TITLE:  Troika V: Shifting Boundaries

AUTHOR:  SubRosa

RATING:  Hard NC-17 for graphic consensual sex and 
language.

CATEGORY:  SR

KEYWORDS:  Mulder/Scully/Krycek

SPOILERS:  Set post-Never Again

DISCLAIMER:  Alex Krycek, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully belong 
to Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen Productions and 20th Century 
Fox Broadcasting, and to the actors who portray them.  They 
are being used without permission, and no profit is being 
made.

THANKS:  To adara for her insightful beta help and to 
Domenica and sybils for checking out an earlier draft.

DISTRIBUTION:  Okay to archive, but please let me know.

FEEDBACK:  Fawned over at subrosa31@yahoo.com.

SUMMARY:  Mulder, Scully, and Krycek continue to explore 
their new relationship.

FURTHER AUTHOR'S NOTES AND WARNING:

First, the warning: the "Troika" series is intended as an 
outlet for ideas too smutty or wild (e.g., a 
Mulder/Scully/Krycek triangle) to put in other stories, so 
you're not going to find much by way of plot, 
characterization, or BDSM accuracy here.  What you will 
find is smut: specifically, loving, consensual, but 
somewhat kinky sex between three adults.  Please bail now 
if you are under 17 or if this subject or pairing isn't 
your cup of tea.

Second, the "Troika V" that I originally envisioned has 
gotten totally out of hand.  What was supposed to be a 
little smut biscuit is threatening to turn into a 
70K...well, "character study" would be the wrong word, but 
the characters think about something besides having sex 
(though they don't really do anything besides having sex).  
Rather than doing one long story, I'm turning it into two 
shorter ones.  "Troika VI" (to be released shortly) is 
essentially a companion piece to this one.  For those of 
you following the "Gift of Silk" series, I will turn my 
full fic-writing efforts to GoS V once T6 is finished, I 
promise.

Third, in the "Troika" universe, "Never Again" aired as 
initially intended--before "Leonard Betts"--and so neither 
Mulder nor Scully is aware of the cancer during the 
flashback scenes.

Finally, the story does assume familiarity with the 
previous Troika stories.  All of them can be found on the 
"Threesomes" page of my website:
http://www.geocities.com/subrosa31

********************

Not many people make important changes in a relationship by 
introducing a new sextoy, but I've found the practice has 
served me and Dana well in the past.  And something is 
definitely changing in our relationship with Alex.

It started with his low "It's me" when I answered my cell 
last Saturday.  Muting the Yankees' disgraceful performance 
on the TV, I asked, "Do we need a meeting?"

Scully looked up and, realizing who was on the line, closed 
her book.  It had been some time since our last contact 
with him, and I'll admit that we were both a bit concerned.

"I'd, uh, like to come over, but not for business."

It took me a minute to realize what he meant: the 
hesitation in his voice threw me, and I couldn't remember 
ever hearing him openly express a desire before.  Then I 
caught on.  Leaning over, I ran a finger down Scully's 
throat in a tantalizing, purposeful stroke.

"You'd like to come over for pleasure," I concluded.

Dana started at my words and touch.  Keeping my eyes on 
her, I repeated the caress.  The last time he'd joined us 
in bed, weeks ago, he'd spent the night at my invitation.  
I'd assumed she wanted him there was well, but the 
following morning had been more uncomfortable for her than 
I'd expected.  Scully works side-by-side with Krycek in our 
mutual struggle and my Pet revels in her sexual 
subordination to Alex, but we haven't negotiated a space 
between--largely because she has always wanted to keep her 
two worlds separate.  Faced with Krycek in her bed when she 
wasn't collared and in her 'subspace,' she was 
uncharacteristically self-conscious until he dressed and 
left.

The next time we met for 'business' she blushed scarlet, in 
the curse of the redhead, when he arrived.  He politely 
ignored it, though, and after a few minutes she was fine.  
She'd shown no discomfort at subsequent meetings, but if 
the idea of resuming playtime with him upset her, I needed 
to know so I could put him off or take steps to deal with 
her reluctance.  Probably the latter--if he wanted a 
release badly enough to ask for it, I wanted to give it to 
him.  For well over a month he'd been trying to run a 
vanished source to ground, and the subtle signs of strain 
were telling on him, if you knew where to look.

