Title: Fool For You
Summary: Sometimes your heart leads you away from your true destiny.
Category: MSR / DSR -who wins out in the end?
Author: Tanya
Setting: Towards the end of season 9, after Scully has given up William for adoption, but before Scully and Mulder reunite.
Chapter 1:
"Monica, I don't care whether you think Mr Taziz had psychic powers or not; the case is closed. We caught the suspect, he's serving his time in jail, and now all the families of the eighteen victims can finally rest."
John Doggett was starting to feel weary of the same dance he waltzed with Monica Reyes. He always led with his basic, rational theories, while she stepped back with a supernatural rebuttal, which always caused him to miss a step. He always felt that he had two left feet when he was around her.
"John I know the case is closed, I was one of the two agents who signed it off remember? I just think there was more to it than met the eye, and I think we should go and see Taziz again to find out more about him and his powers," said Monica in a patient tone.
Doggett looked at her, barely masking the exasperation he was starting to feel.
"Powers? Ok Monica, I admit there were some coincidences in this case, but-"
"You call Mr Taziz's ability to know when a murder occurred and the exact details of the crime while he was in police custody, a coincidence?" replied Monica.
"Monica I've been through this. He had an accomplice who obviously burned with the other people in his house when it was set on fire. Look, Taziz is finally behind bars. Whoever he was working with is in all honesty dead. The file is closed. I mean even if he does have psychic powers, it don't matter anymore; it won't change anything," said Doggett, his english betraying the ex-New York cop in him.
Reyes sighed. She knew he was right about it not really making a difference to the outcome of this case, but she just wanted to understand the supernatural more; and what better way than looking into someone's paranormal powers.
She looked at her partner and decided to let it drop. His fuse was becoming shortened with every word she spoke, and while getting to the heart of a matter was something John Doggett could be prided for, having an open mind had never been his forte.
"Ok John, you're right. It wouldn't matter anyway," she said somewhat dejectedly.
Doggett looked at her and sensed the disappointment in her tone of voice. He felt bad but still, what would any further investigation do? Even if they were to prove that Taziz was gifted with psychic powers, he was still sentenced to life in prison. The only predictions he'd be able to make would be about whether he was getting a weak salad or over-boiled vegetables with his dinner.
"I know we're on the X-Files Mon, but sometimes I think we just need to quit while we're ahead. Going any further won't earn us any extra brownie points with Kersch, and I'd rather not upset the beast unnecessarily. We've worked this case as far as we need to for justice to be served. That's what we wanted to do, wasn't it?"
Upon receiving a nod from Monica, Doggett breathed a sigh of relief and continued with a half smile to his partner.
"Don't worry, there'll be others with abnormal abilities that we'll run into in the future. This is the X-Files after all."
Monica looked up at him somewhat fondly and smiled back, her heart lifting with her spirits. Although they butted heads on quite a few occasions, she couldn't help but feel what she did for this man. She didn't know exactly what his feelings were towards her, but that didn't change the strong affection she placed in him. Monica often thought she and John were meant to be together, and at times she sensed that he did too. She could only hope that time and experience would bring them closer together.
'Just like Mulder and Scully,' she thought quietly to herself. 'You couldn't find two people who were more opposite, and look at the love that's grown between them over the years. It's even strong enough to last this necessary separation.'
"I know John," she said aloud. "Who knows, maybe next time we'll find someone who can fly, or who has X-Ray vision or who can do something equally as enthralling."
"Sure," replied John glad to see her mood had lifted. "We may even find someone who can travel through time, though I don't know how on earth we'd catch him."
"You could even find a liver-eating mutant who has a liking for bile, although that's not nearly as glamorous as both of your suggestions," came a voice from behind them.
Both Doggett and Reyes spun around to see Scully standing in the doorway, holding a stack of papers. She had a twinkle in her eye from her memories of such a mutant as she had described, yet she stood outside the office seeming uncharacteristically unsure of herself.
