New Year, New Beginning
Author: Carly
E-mail:
Rating: PG
Category: DRR
Summary: When Doggett and Reyes face spending Christmas and New Years together they must prioritise each other with their families and question who is more important to them and how much they want to fit into each others lives.
Disclaimer: Anything you recognise is not mine, I'm only borrowing and there's nothing wrong with that.


When you find yourself at work on Boxing Day, being stood up by your partner, it's time to rethink your life.

Monica was sat thinking about this as she spun around in the chair at her desk, this was
not characteristically something that she would normally do, but her partner was uncharacteristically two hours late, she felt she was allowed to rebel. Her Christmas had been planned for weeks. She was going home for a few days, to see her parents and catch up on some family time. But the day she was due to leave Doggett had thrust a case under her nose and begged her to postpone her journey. She had reluctantly agreed, and that postponement had now run the course of four days.

This meeting was for them to go over everything they had on the case so far, and so far it was not a lot. She had walked into the office hoping to talk Doggett into letting her leave the case in his hands so she could at least spend the new year with her family, now she was just hoping that he would actually show up.

As a third hour came and went she gave up and went home. She was furious that Doggett
would just leave her like that, with no explanation or reason for not being there. She began to worry that something was wrong, that he had had an accident or something, but she didn't want to make excuses for him, she was still mad. If she allowed herself to think something was wrong with him then she wouldn't be angry, and right now she wanted to be angry.

In his defence, Doggett had invited Reyes to spend Christmas with him at his house, and he had in the process totally ruined Christmas dinner by burning everything he could. They had enjoyed their day together, and had visited Scully in the evening, to see how she was coping alone. But her mother was there, and they were enjoying their first Christmas with William. It was a fun evening, and Reyes had been able to forget that she was supposed to be somewhere else. But now Doggett had spoilt the perfect Christmas by not calling her.

She sat in her apartment with the TV on, but she wasn't watching it at all. She wasn't
even aware of what channel she had on. She was keeping one eye on the telephone, she knew he'd ring her, he had to ring. Two days later her hadn't rang her. He hadn't contacted her at all. And she was almost packed and ready to fly to Mexico to see her family. Scully was with her at her apartment, she was trying to stick up for Doggett but she knew just as well as Reyes that he better have a damn good explanation for disappearing like this.

"Monica are you sure you should leave right now?"

"Dana, I'm not waiting around for a phone call from him with some lame excuse. It's not as if we're married or anything."

"I know. But this isn't like him."

"Which is exactly why I'm leaving. He's doing this to get my attention, to make me worry."

"And is it working?" Reyes looked at Scully and blushed. She turned away and picked up William as he sat with his toys on the floor.

"You must know how I feel about him by now."

"I do, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's ok. I just, I don't know where I am with him anymore. We aren't getting any closer, we've just stopped and fallen into a routine that I'm getting sick and tired of."

"I know what you mean. The exact same thing happened with Mulder and I. We stopped progressing towards anything with our lives and just kept taking two steps forward and three steps back."

"And how did you get past it?"

"I don't know that we did. Look where it got us. But I know that I love him, and I know that he loves me. What more do I need?"

"That's sweet, I'm happy for you, that you can feel that way without him here beside you."

"Well it beats the alternative."

"Which is what?"

"Sitting around crying my eyes out listening to country music all day." Reyes laughed and Scully smiled too. She stood up and Reyes handed William to her.

"In some ways I think you're luckier than me." Scully frowned at Reyes comment.

"How?"

"Well, like you said. You know that Mulder loves you even though he's not here. I have no idea how John feels and I spend every day with him." Scully smiled softly and turned to place William back with his toys.

"Come on, let's finish getting you packed and I'll take you to the airport.

Scully waved Reyes through the departure gate and held William so that he could see what was going on. He had grown fond of Reyes as a result of her helping Scully out from time to time. As Scully drove back to her own apartment her cell phone rang and she answered it in her usual business like tone.

"Scully."

"Agent Scully? It's John Doggett."

"Agent Doggett? Where are you?"

"I'm on my way into the bureau, I'm trying to reach Monica, do you know where she is?" Scully laughed to herself.

"Yes actually."

"Well?"

"I've just watched her get onto a plain to Mexico. She's gone to see her family."

"What? You're serious?"

"Yes, and, John, what did you expect? You haven't called anyone to say where you were for the past three days."

"I've been working, I left messages at the bureau for Agent Reyes."

