Present Day...
Monica finally went down the stairs and everybody but John's family and Mulder, Dana and William had left. She looked at the empty plates lying around with plastic cups. The house was a mess and Rosey Doggett was frantically going around trying to clear everything away for Monica.
Frank, John's dad, was sitting in the chair by the window watching Anna in the back garden. Monica watched her in complete awe. She envied the four year old for not understanding that John Doggett was never going to be in their lives again.
Dana was watching Monica as she looked at Anna, she wanted to tell her to go outside to her, but she didn't want to push her. She and Mulder had tried so hard to be supportive and help out with anything that they could, but all Dana knew was that Monica should be comforting her daughter.
Everybody was upset and felt terrible about what happened, and they all believed that they could each just as easily as the other have done more to prevent this from happening.
Monica stepped into the sun and it made her feel sick that nature wanted to be so happy and spread so much joy when she felt absolutely nothing for it. Anna's face lit up as she watched her mom walk towards her.
It was the first time her mom had shown her any attention in almost a week. Anna ran into her arms as Monica crouched low to the ground and she held onto the only part of John that she had left.
"Mommy, why is granpa Doggett so upset?"
"He misses your daddy sweetheart."
"I miss him too."
Anna pulled back from Monica and Monica stroked the child's hair behind her ears. How could she not have done this sooner. What was she thinking to have let Anna live through these five days all alone. Monica smiled and picked Anna up so they could sit in the bench that Monica's father had made as a wedding gift to Monica and John almost six years ago.
"Daddy isn't coming home is he?"
Monica held Anna close and could do nothing but cry and Anna knew that this meant the answer to her question was no. She held onto her mom and wanted to make her feel better, but the only way she could do that was to bring her dad back, and she didn't know how to make that happen.
When William came outside to offer Anna a sweet she took one and then William offered her his hand as his parents came out to talk to Monica.
"Monica we're gonna go, we have to get back to my mom and Jack. If there's anything at all that you need..."
"I know, thank you so much for everything."
"Do you want us to take Anna again for you?"
"No. It's not fair on her, it's been five nights, she should be at home."
Dana smiled, she was relieved that Monica felt this way. She hugged Monica tightly and shed a silent tear for her friend as she spoke to her.
"Promise me you'll call if you need anything, or if you're lonely and just need to talk, promise me Monica."
"I promise."
Dana pulled free and stepped back as Mulder stood forward.
"We'll call you tomorrow ok?"
"Thanks."
He hugged her and kissed her cheek as Anna and William came back over. Anna looked confused as Monica picked her up.
"Is Uncle Fox my new daddy?"
Mulder blushed and Dana smiled at the innocence of the small child. Monica kissed Anna and shook her head.
"That's William's daddy. And he lives with Aunt Dana, you know that."
"But who will be my daddy?"
Monica put Anna down and told her to go and see her grandfather whilst she saw out Mulder and Dana. They went to the front door and William turned and hugged Monica as he was about to get into the car.
"I'm really sorry about Uncle John, Aunt Monica."
He got into the car and Monica gave false smiles as she waved them off and faced the prospect of going back into the house that would never feel like her home ever again. *********
June 24th, the X-Files office...
Monica sat at her desk twirling a pen around her fingers as she stared into nothing thinking about what had just happened. She very rarely lost her temper like that, but she couldn't stand the thought of being held responsible for an act that was being challenged as unjust or without cause. She knew it was wrong of her to try and disobey Skinner but she couldn't stop herself.
She thought that maybe if she could see Mia Dukes then they could talk and perhaps make her understand that Monica was just doing her job and at the time what she had seen as the right thing to do. She picked up the phone and called Mulder so that she could talk to Anna, when her familiar and happy voice came onto the other end of the phone she managed to finally smile and allowed herself to calm down a little.
"Hey baby, you havin' fun?"
"Yeah mommy, Jack threw his breakfast bowl on the floor and uncle Fox had to clean it up so he gave me and William some chocolate."
"Chocolate before 10.00am?"
"It was only a little bit... And then we played in the garden, but William wont let me play with his new remote control car."
"Well that's because it was a birthday present."
"But you and daddy bought it for him a long time ago..."
"It was last month sweetheart, maybe he'll let you play with it later."
As Monica continued to listen to her daughter John appeared in the door way and she knew it was wrong of her but she couldn't act friendly towards him after what happened upstairs. She said goodbye to Anna and put John on the phone.
"Daddy, can I have the same remote control car that you and mommy bought William for his birthday when it's my birthday?"
"You can have whatever you want sweetheart."
"Uncle Fox gave us chocolate... Hang on daddy he wants to talk to you."
"John?"
"Yeah?"
"Is Dana there?"
John was about to say no when Dana walked into the office. He handed her the phone and told her that Mulder had been feeding the kids chocolate.
"You gave the kids chocolate Mulder? Before 10.00am?"
"Do I count as a child?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"Very funny. So what happened with Skinner?"
"It was about an old case that John and Monica worked on about eight years ago."
"Pre or post my funeral?"
"Post. And don't make jokes about that."
"Sorry. Can I help at all?"
"Maybe, I'll call you later."
"Ok."
"Kiss Jack for me."
"I will."
Dana put down the phone and looked at Monica, and then at John. Monica knew that they both had to leave and get on with their day but neither wanted to leave her alone or to make her think that they were working against her in any way.
"We'll fix this Monica, we're working for you not against you."
Monica politely nodded her head at Dana and then looked from her to John.
"You should probably both leave. Busy day ahead of you."
"You gonna be ok?" Monica looked at John and smiled.
"I'll be fine. Plenty to do down here."
