Title: Watch Over You
Author: Lisa
Email: lc7685@yahoo.com.au
Disclaimer: I do not own X Files, and they remain the property of the
people/companies who do own it (like der) and I'm not writing this for
money! Yay!
Category: DRR Rating: I'm rating it R, just because it contains adult themes, medium level language, low level violence and one very tiny sex scene. Notes at Part One and final part
Monica sat inside her car, her eyes scanning across the three motel room doors in front of where she'd parked. Her weapon was resting in her lap, still secured, as she took the keys out of the ignition and pocketed them.
"Hello," a voice called.
Monica gasped and jumped a mile high as she turned towards the passenger seat. Kris was smiling back at her.
"Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed.
"Sorry I scared you." Monica calmed her breathing and looked back out of the windscreen. "So you got my message?"
"Of course I did," she replied. She'd woken during the night to find a blank business card, with an address, lying across her chest. "You wanted me to come here, didn't you?"
"You left John at home."
"He wouldn't have let me go. He would have called Gnash, and they would have... I need to do this myself."
"He's really worried, you know."
"If he's awake he will be, but he'll figure it out. I left the card."
"You planning on using that gun?"
"You should know that, shouldn't you?" Monica asked him. "You've been protecting Jodie. Why?"
"She's your daughter. After she had that dream I was called up."
"So she can...realise things."
"Like you, but it's not as practised. So," he clasped his hands in his lap and sat back in the chair. "Which room is it?"
"I was hoping you could tell me that," she answered. "What's going on in there, do you know?"
"I wish I could tell you," he replied. "But if I do, I'll interfere, and I can't do that."
"Right," Monica replied, opening her car door. "But if you tell me the number of the apartment that's just giving me a push in the right direction, and since when have you been afraid to do that?" Kris grinned.
"Number seven," he answered as she left, shutting her door behind her.
*
John was walking upstairs to his room to get changed when he saw the small piece of card at the bottom of the steps. He hadn't noticed it in the dark, he realised, bending down to retrieve it and reading an address. He sighed, jogging upstairs to change his clothes and call Vincent Gnash.
*
Monica tried the handle of the door of number seven and found it locked, as she had expected. All the lights were off and the curtains were shut. As she peered through one of them, she failed to witness the door handle turning from the inside.
"Hello honeybunch," a whisper came at her ear as she was grabbed from behind. Monica tried to turn and was able to stand on his toe long enough to swing her arm between then, her gun at his chest.
"Get inside," she ordered, pushing him back. Once over the threshold she turned in her place. "Lock the door behind you." He did as she said and was about to reach out for something in the dark when Monica flicked the lights on, distracting his eyes long enough for her to move closer. "On the couch." She glanced around the room as he complied. It was a mess. He really was a drunk. "Where is she?" Monica asked.
"Asleep," he replied. Monica watched him carefully.
"Take me to her," she demanded. He nodded standing, but before Monica could take a step away from his position he grabbed her wrist and she felt a searing pain slash across her arm. She lifted her gun and fired point blank, grabbing onto her wrist and searching around for the phone. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," she whispered, not wanting to look down and see how deep the cut was. He must have had the blade all along, just waiting for the chance.
*
By the time the emergency call had been passed along to the police John was already arriving at the motel. Shit, he thought, seeing Monica's car lined up in front of three doors, one of which was upstairs. Screw it, he thought, knocking on the first door he came to. There was no response so he tried again. He noticed the lights were on inside, which was more than he could say for the other rooms, and so lifted his gun and fired at the lock, before hitting the door with all his strength, almost tumbling inside.
It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the light but when he saw Cruck lying dead in a pool of blood at his head, he knew he was in the right room. Walking around the body he found Monica sitting on the floor, her knees pulled to her chest and her head resting back on the couch behind her.
"Mon," he called, putting his weapon away. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath, and John looked down at the arm she was holding tightly against her body. He covered her hand with his own and clamped tighter.
"I called 911," she whispered, looking up at him. "I couldn't look for her, I had to sit down-" John nodded, realising with some relief that the blood covering her face and neck was almost certainly Cruck's. "Is it deep?" she asked, closing her eyes again. "I can't feel...I just know it's bleeding-"
"I think he missed," John whispered, hoping he was right, holding onto her as tightly as he could. "You're still conscious, that's all that matters."
