From: AndraMarie@aol.com
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2004 22:27:15 EDT
Subject: "Reunion" by Andra Marie Mueller
Source: direct

*************************************************************************

Nearly ten minutes later, Mulder, Scully, Jessica and Doggett were ushered i
nto Skinner's office by his secretary.  Once they were inside, Skinner clo
sed the door and crossed the room to resume his seat behind his desk.  As th
e others settled into the chairs, Jessica claimed the small loveseat so she
could prop up her injured leg, and Skinner discreetly observed the two coupl
es.  Mulder and Scully were the most obvious opposites; her red hair and pet
ite stature were a direct contrast to Mulder's height and darker coloring.=
  Jessica and Doggett on the other hand, were more evenly matched physically
; she was only four inches shorter than his height of six feet and her dark
blonde hair was nearly the same shade as his light brown. Yet Jessica's sa
pphire blue eyes were much darker than Doggett's ice blue ones, and her ca
sual attire an odd contrast to his custom tailored suit.

"All right, Ladies and Gentlemen; which one of you wants to tell me what t
his little gathering is all about?" Skinner prompted.

"It's complicated, sir," Doggett said.

"Isn't everything with you three?" Skinner responded drolly.

The three agents exchanged sheepish looks as over on the loveseat, Jessica s
miled to herself, and then Mulder addressed Skinner.

"Last week Agent Doggett volunteered to help Lieutenant Doggett investigat
e the death of her brother, Scott Caldwell, in a car crash," he began. 
"Based on the testimony from a couple who witnessed the accident, we have
reason to believe the car that crashed into Scott's was being driven by Bi
lly Miles."

"Billy Miles?" Skinner echoed.  "What rock did he crawl out from under
?"

"We haven't been able to find that out," Mulder answered. "Unfortuna
tely he disappeared again immediately following the accident. In any event,
the day after her brother's funeral, Lieutenant Doggett received an anonym
ous note that read 'Dead men tell no tales', and it was accompanied by a
 newspaper clipping regarding my sister Christina's kidnapping almost fort
y years ago. At that point, she contacted me to help ascertain what the conn
ection was between Scott's death and the kidnapping, which is what the not
e seemed to intimate."

"We did some digging," Scully continued, "and based in part on the cop
y of an adoption certificate for Lieutenant Doggett which was found in a fil
e bearing her name in Scott Caldwell's office, we've discovered that she
 is in actuality Agent Mulder's presumed dead sister, Christina."

It took a moment for the revelation to sink in, and when it did, Skinner's
 eyes widened in surprise as he glanced at Mulder.  "Lieutenant Doggett is
 your sister?"

"Yes, sir."

He frowned. "How would your kidnapped sister wind up being raised in one o
f the country's most prominent families?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Jessica replied. "Up until
 forty-eight hours ago, I wasn't even aware I was adopted. My parents neve
r told me."

The A.D. took a moment to absorb what he had been told before responding.
"If what you're saying is true, then it would seem to indicate that your
 parents were at least indirectly involved with your kidnapping."

"It's beginnin' to look that way, sir," Doggett allowed. "The adop
tion certificate was signed by Alan Grant, who was Edward Caldwell's busin
ess partner."

"Do you have proof of any of this?"

Doggett handed him the Triad file. "Everything we got so far is in here,=
" he said.

Skinner opened the file and swiftly scanned its contents, including the info
rmation Mulder had gotten from the Boston Bureau, the amateur DNA tests done
 by the Gunmen and a copy of the police report on the attempted murder of Je
ssica the previous day.  The others waited in silence for him to finish read
ing and when he did he closed the folder and glanced up at them, addressing
Jessica when he spoke.

"Well the evidence certainly seems to indicate that whoever was in on the
kidnapping with your parents and Grant all those years ago is now trying to
kill anyone who has uncovered the truth," he remarked.  "Have you given
any thought to staying in a safe house?"

The beautiful blonde shifted her gaze to Doggett for the briefest of moments
 before focusing on Skinner. "I already am," she said simply.

Skinner glanced from Jessica to Doggett, who suddenly seemed fascinated with
 his shoes, and the A.D. permitted himself a faint smile. "I see," he sa
id.  "What about your mother? Have you spoken to her yet?"

"Not about what we've discovered, no. John and Fox convinced me that we
should wait until we know who and what we're dealing with before confronti
ng her."

Skinner paused.  "With all due respect, Lieutenant, all of this evidence i
s circumstantial," he reminded her.  "Even if you were able to initiate
formal charges against Grant, your mother is a U.S. Senator. Finding a judge
 and/or a jury to indict her would be extremely difficult."

"I understand that, sir," Jessica responded. "That's why we're her
e.  Whether or not charges are filed against anyone, sooner or later the inf
ormation about my adoption will be leaked to the public, and the media will
have a field day wondering why Elizabeth Caldwell never revealed that her da
ughter was not her biological child. Once that plants the kernel of curiosit
y, it's only a matter of time before the full details about how my parents
...the Caldwells...acquired me are discovered. Given that Fox is an FBI agen
t and that a former agent was an accessory to the kidnapping, the Bureau is
going to receive a great deal of unwanted publicity.  John and his partners
felt it would be better for all of us if we were to come to you with our inf
ormation before it becomes public fodder."

"Fair enough, Lieutenant," Skinner responded, and glanced at his agents.=
  "I'm sure I don't have to tell you to be careful and discreet while
you proceed with this investigation, and from now on I want to be informed o
f anything else that comes out of this."

"Yes, sir," Mulder, Scully and Doggett responded in unison.

*************************************************************************  

As always, the acrid smell of smoke permeated the air as he entered the room
.

"I am here as requested."

"My sources tell me that Lieutenant Doggett was released from the hospital
 this morning after being treated for smoke inhalation and undergoing surger
y for her gunshot wound."

"Yes. I made certain that the information was 'leaked' to the media.=
"

"And you've tied up the loose ends we spoke of?"

"Of course."

"Excellent.  It will take our people a few days to get everything in order
, and then we will reveal the rest of the puzzle to Lieutenant Doggett and A
gent Mulder."

"What do you require of me in the meantime?"

"Keep an eye on Grant and the lady Senator. I don't want them tipping ou
r hand before we're prepared to finish the game."

"Understood."

*************************************************************************

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

A week passed, and Jessica and Doggett settled into a comfortable routine fo
r their cohabitation.  A trip to the local mall had restored Jessica's war
drobe and a few personal effects, but most of what she valued was forever lo
st because of the fire.  Although the couple was sharing a bed, they had not
 yet made love; partly due to the necessity for Jessica's complete recover
y and partly due to the desire to let the physically intimate aspect of thei
r relationship resume naturally. Following the destruction of her home and T
rouble's murder, no further attempts were made on the lieutenant's life,=
 and no further information regarding her abduction/adoption had been reveal
ed.  Mulder, Scully and Doggett continued to investigate what leads they had
, and had enlisted Reyes' help as well.

Early in the afternoon of the two week anniversary of Scott's death, Jessi
ca was in her office catching up on her case load when she heard Lupen and h
is partner David Griffin talking in the hallway outside.

"It's too bad that witness of ours turned up dead at the bottom of the P
otomac," Griffin remarked.  "He could have made our entire case against
Rogers."

"Rogers was too smart to leave any witnesses alive to finger him for the g
irl's murder," Lupen responded. "After all, dead men tell no tales, ri
ght?"

"Damn straight," Griffin agreed. "Well, I don't know about you but I
 could use a nice, cold beer about now. Want to head over the Bart's Deli
and grab a steak sandwich and a couple of Coors?"

"Sounds good to me."

The two men headed out of the station as an astonished Jessica attempted to
assimilate what she had just overheard.

"After all, dead men tell no tales, right?"

Lupen's off the cuff remark was too similar to the statement in the first
note she had received to be just a coincidence, and she felt the anger well
up inside her.

"If he had anything to do with Scott's murder I'm going to castrate th
e bastard," she muttered to herself, just as another thought occurred to h
er and she picked up the phone to dial her brother's office.  Gillian answ
ered on the second ring. "Grant and Caldwell."

"Hi, Gillian. It's Jessica Doggett."

"Hello, Jessica. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I was calling because I was hoping you could do me
 a favor."

"Certainly."

"I'm reviewing some of the notes in the file on Scott's accident, and
it seems that the detective who came to the office to retrieve his things fo
rgot to put the inventory list in the file. Do you by chance remember who it
 was?"

'Of course," Gillian responded. "It was that good looking Latin fellow
, the one Scott said was always trying to hit on you. I think his name is Mi
guel Lucas."

"Miguel Lupen," Jessica corrected softly.

"Yes, that's him."

He's a dead man, she thought to herself. To Gillian she said, "Thanks fo
r your help, Gillian."

Hanging up the phone, she buried her face in her hands in an attempt to reig
n in her emotions.

"Looks to me like someone's havin' a bad day."

The lieutenant glanced up to see Doggett hovering in her doorway and flashed
 him a weary smile. "That may be the understatement of the year," she sa
id. "Come in and shut the door behind you."

Giving her a curious look, he did as she requested and settled himself in th
e chair in front of her desk. "Has something happened?"

"In a manner of speaking," Jessica allowed, and quickly told him what sh
e had overheard. "Once I made the connection between Miguel's comment an
d the first note, I suddenly remembered what Scott's secretary Gillian had
 told me about one of my detectives having shown up at the firm to retrieve
his personal effects. I called her to ask if she remembered who it was, and
she identified Lupen."

"That would explain how he got access to Scott's personal stationery,=
" Doggett mused.  "And it would also explain how my mysterious caller fr
om the night you were assaulted knew you by name."

"If we can get a record of every phone call he made that day from his offi
ce and his cell phone, we could trace the call to your cellular number."

"In order to do that, we'd need his cell phone number."

Jessica smiled. "Rank has its privileges," she replied, and retrieved a
small key from her desk as she stood up. "Follow me."

"To the ends of the earth," Doggett added dryly.

Grabbing her crutches, Jessica exited her office and made her way across the
 room and into a small storage area, containing several filing cabinets. Wal
king over to the one marked "Personnel", she unlocked it and pulled open
 the second drawer. Flipping through the files, she found the one marked LUP
EN, MIGUEL R. and pulled it out.  Opening it, she scanned the papers inside
until she found the one she was looking for.

"Bingo," she said aloud. "Under pager/cellular numbers, we have 202-55
5-6988."

Doggett withdrew his cellular phone and dialed his office.

"Monica Reyes."

"Monica, it's me. Grab a pen and write this number down: 202-555-6988.=
"

"Got it," Reyes said. "What am I doing with it?"

"This is the cell number for an Alexandria P.D. homicide detective named M
iguel Lupen. I need to get a record of all the calls he made from this numbe
r last Tuesday."

"Am I allowed to ask why?"

"We think he may be connected to Scott Caldwell's murder," Doggett tol
d her. "How soon can you get me the information?"

"I should have something for you by tomorrow morning."

"Fine. I'll be at the office around 9:00 a.m."

"I'll see you then."

