Title:  Ersatz
Author:  Pollyanna
E-mail address: 100257.1177@compuserve.com
Cert:  NC-17, contains description of homosexual sex
Summary: Pendrell and Frohike find that reality can be better than
dreams

Disclaimer:  The characters and situations of the television program
"The X Files" are the creations and property of Chris Carter, Fox
Broadcasting, and Ten-Thirteen Productions, and have been used
without permission.  No copyright infringement is intended.

Notes: WARNING - A Pendrell/Frohike slash story !

I would like to blame Sue for this combination,  but it started off
as my idea. My excuse is that  I only meant it as a joke and she
talked me into it !!

For some reason my usual beta reader Spooky wanted NO part of this
so I would like to extend a warm Thank You and a year's supply of
anti-nausea tablets to Iain and Carol.

Feedback:  If you feel generous enough to offer some feedback then
send a note to 100257.1177@compuserve.com


Ersatz
by Pollyanna

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Pendrell saw him first in the hospital.  A short, creased frog of a
man clutching a bunch of flowers like a shield before him.  He looked
awkward in his ancient suit, and a blemish on the sterile corridors.
Only the devotion in his eyes as he gazed at the pale figure, lying
so still and small in the bed, made him seem a fitting visitor.

Pendrell was feeling out of place himself.  He had known Agents
Scully and Mulder only by reputation - Mr.  and Mrs.  Spooky hidden
away in their basement.  He still did not know exactly what part Alex
had taken in Agent Scully's abduction, but the rumours at the office
and his own knowledge of Alex had made it clear who was to blame.
Since Alex had disappeared three months earlier, Pendrell had been
living in limbo; unable to believe that he had been so taken in by
his beautiful lover.  He continued to slip into the office going
through the motions of doing his job, but feeling so guilty that he
had considered resigning.  He stayed, hoping he might be of some use
to Agent Mulder in his search, or perhaps one day Alex would walk
back through the door and it would all turn out to have been some
terrible mistake.  When the news went round headquarters that Agent
Scully had been returned, he had been driven to come and see for
himself.  As he stood in the hospital he realised that Alex was never
coming back.  It was time to start living again, to find someone
worthy to love, who needed him.  He looked at the tiny, helpless
figure of Agent Scully and felt a great protectiveness and tenderness
for her.  The same tenderness he saw in the eyes of the stranger.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Frohike saw him first in an airport concourse.  Several months had
passed since Scully had recovered, and she and Mulder had comfortably
fallen back into the routine of their unroutine cases.  They were
flying off to Idaho and Mulder had needed some obscure information
from the Lone Gunmen.  Frohike had jumped at the chance to get close
to Agent Scully.  He had delivered the file, basking in Scully's
smile as she nodded in gratitude.

Mulder grabbed the file and rifled through it for the photograph he
wanted to show Scully.  "Thanks, Frohike.   Don't you have to
be somewhere else?"

"Nope.  Surely you want my expert opinion, Mulder?"

"Frohike.  Scram!"

Frohike gathered his dignity around him and withdrew into the crowds.
He stood behind a nearby pillar, out of their line of sight, watching
Scully arguing animatedly with Mulder.

Suddenly another man hurried up to them, to be greeted with a smile
by Scully.  He bristled immediately at the sight of another man
receiving one of those rare smiles.  Mulder was accepted and was in
fact inevitable but anyone else was a rival to be driven from the
field.  The man and Scully stood in a patch of sunlight which
reflected off their red hair.  Red hair?  Perhaps it was a brother,
Frohike knew she had two.  Then the stranger handed over a folder and
Scully said a few words to him and he nodded, grinning shyly and
blushing.  An announcement came over the PA, and Scully tapped
Mulder's arm with the file to get his attention and gestured towards
the gates.  They walked forward, Mulder leaning down to catch
something Scully was saying, leaving the stranger standing in the
sunlight.  The way he stood there, gazing at the departing figures,
neither of whom spared a backwards glance, Frohike knew he was
looking at a fellow sufferer.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

The first time they met was outside Scully's apartment.  Pendrell had
been waiting at the coffee machine when the story of The Spookies'
latest exploits had come up.  It seemed that this time Scully had
nearly been killed on one of Mulder's bug-eyed monster expeditions.
Pendrell had found out the time of their flight back and headed for
Scully's place so he could see for himself that she was OK.  Now he
stood on the opposite side of the road, in the shadows but at the
edge of the light, as close as he could get without being seen.  He
was intent on the view opposite so was completely taken by surprise
when a hand suddenly yanked him further back into the darkness.

