Title: You're My Home
Author: Annie Wright (AnnieW177@aol.com)
Category: post-ep, DRR
Spoilers: The Truth
Rating: PG-13 for some naughty language
Summary: "We're gonna make it, Mon. You an' me. As long as I got you, I got
everythin' I need."
Author's Notes at the end
When you touch my weary head And you tell me everything will be all right You say, "Use my body for your bed And my love will keep you warm throughout the night" Well I'll never be a stranger and I'll never be alone Whenever we're together, that's my home -Billy Joel, 'You're My Home'
The Explorer kicked up a cloud of dirt behind them as they sped out of the canyon and into the New Mexico desert. John gunned the engine as hard as he could, causing the SUV to groan in protest as he pressed the pedal to the metal in a frantic attempt to escape the black helicopters. Beside him Monica strained against her seat belt, frantically looking out the window behind them. "They're gone." "Yeah, but for how long?" Monica turned to him. "Do you think they're following us?" "Dollars ta donuts." At that, she grinned. "I never understood that phrase of yours." He turned to her and laughed. "Me neither."
They drove through the desert, laughing until their sides hurt and tears rolled down their cheeks. When they finally stopped, Monica undid her seat belt and lay across the console to place her head in John's lap. "What's going to happen to us?" she asked, her breath warm on his knee. He placed a hand on her head and threaded his fingers through her dark hair. "I dunno, Mon." She turned her head to look up at him, and he could see the unshed tears glistening in her sepia eyes. "But I do know one thing." "What's that?" "We're gonna get through this together." Monica smiled up at him, and at that moment he wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.
It was late when finally stopped at a motel in Oklahoma. Monica had been driving since Amarillo, and John had fallen asleep against his will sometime just across the Oklahoma border. She hated to wake him but they were both tired, dirty, and in desperate need of a bed to sleep in. "John?" she asked, reaching over and touching his face. His eyes snapped open and he started, pulling away from Monica. "Oh, sorry." "I stopped for the night. We should sleep." "Yeah." He stretched. "Where are we?" "Oklahoma somewhere." "Well, let's get a room." He got out of the SUV, his knees and back cracking in protest. When Monica hesitated, he walked over to the driver's side and opened the door. "Mon?" "I just.I don't want to be alone." She looked so fragile, so unlike herself that he reached for her, yanking the door open and pulling her to him. "You're not alone, Mon. I'm here." "I just.I'm tired and scared and." "Shh," he said, stroking her hair. "Lemme get a room and we can go to sleep, okay?" "Okay." He returned a moment later with a key, and took her by the hand to their room. He turned the lights on and locked the deadbolt, turning to her. "You wanna take a shower?" She shook her head. "I'll wait until morning. I just need to sleep. You go ahead." When he emerged from the shower, she was lying in bed in her tee shirt, the covers pulled up to her chin, the lights out. He shut off the light and climbed into bed next to her, and in the tangle of sheets her hand found his. "You okay?" he asked. "Yeah. Just tired." They lay in silence, facing each other, exhausted but unable to sleep. In the dim light he could see her eyes shining, staring at the ceiling. When she spoke her voice was quiet, so quiet he almost couldn't hear her. "Where do you think they are?" "No idea." "You think they're safe?" "I hope so." She turned to him. "What about us?" John reached out and pushed a strand of hair off her face. "I dunno, Mon. What do you think?" "I think.I want to go back to Washington. Do you think it's safe?" "I dunno." Her smile was sad. "Yeah." "I'm so sorry, Mon," he burst out, surprising himself and her. "I didn't mean to drag ya into this mess." "No dragging involved, John. I came willingly." "Why?" She smiled again, but this time her smile was shy. "You asked me to." John reached out and pulled her to him and she settled into the curve of his body, entwining her fingers with his, and they fell asleep.
They went north, into Missouri, stopping at a Target to pick up toiletries and clothes. They crossed the Missouri/Illinois line just after 9pm and decided to call it a night, stopping at a McDonald's before checking into a Motel 6 just off the highway. The room was sparse but clean, and they sat on the bed, watching television as they ate. John watched as Monica took the top off of her Quarter Pounder and picked her pickles off, then put them on his Big Mac and licked her fingers. "What?" she asked, her mouth full. John laughed. "Nothin'. You're funny, that's all." Monica smiled self-consciously. "Okay. What are we watching?" "Don't suppose ya wanna watch the Yankees-O's game?" "Not a chance." She popped a french fry into her mouth. "Red Sox, maybe." John laughed as he channel surfed. "Red Sox'll only break your heart." "I know.I'm a glutton for punishment. Oooh, what's that?" John stopped and looked over at her. "No way." "Oh come on, John.When Harry Met Sally is a great movie." "Chick flick." "Is not." "Is so." "How can it be a chick flick? He goes to a Giants game! Any movie that involves men and sporting events cannot be classified as a chick flick." She grinned. "Have you ever seen this movie?" "Ah Mon, I dunno, maybe." "Make you a deal." He eyed her warily. "I'm listenin'." "You let me watch this and when it's over we'll tune in to the end of the Yankees game. Deal?" "It'll be over by the time this is done!" "No.it's the top of the second now, and the movie is more than half over. You'll get to see at least 4 innings." "Okay, but that and tomorrow night I get to watch whatever I want." "As long as it's not boxing or baseball, I don't care." "Deal." She settled back on to her pillow and smiled. "I promise, you'll like this movie."
