Doggett had been surprised to receive Scully's call. He had expected, and hoped, that it was Reyes calling him, but Scully explained that Reyes had gone with Mulder. No chance of a reconciliation now then. She was gone and he had to wait God only knows how long before he could try and make her understand what he was feeling for her. And now he was alarmed to have been told Gibson was in DC, for what purpose he only felt apprehension and anxiety about.
He knew it couldn't be good news, and it certainly wasn't good news that Mulder and Reyes were on a wild goose chase. Scully had told him she had been trying to call Mulder since Gibson arrived but his cell phone was switched off, she had insisted he would call when it was convenient but this hadn't put Doggett's mind at ease at all.
When he pulled up outside Scully's apartment he walked the familiar late night route to her door and knocked softly knowing that William would probably be sleeping. Scully opened the door and smiled with the expression he'd seen before to mean there was no immediate cause for panic.
"Thanks for coming John."
"Not at all, what's going on? Where's Gibson?"
"He's in the bathroom." Scully's mom walked out of William's room and smiled at Doggett before resting her hand gently on Scully's shoulder.
"He's sleeping Dana, shall I make some drinks?"
"No thanks mom, we just need to talk."
"Well then lets sit down."
"Mom..."
"I know, this is work related, you don't want me to get involved, well I'm sorry Dana, but you're my daughter and William is my Grandson, I am involved, so I suggest that you get used to having these little private chats about your work a little less privately."
"Jesus mom, how long have you been working on that one?"
"Don't make fun of me Dana."
"I'm sorry. Fine, lets sit down." The three adults moved to sit on the sofa just as Gibson appeared from the bathroom. He glanced around the room and took a minute before joining everybody.
"You know I gotta say it's not a great feeling to know that I provoke such fear in people whenever I show up."
"Gibson, that's not true."
"Yes it is. I know what you're all thinking. Remember." It wasn't a question it was a statement. Of course they all remembered he could read their minds. Not so much Mrs Scully but she knew by now not to make a bid deal out of anything that didn't make sense to her so long as it made sense to her daughter.
"In all honesty Gibson I'm glad you're here."
"Only because you think Mulder will come straight back now. But he's right to pursue Agent Reyes' past, she won't do it alone, he needs to make sure she follows it through."
"What the hell are you talking about? Monica knows what she's doing." All eyes turned to Doggett as he exclaimed his confidence in Reyes being able to handle herself through this, he knew that he didn't even believe it himself so it was pointless trying to convince everyone else. He didn't say anything else and avoided making eye contact with anyone. Scully turned her sympathetic gaze back to Gibson and prepared for all the questions she had.
"Gibson what's going on, what are you doing here?"
"I can't stay. I have to find somewhere new, somewhere they haven't thought of before, they don't like how much I know."
"Who doesn't? The super soldiers?"
"No. A new force, another race that has big plans for our planet. I know less than they think I do, but I do know that the remainder of the super soldiers are afraid of something, something that's never been here before, so they don't know how to deal with it. It's this new force that wants William and Agent Reyes out of the picture. They've no interest in Mulder because all of the other alien conspirators have had a decade to make use of him and have so far failed other than your own simple act of making a child with him. Turns out you did their job for them." Scully blushed, she didn't wish to discuss her private life with a teenage boy.
"Mulder is the only one that can protect them, but the new force haven't figured that out yet, the super soldiers know that Mulder can beat this force and will contact him with information, but not here in Mexico, they know where he is, that's why I had to leave, it couldn't look like he was there to see me, it had to be that he was there with Reyes."
"So let me get this straight. A new force wants Monica and William out of the picture, and Mulder's the only one that can beat this new force to protect them, and the super soldiers want this new force gone so they'll help Mulder? That makes no sense."
Doggett had seen fit to chime in again but the looks he was getting made it clear he should have stayed quiet. He just couldn't sit there and take this crap though.
"So what exactly are Monica and William a threat to now?"
"I can't answer that. All I know is that the answers are in Agent Reyes' past, in New Mexico. And you have to make sure that they find them, before it's too late."