"You once told me I could ask..."

Ah.  I felt the lines of my face settling into the sterner 
expression that she knows so well, and her eyes widened in 
response.  "You want some time with Dana," I finished for 
him.

Her cheeks reddened but she arched her neck, accepting my 
caress and what it meant.  Her pulse beat faster under my 
fingertips.

"If it's all right with her."

I lowered my voice, adopting my 'Master' persona.  "You 
know Dana doesn't have any say in it, Alex."

"If it's all right with you," he conceded.

I let my hand drift down the slope of her breast, finding 
the nipple already tight.  Her eyelids fell half-closed as 
she breathed deep and steadily, making the internal 
transition.

"All right.  Give me half an hour to get her ready."

She didn't move when I hung up and went to get her collar.  
With a last caress, I put the heavy leather circlet around 
her slender neck.  The tip of her tongue peeked out to 
stroke her lower lip as the metal clasp clicked shut.

"I think you're in for quite a ride tonight, Pet," I 
murmured.

She jumped as I reached down to run my fingers over the 
seam in the crotch of her pajamas.  My fingers were damp 
when I lifted them away and took her by the hand, pulling 
her to her feet.

"Let's get you ready for him."

Silently, she followed me into the bedroom.

Exactly thirty minutes later, I heard the sounds of him 
entering the apartment.  He opened the door to the bedroom 
without knocking--something he'd never done before--and 
stopped short when he saw the results of our preparations.

She was standing facing the door, her wrists cuffed above 
her head just high enough to put a little arch in her back.  
His gaze raked appreciatively over the black stiletto heels 
and stockings that elongated her legs, and lingered on the 
black corset that molded the neat lines of her figure into 
a lush hourglass.  Skillfully applied eyeshadow made her 
eyes look huge in the dim light, and she was biting her 
rouged lip in a touch of modesty that added the perfect 
spice of innocence to the blatant sexuality of her 
clothing.  She looked like sin and paradise, desire 
incarnate.

He stalked up to her and caught her face in his gloved 
hand, blocking my view.  I'd been hard since she pressed 
her body against mine as I lifted her wrists to the cuffs, 
and I couldn't resist rubbing myself through my jeans as I 
imagined her lips parting at the scent and feel of the 
leather.  But through my arousal I could see tension 
radiating from his body, from his solid stance to his rigid 
shoulders to the set of his chin.

His first words were directed to me.  "You'll stop me if I 
go overboard?"

Curiouser and curiouser, I thought.  Aloud, I replied, 
"That goes without saying."

His lips quirked in a half-smile.  "Of course it does."  
The smile faded and his face hardened as he looked down at 
her.  "Don't you look pretty," he said.

His voice was cold, almost contemptuous, and something 
dangerous lurked in his expression.  Dropping his hand to 
her waist, he turned her to face me, not, I think, because 
he knows I like to watch, but rather to ensure that I could 
keep the promise I'd just made him.  Then he pulled a 
length of black silk from his pocket and wrapped it around 
her head, securely covering her eyes.

"I don't want you looking at him," he told her.  "Tonight 
you're mine."

"Yes, Alex," she whispered before he stopped her words with 
a harsh kiss.

I unzipped my pants and cupped my balls, not minding that 
he didn't intend to share her.  He needed something that 
only she could give, and while I love being her Master, it 
takes a lot of concentration.  Sometimes it's good to just 
watch the show, responsible for no one's pleasure but my 
own.

It wasn't long before the corset was tossed aside and she 
was writhing under his sure handling.  He was soon naked 
too, but he didn't want her to service him, didn't want her 
touch at all.  He wanted her total surrender.

His eyes gleaming with a dark hunger, he worked her body 
with his fingers, lips and tongue.  Though he never struck 
her, he handled her more roughly than ever before.  He 
demanded that she describe each sensation, and smirked with 
satisfaction when his deft touch reduced her to incoherence 
as she tried to follow his command.  He made her come over 
and over: bouncing up and down on her high heels as she 
rode his gloved fingers, rubbing against the hard thigh he 
thrust between her legs, and jerking uncontrollably as he 
knelt and licked her to completion.