"It was only...a minute ago," she confessed. John nodded.
"The ambulance are on their way I'm sure. I'm going to go and find Jodie-" Monica shook her head.
"She can't see me, John please. I think I'm going to pass out." John was crouching and had been prepared to stand and walk away but now he was torn.
"Don't pass out Monica," he stated, almost scared to let her go. "I'm going to be right back, do you understand? You have to stay awake until I get back." He watched her nod and turned, running into the other rooms and throwing the doors open, switching on lights, as quickly as he could.
Jodie was lying on a bed, one hand handcuffed above her head, and looked to be sleeping.
"Jodie," John managed softly. Her eyes opened immediately and she rolled over, sitting up.
"Daddy?"
"You okay?" She nodded, her eyes widening, as she looked him over. John glanced down and realised his hands were red with Monica's blood.
"There were shots," she stated. John heard sirens in the distance. "The key's in his pocket."
"I, um, Jodie I can't get you out of here just yet, but soon, okay? You need to stay here. I'll be back soon. I promise."
"Daddy!" she called as he left, trying to work out what was going on.
*
Monica opened her eyes as John grabbed onto her arm again.
"Still here," she said with a smile. John nodded as the paramedics entered the already open door, stepping over Cruck to attend to the injured FBI agent who'd called it in. John had to step out of the way, and took the opportunity to fish in Cruck's pockets. He found a set of keys as Vincent Gnash and crew came bursting in also.
"What the hell is going on?" he asked, looking around in surprise. "Is JJ here?" John nodded, handing him the keys.
"Can you look after her?" he asked. Vincent looked over to where the paramedics were dealing with Monica, helping her onto a stretcher.
"Yeah," he answered. "We'll keep her safe. You can come get her at the station if she's not hurt?" John nodded, not answering that question but knowing the answer - that was enough - as he followed the paramedics out of the room.
*
John was waiting patiently with Jodie in his lap several hours later as Monica opened her eyes. With his right hand holding their daughter in place, who'd drifted off to sleep an hour previously, his left gripped his wife's free hand.
"What's the verdict?" she asked hoarsely, licking her lips and trying to stimulate some saliva.
"You'll live thanks to a couple of fantastic doctors." He smiled as Monica looked over at Jodie. "She didn't much fancy spending the rest of the night with Mulder and Scully."
"Is she-"
"She's gonna be fine Monica. A little shaken but we recovered my gun. She still had it next to her. I think a little bit of bargaining went on, because we haven't found any other gun."
"He lost it at the school," she reminded him, closing her eyes again. "I love you John. Thankyou."
"I love you too. If Jodie wasn't sitting here I'd lean over and kiss you right about now." Monica turned her head to look at him, and smiled.
"You'll just have to save that thought for later," she whispered, letting her eyes close for some more rest.
* Epilogue - without which no story is complete :D
Jodie was lying on her bed reading a book several weeks later when her bedroom door opened. She looked up, startled to see Kris there. She hadn't seen him since she entered the shelter.
"Hi," she greeted softly, aware that her parents were in the bedroom just down the hall. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"Well you thought wrong. I'm not finished just yet."
"Mum and dad told me all about you and Kat. Where is she?"
"She got a transfer to another state."
"Oh," Jodie replied knowingly. Kris grinned. "They told me that you used to look out for mum before mum and dad were married, when they worked together on the X Files."
"They told you about the X Files?" She nodded.
"Ahuh. I think they were feeling guilty. I'm never allowed home alone again at least until I'm sixteen." She pulled a face as Kris sat next to her on the bed.
"It'll go quickly. They just want to protect you." Jodie went quiet again and stared down at her book.
"Do you know everything about mum and dad?"
"I know everything about your mum, and a lot about your dad, yes."
"Do you know about Luke?"
"Yes. They told you about him?" She nodded.
"Do you think mum and dad would be together, that I would exist, if he hadn't died?"
"That's very philosophical for a nine year old." She looked up at him and he smiled. "Yes you would still exist, just maybe not in this life."
"Oh."
"Is there anything else you would like to clarify before we get started?"