When the game was over, John turned off the television and turned to Monica. She'd fallen asleep after taking a shower, and the room still smelled like lilacs. Gently, he lifted her legs and tucked them under the blankets, trying not to wake her. Her eyes fluttered open. "Sorry about that." "No problem," he replied laughing. "You'll just pay me back tomorrow." "Okay." He turned out the lights and crawled into bed, and they lay there in silence for what felt like hours. "You okay?" she asked, turning to face him. "Yeah." "What are you thinking?" "I'm thinkin' how nice it would be to just disappear.start over again somewhere where nobody knows us. Find a nice, quiet town and settle down, raise.raise a family." Her eyes glinted in the dim light of the room. "Where would you go?" "Dunno.doesn't really matter. Someplace quiet." "What would you do?" "I always wanted to be a farmer." Monica chuckled. "Farmer John.somehow, I just don't see that." "I'm not sayin' I'd be good at it, I'm just sayin' that it's somethin' I used to think about. You know, as a kid.I liked the idea of livin' off the land, raisin' cows." "Raising cows? John, I can't see you as anything but a cop." Her smile was reflected in her voice. "Although.overalls might be a good look for you." Their laughter shook the bed. Finally John spoke. "I do know one thing, though." "What's that?" "I don't care where I am, as long as I'm with you." Monica smiled, and John could see the tears in her eyes, streaming down her face. "Aw Mon, don't cry." He reached out and wiped hear tears away with his thumb. "I.can't help it. I just." her voice trailed off, and she laughed through her tears. "I just never thought you'd.feel this way about me. I thought it would always be unrequited." "I was stupid, back then." His fingers lightly caressed her face, entwining in her hair. "I wasn't thinkin'. But I always, I dunno, just kinda knew.we always ended up back where we started. Back at each other." He pulled her close and pressed his forehead to hers, close enough that her tears ran down his face. "I was so afraid of losing you that the idea of actually gettin' you was.I didn't want to risk it." "What changed?" "I'm sicka bein' scared, bein' alone." John's voice cracked with emotion. "I decided that I didn't wanna spend my life alone, that I didn't hafta spend my life alone. And when I finally realized that, I also realized there was only one person that I wanted to be with." He looked into her eyes. "We're gonna make it, Mon. You an' me. As long as I got you, I got everythin' I need." He leaned forward and kissed her, holding her close, reveling in the feel of her body against his, the way she smelled and tasted. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, he knew who he was and where he wanted to be, knew his direction and his path, what was meant to be for him; after years of looking, searching in vain, he had finally found his place, his home. All these years, it had been one word, sitting under his nose, mocking him. One simple, three syllable word that had once been a curse but was now an hallelujah. One word that now meant more than he could ever have imagined. Monica.
It was the pounding of the rain that woke John the next morning, the low rumble of thunder that accompanied the haphazard rhythm of rain on the window. Monica lay beside him, her dark hair obscuring her face, her arm around his torso, her long legs tangled with his. He watched her sleep, comforted by the gentle rise and fall of her back-she was here, this was real, it hadn't been a dream. Her hand moved back and forth across his torso. "What time is it?" she asked without looking up. "'Bout eight." "We need to get going." "Yeah." He sighed. At this she lifted her head and looked at him with sleepy sepia eyes. "Are you okay?" John smiled at her. "I guess.I don't wanna leave." "Yeah, because Belleville, Illinois is such a happening place." She shot him a smile. "You big softie." "What?" "You think if we leave here, things between us will change. Right?" "No." "Liar." He laughed. "No, I guess.I just didn't think that.this would happen after we'd taken in a psychic kid, busted Muder out of prison, helped him and Scully escape to Canada, and driven across the US of A and halfway back in three days. I guess I was kinda hopin'.ah shit, I dunno what I was hopin'. I guess I was hopin' I wasn't too late and that I wouldn't make a complete ass of myself." "Well, you weren't and you didn't." Her smile was sleepy. "And it happened when it was meant to. If all of that hadn't happened, would you still have done it?" "Eventually." "Which is John Doggett-speak for never. Things happen for a reason, John. It's the right time for us." "I know." "Then why do you look so worried?" "I just.ya mean so much to me." She leaned over and kissed the corner of his mouth before settling her head into the crook of his neck. "We're gonna be fine, John. No need to worry. You said it last night-as long as we have each other, that's all we need." She nuzzled his neck. "Look at Dana and Mulder.they've lost their son, their jobs, their homes, the life they once had.they even lost each other for a time. But they're together now, and none of that other stuff matters to them.they have each other and that's all they need." "We're not them." "No, we're not. And we don't have to be. But we can learn from them." "Yeah.I already learned the most important lesson." "What's that?" "I need to up my life insurance." Monica burst out laughing and sat up, smiling at him through a curtain of dark hair. "So pragmatic, my John." "One of us has gotta be, Mon." "Yeah, but not at this very moment." She placed a kiss over his heart before getting up and walking to the bathroom. John heard the shower start and a moment later Monica was standing in the bathroom door. "So, you gonna join me or what?" He didn't have to be asked twice.