When she gasped that she was too tired to come again, he 
chuckled almost cruelly and pulled the heavy massager from 
the nightstand drawer.

"We'll see about that," he told her.

Still blindfolded, she realized what he meant only when the 
cool head touched her heated flesh.  She yelped as he 
turned it on and twisted as the powerful vibrations drove 
her to new arousal.  He teased her with the toy for a long 
time, pressing it to her clit and then pulling it away, 
making her follow it with her hips until she was dancing in 
place.

By then I was slouched down in my chair, cock in hand, 
grunting softly with pleasure.  Alex has always had an 
instinctive gift for pushing her buttons, and the show she 
was unwittingly putting on at his command was a live-action 
wet dream.

No matter how anguished her moans sounded, I knew from 
experience that she loved it.  Stroking myself faster, I 
admired the pretty desperation on her face and thought of 
the first time I saw that look.  I closed my eyes and lost 
myself in the memories.

The changes that occurred during her 'training week' were 
like a religious conversion: you remember it as a single, 
life-transforming event, but it's actually a sequence of 
smaller steps that lead up to the final, climactic moment.  
One little milestone, of course, was our first joining.  
Scully came twice, with no more foreplay than a hard 
spanking.  That's when I knew what I'd only suspected 
before: the cool face she presented to the world hid a 
fierce passion that matched her icy reserve measure for 
measure.  So I was stunned when she confessed to me, head 
ducked in embarrassment, that her sex drive had always been 
too low to satisfy her partners.  Was it possible that she 
believed it?

I nodded calmly and dismissed her concern.  "You're not to 
worry about that anymore," I informed her flatly.  "From 
now on, you'll be as responsive as I want you to be."

At any other time, she would have met such an arrogant 
assertion with a quick rebuttal.  But on that day, a 
glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes.

I rose to dress and Dana followed, objecting when I 
informed her she would remain unclothed for the rest of the 
week.  That led to an enjoyable--for me--hour in which she 
learned that permitted uses of her pretty lips did not 
include protesting her nudity.  No such arguments came, 
however, when I told her I intended to punish her for the 
reckless behavior that had so endangered her life.

And so we came to our second small milestone.  She let me 
guide her to her knees and remained there when I went to 
get the paddle.  I knelt behind her, not making her meet my 
eyes that first time.

"You need to be punished, don't you, Dana?" I asked.

She nodded infinitesimally, but it was enough.  I pushed 
her all the way forward onto her hands and knees and set to 
work.

Later I lifted her onto my lap and held her trembling body, 
murmuring reassurances and stroking her.  My hand brushed 
her chest as I shifted position, and she flinched.  I 
covered her breast with my palm to find her nipple erect 
and straining for attention.  That raised a possibility 
which I had suspected, but lacked evidence for before that 
day.  A gentle probe between her legs, however, removed all 
doubt.

"How old were you when you found out that pain excites 
you?"  I asked.  I had a plan for this contingency, but the 
lack of data meant it was sketchier than I would have 
liked.

She shook her head against my shoulder.  "It doesn't," her 
muffled voice said.

I turned her face toward my own, prepared to deliver a 
stern warning about honesty, when her expression stopped 
me.  The denial there lacked full conviction, but it was 
real.

"I liked watching you move while I paddled you," I told her 
instead.  I moved my thumb deliberately over her clit, and 
her trembling increased.  "The way you shimmied when the 
leather cracked against your skin, the way you'd take the 
blow and arch your back for more--you moved like it was 
turning you on, Dana."

She shook her head again, her voice growing agitated.  "No.  
It's just all--it's all so much..."

"Shh..." I soothed, thumbing the little bundle of nerves 
faster.  "It's all right.  You're doing very well."

After a few more strokes she shuddered, panting lightly, 
and the tension left her body.  It was an orgasm, but I 
doubted she'd gotten much pleasure from it.

That, however, was an issue for later; something more 
important needed to be done that night.  I carried her over 
to the big bed in the corner of our cabin, laid her down, 
and kissed her forehead.  "I'm going to make some dinner.  
I'm right here if you need me."

