When Mulder walked into the x-files office he felt as if he were trespassing. Ghosts flew at him from every wall, every memory of working down here with Scully all those years was flashing through his mind and it made him feel dizzy. He sat down at the desk he knew Doggett now worked at. It didn't feel bad, but it wasn't right either. And it was highly inconvenient when Doggett walked into the room to find his old rival sitting at his desk.
"Mulder? What are you doin here? Is it Monica?"
"No, she's fine, there's been a small event and umm, it seems I'm working here again." As he finished speaking Mulder watched Doggett's face turn white and then red with anger but before he could comment Reyes walked in with a box that she dumped on her desk before even acknowledging the tension between the two men. She was almost glad that there was something here to stop Doggett pressuring her into moving in with him again.
"John, Mulder's working on the x-files again."
"Yeah so I heard. Agent Mulder was just bringing me up to speed." The way Doggett said 'Agent' sent a shiver down Mulder's spine, he very rarely let someone's opinion of him make him uncomfortable, but he wanted Doggett to understand that he was here to protect his family, not to step on his toes and take over the office.
"Agent Doggett, maybe we should have a talk. Monica, could you give us a minute?" Monica was confused and half thought Mulder was joking, but she gladly walked out of the office closing the door behind her to leave them to battle it out. The last time the two men had been left alone they had come to blows, but she hoped it wouldn't get to that this time.
Mulder talked with Doggett for a long time, he explained to him everything about Mexico and all the things that Monica was holding back from him. They actually got on well together and both were relieved to be thinking along the same lines. It was clear they were both on the same page and Reyes was surprised to walk back into the office with three coffees to find the two men laughing and joking.
"Did I step into an alternate reality?"
"No, Agent Doggett and I talked, we came to an understanding."
"I actually think it'll be good to have him down here." Reyes looked at Doggett and frowned slightly.
"You do?"
"Yeah. He wants the same thing I do, to protect you and William."
"I know that but..."
"Besides, it'll be good to have someone here who actually tells me what's going on instead of avoiding me and making up crap to keep me quiet and out of the way." That hurt. Reyes knew it was a personal attack on her and it made her want to run into his arms and apologise for making him feel so bitter towards her. But she didn't. Instead she just walked to her desk as if it had never happened and took out an old newspaper from the box she had bought with her. Mulder watched her and looked at Doggett. He felt sorry for the guy and he recognised right away a family trait. The Mulder's sure liked to make out they could fight every battle all by themselves.
Scully couldn't believe it. She was in complete shock and had no idea what to say or what to do. How could this have happened? And why now? Of all times, why now? She looked again, making sure she'd understood it properly. It was definitely true, no doubt about it. This couldn't have happened at a worse time, and she never thought she'd find herself thinking that about something like this. Not after everything she went through to get William, to have her family together. But this was all wrong.
She walked out of her bedroom and into the living room where William was watching cartoons. She adored her son, he was her whole world. He saw her watching him and ran over to her, his favourite train grasped tightly in his hands. She was almost beginning to wonder if Mulder had a point in commenting on how much William seemed to love trains, but for a three year old boy she supposed they were quite fun. William hugged her as she lifted him into the air. It was almost lunchtime and she was expecting Mulder back any minute.
His note had startled her, but then she relaxed understanding that this was Mulder, a conspicuous note from him was not usually something to worry about, every other sentence he said was conspicuous. So instead she sat down with William and his toys and tried to understand his fascination with the train set that John and Monica had bought him for his birthday. It was weird to think of them living apart and being so alone when just a couple of weeks ago they had been the happiest couple in the world and were having such a great time together. She hoped that they would sort this whole mess out soon, she knew what it was like to be in love and keep your feelings hidden and to feel so trapped into a lie that you want to shout from the rooftops how you really feel.
William was her proof that all her years of keeping quiet appeared to be worthwhile now that Mulder and she had proven their love for one another. And now on top of everything that was going on she would have to tell him about this. How would she? What would she say, what words should she use? In the end she supposed that it didn't matter. Whichever way she cut it, she was still pregnant.
