Present Day...
When Dana walked into the house with Anna Mulder knew that the meeting with Monica hadn't exactly gone as planned. Anna sat down quietly to watch the TV and Dana went into the kitchen with Mulder.
"What happened?"
"She's gone to see Skinner."
"Now?"
"Yeah. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't stop her. This isn't right Mulder. They can't do this to her."
"You and I both know that they can and they will."
"She's a six day widowed single mom. If she loses her job after this I'm not sure I'd be able to go back myself."
"Well now there's a scary thought. One of us has to work."
"I know. But I miss being at home with you and the boys."
"Well if you were home, I'd have to work, so we still wouldn't see each other."
"I know. I'm just being overly emotional. It's been a tough week."
"Yeah, I know."
Monica sat patiently waiting for Skinner to get a moment to talk with her. He wanted more than anything to put it off for as long as he could, but he knew that Monica must have a dozen places she would rather be. It was wrong of him to keep her waiting.
"Agent Reyes, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting have a seat."
Monica sat down and Skinner looked at her as if he wanted to be her friend and her boss. But Skinner had cut himself off from being friends with any of the X-File employees, past and present, to save his own ass and avoid the questions that he had spent nine years trying to answer.
"I assume Agent Scully has informed you of the situation here?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry. I don't know what I can do."
"Do they know that you knew about it?"
For a second Skinner looked terrified as if Monica had threatened to drop him in it.
"No they don't."
"I see. So you'll still have a job at the end of the day."
"Agent Reyes, you're not losing your job, at least not today."
"Are you seriously telling me that they want to punish me now? After six years?"
"I know it's ridiculous they're claiming ignorance to having known anything about it. The good news is the rules are a little more relaxed, things changed a little when an assistant director moved in with another agent after dating for two years. It's almost as if they don't mind now as long as you don't make a bid deal out of it like..."
"Like John did?"
"There were a lot of agents in that van Agent Reyes. But times change, I'm hoping they'll let this go."
"I see. So what happens now?"
"There's a meeting this afternoon to discuss what actions are thought to be appropriate. You'll get a call by the end of the day either way. Agent Reyes..."
"Look, I just lost the only man in the world that I have ever loved and I have to now bring up our daughter all by myself and watch her disappointed face every time he doesn't walk through the door after work each night. So I don't have the time or the energy to worry about a job that I'm being as good as told I'm going to lose anyway. I just can't fight for this right now. I don't want to."
Monica stood up and walked to the door, she couldn't look back, if she looked back she'd cry.
"Agent Reyes. I'm very sorry for your loss. And I'm sorry for the bureaus loss. They've lost a fine agent, and I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure they don't lose another one."
Monica walked out of the room and almost ran to her car so that she could cry in private. *********
June 25th, Skinner's office...
"I don't care what your rules or paperwork say! I don't want them in here talking to her like she's a criminal! She was doing her job, and there isn't an agent who wouldn't have done the same thing in her position!"
"Agent Doggett, I appreciate you're in a difficult position here..."
"No, you are, because you're covering up our relationship! You had no right to put me in this position! Why'd you even give me this case? What the hell were you thinking?"
"The order on who was dealt this case didn't come from me! It came from the deputy director."
"Why?"
"I don't know! If I did I'd figure out how to change it. But you just have to sit tight and see this through."
"The hell I do."
"What else do you suggest I do?"
"I don't give a crap what you do, but I'm not working this case."
"Agent Doggett..."
"No! I don't care whose ass you have to suck up to, you get me off this case, and you get it dealt with because its all BS and you know it."
"This doesn't change that Agent Reyes has to meet with our lawyers."
"No. But it changes the fact that I can support my wife instead of my partner."
John walked out of the office and headed straight for elevator. He had told Monica he was going to the bathroom, but he'd taken a detour to Skinner's office to tell him what he thought of the situation he had put John in. Well that was it, it was over. He was here for Monica now, not the bureau.
"Hey, I thought you'd got lost."
"Yeah I umm, I stopped by Skinner's office..."
"John..."
"It's ok..."
"What have you done?"
"Nothin'! I'm off the case."
"You are?"
"Yeah. I told him I'm not doing it."
"But it's not your decision what case gets handed to you John. This was an x-file, there's no one else that can take it."
John sat down and sighed, he felt as if he couldn't win.
"I know you were only trying to help, but if you piss Skinner off then it wont help either of us."
She stood up and walked over to John's desk. She sat down and took his hand.
"I love that you tried, and I love even more that you care so passionately."
"It's not my job to love you Monica, I don't have a choice in that, and I wouldn't choose to feel any differently. But whilst I can try and be as discreetly supportive as possible at work, I will be."
John kissed Monica and she got lost in the moment before remembering that they were at work. John was right, Skinner was wrong to be dividing them on this. As they pulled away from their kiss John hugged Monica and Dana came into the office looking embarrassed.
"Sorry..."
"No it's fine. What's wrong?"
