Mulder got home just before ten, Scully wasn't home, he knew she was going to be out for the night because she had gone to visit her brother, Bill Jnr, who absolutely hated Mulder with every fibre of his being. He had decided to tell Scully tonight, to tell her that he was almost certain Monica Reyes was in fact Samantha Mulder.
When Scully got home it was late and she was tired, so when Mulder asked her to sit down because there was something he needed to talk to her about she wasn't in the mood for a lengthy conversation but he assured her all she had to do was listen.
"Mulder, I'm tired, I have to get up and finish buying Christmas gifts in the morning, why can't this wait?"
"Just sit down and listen, please."
Scully sat down and yawned as Mulder began his big speech.
"Ok, you know that Monica Reyes was adopted when she was four years old?"
"I knew she was adopted, I'd never asked at what age."
"Well, she was supposedly four, and she turned up in a hospital in New Mexico with no I.D. or knowledge of who she was or where she had come from on December 10th 1973, when she was given a medical exam small scars were found on her wrists and knees, but it was put down to abuse, and she was adopted before anybody could make any kind of guess as to where she had come from or what had happened to her."
"Mulder, aside from making me feel as if you've been prying into Agent Reyes' personal life, is there some other point to what you're saying?"
"You don't see it do you? Reyes turned up in hospital exactly two weeks after my sister had been taken from our house, three days before Reyes was in New Mexico a girl of her description turned up walking down the street in her nightgown in my home town, but she disappeared before anybody could try and find out who she was. Don't you see? Monica is Samantha. She's my sister."
Scully sat back in her chair and rubbed her head as if the last two minutes had thrown a migraine on her and she was struggling to take in everything that Mulder had said.
"Mulder, tell me this is a joke, that you haven't been doing research on Monica's private life?"
"I had to! I asked her about adoption to get things in motion to get William back and from what she told me I was able to piece things together and I made some calls, and don't you see, it all fits!"
"Mulder all I see is a man that told me he believed that his sister was dead, you haven't pieced together anything factual, you've made a pretty picture with things that that you wish would fit together. Monica Reyes was born in New Mexico, I know that much for sure!"
"How?"
"Because I did a background check on her when she and I first met, and then a did even more checking up on her when she was assigned to the x-files. Plus, she was four years old Mulder, Samantha was eight."
"I know, but there was no I.D., they could have been wrong, they could have guessed that she was four."
"Mulder! Will you listen to what it is your saying! There is no way that Monica Reyes is your sister! Nobody would confuse an eight year old as a four year old!"
"But she had been abducted, they could have done anything to change her appearance."
"Oh I see, so now the aliens have found a way to make us look younger than we really are? Well when I hit my forties and fifties, remind to put a call out so they can fix me up!"
"You're not taking me seriously at all are you?"
"No! And I can't believe you're expecting me to! Jesus Mulder, why are you even doing this? Isn't fighting for William a big enough battle without this BS."
"It's not BS."
"Well I'm sorry but I disagree. And if you even think about talking to Monica about this you can forget all about William and I."
"You'd never win him back without me."
"Don't try me Mulder. Let this go, or let William go. I mean it."
"How can you even make me choose?"
"I just did."
Scully stood up and went into the bedroom. She didn't close the door, which Mulder knew meant that he was welcome to join her, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to. He
wanted Scully to support him not make him choose between either getting his sister or his son back. He'd just have to prove it to them all, it was his only option, but he was in this alone.
As Scully walked through the busy department stores she was angry that she couldn't concentrate on what she needed to buy. It was December 22nd and there was so much she had to do in preparation for Christmas that Mulder's news couldn't have come at a worse time. She couldn't believe he would be so stupid, this was a little far fetched even for him, the master of paranoia and extreme possibilities, well this was too extreme. Monica barely looked her age as it was, if Mulder was right she'd be almost forty, it wasn't possible. Scully wanted to call Reyes and check that Mulder hadn't been in contact about this whole situation, she had been hoping to make things up with Doggett and Reyes not push them further away with revelations from Mulder.
Scully was in such a world of her own that she didn't even notice that Doggett was
standing beside her, but he was so preoccupied by the two necklaces in his hands that he didn't see her either. It was only when they turned to each other to walk in the opposite directions that they saw each other.
"Dana, hi!"
"John, how are you?"
Doggett gave Scully a hug, which she hadn't been expecting, but it made her smile.
"I'm great, although the quicker I get out of this store the better."
"I know the feeling, you're not working today?"
"Monica's covering for me, I told her I had to by my ma' a gift, but really I wanted to come and get Mon a necklace I saw her looking at last week, but I can't remember which one it was, what do you think?"
Scully smiled at Doggett's enthusiasm, she had known him to be so serious and professional all the time, it was a refreshing change to see him so loose and happy with himself.
"I was really pleased to hear that you and Monica were seeing each other."
Doggett looked at Scully and smiled. Once upon a time he had harboured a crush on Scully, but it was ancient history, Reyes had made that clear to him.
"Thanks, I can't believe it took me so long to take my head out of my ass and see that she was the one for me."
"It's great news, it really is."
"It isn't great news that we've got both our sets of parents coming to stay at my place for New Years."
"Full house."
"Yeah. How about you, how's things?"
"Oh you know."
"Mulder mentioned you were fighting for William, I think its terrific Dana, Monica and I were so pleased."
"Thanks."
Doggett could see in Scully's eyes that she knew about Mulder prying into Monica's personal life, but he didn't know whether to mention it or not. He didn't have to, he was happy to pretend that it hadn't happened, he valued Scully's friendship; it was just bad luck that he didn't value the man she was living with.
"Well, I should hurry and choose one of these things or Monica'll kill me for bein' late."
"Sure, it was good to see you."
"Yeah, you too."
Scully turned to walk away but couldn't fight the urge she had to tell Doggett about Mulder's wild theories. Maybe if he knew he could make sure that Mulder stayed away from Reyes.
"John, there's something I should talk to you about."
"What is it?"
"It's Mulder, he's been looking into Monica's adoption..."
"Yeah, we know. He has some crazy notion that he can reunite her with her birth parents, but all due respect Dana, it's none of his God damn business."
"I know, and it's more than that. He thinks... Well, he's getting ideas that... That Monica might be his sister."
"Excuse me?"
"He thinks that the circumstances around Monica's adoption are similar to his sister's disappearance, he isn't going to let this go John, just make sure that he doesn't upset Monica ok?"
"What the hell does he think he's doing?!"
"I know, and I'm sorry, but I thought you should know."
"I can't believe the son of a bitch is still looking into this!"
"I'm trying to get him to stop, but I don't know if it'll work."
"Yeah, well I'm sure I can think of one or two things that'll make him drop it!"
Scully didn't like the sound of any violence, but she knew that Mulder was out of line and found it hard to not sympathise with Doggett and Reyes. Just when things had been looking up for Mulder and Scully, he had to go and do something to make life difficult for them again. She was almost convinced he thrived on the trauma of problems and threats.
"I should go, take care John."
Scully turned away again, but Doggett grabbed her arm.
"Dana, you sure you're ok?"
"Me? I'm fine, I always am." Doggett smiled and let her arm go and she smiled back.
"Take care Dana."
"You too, say hi to Monica for me. Oh and John, I'd go with that necklace."
Doggett laughed and Scully did the same. As she walked away she felt herself getting angry with Mulder again. Had he not got these ridiculous ideas in his head then her accidental meeting with Doggett could have been light-hearted and friendly, not hostile and angry as they discussed Mulder's incompetence at minding his own business.