"What ...  ?"

"They're gonna see you," a voice hissed.

"Who?  And who are you?"  The hand had let go of him now, and he was
just able to make out a short figure in the darkness.

"Them.  Shhh!"

Pendrell's regard followed a shadowy arm which was pointing towards
the road where a car was pulling up in front of Scully's front door.
He and the stranger were too far away to hear the discussion as
Mulder and Scully got out and walked to her door.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

"So, Scully, you want I should come and tuck you in?"  drawled
Mulder.

"I'm a big girl, Mulder.  I can manage for myself."

They walked to the door and she unlocked it and then reached inside
to turn on the lights.  A sudden glow spilled out of the door,
backlighting the two figures standing close in the porch.  Scully
turned to shoo Mulder home, and then saw that although he was still
smiling lazily, his eyes were tight with worry.  She laid a hand on
his forearm.

"I'm fine, Mulder."

"You almost got killed."

"But I didn't, and I'm fine - not even a scratch.  Now, go home, and
let me get to bed."

Mulder leant forward and gently kissed her forehead.

"Good night, Jim Bob."

Scully tugged on his tie until he was leaning down again, and then
brushed her lips across his forehead.

"Good night, John Boy."

She watched as he went back to the car and drove off.  Then, shaking
her head, went inside and closed the door, unaware of the two in the
shadows opposite.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Pendrell sighed, which was echoed by the stranger.  "Well, at least
he didn't stay the night.  By the way, I'm Frohike, a friend of
Mulder's."

Pendrell peered into the darkness trying to make out features - there
was something familiar about this figure.  Then he realised the
stranger had just told him his name, and he started to introduce
himself, "I'm Special Agent ..."

"Pendrell.  Yes, I know.  You used to be friends with that
rat-bastard Krycek."

Pendrell's jaw dropped.

"I make it my business to know everything about anything that
involves the lovely Agent Scully.  And if I didn't know you'd do
anything for her, you'd be out of the FBI and washing test-tubes in a
sperm donor clinic about now."

Pendrell drew himself up and said stiffly, "I could ask what you're
doing here."

Frohike sighed and looked at the building where the lights went out
as Scully moved to the back of her apartment.

"Howling for the moon."

Pendrell deflated as he recognised the note of longing in the voice,
"You lov ...  have feelings for Scully too?"

"Yeah, but she's never gonna look at me that way."

"Me neither."

They stood in companionable silence for a while, and then Pendrell
spoke hesitantly.

"You want to go for a drink?  I know a quiet bar."

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Pendrell had found them a booth in a corner and then gone off to get
their first drinks.  Frohike played with a coaster and looked idly
round.  It took a while for it to register with Frohike, but all the
clients of the bar were male.  This, in itself, would not have struck
him as too peculiar - after all, some of the bars he frequented, no
sane woman would have entered.  But in this bar some of the men were
sitting very close to each other, holding hands across a table.  When
he saw a couple lean towards each other and exchange a long, involved
kiss he suddenly realised just where he had ended up.  As Pendrell
returned with a couple of beers, he spoke.

"Um, Pendrell, do you realise this is a gay bar?"

"Yes," replied Pendrell unconcernedly and then looked again at
Frohike who seemed to be blushing in the dim light.  "I thought you
realised when you said about Krycek ..."

"Krycek?  Oh!  You mean when you were friends you weren't just ..."

"No," Pendrell grinned.  "So you don't know everything.  Does this
bother you?  We can go somewhere else if it does?"