"Started on what?" she asked, looking up at him. "Mum and dad said that you left them when they got together, and they hadn't seen you since because there wasn't any trouble. Is there now?"
"No, you're all safe. I promise." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well you are the mixture of scepticism and something else," he mused. "I can see these things you know."
"Can you tell me what I'll get for my birthday this year?"
"What do you want?" Kris asked.
"Hmm..." Jodie looked up at the ceiling. "I want some new books and a dog," she decided.
"A dog, hey? Why a dog?"
"Um...Lots of reasons. What are we getting started on?"
"Well there's no pressure to comply, but if you like I'm able to grant you three requests. And before you say it, no I can't bring back people from the dead."
"I wasn't going to say that!" She squished up her nose and laughed. "Out of anything I want, you can get it for me?" He nodded. "What about people?" she asked.
"What about people?"
"Well, if mum and dad weren't together, and I wished they were, could you do that?"
"Probably not, because we can't interfere in free will but I could, I don't know, allow them some situations they may choose to take advantage of."
"Ah-"
"Why? Is there someone you want me to set you up with?"
"No! Gross!" she laughed. "Um...I don't know! Did mum and dad get these?"
"Yes they did."
"What did they wish for?"
"They didn't tell you?"
"No."
"Well it might be a good idea if you asked them. So come on, make it snappy." Jodie rolled her eyes but smiled, removing her glasses and folding them on top of her open book.
*
"Are you nervous about tomorrow afternoon?" John asked as he gently manoeuvred off Monica and curled beside her. She shook her head.
"Not really. She knows so much about me I just, I just know next to nothing about her. And what, do I just call her Reggie? Her name's Regali, John. Should I ask her?"
"I'm sure she's willing to share her life with you Mon. Maybe one day you could ask, but there are lots of Regalis across the country I'm sure... It would be interesting to know, but if there is a connection, I'm not going to mind. There's no... way, things like that should interfere in how we feel." He leant down and kissed her forehead, then her nose. Monica got the idea and tilted her head up so that their lips met for a lazy kiss. Monica's arms wrapped around John's neck and she smiled against him as they embraced tightly.
"Thankyou for caring so much," she whispered.
"Goodnight Mon," John replied, smiling, as she pulled away and lay on her side facing him, closing her eyes.
"See you soon," she said softly, her fingers locking around his in a familiar position as they settled down to sleep.
*
The next morning Jodie clamoured down the stairs only to spy her parents kissing in the kitchen. She, having already had what she knew was a mild version of the sex talk within the last year, was exposed to enough media to realise what was going on when John's hand disappeared underneath Monica's shirt. She gave a small groan, walked back up the stairs and shouted from the top.
"I'm awake!" She waited a couple of seconds before jumping back down the stairs. They weren't kissing any longer, but they were still...together, which was fine by Jodie as long as there was no more sharing of saliva. While she loved that her mum and dad loved each other, that was just too disgusting!
"Morning JJ," Monica called. "Want some scrambled egg?"
"Yes please," she answered, propping herself up onto a stool. "Can I ask you two something?"
"Ahuh," Monica replied, turning back to the stove.
"What did you wish for?"
"What did we wish for?" John repeated.
"Yeah. With Kris. He wouldn't tell me what you wished for." John and Monica glanced at each other. Uh-oh.
"Does this mean he offered you-"
"Aren't you going to tell me?" she asked.
"Of course," John answered. "Mon, you start."
"Um, let me see... I think I've forgotten."
"You have not!" Jodie laughed. "Why won't you tell me? Kris said you would. Please?"
"Okay, okay, you win." Monica turned off the stove and put breakfast aside for the minute, leaning across the bench. "I wished for: a super duper Christmas tree, a clean apartment, and your father."
"A Christmas tree?"
"A beautiful tree," John answered, nodding in approval.
"You couldn't clean your apartment by yourself?"
"You know how I told you some bad stuff happened when your dad and I worked together that we couldn't tell you yet? It's in that category." Jodie sighed.
"Okay. And you wished for daddy?" She bit her bottom lip, grinning.
"Yes I did."
"But Kris told me he couldn't do that. Make people fall in love."
"We just needed a bit of a push," John admitted. "He didn't make us love each other, we did that all on our own."
