The next day, however, he gets his chance to brag to someone not related to him as he's out shopping for more diapers and formula. While they had enough supplies at for one baby, there wouldn't be enough for Nicholas, especially since he won't be joining Luke for a week. It was nice of the hospital to provide a filled baby bag, but that only held an extra blue blanket, two cans of premixed formula, and a box of newborn size diapers, and Doggett knows babies grow faster than expected – which is another reason what they have on hand at the house won't do, Jon-Jon is so much bigger than his new nephew, even though Doggett still thinks of his own youngest as still tiny. What the hospital provided is good for a day and a half maybe, but it wouldn't last the week they'll have Nicholas before bringing him to Luke's.

So Doggett has gone out shopping with Nicholas, while Reyes picks up the girls after she leaves the office and gets Jon-Jon from the FBI daycare. He thinks he surprised her by volunteering to babysit their grandson, but he has more personal days piled up than she does given she's most often been the one to take the PTO hit when Jon-Jon has gotten a cold from other babies in the daycare.

Doggett supposes he shouldn't be surprised to see Mulder at the supermarket considering the massive amount of groceries the Mulders must go through, but for some reason, he is. "Hey, Moldah," he says, putting his checklist into his back pocket before waving.

The slightly taller man wheels his own full shopping cart over. "Hey, yourself," the former-agent-now-TV-star says, then squints at the baby in the carrier. "Did Jon-Jon shrink?"

Doggett snorts. "Nah, this is Nicholas, my g–" He frowns, wondering where the sudden choke came from. He is proud to be a grandfather, right? Why can't he say it?

Mulder blinks. "Your, oh, your grandson," he says, then makes a face. "Man, that's weird, it's like seeing a mini-Jon-Jon, if that makes sense." Mulder grins at him and points at the baby's fair hair. "But in vanilla instead of chocolate."

The current agent nods. "Yeah, I know." Then he frowns. "It's weird. Mentally, I knew I'd be getting my grandson ready to take him to Luke, but otherwise? It's easier to process that I've got Jon-Jon and my two girls at home, than the fact that I've got a g-grandson."

"Better get used to it." Mulder grins. "And congratulations."

Doggett grins back. "Thanks." Then his grin gets wider. "Son of a gun. I got a grandson."

"Yeah, you did," Mulder chuckles. "Don't get so excited."

"Shut up," Doggett grumbles half-heartedly. He looks up at Mulder, thinking of something that he'd forgotten until then. "You should be excited too. This guy is your great-nephew."

"I don't know," Mulder confuses him by stating doubtfully. "It's hard to tell how great he is. I only just met him."

"Smart–" Doggett thinks better of his word choice. "Alec."

"Nope. That's my brother-in-law. You slurred a little just then, didn't you?"

Doggett snorts. "Leave it to you to have a Russian spy marry into your family."

"I had nothing to do with it," Mulder complains mildly, hands spread. "No one has ever stopped Missy from doing anything she's set her mind to, least of all me. Besides, I wasn't around to even make a token protest."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hey, before you go," Mulder says, "can I take a picture?"

"Sure," Doggett waves at the still-out-of-it baby in the carrier. Nicholas doesn't seem any less bemused than he did the day before.

"No," Mulder motions him over to join his grandson, "I want the proud granddaddy in the photo, too."

"Shut up," Doggett repeats, but stands next to Nicholas.

One moment, Mulder is taking a picture of an almost bald, toothless baby with his not bald or toothless grandfather, and the next, family and friends are subjected to the photo with the attached message: "Congratulations, here's the newest Doggett!"

And before Doggett even gets to his car, his cell phone is besieged by well-wishes and jokes about his age. "Dammit, Moldah," he sighs after hanging up on Mulder's mom (Mulder's mother! And she is happy to be a great-grandmother!). He wants to hang up on the next caller, but when he saw the caller ID, a half-grin slid across his face. "Hey, there," he says.

"Mr. Mulder got to see Nicholas in person before I did?" Luke squawks over the phone.

Doggett rolls his eyes. "Hello to you, new dad," he deadpanned.