Cincinnati. John had never had a desire to go to Cincinnati, but now that he was here, he wondered why he'd been opposed to visiting. It seemed nice enough for Ohio, certainly not his first choice of where to spend this particular evening, but it would do in a pinch. They sat in a corner booth of a diner, Monica smiling at him across a formica tabletop. "So.why did you choose this place?" John shrugged. "I just asked the guy at the motel. He asked if I liked chili, I said yeah.so here we sit. Supposed to be the best in the city." "Right." "Beats McDonald's." "True." Monica picked up her menu and scanned it, shooting him a coy glance over the top. "You do realize that you brought me to a restaurant that specializes in three-ways?" John's cool blue eyes gave her the once over. "Who's the third?" Monica hadn't been expecting him to play along. She recovered quickly, however, smiling as she replied, "Oh, I don't know.Scully?" The tips of John's ears turned red, and Monica laughed and reached for his hand across the table. "Kidding, kidding." "Mon, we gotta talk." "Why do I sense something bad is coming?" she asked, pulling her hand away. John caught her hand and took it in both of his. "Not about us, Mon. We're okay. I'm talking about what we're gonna do when we get back home." "Oh." "I think we need to call Skinner." "I know. I just.we both know that we're going to lose our jobs at the very least." "We don't know that." "But we should be prepared for it. If anything, they're going to try and pin us with aiding and abetting, if not an accessory rap." "We don't know for sure, Mon. We haven't seen Skinner or Kersh in what, five days? Maybe six? Who knows what they have done by now." "Or why they haven't come looking for us. For all we know, they're dead and whoever killed them is waiting for us to come back so they can finish us off." "We owe it to them, and to Gibson." Monica sighed. "I just.I want to go home, John. I do. But we're no good to Mulder or Scully if we're dead." "We'll eat first, and then call Skinner."
"Where the hell are you two?" Skinner's voice was low but full of concern. "In Ohio, on our way back to Washington." They were huddled over the receiver, cheek to cheek as they listened to Skinner sigh deeply. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, we don't think we've been followed." "Are you coming back to Washington?" John shot Monica a look, and she nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully by tomorrow. We weren't sure we had anythin' to come back to." "If you mean jobs yes, you both still have them. But OPR has been wondering where you are, seeing as you two were the last to see Mulder or Scully alive." "What about Kersh?" "Lucky for you he seems to have grown a heart-he's been telling them he sent you two to look for them." "How's Gibson?" Monica asked. "We've got him at a safe house." "He can't stay there forever." "We're working on finding him a foster family now." "We want him." John's voice was firm. "You what? Agent Doggett, he's not safe with you." "He's safer with me an' Mon than he is at some safehouse." "So what? You and Agent Reyes are going to play house with a psychic kid who's got the knowledge needed to stop whatever it is Mulder was fighting against?" "That's the long and short of it, yeah." "Agent Doggett." "Look, Skinner, this isn't an option. Either we get Gibson or we take him and you never hear from any of us again." Monica's eyes widened and she began to protest, but he silenced placed a finger on her lips and mouthed, "Trust me." Skinner sighed. "I don't think it's a good idea." "Look, nobody can protect Gibson better'n me and Monica. We already know what to be watchin' for, we've got his interests in mind and we want to keep him safe. You can't say that whatever people try'n adopt him are gonna be lookin' out for him like we will be." "Fine." Monica grinned at John. "Good. You have Gibson ready for us tomorrow night, we'll pick him up at your place." "You and Agent Reyes have an OPR meeting Monday, 9am. I suggest that you come up with some damn good excuse as to why you don't have Mulder and Scully with you." John hung the phone up and looked at her. "So." "Now what?" "We go collect our kid tomorrow." "Our kid? John.what are we going to do with a 14 year old kid?" "Enroll him in high school and hope he can find a date to the homecoming dance." Monica had to laugh. "John.this is crazy." "Yeah. Yeah it is." He leaned in and kissed her. "But we gotta do it. We can't just leave him." "So what do you propose we do?" "I propose.we go back to DC and you move in with me and we raise the kid." Monica's eyes widened. "John.that'll never fly with the Bureau." "Well.then we'll just take Gibson and disappear." He kissed her again. "Mon, listen to me. We gotta take care of Gibson. We owe it to him and to Mulder." Monica nodded. "I know. But are we equipped to handle this? I mean.I don't know the first thing about teenagers, especially one as.special as Gibson." "We'll get through it, Mon." He gently tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I don't care if we're livin' in DC or in the middle a nowhere, Nebraska. All I need is you." "When did you become such a romantic?" Monica asked with a smile, leaning into his touch. "I've always been romantic, Mon.you just never go to see it." She leaned forward and rubbed her nose against his. "Will I get to see more of it?" "You better believe it, darlin'."
