============ THE POP FILES =========

Author's Notes: You really need a primo sense of humour for this, and a kind of kinky mind. Oh, and you've got to be clue-up on some of this events of season nine for Doggett and Reyes. Oh. And major thanks to 'Little Red' who gave me lots and lots of help with this, and basically being crazy with my bubble-wrap, ahem, thing. LOL!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Doggett and Reyes, sigh. Oh, but the bubble wrap props are mine, mwahaha!
Monday

12:03am

The X-Files' basement office.
"Look at this, John." Reyes calls to Doggett, as he picks his way through some files in the X-Files office.

"What is it? Anything more interesting than these." He drops some files onto his desk, ". files?"

She smirks at him. Takes a moment to laugh and then proceeds to answer his query.

"Well. I don't know about exciting, but how do you feel about bubble-wrap?" She smiles, as if something X-File worthy could come of this.

Doggett raises one eyebrow. Even this is weird for her, he thinks. "Bubble- wrap?" He asks. "I'm sorry, but that's not even funny." She smiles, as he shuffles through the files and orders them. "What could bubble-wrap possibly have to do in an X-File? I mean, c'mon, Reyes. What's the deal?"

"I'm serious about this. Bubble-wrap in an X-File. The unexplained occurrences of it, that is." She goes into a serious mode. "You know what bubble-wrap does, don't you?"

He smiles and nods.

"Well, in the last 3 years alone there have been 3 cases of strange occurrences involving bubble wrap. In these cases, the 'victims' see the need to continually pop the plastic packaging until they are all popped, leaving them with no other option than to pop themselves, or anyone else in their sight."

He sighs.

"Yes, and?"

"And? What else do you want?"

"Well, for a start, some facts. What the hell is this, a circus? These would be ridiculous to follow up. Blaming bubble wrap, an object, for the reason of murder and suicide is possibly one of the worst excuses that I've heard, and I've heard quite a few."

Reyes pops bubble wrap under her desk as he mumbles on. She seems distant, retiring to giggle every so often during the conversation.

"Reyes?" He notices her hands are under her desk. "Stop popping that bubble wrap."

She pauses. She looks around herself.

"What bubble wrap?" She looks around innocently.

"Give it to me." He says, walking towards her.

She sighs and bows her head to get the bubble wrap. "Ok." She puts the bubble wrap into his hands and he takes it away.

"Now. I'm going to put this is a very special box, ok?" He places it into a black box from under his desk. "And, when you ask me nicely for it, I will give it to you at important times. Do you understand?" He speaks slowly, as if speaking to a child when taking their toy away.

She bows her head, overlaps her top lip over her bottom lip and sighs. Doggett shakes his head, rolls his eyes and mumbles as he walks back to his desk.

A silence fills the room as Reyes sulks and Doggett puts the files on his desk into a pile. He occasionally looks up to see Reyes' sad face, trying to ignore it.

He can't ignore that face. Her sweet face.

"Oh ok," he gives in. "let's go for ice cream." He gets his jacket and Reyes jumps up from her chair and smiles her way through the door followed by a less enthusiastic Doggett. He closes the door behind him, rolling his eyes as Reyes skips down the hallway.

"Why can't I just get she just take her meds?"

CUT TO
Monday

7:46pm

Reyes' Apartment

Loud and abrupt popping noises are heard coming from Reyes' apartment. Doggett walks down the corridor to her apartment, and notices this noise. He stops for a moment.

"Oh God, she's at it again." He mumbles.

He approaches her door, knocks and then waits. Nobody answers. He knocks again. He waits for a minute or so and she doesn't answer the door. He can hear her popping her bubble wrap inside her apartment, but she isn't taking any notice of his presence. He knocks once more, waiting less patiently then at first.

"Monica?" He calls. "Are you popping that bubble wrap again?"

"Yes!" She shouts, popping in between. "You can come in, just turn the handle, John." She tells him.

He looks down to the door handle and proceeds to turn it, really not sure whether he should be doing so. I could be at home, with my pop tarts and NASCAR, but I'm here with a pop freak that doesn't notice me. Why? He wonders.

He walks in. Reyes stands up as he walks forward. She stands in a pool of bubble wrap. He gazes and runs his eyes up and down her slender sexy body. Oh yes, I remember now. He thinks.

"John?" She breaks his concentration, to his annoyance. "Did you want something?"

"Erm." He replies.

Silence. Reyes smiles as he tries to compose himself.

"You. Err. I thought you might like some.." He trails off, looking at her body.

"Polish sausage?" She continues, noticing the polish sausage in his hands. She knows that smell.

"Yes." He confirms. "The sausage. I thought you might like some." He continues, walking to her couch. He sits. A loud unison of popping noises is heard from underneath him. He pauses, stares and Reyes - who is now trying so hard to contain her laughter - and then reaches his hand below the cushions. He pulls out a group of popped bubble wrap.

"You're not supposed to sit on it, John." She laughs.

"Monica." He pauses. "Do you really need this much bubble wrap in your place? I mean, really." He complains.

She walks over to him, pulls the bubble wrap from underneath, smiling at him, and puts it onto the floor with the other large pool of half-popped bubble wrap.

"Yes, John, I need this bubble wrap." She insists.

He groans and smiles.

"You don't know how to live, John." She jests. "You really don't."

"Live like you, you mean?"

"Yes."

"So, you want me to sit in my apartment popping plastic that's full of air all night?"

"Isn't that what you usually do?" She smirks, making a joke.

"No." He laughs. "I don't have any of those, Monica." He insists. What was she thinking of him? That he was that kind of guy? He was amused, but also slightly offended. Oh well, he knew it was the bubble wrap that had gone to her head.

There's a knock at the door. She pauses and glances at him, as he's still pondering why he's there. She stands.

"I'll get the door." She walks to the doorway, carrying some bubble wrap with her, popping it as she approaches the door. She bangs her head into the door.

"Ow." She mutters. She rubs her heads and then proceeds to open it.

"Are you all right, Monica?" John calls from behind.

"Yes, John. Fine." She replies, softly.

"Hello." Follmer says, peering around the half-open doorway. He's happier than usual and is holding a handful of bubble wrap. He waves it in the air and smirks.

"Ooooh!" Reyes exclaims. Her vision now strongly fixated onto the beautifully glowing bubbles. Follmer looked into her eyes; they were filled with transparent air bubbles.

Doggett stood up.

"Oh, hello." Follmer said, grinning at Doggett. Reyes was still fixated on the bubble wrap that Follmer had given her. It was the same as the bubble wrap that she had, to the untrained eye, but she knew that there was something different about it. She had the eye for things like that.

"Mr Follmer." Doggett replied. He stood in a firm and manly manner, as if he were protecting his territory. They exchange glances, and began the ritual of putting each other down in front of Reyes.

"So, bubble wrap not your thing Mr Doggett?" Follmer asks.

Doggett sighs.

"No." He replies, bluntly.

"Oh, come on, John" Reyes interrupts. "You have to live a little." She laughs with Follmer.

"Yes. Live a little," He laughs. "John." He jests.