Present Day...
Back at the house Monica was one of the last to walk inside. It was her home. Hers and Johns, and these people were walking around as if they could do what they liked. She didn't have the energy or the will for any of this. For all she cared they could all move in if they were so fascinated by how the Doggett family used to live their lives.
John's family had been incredibly supportive. His ex wife was here too. Monica had never had a problem with the ex Mrs Doggett. But something about her being here now felt like a betrayal. John's sister, Kate was talking to Barbara in the kitchen when Monica walked in. Kate came straight over and hugged her before apologising. Apologising for what?
She hadn't killed John; she hadn't made him choose between his own life and the lives of those that he loved the most. Why was everybody saying sorry as if they were to blame? Barbara smiled briefly before leaving the room. Monica felt bad for making her feel uncomfortable but this was her home.
Monica managed to find a quiet part of the house where people were not walking around laughing and saying 'do you remember the time when he...' she couldn't hear things like that right now. She stood with a glass of wine in her bedroom and was looking out of the window into the back garden.
Anna and William were playing on the swings and the slide. John had taken an entire weekend to put the toys together for Anna, and she had stayed with him every second of their construction trying to help him. He had loved it; Anna was a daddy's girl at just four years old. He had told Monica that he couldn't wait until she was old enough to be dating so that he could protect her and stop her from dating losers. Now he was never going to get to do that.
She could remember the day she told him that she was pregnant. His face had lit up with joy, she had never seen a person so happy, and from the second Anna was born he adored her.
If only he had stepped away... If only he hadn't come after her... If only... What did it matter 'if only' she couldn't change what was done. John was gone. He wasn't coming back.
Monica turned around and looked at all of the photographs that were around the room. Photos of them as a family, on days out and in the garden, on birthdays and at Christmas. There was a photograph of them all from Anna's fourth birthday, they had hired a bouncy castle for the back garden and invited some friends round, the photograph had just the three of them on it laughing and happy. Anna was never going to get another birthday like that. Her arms were flung around her father's neck in the photo and Monica wiped away tears as she tried to imagine how Anna must be feeling, how confused she must be. As she sat down on the bed someone appeared at the door. John's mom.
"Monica, sweetheart."
"How are you Rosey?"
"Oh sweetheart I'm just fine, but look at you. Have you eaten in the last five days?"
"I honestly couldn't tell you what I've done over the last five days, I've been on autopilot."
"Monica you've got to take care of yourself, think of Anna, she needs her mom right now."
Monica nodded her head and couldn't bear to tell her mother in law that she was finding it hard to be a mom to her little girl right now. Anna didn't deserve this.
"Well I just wanted to let you know that Frank and I are going to stay and take care of tidying up, you don't have to worry."
"Are people leaving?"
"A few. Your absence is making them feel awkward."
"I'm sorry, I just... I can't right now..."
"I know, it's ok." Monica shook her head.
"No it isn't. It's never going to be ok again."
Monica began to cry and Rosey took her into her arms and rocked her gently wishing more for Monica's sake than her own that she could have her son back. *********
June 24th, Skinner's office...
Monica was standing up with Dana and John on either side of her, still seated after what Skinner had told them all. She couldn't believe this.
"Agent Reyes, calm down..."
"Calm down? You're seriously telling me to calm down?"
"We will deal with this."
Monica could remember the case as if it were yesterday. It had been her first real encounter with the X-files unit and she had the medical records from the fire extinguisher thrust into her head to prove it.
Jeb and Katha Dukes, brother and sister whose lives Monica had played a big part in bringing down. She had shot and killed Jeb, in her eyes with just cause, he was holding his niece, Mia, then aged six, at gunpoint. He had killed three people and why shouldn't she have helped to protect the little girl? Because that little girl was now fourteen and wanted revenge, or as she was claiming justice, that's why.