When her eyes drifted shut I crept away from the bed and 
moved about the kitchen quietly, hoping she could get some 
rest.  She would need it.

After dinner came our final milestone of the day.  Leading 
her back to stand by the bed, I informed her that she was 
going to beg me to fuck her.  The nap had done her good; 
she said nothing, but raised a skeptical eyebrow in the 
first real spark of herself I'd seen since her return from 
Philadelphia.

I brought out the vibrator: a tiny thing that nestled over 
her clitoris, held in place by narrow straps around her 
thighs.  The control box in my hand would send the powerful 
little motor inside the soft sheath humming at a range of 
intensities.  Her eyes lit up when she realized what it 
was, and the muscles in her abdomen trembled in 
anticipation as I strapped it on.  She wanted it badly, 
wanted to lose herself in the wash of pure sensation, even 
if she couldn't admit it to me or herself.

"Have you ever used one of these before?" I asked casually.

Her gaze lowered, she murmured, "No."

I lifted her chin.  "Don't think you can hide from me," I 
told her gently but firmly.  "You're going to show me 
everything."

I ran my fingers over her lips and met her beautifully 
expressive eyes.  "And then you're going to give me 
everything."

Again that spark of hope lit her face, but she pulled away 
and looked defiant.  I smiled, accepting the challenge, and 
sat down on the edge of the bed.  Inwardly I was pleased to 
see the flashes of my Scully returning.  In the end, I 
needed *her* consent to what I was offering, not that of 
the pale shell she'd been since I first saw her bruised 
face against those white hospital sheets.

Her nipples were tight even before I touched the dial.  I 
let the anticipation build, until she shifted nervously 
from one foot to the other, then flicked on the vibrator.  
She jumped as it sprang to life, humming quietly on her 
engorged clit.

I schooled my features to careful neutrality.  "The first 
thing you're going to learn this week, Dana, is how much 
passion is trapped inside you.  You're only unaware of it 
because you've never let it out."

She had an inkling of that already, from our first 
encounter, when she got a taste of the true power of her 
sexuality.  I was awed by it, but she was frightened--
frightened of what it could make her feel, frightened of 
what it could make her do.

That wasn't the only thing she was afraid of.

She shivered as I increased the vibrations.  "Mulder, this 
is--"

She broke off as I cut the power, looking at me in silent 
reproach.

"Didn't I tell you, Dana?  You will address me as 'Master' 
this week."

I hadn't told her, actually, and that statement demanded a 
response even in her current state.  She opened her lips, 
but the intended rejoinder transformed to a moan as I 
switched the power back on, a touch higher than before.

"It's okay," I told her.  "We'll work on that later."

When her face began to slacken in pleasure, I turned the 
vibe off.  After a moment's pause, it went back on another 
notch stronger.  A steady beat began in my cock as her 
eyelids grew heavier.  She grimaced in frustration when I 
shut the toy off once more, and watched as I unbuttoned my 
jeans with my other hand.

"I'm sure you know why I'm doing this," I remarked as the 
motor began humming at a higher pitch.

She fought to keep her voice steady.  "Because you think it 
will make me beg."

"I do," I acknowledged.  "And it will.  But there's another 
reason."  I ran my fingers over my cock, enjoying the 
stimulation just as I snatched hers away.  Her body 
tightened.

"Feel that?  Feel the anticipation?  Your body *knows* 
those vibrations are going to come back even stronger."

She jumped as I followed the words with action.  "That 
thrill in your clit is going to build and build with every 
pause, until you can't stand it anymore.  Soon you're going 
to beg, and then you're going to come."

She swayed as if she could barely keep her balance.  When I 
cut the power again she bit her lip, trying to maintain her 
silence.

I lowered my voice.  "But you won't want to stop then.  
Your body will expect more.  It's going to want to peak 
over and over again.  And you will."

She cried out as the vibrations assaulted her again.  Her 
hands fluttered up to touch her breasts, then dropped.  
Well, we could work on that later too.

"I want you to feel that, Dana.  Feel me training your body 
to do what *I* want."