"Oh, okay," she replied, a little confused but moving past it. "So what did you wish for daddy?"
"I wished for..." he drifted off, thinking. "I wished for Mulder and Scully and William to be safe and happy."
"When weren't they?"
"That goes into the category we can't tell you yet." Jodie sighed.
"Everything goes in there!" John chuckled.
"Just about. So you wanna hear the rest or not?"
"Yes!"
"Okay then well... I think I got gypped. Because I only really expressed that one wish, the other two were taken care of for me."
"What do you mean?"
"Well Kat read my mind and picked some wishes to fulfil for me."
"What were they?"
"To marry your mother and to have another child."
"You mean none of you wished for season tickets to a ball game or something? Jeez!"
"It was a very emotional time in our lives missy," Monica defended. "One day you'll know what we're on about, don't you worry about that."
"So come on," John stated. "We shared on the assumption that you would too. Did he ask you?"
"Yes, but you shouldn't make assumptions," Jodie declared. John narrowed his eyes at her and she smiled. "Okay I wished for some new books and a dog."
"Good choices," Monica stated, going back to the stove.
"So let me get this straight." She pointed to Monica. "You wished for him." She moved to John. "And he wished for me?"
"Actually," John corrected, smiling over at Monica, who thought back to that moment, that night that they remembered so well.
'I love you Monica,' John had repeated, still in her arms, in his bed. 'I am never, ever, letting you go, got that?'
'I've got no complaints so far,' she'd smiled back up at him. 'I love you too.' They had kissed, Monica leaning up and whispering in his ear, 'Hate to wreck the mood, but we didn't use any-' John nodded as her head fell back into the pillow below her.
'You okay with that?' he had asked. 'Or not?'
'From now on,' she'd stated.
'What if-' Monica had shrugged, smiling up at him.
'It wouldn't be so bad, would it?' He shook his head, still dazed but deliriously happy.
'Absolutely not Mon.'
"Actually you were kind of a collective wish," John continued while Monica finished up her daydream. "So how come you didn't use your third?"
"Oh, I kind of did," she answered.
"You kind of did?" Monica asked. Jodie nodded.
"I guess so, because he said dogs were really hard to get, so he said he'll take care of the other ones and that he, ahem, decided to surprise me!" She gave them both her best grin. "I'm going to get dressed," she stated, turning and running back up the stairs, trying not to laugh.
"The cunning little-" John mumbled. Monica laughed.
"What, you don't believe her?"
"Kat said that to me," he continued.
"Said what?"
"She'd take care of the other one, and had decided to surprise me."
"Oh," Monica recalled absent-mindedly. "Freaky." She was watching the egg and felt John approach from behind. He swept her hair behind her ear and her knees almost buckled at just that, and he whispered to her.
"Monica, Jodie was the surprise." Monica stopped fiddling with breakfast as she took it all in.
"You think..." She turned her head back to get a look at his face, and he looked as uncertain as she did. After a moment they smiled at each other and shook their heads, Monica laughing.
"Narr, no way," she managed.
"They wouldn't do it again," John consented.
The laughter soon gone, they were left looking into each other's eyes, and at that moment, they both wished it were true.
The End
Author's notes: Okay I couldn't help throwing in the Miracle on 34th Street kind of atmosphere - you get that considering I was going to call the first story Miracle on Bennet Avenue :P Thanks to Casey for getting me writing after my block had me well...blocked, for quite a while there. And thanks to Anna, Shell, Casey and Tracy for reading bits and pieces and speaking your mind and giving you all your terrific suggestions! I had something else to put in this space but I forget now cos it's nearly 1am and I just got sprung by my dad, so I'll add it later :D ... Nup I still can't remember. Oh well! Oh I remembered! (Three hours later) I don't know any hospitals in Washington so I just named it Memorial because I dunno...there are lots of memorials in Washington :D
Okay now that that's out of the way, all the information I got on Norplant was off the web at a couple of sex-ed-online sites and it's a real device that most probably will be in much wider circulation ten years from now, when this fic is set. If you want more info just search for it and it's no problem. And before anyone tells me a nine year old is too young to learn about sex I got the "mild" talk when I was eight because I, unknowingly, asked the wrong question and oh, it was just too amusing hehe.