The sun had just set over DC when they picked up Gibson, who was now sitting silently in the backseat, staring out the window. Occasionally he'd look up at them, glancing at their entwined hands, and he'd sigh to himself. "What's the matter, Gibson?" John asked, noticing the sigh. "You don't have to do this." "We want to." Monica turned in her seat to look at him. "Gibson, we want you to come live with us." Gibson glanced at their entwined hands again and then looked back at Monica knowingly. "Look," she said with a smile, "I know it must be terribly uncomfortable for you to be stuck with us, but we want you to come live with us. Trust me, it's weird for us too. I mean.we're going from being three individuals to being this weird family unit. But you have to believe me.we didn't want you to be with anyone else." "I know." Gibson's voice was soft. "I can read your mind, remember?" Monica laughed. "We're gonna have to see about that." "Make you a deal," John said. "You promise to pretend not to read our minds, and we'll pretend you can't. Deal? We'll be like ordinary people.no paranormal anythin' in the Doggett house.just three ordinary people who watch NASCAR on Saturdays." Monica made a face at Gibson, who laughed. He liked Monica-she was sunny, bright, full of life, and he knew she genuinely cared. He liked John too.he could sense that John wanted what was best for him. Monica gave him another silly smile before she turned around and Gibson thought that yes, he could definitely live with this. "So, we got a deal?" John asked, looking at him in the rearview mirror. Gibson smiled his first smile in what felt like years. "Yeah, we got a deal." "Good.so how about pizza?"
Six Months Later
Gibson made a face as Monica tied his tie for him. "I don't wanna wear a tie." "You don't want to be the only one at the dance without one, do you?" she asked, straightening the tie before stepping back and smiling. "Nobody will be wearing them," Gibson replied, making a face at himself in the mirror. "I look stupid." "You look very handsome." Monica kissed his cheek, and he turned bright red. "Now you'd better get going.you don't want to be late picking your date up. What's her name again?" "Mallory." "Now, what do you say when you see her?" "Nice dress." Monica laughed. "At least pretend you mean it when you say it to her, okay? Where's the corsage?" "John has it." Monica slipped him a twenty. "This is if you guys decide to go out afterwards for sodas or something. Just let us know, okay?" Gibson nodded. "Now go on, John's waiting to take you to her house." Gibson sighed and looked at her. "Monica?" "Yes, Gibson." "Suppose." "Suppose what?" "Suppose she wants me to, you know.kiss her or something." Monica laughed. "Oh, Gibson. Well, I'd say you'd know for sure, right?" "You said we'd never mention that!" "I know, I know." Monica smiled at him. "But if she wants you to kiss her, you'll know for sure, right? Because you can read her mind. I'd say you've got a huge advantage here." Gibson shrugged. "Look," Monica said, sitting on his bed and taking his hand. "Don't worry about it. Everyone's nervous their first time kissing someone. But it'll just come naturally. Easy for me to say, right?" "Yeah." "You're going to be just fine, Gibson, I promise." "What're we waitin' on, Christmas?" John called up the stairs. "Let's get a move-on here, don't wanna be late." Gibson sighed. "Go on, have fun." She squeezed his hand. "And don't worry." Gibson moved towards the door, but stopped and turned to Monica. "Thanks." "You're welcome."
"What were you all talkin' about that took him so long?" John asked later that night. They were watching television, Monica's head in John's lap, hoping to look like they weren't waiting up, which they were. "It was so cute," she replied with a grin. "He was nervous about kissing her." "What? Kissin'? He's fourteen!" Monica gave him a look. "John, please. Every fourteen year old boy thinks about kissing girls. If he weren't thinking about it, I'd be worried." "I know." John sighed. "Who'd a thunk raisin' a teenager was so hard?" "Oh come on!" she replied with a laugh. "I'm sure you were no angel, John Doggett." "That's what worries me. I remember what I was like." Monica sighed. "He's a good kid, John. He's smart, articulate, he has a good head on his shoulders.we don't have to worry about him." "Then why're we waitin' up?" "Because that's what parents do." "I s'pose." They sat watching TV for a bit, before John spoke again. "You think he minds?" "Minds what?" "That his parents aren't married?" She shrugged. "I don't think he notices or cares much." "Do you?" She looked up at him. "What?" "Do you mind that Gibson's parents aren't married?" After a moment of shock, she grinned. "Are you asking me to marry you?" "Maybe." She sat up and looked at him. "Be serious, John." "I am." His eyes bored into hers. "I've never been more serious, Mon." As she gaped at him, he walked over to his jacket and pulled a box out of his pocket and tossed it to her across the room. "Go on." She opened the box and looked back at him. "Oh my God." "Is that a yes?" "Yes." John came over and slipped the simple ring on her finger. "I know it's not much, but I.I dunno, I guess I just thought ya'd like this best." She nodded. "It's lovely." Just as John leaned in and kissed her, the door opened and Gibson came in, his face flushed. "Monic.oh. Sorry." "Hey Gibson," Monica said with a grin. "Good evening?" He smiled and nodded once. "Well, we got some good news of our own," John said. "What?" "Mon and I are getting' married." Gibson looked shocked for a moment, then broke into a huge grin. "Cool." He ran up the stairs to his room and they heard the door slam. John turned to Monica. "Ya know, I think this whole pretendin' he can't read our minds thing is workin'." "Me too." John stood and pulled Monica up with him. "Come on, let's celebrate."
Authors Notes:
This was a bitch to write, can I tell you? I don't think it flows as well as it should, but I wanted to get it out. It wouldn't leave me alone!