Doggett ended the call and pocketed his cell phone, then looked over at Jess
ica to find her watching him with an odd expression on her face. "What?=
"

"Any particular reason you called Agent Reyes first, and not Fox or Dana?=
" she asked.

"Mulder and Scully left early to spend some time with Will," Doggett ans
wered. "But I don't see why it matters. You got somethin' against Moni
ca?"

"Not at all, but it's fairly obvious that she cares about you."

"Most friends do."

Jessica smiled. "Let me rephrase the statement: it's fairly obvious that
 she's in love with you."

Doggett snorted. "You think Monica's in love with me?" he asked incred
ulously. "You're nuts, sweetheart."

The lieutenant replaced Lupen's file before turning to face Doggett. "As
 a woman who knows what its like to love you, I recognize the signs in Agent
 Reyes," she clarified patiently. "You may not see it, but I do."

He paused.  "Whether or not what you're sayin' is true, it's not mut
ual.  Monica is nothin' more to me than a good friend. I made it clear to
her a long time ago that I wasn't ready for anythin' else until I resolv
ed my feelings for you."

Her smile widened and she gently placed her palm against his cheek. "I app
reciate the clarification, Sunshine, but I wasn't worried about that. My c
oncern is that until you settle the issue permanently by telling her we're
 getting remarried, then she may still be holding on to the hope that I'll
 be out of your life again once we solve Scott's murder and my abduction.=
"

"She knows we're livin' together, Jess; I'm fairly certain she can p
ut two and two together."

Jessica sighed. "I'm trying to make an issue out of nothing, John, but I
 honestly think you need to set the record straight with Agent Reyes," she
 replied. "She's your friend and your colleague and for both of your sak
es you need to definitively tell her that that's all it's going to be.=
"

Doggett echoed her sigh. "Fine; as soon as I get the chance to have a priv
ate conversation with her, I'll fill her in on our engagement."

"Thank you."

"If you're done lecturin' me, could we go to dinner now? We're gonna
 miss our reservation."

"Fine, but after that crack about being lectured you're buying."

The couple headed out of the police station just as Jessica's cell phone r
ang, and she pulled it out of her purse.  "Hello?"

"I hope you're going to tell me that you are on your way home to change
into formal wear for my fundraiser tonight," Elizabeth said.

"Hello, mother," Jessica responded stiffly. "Actually I'd forgotten
about your shindig and was on my way to dinner with John."

"Well you're living with him now so you can have dinner every other nigh
t," Elizabeth declared.  "I'll send a car for the two of you at 6:00 p
.m."

Without giving Jessica a chance to respond, Elizabeth ended the call, and Je
ssica released an aggravated sigh as she replaced her phone in her purse.

"I take it from your unhappy expression and the brevity of the call that E
lizabeth has summoned you to one of her infamous political parties?" Dogge
tt prompted.

"She's summoned us," Jessica corrected.  "She's sending a car for
us at six o'clock."

"Are you gonna be okay with puttin' in a public appearance with her now
that you know what she did?"

"Unless I want to tell her that I know, I have no choice," Jessica respo
nded. "Besides, with you by my side I can handle anything."

"Well at least we'll be in a public place so I won't have to worry abo
ut you whacking her with one of your crutches."

"Thank God for small favors."

They shared a smile at their silliness and climbed into John's truck.

*************************************************************************

GEORGETOWN

Elizabeth's fundraiser was a private party being held in the townhouse of
one of Washington's most prominent attorneys and staunchest Democrats, Mic
hael Kelly.  He and his wife Nicole were close friends of Elizabeth's, and
 Michael was her personal attorney.  Nicole was hovering near the door talki
ng with another guest when Jessica and John arrived, and she quickly excused
 herself to make her way over to greet them.

"Good evening, Jessica," she greeted. "I heard about what happened to
you last week and I'm so glad to see you're up and about."

"More or less," Jessica responded wryly, gesturing with her crutches. 
"Unfortunately, I'm stuck with these for another three weeks."

"Let me know if you need a physical therapist," Nicole said.  "I broke
 my ankle skiing last year and my rehab therapist was wonderful."

"I'll keep that in mind. You remember my ex-husband, John Doggett."

"Of course," Nicole responded.  "You were at Scott's funeral."

"Yes, Ma'am," Doggett confirmed.

Just then Michael joined them and greeted Jessica with a warm hug.  "Hello
, Jessica," he said. "It's good to see you." 

"Thanks, Michael."

He glanced at John. "Agent Doggett," he acknowledged.  "Nice to see th
e Bureau lets you boys off your leashes once in a while."

"A pleasure to see you too, Mister Kelly," Doggett responded dryly.

"You two know each other?" Jessica prompted.

"We've crossed paths on occasion," Doggett allowed.

"Usually on opposite sides," Michael added. "But I admire a man who ha
s enough intestinal fortitude to stand up for what he believes in."

"Thank you."

Michael returned his attention to Jessica. "I understand you had a close c
all last week after you interrupted a burglar," he remarked.  "How are y
ou feeling?"

"Fine, thank you. John's been taking very good care of me."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"We should probably track down your mother and say hello," Doggett inter
jected.  

"Of course. Will you excuse us, Michael?"

As Nicole and Michael returned to their guests, Jessica glanced at Doggett a
s they made their own way through the crowd.  "Why the sudden desire to se
e my mother?" she asked.

"The sooner we see her, the sooner you can relax and enjoy the evening,=
" Doggett answered. "You're so tense about seein' her you'll shatt
er into pieces if you sneeze too hard."

Jessica did not bother to deny it and instead gave him a look of mock annoya
nce.  "Have I mentioned lately how irritating it is that you know me so we
ll?"

"I love you too, sweetheart."

After being stopped in the crowd by family friends, they discovered Elizabet
h in the living room talking with her Chief of Staff Robert Connor and his w
ife Patricia. Taking a deep breath to maintain her composure, Jessica made h
er way over to them with John a step behind her.

"Good evening, all," she greeted.

"Jessica, darling, how nice of you to put in an appearance," Elizabeth r
esponded, and embraced her in a brief hug.

"Don't start, Mother," the lieutenant whispered stiffly.

Elizabeth ignored the admonition as she shifted her attention to Doggett.
"Good to see you again, John," she said. 

"Thank you for inviting me, Senator," Doggett responded formally.

"I don't believe we've met," Connor interjected, and extended his ha
nd. "I'm Robert Connor, and this is my wife Patricia."

Doggett exchanged a handshake with both of them as he supplied his name.
"John Doggett. Nice to meet you."

"Doggett?" Connor echoed.  "As in Jessica's ex-husband?"

"Ex and future husband," Jessica answered.

"You're getting remarried?" Elizabeth queried. "That's wonderful!=
"

"Congratulations to both of you," Connor added.

"Thank you," Doggett said.

"Have you set a date?" Patricia inquired.

"Not yet," Jessica responded. "We've had a lot of professional issue
s to deal with lately and haven't had the chance to make specific plans.=
"

"Well when you do I hope that this time I'll hear about them from you an
d not the Post," Elizabeth replied.

Not knowing or caring if the remark had been meant as a jest, the lieutenant
 shot her mother an icy glare.  "Another comment like that one and you won
't hear about it all," she said tightly.  "I'm an adult, Mother, and
 not required to check in with you about every move I make."

"Jess..." Doggett began, but she cut him off.

"Save it, John!" she snapped, and again addressed Elizabeth.  "Out of
respect for your friends and colleagues I'm not going to make a public sce
ne, but I'm not going to play the part of the dutiful daughter anymore.  I
've discovered your little secret, Elizabeth; does the name Carl Spender r
ing a bell?"

The senator's face instantly went white.  "How much do you know?" she
asked in a near whisper.

"I know enough to want you to stay the hell away from me until I'm ready
 to discuss it," Jessica declared heatedly, and glanced over her shoulder
at Doggett.  "Let's go."

Without waiting for a response or excusing herself from the others, she push
ed her way into the crowd and started toward the door.    

"How did she find out about Spender?" Elizabeth asked of Doggett.

"I'm not at liberty to divulge that information, Senator," Doggett eva
ded. "Excuse me."

Keeping an eye on his fiancee's hastily retreating form, Doggett pushed
his way into the crowd after her, leaving a shocked and anxious Elizabeth al
one with her friends.

"What was that all about?" Connor wondered aloud.

"Old ghosts," Elizabeth responded, and excusing herself, disappeared int
o the crowd.  A moment later she encountered Alan Grant near the study and q
uickly pulled him inside.

"We have a problem," she said, "Jessica and John were just here, and a
pparently they know about the adoption."

Grant frowned. "How do you know?" he asked.

"Jessica said she had discovered my 'little secret' and mentioned the
name Carl Spender to me," Elizabeth revealed.  

"I don't suppose she mentioned how she uncovered the information?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Neither she nor John were willing to tell me.=
"

He sighed. "Somehow I'm not surprised," he said.  "But even if they
have discovered Jessica is adopted, there isn't a whole lot they can do wi
th the information."

"If it gets leaked to the public they won't have to do anything; the med
ia will crucify us." 

"Paranoia doesn't become you, Elizabeth," Grant chided.  "I suggest
you talk to your daughter and convince her not to air the family's dirty l
aundry in public. There are other people besides us who would not be pleased
 should the truth of Jessica's parentage be revealed."

The senator gave him an even look.  "Surely that isn't a threat I hear i
n your voice," she replied carefully.

"Just make sure your daughter and Doggett keep their mouths shut," Grant
 retorted, and left the study.

*************************************************************************

A light rain had begun to fall when Doggett caught up with Jessica a block a
way from the townhouse.

For a woman on crutches she moves pretty damn quickly, he thought wryly. Alo
ud he shouted, "Damnit, Jess, slow down!"

Jessica stopped at the sound of his voice and pivoting on her crutches, turn
ed to face him.  "I suppose you're going to chastise me for letting my t
emper take over," she said.

"I warned you when you got out of the hospital about allowin' your anger
 to show when you're dealin' with your mother," Doggett replied.  "W
e still don't know who orchestrated your abduction all those years ago, or
 why they're apparently willin' to murder anyone who uncovers the truth.=
  I almost lost you last week; I'm not gonna go through that again."

She sighed. "I'm sorry. You're right; I shouldn't have let myself re
act to her needling. But I'm just so furious with her for lying to me and
when she went into mother superior mode, I just snapped."

"At the risk of soundin' like a broken record, sooner or later you're
gonna have to find a way to deal with her," Doggett reminded her.  

"I know, but obviously it's not going to be tonight."

He flashed her a sympathetic smile.  "Well it is still early, and we never
 did get around to havin' dinner."

She smiled back. "You still buying?"

"I could be persuaded."

Her smile widened and she slid her arms around his neck to pull him down for
 a lengthy kiss.  "Was that sufficient motivation?"

"Kiss me again and I'll throw in dessert."

Jessica laughed before she did just that.

