Coming To Terms

Author: Kelly

Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The X Files, Mulder, Scully, Doggett, Reyes, Follmer, Skinner,etc are property of Chris Carter, 1013 productions and the latter.
keywords: Slightly Doggett/Reyes, Angst, Scully

Takes place during season nine, straight after the events of the episode "William". Scully struggles to come to terms after giving up William.

While, Doggett and Reyes are given an extremely challenging case which has terrible drawbacks.

Chapter 1

Lisa Halliwell got out her keys and opened the door to her apartment. She was soaked through, the rain hadn't showed any sign of stopping. She threw off her coat and hung it up as she entered her apartment, she put down her briefcase and her shoes came off with great ease. She turned on the lights, then headed over to her answering machine, looking at the indicator which wasn't flashing. No new messages. Although she had a phone call to make, she picked up the phone and dialled a number. "Mom, hey it's Lisa," she said into the mouthpiece, "I'm running a bit late so I'm afraid I won't be able to pick Matthew up. Could you have him until the morning?" She listened for a few moments, "Thanks mom, see you then."

Lisa walked through the lounge to her bathroom, she bent down and struggled to find the plug, she smiled in success as she found it. She put it in the plug hole and started running the hot water tap, she left it running as she made her way to her bedroom to get changed out her clothes.

Wrapping her bathrobe round her small fragile frame, she re-entered her bathroom and reached out for the tap to stop the water, she was stopped by something and turned round, and saw a man standing in the doorway. She screamed out and fell to the floor, the only sound she could hear was the water running, she got back up and ran towards the door. Lisa looked to it in horror. "What the hell?" she muttered. She looked back to the bath which was now over-flowing, she glanced around the small room, she didn't know what she was experiencing. What was happening to her?

Bravely, she dismissed it as fatigue and approached the bath to turn the tap off, the carpet was squelching between her feet. She looked to it and shook her head slowly as she reached over to try and turn the tap, she found she couldn't move it. All of sudden she fell into the bath head first and struggled to get back out, the water splashed all about her as she squirmed and kicked. It felt to her as if someone was pushing her head underneath the water but the bathroom was completely empty.

All could be heard was the faint sounds of splashing coming to a halt as the bathroom door closed.

Special Agent Monica Reyes stepped into the small basement office, she glanced around for her partner, Special Agent John Doggett but couldn't see him anywhere, she stepped in and closed the door quietly behind her. She had been working down in this office officially for about seven months now and it had been the best time in her whole career.

She had joined the FBI with background in mythology and folklore and had previously investigated satanic ritual abuse in the New Orleans and New York field offices' respectfully. Reyes sat down and turned on the laptop on Doggett's desk, it was unusual for him to be late on a Tuesday morning, she shrugged and took off her jacket.

Working on The X Files had similiarities to the work she did back in New Orleans, most cases weren't backed up with any evidence of the crime. Although, she wouldn't change it for the world. Monica Reyes had always wanted an oppurtunity like this to come along and now it had literally fell into her lap.

"Good Morning, Agent Reyes."

Reyes looked up from the laptop. "Morning," she said with a small smile as John Doggett entered the office, he sat down and tossed his jacket to one side and sat down opposite her. There was an air of tension this morning, Reyes looked up to Doggett, there was something he wanted to say to her but he didn't know quite how to say it.

"Something wrong, John?"

"How's Dana?" he asked with a look of concern.

"Doing well," Reyes said narrowing her dark brown eyes, "Although, you can tell she's falling apart inside," she reached across the table and grabbed a spare disk, his hand coming in close proximity with hers. She picked up the disk and pulled her hand back, she looked down to it and remained silent. Reyes finally looked back up to him, "It's hard losing a child."

Doggett nodded slowly, he had lost his son Luke years ago now, still it effected him. "Do you think she made the right decision," he asked softly, "To give up William?"

"Yes," Reyes said with what she hoped sounded like confidence, she had to admit she felt close to the young baby, after all she had delivered him. She remembered the conversation with Scully about if William was ever to be safe, she would have to give him up. "She only wants the best for her son, even if that means she can't be part of his life." John and Monica looked at one another for a moment and allowed themselves a few minutes of silence.

"It must have been a hard decision to make," Doggett said breaking the silence and Reyes nodded slowly. Doggett took a sip of coffee from his styrofoam cup, he had to admit it tasted pretty good today. "Any new cases?"

Reyes shook her head slowly, "Nothing as of yet," she said putting on her glasses, she had been meaning to write up some reports this morning before Doggett had entered the office. "Who knows," Reyes said. "We may get lucky."

The phone rang interupting their conversation, Doggett looked at Reyes and let out a small smile, they both looked at the phone before Doggett made a move to answer it.

"John Doggett," he said into the mouth piece. He listened intently for a few seconds, "Yes sir," his eyes darted toward Reyes then he focused on the conversation, "Yes sir," he repeated, "Yes, she's with me." Reyes leaned forward and attempted to listen in on the conversation, "We'll be right up." He put the phone down and looked at her. "Follmer."

Reyes stood up and removed her jacket from the back of the chair, "What did he want?"

"Wants to see us in his office on the double," Doggett answered picking his own jacket up and putting it on, he headed over to the door, opening it and moving out the way to let Reyes through. "What does he want to see us for now?" Reyes asked with a serious tone as she passed him. "Stealing paperclips?"

Dana Scully stood in her apartment, she looked around the lounge once and shook her head slowly. It had been three days since she had given William up for adoption, he was adjusting to a new life now, a safer life where he wouldn't be danger for the rest of his life. Just as her son was adjusting to a new life, his mother had to do the same. Scully sat down on the sofa slowly, a habit she was used to as she normally had William in her arms, she cursed herself softly, she didn't have to do that anymore. Didn't have to worry about getting home in time to relieve her mother or sister-in-law who had looked after him for 6 months, she looked around the lounge one more time, something was definately missing, it seemed empty somehow.

Scully stood up and walked into the hall, from there you could see the bedrooms, her own and William's nursery. The door was still shut from Saturday afternoon when the woman from the adoption agency had picked him up, Scully couldn't bring herself to go into the nursery. For some reason, she didn't have the willpower, she walked over to the door to her bedroom and turned back to the nursery door. She stared at it for a few moments, tears fighting their way into her bright blue eyes, she looked away and opened the door to her bedroom.