"No.  It's OK.  No problem.  I'm cool.  So.  I guess we ought to be
on first name terms.  It might seem a little strange otherwise."

Pendrell managed to keep a straight face at Frohike's desperate
attempts to appear unfazed by his surroundings.  "You're probably
right.  I'm Brian - unfortunately."

"Don't worry.  I can do worse that that, I'm Melvin."

"Parents, huh?"

"Yeah, they never realise you're gonna grow up.  To parents!"  and
Frohike clicked his glass against Pendrell's.

And then they settled in to get seriously drunk.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

"The very first time I saw her, my very first words to her.  No, not
even to her, but about her while she was standing there, were 'She's
hot' "

Frohike rested his head on his forearms as he remembered.  Pendrell
patted his arm comfortingly.  "I can do worse than that.  I did some
stuff for her, in the lab, you know, and she said 'Well done, keep up
the good work' and you know what I said."

"No," said Frohike raising his head and peering blearily.

" 'Keep it up yourself.'  "

"That was bad."

"With a capital B. I was a complete doof."

"Doof?  Good word.  Must remember that," then Frohike grinned inanely
and pointed at Pendrell.  "The Doof Fairy."

Pendrell took his hand away from Frohike's arm and sat back frowning
at the insult.  Frohike was chuckling to himself, but then saw
Pendrell's expression and stopped.

"Sorry, Brian.  Guess I just haven't got any better at keeping my big
mouth shut."

"S'OK, Melvin.  You're drunk.  I am too," Pendrell giggled as if he
has just discovered the best joke ever.  "Doof fairy - you know
that's not bad.  I'm glad Alex didn't think of it, he'd never have
let me hear the end of it.  To doofs!"

They waved their glasses about, but after five seconds of failing to
connect, gave up and swallowed anyway.

"You know, Brian.  I can't quite figure this.  How can you fancy
Agent Scully if you fancied Krycek?"

Pendrell considered carefully, and then beamed a dazzling smile at
Frohike.  "I guess I just love people."

"That's nice.  That's very nice.  To people!"

This time the glasses came together with a great chink that caused
the couples nearest them to look round.  Pendrell shushed Frohike
loudly and they sat in silence for a couple of minutes until the
waiter dropped off a couple more beers.  Then Frohike spoke, "We
haven't either of us got a chance."

"With Agent Scully?"

"Yeah.  Mulder."

"Mulder.  Yeah."

"Not that he isn't a great guy, and he's a peculiar friend of mine."

Pendrell's brow wrinkled in concentration.  "Don't you mean
particular?"

"Probably.  Anyway he's a great guy.  Decent, brave, a little
paranoid but that can be good.  To Mulder!"

Pendrell raised his glass reluctantly and then his eyes went wide.

"Alex!"

Frohike followed where he was looking and saw a figure leaning on the
bar dressed in a leather jacket.  Pendrell rose to his feet and began
to weave his way to the bar, knocking into people as he went.  The
figure turned round to see what the commotion was and Frohike saw the
darkly handsome features of Alex Krycek.  Krycek cursed as he saw
Pendrell and then ran towards the back door.  Pendrell, with some
difficulty managed to change direction and follow him.

'Oh, shit!'  thought Frohike as he threw some dollars on the table
and chased after them.  He had no illusions that he would be much
help to Pendrell against a hardened killer but at the same time he
could not leave Pendrell to face him alone.

He gingerly opened the door leading into the alley and poked his head
around the edge.  It looked pitch-black and he peered to and fro
trying to make out anything.  He carefully stepped from behind the
cover of the door, listening for any noise, and then he stumbled over
something on the ground.  His heart stopped for a moment and then
restarted with a burst of relief as a groan in a voice he recognised
came from the huddled figure he had tripped over.  "Brian!  Is that
you ?  Are you all right?  Did he shoot you?  Stab you?"

"No, he just punched me."

"OK, sit up now.  Can you stand?"

"I guess so."

