Three Days Later

John Doggett walked into his office with Monica Reyes walking close behind, he took a seat at his desk as Reyes remained standing. They'd just come from Matthew Vicar's funeral, it was only a simple ceremony. Vicar didn't really have many friends as most of his fellow "elementalists" resided in New York. All throughout, Monica had remained extremely silent and it worried him. Ever since that night three days ago, she had talked to him about her time in captivity. Nothing.

"Monica?" Doggett asked quietly. "Are you alright?" Reyes looked over to him, holding a place in a file she was reading and nodded slowly. "Just thinking John, that's all." Doggett sat back in his chair as she studied her face, he really wanted her to open up to him. Know that she could trust him with whatever it was she was trying so hard to conceal.

Dana Scully was yet again at Margaret Halliwell's door. And yet again, the woman had her grandson, Matthew, in her arms. Scully smiled at the two of them and flashed her ID. "You might not..."

"Agent Scully," Margaret said with a small smile. "I remember you. Please come in." Scully put her ID back in her pocket and passed the woman going into the familiar living room and turning back to her. "Have a seat." Scully said down, playing with the bag in her hands. Margaret sat herself down looking to her. "Why are you here? The case is closed. You found Lisa's murderer."

"Yes," Scully answered.

"I'm grateful for all the work the FBI did."

"I'm sure you are," Scully said feigning a small smile for the woman in front of her, still playing with the bag. "I just wanted to return Lisa's possessions to you.

They're no longer needed for evidence and I thought you might appreciate them being returned." Margaret reached forward to take the bag from Scully's outstretched hand. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Could you...?" Scully understood and took Matthew from her, placing him down on her knee and smiling then looked back to Margaret as she opened the bag and searched through the contents.

"You have no idea what this means to me," Margaret said as she pulled out a bracelet with "Lisa" engraved on it and held it to her chest. "I guess it helps to provide much needed closure."

Scully smiled to the woman and gave a small nod then returned her gaze to Matthew who was giggling happily away as she bounced him on her knee. It was right what Margaret Halliwell was saying about closure and she, Dana Scully, decided it was time to do exactly the same thing. She looked back up to Margaret, "He's beautiful."

Doggett signed the file and slammed the pen down, "God that feels good." Reyes glanced over to him, "Finally finished your case notes?" Doggett got up and stretched, walking over to her and nodded. "Yep, you?" Reyes looked up to him as he walked round the desk to her. "Handed it into Skinner two days ago. Thought it best to get it out the way."

"It's understandable," Doggett said sitting on the desk and folding his arms. "Are you sure you're alright?" He couldn't take it any longer, he had to get this out in the open. If not for Monica's sanity, but for his own. "You haven't talked about it."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"The guy kidnapped you!"

"He protected me," Reyes snapped back standing up then softened her gaze, slumping back down into her seat. "That's why he did it, to protect me and he died to save me John." Reyes looked up to him with a pained expression, "If he hadn't..." She shook her head and lowered her eyes, not wanting to go on.

John decided against saying anything more for the timebeing, instead he held out a hand. Offering it to her. Monica looked at the hand then up to him, tears were in her eyes but she did not cry and took John's hand. He pulled her up to him, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. He had wanted her to know that he would always be there, that he would protect her and that he could be someone she could confide in.

In that one single moment, he told her all she needed to know about him without words.

THE END