Aaaaaand feedback is always MUCH appreciated!!!!!! :D Thanx for reading!!!!
Lisa.
Category: DRR Rating: I'm rating it R, just because it contains adult themes, medium level language, low level violence and one very tiny sex scene. Notes at Part One and final part
Monica sat inside her car, her eyes scanning across the three motel room doors in front of where she'd parked. Her weapon was resting in her lap, still secured, as she took the keys out of the ignition and pocketed them.
"Hello," a voice called.
Monica gasped and jumped a mile high as she turned towards the passenger seat. Kris was smiling back at her.
"Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed.
"Sorry I scared you." Monica calmed her breathing and looked back out of the windscreen. "So you got my message?"
"Of course I did," she replied. She'd woken during the night to find a blank business card, with an address, lying across her chest. "You wanted me to come here, didn't you?"
"You left John at home."
"He wouldn't have let me go. He would have called Gnash, and they would have... I need to do this myself."
"He's really worried, you know."
"If he's awake he will be, but he'll figure it out. I left the card."
"You planning on using that gun?"
"You should know that, shouldn't you?" Monica asked him. "You've been protecting Jodie. Why?"
"She's your daughter. After she had that dream I was called up."
"So she can...realise things."
"Like you, but it's not as practised. So," he clasped his hands in his lap and sat back in the chair. "Which room is it?"
"I was hoping you could tell me that," she answered. "What's going on in there, do you know?"
"I wish I could tell you," he replied. "But if I do, I'll interfere, and I can't do that."
"Right," Monica replied, opening her car door. "But if you tell me the number of the apartment that's just giving me a push in the right direction, and since when have you been afraid to do that?" Kris grinned.
"Number seven," he answered as she left, shutting her door behind her.
*
John was walking upstairs to his room to get changed when he saw the small piece of card at the bottom of the steps. He hadn't noticed it in the dark, he realised, bending down to retrieve it and reading an address. He sighed, jogging upstairs to change his clothes and call Vincent Gnash.
*
Monica tried the handle of the door of number seven and found it locked, as she had expected. All the lights were off and the curtains were shut. As she peered through one of them, she failed to witness the door handle turning from the inside.
"Hello honeybunch," a whisper came at her ear as she was grabbed from behind. Monica tried to turn and was able to stand on his toe long enough to swing her arm between then, her gun at his chest.
"Get inside," she ordered, pushing him back. Once over the threshold she turned in her place. "Lock the door behind you." He did as she said and was about to reach out for something in the dark when Monica flicked the lights on, distracting his eyes long enough for her to move closer. "On the couch." She glanced around the room as he complied. It was a mess. He really was a drunk. "Where is she?" Monica asked.
"Asleep," he replied. Monica watched him carefully.
"Take me to her," she demanded. He nodded standing, but before Monica could take a step away from his position he grabbed her wrist and she felt a searing pain slash across her arm. She lifted her gun and fired point blank, grabbing onto her wrist and searching around for the phone. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," she whispered, not wanting to look down and see how deep the cut was. He must have had the blade all along, just waiting for the chance.
*
By the time the emergency call had been passed along to the police John was already arriving at the motel. Shit, he thought, seeing Monica's car lined up in front of three doors, one of which was upstairs. Screw it, he thought, knocking on the first door he came to. There was no response so he tried again. He noticed the lights were on inside, which was more than he could say for the other rooms, and so lifted his gun and fired at the lock, before hitting the door with all his strength, almost tumbling inside.
It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the light but when he saw Cruck lying dead in a pool of blood at his head, he knew he was in the right room. Walking around the body he found Monica sitting on the floor, her knees pulled to her chest and her head resting back on the couch behind her.
"Mon," he called, putting his weapon away. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath, and John looked down at the arm she was holding tightly against her body. He covered her hand with his own and clamped tighter.
"I called 911," she whispered, looking up at him. "I couldn't look for her, I had to sit down-" John nodded, realising with some relief that the blood covering her face and neck was almost certainly Cruck's. "Is it deep?" she asked, closing her eyes again. "I can't feel...I just know it's bleeding-"
"I think he missed," John whispered, hoping he was right, holding onto her as tightly as he could. "You're still conscious, that's all that matters."