Frohike braced himself and heaved Pendrell to his feet.  He saw a
suspicious shine on Pendrell's cheeks and busied himself with looking
at the floor.  "Did you drop anything in the fight, Brian?"

"No.  And it wasn't a fight, he just waited for me and hit me once
when I came out the door."

Frohike felt a confusing mixture of compassion and anger.  "The
bastard!  You're better off without him.  Some lover he turned out
to be."

Pendrell's voice was hard and bitter when he replied, "He wasn't my
lover.  I thought he was, but we were just ... fuck-buddies."
He became aware of Frohike looking at him and asked, "What?"

"It's just ...  what you said.  Doesn't seem like you."

"Not very nice?"  Pendrell's voice had a small thread of laughter
underlying the bitterness.

"Exactly!  Now, let's get you home."  Frohike's voice was all
practicality and he draped one of Pendrell's arms over his shoulder.

"I don't live far.  It's this way."

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

It took them five minutes to unlock the door to Pendrell's apartment.
With that singular stubbornness shown by all inanimate objects when
faced with drunks, the lock and the key refused to align.  First,
Pendrell tried, and then Frohike took the key and he tried but with
no success.  It was only when Frohike grasped the handle to hold the
door still while Pendrell crept up and took the lock by surprise that
they managed to get in.  Exhausted by their efforts they both
collapsed on the couch, but after a few minutes Pendrell stood up and
tugged Frohike to his feet.  "We've got to drink some water - lots
of water."

"Why?"

"So we don't get hangovers in the morning."

"That works?"

"It used to at college.  Mind you, I never drank as much as this at
college."

Frohike followed Pendrell into the small kitchen and obediently drank
the three glasses of water that Pendrell offered him.  Pendrell was
on auto-pilot by then and would have happily kept on offering him
water all night, but Frohike managed to stop him.  "I think three
will be enough.  I'll call a cab and go home now."

"You can stay here tonight if you don't mind sharing."

Frohike thought for a moment, and wondered if he could even get a cab
at that time of night.  "OK.  Where's the bed."

"No bed.  The couch pulls out."

They went back to the living room and Frohike picked up and carried
cushions under Pendrell's directions.  Then with a flourish that
almost landed him flat on his back on the floor, Pendrell tugged at
the innards of the couch and it sprang upwards.  He continued tugging
and unfolding until all the bed was out, taking up most of the
standing room.  Frohike gaped.  "That is the biggest sofa-bed I have
ever seen."

Pendrell grinned with embarrassment.  "My parents bought it for me."

"Parents, huh."

"Yeah.  Always embarrassing you.  They just never realised the size
of apartment I could afford on my salary.  But it is very
comfortable.  There are pillows in that box over there."

The sheets were just as recalcitrant as the key and lock but finally
they were down and some bedding thrown haphazardly on top.  Frohike
coughed, "Um, I have to visit the little boy's room."

"It's just there to your right.  You'd better sleep that side of the
bed since you're a visitor.  I can find my way round my flat in the
dark better than you'll be able to."

When he got back Pendrell passed him and went into the bathroom
himself.  Frohike started undressing, but was distracted by the
computer setup Pendrell had in the corner of the room.  Pendrell
came out of the bathroom in his shorts and t-shirt to find Frohike
standing in shirt tails and socks examining a black box with
interest.

"Oh, that's just a gizmo I'm working on at the moment - trying to
knock out interference when recording higher frequencies.  It's based
around a RISC processor."

"Neat!  Perhaps you could show me how it works?"

"Sure, if you're interested.  But tomorrow.  I can't remember how it
works at the moment."

Frohike chuckled and then dropped his shirt and socks with the rest
of his clothes and slipped under the covers, finding to his surprise
that Pendrell was right - it was certainly more comfortable than his
bed.  He took off his glasses and carefully placed them on the table
next to the couch in easy reach.

Pendrell turned off the light then fumbled around the edge of the bed
and finally climbed into his side.  He turned on his side and tugged
the covers up to his chin.

"Night, Melvin."

"Night, Brian."