Gibson slept quietly on Scully's sofa with blankets and cushions lying around here there and everywhere because Scully had wanted him to be comfortable. Doggett was more than ready to go home, mostly so that he could get himself on the first flight to Mexico, which is exactly why he was staying put. It wouldn't do any good at all for him to go rushing off to bring her back, it was selfish of him and there was more at stake here, he knew that, he just wasn't ready to accept it yet.
Scully still couldn't reach Mulder on his cell phone. She remained calm about it though and wasn't prepared to worry just yet. He hadn't been gone that long, it was too soon to jump to conclusions and expect the worst. But she was feeling forced into a state of concern by Doggett's constant frowning and solemn face. She couldn't ask him to leave, and she was grateful to have a man I the apartment, but she wished that he'd think about someone other than himself during this.
"Are you ok John?"
"Me? Yeah. I'm sorry; I know there's no point in my being here. Just not ready to go back to an empty house just yet."
"I didn't mean that, I meant you've been quiet and not really very..."
"Supportive?" Scully smiled slightly and felt embarrassed.
"Something like that, yeah."
"I'm sorry. It's not intentional I swear."
"Well maybe you should talk about what you're feeling, might help."
"I don't know, never been one to say what I feel, doesn't end well."
"Well it's no use bottling things up. You've got friends who care John. Monica'll be fine. I know that's what you're worried about." This time Doggett tried to smile, he didn't want to tell Scully that the last time he wore his heart on his sleeve he had had a very passionate evening in Reyes' bedroom, but he was crying inside for someone to listen to him and to take notice.
"I just want her back. When I got divorced I never thought I'd be lucky enough to love again, let alone have someone love me back. She means the world to me, and I don't think she realises it. I love her more than anything, what we have is so unique and special, I'm not going to let some other worldly force take her away from me, I've lost enough for one life time, Monica and I belong together."
"Wow. John, you've been on the x-files too long, you just said other worldly force."
"Yeah well, I'm not thinking straight."
"I think you are. Any fool can see how much you two love one another. You're a fool if you think you're going to lose her. I can see something in the two of you not all that different to what Mulder and I have, but you're lucky enough to not have played chase for more years than you can count."
"I don't know about that. I don't think there'll ever exist another relationship like yours. You guys have something so different, it goes deeper than any love or friendship, you could have been born on opposite sides of the world and I still think you'd have found each other and spent your lives together."
"John you're an old romantic, I'd never have guessed."
"Yeah well on that note I think I should go home and do something manly." Scully raised an eyebrow and Doggett smiled cheekily.
"Not that kind of manly activity."
"I wasn't speculating."
"I'm sure. Thanks for listening Dana. I'll come right round in the morning, I'll make sure Gibson gets away safely and hopefully you'll have heard from Mulder."
"Sure. Goodnight John."
"Night." Doggett left the apartment and went out to his car. He got in and rested his head on the steering wheel for a moment before starting the engine. It was almost midnight and he was tired, but he just couldn't face going home to his empty house. It echoed around him making a mockery of his loneliness. Even the dog was moping around feeling sorry for himself. It was a very unhappy place to be and he had no urge to rush back to it. He pulled out into the street and decided to go for a drive, hoping it would clear his head. As he drove around the back streets and quiet areas his cell ringing startled him. He answered it with a gruff tired voice and knew he'd start to make his way home now.
"John?"
"Monica? Is that you?"
"Yeah."
"We've been trying to reach you, Scully needs to talk to Mulder, shall I drive back to her apartment now so you can talk to her?"
"No Mulder's on his cell to her now. John I called to talk to you. I had to tell you something."
"Oh... Sure."
"John, I love you."
"What?"
"I love you. More than anything else in the world I love you. And I just needed you to know that."
"I love you too."
"Well I knew that, I don't tell you enough and I should. I gotta go, but I'll call you tomorrow."
"Ok."
"Bye." Doggett dealt with the message from Reyes and enjoyed the silence of his car before smiling and making his way home.