"It was only...a minute ago," she confessed. John nodded.
"The ambulance are on their way I'm sure. I'm going to go and find Jodie-" Monica shook her head.
"She can't see me, John please. I think I'm going to pass out." John was crouching and had been prepared to stand and walk away but now he was torn.
"Don't pass out Monica," he stated, almost scared to let her go. "I'm going to be right back, do you understand? You have to stay awake until I get back." He watched her nod and turned, running into the other rooms and throwing the doors open, switching on lights, as quickly as he could.
Jodie was lying on a bed, one hand handcuffed above her head, and looked to be sleeping.
"Jodie," John managed softly. Her eyes opened immediately and she rolled over, sitting up.
"Daddy?"
"You okay?" She nodded, her eyes widening, as she looked him over. John glanced down and realised his hands were red with Monica's blood.
"There were shots," she stated. John heard sirens in the distance. "The key's in his pocket."
"I, um, Jodie I can't get you out of here just yet, but soon, okay? You need to stay here. I'll be back soon. I promise."
"Daddy!" she called as he left, trying to work out what was going on.
*
Monica opened her eyes as John grabbed onto her arm again.
"Still here," she said with a smile. John nodded as the paramedics entered the already open door, stepping over Cruck to attend to the injured FBI agent who'd called it in. John had to step out of the way, and took the opportunity to fish in Cruck's pockets. He found a set of keys as Vincent Gnash and crew came bursting in also.
"What the hell is going on?" he asked, looking around in surprise. "Is JJ here?" John nodded, handing him the keys.
"Can you look after her?" he asked. Vincent looked over to where the paramedics were dealing with Monica, helping her onto a stretcher.
"Yeah," he answered. "We'll keep her safe. You can come get her at the station if she's not hurt?" John nodded, not answering that question but knowing the answer - that was enough - as he followed the paramedics out of the room.
*
John was waiting patiently with Jodie in his lap several hours later as Monica opened her eyes. With his right hand holding their daughter in place, who'd drifted off to sleep an hour previously, his left gripped his wife's free hand.
"What's the verdict?" she asked hoarsely, licking her lips and trying to stimulate some saliva.
"You'll live thanks to a couple of fantastic doctors." He smiled as Monica looked over at Jodie. "She didn't much fancy spending the rest of the night with Mulder and Scully."
"Is she-"
"She's gonna be fine Monica. A little shaken but we recovered my gun. She still had it next to her. I think a little bit of bargaining went on, because we haven't found any other gun."
"He lost it at the school," she reminded him, closing her eyes again. "I love you John. Thankyou."
"I love you too. If Jodie wasn't sitting here I'd lean over and kiss you right about now." Monica turned her head to look at him, and smiled.
"You'll just have to save that thought for later," she whispered, letting her eyes close for some more rest.
* Epilogue - without which no story is complete :D
Jodie was lying on her bed reading a book several weeks later when her bedroom door opened. She looked up, startled to see Kris there. She hadn't seen him since she entered the shelter.
"Hi," she greeted softly, aware that her parents were in the bedroom just down the hall. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"Well you thought wrong. I'm not finished just yet."
"Mum and dad told me all about you and Kat. Where is she?"
"She got a transfer to another state."
"Oh," Jodie replied knowingly. Kris grinned. "They told me that you used to look out for mum before mum and dad were married, when they worked together on the X Files."
"They told you about the X Files?" She nodded.
"Ahuh. I think they were feeling guilty. I'm never allowed home alone again at least until I'm sixteen." She pulled a face as Kris sat next to her on the bed.
"It'll go quickly. They just want to protect you." Jodie went quiet again and stared down at her book.
"Do you know everything about mum and dad?"
"I know everything about your mum, and a lot about your dad, yes."
"Do you know about Luke?"
"Yes. They told you about him?" She nodded.
"Do you think mum and dad would be together, that I would exist, if he hadn't died?"
"That's very philosophical for a nine year old." She looked up at him and he smiled. "Yes you would still exist, just maybe not in this life."
"Oh."
"Is there anything else you would like to clarify before we get started?"
"Started on what?" she asked, looking up at him. "Mum and dad said that you left them when they got together, and they hadn't seen you since because there wasn't any trouble. Is there now?"
