Jeremy POV

I know that eventually I'll have to work on making some friends my own age, but for now, I'm enjoying hanging out with my dad's friends.

And that probably makes me sound pretty lame.

But none of them are as old as he is, and they're all really cool.

And maybe it's because for the past several years, I've spent very little time with my dad, but whatever the reason, I actually like being around him.

And Liz, too, of course.

When my dad got roped into a meeting with the commissioner at eleven-thirty this morning, he sent me a text.

I won't be able to have lunch with Liz.

He didn't ask me to go, but the implication was there, and it made me feel good to know that he trusted me to go check on her. Because I could tell that he was really worried about her.

I've been pretty worried, too.

I'm on it, I replied.

So after I delivered a ten-page fax to Detective Sessions, I went and had lunch with Liz.

And she almost seemed back to her normal self.

Or at least, I could tell she was trying to act normal.

So I lightened the mood by telling her a few funny stories about my rebellious friends in high school. I thought it might make her laugh, and I also hoped that maybe it would show her that high school kids just do stupid things, since Dad had said this thing that's bothering her has to do with when she was my age.

"And where were you during all of this?" she asked me in amusement.

"Oh, well…I was home studying, of course," I lied, knowing that she'd know I was lying.

"Uh huh. Maybe the better question would be where was your mother?" she asked as she took a bite of the deli sandwich I'd brought for her. Then she stopped abruptly and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"Why not? You're right. If I'd been living with you and Dad, I would've never gotten away with anything like that. She's just so…clueless."

"That's one word for her," she said with a smirk.

"I can think of a couple more," I asserted. "But you don't like me to use bad language, so…"

"Jeremy," she admonished, but then she started laughing. "You know, I'm going to go to hell for talking so disparagingly about your mother. I really shouldn't do that."

"You're a great person," I corrected. "And she deserves the things you think about her because she's never been nice to you."

She shrugged and took another bite of her sandwich, and since it was weighing heavily on my mind, I pushed forward.

"So Dad says that everything's good between the two of you."

She looked at me in surprise and said, "Of course it is. You thought otherwise?"

"I wasn't sure. I mean, that phone call the other night…you've been distant the past couple of days…"

"I'm sorry. I guess I forgot how perceptive you are. But yes, your dad and I are perfectly fine. It's something else, but it's nothing you need to worry about."

"That's what he said. But you know, I still worry."

"Tell me how the job is going," she deflected. "Are you being run ragged?"

"Everybody's really nice. And they drink a lot of coffee," I told her. "But just being in that atmosphere makes me excited about being there for real, you know?"

"You should hang out with me for a while. Maybe you'll want to be an ME instead."

"Thanks, but…no," I admitted, casting a cautious glance in the direction of the sheet-covered body lying on the table. "I don't know how you do it. You must have a cast-iron stomach."

"It's about finding evidence, the same as what detectives do. And how are you going to act at a crime scene if you can't stand the sight of blood?"

"I'm not saying I can't deal with it. But you purposely cut into people so that you can examine their insides. That's just…gross."

"How eloquent," she replied drolly. "But seriously, feel free to observe some time. You'll be surprised by what you can learn from a dead body. And the good detectives…the ones like Bobby and Alex…they're pretty sharp when it comes to examining a victim. I hate to admit it, but they've even picked up on things I've missed."

"Huh," I said thoughtfully, trying to figure out how to work the conversation back to what I really wanted to be talking about. And since she brought up Bobby…what would he do? He'd try to walk her into it backwards. "So do you really think I'll be able to get into the academy? I mean, in spite of what happened at Johns Hopkins."

"You didn't do anything wrong."

"I was taking drugs."

"You weren't charged with any crime," she said firmly. And then she paused for a minute before picking up a potato chip and saying quietly, "Being investigated for a crime doesn't mean you did anything wrong."

"You sound like the voice of experience."

"I'm married to a cop, remember?" she answered deftly.

"Liz…"

"Jeremy, just ask if you want to know."

So I did.

And she told me.

She used to date a drug dealer.

I tried to picture what Liz had been like at eighteen…broke, living in a rough neighborhood, living on her own because her parents had kicked her out at age seventeen…it was tough for me to imagine.

Although maybe her experience then is what makes her so easy to talk to now.

We talked for a while about her life back then…about Jeff and how he's in prison. She told me that pointedly, as though wanting to reassert the necessity for me to stay away from drugs.

I don't need her to tell me that.

She also told me how she'd mysteriously received the money that put her through college.

"So you just left the city and went to school in Boston. Alone. I mean, you literally had no one," I said in amazement.