John kissed Monica softly before walking out with Dana and setting off to see Mia Dukes. Monica would have given anything to be going with him. *********
Monica finally went down the stairs and everybody but John's family and Mulder, Dana and William had left. She looked at the empty plates lying around with plastic cups. The house was a mess and Rosey Doggett was frantically going around trying to clear everything away for Monica.
Frank, John's dad, was sitting in the chair by the window watching Anna in the back garden. Monica watched her in complete awe. She envied the four year old for not understanding that John Doggett was never going to be in their lives again.
Dana was watching Monica as she looked at Anna, she wanted to tell her to go outside to her, but she didn't want to push her. She and Mulder had tried so hard to be supportive and help out with anything that they could, but all Dana knew was that Monica should be comforting her daughter.
Everybody was upset and felt terrible about what happened, and they all believed that they could each just as easily as the other have done more to prevent this from happening.
Monica stepped into the sun and it made her feel sick that nature wanted to be so happy and spread so much joy when she felt absolutely nothing for it. Anna's face lit up as she watched her mom walk towards her.
It was the first time her mom had shown her any attention in almost a week. Anna ran into her arms as Monica crouched low to the ground and she held onto the only part of John that she had left.
"Mommy, why is granpa Doggett so upset?"
"He misses your daddy sweetheart."
"I miss him too."
Anna pulled back from Monica and Monica stroked the child's hair behind her ears. How could she not have done this sooner. What was she thinking to have let Anna live through these five days all alone. Monica smiled and picked Anna up so they could sit in the bench that Monica's father had made as a wedding gift to Monica and John almost six years ago.
"Daddy isn't coming home is he?"
Monica held Anna close and could do nothing but cry and Anna knew that this meant the answer to her question was no. She held onto her mom and wanted to make her feel better, but the only way she could do that was to bring her dad back, and she didn't know how to make that happen.
When William came outside to offer Anna a sweet she took one and then William offered her his hand as his parents came out to talk to Monica.
"Monica we're gonna go, we have to get back to my mom and Jack. If there's anything at all that you need..."
"I know, thank you so much for everything."
"Do you want us to take Anna again for you?"
"No. It's not fair on her, it's been five nights, she should be at home."
Dana smiled, she was relieved that Monica felt this way. She hugged Monica tightly and shed a silent tear for her friend as she spoke to her.
"Promise me you'll call if you need anything, or if you're lonely and just need to talk, promise me Monica."
"I promise."
Dana pulled free and stepped back as Mulder stood forward.
"We'll call you tomorrow ok?"
"Thanks."
He hugged her and kissed her cheek as Anna and William came back over. Anna looked confused as Monica picked her up.
"Is Uncle Fox my new daddy?"
Mulder blushed and Dana smiled at the innocence of the small child. Monica kissed Anna and shook her head.
"That's William's daddy. And he lives with Aunt Dana, you know that."
"But who will be my daddy?"
Monica put Anna down and told her to go and see her grandfather whilst she saw out Mulder and Dana. They went to the front door and William turned and hugged Monica as he was about to get into the car.
"I'm really sorry about Uncle John, Aunt Monica."
He got into the car and Monica gave false smiles as she waved them off and faced the prospect of going back into the house that would never feel like her home ever again. *********
June 24th, the X-Files office...
Monica sat at her desk twirling a pen around her fingers as she stared into nothing thinking about what had just happened. She very rarely lost her temper like that, but she couldn't stand the thought of being held responsible for an act that was being challenged as unjust or without cause. She knew it was wrong of her to try and disobey Skinner but she couldn't stop herself.
She thought that maybe if she could see Mia Dukes then they could talk and perhaps make her understand that Monica was just doing her job and at the time what she had seen as the right thing to do. She picked up the phone and called Mulder so that she could talk to Anna, when her familiar and happy voice came onto the other end of the phone she managed to finally smile and allowed herself to calm down a little.
"Hey baby, you havin' fun?"
"Yeah mommy, Jack threw his breakfast bowl on the floor and uncle Fox had to clean it up so he gave me and William some chocolate."
"Chocolate before 10.00am?"
"It was only a little bit... And then we played in the garden, but William wont let me play with his new remote control car."
"Well that's because it was a birthday present."
"But you and daddy bought it for him a long time ago..."
"It was last month sweetheart, maybe he'll let you play with it later."
As Monica continued to listen to her daughter John appeared in the door way and she knew it was wrong of her but she couldn't act friendly towards him after what happened upstairs. She said goodbye to Anna and put John on the phone.
"Daddy, can I have the same remote control car that you and mommy bought William for his birthday when it's my birthday?"
"You can have whatever you want sweetheart."
"Uncle Fox gave us chocolate... Hang on daddy he wants to talk to you."
"John?"
"Yeah?"
"Is Dana there?"
John was about to say no when Dana walked into the office. He handed her the phone and told her that Mulder had been feeding the kids chocolate.
"You gave the kids chocolate Mulder? Before 10.00am?"
"Do I count as a child?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"Very funny. So what happened with Skinner?"
"It was about an old case that John and Monica worked on about eight years ago."
"Pre or post my funeral?"
"Post. And don't make jokes about that."
"Sorry. Can I help at all?"
"Maybe, I'll call you later."
"Ok."
"Kiss Jack for me."
"I will."
Dana put down the phone and looked at Monica, and then at John. Monica knew that they both had to leave and get on with their day but neither wanted to leave her alone or to make her think that they were working against her in any way.
"We'll fix this Monica, we're working for you not against you."
Monica politely nodded her head at Dana and then looked from her to John.
"You should probably both leave. Busy day ahead of you."
"You gonna be ok?" Monica looked at John and smiled.
"I'll be fine. Plenty to do down here."
John kissed Monica softly before walking out with Dana and setting off to see Mia Dukes. Monica would have given anything to be going with him. *********