Doggett had been disappointed when Reyes said she couldn't make it round because Scully needed to see her. At first he had offered to go along, but Reyes had told him she could sense it was a woman's company that Scully needed, without offending him. He had spent the entire evening watching action movies on cable with Oliver. He had managed to stay awake until around 2am, but finally fell asleep on the sofa and stayed there until he woke up at around seven. He looked around him and took a few minutes to adjust his eyes before he smiled.

"What are you doing here?"

"I missed you. And after seeing a woman with major man troubles, I wanted to make sure that mine was ok."

"Your what?"

"My man."

Reyes smiled and sat down on the sofa beside Doggett who put his arm around her and pulled his blanket over them both.

"How was she?"

"Not good. But I think I know how I can help."

"How?"

"I'm going to have a DNA test to prove Mulder wrong so he can try and win Scully back."

"Are you sure that this is a good idea?"

"The way I see it is that Mulder is ruining his life by clinging to his past, Scully told me that he believed his sister was dead for three years until he got these crazy thoughts about me, so I know that I can put a stop to this."

"I just don't want this to become a big deal."

"It is a big deal. Scully threw Mulder out last night."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, if they stand a chance of getting William back it's only as a couple."

"Wait a minute, that's why you're doing this isn't it? So that they'll make up and get William back?"

"Would it be so terrible if that was my motive?"

"I guess not, but why?"

"Because when I think of all the crap that I'm getting from Mulder I think about that boy and what he might have to go through if he decides he wants to find his real parents one day. If I can help to get him home now and prevent any of this from happening to him then I'll do whatever it takes."

Doggett stroked a piece of hair behind Reyes ear and kissed her.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I lucked out."

Reyes smiled and closed her eyes feeling as if she could sleep until Christmas.

Scully went to work as normal. She wasn't going to let this get any more out of hand than it already had. She had persisted in double and triple checking with Reyes that she was ok with having a DNA test, it had been Reyes idea if that was all it was going to take to make Mulder forget about this sister thing then she would do it, Scully could have kissed her when she offered to do it.

They were going to wait until after the New Year because Reyes had more important things to do in the lead up to Christmas but if Mulder would just let this go they could concentrate on more important things. Like William. Scully felt so bad for having kicked him out, she had no idea where he could have spent the night and had half expected him to come home, or at least call her, but she heard nothing and was a little worried that something might have happened to him. But Mulder was a big boy now and he could take care of himself, she wasn't going to baby sit him anymore.

She called home at every chance she got to try and catch Mulder in the apartment, she left messages for him saying that she thought they needed to talk, but there was nothing from him all day. When her mother called her to check that she and Mulder were still going round for Christmas Day she said yes not even contemplating that she and Mulder would still not be talking by Christmas Day. If she hadn't heard from him by the time she got home she would have to go and look for him. It was cruel of him to avoid her if that's what he was doing, she deserved to know where he was, after all he had upset her in their argument just as much as she might have upset him.

Just as Scully was about to finish for the day she picked up her things and her phone

rang. She picked it up praying that it was Mulder but it wasn't.

"Ms Scully? Hi, it's Collin Winters here."

"Oh, hi, is there something wrong?"

"Not at all. I just thought that I'd call you and let you know that the Van De Kamps are going to fight you for custody, their lawyer contacted me today, and as the Christmas post is completely unreliable I thought I'd call you rather than risk sending it to you in writing."

"Thank you very much, umm, so what happens now?"

"Well, there'll be a preliminary court hearing, probably in mid to late January now, and from there a judge will decide whether the case goes forward and whether you and your partner have any claim over your son, as odd as that might sound."

"So for now we just sit and wait?"

"Afraid so. But don't worry, it's only just starting, so you've got a long road ahead of you."

"I understand. Thank you so much for calling."

"You're welcome. Merry Christmas Ms Scully."

Scully hung up the phone and sat back down in her chair. The Van De Kamps were fighting her to keep her son for themselves. It sounded so wrong in her head that she couldn't understand how it could possibly be legal. But right now, if she had no Mulder, then she had no son.