Absence Is To Love 9
By: Olivia

"Oh, God, no!" whispered John as he drove up to the abandoned warehouse Bowman had told him to meet. He could see the lone figure of Monica standing on the edge of the roof. Her back was toward him so he couldn't see her face. His nightmare had become a reality, but he had no time to ponder on this.

John quickly parked and exited the vehicle. He raced into the building and ran up the 20 floors until he finally came to the roof door. His breath was ragged, his heart was pounding, as he pulled his gun and flipped off the safety. He kicked the door open and ran through.

He was temporarily blinded by the sunlight, but when his eyes regained their focus they locked with Monica standing there on the ledge. She looked calm for the most part, but her eyes, her eyes spoke to him. He could see fear there.

He swung around and could see no trace of Linda Bowman. Cautiously, ever wary of Bowman sneaking up on him, John started walking slowly toward Monica.

"Monica," he said gently. He kept his gun in his right hand and put out his left toward Monica. "C'mon, Monica take my hand and we'll get outta here. Everything's gonna be fine. Do you know where Bowman is?"

Monica shook her head. John could hear fear in her voice. "She's here somewhere John. I don't know where. Please don't come any closer. You have to stop her. She's making me do this." Monica took a small step back toward the sky.

"No! No, Monica," shouted John. He stopped walking towards her and spun around with his gun looking for Bowman. He couldn't believe that this woman Bowman had any kind of control over Monica but either Bowman had brainwashed Monica or Skinner and those X-Files did indeed tell the truth. "Linda Bowman! Show yourself!" It was the only way. John was afraid he was too far away to catch Monica if she fell.

Linda Bowman came around the corner, her gun at her side. John trained his weapon on her. "Linda Bowman, put down your weapon!"

"I'm not going to shoot you, John," said Linda.

John felt his anger rising even further at Bowman using his first name. "Put down your weapon," he shouted at her. He kept his gun trained on Bowman and stretched his left hand toward Monica. "C'mon Monica. Take my hand. Get off the ledge."

"I can't, John," said Monica as a tear streaked down her face. "She's making me do this. Please, John. You're going to have to shoot her."

John could feel the sweat running down his face and into his eyes but he couldn't wipe them. His palms were sweaty too so it probably wouldn't have done any good.

A breeze chose that moment to pass which caused Monica to sway slightly on the ledge.

John's finger was inches away from pulling the trigger and yet he hesitated. All his years and training as a cop and as a soldier urged him not to shoot a perp with her weapon not pointed at any target. But Monica needed his help. And he would do anything for her.
"Linda Bowman. I will not tell you again. Put down your weapons or I will shoot!"

Bowman didn't move. Her gun still pointed downward at the ground. She looked at Monica and then she looked at John. "John, it's me Monica. I won't shoot you. You've got to believe me. That's Linda Bowman on the ledge. She's pushing you. She's making you think I'm her."

"Shut up! Shut up!" John yelled at Linda. His fear reached a new level. He had read about the similar showdown between Mulder, Scully, and Bowman. Could Linda Bowman be on that ledge trying to get him to shoot the real Monica? Or was Linda Bowman really Linda Bowman? Bowman probably figured he had read the report. Was she just messing with his mind, distracting him while she forced the real Monica to jump off the ledge only to have him watch helplessly as his partner fell from the sky? Maybe Monica's will was as strong as Linda's? Maybe she was fighting her and so Linda was distracting him until she could push Monica off the roof?

All these thoughts and theories ran through John's mind in a matter of seconds. He couldn't even trust his eyes here and that frightened him to his inner core. That and the fact that every second here was precious. The decision he made here would effect both Monica's and his life forever. But in the end, all this thinking was for nothing. The decision was made for him.

Linda Bowman raised her gun and fired at Monica.

"Nooooooo!!!!!!" screamed John.

He watched helplessly as the shot hit Monica in the shoulder.

John rushed forward. But he was powerless, unable to stop Monica from falling, just as he had in his dream. He was too late. The force of the impact was all it too to knock Monica off her balance. He watched helplessly as Monica stumbled backward, and being unable to catch herself from falling, she plummeted off the building.

Her screamed echoed in his ears, even after it had really died away. He put his hands on the ledge and crouched down on his haunches, unable to look over the ledge to see what remained of his partner. His head rolled forward in defeat. All he could think of was how empty he was, how he had failed Monica.

John felt a hand on his shoulder and the anger exploded. He spun around knocking Linda Bowman to the ground on her back. Instinctively, he pressed his gun to her forehead yelling, "I'm going to kill you!"

But the words died on his lips when he realized that the terrified eyes he was staring into were not Linda Bowman's but Monica Reyes'.