I was silent for the next few cycles, letting the toy and 
her own imagination erode her resistance.  She began 
moaning continually, her hips rocking of their own 
volition, and my aching dick made it difficult to 
concentrate.  After years of celibacy, it was hard to hold 
off when there was a naked, eager woman in front of me.  
But there was a plan behind the slow torture, and I had to 
stick to it.

The vibe was two notches short of full power when Dana fell 
to her knees.  "Oh, God," she keened, "it's...I'm...oh, 
oh..."

Off again.  It wouldn't do for her to come on her own.  
"Are you ready to get fucked now?" I asked pleasantly.

She nodded, her breath catching.  I reached out and lifted 
her chin, hardening my voice and adopting my most superior 
expression.

"Then beg for it, you little slut."

She recoiled as if from a blow, one hand flying up to cover 
her face.  Catching her by the wrist, I forced her hand 
away from her face, my gaze burning into hers.  She gave me 
a desperate look, her lips moving silently in a final 
moment of hesitation, until a new burst of pleasure at her 
clit overwhelmed her.  She began pleading, language that 
would do a porn star proud flowing from her lips, begging 
me to fill her hungry cunt and make her come.

Releasing her, I shucked off my jeans one-handed and threw 
them aside.  When I stood naked before her, she moved as if 
to rise, looking toward the bed.  I cut the stimulation, 
and she stilled with a frustrated cry.

"Uh-uh, Dana.  The floor's good enough for you. I'm going 
to fuck you right here, and you are going to *love* it."

She shrank from the words, so I jolted her again at the 
highest power.  Squirming uncontrollably, she lay back on 
floor and spread her legs wide.

Off again.  "Oh, God, no," she whimpered.  "Please--I need 
it, please..."

I knelt on the floor between her legs, lifted her and 
pulled her to me--I wasn't about to crush her to the hard 
wood--and flipped the vibrator back on.  Her hips bucked 
wildly as the toy did its work.  Dropping the control, I 
dragged her close and plunged into her as it made her come.

The agony it cost me to wait was worth it when her body, 
primed for repeated stimulation, gave in to the relentless 
buzz at her clit.  "Oh, God!" she wailed again.  Arms flung 
wide, back arched, she wriggled forward, trying to force 
herself further onto my cock.

I let go.  It was a rough, hard fucking, but she took it 
all and wanted more.  One little heel banged on the floor 
behind me as she writhed, delirious with pleasure.  My body 
screamed to get in deeper.  Lifting her as I rose to my 
knees, I leaned forward and lowered her ass to the floor.  
Bracing all my weight on my hands, so that we touched only 
where we were joined, I sank in to the hilt.

Her moans grew guttural, then animalistic as my pubic bone 
ground the vibrator against her clit, and the pulse it sent 
to the base of my cock snapped the last thread of my 
control.  I drove into her again and again, swept up in the 
sensation, barely hearing her screaming climax as I 
exploded into her.

I was only out for a second, but when I came to I was 
crushing Dana beneath me in spite of my best intentions.  
Pulling away, I groped for the control and shut the 
vibrator off.

When I looked back to her, tears were streaming down her 
face.

I scooped her up and put her on the bed, then lay down next 
to her. She tensed when my arm went around her, but let 
herself be pulled into my embrace.  For long minutes, the 
only sound was her crying quietly against my shoulder.  I 
steeled myself against the sobs, all the more heart-rending 
for their softness.  I expected this, but that didn't make 
it any easier.  Stroking her hair, I finally spoke.

"That was your worst fear, wasn't it?  Having a man see you 
like that.  Seeing you beg him to use you like a whore, and 
seeing you get off on it."

I felt her nod.  I flicked the vibrator onto the lowest 
setting, teasing her clit gently.

"I can make you do it again, you know."

She sniffed.  "I know."

I gave her another jolt of pleasure as a reward.  Her upper 
body stiffened even as her hips pulsed in response.  
Wondering how she could possibly doubt her wonderful sexual 
capacity, I shut the vibe off.

"Do you know that I love you more than the world?"

She froze.  I could almost hear her tired mind racing 
before she settled on the safest question.  "Then why are 
you doing these things to me?"