Thanks to my faithful betas, who I'm convinced do my beta-ing just so they can see their names here ( You know who you are.
Feedback is warmly welcomed at AnnieW177@aol.com.
Author's Notes at the end
When you touch my weary head And you tell me everything will be all right You say, "Use my body for your bed And my love will keep you warm throughout the night" Well I'll never be a stranger and I'll never be alone Whenever we're together, that's my home -Billy Joel, 'You're My Home'
The Explorer kicked up a cloud of dirt behind them as they sped out of the canyon and into the New Mexico desert. John gunned the engine as hard as he could, causing the SUV to groan in protest as he pressed the pedal to the metal in a frantic attempt to escape the black helicopters. Beside him Monica strained against her seat belt, frantically looking out the window behind them. "They're gone." "Yeah, but for how long?" Monica turned to him. "Do you think they're following us?" "Dollars ta donuts." At that, she grinned. "I never understood that phrase of yours." He turned to her and laughed. "Me neither."
They drove through the desert, laughing until their sides hurt and tears rolled down their cheeks. When they finally stopped, Monica undid her seat belt and lay across the console to place her head in John's lap. "What's going to happen to us?" she asked, her breath warm on his knee. He placed a hand on her head and threaded his fingers through her dark hair. "I dunno, Mon." She turned her head to look up at him, and he could see the unshed tears glistening in her sepia eyes. "But I do know one thing." "What's that?" "We're gonna get through this together." Monica smiled up at him, and at that moment he wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.
It was late when finally stopped at a motel in Oklahoma. Monica had been driving since Amarillo, and John had fallen asleep against his will sometime just across the Oklahoma border. She hated to wake him but they were both tired, dirty, and in desperate need of a bed to sleep in. "John?" she asked, reaching over and touching his face. His eyes snapped open and he started, pulling away from Monica. "Oh, sorry." "I stopped for the night. We should sleep." "Yeah." He stretched. "Where are we?" "Oklahoma somewhere." "Well, let's get a room." He got out of the SUV, his knees and back cracking in protest. When Monica hesitated, he walked over to the driver's side and opened the door. "Mon?" "I just.I don't want to be alone." She looked so fragile, so unlike herself that he reached for her, yanking the door open and pulling her to him. "You're not alone, Mon. I'm here." "I just.I'm tired and scared and." "Shh," he said, stroking her hair. "Lemme get a room and we can go to sleep, okay?" "Okay." He returned a moment later with a key, and took her by the hand to their room. He turned the lights on and locked the deadbolt, turning to her. "You wanna take a shower?" She shook her head. "I'll wait until morning. I just need to sleep. You go ahead." When he emerged from the shower, she was lying in bed in her tee shirt, the covers pulled up to her chin, the lights out. He shut off the light and climbed into bed next to her, and in the tangle of sheets her hand found his. "You okay?" he asked. "Yeah. Just tired." They lay in silence, facing each other, exhausted but unable to sleep. In the dim light he could see her eyes shining, staring at the ceiling. When she spoke her voice was quiet, so quiet he almost couldn't hear her. "Where do you think they are?" "No idea." "You think they're safe?" "I hope so." She turned to him. "What about us?" John reached out and pushed a strand of hair off her face. "I dunno, Mon. What do you think?" "I think.I want to go back to Washington. Do you think it's safe?" "I dunno." Her smile was sad. "Yeah." "I'm so sorry, Mon," he burst out, surprising himself and her. "I didn't mean to drag ya into this mess." "No dragging involved, John. I came willingly." "Why?" She smiled again, but this time her smile was shy. "You asked me to." John reached out and pulled her to him and she settled into the curve of his body, entwining her fingers with his, and they fell asleep.
They went north, into Missouri, stopping at a Target to pick up toiletries and clothes. They crossed the Missouri/Illinois line just after 9pm and decided to call it a night, stopping at a McDonald's before checking into a Motel 6 just off the highway. The room was sparse but clean, and they sat on the bed, watching television as they ate. John watched as Monica took the top off of her Quarter Pounder and picked her pickles off, then put them on his Big Mac and licked her fingers. "What?" she asked, her mouth full. John laughed. "Nothin'. You're funny, that's all." Monica smiled self-consciously. "Okay. What are we watching?" "Don't suppose ya wanna watch the Yankees-O's game?" "Not a chance." She popped a french fry into her mouth. "Red Sox, maybe." John laughed as he channel surfed. "Red Sox'll only break your heart." "I know.I'm a glutton for punishment. Oooh, what's that?" John stopped and looked over at her. "No way." "Oh come on, John.When Harry Met Sally is a great movie." "Chick flick." "Is not." "Is so." "How can it be a chick flick? He goes to a Giants game! Any movie that involves men and sporting events cannot be classified as a chick flick." She grinned. "Have you ever seen this movie?" "Ah Mon, I dunno, maybe." "Make you a deal." He eyed her warily. "I'm listenin'." "You let me watch this and when it's over we'll tune in to the end of the Yankees game. Deal?" "It'll be over by the time this is done!" "No.it's the top of the second now, and the movie is more than half over. You'll get to see at least 4 innings." "Okay, but that and tomorrow night I get to watch whatever I want." "As long as it's not boxing or baseball, I don't care." "Deal." She settled back on to her pillow and smiled. "I promise, you'll like this movie."
