"But why, Mom?" Emily asked as they drove to the movie.

When they got home Mulder had suggested that they go to a movie before dinner. The kids clamored to see Spirited Away, which had recently returned to local theaters. William, upon hearing the word "movie" repeated the demand, "Dragon, Daddy, dragon!" approximately 87 times while Emily offered a litany of friends who said it "was the coolest movie ever." The adults gave into the choice without protest.

On the way there Scully broke the news that she and Mulder were going to be leaving for an indefinite amount of time. Emily seemed more curious than upset, which was either a blessing or insulting.

"Because our jobs sometimes requires that we go to where things are." Mulder explained. "And this time we're going somewhere too far away to drive home at night,"

"Oh..." Emily said sadly, then brightened slightly. "Can Anita come stay with us?"

"You're going to spend the time we're away with your grandma." Scully said firmly.

"Ok." She said in a tone that suggested that she'd expected that answer. " I know writing for Buffy must keep her real busy. Wonder if she'd write for Angel now that Buffy is gonna be over." Scully shot Mulder a look, and he shrugged innocently with an 'I have no idea' expression. "Will you bring us back a souvenir?" She wheedled.

Mulder laughed. "You drive a hard bargain. But yes, we will."

Meanwhile...

Doggett's sour mood must have been written on his face because when he got home the first words out of Reyes' mouth were "John, what's wrong?"

He tried to smile, but wasn't successful in the attempt. "Bad news at work."

"Oh?'

Deciding that she'd probably like up front rather than beating around the bush, "Skinner is sending all three of us to investigate a series of cattle mutilations in Vermont...we leave bright and early Monday morning." Doggett sighed heavily.

"Oh." She repeated in a different tone.

He captured on of her hands in his own. "I'm sorry."

"Why? We knew this could happen. It's part of the job."

"I knew it could, but I didn't think it would, not now before the babies are born." He said anxiously. "I don't want to leave you alone."

"I'll be ok. And I won't be alone, Gibson will be here."

"I know, but..."

"John, I'm a big girl, and I can take care of myself. You know that." She looked him in the eyes as she spoke. "Even when the sight of my feet is a distant memory, I'll still be better able to protect myself than most women and many men. On leave or not, I'm still a trained FBI agent who can handle most threats."

"Of course." He said quickly.

"And this is not like when Scully was pregnant with William. "

"Gibson told you I was worrying?" Doggett sounded betrayed.

"No. He didn't have to. It's an obvious conclusion. But no one is after me or the babies. We'll be just fine."

"I know." Irrationally he continued the statement internally, and that's what I'm afraid of. He chalked it up a momentary worry that she didn't really need him.

"Not that I won't miss you, though." She put her arms around him.

"How much will you miss me?" He asked in a petulant way that was belied by the fact that his hands had gone to her waist and he was nuzzling her neck.

"Come upstairs and figure that out for yourself." She invited.

There wasn't much time to get ready for the trip, but Doggett and Reyes took the time the day before to have a farewell argument.

He'd remembered what he'd thought of the night they found out they were expecting, and decided that they definitely had to have a dog. Immediately. Before he left. He started in on Friday night, calling the local pounds to find out the hours, and it was all he talked about on Saturday - going to find a dog.

Gibson didn't say much either way, he just sat there like Buddha, seeing to be willing them to come to their senses but Reyes had a strong opinion about it. She didn't want one. So they spent an hour trading "We're getting a dog!" and "No we're not getting a dog!" before Reyes called a time out.

"We're being ridiculous. Maybe we'll reach an agreement if we explain our feelings."

Doggett resisted rolling his eyes at the word "feelings" because she had a point. "Ok. I think we need a dog because dogs are good at teaching kids responsibility. That will be good for the girls, and to a lesser extent good for Gibson too."

"I respect that, and I think you're right. It'd be good for them to have a dog at some point. But why get a dog this weekend?" She asked.

Doggett shrugged helplessly. "I'm going away on Monday, so you and Gibson will be alone. It makes me worry. "

"I don't think you'll worry much less if we had a dog while you're gone. And there's the problem of caring for a full-grown dog while you're gone. While I'm sure that Gibson will help out with it, he's going to be in school most of the time you're gone. Dogs need to be walked during the day, and fed, and... I just can't see being dragged down the street by a dog."

He knew she was being practical, not manipulative. "Ok, you've got a point..."

"I'm not trying to say I don't think we shouldn't get a dog someday, just not now." She said placatingly. "But I'd rather wait until the babies are two or three and get a puppy they can grow up with, learning at a young age how to be gentle with something smaller than them."

"I wouldn't mind if we waited." Gibson added quietly.

"Okay, okay. We'll wait to get the dog. But Gibson, while I'm away look after your-"Doggett stopped himself. He'd almost said 'mother'. He had no idea why. "-self and Reyes while I'm gone." He covered.

Gibson nodded, but his look didn't suggest that he'd been trying to read Doggett's mind. Or if he had, he was too polite to bring it up.

"Good." Doggett said, doing a passable job at smiling. He felt miserable inside, though. But Reyes was right. A dog probably wouldn't have made him feel much better.