Present Day, Doggett Residence...

It was almost lunchtime when Mulder finally pulled up outside Monica's house. He had called as soon as he managed to calm Jack down and asked Monica if it'd be ok to call round. She had readily agreed and he got the impression that she wasn't quite ready to be doing this alone just yet.

Monica was glad to have some company. She had felt so confused about things after

Skinner's call and after watching her in laws leave. She was really going to have to figure

this all out now and she didn't know if she could. Work, parenting, housekeeping, it was three fulltime jobs rolled into one, and when John had been around they had coped as a family, but now there was an intricate part of that family structure missing. Things were going to change for everyone.

Monica opened the front door to a huge hug from William and she picked him up as he clung to her. She loved him so much and was pleased to see him; she knew it would cheer up Anna too. Mulder carried a sleeping Jack into the house and dropped all of the baggage he'd had to bring along onto the floor with a sigh.

"Man, what was I thinking? So much crap for one so small."

Monica smiled at Mulder and Jack as she continued to allow William hold onto her. He finally let her go and looked up at her with a smile.

"It was my idea to come Aunt Monica. I wanted to see you."

"I appreciate that William, thank you."

"Is Anna ok?"

"She's doing great, she's in her room if you wanna go and say hi?"

William smiled at Monica and his father before running up the stairs and going into Anna's bedroom to help cheer her up.

Mulder laid Jack down on the sofa and joined Monica in the garden where he could still

keep a good view on his son. Monica lit a cigarette and Mulder frowned.

"I didn't know you smoked?"

"Well, when you were dead I was trying to quit... When you came back I didn't have time to smoke, when you left John made me quit, he was worried about my health, and now there's no one else left to tell me off."

"Well I could do it for you? You really shouldn't you know."

"I know."

Mulder smiled sympathetically as Monica continued to smoke. He knew that this woman

was grabbing onto anything she possibly could to make her life feel a little less empty, if

cigarettes were doing that for her right now then he wasn't going to try and stand in the way of that. He was here to be a friend not to preach to her.

"Skinner called me today."

"I thought he would, Dana told me about your job, you must have been relieved."

"Is that what it was?"

"You weren't glad about keeping your job?"

"I don't know. I had no feeling about it either way. And now I feel that I owe it to them to go back and do my job just because they let me keep it."

"You don't owe them a thing. But I think you should think carefully before making any kind of decision about this."

"I know. I guess one of the big turn offs is the prospect of a new partner."

"Already?"

"Yeah. She starts tomorrow."

"Wow, two women running the x-files, that's new."

"Her name's Phoebe Carmichael, two years fresh from the academy."

"Boy she'll be nice and green for you."

"Yeah well, we'll see."

Mulder was startled by Monica's negative attitude towards her job. He knew her well after all these years, and he knew how much she loved to sink her teeth into a good case, he also understood that people dealt with grief in different ways and that if she needed to leave the bureau to point her life in the direction she needed it to go in then so be it.

On a personal level he was a little apprehensive about some new agent being left alone with what he still thought of as his x-files. They were still his babies, and he trusted Monica. He made a mental note to ask Scully about a Phoebe Carmichael when she got home from work. Right now all he could do was watch as Monica stared into nothingness with her cigarette and nothing else to make her feel strong enough to get through the day.

June 26th, Silver Spring Maryland, Gooding Residence...

Monica had informed the police about Adam Davies slip of the tongue and they had released Mia Dukes back to the children's home. Monica was relieved but was beginning to get frustrated with how twisted this case was becoming. It was getting late and she had to make sure that either she or John was back in DC within the next hour. She didn't even know if John was back from seeing Katha Dukes yet, they were running out of time.

Adam Davies had gone straight to the Gooding's house and he had been in there for over two hours. There were two units watching the house along with Monica and she was tempted to just leave and go home now, but there was a part of her that had to know what was going on here.

As she stared into the window of the front door desperate to see some kind of movement

inside she almost jumped through the roof when her passenger opened and John got inside the car.

"Jesus John!"

"What? Scare ya?"

"That's not funny." John laughed and Monica smiled.

"You're a little jumpy for a routine boring surveillance."

"I know. I guess this is just taking its toll on me."

"Well, you're free to go ma'am."

"I am?"

"Yeah, go home, get some sleep."

"But what about you?"

"I'll stay here like Skinner wanted."

"I don't know John, I think I'd like to stay."

"You would?"

"Yeah. If Mia Dukes asks for me again I should be here, and it was me that Skinner sent

officially, you're just here to reign me in if I step over the line."

"Well I can't do that from DC."

"And I can't do my job from DC."

John looked at his wife and didn't know whether to push an argument further or not, he hadn't quite made his mind up how attached to this case she had allowed herself to get.

"You're sure you don't wanna go home?"

"I'm sure. But wait, what did you find out today?"

"I got nothin'. Katha Dukes wasn't prepared to see me, and her doctor gave me the run around all day. I couldn't get anything."

"Well I'll try in the morning."

John smiled and felt a warm tingle inside, one of the things he adored about Monica was the dedication she had for her work and the ability to be a wonderful family woman too. He kissed her softly and then Monica laughed as he moved his hands down her shirt.

"John... What are you doing?"

"Isn't it that obvious?"

"Here?! What if someone sees us?"

"You can't send me home alone for the night without you..."

"Yes I can, you'll be late for Anna..."

"She won't mind..."

Monica laughed and was finding each second fighting against her and her ever-lowering will power to get John to leave.

"She will mind..."

"I'll be there... Just relax... Let your husband take care of everything..."

"Yes sir..."