"Hi, Dad," his son says, after a beat, embarrassed. "He looks great. And, um, so do you."

Doggett exhaled noisily. He may not have as much practice as Mulder or Scully, but he'd gotten good at putting away a baby as well as the groceries in a car, although having answers the phone several times makes things a little more awkward. Still, he's glad he and Nicholas are in the car, now that it is getting chilly. "Excited to meet your kid in person?" he asks.

"Dad? Is it weird to say that he's the cutest baby I've seen?"

"No. Every dad thinks that."

"What about if I think he's cuter than my siblings were?"

"Then we're gonna have words, son."

Luke snorts. "Dad, we're talking about your grandson, you shouldn't say that."

"My, um, grandson. That feels weird to say," Doggett finds himself admitting.

"How about this? Why don't we call you his g-daddy and you can call Nicholas your g-baby?"

"Is that some kind of rapper nickname?" Doggett squinted at his phone.

"No, it's a regular nickname," Doggett could almost hear his son rolling his eyes through the phone. "And 'cause it's a little weird for me to call you a grandpa when you're my dad."

Doggett chuckles. Trust his son to come up with a solution for something he himself stumbled over. "Well, okay," he says, not as reluctantly as he tried to sound.

"Cool," Luke says, "I can't wait to hear what Gib calls you now."

"Oh, shut up!" Doggett growls. "I'm gonna hang up, start the car, and try not to run over any stupid-looking kid who has the misfortune of looking at all like my son who thinks he can get away with saying crap about his dad over four states away."

His son, however, continues laughing, even after he hangs up. Luke knows it'll be tough raising a kid by himself, he might as well get as many laughs out of it as he can.

Later

While the rest of her family are peppering Mulder with questions about the new baby, Scully is quiet. Her silence isn't noticed by anyone except her husband, who merely raises an eyebrow, but doesn't press her. She's relieved that her family is doing a good enough job of pressing him for details, as if they hadn't seen more than a couple of babies before.

Dinner goes by quickly, and the rest of the night as well, with the older children doing their homework, and the much younger ones watching taped episodes of "Dora the Explorer," the youngest being put to bed by his mother. Scully smiles down at her baby boy.

Sure, Isaac is her tenth child, but he's no less loved or cared for than his older siblings. Neither is the pull to be with her baby weaker, no matter how adept Alan is at caring for two infants (including his own Sophie) three months into his added duties.

It's a little sad that her niece isn't up to being a mother, missing out on the joys of the role as well as the pains. "You are worth it," she whispers to Isaac, "but don't tell your Dad, he's got enough of a big head as it is."

Her still-blue-eyed boy stares at her uncomprehendingly, then gurgles and twitches his hands. Oh God, I love you so much, Scully thinks suddenly as she holds his little hand between her thumb and forefingers, her metaphorical heart constricting and expanding with emotion, and Adrianna will never know this kind of love. At least, not for a good while, and not with Nicholas.

She hasn't told Mulder, but up until they got a call saying that the baby was here and "the ordeal finally over" (this from Ariel quoting her mother), Scully had held out a faint hope that Adrianna would have seen her baby boy and realized she was making a mistake. When that didn't happen, she realized that she'd severely underestimated their niece's resolve. In a weird sort of way, it increased her respect of the girl, even if she couldn't understand the ground she was holding.

It takes about fourteen minutes for Isaac to start to relax rather than fuss, and a few more for him to close his eyes and truly fall asleep. And amazingly, she doesn't need to sing or hum to him in her usual tuneless way, but simply by holding his hand and shaking it gently, as if rocking his hand is like rocking his whole body to sleep. She smiles as his breathing evened out, then leans over to sniff his head.

Old habits are hard to break, and once again, she is reminded that Adrianna wouldn't even have the memory of knowing what her son's head smelled like as a baby. It's her loss, she thinks, and then blinks. Yes, it really is, although whether or not the girl will see it that way in the future remained to be seen. She sighs, then reminded herself yet again that she should think of her niece as a single very-soon-to-be college student, not a brand new young mother, since that's what Adrianna wants her current role in life to be.

