Title: Means to an End
Author: Lisa
Email: lc7685@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: I don't own the show, the characters, or anything like that :)
Rating:
Summary: Monica finds herself in a dangerous position after events take a
turn for the worse. Set after Sunshine days, Pre-Truth. Please R/R this is
a WIP :)
Category: DRF/DRUST/DRR...just-all-DR :P Drama, Angst
Monday 8am
John arrived at work first thing Monday morning with the purpose of getting to work on the missing person files. Monica and Scully were already there.
"How'd you sleep Monica?" he asked, taking his seat at his now-once-again- tidy desk.
"Great, thanks," she replied. John glanced over and saw that a huge bunch of flowers was obscuring his view of her.
"Should I ask-"
"No," Monica replied, almost curtly.
"Could you move them so I can talk to you and not the big yellow carnation that's staring at me?" He saw two hands snake around the base of the container and pick it up, then he saw Monica as she put it on the other side of her.
"Better?"
"Thanks." Scully walked behind him and leant down.
"They're from Agent Follmer," she whispered.
"Oh," John whispered back.
"I heard that," Monica snapped. "John listen. I don't think this is an FBI agent, I think it's someone with access to FBI files."
"A hacker?"
"I was talking to security and there have been some...incidences...recently regarding illegal entry into the database. Unauthorised I mean."
"Do they have an ID?"
"No but if they pick up the signal again they'll be tracking it and will let me know."
"Wouldn't it be better to let someone else know, like Kersh?" Scully asked.
"He owes me a favour. I told him to get the information to me before anyone else."
"You trust him?" John asked.
"Yep." The phone on Scully's desk rang and she picked it up.
"Scully... Yes they're here... I'll tell them." She hung up and turned to face John and Monica. "Follmer wants to see you."
"Both of us?" John asked. Monica glanced at him momentarily, a mixture of uncertainty and annoyance.
"Yes," Scully replied. "You better get up there." Monica stood.
"This'll be interesting."
*
"Agent Reyes, Agent Doggett, come in," Brad began, closing his door behind them and walking to his desk. "Agent Reyes I trust you received your birthday wishes complimentary of the bureau?"
"I did thankyou Brad," Monica began. She heard John snort beside her.
"I never get flowers on my birthday," he mumbled as they took a seat.
"I'm glad you enjoyed them Agent Reyes because I'm afraid I have some bad news." He glanced between them. Monica looked thoughtful and John looked annoyed, but they were both unperturbed by such an insinuation. "You're both suspended until further notice." Watching their faces distort instantly was amusing, especially John's. Annoyance turned to anger. Thoughtfulness on Monica's behalf turned to surprise and suspicion.
"What?" John exclaimed. Monica reached out and grabbed his arm before he jumped up and assaulted the man. That wouldn't help.
"Why Brad?" she asked.
"I thought that would be obvious Agent Reyes. The man Seattle PD arrested was not our suspect."
"Uh, yes he was Follmer," John replied quickly. Brad handed John a photo.
"This was the man picked up yesterday."
"No it's not," John continued. "We saw the suspect get arrested. It wasn't this guy, it was the one you wanted!"
"Well I don't know what to say Agent Doggett, other than you must be mistaken, which signals to me an even larger scale of incompetence and misconduct than I was prepared to believe." John looked over at Monica. He could see her thinking and knew instantly she was thinking the same thing.
"Agent Doggett could I speak with Follmer alone?" she asked. John nodded, leaving to wait outside. "Brad, what are you doing?" she asked quietly. "You can't suspend us for losing a suspect on a plane that we didn't lose. We saw those police arrest the right man. It was not this man in this picture."
"Yes it was." Her eyes were wide, pleading with him to believe her and not to suspend them. "Monica, he must have put on a wig in the bathroom or changed seats or something. You can't tell me you and John kept your eyes off one another long enough to keep your eyes on the suspect every minute, can you?" Monica's cheeks burned. What was he insinuating?