When the game was over, John turned off the television and turned to Monica. She'd fallen asleep after taking a shower, and the room still smelled like lilacs. Gently, he lifted her legs and tucked them under the blankets, trying not to wake her. Her eyes fluttered open. "Sorry about that." "No problem," he replied laughing. "You'll just pay me back tomorrow." "Okay." He turned out the lights and crawled into bed, and they lay there in silence for what felt like hours. "You okay?" she asked, turning to face him. "Yeah." "What are you thinking?" "I'm thinkin' how nice it would be to just disappear.start over again somewhere where nobody knows us. Find a nice, quiet town and settle down, raise.raise a family." Her eyes glinted in the dim light of the room. "Where would you go?" "Dunno.doesn't really matter. Someplace quiet." "What would you do?" "I always wanted to be a farmer." Monica chuckled. "Farmer John.somehow, I just don't see that." "I'm not sayin' I'd be good at it, I'm just sayin' that it's somethin' I used to think about. You know, as a kid.I liked the idea of livin' off the land, raisin' cows." "Raising cows? John, I can't see you as anything but a cop." Her smile was reflected in her voice. "Although.overalls might be a good look for you." Their laughter shook the bed. Finally John spoke. "I do know one thing, though." "What's that?" "I don't care where I am, as long as I'm with you." Monica smiled, and John could see the tears in her eyes, streaming down her face. "Aw Mon, don't cry." He reached out and wiped hear tears away with his thumb. "I.can't help it. I just." her voice trailed off, and she laughed through her tears. "I just never thought you'd.feel this way about me. I thought it would always be unrequited." "I was stupid, back then." His fingers lightly caressed her face, entwining in her hair. "I wasn't thinkin'. But I always, I dunno, just kinda knew.we always ended up back where we started. Back at each other." He pulled her close and pressed his forehead to hers, close enough that her tears ran down his face. "I was so afraid of losing you that the idea of actually gettin' you was.I didn't want to risk it." "What changed?" "I'm sicka bein' scared, bein' alone." John's voice cracked with emotion. "I decided that I didn't wanna spend my life alone, that I didn't hafta spend my life alone. And when I finally realized that, I also realized there was only one person that I wanted to be with." He looked into her eyes. "We're gonna make it, Mon. You an' me. As long as I got you, I got everythin' I need." He leaned forward and kissed her, holding her close, reveling in the feel of her body against his, the way she smelled and tasted. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, he knew who he was and where he wanted to be, knew his direction and his path, what was meant to be for him; after years of looking, searching in vain, he had finally found his place, his home. All these years, it had been one word, sitting under his nose, mocking him. One simple, three syllable word that had once been a curse but was now an hallelujah. One word that now meant more than he could ever have imagined. Monica.
It was the pounding of the rain that woke John the next morning, the low rumble of thunder that accompanied the haphazard rhythm of rain on the window. Monica lay beside him, her dark hair obscuring her face, her arm around his torso, her long legs tangled with his. He watched her sleep, comforted by the gentle rise and fall of her back-she was here, this was real, it hadn't been a dream. Her hand moved back and forth across his torso. "What time is it?" she asked without looking up. "'Bout eight." "We need to get going." "Yeah." He sighed. At this she lifted her head and looked at him with sleepy sepia eyes. "Are you okay?" John smiled at her. "I guess.I don't wanna leave." "Yeah, because Belleville, Illinois is such a happening place." She shot him a smile. "You big softie." "What?" "You think if we leave here, things between us will change. Right?" "No." "Liar." He laughed. "No, I guess.I just didn't think that.this would happen after we'd taken in a psychic kid, busted Muder out of prison, helped him and Scully escape to Canada, and driven across the US of A and halfway back in three days. I guess I was kinda hopin'.ah shit, I dunno what I was hopin'. I guess I was hopin' I wasn't too late and that I wouldn't make a complete ass of myself." "Well, you weren't and you didn't." Her smile was sleepy. "And it happened when it was meant to. If all of that hadn't happened, would you still have done it?" "Eventually." "Which is John Doggett-speak for never. Things happen for a reason, John. It's the right time for us." "I know." "Then why do you look so worried?" "I just.ya mean so much to me." She leaned over and kissed the corner of his mouth before settling her head into the crook of his neck. "We're gonna be fine, John. No need to worry. You said it last night-as long as we have each other, that's all we need." She nuzzled his neck. "Look at Dana and Mulder.they've lost their son, their jobs, their homes, the life they once had.they even lost each other for a time. But they're together now, and none of that other stuff matters to them.they have each other and that's all they need." "We're not them." "No, we're not. And we don't have to be. But we can learn from them." "Yeah.I already learned the most important lesson." "What's that?" "I need to up my life insurance." Monica burst out laughing and sat up, smiling at him through a curtain of dark hair. "So pragmatic, my John." "One of us has gotta be, Mon." "Yeah, but not at this very moment." She placed a kiss over his heart before getting up and walking to the bathroom. John heard the shower start and a moment later Monica was standing in the bathroom door. "So, you gonna join me or what?" He didn't have to be asked twice.