"I didn't even have me anymore," she said. "I legally changed my name and entered college as Elizabeth McFadden."

"Wow, that's so…I don't know. You were kind of like a spy. I mean, you gave yourself a whole new identity. And you never looked back?"

"Not for one second. And a couple of years later, I met Marcus."

"Your first husband."

"First and second," she said with a smile.

"You must have really loved him to marry him twice. What happened?"

"The first time was all me. The second time….well, let's just say it was largely due to a young blonde with fake boobs," she answered, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Ah," I said with a nod. "Yeah, they do tend to trip a guy up from time to time."

She laughed at me and then ruffled my hair with her hand. She likes to do that, and even though it makes me feel about ten, I like it when she does it, too.

"I need to get back to work," she told me. "But thanks for lunch. This was nice."

I cleaned up our mess while she headed back to the autopsy table, pulling gloves on as she walked.

Her mood was definitely better than it was before, so I gave myself a mental pat on the back and then headed for the door.

"Hey, Liz," I called out just before I left.

"Yeah?"

"I heard Lupo mention that some of them are getting together at Steve-O's tonight. Are you and Dad going?"

"Probably. Why?"

"I was wondering if I can tag along."

Which is how I ended up here, sitting at a fairly large table in Steve-O's restaurant/bar.

It was me and Liz and Dad, along with Lupo and his wife, and some kid who looks younger than me, but he ordered a beer so he must be at least a little older.

Then there were two of the US Marshals that I met earlier at 1PP, McInnis and Dunn.

Oh, and a lawyer named Cutter, who looked like he'd been in a bar fight.

I was slightly disappointed that Bobby and Alex hadn't come, but someone said they'd gone to Boston with the Logans.

"So dude, check it," the kid was saying. Mulder, I guess it is, although I can't imagine that being anyone's real name. "I did the digits, right? I was shaking in my Timbs, but then I'm like yippee ki yay, man, just freaking do it, so I did, and the guy was all bad-ass cool, you know? Not like you, McClane, but still…major black ops cool."

He paused and took a sip of his drink and I found myself staring slack-jawed at him.

I glanced over at Lupo, who was sitting next to him, and he looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"McClane?" I questioned, since Mulder had nodded at Lupo when he said it.

"Die Hard," he said.

"Oh."

"So he made you an offer?" Liz asked him.

"Major freaking greenage, right?"

"When do you start?" my dad questioned.

"Wait, so this is about a job?" I asked.

Cutter laughed and said, "It's good to know that it's not just an age thing. Deciphering him, I mean. But yeah, he got an offer from the FBI."

"Doing what?"

"Mulder's a computer genius," Connie explained.

"Not genius," Mulder argued. "And dude, I'm in yo-yo mode, right?"

"Agent Stern emailed the official offer," Lupo said. "Mulder and I are going to look over it tonight."

Mulder focused on his beer again and I couldn't help but stare at him for another minute. He was an interesting individual, and I have to admit to feeling a little bit of jealousy.

An offer with the FBI?

I'd have said yes to that before the question was fully asked.

"That's pretty impressive," Dunn said. "For the Bureau to hire you without an official interview…"

"That's because he can hack any system," Lupo replied.

"Any system?" McInnis asked skeptically.

"Even the US Marshals," Mulder said with a grin. "You remember that, Lupo? That was some seriously cool shit."

"I remember."

"You hacked us?" Dunn asked in disbelief.

"Among other things," my dad said. "And I have to say, I'm kind of hoping Lupo finds something wrong with the Bureau offer."

"I don't think you can afford him," Connie said. "The feds were very generous."

"Hey, dude," Mulder said, and then he caught himself and said, "I mean, Chief. Like I told McClane…any time you need me to creep around behind enemy lines, I'm all over it. Like…like…"

"Owen Wilson?" I suggested since he was floundering. And I have no idea what he was planning to say, but his mention of behind enemy lines had me thinking about the movie, and I figured he was a movie buff since he was using the McClane reference.

"Dude! You know it, right?" he answered enthusiastically.

"I might have a little side job for you, if you're feeling up to it," Liz spoke up.

"Eames and Hayes aren't getting the job done?" my dad asked her quietly.

"They are. But they have to do it legally," she pointed out.

The two of them looked at each other for a minute, and so I shifted my focus to the other end of the table, in case they wanted to have a private discussion about something.

Mulder did the same, starting up a dialogue with Connie, so I figured I'd find out what the marshals were up to.

"The van was a good pick-up," McInnis was saying to Cutter.

"Does it help?"

"Maybe. We'll know more tomorrow, but let's just say it's definitely broadened the scope."

"You're helping them on a case?" I asked him.