And, not for the first time, Scully is grateful for this second chance at life, at having a family. It didn't exactly start the way she'd planned as a starry-eyed teen, but then, this life is so much better than what she had planned. Hell, it turned out better than even Mulder had planned, and the fact that they'd still ended up working together, as well as sharing a life and family together, seemed to catch him off guard at times as well. She only hopes that Adrianna makes the most of her "second chance", and that, should she ever decide to embrace motherhood in the future, that it will be with a willing and open heart, with as much love and support from family and friends that she never really had this time around. For now, however, she's heartbroken for her niece, in more ways than one.

October 1, 2008

John Doggett and Monica Reyes make the long trek to Bostonwith two babies in tow. Their own, Jon-Jon, had fallen asleep within the first two miles of the trip, while Nicholas has startled at every bump and stop, which has been more often than they ever wished. Nevertheless, they are thankful they had the option to travel by car rather than by plane, which, although it is faster, would undoubtedly be hell on Nicholas' sleep.

"You're going to miss this," Reyes' voice breaks into his reverie of near-homicidal thoughts about the driver in front of them who seems to brake abruptly at every curve of the road.

"I'm really not," he argues, and she smiles.

It's her turn to drive this leg of the trip, and while she is being as careful as she possibly can given her unfamiliarity with these roads, she still hits a rough patch or two. "Yeah, you will," she says. "Even with the return of sleepless nights, waking up to our son crying rather than your alarm, a full day's work on top of looking after Jon-Jon, you look… happy."

Doggett sighs. "Yeah, well, I see how fast Rebecca's grown, and, I dunno." He shrugs. "Is it me, or are they growing up faster these days?"

Reyes' laugh is deep. "I bet Luke will be wishing that very thing in a few days."

"Few days?" He raises an eyebrow. "You sayin' my son's infatuation with his newborn won't even last a week?"

"I'm saying," she says, swerving to avoid yet another pothole, "that reality will hit him sooner than he thinks. How long he can deal with that reality is up to him."

Doggett blinks, then shakes his head. Much as he likes to tease his partner about her flakiness, she is a lot more practical than most people, himself included, give her credit for. He is smiling out the window when he noticed that the scenery is looking familiar. They veer away from the college and towards the off-campus housing that Luke had given the address to. He pulls out his cell phone as they pull up to the curb. "Luke? We're here," he says, and grins at the sputtering of excitement on the other end before hanging up.

Luke Doggett bursts out the door, his face breaking out into a huge grin when he sees his father struggling to disengage the baby seat. "Dad!" Then he waves at Reyes, who had already gotten Jon-Jon out of his own seat, "Monica."

"Hi, Luke," she says. "Well, here we are."

The tall grad student nods. "Yeah," he says enthusiastically, his blue eyes softening when his father carries out his infant son out. "Wow," his voice cracks with emotion.

Doggett makes his gravelly voice as soothing as he can for the crying newborn. "Nicholas, this is your dad," he says, "Luke, meet Nicholas."

Luke is barely aware that tears are falling down his face as the baby is placed in his arms. "Hi, Nicholas," he says softly. "Hi. God, you're so beautiful. You probably don't wanna be called that when you're older, but man, you are beautiful."

As he gently bounces his little baby boy in his arms, his tears dry but the smile on his face doesn't fade. Reyes and Doggett glance at each other and smile, but it's a weary one. "Okay, now that we've met, we got some things for you," Doggett says, going to the car trunk. "Bottles, diapers…" His voice trails off when he sees both Reyes and Luke staring at him, babies in each of their arms. "I'll tell you inside."

The three adults and two babies go inside the small home, where, after a brief inspection, Doggett and Reyes cover the basics of caring for a newborn infant with the still-besotted Luke. Once Nicholas is settled in his new crib up in Luke's studio bedroom, Doggett takes Jon-Jon downstairs because the one-year-old is awake and needs to burn off some energy.

While Reyes continues to talk with Luke in low tones, Doggett pulls out his cell. "Hey, honey," he says, keeping a close eye on his youngest son while talking to his oldest daughter.

