Title: Finding a Family, Part 4
Author: Amanda (better known to you all as Gillian Leigh :o)
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: We all know who the X-Files characters belong to :oP
Author's Notes: More is coming :o) Stay tuned!
J. Edgar Hoover Building
April 24, 2026
William rode the elevator up to the floor which A.D. Doggett's office was on. In one hand he clutched the picture and information on this "Dana Scully" he had printed out. When he had noted that her file ended abruptly sometime in mid 2002, and there was no explanation for her sudden leave, he knew that it was time to act on Alyse Baxter's advice and talk to the Assistant Director. He wasn't even totally sure at times why he wanted so badly to find this Scully person, or the other agent in his dream. There was something pushing him forward, and he felt a strange attachment to these people, though he was sure he had never seen them before, as he now felt a growing attachment and interest in the X-Files. The project he was sent to debunk. He had a feeling that just like Agent Scully had, he too would fail in his assignment.
The Assistant Director's assistant was not at her desk, and William wasn't about to wait around for her to come back. He knocked on the door, and Doggett opened it.
"Agent Van de Kamp, what can I do for you?" he said, ushering him inside. William paced back and forth in front of John's desk, and only stopped when Doggett issued the patient command,
"William, please, sit down." He sat, but continued fidgeting. Doggett continued, "Now what is it you came to see me about?" Will couldn't remain sitting, and he stood, but this time he didn't pace. He said,
"Sir, I was at my weekly session with the Counselor, Alyse Baxter, and I was telling her about these strange dreams I've been having, for over a decade now. And there were people in the dreams, and I found out that one of them was an Agent Dana Scully." As soon as the name left his mouth, Doggett felt his heart beating faster. *He* was going to be the one to have to tell him about his family, about his past, even though it was Doggett who knew not much more than William. William, oblivious to Doggett's change in expression, continued with his story, and said,
"And she said that you worked with Agent Scully, and you could tell me about her," William said, trying to keep the pleading expression from his eyes. Doggett closed his eyes for a moment, and opened them to find that William was pacing again. It was beginning to get on his nerves and he said,
"Jesus, William, will you sit down! You're starting to remind me more and more of your father!" William stopped dead at Doggett's words. Doggett, realizing what he had just said, inhaled sharply.
"You know my father? My *real* father?" William asked, his voice dropping off to a whisper as he sank into the chair. With shaking hands he set the picture of Scully on the Assistant Director's desk. Doggett looked up a William, and cleared his throat before saying,
"Yes. I knew him." William's expression was a mix of shock and joy.
"Who is he?" Doggett decided to be straightforward, and business-like.
"Your father, was Special Agent Fox Mulder. He discovered the X-Files. I see you already found your mother," he said, gesturing to the picture on his desk.
"Dana Scully is my mother?!" William asked, his whole body trembling. Doggett nodded.
"My parents worked here? They worked in this building, in that dingy basement office?!" Doggett nodded again.
"Mulder and Scully were famous in the FBI because they worked on the X-Files. Your father, was more well-known than your mother, but they were remarkable together," Doggett said, with a slight smile at the memory of walking into the office to see Mulder seated at his desk, pointing something to Scully, who leaned over his shoulder, countering his theory. He had never understood why this moment stuck with him, why he didn't remember Mulder and Scully from the more casual moments, or the ones filled with emotion. But after all these years, it was this memory that stuck with him.
"William, there's much more I have to tell you, but I would rather we talk somewhere else. Would you come to my house tonight, after work? My wife, Monica, also worked with Mulder and Scully, and there's much more we can tell you. And show you, for that matter, if you'll just come over. Please," he said, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. He hoped that Monica could help him with this complicated and touchy situation. William nodded slightly, and stood up when Doggett did, saying,
"Thank you, Sir." The two shook hands, and as William was on his way out of the office, Doggett added,
"I'll call you during lunch break to give you the directions. And just so you know, Agent Van de Kamp, you don't need to share this with Kalina right away, just because she's your partner, or because she's my daughter. Wait until you feel comfortable; there's no rush." William nodded, and quietly exited the office.
John sat at his desk and massaged his temples momentarily, before picking up the phone. He dialed and was glad to hear his wife's voice after two rings.
"Hello?"
"Hey Mon," he said tiredly.
"Hey sweetheart, how are you?" she asked, the usual level of vivacity in her voice.
"Mon, plan on having an extra guest for dinner," he said, William's open file and Scully's picture staring up at him.
"Who's coming?" she asked, and he imagined that she was casually moving about the house, doing the dishes, or working on their finances on the computer. He closed his eyes when he said,
"William." There was a pause, and Monica said,
"John, William who?"
"Monica, are you sitting down?"
"No, should I be?" she laughed. John was deathly serious on the other end of the line, however, as he said,
"Yes, you should be." Monica sat down, and said,
"Alright, John, I'm sitting. Now, can you tell me who's coming to dinner?" He paused, and Monica sensed the hesitation, and said,
"John, is something wrong?" He ignored her question and said,
"Monica, Mulder and Scully's son William is coming to dinner tonight." He heard her inhale sharply, and she sputtered,
"John?"
"Calm down, Mon. Take a breather; I've got a lot to tell you."