The Answer Is Yes
By: Olivia

"The friends thou hast and their adoption tried, grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel."-William Shakespeare-"Hamlet"

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,"-Julius J. Epstein-"Casablanca"


Atlanta, Georgia

Doggett and Skinner came rushing through the hospital corridors and only stopped when they had reached Reyes.

"How's Scully, Agent Reyes?" questioned a nervous, out of breath, Skinner.

Reyes grinned at them. "The doctors checked her out and she's just fine."

Reyes nodded her head towards the hospital door where they could see a happy Mulder and Scully holding a baby.

"It's a healthy baby boy," Reyes said excitedly.

Both Doggett and Skinner smiled at the good news and let the breaths they had been holding out. It was wonderful news after so many months of worry.

There was an awkward silence for a second.

"Do you think..." Skinner began uneasily.

"Yes. Go on in. I'm sure they will be excited to see you," said Reyes.

Skinner threw a look to Doggett to see if he would follow.

"No, you go on in. I just need to talk to Agent Reyes for a moment and then I'll join you."

Skinner nodded his head and proceeded into the hospital room where Mulder and Scully smiled at his arrival.

"Monica, do you mind if we step outside for a moment. There's something I discussed with Agent Skinner on the way up here and I wanted to talk to you about it."

"Certainly."

Doggett and Reyes walked outside one of the hospital exits. Doggett walked a little ahead of her. He looked up at the stars and was especially curious about the one bright blue star that seemed to dominate the night sky. He glanced back to see Reyes lighting a cigarette.

"I thought you were quitting those," asked Doggett with a note of worry.

"I am," said Reyes smiling. "I'm just finishing up this pack and that's it for me. I'm quitting. No more of that awful gum. After all that has happened tonight, it's given me more of an appreciation for life, including my own."

"It's about tonight that I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to thank you, Monica, for all you did. And all that you have done for me in the past, even if I haven't always appreciated it. I just didn't want you to think that I wasn't grateful for all you've done and for risking your life out there tonight."

Reyes smiled at him. "No, thanks are needed, John. I am truly glad I was able to help. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever done, helping Agent Scully give birth, to help bring life into this world."

"Monica," Doggett began before Reyes stopped him by touching his arm.

"The answer is yes, John."

Doggett chuckled. "Yes to what? You don't even know the question yet."

"You were going to ask me if I would be your partner on the X-Files. And my answer is yes."

Doggett was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth and then closed it. He had discussed the addition of Reyes with Skinner during the flight who had been very in favor of the addition. He had worked out what he was going to say to her in his mind. This was too easy.

"Monica, please don't feel as if you have to say yes. It's just that as you know Agents Mulder and Scully have left the X-Files, leaving me without a partner. And the office needs some someone like you who is believes in, who is opened minded to, all this mumbo-jumbo. And I know you've been frustrated at the lack of evidence to substantiate claims of the supernatural in New Orleans and I've got cabinets full of those types of cases and more to come. And I just thought it might be something you'd be interested in, but as you've seen there is a lot of danger involved and it's hard to know who to trust sometimes, but I feel that these cases are important somehow and...."

Doggett looked to Reyes and realized that he had been rambling. He could tell she was amused.

"The truth is I could really use a partner and I can't think of anyone else I would rather be down there with me in that basement."

Reyes was beaming. "As I said before, the answer is yes. I thought you'd never asked."

Doggett grinned at her. "Well I guess we'd better get back to Agent Scully and offer her my congratulations."

"You go on ahead. I'm just going to finish up this cigarette and I'll join you."

Doggett nodded and walked back into the hospital. Reyes took a puff of her cigarette and looked at the bright, blue star. She put the cigarette out and counted how many cigarettes she had left in the pack. There were four left. She crumpled them up in her fist and threw them in the nearest trashcan. She glanced up one more time at the star and smiled. She felt that all was right with the world and everything was as it should be. And there were exciting days, months, perhaps even years ahead of her she thought as she walked back into the hospital to rejoin her friends.