Scully was sitting in her comfy armchair, a cup of coffee in hand and her new cat purring softly in her lap. Adolphus had been a stray she and Mulder had discovered on their last case…shortly preceding his disappearance. As the cat had been covered in bruises and caked blood, Scully had hardly been able to turn him away. Plus, he would provide a good playmate for William. The boy needed someone other than his cantankerous mother to socialize with on a daily basis, after all.
Like the cat, Scully had recovered since the case. But the memory of what had happened still plagued her. Mulder had forced her to tag along on a case involving radiation victims living in a remote town. The sights had been harrowing. People with entire patches of skin had been missing, their raw muscles pulsating in the naked light. Her medical mind had been fascinated by them, yet her human heart felt nothing but remorse. It was days like those that made her hate the very men and women who had been trying so diligently to defend her country.
The case had ended badly, as evinced by Mulder's disappearance. Not only that, however, but someone had made a threat against their son as well. Their pride and joy had been threatened, the one cause for which Scully now lived. The woman's words still haunted her. Keep track of that baby, little lady. Ye never know when he could disappear.
A knock came at the door, jarring a flustered Scully from her thoughts. Slipping on some slippers, she hurried, peeking through the tiny door hole to see a friendly face staring back. Opening the door, she embraced her former partner.
"Monica," she found herself sobbing, "Oh, Monica, I've missed you."
Monica Reyes seemed surprised as well. Since Monica's reassignment to a new division within the FBI, the two hadn't spoken in months. Her once shoulder-length brown hair had been cut very short and dyed a frosty blonde color. Kicky new bangs streamed across her face, complimenting the woman's edgy eclectic nature. "Dana, I heard about Mulder and I am so sorry. I brought you this." A book on the art of spiritual healing. How Reyesque.
With a smile, Dana welcomed Reyes into her new home. It was mostly bare with a few pieces of furniture placed here and there, her medical magazines scattered to and fro all over the floors. Reyes looked at the place with a smile. "Looks like somebody needs an interior decorator."
Scully offered a harsh laugh. "Yeah, I know. There hasn't been much time, Mulder dead and all."
Reyes kissed her forehead. "I know, honey. That's why I wanted to take you out tomorrow."
Scully looked at her quizzically. "Monica, I've got a baby to care for, medical work to catch up on, funeral bills—"
"I know, Dana, but what good's being alive if you're not going to live?"
Scully looked at her sharply. "Now look her Monica, I can't just leave my baby—"
Monica laughed heartily, her hair bouncing as she did. "Don't worry. I've hired a babysitter." Moving aside, she allowed John Doggett to enter.
Unlike Monica, Doggett looked exactly the same. Smiling sadly, he handed Scully a small bouquet of flowers. "My condolences, Miss Scully."
Scully smiled at him. "I'm Dana now, John. You've known me long enough, haven't you?"
They all laughed. Then Monica started in once more on her previous proposal. "Come with me tomorrow, then. John's an agent. He's more than qualified for this kind of work."
Scully looked at her friend skeptically. "Where exactly are we going?"
"Out." Monica was grinning mischievously, as though she had done something horrible wrong and was proud of it.
In Scully's case, it was something horribly right.