"Because you want it," I explained in my calmest, most 
reasonable tone of voice.  "You're afraid of what you want 
most.  You want wild, depraved things to be done to you, 
because you won't let yourself do them.

"Just like you won't let yourself be loved."

She was motionless and silent, but her whole body had 
tensed.

"I've neglected you before, but now I know what you need.  
You're going to give in to that wildness you've been 
denying so long, but it won't ever endanger you again."  I 
kissed the top of her head.  "Because I'm going to take 
control of it."

Her body relaxed fractionally, but she asked, "What if I 
don't want this?"

My heart constricted.  I was sure, so sure that I had 
figured out what she needed.  And now I wanted it too.  I 
had held the living fire of her passion in my hand, had 
shaped and commanded it.  Suddenly, I didn't think I could 
bear never feeling that again.

"If you can *convince* me that you don't want it, then we 
will leave first thing in the morning."

Her voice quavered.  "And if I can't convince you?"

I switched on the vibrator again.  "If you can't convince 
me, then I will do what I told you from the start.  I'll 
give you what you need.  I'll make you feel all that 
passion you've locked away so long.

"And let's be clear about this, Scully.  I'm going to free 
that wild, rebellious, passionate side of you, and I will 
enslave you with pleasure.  By the time we leave here, 
you'll be trained to follow my commands without thought, 
and you'll love doing it.  For months afterward, you're 
going to get wet whenever you think about this week, and 
you'll come in your sleep when you relive it in your 
dreams."

She let out a hissing breath and her hips began rocking.  I 
rolled her over onto her back and touched her face, looking 
at the bruised shadows under her eyes and the need and 
wariness in her expression.

"There," I said approvingly, "feel it building?  You don't 
have to hold it back anymore.  Let it go."

She spoke in a tiny voice.  "I'll be completely out of 
control?"

"Completely," I promised.  "And I will make you feel things 
you've only dreamed about."

"I'm scared."

The admission tore at my heart, but I couldn't back down--
we had to get through this.  I leaned down to kiss her 
temple.  "I know, but you don't have to be.  I will never 
harm you.  I'd die first."

"It's hard to accept wanting complete subjugation."

"I know," I repeated, feeling my breath stir the baby-fine 
hair beneath my lips.  "You can fight if you need to--it 
won't stop me."

My finger moved on the remote, sending more addictive 
shocks of pleasure to her clit, and we began again.

It's hard at first to continue after a woman says 'no,' but 
she never used the word that would make me stop.  And 
though I was too spent to fuck her again, it was erotic to 
see the pleasure overcome her resistance.  To feel 
irresistible.

Besides, it wasn't me she was fighting, not really.  And 
when she came, thrashing against the grounding weight of my 
body, the bliss and contentment in her face was so pure 
that all my doubts vanished.

I pushed back the memories to see that Alex had entered 
Dana, but he wasn't moving.  His good hand gripping her 
hip, the other holding the massager in place, he stood with 
almost inhuman control as she sobbed and writhed, trapped 
in place by the merciless toy in front of her, the 
unyielding body behind her, and the hard cock driven deep 
inside her.

Heat began coiling in my balls.  She was teetering on the 
edge, and there's nothing more exciting than seeing her 
give it all up.

And then she began to beg brokenly.  Of its own accord my 
hand moved faster on my dick.  Her pleas had the same 
effect on Alex--with a groan, he began moving his hips in 
deep, hard thrusts.  The tension was finally fading from 
his shoulders as he pumped into her conquered body.

"You want to come now?" he growled.

"Please," she sobbed, "please."

That did it.  I came, holding back a shout as the orgasm 
rocketed through me.

Alex pulled the massager away from her.  "Not until I'm 
done."

She threw her head back, trapped in an agonizing limbo as 
her body rocked under his thrusts.  A moment later he bowed 
his head and let out a long groan.  His shoulders slumped 
before he jerked himself upright again.

"Now," he said.  Still inside her, he brought the massager 
back to her clit and switched it to high.

Dana shrieked and arched into the sensation, thrusting 
forward over and over.  Her head tossed back and forth as 
if she were fighting off the swelling orgasm, but the 
vibrator defeated her as it always does, as she loves it to 
do.  She came with a desperate wail, rubbing herself 
against the smooth plastic head.