*************************************************************************

FALLS CHURCH

Just over two hours later, the couple had finished dinner and returned home,=
 and were now sequestered in the living room, cuddled under a blanket and pr
opped against the couch as they drank hot chocolate in front of a roaring fi
re.  John was in sweats and an NYPD t-shirt, while Jessica wore a satin robe
 the same shade of blue as her eyes. Her knee brace lay in the nearby lovese
at, having been removed for comfort so she could sleep, and her crutches wer
e propped against the chair. Outside the misty rain had evolved into a full-=
fledged thunderstorm, and the occasional clap of thunder broke the sound of
the rain crashing against the house.  It also caused Jessica to start involu
ntarily, as she had harbored a fear of thunderstorms since childhood.

At Jessica's request, no mention had been made of recent events and instea
d she and John had engaged in general small talk, ranging from politics to s
ports to rookie horror stories from their early days on the force. The casua
l conversation and intimacy of their earlier dinner and current setting was
serving to fuel the flame of desire between them, and they both knew that th
ey would be lovers again before the night was over.

After getting up to add another log on the fire, Doggett resumed his seat on
 the couch beside Jessica, noticing that a small smile creased her lovely fa
ce as she sipped at her cocoa.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said.

"I was just remembering nights like this that we spent in our house in New
 York," Jessica revealed.
 "Although it was usually snow storms that kept us inside."

"Must be a grown-up thing," John allowed, "cuz being outside when it w
as barely above freezin' never seemed to bother Luke. As soon as you finis
hed puttin' on his clothes, he'd collect Trouble and bolt out the door.=
"

"I remember the afternoon he tried to make Trouble into a living 'Snow D
og'.  It was the first time I'd ever seen a blue Mastiff."

"I still remember the look on the vet's face when we explained how Troub
le had gotten hypothermia in the first place," John responded.  "Poor wo
man didn't know whether to laugh at Luke's ingenuity or scold him for pu
ttin' Trouble at risk."

"I hope they're together now," Jessica replied softly.  

"Are you kiddin'?" Doggett asked rhetorically.  "They're probably
wreakin' as much havoc in Heaven with the angels as they did here when the
y were still livin. I guarantee Scott and my folks have their hands full kee
pin' them in line."

The lieutenant tilted her head back and flashed him a warm smile.  "All th
is talk of angels and heaven makes you sound like your father," she remark
ed. 

He shrugged. "Once a preacher's son, always a preacher's son."

"Jeremiah Doggett was a good man," Jessica said. "And Rose was one of
the kindest women I've ever known. You and Emily have every reason to be p
roud to be their children.  I, on the other hand, seem to have been granted
parents who lie as easily as they draw breath and aren't above hurting the
ir children to get what they want."

"Would you be talkin' about the Mulders or the Caldwells?"

"Take your pick." She paused long enough to stand up and limp into the k
itchen, and Doggett rose as well to follow her. "Fox has painted a rather
grim portrait of his parents, and you know first hand what Elizabeth and Edw
ard were apparently capable of.  If I had known twelve years ago what I do n
ow, I may not have risked repeating history by having Luke."

Doggett gently but firmly cupped her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. 
"You were a wonderful mother, Jess; there isn't a boy on the planet who
received more love than what you gave Luke."

"He was easy to love," Jessica responded, and downed the last sip of her
 cocoa. "Well I don't know about you, but I think we can find a more pro
ductive way to pass the rest of the evening than just talking. I believe the
re's the small matter of an open invitation you have yet to accept?"

John smiled.  "Is that you're way of sayin' its time I should collect?=
"

She smiled back.  "Absolutely, Sunshine."

Confiscating her cup, John leaned over to place it on the counter before he
bent over to slide an arm behind her knees and picked her up to carry her ba
ck into the living room. Setting her on her feet in front of the couch, he q
uickly divested her of her robe and shed his own clothing before taking a mo
ment to admire the woman before him. 

"You are exquisite, Jess..." 

Except for the surgical scars adorning her left shoulder and knee, her fair
skin bore no blemishes, and was as soft as the silk of her robe. Her arms an
d legs were taut with sculpted muscle, a testament to her fondness for physi
cal activity, and her firm stomach was slightly concave. Bending down, he br
iefly placed his cheek against her abdomen and placed a light kiss over her
navel. The reverence of the gesture was not lost on Jessica, as it was clear
ly meant to pay homage to their lost children, and her eyes welled with tear
s as she choked back a sob. 

"I love you," she said shakily. 

Rising to his feet, John gave her a brief kiss before murmuring "I love yo
u" and shifting his attention to her breasts, closing his mouth over her n
earest nipple as he lowered her to the floor. She groaned aloud as he began
to suckle, lavishing the rosy peak with his tongue as he teased the other wi
th his hand.=A0 A moment later his mouth released her breast and he trailed
a series of kisses down her stomach before shifting position to rain another
 series of feather light kisses down the length of each leg. Reaching her fe
et, he massaged each one in turn, then gave every toe a gentle tug with his
teeth before kissing his way up her leg. As Jessica squirmed with need benea
th him, he at last arrived at the curls above her core and shifted to cover
her with his mouth. At the first flick of his tongue, she released a throaty
 moan and arched against him, burying her hands in his hair. 

"Sweet Jesus...John..." 

John continued his assault on her most sensitive spot, lavishing her with hi
s tongue as he slid a pair of fingers deep into her sheath, finding her warm
 and wet. Jessica whimpered with desire as he continued to drive her toward
her climax, and a final flick of his tongue sent her over the edge. Her cont
ractions had yet to subside when she felt his erection prodding at her core,=
 and she lifted her hips as he slid inside of her. 

"Welcome home," Jessica whispered.

Her benediction and the feel of her contracting against him nearly produced
his climax right there, and John remained still for a moment to regain contr
ol.  Eventually he began to move, feeling Jessica match him thrust for thrus
t, and he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss as their bodies moved in perfe
ct harmony. They climaxed simultaneously, both crying out in sweet release,
and they collapsed together on top of the sheets. He reluctantly withdrew fr
om her and reached for the blanket on the end of the couch, pulling it down
with him to cover them. Jessica curled against his side, her head resting on
 his chest as Doggett lightly ran his hand up and down her spine. Exhausted
and emotionally overwhelmed by their combined responses, they drifted off to
 sleep entwined in each other's arms. 

*************************************************************************

Always an early riser due to his years in the military, Doggett was the firs
t to awaken the following morning, overwhelmed with a sense of peace that he
 had not experienced in five years.  After a second lovemaking session in fr
ont of the fire, the couple had managed to make it to the bedroom, only to s
tart their loving all over again. Outside the rain was still pouring down, b
eating on the roof and sides of the house in rhythm with the blowing wind. J
essica had turned toward him in her sleep, and lay with her head nestled int
o his neck, her legs entwined with his.  A particularly loud clap of thunder
 sounded then, causing her to flinch in her sleep, and Doggett pressed a gen
tle kiss against her temple.  

I love you, he declared silently.

As if sensing his thoughts, Jessica began to stir, and after a moment he fel
t her sigh against his chest before she opened her eyes and found him watchi
ng her.

"Good morning Sunshine," she greeted, her voice husky with the last vest
iges of sleep.

"Good mornin' yourself," Doggett echoed softly.

"Thank you for last night," Jessica said.  

"You're very welcome," Doggett responded.  "How are you feelin'?=
"

"Like I've found a part of myself that was missing for five years."

"I assure you its entirely mutual."

They exchanged a light kiss before she settled back against his chest.  "W
hat time is it?"

He glanced at the clock on the nightstand.  "Almost six a.m."

She groaned at that.  "I'd forgotten what inhumane hours you keep," sh
e grumbled.

Doggett miled.  "I was going to suggest that we get dressed and grab some
breakfast before we go to work, but it's still rainin' cats and dogs out
 there," he said.

Jessica smiled back.   "In that case why don't we stay inside and make l
ove, and then I'll make us break fast before we go to work?" she suggest
ed innocently.

"I think that's a much better idea."

Her chuckle was smothered in his kiss.

*************************************************************************

FBI HEADQUARTERS

Reyes was alone in the office when Doggett arrived, and she flashed him a re
served smile when she saw him walk in.

"Good morning, John," she greeted coolly.

"Mornin', Monica."

"I understand congratulations are in order," Reyes replied.

Doggett frowned. "Congratulations?" he echoed in confusion.

Glancing down at the paper on her desk, she read aloud from the page in fron
t of her.  "Although still recovering from the loss of her son Scott in a
car crash two weeks ago, Senator Elizabeth Caldwell has announced that the f
amily will soon have reason to celebrate. At the senator's fundraiser last
 night for her upcoming campaign, her Chief of Staff Robert Connor confirmed
 that Caldwell's daughter, Alexandria police lieutenant Jessica Doggett, i
nformed her mother of her impending remarriage to former husband John Dogget
t, an agent for the FBI. While no date or location have been set, sources cl
ose to the senator say that the ceremony will likely take place some time ea
rly next year."

Doggett sighed.  "I hope Jess hasn't seen that," he muttered. "She
'll pitch a fit that her mother made it public knowledge."

"Is it true?" Reyes asked.

He met her gaze. "Yes," he confirmed simply.  

She nodded. "Well, as I said, congratulations."

"I never meant for you to find out this way, Monica.  I didn't say anyth
in' at first because I wasn't sure there was anythin' to say. And once
 there was, with everythin' else that's going on I haven't had a chanc
e to tell you myself."

Reyes waved off his concern.  "You don't owe me an explanation, John,=
" she demurred.  "You've made it clear from the day we met where -- o
r rather with whom -- your heart lies. If I held onto the hope that someday
 that would change, I have no one to blame but myself."

"I'm sorry," Doggett said simply.

"Don't be," Reyes responded, and quickly changed the subject.  "I go
t a copy of Lupen's cell phone bill faxed over from his service provider,
and it lists all the calls he's made since mid-November.  I put it on your
 desk."

Doggett walked over and picked the bill up off his desk, then quickly scanne
d it, and a moment later said, "Bingo."

"You found something?" Reyes prompted.

Doggett gave her a sideways glance.  "The night Jess was shot, Lupen made
a call to my home number at the same time I got the anonymous call about som
ethin' happenin' to her," he revealed.  "And I damn sure didn't ta
lk to him that night."

"So you think he's connected to whoever tried to kill Jessica," Reyes
surmised.

"Given that he made a comment at the police station the other day that was
 almost the exact same one that was in the first anonymous note Jess receive
d, I'm pretty sure he not only knows who tried to kill her, but also who d
id kill Scott."

Doggett reached over to pick up the phone and quickly dialed Jessica's pri
vate line, but her voice mail picked up and he was forced to leave a message
. "Jess, it's me. Monica and I are on our way over there with somethin
' you need to see. When you get this message, stay put until we get to the
 station."

Hanging up the phone, he turned to face Reyes.  "To avoid any claims of pr
ejudicial treatment or a conflict of interest, I'm gonna need you to actua
lly be the one to interrogate Lupen."

"Of course."

Reyes rose to her feet and exited the office a step behind Doggett.

*************************************************************************

ALEXANDRIA

After her physical therapy session at the local gym, Jessica had taken a bri
ef shower and changed into her work clothes before making her way to the sta
tion.  Entering her office, she dialed the code to check her voice mail and
heard Doggett's message just as he and Reyes arrived.

