Present day...
When Monica arrived to collect Anna, Dana opened the front door to Monica with a warm smile and both women walked into the living room. Mulder was on the couch with Jack and stood up when they walked in and placed Jack in his playpen.
"How'd it go?"
"Well there'll be a call to tell my fate by the end of the day."
"Monica, what they're doing to you it stinks."
"Yeah."
"I don't understand why they're doing this, an assistant director is living with his girlfriend, she's an Agent with the bureau!"
Dana looked at Mulder and he blushed.
"I have an ear for gossip, just because I don't work at the FBI doesn't mean I don't know what goes on."
Dana smiled and turned back to Monica.
"We're here if you need anything Monica, and I'll back you up at work."
"I know. You don't know how big a part of me wanted to quit on the spot. I can't fight for a job that helped to kill John. I've got other things to worry about and I'd gladly never step foot in the FBI again."
Dana was shocked by Monica's attitude towards the possibility of losing her job. Yes there were more important things, but Monica needed her job, whether she knew it now or not she would when it was time to think about paying bills. Dana looked at Mulder and he didn't know what to say to either of the women. He and Dana had their own news for Monica, and she knew it when the awkward silence persisted.
"What's going on? Where's Anna, is she ok?"
"She's fine, she's with William up stairs."
Dana couldn't get any more words out. She didn't know what to say or how to say it. Mulder saw how uncomfortable she was and stepped forward to take the lead.
"When Anna first got here she was upset so she went to play in William's room and he came down the stairs and asked me if I could me Anna's dad. He said that he didn't like seeing Anna upset all of the time and that he thought it would cheer you up. We thought that you should know..."
Monica tried to smile but couldn't quite get it right.
"Where's Anna now?"
"Up stairs."
"Can I go and get her?"
"Sure."
Monica walked out of the room and Dana sat down heavily and sighed. Mulder sat beside her and kissed her as he put his arm around her to comfort her. He hoped for all of their sakes that this got easier, and soon.
When Monica got to William's room she could hear talking so she didn't go inside right away.
"But he didn't say no..."
"I know..."
"I don't mind..."
"You already share your dad with Jack..."
"My mom'll talk him into it, she can get him to do anything she wants."
"But I don't want your dad I want my dad."
"I know. But if you like, you can share mine... Jack wont mind. He likes you."
"My mom cries all the time. I don't think she likes to be with me 'cause I look like my dad."
Monica couldn't listen to anymore and she went into the room, Anna ran into her mother's arms as she scooped her into the air and went back down the stairs and into the front room.
"We're gonna take off, thanks again for taking Anna."
Dana and Mulder stood up and went to the door with Monica.
"Anytime. And Monica we're here if you need anything at all, just call ok?"
"Yeah. See ya."
Monica was trying to hide how much overhearing Anna and William had upset her, she fastened Anna into the car and quickly sped off. They were going home. *********
June 25th, the X-Files office...
"So, they were murdered? We knew that already."
"You're missing my point."
John was trying to see what it was that Dana was suspicious about in her autopsy findings; she shouldn't even have been showing him the reports they should have gone straight to Skinner.
"Do you know how many kids were living with that family? Mr and Mrs Gooding had two children of their own and four foster kids."
"Full house."
"Yeah, now whilst the cause of death was a fatal blow to the head for both victims, Mr and Mrs Gooding were injected with lethal doses of insulin."
"Diabetes medicine?"
"Yes. Now when I spoke to the detective on the case he said they found no signs of syringes at the crime scene but there were syringes in the bathroom."
"And what? Nobody in the house was a diabetic?"
"Well, no, their daughter, Casey is, she's sixteen and is the only one in the house with diabetes."
"So what you think the daughter did it?"
"No, but I think that someone in that house could have done it..."
"I never thought I'd see the day. Dana Mulder pointing the finger at a group of kids for murder."
"I point where the evidence tells me to point John. The detective on the case found discarded needles in the trash in the bathroom, they pulled four sets of prints from the lid of the bin and are running them against any they find on the needle with the rest of the family."
"That still doesn't prove anything."
"I spoke with Casey Gooding this morning, she said that everybody but her parents went out that evening to give them some time alone on their wedding anniversary. It was a last minute thing, and the only people that knew were those kids. Somebody in or close to that family knows something about this. The detective is calling your office as soon as he has something."
"Somebody needs something 'cause we don't have much of anything right now."
John stopped to think and realised that he and Dana had been passing sentences for a while now and Monica had remained quiet. She was staring into space thinking.
"Monica?"
Monica looked at Dana and then to John as she processed who had called her name.
"Yeah?"
"You ok?"
"Yeah, I was just thinking. I don't think anybody in the house killed the parents."
"You can't know that Monica."
"Yes I can. I did some checking up of my own when I was stuck down here yesterday, the daughter Casey is a straight A student who doesn't have a mark against her name, the boy Daniel is twelve and the most polite soccer player you could meet by all accounts, aside from Mia Dukes the other kids are Adam Davies, sixteen, Michael Dyson, ten, and Lucy Collier, also ten. None of these kids have committed a crime here. The only person I'm not so sure about is Mia Dukes. Which is why you're gonna cover for me whilst I go and see her."
"Monica no..."
"I have to. Then I can tell you whether your killer is from the house or not. Trust me."
Monica grabbed her jacket and walked out before anybody could try and stop her.
"Monica! What about the lawyers!"
John swore under his breath and Dana looked at him.
"Shouldn't you go after her?"
"I know what this is. She thinks that she's connected to this case and this kid Mia Dukes. She's gonna try and use her personal strengths, the feelings she gets to try and figure the kid out and thinks she can save the day. When all she'll probably end up doing is getting herself killed." *********
When Monica arrived to collect Anna, Dana opened the front door to Monica with a warm smile and both women walked into the living room. Mulder was on the couch with Jack and stood up when they walked in and placed Jack in his playpen.