John could see how much this was affecting Monica; it was having a similar effect on him. Monica had bought this case to the bureau thinking it had something to do with the murder of his son, which he was now satisfied they had laid to rest after the murder of Nicholas Regali over seven years ago, the man he believed to have killed his son, but at the time it had been hard for him to accept what that case had actually meant. Now it was coming back to haunt them.
"So what exactly is going to happen?"
Dana was concerned for her friends more than anything, she had been informed that she was in hospital with pregnancy complications at the time the case was open and had no clear recollection of it.
"Mia Dukes has been placed with foster family after foster family and her latest parents were murdered yesterday, she wants to sue the FBI for emotional trauma and distress because none of this would have happened if one of our agents hadn't shot and killed her uncle sending her mother into a mental institution."
"What kind of case does she have?"
"Not a good one, but she will cause a lot of noise for the bureau, and we're trying to do everything we can to keep this as low key as possible."
"Does she have any other family?"
"No. Her father was never located, and her mother and uncle were the only other living relatives at the time of the incident."
Dana looked across to John and he could see that she was concerned this would raise a lot of flags in the Doggett family camp, but he wanted to ignore that and pretend that this could all be swept under the carpet.
Monica remembered seeing the look on Katha Dukes face when her brother had died, when she had fiercely attacked her and blamed her for his death. It sent a shiver through her and she hated it when something made her doubt her actions. She had been trying to protect the girl.
"So what happens now?"
"Agent Scully will autopsy the deceased foster parents, I don't want this being screwed up or getting into the press. Agent Doggett you have an appointment with Mia Dukes in Maryland for this afternoon. Agent Reyes you'll stay here and I suggest you take things easy and lie low for a few days until we can clear this up."
"No. I did nothing wrong, I'm not going to hide. I'm going with Agent Doggett."
"I'm afraid I can't allow that."
"The hell you can't I said I'm going."
"This is a direct order Agent Reyes! I suggest you follow it before you put your ass any further on the line."
John stood up and put a protective hand on Monica's arm and she shrugged him off as she stormed out of the office. *********
Back at the house Monica was one of the last to walk inside. It was her home. Hers and Johns, and these people were walking around as if they could do what they liked. She didn't have the energy or the will for any of this. For all she cared they could all move in if they were so fascinated by how the Doggett family used to live their lives.
John's family had been incredibly supportive. His ex wife was here too. Monica had never had a problem with the ex Mrs Doggett. But something about her being here now felt like a betrayal. John's sister, Kate was talking to Barbara in the kitchen when Monica walked in. Kate came straight over and hugged her before apologising. Apologising for what?
She hadn't killed John; she hadn't made him choose between his own life and the lives of those that he loved the most. Why was everybody saying sorry as if they were to blame? Barbara smiled briefly before leaving the room. Monica felt bad for making her feel uncomfortable but this was her home.
Monica managed to find a quiet part of the house where people were not walking around laughing and saying 'do you remember the time when he...' she couldn't hear things like that right now. She stood with a glass of wine in her bedroom and was looking out of the window into the back garden.
Anna and William were playing on the swings and the slide. John had taken an entire weekend to put the toys together for Anna, and she had stayed with him every second of their construction trying to help him. He had loved it; Anna was a daddy's girl at just four years old. He had told Monica that he couldn't wait until she was old enough to be dating so that he could protect her and stop her from dating losers. Now he was never going to get to do that.
She could remember the day she told him that she was pregnant. His face had lit up with joy, she had never seen a person so happy, and from the second Anna was born he adored her.
If only he had stepped away... If only he hadn't come after her... If only... What did it matter 'if only' she couldn't change what was done. John was gone. He wasn't coming back.
Monica turned around and looked at all of the photographs that were around the room. Photos of them as a family, on days out and in the garden, on birthdays and at Christmas. There was a photograph of them all from Anna's fourth birthday, they had hired a bouncy castle for the back garden and invited some friends round, the photograph had just the three of them on it laughing and happy. Anna was never going to get another birthday like that. Her arms were flung around her father's neck in the photo and Monica wiped away tears as she tried to imagine how Anna must be feeling, how confused she must be. As she sat down on the bed someone appeared at the door. John's mom.