"I just got your message," Jessica said. "What's going on?"

Doggett handed her the copy of Lupen's cell phone bill. "Monica got a co
py of Lupen's cellular phone bill, and he placed a call to my home number
the same night you were assaulted."

"Then he was the one who called you that night to tell you I was in danger
," Jessica replied.

"It looks that way," Reyes allowed.

As if to speak of the devil, Lupen chose that moment to arrive at the statio
n, and caught sight of the agents in Jessica's office at the same time she
 spotted him.  Fury etched in her beautiful face, the lieutenant immediately
 hobbled out of her office and across the squad room to confront him.

"How much did they pay you, Miguel?" she demanded.  "I'm curious as
to what the going rate for an accessory to murder runs these days."

Lupen gave her a confused look as Reyes and Doggett made their way over to s
tand behind Jessica.  "I don't know what you're talking about," he s
aid.

Before anyone could react, Jessica lifted her right arm and slapped Lupen ac
ross the face, knocking him backward a couple of steps. "Save it for the j
udge you son of a bitch!" she snapped, and took a step toward him, obvious
ly intent on striking him again.  Doggett immediately stepped in front of he
r and placed his hands on her arms, using his body weight to hold her in pla
ce. 

"That's it," he said. "You and I are goin' in your office until yo
u cool down. Monica, read Detective Lupen his rights and take him into one o
f the interrogation rooms for questioning."

"Questioning for what?" Lupen demanded.

"Your role in the death of Scott Caldwell," Doggett told him.

As Monica began to mirandize Lupen, Doggett half-pulled, half-dragged Jessic
a into her office and closed the door. Once they were inside, she angrily je
rked her arms out of his hold.  "You can let go of me now," she snapped.

"What's the matter with you?" Doggett demanded. "What were you think
in', slappin' Lupen like that?"

"I should have broken his damn nose," Jessica retorted, and settled into
 her chair before leaning over to rub her injured knee.

"I'm as angry about Scott's death as you are, Jess, but runnin' arou
nd assaultin' the suspects isn't going to help our case," Doggett coun
tered.  

"Maybe not," she allowed, "but he had it coming, and not just for his
part in what happened to Scott."

"I won't argue that, but the fact remains you need to get control of you
r temper," came Doggett's reply.  "At the rate you've been goin' l
ately, I'm surprised you didn't deck your mother last night."

Their conversation was interrupted by Grace Phillips, who entered Jessica
's office without bothering to obtain permission.  "Lieutenant," she g
reeted. "Agent Doggett. Which one of you wants to explain why Jessica slap
ped Detective Lupen?"

Jessica stubbornly remained mute, so Doggett shot her an exasperated look be
fore responding to Phillips. "We have reason to believe Detective Lupen wa
s an accessory to the murder of Scott Caldwell," he explained.

Phillips eyes widened in surprise. "Do you have any proof of that?" she
asked.

"We've got a copy of his cell phone bill provin' that he called my hou
se the night Jess was shot, and his call was made at the same time I got the
 anonymous call threatenin' her," Doggett told her. "And yesterday Jes
s overheard him make a comment to his partner that was the same one sentence
 message written on the note she got with the article about the kidnapping.=
"

The captain frowned. Just as the agents had felt it necessary to inform Skin
ner of their discovery that Jessica was Christina Mulder, Jessica had confid
ed in her superior about the revelation and its possible connection to Scott
's death.

"Overlooking the fact that all of the evidence you mentioned is circumstan
tial, you still don't have a motive," Phillips pointed out.  "He's t
oo young to have been involved in your abduction, so on the surface there do
esn't appear to be any reason for him to want to see Scott killed for unco
vering the truth."

"Maybe it's as simple as 'money is the root of all evil'," Jessica
 suggested.  "He could have been paid to send the notes and make the phone
 call."

"That's a reach," Phillips replied, "but at the moment we don't ha
ve much else to go on. I'm going to head over to the interrogation room an
d see how Agent Reyes is doing with Miguel. Jessica, if you promise to behav
e, you can watch with me from the observation room."

"I'll be as well mannered as a mouse in church on Sunday," Jessica res
ponded.

Phillips exchanged a knowing look with Doggett before the trio left the offi
ce and crossed through the squad room.  The other officers present cast curi
ous looks at Jessica as the group passed by, most of them having witnessed h
er strike Lupen and wondering what prompted it.  As they reached the interro
gation room, Reyes stepped out and seeing them approach, walked over to join
 them.

"He says he had nothing to do with Scott Caldwell's death," she said.
 "However he is willing to name names provided he's granted immunity fro
m prosecution and placed in a witness protection program."

"What makes him think he's in a position to make any demands?" Doggett
 asked.

"I asked him the same thing, and he responded by saying he's the only on
e who can tell Jessica what she wants to know," Reyes answered.

"Do you believe him?" Doggett pressed.

"What I believe doesn't matter," Reyes responded, and glanced at Jessi
ca. "It's your call, Lieutenant. If you're willing to give him what he
 wants, he'll tell you who's responsible for Scott's death."

Jessica glanced at Doggett.  "Do you think he can really tell us who kille
d Scott?"

"The evidence seems to indicate that he can," Doggett allowed.

The lieutenant sighed.  "Well, at this point I don't have anything to lo
se,' she said, and shifted her gaze to Reyes. "Let's go have a chat wi
th him."

Reyes and Jessica reentered the interrogation room, shadowed by Phillips and
 Doggett, and walked over to stand next to the table where Lupen was seated.=
 Propping her crutches against the table, Jessica settled herself into a cha
ir before addressing Lupen.

"Miguel," she greeted simply.

"Lieutenant," Lupen returned.  "You pack a nasty slap, gorgeous; nice
to know there's some fire under the ice after all."

"Watch your mouth, Lupen," Doggett warned.

"Or what, Agent Doggett?"

"You don't wanna find out."

"Save the male posturing for another time, gentlemen," Phillips interjec
ted.

"So what is it you have to say that you think I want to hear?" Jessica a
sked irritably.

"I trust Agent Reyes has informed you of my request?"

"She has," Jessica confirmed.

"Are you certain you don't want to wait for your attorney before making
any statements?" Phillips pressed.

"I'm touched by your concern, Captain," Lupen responded sarcastically.=
 "Let's just get this over with."

"Fine," Doggett said. "Why don't you start by tellin' us who hired
 you to write the notes to Jess and call me the night she was shot?"

"Alan Grant," Lupen revealed.  "Apparently Scott Caldwell had accident
ally uncovered evidence that Grant had been illegally obtaining babies and a
dopting them out to high end clientele for outrageous prices. When he discov
ered that his own sister was one of the stolen babies, he came to me and ask
ed me to start a formal investigation into Grant's activities. He's the
one that provided me with the newspaper article about Christina Mulder's a
bduction thirty-eight years ago."

"Why did Scott come to you?" Jessica asked.  "Why not go to Captain Ph
illips or directly to me?"

"I didn't ask. Frankly I was hoping that I could somehow use the informa
tion to my advantage and get you to reconsider going out with me. But when I
 finally got enough evidence to confront Grant, he propositioned me. He said
 that if I kept my mouth shut and helped him keep you and Scott out of his w
ay, he'd pay me five million dollars."

"Not a whole lot of money considering what he was probably making as a bab
y broker," Reyes remarked.

"It was more money than I'd ever see working as a cop," Lupen countere
d.  "He introduced me to his partner, and I began dealing directly with hi
m."

"Does this partner have a name?" Doggett prompted.

"None that I know of.  Grant never referred to him by name; just called hi
m 'my partner' or 'my associate'."

"What does this 'partner' look like?" Reyes asked.

"I've never actually seen him," Lupen admitted. "Whenever we meet, i
t's always in a dark room and he stays in the shadows. But I can tell you
that he uses a wheelchair and is a heavy smoker."

"Spender," Doggett muttered. 

"Aside from the notes and the phone call, what else did they have you do?=
" Reyes asked.

"They had me hire someone to kill the lieutenant's dog and torch her hou
se," Lupen answered. "They didn't want her to discover the truth too s
oon and they thought burning her house down would scare her into backing off
."

"Was he supposed to shoot me?" Jessica interjected.

"No; I assume he just panicked because you walked in on him."

"Where can we find the shooter?" Doggett asked.

"The morgue most likely," Lupen responded. "Grant had him killed after
 he burned down the house."

"How much of this is my mother involved with?" Jessica queried.

"As far as I know her only involvement is your original abduction," Lupe
n told her.  "Killing your brother was Grant's idea. He felt it was the
only way to keep him quiet."

"I find it very convenient that Grant and his partner seem to be the heavi
es in this, while you're little more than a glorified messenger," Reyes
remarked.

"If the shoe fits..." Lupen allowed.

Jessica glanced at Phillips. "Captain, could I speak with you outside for
a moment?" she requested.

"Of course."

The lieutenant stood up and grabbed her crutches, then the two women excused
 themselves and left the interrogation room, leaving Reyes and Doggett alone
 with Lupen.  

"So what's your story, brown eyes?" Lupen directed at Reyes.

"Excuse me?" Reyes said.

"You're a good looking woman," Lupen replied, and inclined his head to
ward Doggett.  "You can do better than settling for second choice."

"Shut up, Lupen," Doggett snapped.

The detective ignored him.  "You and I are on the same team," he continu
ed.  "If I can get my hands on the Ice Princess, that means you can have h
er lap dog here for yourself."

Doggett walked over to stand next to Lupen's chair, his expression one of
controlled anger. "Unless you want to spend the next six months on a liqui
d diet, I suggest you keep your mouth shut," he warned evenly.

"You're just as cold as that blonde bitch who still uses your name," c
ame the reply. "The two of you must get frostbite in bed."

The comment snapped Doggett's hold on his temper and he reacted without th
inking, lifting his arm to punch Lupen dead center in his face. The blow bro
ke his nose and knocked him backward out of his chair, and Doggett reached o
ver to grab Lupen by the front of his coat. Hauling him to his feet, he igno
red the blood trickling from the other man's nose as he shoved him against
 the wall. Releasing his hold on Lupen's coat, he grabbed a handful of hai
r with one fist and lodged his other arm against the detective's throat.
"Give me a reason, Lupen," he snarled in a whispered hiss.  "One littl
e shift of my arm and I can snap your neck like a dry twig. Just say one mor
e word against my wife and I'll send you on a one way trip to hell!"

Something in Doggett's eyes warned Lupen he was deadly serious, and the de
tective wisely remained silent.  On the other side of the table, a worried R
eyes attempted to calm her partner down.

"Let go of him, John," she said.  "Assaulting him isn't going to hel
p Jessica."

Doggett shot her a sideways glance, and realizing she was right, reluctantly
 released his hold on Lupen and stepped away from him just as Jessica and Ca
ptain Phillips reentered the room accompanied by a pair of uniformed officer
s.  Both women glanced at the overturned chair and Lupen's bloody nose, an
d the tension radiating from the men was almost tangible.

"Did we miss something?" Phillips asked pointedly.

The trio remained conspicuously mute, and after a lengthy silence, it was Lu
pen who spoke first.