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Frohike lay there rigidly for a few minutes listening to the quiet
breathing to his left.  It had been so long since he shared a bed
with anyone that he was afraid to move in case he disturbed Pendrell.
He suddenly realised that Pendrell had probably shared this bed with
Krycek, and not just sleeping.  He guessed he ought to feel disgusted
but the only emotion he could identify was anger at Krycek for what
he had done to this nice kid.  And perhaps a bit of jealousy, but he
fell asleep before he could work out what or who he was jealous of.

He woke in the middle of the night and stumbled to the bathroom,
trying not to make any noise.  When he came back into the room he
noticed that the curtains were partly open so he went to close them
and then realised that a shaft of light was shining across Pendrell.
He stood for a few moments watching the sleeping figure.  Pendrell
had taken off his t-shirt at some point and the light fell across his
pale skin and managed to strike a spark of colour from his red hair.
It was so close to Frohike's fantasies that he almost reached out to
touch him.

But that would have made it real, and there was nothing for him in
reality, only in fantasy.  He went back to his side of the bed and
lost himself in his dreams.  There was the usual red hair, blue eyes
and white limbs but tonight there was a different face.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Pendrell woke slowly.  A little light filtered around the edge of the
curtains.  He opened his eyes carefully and licked his lips.  That
water seemed to have done the trick, he felt lethargic but no
headache and his mouth was no worse than his usual morning mouth.
He yawned and stretched, and that was when he realised that he was
not alone in the bed.  There was something warm sharing his space.
'Alex!'  he thought immediately and felt a heat at his groin as his
body responded despite himself.  But Alex always slept at the far
edge of the bed - separate, contained.  This person was curled in a
small ball behind him, close but not quite touching.  For one wild
moment he thought of a certain tiny FBI agent and the heat spread a
little further before he remembered the previous evening.

Pendrell shifted around until he was lying on his back and then
looked at his bed companion.  Frohike's sparse hair was sticking up
in tufts and his face was relaxed in sleep so he looked less crumpled
than usual.  Still, nobody was ever going to call him good-looking.
But Pendrell had tried good-looking and underneath the handsome
exterior had been coldness and selfishness.  He knew Alex would not
have risked himself to come to Pendrell's rescue.  Perhaps it was
time to look below the packaging.  As Pendrell wriggled to get more
comfortable he realised that not all of Frohike was quite as relaxed
- this could be embarrassing.

He reached out and shook Frohike's shoulder.  "Melvin.  Melvin, time
to wake up."

"Whassup?"

"It's morning.  How do you feel?"

Frohike's eyes blinked several times and then opened and stared at
Pendrell in confusion.  Surely he was still dreaming?  Blue eyes and
a smile first thing in the morning?  Slowly the confusion cleared as
he realised where he was, "Uh.  Morning.  I don't feel so bad ...
that water worked."

"That's just what I was thinking.  I had to get up a couple of times
in the night, but apart from that it's a great hangover cure."

"Yeah.  I had to get up too."

He started to stretch and then froze, his eyes bulging in shock and
mortification.  This could be very embarrassing.  Perhaps he could
make it to the bathroom without Pendrell realising and then he met
Pendrell's eyes.  Too late, "Sorry about this, Brian."

"Don't worry about it, Melvin.  It's just a male morning thing.  And
it's not like it hasn't happened before in this bed," Pendrell
hesitated before he carried on speaking.  "If you wanted, I could
help you with it?"

"Help me?"  Frohike's voice came out as a squawk.

"Only if you wanted."

Frohike's eyes were wide with astonishment.  Was Pendrell really
offering to have sex with him?  Nobody had offered that to him for
years.  In his life it was usually a commercial transaction.

Pendrell blushed vividly.  "I shouldn't have said anything.  I'm
sorry."

"No.  That's OK.  I'm OK.  You wouldn't really ...  I mean you can't
want to ...  not with me."

"I'm no cock-teaser, Melvin."

Frohike's face creased into a hesitant smile.  "You're talking dirty
again."

"So, are you interested?"

