When Scully got home she sat down on the couch and rested her elbow on the arm rest as her head leaned into her hand. She was exhausted and upset and riddled with guilt. Monica and John were with her, they stood hovering by the door, waiting for her to give them some kind of indication about what she wanted them to do, or what she herself wanted to do. It was hard for all of them. After M F Luder's last message about William's adoptive father the connection had been lost and they received nothing else. The Lone Gunmen had left and John offered to take Scully home. Monica came along for support. They all wanted to help.

Scully didn't move for a long time. She just sat very still, thinking. Trying to understand, but there was so much they didn't know and not enough time for them to learn it in. Her primary concern was whether it had really been Mulder or not. She couldn't be sure – the fact that he had made sure Scully wasn't there made her think it was him; he didn't want her to worry. But maybe whoever it was wanted her out of the way because they thought she'd figure out it was an elaborate lie? She just didn't know. She sighed heavily and stood up. John and Monica had moved to sit in the kitchen and were drinking coffee. She went over to them and Monica stood up.

"Can I get you coffee?" Scully nodded her head and smiled slightly and sat down.

"You guys shouldn't have to sit here like this, you should go home," John shook his head.

"We're not goin anywhere, you know us better than that," Scully nodded her head. Monica had picked up on John's use of 'us' and it gave her hope that maybe they'd work things out.

"What are you going to do?" Monica handed the coffee to Scully and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. I'm kicking myself for not knowing if it was really him or not. I just can't figure it out."

"How about if you contact Mulder yourself? I mean, you said that you arranged how you'd call each other if needed right?"

"That was before, a lot has happened since we made those plans, and if you remember it didn't exactly go well last time," she was of course referring to when she had contacted Mulder before and almost gotten him killed by a super soldier, forcing him to flee a train.

"Well there must be some way we can find out, we can't just sit here and wonder," Scully was reminded how much John had done to take care of her and William whenever he took a protective role like this. She sipped her coffee and looked at Monica.

"What are your feelings on this?"

"I don't know. I had a hard time taking it in to be honest, I'm not sure that I'm any more inclined to believe it than I was before."

"So what, we just wait and see? Wait and see if we hear anything on the news about a small boy being taken from his home? Or killed?" Scully winced and John's frank words and she stood up to walk back into the living room, Monica followed her.

"You heard from them didn't you?"

"What? Who?"

"William's adoptive parents, they contacted you," Scully looked at her and nodded her head slowly. John moved to join them. "They told you that everything was wonderful and that they were grateful for all that you'd done for them. A thank you letter."

"Yes."

"My mom wrote one to the adoption agency she and my dad got me from, my dad never sent it – she always believed he had, but he didn't want anyone to know anything about me that had already chosen to know nothing more about me." Scully felt her heart sinking and sat down again.

She did care about William, she did love and miss him terribly, and the letter she had received from his new parents had torn her in two. Half of her desperately wanting him back and the other half relieved that he was safe and could be protected from harm. But what now?

"Are you trying to make a point Monica?"

"My point is, it's a normal thing – if they weren't 'normal' they'd be trying to have as little to do with you of all people as possible."

"Maybe they want to seem 'normal' when really they're not and so faking it will make us stay away," Monica looked at John and shook her head.

"I don't think so."

"And you're the expert?"

"I didn't say that, all I'm saying is…"

"We heard you Monica, loud and clear."

"Don't start with me John, not now."

"I just think you need to think about Scully and William before your own experiences."

"Oh like you familiarizing yourself with this because of Luke?"

"Don't you talk about him!"

"Enough!" Scully stood up and shouted at them both. They looked at her and then at each other. "I know you both want to help me, and I know you care, but I can't take this, not from the people that I trust – if you can't be around each other I can't have you both around me, not now – there's too much at stake, too many questions. I'm sorry, but you need to leave and you need to sort this crap out, because I can't take it anymore." Scully stood up and went into her bedroom. Monica looked at John and his face softened. She was surprised to see it.

"I think we should talk," he said.

"Ok. Who's going first?"