"It was an accident, Captain," he lied.  "I leaned backward too far in
 my chair and when I fell over, I landed face first and managed to break my
nose.  Agent Doggett was kind enough to help me back on my feet."

"How thoughtful of him," Jessica remarked dryly.

Phillips shot Doggett a look that clearly said she wasn't buying Lupen's
 tale, but nonetheless she let it go and motioned the uniformed officers for
ward.  "Detective Lupen, I'm placing you under arrest for withholding ev
idence in a federal homicide investigation, for being an accessory to attemp
ted murder, arson, extortion and cruelty to animals."

Lupen shot her a disbelieving look as the officers took up position on eithe
r side of him and gently pulled his arms behind his back to handcuff him. 
"This is a joke, right?"

"Not hardly."

He glanced at Jessica. "We had a deal," he declared. "I was to be give
n immunity from prosecution and granted protection in exchange for my testim
ony."

"Those were your terms, not mine," Jessica responded.

"You said you agreed to them!" Lupen snapped.  

"I said that Agent Reyes had informed me of what they were," Jessica ame
nded. "I never agreed to anything."

Rage filled his face.  "You deceitful bitch!" he exclaimed. "You set m
e up!"

"You set yourself up, Miguel," Phillips interjected evenly.  "You waiv
ed your right to have your attorney present in front of witnesses, and techn
ically speaking Lieutenant Doggett did not actually agree to accept your dem
ands."

He took a step toward the lieutenant, his intent obvious, but Doggett immedi
ately placed himself in front of Jessica as the uniformed officers restraine
d him.  "You lying slut!" he shouted angrily. "I should have killed yo
u when I had the chance!"

"I know the feelin'," Doggett retorted, and glanced at the closest off
icer. "Get him out of here."

Lupen kept his hate filled gaze on Jessica as he was taken into custody and
removed form the interrogation room.  Once he was gone, Phillips turned to f
ace her subordinate.

"You realize that with Miguel's arrest, it's only a matter of time bef
ore the real details behind Scott's death are leaked to the media," she
said quietly.

Jessica nodded. "I know."

"We need to bring your mother and Alan Grant in for questioning," Philli
ps told her.  

"The Bureau will take care of that," Doggett replied.

"That's a good idea," Phillips agreed.  "Jessica, I'm going to hav
e to ask you to withdraw yourself from the case. Now that your mother is at
the very least an accessory to kidnapping, I can't allow you to remain inv
olved in a professional capacity."

"Of course."

"If you have no objections, I'll turn it over to Ken Saurus. He's an e
xcellent detective and I know we can trust him to be discreet."

"Saurus is fine."

Philips nodded and glanced at the agents.  "I'll have Detective Saurus c
ontact your office once he's had a chance to review the file."

"That will be fine," Reyes said.

"Jessica, I'm sorry it had to come to this."

"So am I."

Phillips flashed her a sympathetic smile, then bid farewell to Reyes and Dog
gett and left the room.

"Are you ok?" Doggett asked of Jessica.

"As okay as I can be under the circumstances," she responded.  "And fo
r the record, that story Miguel gave us about falling out of his chair was t
he biggest fairy tale I've heard in a long time.  For someone who chides m
e about my temper, you seem to have a bit of trouble controlling your own.=
"

Doggett smiled. "To quote a beautiful blonde I know, 'He had it comin
', and not just for his part in what happened to Scott'."

She smiled back. "Touche'."

"We'd better head back to the office and tell A.D. Skinner what's goin
g on," Reyes said.  

"You two go ahead," Jessica replied. "I'm going to pay a visit to my
 mother."

"By yourself?" Doggett prompted. 

"No, actually I'm going to call Fox and have him meet me at her office.
He has a right to know the truth as much as I do."

"If that's the way you want it," Doggett allowed.  "I'll meet you
there once I've talked with Skinner."

"What about Grant?"

"Monica and Dana can bring him in."

"Fine. I'll see you in a bit."

The couple exchanged a quick kiss and Jessica bid farewell to Reyes before t
hey headed off for their respective destinations.

*************************************************************************

SENATE BUILDING, WASHINGTON D.C.

Having called Mulder on his cell phone to update him, Jessica was not surpri
sed to find him on the steps of the Senate Building waiting for her when she
 finally arrived.  Seeing her approach, he greeted her with a faint smile.

"You made good time," he said.  "Dare I ask if you stayed within spitt
ing distance of the speed limit?"

"I drive an SUV, Fox, not a sports car," Jessica responded lightly. 
"Expeditions aren't exactly built for speed."

"Good point. So are you ready to do this?"

"Not really, but let's do it anyway."

He placed his hand on her arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze before they m
ade their way inside. Many of the people present recognized both Jessica and
 Mulder, and offered them friendly greetings as they passed through the hall
ways.  It took them only a couple of minutes to reach Elizabeth's office o
n the second floor, and when they did they discovered Elizabeth was finishin
g a meeting with her staff.

"She shouldn't be more than another five or ten minutes, Lieutenant,"
Elizabeth's secretary Sydney told her. "Can you wait, or shall I interru
pt her?"

"We'll wait," Jessica answered.  "Would you please call Michael Kell
y and ask him to come over as soon as possible?"

"Actually he's in the meeting with her," Sydney revealed.  "I believ
e they're planning her campaign budget and PR strategy."

"In that case maybe we should interrupt after all and spare them the effor
t," Mulder muttered dryly.

The lieutenant shot him a warning look as they settled themselves into a pai
r of chairs in the reception area.  Ten minutes later the meeting adjourned
and various members of the senator's staff filtered out of the room, flash
ing Jessica smiles of greeting as they did so.  Michael Kelly and Elizabeth
remained in her office, fine tuning some details of the meeting, and after t
elling Sydney to show Doggett and Skinner in when they arrived, Jessica hobb
led into the office shadowed by Mulder.

"Jessica, darling," Elizabeth greeted. "What a nice surprise."

"I'm here in an official capacity, Senator," Jessica responded, her us
e of her mother's title in lieu of 'Mom' or 'mother' not lost on E
lizabeth.  "Michael, this is Special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI. Fox, m
y mother's attorney, Michael Kelly."

The two men exchanged greetings and a handshake before Jessica addressed Eli
zabeth.  "I want to know why you never told me I'm adopted and what your
 involvement was in my abduction thirty-nine years ago," she said bluntly.

"Abduction?" Kelly echoed.  "What are you talking about, Jessica?"

Mulder answered for her.  "Almost thirty-nine years ago my infant sister C
hristina was kidnapped from our family's home in Martha's Vineyard and d
isappeared," he answered. "She was never found, and no one was ever char
ged with the crime.  Based upon our preliminary evidence, we have reason to
believe she was part of an illegal adoption ring being run by Alan Grant, wh
erein he would steal babies from their biological parents and sell them to t
he highest bidder, after which he would forge the adoption papers. Scott Cal
dwell apparently stumbled onto evidence of the ring himself, and discovered
that his sister Jessica was in actuality my sister Christina. He took his di
scovery to a Detective Miguel Lupen at Alexandria P.D, who in turn became an
 accessory to Grant's activities after Grant offered him a financial settl
ement in exchange for Lupen's assistance in keeping Scott from telling his
 sister or going public with what he knew."

"Are you saying Lupen and Grant had Scott killed because he found out abou
t your adoption?" Elizabeth asked incredulously.

"Yes," Jessica confirmed.  "That's also why they tried to kill me af
ter killing Trouble and burning my house down."

The senator's face lost some of its color. "I had no idea they would tak
e it so far after all this time," she muttered.

"Did you think they would just sit back and do nothing if the information
ever became public knowledge?" Jessica prompted.

"Frankly I had no idea what they would do, but murder wasn't even on the
 list of possibilities. No one was supposed to get hurt."

"Tell that to my parents," Mulder retorted.  "Tell that to Jessica and
 your son."

"Assuming for the moment that you can prove any of this," Kelly interjec
ted, "where does Elizabeth fit into all of this?"

"That's what we're here to find out," a familiar voice responded fro
m behind them.

The foursome turned expectantly as Doggett and Skinner entered Elizabeth's
 office. Introductions were quickly made before they returned to the busines
s at hand, and Skinner addressed Elizabeth.

"Detective Lupen has already been arrested after confessing to his part in
 Scott's death, as well as the attempt on Lieutenant Doggett's life,"
he revealed. "Two of my agents are en route to Alan Grant's office to br
ing him in for questioning, and depending upon what he tells us, you could b
e facing felony charges of conspiracy to commit a kidnapping and accessory t
o kidnapping."

"What do you want from me?" Elizabeth asked.

"Lieutenant Doggett and Agent Mulder have both declined to press charges f
or the kidnapping," Skinner told her. "However, we still need to get you
r official statement about the kidnapping and the adoption."

"How much of this will have to be made public knowledge?"

"Don't you dare say that you're worried about your image, Senator,"
Jessica snapped.  

Elizabeth gave her a frustrated look.  "That isn't what I intended to sa
y, Jessica," she chided. "I was merely going to suggest that it would be
 better for Sarah and the children if we can handle this as discreetly as po
ssible."

"It would have been better for everyone if you hadn't stolen my sister i
n the first place," Mulder retorted.

Elizabeth had no response for that, and after an awkward silence Skinner spo
ke again.  "Senator," he said.  "I think it would be best if we reloca
ted to the Hoover Building. I know my superior Deputy Director Kersh will wa
nt to be brought in on this."

"Of course," the senator demurred, and rose to her feet.  

"Before you go I want an answer to a question," Jessica replied.  "Why
 didn't you ever tell me I was adopted?"

"Edward and I loved you as much as we would have loved our biological chil
d, and we didn't want the knowledge that you were adopted to make you or a
nyone else think otherwise," Elizabeth told her.  "We feared that you mi
ght harbor resentment toward Scott because he was our biological child, or t
hat people might treat you differently if they knew that you weren't."

"That's hardly justification for a lifetime of lies."

"In retrospect perhaps not, but at the time we honestly felt we were doing
 the right thing. And for the record, Jessica, I didn't know that you were
 an abducted child. Edward and Alan handled everything themselves and told m
e that your mother had died in childbirth."

The lieutenant gave a derisive snort. "How convenient. I'm sure that com
forts Scott greatly knowing your ignorance as well as your deceit cost him h
is life."

Her daughter's continued hostility bristled Elizabeth's fragile nerves.
 "I understand your anger, Jessica, but having lost a son yourself I would
 think you might be a bit more sympathetic."

That comment was enough to resurrect Doggett's temper. "Don't begin to
 compare Luke's death to Scott's," he said coolly, "and don't thin
k you're anywhere near the mother that Jess was. She was never anythin'
but honest with our son, and didn't harbor secrets that led to his death.=
"

Again Elizabeth offered no response.

"If you're ready, Senator, we should get going," Skinner said.

Elizabeth nodded and after retrieving her purse and her coat, accompanied Sk
inner from the room, shadowed by Michael Kelly. 

"Do you want to come back to headquarters with us and sit in on your mothe
r's statement or Grant's?" Doggett asked.