"What do you mean?"
"Oh Mon, I see the way you look at each other. You're partners, okay. But there's a certain level of closeness that happens when you're not quite partners any more." He leant in further. "I've seen it in your eyes before. You used to look at me like that when you wanted it." Monica pulled back sharply and slapped him.
"Tell me what you know or that sexual harassment suit isn't far around the bend."
"All I know is that you and your partner picked up some country-clubbing rich boy who's prepared to go to a lot of trouble to make sure he gets a satisfactory apology. I'm sorry, that means you pay-" Monica turned and walked out.
"You're not sorry," she snapped as she shut the door. John was waiting for her, his eyes asking her how she went. "Not well," was all she was prepared to give him. "But he gave me an idea."
"What?"
"He referred to the suspect who wasn't really the suspect as a wealthy, country club kind of guy."
"So?"
"So all the security officials I bet worked at a country club once or twice."
"You think the fake suspect's involved?"
"Maybe it's Brad's way of telling us who to go after."
"But Monica-" the elevator doors snapped shut in front of them. "Why would they be so secretive about it?"
"Maybe they don't want any leaks. They don't want anybody to know except the people who are working on it."
"In the meantime, this was just a theory of mine, Monica. We don't know anything for sure."
"Where do your theories come from John?" she asked as the elevator let them back into the basement. They made their way to the desks, where Scully was looking over a file.
"I dunno, I just-"
"What made you come up with that explanation?"
"Um... I'm not sure."
"There had to be something."
"It was just a feeling!" John exclaimed, exasperated and slightly annoyed at Monica's pestering. Monica grinned like she'd won first prize at a competition and John had no idea why. She started laughing.
"Oh John, I could get used to this." She walked forward and starting talking to Scully. They were whispering and all John could make out was, 'He did what?' and 'Nice work'.
"I'll see what I can do Monica," Scully said in her normal tone after the discussion. Monica turned and grabbed John's arm.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"We're not meant to be here. We're going to lunch and uh, then we'll meet Dana for some afternoon tea." She glanced back at Dana and they exchanged a knowing glance. John had no idea.
*
Category: DRF/DRUST/DRR...just-all-DR :P Drama, Angst
Monday 8am
John arrived at work first thing Monday morning with the purpose of getting to work on the missing person files. Monica and Scully were already there.
"How'd you sleep Monica?" he asked, taking his seat at his now-once-again- tidy desk.
"Great, thanks," she replied. John glanced over and saw that a huge bunch of flowers was obscuring his view of her.
"Should I ask-"
"No," Monica replied, almost curtly.
"Could you move them so I can talk to you and not the big yellow carnation that's staring at me?" He saw two hands snake around the base of the container and pick it up, then he saw Monica as she put it on the other side of her.
"Better?"
"Thanks." Scully walked behind him and leant down.
"They're from Agent Follmer," she whispered.
"Oh," John whispered back.
"I heard that," Monica snapped. "John listen. I don't think this is an FBI agent, I think it's someone with access to FBI files."
"A hacker?"
"I was talking to security and there have been some...incidences...recently regarding illegal entry into the database. Unauthorised I mean."
"Do they have an ID?"
"No but if they pick up the signal again they'll be tracking it and will let me know."
"Wouldn't it be better to let someone else know, like Kersh?" Scully asked.
"He owes me a favour. I told him to get the information to me before anyone else."
"You trust him?" John asked.
"Yep." The phone on Scully's desk rang and she picked it up.
"Scully... Yes they're here... I'll tell them." She hung up and turned to face John and Monica. "Follmer wants to see you."
"Both of us?" John asked. Monica glanced at him momentarily, a mixture of uncertainty and annoyance.
"Yes," Scully replied. "You better get up there." Monica stood.
"This'll be interesting."
*
"Agent Reyes, Agent Doggett, come in," Brad began, closing his door behind them and walking to his desk. "Agent Reyes I trust you received your birthday wishes complimentary of the bureau?"
