When she'd first heard about the case, Monica was all for it. She'd driven up to the planned location, set up by John, and assumed everything would be alright. That was all before the FBI's most unwanted showed up. Doggett had said that Mulder had gotten an assistant, or at least a sort of maybe partner. At first, she'd had her suspicions, but after the first five years of their partnership, it seemed like they'd formed a reasonably beneficial relationship. Not only that, but based on snippets of conversation she'd gathered from Skinner and Doggett, the X-Files was becoming one of the more effective programs in the Bureau. All thanks to the same two agents she was supposed to help. With their case, a case that had stumped even two of the most insightful and dedicated agents in the FBI. She was flattered, of course, but she'd done her research. She knew that she was better suited for the files than either of them could ever be.
Reyes buried her spiteful remarks deep within herself, and steeled her resolve. Doggett had asked for her help, something about another satanic rituals case. If she could win Mulder over, and get him to talk to Skinner and give his partner the boot, then she'd have the position she deserved… Her scheming was interrupted by footsteps crunching over the leaves on the side of the hill. John's voice, asking polite yet urgent questions, all business, as always…
She wasn't supposed to have heard about it, but Reyes also knew that Doggett harbored no romantic feelings towards her. Skinner had suspected something for a while, and she would have given up her position immediately if she had a reason to, but John never seemed to care about her. She'd tried everything to get him to lower his walls, to let her in, to let her help him… Once again, he wouldn't budge. He'd told her once, when they'd only been working together for three years, about how badly he blamed himself for his son's death. His wife blamed him, which is why they divorced shortly after the incident. He still hasn't recovered, Monica told herself.
Stop thinking. John met her first, giving her a reassuring smile and shaking her hand. Professionally. She assumed that the tall, sarcastically silent man behind him was Mulder, and noted his boyish grin. "Monica Reyes. Agent Doggett mentioned that you'd ran into a sort of dead end, and were looking for some info on satanic rituals, cults, the like." She extended her hand again, and the other agent nodded at her.
"Special Agent Fox Mulder, this is my partner, Dana Scully." Mulder motioned to the hilariously short ginger behind him, and she stepped forward to shake Monica's hand. "We were, actually, hoping to learn a bit more about the circumstances of this case," he said boldly, handing Reyes a field report. "This is just an overview. Do you think you can help us?"
Monica took the folder, pretending to glance over it. She took advantage of the opportunity to inconspicuously check out Mulder's partner, who was actually quite attractive, after a closer look. Her height was rather adorable, actually, now that she thought about it… "Of course I can. This resembles some of the less traditional cases of ritual sacrifice, prefaced by abductions. And there's most likely a pattern in the victims, have you looked into their backgrounds?"
She caught Doggett's smirk and the tiniest of glimmers in his eyes. "We have actually. Nothing major has turned up so far, no obvious clues or similarities," Scully said slowly, raising her eyebrows at Reyes.
"In other words, not your typical 'blonde virgin' case," Mulder nodded. Monica could practically feel the doubt in his tone, and suspected that the agents might possibly have lived up to their reputation.
"Would you mind if I looked at more of the evidence? I think I'll be able to help, but I'll need more than this report," she pursed her lips and looked at John, who quickly agreed. There really was only so much she could do on a case she wasn't assigned to, but Reyes wanted all of the experience she could get on the X-Files. After all, if everything went as planned, she'd be working in the branch herself soon. Maybe she could even stay friends with the other agents.
"Not at all, that shouldn't be a problem. Although it's a bit late, we might get a few odd looks…," Scully trailed off, glancing at her partner. "Then again, that's never stopped us before, has it Mulder?"
Mulder blinked with surprise, and shook his head slowly in mock innocence. "I thought you were going to lay off, Scully. You just had to embarrass me in front of the new agent we just met, huh?" Monica rolled her eyes and looked expectantly at Doggett.
"I'll meet you there, okay? Make sure they leave sometime tonight," she added softly, and considered giving him a kiss on the cheek. He nodded once and turned away, making up her mind for her. Monica sighed and began the walk down the hill, regretting her decision to wear heels. Nothing's better than heels in grass, she thought miserably. Her car awaited her at the foot of the hill, and once she was safely inside, alone and on her way to headquarters, the silence and darkness reminded her how alone she truly was. Although she considered herself fairly attractive, most people shied away from her 'New Age-y' beliefs and persistent confidence.
She didn't want a date, though, she wanted a friend. And the X-Files, Monica reminded herself as she parked outside headquarters. The lot was relatively full, which didn't really surprise her. Something was always urgent in the building, with agents being called in at odd hours of the night. Someone was always working, lights were always on deep inside the FBI Headquarters. Deep inside, of course, meaning the basement. Reyes had heard stories about the FBI's 'Most Unwanted', but she secretly admired the dedication Fox Mulder must have had to continue working on the Files.
We aren't so unlike, you and I. Both knowing something larger than us is out there, and searching for it after every reasonable person has given up.
Monica checked in through the security guard, who gave her the quickest of glances and the tiniest of nods. Not ten minutes later, she spotted the other agents on their way to the elevator. "John!" she called after him, and he stopped to allow her to catch up.
"Basement," he explained uselessly. Mulder looked sheepish.
"It's not the most luxurious space, but it serves its purpose. No one bothers me, usually," he glanced at Scully, "and there's plenty of space for my desk and projector. Maybe I'll get one of those cute little office fridges someday, since I'm here so often. I can only spend so much time idling around the soda machine and water fountains."
"Yet somehow, I still don't have a desk. Mulder," Scully raised her eyebrows at her partner.