Present Day, Doggett Residence...

"Mommy, I don't wanna see gran'ma and gran'pa Reyes..."

"Oh baby, you haven't seen them for so long, and they've got some great gifts for you from their vacation."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Have they bought daddy gifts too?" Monica swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled at Anna.

"I guess they will have." A car pulled up outside and Anna ran to the window.

"They're here mommy!"

Anna ran to the door and opened it before Monica had even stood up. She took a deep breath and tried to not cry before she'd even said anything to her parents as she heard them exclaiming how Anna had grown and that they had missed her. Monica walked outside and her parents kissed and hugged her before allowing her to help them carry their luggage inside so that the taxi could leave.

When they were all inside and Anna had settled happily on her grandma's lap to wriggle into the T-Shirt they had bought her, they made polite chat about their vacation before her father finally mentioned the 'J' word.

"Where's John? Didn't you tell him we were coming?"

Anna looked at her mother and ran over to her. Monica picked her up, but after a short comforting hug she sent her daughter to her room, not wanting her to hear her father's death described yet again. When Anna had gone Monica's parents knew that there was something seriously wrong.

"Oh Monica, you're getting a divorce aren't you?"

"What?"

"I knew it, has he met someone else? Was he cheating? I warned you about those New Yorkers!"

"Mom! Would you let me talk."

Monica's parents looked at her not used to her raising her voice or demanding their attention. Monica had been hoping this would be easier that it had been to tell everyone else, but she couldn't get any kind of sentence to form in her head.

"Monica, baby, what's wrong?"

Monica looked at her mother and was surprised as her dad came and sat beside her. He put his arm around her and she burst into tears. It was only then that she knew why she couldn't speak. It was because she didn't have to. Her dad knew what was wrong.

And as her mom watched her cry, she knew it too.

"Oh Monica, oh no. Please no..."

Monica looked at her mom through teary eyes and was joined by her on the sofa, then having a parent on either side of her.

"Oh my sweet angel, what happened?"

"He was shot... He saved my life, and the lives of five children..."

"Oh Monica. My poor baby."

Her mother at some point had given Monica every nickname possible throughout her life. And now in this time of tragedy there was no exception to her mother's pet names for her. It was a reassuring safety that Monica could hold onto and feel safe with. Her father pulled her into an embrace as her mother stroked her hair. And the three of them sat and cried as Anna sat listening from the foot of the stairs holding onto her doll, and the T-Shirt her grandparents had just given her.

July 1st, Doggett Residence...

Monica stood outside the spare room for almost fifteen minutes before finally knocking softly and walking inside. John was sitting on the edge of the bed and she walked in to sit behind him. They had their backs to each other, but sometimes that was the best way to settle a confrontation.

"John..."

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I don't know why I lost it like I did."

"I really am sorry. I should have called."

"It's ok. I think... I think I was just worried. After you were so paranoid about something happening to Anna or I, that you wouldn't be here for us, I guess I got scared too. About what would happen if I wasn't here."

"Why, you got someplace else you'd rather be?"

She felt John move and knew he'd laughed a little at recalling his own reassurances to Monica in the restaurant that weekend.

"No. I don't. But sometimes I ask myself why I was lucky enough to have you fall in love with me."

"You weren't lucky John. Love doesn't involve luck. It was meant to be this way."

"I'm sorry I made it sound like a bad thing that you got involved in your work during home hours. Truth is, it's one of the reasons I love you so much. Your ability to be a human being as well as an FBI agent."

"I'm sorry I said you were a robot."

They both managed a small laugh and then laughed again as the bed bounced beneath them.

"So what do you say we go back into our room and forget that this ever happened?"

"You're a smart woman Mrs Doggett."

Monica smiled and turned around to see John already looking at her. They both turned around completely and moved closer to kiss and then lay down on the bed holding each other. After a few minutes Monica was laughing as John began to squirm around.

"Jesus Mon, this bed is so uncomfortable."

Monica sat up and took his hand to lead him out of the room into their own bedroom.

"Well let's see if we can't make ourselves a little more comfortable in here."

The next morning everything ran like clockwork. Anna was dropped off with Mulder, where William was delighted to have a play mate back that wouldn't just shove all of his toys in their mouth like his brother loved so much to do. And John and Monica were in the office in record time. As they walked inside the phone was ringing and Monica answered it whilst John made some coffee.

"Agent Reyes, it's Detective Alan. We found Mia Dukes."

"Have you questioned her again?"

"No. There's been a small development."

"What is it."

"The reason we couldn't find her yesterday, she was at her mother's hospital. Her mother died in the early hours of the morning. Maybe you should get back out here."

"We'll be right there."