"Agent Scully! We didn't hear you come in there," said Doggett as his eyes took her in.
It had become something of a habit with Doggett recently. See Scully, and assess her. As detached as it all sounded, he knew he only did so because he cared so much for her.
She was somewhat thinner than before he decided, and her face looked more weary; but it was still beautiful. Always beautiful. To him, how could she possibly not be?
In his mind, Doggett compared this image of Scully to what she looked like a few weeks ago when she still had William with her. Back then, she had the glow of motherhood and an aura of contentedness about her. Now after again losing her partner in Mulder, and giving her son up for adoption, it seemed that she was starting to lose herself as well by shedding the kilos she really could not afford to yield in the first place.
"How are you doing Agent Scully?" asked Doggett in a quieter tone than he had been using before with Monica. He took a step towards her and waited for her response.
Scully nodded slowly at him, "I'm good thank you Agent Doggett. I have the signed death certificates here of the people who burned in the blaze in which Taziz was involved. One man is named here as 'Alexia', which matches the identification of the man you believe was Taziz's accomplice. Case closed I guess- well done."
Scully took a breath as she gazed around the office. So many memories with Mulder, and then the few with Doggett later on during her career on the X-Files. She couldn't deny that she missed her old job, but what was done, was done. She knew Agents Doggett and Reyes were doing a good a job as could be asked of them on the X-Files, and for that she was sincerely grateful. She was glad that all of her old memories were being safely guarded by them.
As she was caught in the past, her eyes came to rest on Doggett and she was suddenly snapped back into the present.
"I just thought I'd bring these over to file before I headed home," she finished.
"Thank you," said Reyes taking the certificates from her. "I'll go and put these away now."
Doggett watched as Monica moved away from them and headed to the back of the room.
"You're going home earlier today than you usually do," observed Doggett.
"Well, I suppose there's nothing really to keep me at work," Scully replied.
She paused and laughed mirthlessly; "Although there's really nothing to keep me at ho…" she let out a small sigh, and stopped talking before she revealed too much to Doggett.
Her sigh pulled at Doggett's heart-strings, causing him to involuntarily take another step towards her. He addressed her with concern etched in his features.
"You are ok aren't you Dana?" he asked in a low voice.
She looked up at him with large eyes, then glanced back down before nodding and replying to him.
"Of course, I'm fine."
Doggett looked at her for a moment and then nodded himself.
"Of course, you're fine," he repeated monotonously.
Like her last partner, he too had become accustomed to her standard response to inquires about herself. Doggett paused for a moment before speaking again.
"Look Dana, if you ever need anything…" he trailed off as she looked up at him again.
"Thank you Agent Doggett, but I really am ok," she replied using a formal address to put some distance back between them.
Scully took a step back and looked away from him. She didn't really want there to be a barrier between herself and Doggett, but she she was afraid for there not to be one. If she didn't separate herself from him, she would expose herself to be vulnerable to him, and that wasn't acceptable by her rules.
Scully looked back at Doggett, and suddenlt felt guilty. Staring into his intense eyes that always seemed to be focused on her, she felt terrible for her treatment of this man in her life. Scully knew she must always seem to brush him off, when deep down inside, she really wanted to open up to him and lean on him.
She wanted to tell Doggett that she wasn't fine. That she hurt so much inside from all the separation in her life. That her heart was no longer leading her in the direction it had for 8 years past, and that she had no idea where it was leading her.
The reason she never could tell him this, was because Doggett wasn't the man she was supposed to be going to for help. The only man she should be opening her heart to was gone to a place she didn't know, and for a period of time that dragged on for too long as she lived another day on her own. Now, she was even more alone without her son.
Doggett watched the changing emotions on her face as these thoughts ran through her head. She finally lifted her weary eyes to his, where he saw the true depth of her confusion and unhappiness.
"Thank you John, but I'm just missing Mulder. That's all," she murmured.