Her harsh gasps punctuated the air in the aftermath.  He 
lowered his head once more, resting his cheek on the crown 
of her head, and caught his own breath in absolute silence.

A barely discernible shiver ran through his body when he 
withdrew from her.  He pulled off his gloves and tossed 
them onto the dresser, then released her from the cuffs.  
His arms went around her instantly as her body sagged and 
lifting her up, he carried her to the bed.  He laid her 
down gently and rubbed her arms, relieving the ache of 
being bound for so long, then unbuckled her shoes and 
carefully rolled down her stockings, setting them aside.

"I'm going to take the blindfold off now," he warned when 
he finished.  He removed it, unnecessarily shielding her 
eyes from the dim light, and looked down at her with an 
expression much softer than when he arrived.

"Stay there," he instructed before leaving the room.  The 
command was unnecessary; I doubt she had the strength left 
to make a fist.

I hadn't realized he'd been aware of me, but he tossed me a 
wet cloth on his return from the bathroom.  I cleaned 
myself up while he settled on the bed next to her and 
washed the smeared makeup from her face.  Then, moving with 
infinite tenderness, he worked the cloth over her body, all 
the way down to her small, shapely feet.

Putting the cloth on the nightstand, he leaned over her and 
cupped her face.  "You all right?"

She nodded.

"Thank you," I heard him murmur.  His thumb traced her 
cheekbone before he turned to me and repeated the words.

I wondered what had driven him to us that night, but knew 
the inquiry would not have been appreciated.

"You're welcome," I told him instead.  "It's okay to ask 
for this when you need it."

I meant it, and would have given him whatever other comfort 
the shelter of Dana's bed could offer.  But he left that 
night rather than staying with us.

The next morning, I found her before the full-length mirror 
in her bedroom, inspecting the faint bruises his fingers 
had left on her hip.

"Are you okay?" I asked, frowning.  The occasional signs of 
rough play were to be expected, and she'd never paid them 
any heed before.

"I'm fine," she responded, a touch of hoarseness in her 
voice.  But the way she wrapped her thin robe back around 
her body told me something was wrong.

Laying my hand over the now-hidden marks, I breathed in her 
scent, remembering how his hand had gripped her and how 
she'd responded.  After a minute, she relaxed.

"Now, what's bothering you?"

She met my eyes in mirror.  "When he made me come the last 
time--it was incredible."

I pulled her back, letting her feel the erection I get 
whenever I think of them together.  "I could tell.  You 
were wild.  I've never seen you like that with him."

"Only with you," she replied.  A hint of shame crept into 
her eyes.

"Ah," I said.  When we discuss the Master/slave aspect of 
our relationship outside those personas, Scully tends to 
treat it as a sign of our special bond, not something 
inherent in her.  It can be hard, even now, for her to 
admit that she has a submissive streak that goes straight 
to the bone.

But the days of her hiding from that fact are over.  
"There's what we have, and there's what you are," I told 
her.  "You would still need to be dominated, even if we'd 
never discovered it.  I know that, you know that--"

"And now Krycek knows it," she finished.

I stroked her hip, trying to puzzle out why her reluctance 
had emerged at this stage of the game.  My best guess was 
that the nature of our encounters had changed.  There was a 
surreal element to the nights when he first joined us; it 
seemed almost like an enactment of a fantasy.  Lately, 
though, things had gotten a little less scripted and a 
little rougher.  The previous night also had been the first 
time he'd topped her without prior agreement or my 
direction; maybe it was the first time she truly confronted 
the fact that Dana Scully might surrender not just to me, 
but to another man.

I lifted the heavy weight of her hair from her neck and 
buried my nose in the copper silk.  "You know I will always 
be there, but it's all right.  He wouldn't hurt you."

"I know," she replied.  Hands working restlessly, she 
tightened the belt of her robe.  "I trust him."

And then I understood.