"I'd like to hear what Grant has to say," Jessica answered.  "Althou
gh Spender seems to be the one with all of the answers."

"Well now that we know he's alive, I'm certain it's only a matter of
 time before he contacts me," Mulder replied.  "He won't resist the ch
ance to throw what he's done back in my face."

"Something to look forward to, I'm sure," Jessica responded dryly. 
"Let's go."

************************************************************************* 

FBI HEADQUARTERS 

Thirty minutes later, everyone was gathered in the conference room at the Ho
over Building, where
Kersh was finishing his review of the Triad file.  He was seated at the head
 of the table, with Skinner on his right and Michael Kelly on his left. Cloc
kwise from Kelly the rest of the chairs were occupied by Elizabeth Caldwell,=
 Reyes, Alan Grant, his attorney Brett Foster, Scully, and Jessica. Mulder w
as propped against the wall with an air of bored indifference, while Doggett
 stood a couple of feet behind Jessica, his arms crossed across his chest, h
is expression unreadable. Two other armed agents stood by the door, standing
 sentinel over the room per orders from Kersh.

Releasing a sigh, Kersh completed his perusal of the file and closed the fol
der, folding his hands together and resting them on top of the folder.  "W
ell I must say this case is a virtual cornucopia of federal charges," he r
emarked.  "Murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnapping,=
 extortion, forgery, arson, conspiracy to commit arson, withholding evidence
 in a federal homicide investigation.  I suppose the first question I have,
both for Senator Caldwell and Mister Grant, is are the charges accurate?"

"Yes," Elizabeth admitted simply.

Grant glanced at Foster, who gave a curt nod, and he said, "Yes, sir."

"Very well.  Let's just take them in categories, and as the victim herse
lf is present let's start with the kidnapping charges.  Lieutenant Doggett
, as a police officer I am certain that you are aware there is no statue of
limitations for kidnapping, being that it is a felony."

"Yes, sir, I am aware of that," Jessica confirmed.  

"Do you wish to pursue criminal charges against your mother and Mister Gra
nt for your abduction thirty-eight years ago?" Kersh asked.

"No, sir.  If the Bureau is able to ensure that Mister Grant is convicted
of his role in my brother's murder and the destruction of my home, than I
have no desire to instigate the kidnapping charges against him.   As for Sen
ator Caldwell, she claims to have had no knowledge that I was an abducted ch
ild, and with no direct proof to the contrary, I'll drop the charges again
st her as well."

"Fine," Kersh said.  "Senator, you're free to leave, but I'm certa
in that I don't need to tell you that what was discussed here today is not
 to be discussed with anyone other than your attorney."

"I understand."

Kelly nodded at Elizabeth and they both rose to their feet.  The senator gla
nced at Jessica, obviously intent on saying something, but stifled the impul
se at the expression on her face and silently followed Kelly out of the room
.

Kersh glanced at Foster. "The remainder of the charges are directed solely
 at your client, Mister Foster.  Is Mister Grant prepared to cooperate with
our investigation?"

"He is," Foster assured him.

"Very well. For the record, Mister Grant, why don't you tell us how you
arranged for Christina Mulder to be given to the Caldwells, and why you were
 willing to kill to keep the secret so many years later."

Grant again glanced at his attorney and waited for his nod before speaking.
 "The decision to abduct Christina Mulder came from my partner, a man name
d Carl Spender who at the time was an agent with the FBI's Boston division
.  Apparently he had been working with Bill Mulder on some secret project fo
r the government, and when Mulder tried to back out of their deal, Spender h
ad Christina kidnapped."

"Why me?" Jessica interjected. "Why not Fox or Samantha?"

"Spender said he intended to 'take care of Samantha' at a later date,=
" Grant revealed, "but said he had other plans for the boy and that he w
as not to be harmed.  It was at that same time that my business partner Edwa
rd Caldwell approached me about helping him and his wife adopt a baby. They
already had a seven-year-old son, but after he was born Elizabeth wasn't a
ble to conceive again, so they finally decided on adoption. And Elizabeth ha
d made it clear she wanted a baby girl."

"Why not go through a conventional adoption agency?" Mulder asked.  "T
hey were well known and respected public figures and certainly had enough mo
ney to provide for another child."

"Edward was adamant that no one know the child was adopted. I couldn't u
nderstand why, but he was convinced that it would somehow be a problem if ei
ther the child or the general public knew she wasn't the Caldwells biologi
cal child.  So he came to me. He knew of my connection to Spender and had he
ard rumors of Spender's 'project', and was willing to pay to get one o
f the 'special' babies that Spender had been working on."

"That's the second time you've mentioned some type of secret project t
hat my father and Agent Spender were allegedly conspiring on," Mulder repl
ied, and walked over to stand beside Doggett. "What exactly was this proje
ct?"

"Spender never confirmed nor denied its existence, but according to the ru
mors he and your father were experimenting with injecting specialized DNA in
to a Human fetus during certain developmental stages to produce 'super bab
ies'. Babies with enhanced intelligence, emotional aptitude, physical appe
arance and abilities. It was their contention that these experiments would e
ventually lead to the elimination of birth defects and diseases such as Down
's Syndrome, epilepsy, malformed or missing appendages."

"Genetic manipulation of unborn fetuses is illegal," Scully pointed out.

"Which is yet another reason why Edward was determined to keep the knowled
ge of Jessica's adoption a secret," Grant allowed.  "Christina Mulder
was one of the first babies to have survived the experiments and be born ali
ve and well.  Spender was determined to put her where he could keep an eye o
n her and watch her development, and given his growing difficulties with Bil
l Mulder he knew that he could only do that by taking her away from her fami
ly."

"Well if he really wanted to simplify things maybe he should have just tos
sed Christina into a giant glass jar and stuck her on a shelf with the rest
of his specimens," Mulder said drolly.

"I think we can do without your commentary, Agent Mulder," Kersh admonis
hed.

Mulder fell silent, and Jessica chose that moment to rejoin the conversation
.  "I don't suppose you have any proof of the genetic manipulation they
allegedly did to me?" she prompted.

"Aside from the extraordinary reflection you see whenever you look into a
mirror?" Grant replied. "Tell me, Lieutenant. Have you ever had the flu,=
 or a cold? Do you have any allergies? Have you ever had a backache, or an e
arache? Have you ever so much as sneezed?"

The expression on her face answered the question more effectively than any s
poken response could have, and Doggett decided to deflect the attention away
 from her

"With everythin' else you've revealed here, Mister Grant, you have yet
 to explain why you decided it was necessary to kill Scott Caldwell rather t
han let the truth come out," he replied. "And given that the truth has c
ome out anyway, whatever your excuse is, it's not gonna make a whole lot o
f sense."

"It's rather simple, Agent Doggett," Grant responded. "Self-preserva
tion.  I have my own family and reputation to protect, and I wasn't willin
g to let Scott jeopardize that by uncovering my secrets."

"Obviously Spender thinks differently," Doggett returned.

"The man's dying of cancer, and his only son has been dead for several y
ears. He has nothing left to lose. And allowing the truth to be revealed on
his terms was his way of exerting his last tendrils of control over the situ
ation."

"Sounds like his style," Mulder muttered.

"Well now that you've told us what we needed to know, its time for me to
 exert my control over this situation," Kersh declared, and motioned for t
he agents at the door to step forward. "Alan Grant, you are under arrest f
or the various crimes previously described to you and confessed to by you. I
 am remanding you to the custody of the FBI and you will remain in prison un
til formal charges have been filed and your ultimate place of incarceration
is determined by the courts."

Grant stood up and the agents each took hold of one of his arms, and Foster
rose to his feet to follow him as they started for the door. Once there, how
ever, Grant stopped and turned to look back at Jessica.  "For what its wor
th, Jessica, I truly never intended for it to get this far," he said.

"That and three bucks will buy her a cup of coffee," Mulder retorted.

"That's enough, Mulder," Skinner said firmly.

For her part, the lieutenant offered no verbal response to Grant's mollifi
ed apology, and the agents escorted him out the door with Foster close behin
d.  Once they were gone, Kersh shifted his attention to Jessica.  "Lieuten
ant, would you please excuse us for a moment?" he requested. "I need a m
oment with my staff."

"Of course."

"Agent Reyes, since your involvement with this case has been minimal, you
're excused as well," Kersh told her.

The women rose to their feet and exited the room, and once the door had clos
ed behind them, Kersh addressed his agents. "Well, I must say that I'm a
t a loss for words on this one," he began.  "You've been actively purs
uing an investigation -- without authorization -- that involved criminal c
harges against an acting United States Senator and only brought me into the
loop at the 11th hour.  Not to mention the ramifications to the Bureau if Sp
ender is indeed responsible for plotting the abduction and this mystery proj
ect he and Agent Mulder's father were supposed to have been working on. Ho
w many times am I supposed to let you off with a slap on the wrist when you
break the rules or bend them to suit your needs?"

The question was rhetorical, and the group remained silent, prompting a heav
y sigh from Kersh.  "I'm tempted to fire all of you simply on principle,=
" he said, "but without my rank to keep you in line I might turn you all
 into more of a liability than you already are.  I expect that this will be
the last time I am kept in the dark about any investigation that concerns bo
th the Bureau's reputation and high profile public figures."

There were murmurs of agreement from the others, and Kersh wordlessly rose t
o his feet and left the room. Once he was gone, Mulder released a deep breat
h.  "Well that was fun," he said dryly.

"If I were you Mulder, I'd make damn sure I stayed out of Kersh's way
for as long as humanly possible," Skinner suggested. "He's looking for
 a reason to fire you and another of your ill timed comments may give him on
e."

"I appreciate the warning, sir," Mulder responded.

"Agent Scully, I'll leave it to you to keep your partner out of trouble,=
" Skinner said. "As for you, Agent Doggett, I must say that for a man wh
o prides himself on keeping his private life private, you certainly managed
to entangle yourself in a public mess."

"All's fair in love and war, Assistant Director," Doggett replied.

"Well you seem to be knee deep in a bit of both," Skinner returned wryly
.

*************************************************************************

In the waiting area adjacent to the conference room, Reyes and Jessica watch
ed as Kersh materialized from the room and strode by them without saying a w
ord.

"That can't be good," Jessica remarked.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Reyes said. "Kersh has never been a fan
 of the X files, but his bark is usually worse than his bite. "

"So how long have you been on the X files?" Jessica asked. "Were you a
 member of the division during the investigation into Luke's kidnapping?=
"

"No. I transferred from New Orleans last year when John brought me in on t
he search for Mulder, and I decided to stay on once he had been found."

"I never got the chance to thank you for helping John find Luke. I know ho
w much your assistance meant to him."

"I only wish we could have found him before..."

Her voice trailed off, and the lieutenant gave her a small smile. "Before
he was killed," the other woman finished, and settled into a chair to get
off her injured knee.  "So do I."

Uncomfortable at having touched upon a painful subject, Reyes quickly switch
ed topics.  "I understand from John that the two of you are getting remarr
ied," she said. "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"I have to admit, however, that I was a bit surprised at the suddenness of
 it," Reyes continued casually. "The two of you have been apart for clos
e to five years and yet you reconciled in barely two weeks."