"No, you're all safe. I promise." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well you are the mixture of scepticism and something else," he mused. "I can see these things you know."
"Can you tell me what I'll get for my birthday this year?"
"What do you want?" Kris asked.
"Hmm..." Jodie looked up at the ceiling. "I want some new books and a dog," she decided.
"A dog, hey? Why a dog?"
"Um...Lots of reasons. What are we getting started on?"
"Well there's no pressure to comply, but if you like I'm able to grant you three requests. And before you say it, no I can't bring back people from the dead."
"I wasn't going to say that!" She squished up her nose and laughed. "Out of anything I want, you can get it for me?" He nodded. "What about people?" she asked.
"What about people?"
"Well, if mum and dad weren't together, and I wished they were, could you do that?"
"Probably not, because we can't interfere in free will but I could, I don't know, allow them some situations they may choose to take advantage of."
"Ah-"
"Why? Is there someone you want me to set you up with?"
"No! Gross!" she laughed. "Um...I don't know! Did mum and dad get these?"
"Yes they did."
"What did they wish for?"
"They didn't tell you?"
"No."
"Well it might be a good idea if you asked them. So come on, make it snappy." Jodie rolled her eyes but smiled, removing her glasses and folding them on top of her open book.
*
"Are you nervous about tomorrow afternoon?" John asked as he gently manoeuvred off Monica and curled beside her. She shook her head.
"Not really. She knows so much about me I just, I just know next to nothing about her. And what, do I just call her Reggie? Her name's Regali, John. Should I ask her?"
"I'm sure she's willing to share her life with you Mon. Maybe one day you could ask, but there are lots of Regalis across the country I'm sure... It would be interesting to know, but if there is a connection, I'm not going to mind. There's no... way, things like that should interfere in how we feel." He leant down and kissed her forehead, then her nose. Monica got the idea and tilted her head up so that their lips met for a lazy kiss. Monica's arms wrapped around John's neck and she smiled against him as they embraced tightly.
"Thankyou for caring so much," she whispered.
"Goodnight Mon," John replied, smiling, as she pulled away and lay on her side facing him, closing her eyes.
"See you soon," she said softly, her fingers locking around his in a familiar position as they settled down to sleep.
*
The next morning Jodie clamoured down the stairs only to spy her parents kissing in the kitchen. She, having already had what she knew was a mild version of the sex talk within the last year, was exposed to enough media to realise what was going on when John's hand disappeared underneath Monica's shirt. She gave a small groan, walked back up the stairs and shouted from the top.
"I'm awake!" She waited a couple of seconds before jumping back down the stairs. They weren't kissing any longer, but they were still...together, which was fine by Jodie as long as there was no more sharing of saliva. While she loved that her mum and dad loved each other, that was just too disgusting!
"Morning JJ," Monica called. "Want some scrambled egg?"
"Yes please," she answered, propping herself up onto a stool. "Can I ask you two something?"
"Ahuh," Monica replied, turning back to the stove.
"What did you wish for?"
"What did we wish for?" John repeated.
"Yeah. With Kris. He wouldn't tell me what you wished for." John and Monica glanced at each other. Uh-oh.
"Does this mean he offered you-"
"Aren't you going to tell me?" she asked.
"Of course," John answered. "Mon, you start."
"Um, let me see... I think I've forgotten."
"You have not!" Jodie laughed. "Why won't you tell me? Kris said you would. Please?"
"Okay, okay, you win." Monica turned off the stove and put breakfast aside for the minute, leaning across the bench. "I wished for: a super duper Christmas tree, a clean apartment, and your father."
"A Christmas tree?"
"A beautiful tree," John answered, nodding in approval.
"You couldn't clean your apartment by yourself?"
"You know how I told you some bad stuff happened when your dad and I worked together that we couldn't tell you yet? It's in that category." Jodie sighed.
"Okay. And you wished for daddy?" She bit her bottom lip, grinning.
"Yes I did."
"But Kris told me he couldn't do that. Make people fall in love."
"We just needed a bit of a push," John admitted. "He didn't make us love each other, we did that all on our own."
"Oh, okay," she replied, a little confused but moving past it. "So what did you wish for daddy?"