'Love' is a word that we still use too rarely, even between 
ourselves; for years, we used 'trust' to convey what we 
couldn't say outright.  Scully didn't mean simply that she 
felt safe with him: she meant that her feelings for him 
were becoming deeper and more intimate.  That's why she'd 
been able to let go so completely with him.

And that's why she was afraid now.   We didn't bring him 
into the bedroom as a casual partner, but with Krycek, one 
could expect the safety of a certain emotional distance.  
If that distance no longer held, someone else might see her 
in all her aspects, from Scully's near-complete 
independence to Pet's near-total 
enslavement, and understand, as only I had before, that 
they truly were the same person.  That indeed would make 
her pull back.

And in the end, I couldn't blame her for her hesitation.  
When we agreed to invite Alex into our bed, she knew that I 
wanted him too.  Since then she had seen his interest in 
experiencing what she feels under my command, and she 
hadn't objected to the idea, either as my Pet or as Scully.  
I could take him if I wanted, but I haven't.  Because I 
couldn't quite take that step with someone else either.

I searched her eyes in the mirror, considering the best 
course of action.  She might have been getting cold feet, 
but she still wanted him: the previous night was proof of 
that.  And the truth was, her cold feet didn't matter.  
Scully does not have the right to countermand a decision I 
make as Master, and that rule exists for her sake, not 
mine.  While I would never force her into something she 
truly doesn't want, indulging this sudden wariness was not 
an option.

Echoing my thoughts, she lifted my hand to her neck in a 
silent request.  I circled her throat, rubbing where the 
neck meets the shoulder.  Her skin looked pale and fragile 
in contrast to my darker hand.  We both watched my thumb 
stroke the hollow of her throat in the caress she knows so 
well.  As I began to trace the delicate bones her eyes grew 
heavier and more luminous; she was taking on that 
vulnerability and openness that she both loves and fears.  
It was okay to push her now--by adopting her 'Pet' persona, 
she was asking to be pushed.

Still stroking her neck with one hand, I brought the other 
up to rest over her heart.  "It's all right.  There's room 
in here for him too."

When she nodded, I reached down and untied the belt of her 
robe.  With sensual slowness, I slid the garment off her 
body and let it fall at our feet.  The mirror reflected her 
nudity back to her.

"Now look at yourself."

She focused her hazy gaze, seeing what I saw: her breath 
quickening, her skin flushing, her thighs parting slightly-
-all the secret signs that her body had already yielded to 
me.
 
I cupped both her breasts, kneading softly as my thumbs 
danced over her nipples.  "You still belong to me.  Body, 
mind, and soul--everything you are.  *Nothing* will ever 
change that."

Her breath caught.  "Yes," she murmured.

I put my lips to her ear and whispered the final words as a 
caress.  "On your knees."

With a shudder, she sank gracefully down.  I had only to 
stretch out my arm to retrieve the collar, which had been 
set aside after he left.  I fastened it on, claiming her as 
no one else ever has or ever will.

"Tell me what your collar means, Pet."

Her eyes fell closed as she repeated the familiar phrase.  
"You own me, Master.  You can do anything to me that you 
see fit."  When her gaze met mine in the mirror again, only 
a shadow of her earlier doubt remained.  That was okay; she 
would come to terms with it in time.

I knelt behind her, running my hands over her body.  
"That's right, Pet," I murmured as my fingers found her 
nipple and clit.  In spite of her exhaustion the previous 
night, she was ready.  "I own you.  No matter what I tell 
you to say or do, no matter who I offer this pretty body 
to, you must obey."

She moaned softly, swaying against me.

"You were born to be a slave, Pet.  To be my slave."

She writhed sinuously into my touch, her head falling back 
against my shoulder.  I made love to her right there, 
letting the mirror show her her need and surrender, her 
strength and her beauty.

. . . And that's when I got the idea that spurred this 
latest purchase.  One ear cocked toward the door in case 
Scully comes back early, I slip the cashier's check and 
order form into the envelope addressed to a very discreet 
and reputable purveyor of "adult sensual enhancements."  
The toy should arrive in George Hale's PO Box within a 
week.  I'm not sure when Dana and I will see Alex again, 
but when we do, they'll both have a surprise waiting for 
them.

Grinning to myself, I head off to the mailbox.


********************

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