Here it comes, Jessica thought idly, and shot her a sideways glance. "You
don't approve?"

"It's not my place to approve or disapprove," Reyes evaded.

"But you obviously have an opinion about it," Jessica pressed.

Reyes met her gaze. "I just don't want to see John get hurt again," sh
e replied. "He's had enough pain in his life."

"Most of which has been shared with me," Jessica responded.  "You're
 making assumptions based on what little pieces of our history you've been
 privy to and the fact that we've apparently gone 180 degrees in our relat
ionship in just fourteen days. In your position, I'd probably be skeptical
, too.  But you're conveniently overlooking the fact that our two weeks ha
s been preceded by almost thirty years."

"Have you stopped to consider that those thirty years are the reason he th
inks he's still in love with you?"

"Have you stopped to consider that those thirty years are the reason he ne
ver fell out of love with me in the first place?"

Reyes' expression made it clear that she had not.

"I understand why you care about John the way you do," Jessica allowed.
"He's an easy man to love. But the things that draw you to him are imper
sonal. There is so much you don't know about him."

"I know the important things," Reyes countered.  "I know about his int
egrity, his loyalty and his honesty."

"Do you know his middle name?" Jessica asked.

"Excuse me?"

"You said you know the important things. What's his middle name?"

"It's Jay."

The lieutenant permitted herself a small smile.  "Most people think so, be
cause his middle initial is 'J' and because he isn't fond of his middl
e name, he lets them assume that the 'J' is his name and not the letter.=
 But his middle name is Jeremiah, after his father. All of the Doggett men a
re named for the books of the Bible and given their father's first name as
 their middle name."

"So that's why your son was Luke John Doggett," Reyes deduced.  "I n
ever made the connection."

"Do you know why John joined the Marines, or became a cop?" Jessica quer
ied.  "Do you know his favorite color or flavor of ice cream?"

"No, but I suppose you're going to tell me," came the irritated reply.

"He joined the Marines because his father told him that every man must ser
ve God or his country in order to call himself a man; he became a cop becaus
e he wanted children to be able to walk down the streets without fear. He ca
n kill a man with his bare hands, but those same hands cradled our only son
with a reverence that brought tears to my eyes when he placed him on my stom
ach the day he was born. He hates snow, but drove two miles in a blizzard to
 get the ingredients to make his pregnant wife a peanut butter and jelly san
dwich. He barely tolerates dogs that weigh less than his shoes, yet after my
 second miscarriage he gave me a puppy that would eventually grow up and out
weigh me, simply because he knew it would ease my pain.  His favorite color
is blue; his favorite drink is black coffee; and his favorite ice cream is R
ocky Road.  And underneath his tough as nails exterior lays the softest hear
t I have ever been privileged to know."

Finishing her impromptu speech, the lieutenant fell silent, awaiting Reyes
' response.

"You're made your point," the dark haired woman conceded. "But you c
an't expect me to have learned almost thirty years worth of knowledge in j
ust under two."

"Not any more than you can expect John to forget it and fall in love with
you," Jessica returned.  "John has had five years to move on, Monica, wh
ether that meant with you or someone else. He made the choice to remain alon
e, just as he made the choice to accept my request to reconcile.  I'm not
trying to put you down or build myself up; I'm simply stating the facts. A
nd the fact is that by some miracle of God he still loves me. I don't inte
nd to squander that away a second time."

Reyes paused. "I hope you don't," she said tightly, "because if you
do you'll answer to me."

Their conversation was aborted by the arrival of Mulder, Scully and Doggett,=
 and Reyes greeted her partners with a forced smile. "So did Kersh chew al
l of you up and spit you out again?" she asked lightly.

"More or less," Scully allowed.

"How are you doin'?" Doggett asked of Jessica.

"Better, now that everything is out in the open. I just wish there was a w
ay to dig up Spender and get some final answers from him."

"He'll turn up eventually," Mulder assured her.  "Like I said earlie
r, he won't miss the chance to gloat."

"Well, I've still got some paperwork to catch up on that was left over f
rom before my vacation," Reyes said. "I'll see you all later."

Excusing herself, Reyes beat a hasty retreat, feeling her partners' curiou
s gazes on her back as she left.  Once she was gone, Doggett glanced at his
former and future wife.  "You two looked like you were havin' quite the
conversation when we came out," he remarked.  "What were you discussin
'?"

"Ice cream," Jessica said simply, and rose to her feet.

"Ice cream?" Doggett echoed skeptically.

"That's what I said."

"Actually ice cream sounds pretty good about now," Mulder replied.  "A
nd I happen to know that the diner around the corner serves the best hot fud
ge sundaes in D.C."

"A nice bowl of plain old fashioned chocolate chip will suit me just fine,=
" Jessica responded.

"Chocolate chip works for me," Scully agreed.

"Now, Ladies, anybody who knows ice cream knows that the only real flavor
is Rocky Road," Doggett countered.

"Rocky Road?" Mulder echoed.

"He likes the mini marshmallows," Jessica clarified.

"That was more information than he needed, sweetheart," Doggett proteste
d.

"Are you blushing, Agent Doggett?" Mulder asked innocently.

"Shut up, Mulder."

*************************************************************************

Shortly thereafter, the quartet was sequestered at a corner table in the din
er finishing the last remnants of their ice cream.  The sight of four well-d
ressed adults eating sundaes in the middle of the day had earned them a few
curious stares, but they were oblivious to them as they enjoyed a rare oppor
tunity to simply relax. Their waitress was an elderly woman named Betty, who
 had spent the first ten minutes after their arrival bragging to the foursom
e about her grandchildren before coercing them into telling her about themse
lves. Scully had taken the initiative and made the introductions.

"My name is Dana, this is my partner, Mulder. Across from him is my other
partner, John, and next to John is his ex-wife, Jessica."

"Actually, it's future wife now," Jessica revealed. "We're getting
 remarried."

"Good for you, young lady," Betty declared.  "In honor of the occasion
, whatever you want is on the house."

After thanking Betty for the offer, they had placed their order and engaged
in casual conversation until their ice cream had arrived.  They had eaten in
 companionable silence, until Jessica had posed a question to the others.

"Aren't you guys going to get in trouble for spending the afternoon doin
g nothing?" Jessica asked.

"Kersh is already pissed at us," Mulder pointed out, "and at the momen
t there is nothing at the office that requires immediate attention. So after
 everything that's happened over the last couple of weeks, I think we've
 all earned the chance to indulge in something as mundane as eating ice crea
m."

"No argument here," Scully replied, "although I'll let you be the on
e to explain to Will why we had ice cream without him."

"Let Jessica explain it to him," Mulder countered. "It was her idea.=
"

"Oh, that's right; blame the baby sister," Jessica responded with ligh
t sarcasm.

"What can I say? I've got thirty-eight years worth of sibling rivalry to
 catch up on."

Scully and Doggett exchanged an amused look at the banter between their resp
ective significant others as Jessica suddenly grew serious.

"How much truth do you think there was in Grant's story about my DNA hav
ing been manipulated before I was born?" she asked quietly.

Mulder hesitated a moment before responding.  "Grant would have no reason
to make something like that up," he said, "and it's certainly somethin
g my father and Spender were capable of."

"But there's nothing special about me," Jessica protested.

"I disagree with that," Doggett interjected.

The lieutenant shot him a faint smile of gratitude before continuing. "I
'm a reasonably intelligent person, but certainly not any kind of genius.
And as my gunshot wound and injured knee so painfully pointed out, I'm as
capable of being injured or killed as the next person."

"Yet as Grant pointed out you've never even had a simple cold," Mulder
 reminded her.

"He also mentioned enhanced emotional aptitude and physical appearance,=
" Scully reminded her.  "Given your feelings for John were as strong as
they were at only eleven and the fact that you're an exceptionally beautif
ul woman, if you combine that with your near perfect health, the evidence su
ggests that at least part of what they did worked."

"Maybe," she allowed.  "But I can't help but wonder if the cost was
the children I never had."

Scully and Mulder exchanged a knowing look as Doggett silently reached over
and took her hand in his, then gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You don't know that what they did to you was in any responsible for you
 losin' those babies," he said softly.

"I also don't know that it wasn't."

"Let it go, Jess. Your mother and Grant and Spender aren't worth wastin
' any more of your time."

She forced a smile. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just going to take some t
ime for everything to settle in so I can start healing."

"Speaking of healing," Mulder began, "since you are obviously recovere
d from your near death experience, and given that you have insanely agreed t
o remarry the man beside you, are we going to be hearing wedding bells some
time soon?"

"Aside from the fact I want to walk down the aisle and not limp, we haven
't really discussed it," Jessica admitted, and glanced at John.  "I as
sume we're in agreement that we want something small and intimate?"

"Oh, yeah," Doggett responded.  "I'm too old to deal with another fi
asco like the one that masqueraded as our first weddin."

"I take it that you had a large guest list?" Scully prompted.

"We made the mistake of allowing my moth...Elizabeth," Jessica corrected
 mid-sentence, unwilling to bestow the maternal title on Elizabeth, "help
us plan it. She promptly invited everyone she and Edward knew, everyone John
's parents knew, his entire regiment from the Corps, and the one hundred g
uests we had originally listed.  By the time it was done we had almost four
hundred people at our wedding and we barely knew half of them."

"And seein' all those people packed into such a small space triggered Je
ss' claustrophobia," Doggett revealed, "so my dad has to rush us throu
gh the vows so I could get her outside before she started to hyperventilate.=
"

"Well I can see how that would be an experience you'd rather not repeat,=
" Mulder replied drolly.

"Is your father a minister?" Scully asked.

"He was," Doggett revealed.  "He was the minister rat our local church
 for close to forty years before he died."

"So you're a preacher's son," Mulder said. "Wonders never cease.=
"

"How's that?"

"You're one of the most skeptical people I know, Agent Doggett; I wouldn
't think belief in a higher power would be on your agenda."

"Maybe if you directed a third of the energy to believin' in God that yo
u do to your conspiracies about little green men, Agent Mulder, you might fi
nd it more beneficial to your peace of mind."

"Okay, this stops right here," Jessica declared, and the men glanced at
her questioningly. "If you insist on giving one another tit for tat like t
eenagers that's your business, but this formality of 'Agent Mulder' an
d 'Agent Doggett' is suffocating me. You're colleagues; like it or not
 you're family, and admit it or not, you're friends. From now on, when y
'all are off duty you will address one another as John and Fox."

"Mulder," he corrected. "Fox is reserved for my sisters."

"Whatever.  And for God's sake, Fox, this woman is the mother of your ch
ild. Would it kill you to call her Dana once in a while?"

The others exchanged surprised glances at Jessica's outburst before Dogget
t deadpanned, "It must have been something in the chocolate chips."

Jessica rolled her eyes.

*************************************************************************

After feeding Will and putting him down for the night, Mulder and Scully had
 shared a quiet candlelight dinner before climbing into the bubble bath.  As
 Scully sipped at her glass of Bordeaux, Mulder idly ran his hand up and dow
n her arm as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

"You know, Jessica made a good point this afternoon," Scully said casual
ly.