"Yes," Frohike blurted before he could change his mind.  "What do you
want me to do?  I've never done this before.  Do we need condoms?"

8 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Pendrell sat up and pulled back the covers, then turned and reached
into the drawer of the cabinet by the bed and retrieved a condom.

"Take your clothes off and lie on your back."

Frohike pulled off his t-shirt and slipped the shorts down, revealing
his still firm erection.  It was his turn to blush as Pendrell knelt
between his legs and looked him over.  For some reason he made
Pendrell think of a teddy bear - small, hairy and cuddly.  The
thought made him smile warmly.

Frohike saw the smile and cringed.  How could he have thought someone
would think of him as anything but a joke.  "You don't have to go
through with this, Brian.  I'm not exactly good-looking."

"You look fine to me.  And you do have your good points - like this."

Pendrell stroked a hand along Frohike's cock which had begun to wilt.
It stiffened and Frohike's eyes became even wider.  Removing the
condom from its packaging he smoothed it on efficiently.  Then he
shifted back, leant down and licked.  Frohike yelped in surprise and
his hips bounced off the bed.

"If you're going to move about that much, I'll have to get the
handcuffs."

"Handcuffs?"  squeaked Frohike,  "You're joking aren't you?"

That was the last intelligible thing Frohike said for a long time as
Pendrell grinned evilly and then bent to his task.

There were no two ways about it, Frohike was a babbler.  He kept up
a constant stream of remarks, all of which Pendrell ignored after he
realised that Frohike was contradicting himself every other word.
And that was when the words were making sense.

"Oh, my God ...  stop ...  just there ...  red ...  no ...  too much
...  you can't ...  yes ...  that's ...  I dunno ...  yip ...."

Pendrell found himself smiling foolishly as he worked with the
diligence of a true technician.  Alex had always demanded this as a
tribute and there was a deep pleasure in just giving it as a gift,
especially when it was appreciated so much.  Frohike's hand lay on
his head, not directing, but just laced through his hair as if to
make sure he was really there.  It was an oddly tentative gesture
that sent a wave of affection through Pendrell.  But there was
nothing tentative about Frohike's hips which were flexing and
thrusting under him.  Suddenly they seemed to still for a moment and
then jerked strongly as the climax hit.  Finally Frohike lay panting
and sweating on the sheets, looking completely exhausted but
satiated.

Pendrell found that at some point he had become fully aroused
himself, pleasure must be contagious.  He rolled over on his back and
pulled his shorts off, then wrapped his hand around his shaft and
began to jerk off.  Suddenly he found another hand had joined his.

"No, Brian, let me."

"You don't have to."

"I want to.  But I may need a few pointers, usually I work solo.
That's why they call me the Lone Gunman."

They chuckled together for a moment and then Pendrell turned half on
his side with his back to Frohike.

"Spoon up behind me and then reach over.  It'll be just like jerking
yourself off but you have to stretch a little further."

Frohike tentatively stroked the shaft in front of him, hoping he
would not make a complete fool of himself and, even more, hoping that
he was going to give Pendrell some pleasure.  He stroked a little
stronger and Pendrell gasped and writhed against him.  He wondered if
Pendrell was sensitive in the same places that he was and his
explorations were met with a moan.  Gaining confidence he began to
vary speeds and techniques, now just a gentle touch, now a hard
squeeze.  He settled his leg over Pendrell's so he could feel more of
the body squirming against him and snuffled in the scent on the back
in front of him.  He tried to remember when he had felt this good,
and then gave up and just concentrated on enjoying the sensations
around him.

It was over all too soon.  Pendrell came fiercely under his hand,
turning his head to muffle his cry in the pillow.  Frohike was
astonished at how good it felt to give pleasure as well as to receive
it.  He shuffled back a bit on the bed, but Pendrell turned over and
reached out to him, drawing him back to his side.  He settled next to
the strange and yet familiar body, sighing with contentment.  He was
awake, but this time the dream had not disappeared in the morning
light.

THE END


--
Cheers                     Pollyanna

" A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will
annoy enough people to make it worth the effort "