Cincinnati. John had never had a desire to go to Cincinnati, but now that he was here, he wondered why he'd been opposed to visiting. It seemed nice enough for Ohio, certainly not his first choice of where to spend this particular evening, but it would do in a pinch. They sat in a corner booth of a diner, Monica smiling at him across a formica tabletop. "So.why did you choose this place?" John shrugged. "I just asked the guy at the motel. He asked if I liked chili, I said yeah.so here we sit. Supposed to be the best in the city." "Right." "Beats McDonald's." "True." Monica picked up her menu and scanned it, shooting him a coy glance over the top. "You do realize that you brought me to a restaurant that specializes in three-ways?" John's cool blue eyes gave her the once over. "Who's the third?" Monica hadn't been expecting him to play along. She recovered quickly, however, smiling as she replied, "Oh, I don't know.Scully?" The tips of John's ears turned red, and Monica laughed and reached for his hand across the table. "Kidding, kidding." "Mon, we gotta talk." "Why do I sense something bad is coming?" she asked, pulling her hand away. John caught her hand and took it in both of his. "Not about us, Mon. We're okay. I'm talking about what we're gonna do when we get back home." "Oh." "I think we need to call Skinner." "I know. I just.we both know that we're going to lose our jobs at the very least." "We don't know that." "But we should be prepared for it. If anything, they're going to try and pin us with aiding and abetting, if not an accessory rap." "We don't know for sure, Mon. We haven't seen Skinner or Kersh in what, five days? Maybe six? Who knows what they have done by now." "Or why they haven't come looking for us. For all we know, they're dead and whoever killed them is waiting for us to come back so they can finish us off." "We owe it to them, and to Gibson." Monica sighed. "I just.I want to go home, John. I do. But we're no good to Mulder or Scully if we're dead." "We'll eat first, and then call Skinner."
"Where the hell are you two?" Skinner's voice was low but full of concern. "In Ohio, on our way back to Washington." They were huddled over the receiver, cheek to cheek as they listened to Skinner sigh deeply. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, we don't think we've been followed." "Are you coming back to Washington?" John shot Monica a look, and she nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully by tomorrow. We weren't sure we had anythin' to come back to." "If you mean jobs yes, you both still have them. But OPR has been wondering where you are, seeing as you two were the last to see Mulder or Scully alive." "What about Kersh?" "Lucky for you he seems to have grown a heart-he's been telling them he sent you two to look for them." "How's Gibson?" Monica asked. "We've got him at a safe house." "He can't stay there forever." "We're working on finding him a foster family now." "We want him." John's voice was firm. "You what? Agent Doggett, he's not safe with you." "He's safer with me an' Mon than he is at some safehouse." "So what? You and Agent Reyes are going to play house with a psychic kid who's got the knowledge needed to stop whatever it is Mulder was fighting against?" "That's the long and short of it, yeah." "Agent Doggett." "Look, Skinner, this isn't an option. Either we get Gibson or we take him and you never hear from any of us again." Monica's eyes widened and she began to protest, but he silenced placed a finger on her lips and mouthed, "Trust me." Skinner sighed. "I don't think it's a good idea." "Look, nobody can protect Gibson better'n me and Monica. We already know what to be watchin' for, we've got his interests in mind and we want to keep him safe. You can't say that whatever people try'n adopt him are gonna be lookin' out for him like we will be." "Fine." Monica grinned at John. "Good. You have Gibson ready for us tomorrow night, we'll pick him up at your place." "You and Agent Reyes have an OPR meeting Monday, 9am. I suggest that you come up with some damn good excuse as to why you don't have Mulder and Scully with you." John hung the phone up and looked at her. "So." "Now what?" "We go collect our kid tomorrow." "Our kid? John.what are we going to do with a 14 year old kid?" "Enroll him in high school and hope he can find a date to the homecoming dance." Monica had to laugh. "John.this is crazy." "Yeah. Yeah it is." He leaned in and kissed her. "But we gotta do it. We can't just leave him." "So what do you propose we do?" "I propose.we go back to DC and you move in with me and we raise the kid." Monica's eyes widened. "John.that'll never fly with the Bureau." "Well.then we'll just take Gibson and disappear." He kissed her again. "Mon, listen to me. We gotta take care of Gibson. We owe it to him and to Mulder." Monica nodded. "I know. But are we equipped to handle this? I mean.I don't know the first thing about teenagers, especially one as.special as Gibson." "We'll get through it, Mon." He gently tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I don't care if we're livin' in DC or in the middle a nowhere, Nebraska. All I need is you." "When did you become such a romantic?" Monica asked with a smile, leaning into his touch. "I've always been romantic, Mon.you just never go to see it." She leaned forward and rubbed her nose against his. "Will I get to see more of it?" "You better believe it, darlin'."