"Well, I guess she never got them."

"Oh man, I gotta get her back here."

"Agent Doggett no. Leave her alone."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look, can you meet me at my place in about 20 minutes? I'll explain then."

Right on time for a change, Doggett knocked on Scully's door 20 minutes after their phone conversation. Scully sat him down and began to worry that she wasn't doing the right thing. Matchmaking was not something she'd done since high school. But it was either this or watch Doggett and Reyes moping around each other for the rest of their lives because neither of them would admit to how they felt. Doggett looked a little scared, worried about what was going to happen. And it was at that point that Scully realised she wasn't helping anything, she was meddling. She couldn't betray Reyes's confidence in her, and she couldn't play cupid when she had no right to do so.

"John, Monica was upset that you didn't contact her..."

"I left messages, hundreds of 'em..."

"Just let me finish."

"Sorry."

"She has had a lousy few days, she gave up her holidays to be with you working, and you stood her up. Just let her take a few days with her family ok?"

"But this case I got, I need her here."

"Why? What's so pressing?"

"I'd rather not say, but I need her back. I don't know if I have her parents number at my
place, do you have it?"

"John..."

"I have a key for Monica's place I could get it from there."

"Agent Doggett! Will you just take a minute and listen to yourself. You're acting as if you own her. You can't go snooping around people's homes."

"She's not people, she's Monica, and she wouldn't mind."

"I beg to differ."

"Well you don't know her like I do, now excuse me I have work to do."

"You know you carry on like this and people will start to talk that you're in love with her!" Doggett stopped at the door and turned to face Scully.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Then leave her alone. She doesn't want to hear from you."

"Yeah, well we'll see about that."

"John... John!" It was no use; Doggett was out the door and on his way to Reyes's apartment.

Doggett pulled up outside Reyes apartment and caught his reflection in his rear view
mirror. What was he doing. He suddenly felt very ridiculous and foolish for the way he was behaving. Maybe the case could wait until the New Year. But could he wait until the New Year to see her? He started the engine of his car and drove to the bureau. He needed to clear his head before he decided what he was going to do next.

He'd been in New York for three days, staking out a gang of youths that were terrorising
the neighbourhood they lived in. But they had a habit of disappearing whenever anyone entered the house to bust them. No one had been able to explain it; three times the house had been busted by local police and three times they came out empty handed. He hadn't been able to explain it, and his hope was that Reyes would be able to offer some helpful advice. And all he'd done was force her into another state. The reason he hadn't wanted to tell Scully about the case was that one of the people that were causing the trouble was a relative of Doggett's.

His brother. From an early age Doggett's brother Robert, or Bobby as he was better known, had caused as much mischief as he possibly could. 12 years younger than Doggett, he had looked up to his brother until Doggett booked him for drink driving when he was a New York cop. They drifted apart from that moment on, and the only person who knows anything about it was Reyes.

There was nothing else for it. He had to call her back to D.C. The telephone number was
in a drawer in her desk.

"Mr Reyes?"

"Ci senior. Quienes?"

"Mi nombre John Doggett, I'm looking for Monica."

"Mi hija? Por que?" Doggett felt he was getting nowhere, his Spanish wasn't great and it was showing. He was about to attempt more pitiful attempts when he heard Reyes in the background.

"Telefono dar mi papa." Her father mumbled something about bad Spanish and wandered off before Reyes proceeded to talk to Doggett.

"John?"

"Yeah, how'd you guess?"

"Only you could enrage my father so much with bad Spanish." Doggett laughed and felt relieved that Reyes wasn't yelling at him.

"Listen Monica, I need you to..."

"I'm not coming back John."

"Whadaya mean?"

"I mean, I've been here about 20 minutes and I'm not leaving my family to come back and help you with a case that you don't need my help on. It's nothing to do with the x-files John, you can take this one alone."

"I can't."

"Why the hell not? You just want me there to stand beside you in New York so you're not the agent without a partner?"

"It's not like that, look I'm sorry about the last few days, I left you messages at the bureau, but I guess they never got to you."

"I guess not."

"Monica please, I'm sorry I pissed you off. But you gotta understand how awkward this is. With Bobby and everything."

"I know. And I don't want to seem un-sympathetic, you know I care, but I postponed my Christmas for you, I'm not postponing my New Year too. I'll see you in a few days."

"Monica wait..."

"Bye John." Reyes put the phone down and turned around to see her mother smiling at her.