"You could say that," he replied.

"He's helping a lot," Dunn corrected as she looked purposefully at Cutter.

And since he was next to me, and we were both looking down the table towards her, I was almost getting the full force of her gaze, and let me tell you…I think Cutter must be a lucky man.

Because I was reading her expression loud and clear.

And she's really pretty.

Not Hayes pretty, but still…she's also got this cool accent that kind of adds to the total package, not to mention the fact that she's a freaking marshal which means she must be able to whip some serious ass.

But at the moment, I was pretty sure ass-whipping wasn't on her mind.

Because it seemed to me like things were being said without any words being spoken at all.

And it wasn't just me, either. I saw McInnis look at Dunn quizzically and then he jumped into the conversation with Lupo, so I shifted away from Cutter and took a sip of my Coke, feeling strangely alone.

It's not like I was the odd man out at the table. McInnis and Mulder were here alone, too.

But I couldn't help but think about Kelly, wishing she was here with me.

Although realistically, it would be impossible.

If what happened to Kelly hadn't happened, then I wouldn't be here. I'd still be at JHU. I'd very probably still be doing drugs and partying every weekend.

I can't help but feel conflicted about that realization.

"So that's what this is about?" I heard my dad say, his surprise cutting through my melancholy thoughts.

"I'm full of surprises, aren't I?" Liz replied with heavy sarcasm.

"So whoever this is…they think…"

"Uh huh."

"Okay, yeah. Let's ask Mulder. But you know, you could've told me."

"Danny," she said on a sigh. "Who would believe a ridiculous story like that?"

"Me," he said firmly. "Because you don't lie."

Unless she's providing her stepson with an alibi, I thought. And then I felt guilty for eavesdropping even though they were having the discussion at a table full of people.

My guilt multiplied when I heard her whisper, "I love you. You've been so…incredible through all of this."

Her words filled me with pride in my father. As much as I give him a hard time about being a moron, he's obviously not since a woman as great as Liz loves him so much.

When my dad didn't respond, I finally turned to look at them, and I saw why he wasn't talking to her.

Because he was kissing her.

The sight instantly took me back to Sunday morning when I'd walked in on the two of them…never in my wildest dreams had I given any consideration to the idea that my father actually still has sex.

I mean, the man's in his fifties.

But there they were, on the kitchen counter, of all places.

I've never moved as fast as I did that morning, when I turned around and went back into the living room.

I figured things would be awkward for days, and that maybe Liz would be ticked at me for just walking into the house, but I heard them laughing in the kitchen, and then when they finally came into the living room, they were both really cool about it.

I'm actually pretty lucky to have both of them.

"So, Mulder," Liz began. "If you have the time for a little side job, I could use your help."

"You mentioned something about legalities, Doctor," Cutter said. "Should I leave the table?"

I thought he sounded like he had a stick up his ass, but then he smiled and some of the others started chuckling, and I realized he was only kidding.

"If you have to leave, then I think so does most everyone else," Lupo said.

"No one needs to go anywhere," my dad said. "We just need him to hack into the Office of Vital Statistics for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

"Oh, is that all?" Mulder asked. "Parcheesi, man. Does anyone have a laptop? I mean, shit, dude. That's like…like…not even Parcheesi. More like…like…"

"Easy?" I supplied, since once again he seemed to be struggling.

"Dude! I'm losing my ability to metaphorize, right? I mean, shit," he said, but he was grinning.

"So you can do it," Liz said.

"I'd be done right now if I had my Mac, you know what I'm saying?"

"Great, so…when you get home tonight?"

"I'll jump the wall and slip all through that shit. What do you need?"

"I need you to find a birth certificate from 1981. I don't know the name of the child, but the mother's name is Elizabeth Chambers."

Holy shit.

Liz had a baby?

I even asked her once about why she never had kids, and she didn't give me any indication that she did have one.

I looked at her in shock for a minute, but then it hit me.

"Wait, Elizabeth Chambers?"

"That's right," she said with a nod. She met my gaze, but she didn't say anything more. It was like she was waiting to see what I'd get when I put two and two together.

"You didn't go to Massachusetts until you went to school."

"Uh huh."

"And you'd already changed your name."

"You're going to make a great detective one of these days," she said with an approving smile.

"A better one than me, apparently, because I'm completely lost," Lupo said.

"I gave my old ID to my college roommate. She was pregnant and didn't want to tell her family. She planned to give it up for adoption, a closed one, so when she had the baby, she put my name on the birth certificate."

"And that's who's been calling you?"

"I think so, yes. I think it's that girl's child, looking for her mother."

TBC...