The sun had just set over DC when they picked up Gibson, who was now sitting silently in the backseat, staring out the window. Occasionally he'd look up at them, glancing at their entwined hands, and he'd sigh to himself. "What's the matter, Gibson?" John asked, noticing the sigh. "You don't have to do this." "We want to." Monica turned in her seat to look at him. "Gibson, we want you to come live with us." Gibson glanced at their entwined hands again and then looked back at Monica knowingly. "Look," she said with a smile, "I know it must be terribly uncomfortable for you to be stuck with us, but we want you to come live with us. Trust me, it's weird for us too. I mean.we're going from being three individuals to being this weird family unit. But you have to believe me.we didn't want you to be with anyone else." "I know." Gibson's voice was soft. "I can read your mind, remember?" Monica laughed. "We're gonna have to see about that." "Make you a deal," John said. "You promise to pretend not to read our minds, and we'll pretend you can't. Deal? We'll be like ordinary people.no paranormal anythin' in the Doggett house.just three ordinary people who watch NASCAR on Saturdays." Monica made a face at Gibson, who laughed. He liked Monica-she was sunny, bright, full of life, and he knew she genuinely cared. He liked John too.he could sense that John wanted what was best for him. Monica gave him another silly smile before she turned around and Gibson thought that yes, he could definitely live with this. "So, we got a deal?" John asked, looking at him in the rearview mirror. Gibson smiled his first smile in what felt like years. "Yeah, we got a deal." "Good.so how about pizza?"
Six Months Later
Gibson made a face as Monica tied his tie for him. "I don't wanna wear a tie." "You don't want to be the only one at the dance without one, do you?" she asked, straightening the tie before stepping back and smiling. "Nobody will be wearing them," Gibson replied, making a face at himself in the mirror. "I look stupid." "You look very handsome." Monica kissed his cheek, and he turned bright red. "Now you'd better get going.you don't want to be late picking your date up. What's her name again?" "Mallory." "Now, what do you say when you see her?" "Nice dress." Monica laughed. "At least pretend you mean it when you say it to her, okay? Where's the corsage?" "John has it." Monica slipped him a twenty. "This is if you guys decide to go out afterwards for sodas or something. Just let us know, okay?" Gibson nodded. "Now go on, John's waiting to take you to her house." Gibson sighed and looked at her. "Monica?" "Yes, Gibson." "Suppose." "Suppose what?" "Suppose she wants me to, you know.kiss her or something." Monica laughed. "Oh, Gibson. Well, I'd say you'd know for sure, right?" "You said we'd never mention that!" "I know, I know." Monica smiled at him. "But if she wants you to kiss her, you'll know for sure, right? Because you can read her mind. I'd say you've got a huge advantage here." Gibson shrugged. "Look," Monica said, sitting on his bed and taking his hand. "Don't worry about it. Everyone's nervous their first time kissing someone. But it'll just come naturally. Easy for me to say, right?" "Yeah." "You're going to be just fine, Gibson, I promise." "What're we waitin' on, Christmas?" John called up the stairs. "Let's get a move-on here, don't wanna be late." Gibson sighed. "Go on, have fun." She squeezed his hand. "And don't worry." Gibson moved towards the door, but stopped and turned to Monica. "Thanks." "You're welcome."
"What were you all talkin' about that took him so long?" John asked later that night. They were watching television, Monica's head in John's lap, hoping to look like they weren't waiting up, which they were. "It was so cute," she replied with a grin. "He was nervous about kissing her." "What? Kissin'? He's fourteen!" Monica gave him a look. "John, please. Every fourteen year old boy thinks about kissing girls. If he weren't thinking about it, I'd be worried." "I know." John sighed. "Who'd a thunk raisin' a teenager was so hard?" "Oh come on!" she replied with a laugh. "I'm sure you were no angel, John Doggett." "That's what worries me. I remember what I was like." Monica sighed. "He's a good kid, John. He's smart, articulate, he has a good head on his shoulders.we don't have to worry about him." "Then why're we waitin' up?" "Because that's what parents do." "I s'pose." They sat watching TV for a bit, before John spoke again. "You think he minds?" "Minds what?" "That his parents aren't married?" She shrugged. "I don't think he notices or cares much." "Do you?" She looked up at him. "What?" "Do you mind that Gibson's parents aren't married?" After a moment of shock, she grinned. "Are you asking me to marry you?" "Maybe." She sat up and looked at him. "Be serious, John." "I am." His eyes bored into hers. "I've never been more serious, Mon." As she gaped at him, he walked over to his jacket and pulled a box out of his pocket and tossed it to her across the room. "Go on." She opened the box and looked back at him. "Oh my God." "Is that a yes?" "Yes." John came over and slipped the simple ring on her finger. "I know it's not much, but I.I dunno, I guess I just thought ya'd like this best." She nodded. "It's lovely." Just as John leaned in and kissed her, the door opened and Gibson came in, his face flushed. "Monic.oh. Sorry." "Hey Gibson," Monica said with a grin. "Good evening?" He smiled and nodded once. "Well, we got some good news of our own," John said. "What?" "Mon and I are getting' married." Gibson looked shocked for a moment, then broke into a huge grin. "Cool." He ran up the stairs to his room and they heard the door slam. John turned to Monica. "Ya know, I think this whole pretendin' he can't read our minds thing is workin'." "Me too." John stood and pulled Monica up with him. "Come on, let's celebrate."
Authors Notes:
This was a bitch to write, can I tell you? I don't think it flows as well as it should, but I wanted to get it out. It wouldn't leave me alone!
Thanks to my faithful betas, who I'm convinced do my beta-ing just so they can see their names here ( You know who you are.
Feedback is warmly welcomed at AnnieW177@aol.com.