Title: Battling Secrets.

Author: Pinkholyone

Rated: PG13

Disclaimer: NONE of the characters or the x files belongs to me. They belong
to CC and Fox.

Author notes: A BIG thanks to Billie for her help!

Summary: Monica has lived with a horrible secret. It's forced to come out and John helps her deal with the after math. WARNING: References to Rape

"John can you give me a hand with this last box?" Monica Reyes shouted over the pile of boxes that were piled in her arms marked 'bedroom'.

"Ye' sure has the van gone now then?" John Doggett answered as he came from the kitchen to take some boxes of Monica. After putting the boxes in the bedroom he then got the last one by the doorstep.

"Sure has, so lets get unpacking'" Monica set the boxes down in the bedroom and waited for him to come over and help.

"Ok Hun." John walked over and put his arms around her. He breathed her sent in and then started kissing her neck.

"We're not going to get any work done this way" she said pushing him off with a grin, just then the phone rang.

"I'll get it" John kissed her before reaching over and answering the phone.

"Hello?" John said into the phone and listened to the person on the other end. "Ok, here she is." He held out the phone to her and mouthed, 'it's for you'.

"Hello." She answered after taking the phone from John.

"Monica it's me, Brad… look I don't have much time to talk but I'm telling you this now. I know that you and John are together and I don't like it and this is for your own safety… if you stay with him then some documents will land on his desk Monday morning telling him about that little secret of yours that I know you don't want popping up, if you leave him then it will stay our secret. I'm doing this for your own good Mon, remember that and please don't hate me… I love you. Goodbye" with that he hung up leaving Monica staring into space in shock with a tear running down her cheek. She had her back to John so he couldn't see what was going on and was too busy unpacking to notice what she was doing.

Monica wiped the tear from her face and walked over to John, pulling him into a passionate kiss.

"I have to go out ok? I love you" she gave him another quick kiss and dashed out to the door grabbing her coat on the way.

Monica took her keys out of the pocket of her coat and unlocked the car. She sat there for a moment before turning on the engine and pulling away from the curb.

After an hour of driving around, crying, and hitting the steering wheel in anger, Monica found her self at Dana's. She softly knocked at the door not wanting to attract any attention from other neighbours. The door opened and Dana immediately pulled Monica in seeing the state she was in.

"Monica, what on earth is wrong…did you and John have a fight?" Dana questioned leading Monica to the couch by her hand. They both sat down and faced each other.

"I…I…"Monica took a deep breath and continued." need to tell you something Dana and I need you to promise not to tell a soul" Dana nodded "W…when I was fourteen I had a really big crush on Brads older brother James and there was a big party going on and I knew he would be there so I snuck in and met up with him, but he wasn't who I thought he was." She paused a moment. "He took advantage of me Dana, he raped me and I haven't told a soul! But he didn't just rape me, he got me pregnant and I had to tell everyone it was Brad's because that's whom I was with at that time. But Brad knew it wasn't his. He just thought I was having it out with someone else but he was too in love with me to say anything…" Monica took a minute to compose herself and dried her eyes with the tissues Dana had placed between them because they both where crying.

"I had a little girl… I named her Paige, I had to give her up, but at least it was to family. My older sister, Elizabeth had just gotten married and already had a baby so I gave Paige to Libby. I mean I could never be her mother so at least being her aunt was something. I got to see her whenever I wanted. About a year later Brad and James moved away so things got easier for me. I didn't have to be scared any more, they were gone but the pain didn't go away. Things got worse the first time I heard Paige call Libby 'mommy' that's why I don't go back very often, she looks just like me, I'm sure that if I visited regularly she would start to realise something wasn't right. I thought I had gotten over things and had even thought of telling John but today." She shook her head as she remembered the call. "I got a phone call from Brad telling me that if I didn't leave John, then he would send all the documents about it what happened to me to John. So I'm leaving for a while Dana, just until things calm down, please don't tell John. Just tell him I love him and I just need to spend some time with my family, I will be in Mexico"

Dana sat there in shock for a minute or two before pulling Monica into a fierce hug and telling her everything would be ok and she'd look after John. With that Monica got up and left, heading for the nearest airport. She hadn't been back to Mexico to see her sister in five years; sure they had talked on the phone, but haven't seen each other. So now she was going to hop on a plane and visit her and see her little girl again. But for the life of her she didn't know why she was doing this, maybe it was time Paige found out the truth before it got thrown at her.

ONE WEEK LATER

John was a wreck, he had no idea what had happened to Monica and when he had spoken to Dana, all she had said was that Monica went to see family. But why would she just leave without telling him?

John sat on his bed in his boxers, leaning his arms on his thighs. 'This is it, I'm going to go see what's wrong with her!' he thought before jumping up and stuffing clothes into a duffle bag.

The flight had seemed to drag on forever and it didn't help that John had a little girl next to him who kept asking questions.

"Are you going to see your girlfriend Mr?" the blonde hair, blue eyed girl asked as she moved in her seat to face him.

"Err yes, yes I am" John answered keeping eye contact with her.

