Chapter 3...
Monica felt the sun beaming down on her face and smiled. Everything was going to be perfect, well, at least in her own little world. Forgetting the fact that she had no idea what she would do once they actually got to Canada, she just felt overjoyed to feel John's fingers interwoven with hers. Life was going to be ideal, she could just feel it.
John wasn't exactly sharing in Monica's bliss. Every time he saw a cop car, he paled and started sweating vigorously. He was at the wheel, and somehow felt that every mile was another minute that passed between their old lives and their new life together. As nice as that sounded, he was concerned about being caught – to him it just seemed like they were getting away too easily, as if they were walking into a trap. If there was one thing he had learned on the X-Files, it was to be wary of who you trust.
As border crossing neared, John became even more nervous. Monica was sleeping, and he didn't want to wake her – she looked so peaceful and content. For a second he allowed himself to be happy. But then he got back to thinking, letting fear eat him alive. That's so unlike you, John, he mused.
Six hours later they pulled up to the checkpoint, praying that the sight of an American passport would be enough to wave them through without any problems. Hoping that not every border checkpoint could have been alerted about two FBI agents. They were in luck, and got through smoothly, which only made John worry more.
"Mon, don't you feel like this is all going too easily, like we're being to naïve?" he questioned.
"No honey, I actually have a good feeling about this one."
If there was one other thing John had learned on the X-Files, it was to trust Monica's little feelings. And indeed, they proved to be reliable once again. Upon arriving in Vancouver, the pair settled into a small apartment, Monica got a job teaching kickboxing classes at the local gym, and John, who was having more trouble finding work, stayed home during the day and searched for one. It was not as glorious as their former life, perhaps, but they were together. Monica looked at her ring finger almost constantly, where John had slipped a toy ring as a placeholder until they had enough money saved up to buy a real one. Everything was going well.
All that changed one night. Monica arrived home with exciting news – she was pregnant. Her emotions were crazy – she was both overjoyed to be starting a family with the man she loved, and scared about how they were going to afford it. But she was comforted because she knew John would always think of something. However, the instant she started climbing the stairs, she could tell something was wrong. She opened the door to a deserted apartment, belongings strewn everywhere. Where most people would have suspected robbery, Monica knew at once what happened. She drew her gun that she still carried with her and began to roam the apartment. Tears streamed from her eyes as the full impact of the situation hit her like a soccer ball to the stomach. They had taken everything. More importantly, they had taken the one person who mattered to her. Five minutes later, carrying the cash that remained and the two photos she had of John, Monica left the apartment for the last time, fingering her plastic ring.
