too. Maybe for brunch; I know they like to sleep late on Sundays. I’ll leave them a voice message and see if we can get something planned for tomorrow.” He finished up as they turned down the hallway to their rooms.

“That sounds good.” Walter mumbled.

“You like omelets? Carolyn does up the best omelets you’ve ever tasted. Her mother was one of our cooks here for years and she taught Carolyn everything she knew.”

“I love omelets.” They were outside their doors now.

“OK. I’ll let you know in the morning what time. Good night then.”

“Yeah, good night.”


Walter went into his room and closed the door behind him. He still wished there was a way to lock it. He felt a little uneasy with Jimmy roaming around out there on the verge of a mental crack up. He checked in the drawer of his night stand and found his gun still there. He checked it to make sure it was loaded and decided to leave it out on top just in case.

He undressed and as he did so, he noticed a dark stain across the back of his jeans. He held it up for a closer look and knew instantly what it was – grass stains. So it was real grass after all! This place never stopped amazing him. He hung his soiled clothes in the closet, latched it and went to bed; knowing that in the morning they would be clean and fresh as new. This was some place, all right!


Around 11 o’clock the next morning they went to Evie’s place for brunch and afterwards played games with Evie. It was late afternoon when they headed for the transporter room. A blink of the eye and they were sitting in Alex’s car.


“Thanks again for coming up for Evie’s party. Maybe we can do it again sometime.”

“I’d like that.” Walter answered then added, “What’s next for you?”

“I never know until I’m told. I’ll probably hang around down here and see what the old man is up to. Gotta make sure I stay in good with him so we know what’s going on.”

“Sounds like a good idea. Is that why you left the Bureau; orders from the Resistance?”

“Nah. I left the Bureau because the old man wanted me to.”

“And you do whatever he wants you to?”

“To a point.”

“Meaning?”

“I can’t tell you all my secrets on our first date now can I?” Alex snickered.

“Date? This was a date?”

“Call it what you like. I guess you’d call it ‘an appointment’. I’d call it a date. Jimmy would call it an affair.”

Walter laughed. “I guess it’s all in your perspective then.”

“I think you’re right about that.” Alex agreed.

“Well, I’ll say good-night then.” Walter opened the car door to leave.

“Can I call you?” Alex asked.

“Sure. You can call. I don’t know about another ‘date’ though. I wouldn’t want to give Jimmy any more ammunition to feed his jealousy.”

“I *will* call then.” Alex answered as Walter closed the door and walked to his car and got in. Alex turned his car around, flashed his lights at Walter and drove away. Walter waited five minutes then drove on home.


(Continued in Chapter 3)