"I wished for..." he drifted off, thinking. "I wished for Mulder and Scully and William to be safe and happy."
"When weren't they?"
"That goes into the category we can't tell you yet." Jodie sighed.
"Everything goes in there!" John chuckled.
"Just about. So you wanna hear the rest or not?"
"Yes!"
"Okay then well... I think I got gypped. Because I only really expressed that one wish, the other two were taken care of for me."
"What do you mean?"
"Well Kat read my mind and picked some wishes to fulfil for me."
"What were they?"
"To marry your mother and to have another child."
"You mean none of you wished for season tickets to a ball game or something? Jeez!"
"It was a very emotional time in our lives missy," Monica defended. "One day you'll know what we're on about, don't you worry about that."
"So come on," John stated. "We shared on the assumption that you would too. Did he ask you?"
"Yes, but you shouldn't make assumptions," Jodie declared. John narrowed his eyes at her and she smiled. "Okay I wished for some new books and a dog."
"Good choices," Monica stated, going back to the stove.
"So let me get this straight." She pointed to Monica. "You wished for him." She moved to John. "And he wished for me?"
"Actually," John corrected, smiling over at Monica, who thought back to that moment, that night that they remembered so well.
'I love you Monica,' John had repeated, still in her arms, in his bed. 'I am never, ever, letting you go, got that?'
'I've got no complaints so far,' she'd smiled back up at him. 'I love you too.' They had kissed, Monica leaning up and whispering in his ear, 'Hate to wreck the mood, but we didn't use any-' John nodded as her head fell back into the pillow below her.
'You okay with that?' he had asked. 'Or not?'
'From now on,' she'd stated.
'What if-' Monica had shrugged, smiling up at him.
'It wouldn't be so bad, would it?' He shook his head, still dazed but deliriously happy.
'Absolutely not Mon.'
"Actually you were kind of a collective wish," John continued while Monica finished up her daydream. "So how come you didn't use your third?"
"Oh, I kind of did," she answered.
"You kind of did?" Monica asked. Jodie nodded.
"I guess so, because he said dogs were really hard to get, so he said he'll take care of the other ones and that he, ahem, decided to surprise me!" She gave them both her best grin. "I'm going to get dressed," she stated, turning and running back up the stairs, trying not to laugh.
"The cunning little-" John mumbled. Monica laughed.
"What, you don't believe her?"
"Kat said that to me," he continued.
"Said what?"
"She'd take care of the other one, and had decided to surprise me."
"Oh," Monica recalled absent-mindedly. "Freaky." She was watching the egg and felt John approach from behind. He swept her hair behind her ear and her knees almost buckled at just that, and he whispered to her.
"Monica, Jodie was the surprise." Monica stopped fiddling with breakfast as she took it all in.
"You think..." She turned her head back to get a look at his face, and he looked as uncertain as she did. After a moment they smiled at each other and shook their heads, Monica laughing.
"Narr, no way," she managed.
"They wouldn't do it again," John consented.
The laughter soon gone, they were left looking into each other's eyes, and at that moment, they both wished it were true.
The End
Author's notes: Okay I couldn't help throwing in the Miracle on 34th Street kind of atmosphere - you get that considering I was going to call the first story Miracle on Bennet Avenue :P Thanks to Casey for getting me writing after my block had me well...blocked, for quite a while there. And thanks to Anna, Shell, Casey and Tracy for reading bits and pieces and speaking your mind and giving you all your terrific suggestions! I had something else to put in this space but I forget now cos it's nearly 1am and I just got sprung by my dad, so I'll add it later :D ... Nup I still can't remember. Oh well! Oh I remembered! (Three hours later) I don't know any hospitals in Washington so I just named it Memorial because I dunno...there are lots of memorials in Washington :D
Okay now that that's out of the way, all the information I got on Norplant was off the web at a couple of sex-ed-online sites and it's a real device that most probably will be in much wider circulation ten years from now, when this fic is set. If you want more info just search for it and it's no problem. And before anyone tells me a nine year old is too young to learn about sex I got the "mild" talk when I was eight because I, unknowingly, asked the wrong question and oh, it was just too amusing hehe.
Aaaaaand feedback is always MUCH appreciated!!!!!! :D Thanx for reading!!!!
Lisa.