Upon hearing his name John's back stiffened as he realised what all of the emotion he had just read on her face related to. Of course she was thinking about Mulder- wasn't she always? Mulder who was aloof, intelligent and good-looking, but yet self-absorbed and from Doggett's experience, never fully aware of what he had in Dana Scully.
Doggett frowned as he once again compared himself to Mulder, and considered for the thousandth time what Scully saw in her old partner.
Scully noticed Doggett's frown, and misread it as his non-belief in her continued assurance of her well being. She placed a hand on his arm to reinforce her insistance, that despite the circumstances she really was ok.
He looked down at where she touched him, and hesitated before covering her hand with his own.
Scully smiled a little before her face suddenly closed on him, and she pulled back without meeting his eyes.
"I have to go."
With that, she turned and left the office. Doggett stood rooted to his spot on the floor until he heard the elevator bell sound, and the doors close.
Monica looked over at him from her position near the filing cabinet.
"Everything ok?" she asked with concern in her voice.
"She's not ok," replied Doggett.
Reyes nodded. "I know she's going through a hard time," she said quietly looking at the space previously occupied by Scully.
Doggett turned to her with frustration evident in his voice; "She's always going through a hard time! Geez, how can one person be given so much hurt and pain in a lifetime? God, it's just not fair on her!"
"I know," repeated Reyes quietly. "We can only do what we can though John. Scully is a strong woman, and if she ever wants our help it's here for her."
"She doesn't want my help," mumbled Doggett mainly to himself.
Doggett paused as he considered something.
"I'm going to go Monica. I'll see you again on Monday."
"Ok," replied Reyes softly. "But if you run into Scully on her way out, can you let her know that her signature is missing on one of these certificates? It's nothing important that can't wait for Monday, but I just noticed it."
"Sure," said Doggett reaching out for his coat. "I'll see ya next week."
Doggett left the office and headed to the elevator. He hit the button impatiently, and sighed before he began pacing the small corridor slowly as he waited for the doors to open.
He thought of Scully doing the same as she had stood here a few moments ago.
"So much pain," he kept thinking to himself. "So much baggage… and yet I still love her."
Summary: Sometimes your heart leads you away from your true destiny.
Category: MSR / DSR -who wins out in the end?
Author: Tanya
Setting: Towards the end of season 9, after Scully has given up William for adoption, but before Scully and Mulder reunite.
Chapter 1:
"Monica, I don't care whether you think Mr Taziz had psychic powers or not; the case is closed. We caught the suspect, he's serving his time in jail, and now all the families of the eighteen victims can finally rest."
John Doggett was starting to feel weary of the same dance he waltzed with Monica Reyes. He always led with his basic, rational theories, while she stepped back with a supernatural rebuttal, which always caused him to miss a step. He always felt that he had two left feet when he was around her.
"John I know the case is closed, I was one of the two agents who signed it off remember? I just think there was more to it than met the eye, and I think we should go and see Taziz again to find out more about him and his powers," said Monica in a patient tone.
Doggett looked at her, barely masking the exasperation he was starting to feel.
"Powers? Ok Monica, I admit there were some coincidences in this case, but-"
"You call Mr Taziz's ability to know when a murder occurred and the exact details of the crime while he was in police custody, a coincidence?" replied Monica.
"Monica I've been through this. He had an accomplice who obviously burned with the other people in his house when it was set on fire. Look, Taziz is finally behind bars. Whoever he was working with is in all honesty dead. The file is closed. I mean even if he does have psychic powers, it don't matter anymore; it won't change anything," said Doggett, his english betraying the ex-New York cop in him.
Reyes sighed. She knew he was right about it not really making a difference to the outcome of this case, but she just wanted to understand the supernatural more; and what better way than looking into someone's paranormal powers.
She looked at her partner and decided to let it drop. His fuse was becoming shortened with every word she spoke, and while getting to the heart of a matter was something John Doggett could be prided for, having an open mind had never been his forte.
"Ok John, you're right. It wouldn't matter anyway," she said somewhat dejectedly.