"I did thankyou Brad," Monica began. She heard John snort beside her.
"I never get flowers on my birthday," he mumbled as they took a seat.
"I'm glad you enjoyed them Agent Reyes because I'm afraid I have some bad news." He glanced between them. Monica looked thoughtful and John looked annoyed, but they were both unperturbed by such an insinuation. "You're both suspended until further notice." Watching their faces distort instantly was amusing, especially John's. Annoyance turned to anger. Thoughtfulness on Monica's behalf turned to surprise and suspicion.
"What?" John exclaimed. Monica reached out and grabbed his arm before he jumped up and assaulted the man. That wouldn't help.
"Why Brad?" she asked.
"I thought that would be obvious Agent Reyes. The man Seattle PD arrested was not our suspect."
"Uh, yes he was Follmer," John replied quickly. Brad handed John a photo.
"This was the man picked up yesterday."
"No it's not," John continued. "We saw the suspect get arrested. It wasn't this guy, it was the one you wanted!"
"Well I don't know what to say Agent Doggett, other than you must be mistaken, which signals to me an even larger scale of incompetence and misconduct than I was prepared to believe." John looked over at Monica. He could see her thinking and knew instantly she was thinking the same thing.
"Agent Doggett could I speak with Follmer alone?" she asked. John nodded, leaving to wait outside. "Brad, what are you doing?" she asked quietly. "You can't suspend us for losing a suspect on a plane that we didn't lose. We saw those police arrest the right man. It was not this man in this picture."
"Yes it was." Her eyes were wide, pleading with him to believe her and not to suspend them. "Monica, he must have put on a wig in the bathroom or changed seats or something. You can't tell me you and John kept your eyes off one another long enough to keep your eyes on the suspect every minute, can you?" Monica's cheeks burned. What was he insinuating?
"What do you mean?"
"Oh Mon, I see the way you look at each other. You're partners, okay. But there's a certain level of closeness that happens when you're not quite partners any more." He leant in further. "I've seen it in your eyes before. You used to look at me like that when you wanted it." Monica pulled back sharply and slapped him.
"Tell me what you know or that sexual harassment suit isn't far around the bend."
"All I know is that you and your partner picked up some country-clubbing rich boy who's prepared to go to a lot of trouble to make sure he gets a satisfactory apology. I'm sorry, that means you pay-" Monica turned and walked out.
"You're not sorry," she snapped as she shut the door. John was waiting for her, his eyes asking her how she went. "Not well," was all she was prepared to give him. "But he gave me an idea."
"What?"
"He referred to the suspect who wasn't really the suspect as a wealthy, country club kind of guy."
"So?"
"So all the security officials I bet worked at a country club once or twice."
"You think the fake suspect's involved?"
"Maybe it's Brad's way of telling us who to go after."
"But Monica-" the elevator doors snapped shut in front of them. "Why would they be so secretive about it?"
"Maybe they don't want any leaks. They don't want anybody to know except the people who are working on it."
"In the meantime, this was just a theory of mine, Monica. We don't know anything for sure."
"Where do your theories come from John?" she asked as the elevator let them back into the basement. They made their way to the desks, where Scully was looking over a file.
"I dunno, I just-"
"What made you come up with that explanation?"
"Um... I'm not sure."
"There had to be something."
"It was just a feeling!" John exclaimed, exasperated and slightly annoyed at Monica's pestering. Monica grinned like she'd won first prize at a competition and John had no idea why. She started laughing.
"Oh John, I could get used to this." She walked forward and starting talking to Scully. They were whispering and all John could make out was, 'He did what?' and 'Nice work'.
"I'll see what I can do Monica," Scully said in her normal tone after the discussion. Monica turned and grabbed John's arm.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"We're not meant to be here. We're going to lunch and uh, then we'll meet Dana for some afternoon tea." She glanced back at Dana and they exchanged a knowing glance. John had no idea.
*