"Monica, sweetheart."
"How are you Rosey?"
"Oh sweetheart I'm just fine, but look at you. Have you eaten in the last five days?"
"I honestly couldn't tell you what I've done over the last five days, I've been on autopilot."
"Monica you've got to take care of yourself, think of Anna, she needs her mom right now."
Monica nodded her head and couldn't bear to tell her mother in law that she was finding it hard to be a mom to her little girl right now. Anna didn't deserve this.
"Well I just wanted to let you know that Frank and I are going to stay and take care of tidying up, you don't have to worry."
"Are people leaving?"
"A few. Your absence is making them feel awkward."
"I'm sorry, I just... I can't right now..."
"I know, it's ok." Monica shook her head.
"No it isn't. It's never going to be ok again."
Monica began to cry and Rosey took her into her arms and rocked her gently wishing more for Monica's sake than her own that she could have her son back. *********
June 24th, Skinner's office...
Monica was standing up with Dana and John on either side of her, still seated after what Skinner had told them all. She couldn't believe this.
"Agent Reyes, calm down..."
"Calm down? You're seriously telling me to calm down?"
"We will deal with this."
Monica could remember the case as if it were yesterday. It had been her first real encounter with the X-files unit and she had the medical records from the fire extinguisher thrust into her head to prove it.
Jeb and Katha Dukes, brother and sister whose lives Monica had played a big part in bringing down. She had shot and killed Jeb, in her eyes with just cause, he was holding his niece, Mia, then aged six, at gunpoint. He had killed three people and why shouldn't she have helped to protect the little girl? Because that little girl was now fourteen and wanted revenge, or as she was claiming justice, that's why.
John could see how much this was affecting Monica; it was having a similar effect on him. Monica had bought this case to the bureau thinking it had something to do with the murder of his son, which he was now satisfied they had laid to rest after the murder of Nicholas Regali over seven years ago, the man he believed to have killed his son, but at the time it had been hard for him to accept what that case had actually meant. Now it was coming back to haunt them.
"So what exactly is going to happen?"
Dana was concerned for her friends more than anything, she had been informed that she was in hospital with pregnancy complications at the time the case was open and had no clear recollection of it.
"Mia Dukes has been placed with foster family after foster family and her latest parents were murdered yesterday, she wants to sue the FBI for emotional trauma and distress because none of this would have happened if one of our agents hadn't shot and killed her uncle sending her mother into a mental institution."
"What kind of case does she have?"
"Not a good one, but she will cause a lot of noise for the bureau, and we're trying to do everything we can to keep this as low key as possible."
"Does she have any other family?"
"No. Her father was never located, and her mother and uncle were the only other living relatives at the time of the incident."
Dana looked across to John and he could see that she was concerned this would raise a lot of flags in the Doggett family camp, but he wanted to ignore that and pretend that this could all be swept under the carpet.
Monica remembered seeing the look on Katha Dukes face when her brother had died, when she had fiercely attacked her and blamed her for his death. It sent a shiver through her and she hated it when something made her doubt her actions. She had been trying to protect the girl.
"So what happens now?"
"Agent Scully will autopsy the deceased foster parents, I don't want this being screwed up or getting into the press. Agent Doggett you have an appointment with Mia Dukes in Maryland for this afternoon. Agent Reyes you'll stay here and I suggest you take things easy and lie low for a few days until we can clear this up."
"No. I did nothing wrong, I'm not going to hide. I'm going with Agent Doggett."
"I'm afraid I can't allow that."
"The hell you can't I said I'm going."
"This is a direct order Agent Reyes! I suggest you follow it before you put your ass any further on the line."
John stood up and put a protective hand on Monica's arm and she shrugged him off as she stormed out of the office. *********