Doggett looked at her and sensed the disappointment in her tone of voice. He felt bad but still, what would any further investigation do? Even if they were to prove that Taziz was gifted with psychic powers, he was still sentenced to life in prison. The only predictions he'd be able to make would be about whether he was getting a weak salad or over-boiled vegetables with his dinner.
"I know we're on the X-Files Mon, but sometimes I think we just need to quit while we're ahead. Going any further won't earn us any extra brownie points with Kersch, and I'd rather not upset the beast unnecessarily. We've worked this case as far as we need to for justice to be served. That's what we wanted to do, wasn't it?"
Upon receiving a nod from Monica, Doggett breathed a sigh of relief and continued with a half smile to his partner.
"Don't worry, there'll be others with abnormal abilities that we'll run into in the future. This is the X-Files after all."
Monica looked up at him somewhat fondly and smiled back, her heart lifting with her spirits. Although they butted heads on quite a few occasions, she couldn't help but feel what she did for this man. She didn't know exactly what his feelings were towards her, but that didn't change the strong affection she placed in him. Monica often thought she and John were meant to be together, and at times she sensed that he did too. She could only hope that time and experience would bring them closer together.
'Just like Mulder and Scully,' she thought quietly to herself. 'You couldn't find two people who were more opposite, and look at the love that's grown between them over the years. It's even strong enough to last this necessary separation.'
"I know John," she said aloud. "Who knows, maybe next time we'll find someone who can fly, or who has X-Ray vision or who can do something equally as enthralling."
"Sure," replied John glad to see her mood had lifted. "We may even find someone who can travel through time, though I don't know how on earth we'd catch him."
"You could even find a liver-eating mutant who has a liking for bile, although that's not nearly as glamorous as both of your suggestions," came a voice from behind them.
Both Doggett and Reyes spun around to see Scully standing in the doorway, holding a stack of papers. She had a twinkle in her eye from her memories of such a mutant as she had described, yet she stood outside the office seeming uncharacteristically unsure of herself.
"Agent Scully! We didn't hear you come in there," said Doggett as his eyes took her in.
It had become something of a habit with Doggett recently. See Scully, and assess her. As detached as it all sounded, he knew he only did so because he cared so much for her.
She was somewhat thinner than before he decided, and her face looked more weary; but it was still beautiful. Always beautiful. To him, how could she possibly not be?
In his mind, Doggett compared this image of Scully to what she looked like a few weeks ago when she still had William with her. Back then, she had the glow of motherhood and an aura of contentedness about her. Now after again losing her partner in Mulder, and giving her son up for adoption, it seemed that she was starting to lose herself as well by shedding the kilos she really could not afford to yield in the first place.
"How are you doing Agent Scully?" asked Doggett in a quieter tone than he had been using before with Monica. He took a step towards her and waited for her response.
Scully nodded slowly at him, "I'm good thank you Agent Doggett. I have the signed death certificates here of the people who burned in the blaze in which Taziz was involved. One man is named here as 'Alexia', which matches the identification of the man you believe was Taziz's accomplice. Case closed I guess- well done."
Scully took a breath as she gazed around the office. So many memories with Mulder, and then the few with Doggett later on during her career on the X-Files. She couldn't deny that she missed her old job, but what was done, was done. She knew Agents Doggett and Reyes were doing a good a job as could be asked of them on the X-Files, and for that she was sincerely grateful. She was glad that all of her old memories were being safely guarded by them.
As she was caught in the past, her eyes came to rest on Doggett and she was suddenly snapped back into the present.
"I just thought I'd bring these over to file before I headed home," she finished.
"Thank you," said Reyes taking the certificates from her. "I'll go and put these away now."
Doggett watched as Monica moved away from them and headed to the back of the room.
"You're going home earlier today than you usually do," observed Doggett.
"Well, I suppose there's nothing really to keep me at work," Scully replied.
She paused and laughed mirthlessly; "Although there's really nothing to keep me at ho…" she let out a small sigh, and stopped talking before she revealed too much to Doggett.
