Reyes had had the worst three weeks of her entire life. She hadn't been sleeping and she hadn't been honest with her parents about why she had suddenly appeared home and not made any plans as of yet to go back to DC.

Due to how badly things were going Reyes thought she was dreaming when she walked into her family home early one evening and found Doggett sitting drinking tea with her parents. She laughed before running into his arms and feeling so glad to be close to him again.

They went for a walk and walked around holding hands. Doggett was so glad that he had come, as was Reyes.

"I can't believe you're here. I thought I was seeing things."

"It's a long story."

"I can't tell you what it means to have someone to talk to. I haven't told my parents a thing about Mulder or why I'm here. I've been bottling so much inside, it's awful." Doggett stopped walking and Reyes stood still beside him. He leant in slowly and kissed her properly after their polite kiss for her parents benefit.

"I'm so sorry I didn't call you after the New Year."

"It's ok. I knew you were pissed that I'd just taken off like that. I just felt so confused, and everything always made so much sense here."

"And does it still?"

"No." They sat down in a small restaurant and ordered a drink before Reyes made any attempt to explain what she had been through over the past few weeks.

"When I first got here I spent a week doing nothing. I was hoping that if I ignored it all then it might go away. But then my parents started asking questions when I sat in all day every day, so I started going out, and I began to try and find my birth mother. I was able to track down her sister, Sophia Courtez, who told me that my mother's name was Maria, and she died two years ago. Maria only told her family about me when I disappeared because she wanted them to help her find me. She used to tell Sophia about a man she was seeing named Mulder, who was in town for business reasons.

About a week after telling her family that she was pregnant she then told them she had had a miscarriage and she disappeared for over four years. When Maria came back she told Sophia that my father broke her heart, when he found out she was pregnant he didn't want a part of it and that's why she ran away. Their two brothers died last year and Sophia thinks that she'll not be far behind them. She was so kind to me John. And I didn't know what to say or to do."

Reyes began to cry and Doggett moved around the table so that he was close enough to hold her. Reyes hadn't realised how much of a toll this had all taken on her until she had shared it with someone. As she had to re-think everything and re-play her several meetings with Sophia Courtez to get everything right.

Reyes and Doggett went for a walk along a small strip of beach that was near by and they enjoyed the cool night air that blew against them. Doggett didn't ask Reyes any questions or push for any more information from her. He was fine with letting her do this on her own time, but he could see how hard this was for her.

They sat down for a rest and Reyes took out a photograph from her pocket.

"That's her. Maria Courtez."

"Wow, you look just like her." Doggett cursed himself for being so blunt about the woman in photograph. His face said sorry and Reyes managed to smile bravely.

"The two men next to her are her brothers, Michael, and Marcus, and that's Sophia, that little girl is Sophia's daughter, she lives in L.A. with her husband and new baby, the two boys are Michael's children, they live in New York, both single, and those two are Marcus's children, they live with their mother in Texas. Maria never married or had any more children. Sophia says she never got over losing me."

"What did she call you?"

"Juliana, Juliana Courtez, Ana for short. I just... I can't get a handle on the fact that I've

spent over ten years thinking my birth parents gave me away because they didn't want me, and now it turns out that my mom loved me and lost me and could never get me back no matter how badly she wanted to, and I can't hate her anymore."

Reyes began to cry and Doggett took her into his arms again and they just sat like that on the beach until Reyes was ready to go home.

When Reyes woke up the next morning to coffee and toast in bed she was tempted to tell Doggett she could get used to it but in stead she snuck him into her bed as if she were a schoolgirl again, trying to not wake her parents. They ate their breakfast together and it felt so good to be close again. They got up and got dressed and when they got down the stairs Reyes' parents were already in the kitchen.

"Mr and Mrs Reyes, good morning."

"Morning John, I do hope you slept well on the couch?"

"Like a baby. Thank you so much for putting me up."

"It was a pleasure."

Reyes couldn't quite believe how much her mother had taken a liking to Doggett, she had been expecting to have to argue his qualities to her and force her to accept him in her life, but as it turned out, her parents thought he was good for her and were more than happy at the thought of their daughter finally settling down.

Reyes took Doggett out to show him some of her childhood haunts and places she loved to go.

"I cannot believe you with my parents."

"What?"

"You were totally sucking up to them 'oh let me do that for you Mrs Reyes', 'can I get you anything else Mr Reyes', 'oh I just love what you've done with the garden'." Reyes laughed to herself and Doggett playfully tickled her as she teased him.

"Well I could have been myself and made them hate me."

"Not possible. Completely impossible actually." Reyes kissed him, and Doggett figured that now was as good a time as any to tell her where he really wanted to go.

"Hey Mon, do you think I could meet her?"

"Who?"

"Sophia."

Reyes looked at Doggett and he laid fifty, fifty odds on whether he thought she was going to cry and yell at him or calmly say yes. She did neither. She kissed him again and took his hand. She began to lead him away from the main hustle and bustle of town and took him to a quiet tiny collection of houses that he had noticed on his way into New Mexico.

They walked up a path towards a front door and Doggett suddenly wished he hadn't opened his mouth. Reyes knocked on the door and turned to Doggett.

"She doesn't know my family name because I don't want her to bump into my parents and figure out who they are, I had no idea that I would find someone living this close by."

"Close by? Mon, we must have walked about five miles." She smiled at him and turned back to the door as it opened. A woman of about sixty smiled at Reyes and then looked at Doggett.

"Sophia, this is my boyfriend, John. He came to take me home but wanted to meet you before we left."

"It's a pleasure to meet you John. I'm so glad you came back Monica. There's something I want you to have."

They all went inside the house and Reyes sat down with Doggett holding his hand firmly in her own. She was clearly still nervous about being in this house and being around this new group of memories. Sophia produced a small box from her cupboard and gave to Reyes.

"It's beautiful."

"It's engraved too. I found it when your mother died and I cleared out her room, she lived with me her whole life. It's from your father, read the back." Reyes turned the jewellery box over in her hands and read the inscription on the back: 'To my darling Maria, for the time we nevergot to share, and for the short time we did, I'll never forget you, B. M.'

Reyes knew what those initials stood for. Bill Mulder. She wiped a tear away from her cheek and smiled at Sophia.

"Thank you."

"No dear thank you. You remind me so much of Maria and you were the only thing in her life that she ever valued. I'm so glad I finally got to meet you." Reyes smiled again and replaced her hand in Doggett's. It was time to go home.