"What?"

"Espanola Monica, you're in Mejico not Washington."

"Perdone mama."

"Tu amor Senor Doggett?" Reyes smiled and laughed at her mother's open question. She walked over to her and kissed her cheek leading them into the living room.

Doggett put down the phone and sighed. He'd really blown it big time. How could he have been so stupid? He knew that Reyes had more important things in her life than his dysfunctional family. He picked up the phone and called his own mother, he was going back to New York. Alone.

By the 29th December at 4:30PM Doggett was back in New York, and Reyes had been in Mexico for a day. Doggett was back staking out the house that his brother was occupying with his friends. He didn't want to bust his younger brother, but he knew he wanted to stop him, so what alternative did he have? His mother had disowned her second son. She didn't want to know Bobby, she just wanted Doggett to stop him and get him behind bars.

It hurt Doggett that his family had fallen apart, having lost his son and have his family torn to pieces, it didn't help that he had a mother and father who may as well not live together for the amount of communicating with each other they do, a brother that has fallen of the rails completely, and a sister who lived in London and called maybe every six months and visited every two years. In part the reason he had wanted Reyes by his side was because she was like family to him, he couldn't live without her as he couldn't live without his mother. And if he dug deep into his soul he would see that he was jealous of Reyes being happy with her parents when his own didn't even speak to each other.

"You gotta understand son, your mother and I, we finished a long time ago."

"But I don't understand, why'd you even bother staying together?"

"For you kids."

"We're not kids dad."

"I know, but we have to set a good example, show you that marriage is forever."

"Set a good example? Well it's worked for us all so far. Bobby 28 and on his way to a prison cell, Kate 38 and single in another country, and me. Divorced, and single at 40."

"We did our best John."

"I know. But you and mom, you tear pieces out of each other."

"You think I could ever mention the word divorce to your mother?! She'd kill me before she'd divorce me, and don't you go giving her ideas." Doggett laughed and his father's smile faded from his face.

"I know you kids haven't had it easy, and I know that your mother and I have made mistakes. Maybe we shouldn't have had kids at all. We certainly didn't expect Bobby. We were both 37 when your mother fell pregnant with him. Maybe that's why he turned out the way he did."

"You can't blame yourself for his behaviour. He's a grown man."

"We paid so much attention to you and Kate. You becoming a cop, your sister getting a great job overseas, we were so proud, and your brother barely had the grades to graduate high school."

"He made his own decisions, led his own life. Don't blame yourself."

"I don't. I blame your mother." They laughed again and walked into the family home as they finished talking. Doggett's mother was in the kitchen baking a cake when she yelled out to her husband about letting the cold in.

"Don't you get walking in this house with snow and mud on your shoes! You leave them at the door!"

"Sorry ma, too late I got mud all over the floor." His mother turned around and ran into Doggett's arms overjoyed to see him. The she pulled back and hit his arm.

"What was that for?!"

"For not coming to see me when you were here a few days ago. You think I like being here alone with your father all day every day?"

"I'll leave you to it, I'm gonna put the TV on."

"You should have married the damn thing you pay more attention to that than you do to me!"

"Now there's an idea! Anybody know where it's legal to marry your TV set? I could have the thing switched off whenever I want, unlike you!"

"Dad, mom, come on. It's Christmas."

"Christmas was three days ago, and we didn't act any different to any other day."

"Apart from when you threatened to carve me up in stead of the turkey!" Doggett frowned at his father and could feel a headache coming.

"Dad, go and watch the TV, mom, si'down. We need to talk."

"Is it about Bobby?"

"We got any other kids that warrant the FBI getting involved in their arrest?"

"Damn it dad!"

"I'm goin, I'm going." His father left the room and Doggett sat down with his mother and held her hands.

"John, you're the only one that can stop him. He looks up to you."

"You know as well as I do that he hates me ever since I busted him all those years ago."

"But he won't listen to us, and why should he, he's a grown man."

"Ma, you have to understand that when we get him, he won't be coming home for a long time."

"Whadaya mean?"

"He's done so much more than you know about, now I gotta tell you everything, and I want you to know I'm not goin anywhere until this is all fixed ok?" His mother smiled and cupped Doggett's face in her hands.

"Oh John. You can't fix this family. After all these years, you're better off leaving us to
fizzle out without dragging you down with us. It's only a matter of time." She stood up and kissed Doggett's head before going into the living room to start another argument with her husband of 43 years.