"Hi, Daddy," Hannah smiles. "How's Luke?"

"So far, so good," he says, "how's Becca?"

"Is that Daddy?" a little girl's voice yells in the background. "Hi, Daddy!"

"She's good," Hannah laughs, "very loud."

"Yeah, well, hopefully she settles down tonight for you and Mrs. Mulder. No soda, no TV after 10 p.m. for you or Becca after 8–"

"And no driving cars into trees," Hannah finishes, reminding him of why he no longer believes in letting teenagers of any age babysit overnight. "I know, Daddy. Trust me, I ain't giving Rebecca any soda. She's already bouncing all over the place without it."

"Good girl," Doggett smiles. "See you in three days."

"See you," she says, "I hope Luke takes care of Nicholas okay. He cries a lot."

Oh boy. "He'll be okay," Doggett says, wondering if by 'he cries a lot' she means Luke or Nicholas. "Good night, baby."

"Good night," Hannah says, and Rebecca yells a couple of seconds later, "Good night, Daddy! I love you!"

Doggett chuckles before hanging up. Yeah, his kids are growing up faster than he thought. Some for the better, and, he looks up at the ceiling, he can only hope for the best.

Then he sits down, checks Jon-Jon's diaper, and goes into the kitchen to warm up some milk. The landlord, according to Luke, should be joining them in a few hours after his full-time job working at the hardware store. Yeah, he had checked out the widower's credentials, but it's better to get a read on people in person.

Two nights later, Gibson and Katie have joined the rest of the Doggetts at Luke's place for dinner. The landlord, a tough Hispanic man named Eliot Sanchez, is actually a marshmallow under that gruff exterior. That explains the lowered price for the new father, Doggett thinks. "Eat up, eat up," the large man says. Reyes smiles, thankful that someone will be feeding her son on a mostly-regular basis.

"So, how are things at the after school center?" Doggett asks the young couple.

Katie tilts her head at Gibson. "The kids are good, at least, those who stick around. It's harder for those who are there once, maybe twice, before they're pulled out."

Doggett's forehead wrinkles. "Pulled out? What do you mean?"

Gibson glances at the adults at the table. "Sometimes, they have another after school option. And sometimes, their parents have to move, and take their kids with them. The economy's getting rough, so it's understandable that they'd try to find better options. Free after school care can only do so much."

Katie nods. "A couple of the student helpers have left, too. Shon and Thomas are working for Square Soft, which is great for them, but rough for us, because even though there are less kids to look after, it also means that having a positive male role model falls entirely on Gibson's shoulders." As her boyfriend raises an eyebrow at her, she smiles. "And what broad, manly shoulders he has, too."

As everyone burst into laughter, Gibson blushes. "Shut up," he mutters, staring hard at the table as if that would make him turn invisible.

"You two are so cute." Reyes grins.

"Yeah, yeah," the bespectacled grad student grumbles, "how's life with babies?"

"Loud," the rest chorus.

The young couple rolls their eyes. "Aside from the obvious," Gibson presses on.

"Hopefully a little less loud as time goes on," Doggett cast his eyes upstairs, where Nicholas is currently, miraculously resting.

"Yeah." Luke nods, but smiles.

The rest of the meal goes silently, save for the sound of chewing and swallowing. In a way, they all knew Luke's honeymoon with Nicholas will be over once Doggett and Reyes go back to Washington, D.C., because even with the occasional help from Sanchez and Gibson, Luke will pretty much be on his own.

When dinner is over, Reyes glances at Gibson, then at her partner, and clears her throat. "Gibson, can we talk outside?"

Luke raises his eyebrows at his brother, but makes no comment. Sanchez looks at his renter, but as he makes no move or helpful dialogue, he says nothing, either. Gibson smiles at his girlfriend and squeezed her hand briefly, knowing that she and Luke get along well enough that leaving her with him won't lead to awkward silences, then takes his and her plates to the kitchen, leaving her at the table. Reyes takes her plate and Doggett's to the kitchen, and they leave through the door opening to the backyard from there.