Her sigh pulled at Doggett's heart-strings, causing him to involuntarily take another step towards her. He addressed her with concern etched in his features.
"You are ok aren't you Dana?" he asked in a low voice.
She looked up at him with large eyes, then glanced back down before nodding and replying to him.
"Of course, I'm fine."
Doggett looked at her for a moment and then nodded himself.
"Of course, you're fine," he repeated monotonously.
Like her last partner, he too had become accustomed to her standard response to inquires about herself. Doggett paused for a moment before speaking again.
"Look Dana, if you ever need anything…" he trailed off as she looked up at him again.
"Thank you Agent Doggett, but I really am ok," she replied using a formal address to put some distance back between them.
Scully took a step back and looked away from him. She didn't really want there to be a barrier between herself and Doggett, but she she was afraid for there not to be one. If she didn't separate herself from him, she would expose herself to be vulnerable to him, and that wasn't acceptable by her rules.
Scully looked back at Doggett, and suddenlt felt guilty. Staring into his intense eyes that always seemed to be focused on her, she felt terrible for her treatment of this man in her life. Scully knew she must always seem to brush him off, when deep down inside, she really wanted to open up to him and lean on him.
She wanted to tell Doggett that she wasn't fine. That she hurt so much inside from all the separation in her life. That her heart was no longer leading her in the direction it had for 8 years past, and that she had no idea where it was leading her.
The reason she never could tell him this, was because Doggett wasn't the man she was supposed to be going to for help. The only man she should be opening her heart to was gone to a place she didn't know, and for a period of time that dragged on for too long as she lived another day on her own. Now, she was even more alone without her son.
Doggett watched the changing emotions on her face as these thoughts ran through her head. She finally lifted her weary eyes to his, where he saw the true depth of her confusion and unhappiness.
"Thank you John, but I'm just missing Mulder. That's all," she murmured.
Upon hearing his name John's back stiffened as he realised what all of the emotion he had just read on her face related to. Of course she was thinking about Mulder- wasn't she always? Mulder who was aloof, intelligent and good-looking, but yet self-absorbed and from Doggett's experience, never fully aware of what he had in Dana Scully.
Doggett frowned as he once again compared himself to Mulder, and considered for the thousandth time what Scully saw in her old partner.
Scully noticed Doggett's frown, and misread it as his non-belief in her continued assurance of her well being. She placed a hand on his arm to reinforce her insistance, that despite the circumstances she really was ok.
He looked down at where she touched him, and hesitated before covering her hand with his own.
Scully smiled a little before her face suddenly closed on him, and she pulled back without meeting his eyes.
"I have to go."
With that, she turned and left the office. Doggett stood rooted to his spot on the floor until he heard the elevator bell sound, and the doors close.
Monica looked over at him from her position near the filing cabinet.
"Everything ok?" she asked with concern in her voice.
"She's not ok," replied Doggett.
Reyes nodded. "I know she's going through a hard time," she said quietly looking at the space previously occupied by Scully.
Doggett turned to her with frustration evident in his voice; "She's always going through a hard time! Geez, how can one person be given so much hurt and pain in a lifetime? God, it's just not fair on her!"
"I know," repeated Reyes quietly. "We can only do what we can though John. Scully is a strong woman, and if she ever wants our help it's here for her."
"She doesn't want my help," mumbled Doggett mainly to himself.
Doggett paused as he considered something.
"I'm going to go Monica. I'll see you again on Monday."
"Ok," replied Reyes softly. "But if you run into Scully on her way out, can you let her know that her signature is missing on one of these certificates? It's nothing important that can't wait for Monday, but I just noticed it."
"Sure," said Doggett reaching out for his coat. "I'll see ya next week."
Doggett left the office and headed to the elevator. He hit the button impatiently, and sighed before he began pacing the small corridor slowly as he waited for the doors to open.
He thought of Scully doing the same as she had stood here a few moments ago.
"So much pain," he kept thinking to himself. "So much baggage… and yet I still love her."