An hour later John arrived at Monica's sisters house after getting directions from her mother. He stood outside for a minute staring in on the sight before him. There, watering the plants in a flowing white summer dress was Monica, standing next to her was a smaller woman who looked to be about six years older than Monica and John presumed it was Libby, he was right. Libby poked Monica in the ribs and nodded her head in John's direction before entering the house. Monica stood in shock for a minute before running over to John and crushing him with a kiss.

"I've missed you so much. We have a lot to talk about, why don't you come inside?" Monica said and took his hand leading him into the large white house out of the streaming sunlight.

Monica took John into the living room and sat with him on one of the three couches. They sat there for a few minutes, just staring into each other's eyes before Monica started to speak.

"I'm so sorry for the way I left, but there were." She paused as she took his hand." Things I needed to do. I have something to tell you John and I hope that it won't change things between us because I love you with all my heart." John opened his mouth to speak but Monica silenced him with a finger to his lips. "When I was fourteen, I was raped, and I got pregnant. I had the baby at fifteen and gave it to Libby. John, Paige is my daughter, not my niece."

"Why didn't you tell me?" John said suddenly becoming angry.

"B…Because I didn't know how you would take it!" Monica was growing angry now at how he reacted.

"After all we have been through together? After Luke, You should have told me Monica. I could have helped you!" John stood up, now towering over her.

"How could you have helped me? Its over now, done. Its in the past you couldn't change it!" she too stood and began to walk away. "I need some time to think," she said over her shoulder.

John reached out, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face him. "You're not running away again" he shouted.

"Oh, so you thought I was running away? I did it so that you wouldn't find out by reading a piece of paper that Brad would have left for you. I wanted you to hear it from me!" Monica had tears running down her face and John softens seeing how upset she was, taking her into a passionate embrace.

"I'm sorry Mon, I didn't mean to snap it's just a shock, I hate the thought of someone hurting you. Where is Paige now?" John brushed the tears from her cheek using his thumb.

"She's at camp, she'll be back tomorrow though. What do I say to her? I came here to tell her everything…it's not that Libby minds at all, she knew it would come one day but what do I say to her?" Monica started to pace.

"Everything will be fine, I promise" John came up behind her and gently rubbed her back her back.

TWO DAYS LATER

Paige had been home for almost two days now and Monica still hadn't told her that she was her mother, but they had been getting along great, but that was all about to end. Paige was now seventeen and was at the age where she would argue with anyone about anything, accept Monica that is. Tonight she and Libby were arguing over what time she would be coming home.

"But I want to stay out until twelve!" Paige shouted from the front doorway, standing there with her hands on her hip and eyebrows raised.

"Well that's tuff, you will be in at eleven!" Libby shouted back, they had been doing this for about twenty minutes now.

"Well its tuff you will be in at eleven!" Libby shouted back, they had been doing this for twenty minutes now.

"Why don't you just come in at eleven thirty?" Monica suggested coming to stand next to Libby.

"Because I don't want to, I want to stay out until twelve!" Paige spat.

"Don't talk to your Aunt like that!" Libby said taking a step closer to Paige.

"Why, she's not my mother!" Paige screamed.

"Yes I am!" Monica's mouth had get the better of her, everyone stood there in shock.

"W…what?" Paige asked as she was trembling.

Monica took a step forward, but Paige turned and ran out the door.

Monica and Libby tuned and looked at each other with a mixture of shock and guilt.

"I'll go look for her, I think its best if you have some time to cool off" John said touching Monica's arm lightly.

John found Paige on the swing in the back yard; it was a place she had loved since she was young. It was easier for her get away there and think to herself. John took a seat on the other swing next to her.

"Monica's a good person you know, she loves you very much" John turned to Paige as he spoke and could see the tears on her cheeks.

"How could she do this, after seventeen years she had to come out with it now? I mean I guess there was always the idea of her being my Mom, because we look so much alike and we get a long so well, but I thought it was just nothing!" Paige was sobbing and John pulled her into a fierce hug, his heart going out for the girl.

Monica started to get worried, John had been gone for almost an hour now, and she could hear faint voices in the back yard and went out to see what it was. When she opened the door she saw John with his arm around Paige talking to her. She couldn't make out what he was saying. Monica decided to make her way over to them slowly, because she was shaking. She stood in front of the pair on the swing locking eyes with Paige.

"I'm going inside for awhile, give you two some time to talk" John got up and gave Monica a quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing inside.

Monica sat down on the swing John had just gotten out of. They sat there for a few minutes before Paige finally spoke.

"So what's going to happen now? I mean do I stay here or move in with you, only if you want me to of course" she turned to face Monica, studying her face.

"It's up to you sweetheart, I'm not going to force you into anything you don't want to do." Monica placed her hand on top of Paige's as she spoke.

"I think I'd like to move in with you…it would be nice, I mean you always were the person in the family I felt closest to." Paige's tears had stopped now and she felt much better, it was no secret that her and Libby didn't always get along well.

"Ok, well John and I are going back tomorrow and you could come with us then if you'd like? Or you could stay here longer its up to you" Monica got out of the swing and held her hand out to help Paige up, once they were both up they strolled back towards the house.

"I think I'd like to go with you as soon as I can. I love you, you know." Monica was shocked at what Paige had just said and threw her arms around her, both bursting out crying.

"I guess you'd better pack then." Monica wiped Paige's tears with her thumb and kissed her forehead.

To Be Continued.