"What's so important that you couldn't discuss it in there?" Doggett asks his son and Reyes nervously. "Something to do with your girlfriend?"

Gibson shakes his head, hoping to cut off worries that a relationship problem of his is about to become another complicating factor in all of their lives. "Not what you're thinking, Dad. In fact," he looks uncomfortably at his parents, "I think this is going to be a long-term project for the X-Files, if not for me."

Reyes frowns. "Does Katie know?"

He shakes his head again. "I've been trying to protect her," he sighs at her understanding look, "Okay, I've been a big chicken. I don't want to tell her about either me or this situation until I have to. Partly because she might understandably freak out, and partly because she might be in danger if I do."

"If anyone knows she's your girlfriend, which most people do, then she's already in danger if there's danger to be had," Doggett says reasonably.

"Yeah, I know." His son winces. "It's just, she's the first person in a long time who liked me for me, you know? Not because I'm a mind reader or some hybrid, but for me. It was nice."

"I'm sorry." Reyes hugs him. "What's making you go back on this road again?"

He wishes he could hold onto her like he did when he was still a child being moved from one boarding school to another, and lets go reluctantly. "There are two girls, Alice and Charlotte. Charlotte, who's about me and Katie's age, is dormant, as far as I can tell, but Alice, who is in the third grade, has displayed both telepathy and telekinesis. The scary thing is, I can't read their minds."

"At all?" Reyes frowns.

Gibson shakes his head, frustrated. "Charlotte's been working as a secretary since she graduated from Bucky, so I haven't seen her except the odd times she comes in to pick up her sister. Alice is continuing to creep both kids and tutors out, but I'm doing my best to keep her from going completely over to the dark side."

"Oh hell," Doggett groans. "Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack," Gibson says. "You know how I was like as a kid? Imagine that, but wanting to hurt people and being able to do it." His parents shudder. "Yeah. Well, that's Alice. I think someone was trying to teach her to control what she does, her grandmother, I think, but ever since her grandmother died, she's been something of a loose cannon." He looks sharply at the two agents. It's obvious they're thinking of something when they exchange a look. "What kind of bell did that ring?"

"Two years ago, there was a case Agent Harrison's sister brought us," Doggett says in a low voice, feeling a sudden drop in his stomach, the same type he had when he found out Mulder and Krycek had dropped off the radar in search of some shadowy conspiracy. And yet, years after they had supposedly wiped out this conspiracy, the damn thing seems to have grown new arms and legs. "Convicts who'd confessed to their crimes woke up in prison, sayin' they'd seen an old woman and were 'innocent'. Weeks later, they all killed themselves before we got any new leads."

"Was this around spring break?" Gibson asks. They nod. "Crap. I hate to ask, but could you dig up what you can about Charlotte and Alice?"

"Sure," Reyes says.

"You sure about this?" Doggett asks his son. "It might be a while until you're able to get back to having a normal life again." He doesn't bother to bring up the possibility that the quest could potentially take Gibson from his school work, because all three of them are already aware of that.

Gibson's smile is lopsided. "Ever wonder what you'd do if you had the chance to turn Darth Vader back to the Light Side, minus the stupid prequels and massive plot holes?" he asks them. They both smile slow, weary smiles. "I get to have that chance, guys."

"You do remember what happened to Obi Wan, don't you?" Reyes asks.

Doggett smiles brightly at the reference, if not the context, and Gibson chuckles, feeling as old as his adopted father, if not more so. "Yeah, I do. There's also a possibility I get to be Yoda. I'm short enough."

"Shut up," Doggett shoves his son good-naturedly, and Reyes rolls her eyes at the male bonding. "Okay, but promise me you'll let us know if Alice's behavior escalates."

"I think he means 'take care of yourself'," Reyes jokes, and both men groan. "And promise me you'll talk to Katie, too. Even if she doesn't understand, she'll be heart-broken if you disappear during whatever looking into this means you'll be doing next."

He sighs. "Yeah, okay," he says resignedly.

His parents hug him, even Doggett, and they go back inside, knowing in more ways than one that a new chapter is beginning in their lives.