AN: Thanks for the review, I don't know if I should keep going so more would be great. Anyway, on to the story, I hope it's not too obvious/predictable...
Chapter 2
As they entered the FBI headquarters, Monica recognized the building from her years at Quantico. They seemed so far away now. Inside, it really was a vast place. The tile floors were spotless, the walls bare. The halls seemed to ring with the click of high heels. But today Monica was wearing her old sneakers. She felt so out of place, but didn't see anyone who looked like they cared. For all most of them knew, she could be a terrified witness taking in the enormous hall with wide eyes, and she wanted to keep it that way.
She did see a few people she knew from earlier years, and tried to flash smiles at them as they whizzed by. Some of them smiled back and others didn't, but it was clear they all remembered her. She was hard to forget.
John pressed the B button as they stepped into the crowded elevator while Monica lifted Jane into her arms to conserve space. As the elevator slowly worked its way down, she thought she heard a slight groan coming from behind her; just one sign of something she really already knew: the X-Files were widely despised as well as the people who worked on it. And now she was becoming one of the basement "freaks." But it's not like she wasn't used to it. Working for a year on the Satanic Ritual section of the Terrorism Task Force wasn't exactly the most popular job either.
The doors opened to reveal a small, organized hallway filled with boxes of files, stacks of photos, and other papers. An open door appeared shortly on her left and she stepped inside after John.
The office was just how she had pictured it. The fluorescent bulbs showed three desks against opposite walls, one with stacks of orderly papers that was framed by a cold metal file cabinet on each side, while the other seemed to shrink before a looming poster behind it that read, 'I WANT TO BELIEVE,' and was accompanied by a blurry photo of what could be taken as a UFO. The ceiling was covered in pencils that looked as if they were about to fall out, but still remained stuck in the soft foam boards. The nameplate sitting on that desk showed that the smiling redhead sitting behind it was indeed the infamous Dana Scully.
"You must be Monica," she grinned. "I'm Dana Scully."
As she got up Monica noticed her once petite frame was now bloated by the affects of her pregnancy. Her shoulder-length ginger hair glistened as she shook Monica's hand. Her face was still cheerful-looking, despite how worn it really was. Her light blue eyes twinkled with excitement, but deep down Monica could see that even though she was authentically happy to see her, Dana was also deep in sorrow.
"Hi Dana," Monica said enthusiastically as she shook her hand.
The women stood there sort of evaluating each other until Dana broke the silence.
"Oh your little girl is just so cute," Dana gushed.
"Thanks," Monica replied. "Her name is Jane." She paused for a second, trying to avoid making the conversation awkward. "I see you're expecting too."
"Yep I'm in my 6th month."
"Congratulations. Boy or girl?"
"A little boy. I'm naming him William."
"Oh that's a great name!"
"Thanks."
As they both chatted away John smiled. He knew they would hit it off immediately. The truth was; both women were just really excited having another woman to talk to.
"Well," John broke in with a glance at his watch, glad for a way to change the subject, "Follmer should be here any second, he said he wanted to talk to all of us, especially the new member," he added with a smile at Monica.
"Follmer?" Monica did a double take. "Brad Follmer?"
"Yeah, he's the AD who oversees us," replied Dana, her eyes betraying her wonder at Monica's reaction.
"Brad Follmer, an Assistant Director? Brad Follmer? Tall, blond… that Brad Follmer?"
"The one and only," came a smirk from the doorway.
Brad Follmer stepped in, his eyes instantly taking control of the room with a sweeping glare. Monica's eyes scanned him. Nothing had changed. His blond hair was still cut a bit long for FBI standards, his hazel eyes still glittered, and he still wore expensive suits that never seemed rumpled.
Monica instinctively moved Jane from where she had been exploring on the floor to her hip as her eyes met Brad's.
"Monica."
Only a second of silence followed before her lips emitted, "Brad."
"Well, things certainly have changed, but in another way, they haven't at all," he continued.
Silence filled the modest office until Dana issued a well-timed cough.
"Anyway agents, Brad continued, seemingly forgetting the strange words of seconds before, "I want to talk to you about your work. Now that you have a new member," he paused and inspected Monica as if she were a cockroach as a slight sneer overcame his normally serious façade, "I expect even more from you down here. You really don't hold up to standards, which is a complete mystery to me because I don't see how hard it is to come up with some ridiculously non-plausible theory to a previously solved case and type it out. Since you have no purpose that I can see, at least be productive at doing the nothingness you do."
With that, he shot another long scowl at Monica and strolled out.
Monica closed her eyes momentarily and let out a sigh. Silence wrapped its claws around the room.
"So," John said as he tempted to interject into the quiet. "We better get to work so we can keep him happy."
"Yeah, we should," Monica was the first to agree.
Dana knew she wasn't the only person present who wondered what the strange words between Brad and Monica had meant, but she chimed in, "Definitely," anyway.
What do you think: continue or not?