"How'd it go?"
"Well there'll be a call to tell my fate by the end of the day."
"Monica, what they're doing to you it stinks."
"Yeah."
"I don't understand why they're doing this, an assistant director is living with his girlfriend, she's an Agent with the bureau!"
Dana looked at Mulder and he blushed.
"I have an ear for gossip, just because I don't work at the FBI doesn't mean I don't know what goes on."
Dana smiled and turned back to Monica.
"We're here if you need anything Monica, and I'll back you up at work."
"I know. You don't know how big a part of me wanted to quit on the spot. I can't fight for a job that helped to kill John. I've got other things to worry about and I'd gladly never step foot in the FBI again."
Dana was shocked by Monica's attitude towards the possibility of losing her job. Yes there were more important things, but Monica needed her job, whether she knew it now or not she would when it was time to think about paying bills. Dana looked at Mulder and he didn't know what to say to either of the women. He and Dana had their own news for Monica, and she knew it when the awkward silence persisted.
"What's going on? Where's Anna, is she ok?"
"She's fine, she's with William up stairs."
Dana couldn't get any more words out. She didn't know what to say or how to say it. Mulder saw how uncomfortable she was and stepped forward to take the lead.
"When Anna first got here she was upset so she went to play in William's room and he came down the stairs and asked me if I could me Anna's dad. He said that he didn't like seeing Anna upset all of the time and that he thought it would cheer you up. We thought that you should know..."
Monica tried to smile but couldn't quite get it right.
"Where's Anna now?"
"Up stairs."
"Can I go and get her?"
"Sure."
Monica walked out of the room and Dana sat down heavily and sighed. Mulder sat beside her and kissed her as he put his arm around her to comfort her. He hoped for all of their sakes that this got easier, and soon.
When Monica got to William's room she could hear talking so she didn't go inside right away.
"But he didn't say no..."
"I know..."
"I don't mind..."
"You already share your dad with Jack..."
"My mom'll talk him into it, she can get him to do anything she wants."
"But I don't want your dad I want my dad."
"I know. But if you like, you can share mine... Jack wont mind. He likes you."
"My mom cries all the time. I don't think she likes to be with me 'cause I look like my dad."
Monica couldn't listen to anymore and she went into the room, Anna ran into her mother's arms as she scooped her into the air and went back down the stairs and into the front room.
"We're gonna take off, thanks again for taking Anna."
Dana and Mulder stood up and went to the door with Monica.
"Anytime. And Monica we're here if you need anything at all, just call ok?"
"Yeah. See ya."
Monica was trying to hide how much overhearing Anna and William had upset her, she fastened Anna into the car and quickly sped off. They were going home. *********
June 25th, the X-Files office...
"So, they were murdered? We knew that already."
"You're missing my point."
John was trying to see what it was that Dana was suspicious about in her autopsy findings; she shouldn't even have been showing him the reports they should have gone straight to Skinner.
"Do you know how many kids were living with that family? Mr and Mrs Gooding had two children of their own and four foster kids."
"Full house."
"Yeah, now whilst the cause of death was a fatal blow to the head for both victims, Mr and Mrs Gooding were injected with lethal doses of insulin."
"Diabetes medicine?"
"Yes. Now when I spoke to the detective on the case he said they found no signs of syringes at the crime scene but there were syringes in the bathroom."
"And what? Nobody in the house was a diabetic?"
"Well, no, their daughter, Casey is, she's sixteen and is the only one in the house with diabetes."
"So what you think the daughter did it?"
"No, but I think that someone in that house could have done it..."
"I never thought I'd see the day. Dana Mulder pointing the finger at a group of kids for murder."
"I point where the evidence tells me to point John. The detective on the case found discarded needles in the trash in the bathroom, they pulled four sets of prints from the lid of the bin and are running them against any they find on the needle with the rest of the family."
"That still doesn't prove anything."
"I spoke with Casey Gooding this morning, she said that everybody but her parents went out that evening to give them some time alone on their wedding anniversary. It was a last minute thing, and the only people that knew were those kids. Somebody in or close to that family knows something about this. The detective is calling your office as soon as he has something."
"Somebody needs something 'cause we don't have much of anything right now."
John stopped to think and realised that he and Dana had been passing sentences for a while now and Monica had remained quiet. She was staring into space thinking.
"Monica?"
Monica looked at Dana and then to John as she processed who had called her name.
"Yeah?"
"You ok?"
"Yeah, I was just thinking. I don't think anybody in the house killed the parents."
"You can't know that Monica."
"Yes I can. I did some checking up of my own when I was stuck down here yesterday, the daughter Casey is a straight A student who doesn't have a mark against her name, the boy Daniel is twelve and the most polite soccer player you could meet by all accounts, aside from Mia Dukes the other kids are Adam Davies, sixteen, Michael Dyson, ten, and Lucy Collier, also ten. None of these kids have committed a crime here. The only person I'm not so sure about is Mia Dukes. Which is why you're gonna cover for me whilst I go and see her."
"Monica no..."
"I have to. Then I can tell you whether your killer is from the house or not. Trust me."
Monica grabbed her jacket and walked out before anybody could try and stop her.
"Monica! What about the lawyers!"
John swore under his breath and Dana looked at him.
"Shouldn't you go after her?"
"I know what this is. She thinks that she's connected to this case and this kid Mia Dukes. She's gonna try and use her personal strengths, the feelings she gets to try and figure the kid out and thinks she can save the day. When all she'll probably end up doing is getting herself killed." *********