"Well, I finished my autopsy reports on Mia Dukes' foster parents. I think you should both take a look at this." *********
When Dana walked into the house with Anna Mulder knew that the meeting with Monica hadn't exactly gone as planned. Anna sat down quietly to watch the TV and Dana went into the kitchen with Mulder.
"What happened?"
"She's gone to see Skinner."
"Now?"
"Yeah. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't stop her. This isn't right Mulder. They can't do this to her."
"You and I both know that they can and they will."
"She's a six day widowed single mom. If she loses her job after this I'm not sure I'd be able to go back myself."
"Well now there's a scary thought. One of us has to work."
"I know. But I miss being at home with you and the boys."
"Well if you were home, I'd have to work, so we still wouldn't see each other."
"I know. I'm just being overly emotional. It's been a tough week."
"Yeah, I know."
Monica sat patiently waiting for Skinner to get a moment to talk with her. He wanted more than anything to put it off for as long as he could, but he knew that Monica must have a dozen places she would rather be. It was wrong of him to keep her waiting.
"Agent Reyes, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting have a seat."
Monica sat down and Skinner looked at her as if he wanted to be her friend and her boss. But Skinner had cut himself off from being friends with any of the X-File employees, past and present, to save his own ass and avoid the questions that he had spent nine years trying to answer.
"I assume Agent Scully has informed you of the situation here?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry. I don't know what I can do."
"Do they know that you knew about it?"
For a second Skinner looked terrified as if Monica had threatened to drop him in it.
"No they don't."
"I see. So you'll still have a job at the end of the day."
"Agent Reyes, you're not losing your job, at least not today."
"Are you seriously telling me that they want to punish me now? After six years?"
"I know it's ridiculous they're claiming ignorance to having known anything about it. The good news is the rules are a little more relaxed, things changed a little when an assistant director moved in with another agent after dating for two years. It's almost as if they don't mind now as long as you don't make a bid deal out of it like..."
"Like John did?"
"There were a lot of agents in that van Agent Reyes. But times change, I'm hoping they'll let this go."
"I see. So what happens now?"
"There's a meeting this afternoon to discuss what actions are thought to be appropriate. You'll get a call by the end of the day either way. Agent Reyes..."
"Look, I just lost the only man in the world that I have ever loved and I have to now bring up our daughter all by myself and watch her disappointed face every time he doesn't walk through the door after work each night. So I don't have the time or the energy to worry about a job that I'm being as good as told I'm going to lose anyway. I just can't fight for this right now. I don't want to."
Monica stood up and walked to the door, she couldn't look back, if she looked back she'd cry.
"Agent Reyes. I'm very sorry for your loss. And I'm sorry for the bureaus loss. They've lost a fine agent, and I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure they don't lose another one."
Monica walked out of the room and almost ran to her car so that she could cry in private. *********
June 25th, Skinner's office...
"I don't care what your rules or paperwork say! I don't want them in here talking to her like she's a criminal! She was doing her job, and there isn't an agent who wouldn't have done the same thing in her position!"
"Agent Doggett, I appreciate you're in a difficult position here..."
"No, you are, because you're covering up our relationship! You had no right to put me in this position! Why'd you even give me this case? What the hell were you thinking?"
"The order on who was dealt this case didn't come from me! It came from the deputy director."
"Why?"
"I don't know! If I did I'd figure out how to change it. But you just have to sit tight and see this through."
"The hell I do."
"What else do you suggest I do?"
"I don't give a crap what you do, but I'm not working this case."
"Agent Doggett..."
"No! I don't care whose ass you have to suck up to, you get me off this case, and you get it dealt with because its all BS and you know it."
"This doesn't change that Agent Reyes has to meet with our lawyers."
"No. But it changes the fact that I can support my wife instead of my partner."
John walked out of the office and headed straight for elevator. He had told Monica he was going to the bathroom, but he'd taken a detour to Skinner's office to tell him what he thought of the situation he had put John in. Well that was it, it was over. He was here for Monica now, not the bureau.
"Hey, I thought you'd got lost."
"Yeah I umm, I stopped by Skinner's office..."
"John..."
"It's ok..."
"What have you done?"
"Nothin'! I'm off the case."
"You are?"
"Yeah. I told him I'm not doing it."
"But it's not your decision what case gets handed to you John. This was an x-file, there's no one else that can take it."
John sat down and sighed, he felt as if he couldn't win.
"I know you were only trying to help, but if you piss Skinner off then it wont help either of us."
She stood up and walked over to John's desk. She sat down and took his hand.
"I love that you tried, and I love even more that you care so passionately."
"It's not my job to love you Monica, I don't have a choice in that, and I wouldn't choose to feel any differently. But whilst I can try and be as discreetly supportive as possible at work, I will be."
John kissed Monica and she got lost in the moment before remembering that they were at work. John was right, Skinner was wrong to be dividing them on this. As they pulled away from their kiss John hugged Monica and Dana came into the office looking embarrassed.
"Sorry..."
"No it's fine. What's wrong?"
"Well, I finished my autopsy reports on Mia Dukes' foster parents. I think you should both take a look at this." *********