"That being?" Mulder prompted.

"You and John always being so formal with one another," she answered. 
"Now that he's about to become your brother-in-law..."

"Don't remind me," Mulder interrupted dryly.

Scully ignored him and continued as if he hadn't spoken.  "It might beho
ove you to be a little nicer to him. And to call him John on occasion."

"Just because I'm related to the man doesn't mean I have to like him,=
" came the muttered protest.

The petite redhead shifted in his embrace to face him. "Would it kill you
to admit you already do?"

"That will never happen."

She smiled. "Never say never," she cautioned. "I assume, however, that
 you are willing to admit you like your newly discovered sister?"

"That I can do," Mulder replied.  "Her looks take a little getting use
d to, and her taste in men is definitely questionable, but yeah, I like her.=
 She's got spunk."

One delicate eyebrow arched upward. "Spunk?" Scully echoed, and reached
over the edge of the tub to set her glass on the floor. "This from a man w
ho's IQ hovers near 250."

"What, you want the wordy version?"

"Anything would be better than 'spunky'."

"Fine.  I like her because she doesn't let her looks or where she comes
from --namely big money - define her identity. I like her because she has b
rains to go with her beauty. I like her because she likes kids and animals,
and I like her because when push comes to shove, she can probably kick ass w
ith the best of them."

Mulder finished his 'wordy version' and fell silent, awaiting Scully's
 response.  After a long silence she finally said, "Definitely better than
 spunky."

"I'm glad you approve."

Resuming her position against his chest, Scully allowed herself a moment to
indulge in the simple pleasure of being in Mulder's embrace before speakin
g again.  "At the risk of touching on a sore subject," she began, "in
all of the hullabaloo surrounding the discovery that Jessica is Christina, t
here is one minor detail you've overlooked."

"Which is?"

"Despite whatever Spender and his minions have tried to make you believe i
n the past, the DNA test the Gunmen did to prove Jessica is Christina also p
roved that you're Bill Mulder's son," Scully revealed quietly.  "The
 ratio of the genetic match was too high for her to only be your half-sister
."

Silence. And then, "I know.  Before we left the hospital the night Jessica
 was shot, I asked one of the nurses to take a blood sample from me and run
the DNA test again against the blood they got off her clothing.  The results
 were the same."

"You sound disappointed."

"Not disappointed. Relieved. Not so much about Bill Mulder being my father
, but about Jessica really being Christina."

"You still had doubts?"

"There was the chance that Spender had somehow known what the Gunmen were
up to and managed to alter the medical records to ensure the DNA test was po
sitive. But the second test was indisputable, because no one other than myse
lf and the nurse knew I had done it."

"So why relief?" Scully pressed.

Mulder sighed.  "Because she'd gotten under my skin in a remarkably shor
t time and I wasn't willing to lose someone else I cared about," he conf
essed quietly.  "Especially another sister."

Such a simple confession, with no indication of the weight behind it.  In th
e almost nine years Mulder had been in her life, Scully could count on one h
and the number of times he had been completely honest with her about his own
 emotions, and it made these rare cracks in his armor that much more cherish
ed. Smiling to herself, she once again shifted to face him.

"Have I mentioned lately that I love you?" she asked lightly.

"No, but you can make it up to me by washing my back."

"Or your front."

A pause. "That'll work, too."

Her laugh was smothered by his kiss.

************************************************************************

FALLS CHURCH 

That evening, Jessica and John had returned home and taken a brief walk arou
nd the neighborhood to strengthen her knee before the return of the rain had
 forced them indoors.  They had eaten a light supper before changing into sl
eepwear and were now sequestered in their living room, snuggled under a blan
ket and propped against the couch as a fire burned brightly in the fireplace
.

"You were certainly in a mood this afternoon," Doggett remarked.  "Whe
re did your little speech about me and Mulder bein' family and friends com
e from?"

"It's true, isn't it?" Jessica countered.  "The two of you go at o
ne another like a couple of pre-pubescent kids, but underneath the taunts an
d the sarcasm I think you genuinely like and respect one another."

"You said it; I didn't."

"Well I like him.  A part of me will always miss Scott, but I like having
a big brother around, and if it can't be Scott than there's no one else
I'd rather have it be than Fox."

"Frankly I don't understand his appeal," Doggett muttered.

"You mean aside from his intelligence, good looks, quirky sense of humor a
nd well-hidden sense of chivalry?" Jessica prompted innocently.  

"Point taken," Doggett conceded. "So do you want to tell me what you a
nd Monica were really discussin' this afternoon when we came out of the me
eting with Kersh, or are you goin' to stick to your story about ice cream?=
" 

Jessica smiled against his chest. "Well ice cream did enter into the discu
ssion," she allowed, and tilted her head back to meet his gaze. "If you
must know, however, we were discussing you."

"A worthy topic," Doggett responded.  "What exactly was it about me th
at you were discussin'?"

"Monica made a comment to me about how surprised she was that you and I ha
d reconciled so quickly, so I decided to call her on it."

"I thought you were goin' to let me talk to her."

"I was, but the opportunity arose for me to do it, and so I took it."

"Fair enough. So what did you say?"

"In a nutshell, I told her that the history we have together combined with
 the fact we never really stopped loving one another enabled us to start ove
r again faster than other people in our position normally might have."

"What about your conviction that she's in love with me?"

"She didn't deny it, and told me that if I hurt you again I'd have her
 to answer to."

"So that's what we interrupted," Doggett mused.  "I'm almost sorry
 I missed it. It's been awhile since I've had someone fightin' for my
honor."

The lieutenant smiled at that before growing serious.  "To be perfectly ho
nest, though, in retrospect she may have a point."

Doggett's surprise was obvious. "That's certainly the last thing I'd
 expect to hear from you," he said.

She sighed. "It's not an easy thing to admit, but sometimes the truth hu
rts. And the truth is that I did walk out on our marriage once before when t
he going got tough."

"And you think I should be worried that you might do the same thing again.=
" 

"You would have every right to feel that way," Jessica allowed.  "I lo
ve you, John; I always have.  Unfortunately it took Scott's death to be th
e catalyst to finally seek you out and tell you. But I know how much you car
ed about Scott, and I know how strong your personal code of honor is. If we
're going to make us work a second time, maybe you need a chance to decide
 if what you're feeling really is love, or just a reflection of all the em
otions losing Scott and the memories of our history have resurrected."

Doggett was silent for so long that she began to fear that she had inadverte
ntly hit the proverbial nail on the head, but just a she was about to withdr
aw from his embrace he spoke again.

"I'd be lyin' if I said that the thought of you leavin' me again had
n't crossed my mind," he said at last.  "But if I thought that was gon
na happen we wouldn't be here havin' this conversation. As for Scott, ye
s I miss him, and yes I feel obligated to take care of you. But that's not
 what this is about. After everything that's happened over the last couple
 of weeks, I've realized how much I was missin' without you in my life.
 I love you, Jess, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And for
 the record, if you do ever leave me again, I'm goin' with you."

She flashed him an adoring smile.  "I'll make a note of it."

"See that you do," he responded. "May I kiss you now?"

"Please do."

*************************************************************************

Late the following morning, Jessica awoke alone, the coolness of the bed bes
ide her indicating Doggett had been gone for some time.  Glancing at the clo
ck, she did a quick mental calculation after seeing the time and assumed he
had gone for a run before heading into work.  As she tossed back the bedcove
rs, however, she heard the tell tale bustling in the bathroom that indicated
 Doggett was still in the house.  Leaving her crutches propped against the n
ightstand, Jessica limped across the room and came to halt in the bathroom d
oorway, taking a moment to admire the view. Doggett stood at the sink, his d
ress slacks on but his chest bare as he finished shaving. His tattoo stood o
ut against the light olive skin of his well-muscled upper arms, and the scar
 from the injury that had gotten him discharged from the Corps was clearly v
isible amidst the faint ridges of muscle adorning his stomach.  

Some scars aren't as easy to see as others but it doesn't mean they hurt
 any less.

The thought popped into Jessica's head unbidden, having been a comment fro
m Doggett when she had convinced him to share with her what had happened in
Beirut. He had suffered flashbacks and nightmares during the early years of
their relationship, yet once they had married it had somehow managed to exor
cise Doggett's ghosts, and the nightmares had stopped.  She asked him once
 why he thought their marriage had managed to do what professional counselor
s and therapy had not, and his response had been simply, "You brought me p
eace."

She smiled at the memory, thinking how very mutual the sentiment was, and at
 last wandered over to stand beside him.

"Good morning, Sunshine," she greeted softly.

'Good mornin' yourself. How'd you sleep?"

"Very well, thank you. How long have you been up?"

"I woke up at about 5:30 and went for a run, then stopped off at the baker
y to get a Danish and a cup of coffee before I came back here to shower and
dress for work."

"Are we still going shopping for a Christmas tree tonight?"

"Yes. I assume you still intend to invite Mulder along?"

"Yes. Scully is giving a lecture tonight at a forensics seminar at Quantic
o so he's got Will."

The ring of the phone interrupted their conversation and wiping the last rem
nants of shaving cream from his face, Doggett walked into the bedroom to ans
wer it.  "Hello?"

"Hi John, its Sarah."

"Mornin', Sarah. How are you?"

"At the moment, I'm torn between anger and confusion," Sarah responded
. "Have you and Jessica seen today's edition of the Post?"

"Not yet. Why?"

"The first article on the front page is all about Alan Grant and Miguel Lu
pen being arrested for Scott's murder, and also states that Elizabeth hers
elf was brought in for questioning by the FBI. And the icing on the cake is
the revelation that apparently Scott was killed to cover up the fact that Je
ssica was kidnapped as an infant and is actually the sister of one your coll
eagues."

"Son of a bitch," Doggett muttered.

"Is it true?" Sarah demanded.

"Yeah, it's true."

"I think Jessica needs to come to the house and explain to me exactly what
's going on," Sarah said.  "The kids are going to find out about this
and I need to know what to tell them."

"She'll be there in half an hour."

Doggett hung up the phone and turned to face Jessica, who had wandered over
to stand beside him after hearing his explicative.   "We've got trouble,=
" he declared.

"What's going on?" Jessica asked.

"Accordin' to Sarah today's edition of The Washington Post has a front
 page article about Scott's death and your kidnappin'," Doggett told h
er.

"That's just great. How did the press find out?"

"Given your mother's public position it was only a matter of time before
 it became front page news, sweetheart.  Get dressed and head on over to Sar
ah's. I'll call Mulder and have him meet you there."

*************************************************************************

ALEXANDRIA 

Just under thirty minutes later, Jessica arrived at Sarah's house and foun
d Mulder already there.  Climbing out of her car, she crossed the driveway t
o meet him on the walkway.

"Good morning," he greeted.  

"Hi, Fox," Jessica returned.

"So our little family secrets are now front page news," Mulder remarked.=
  "I'm sure the good Senator must be ecstatic."

"Elizabeth has an entire staff ready to handle her PR problems," Jessica
 replied. "I'm more concerned about how Scott's children are going to
handle the news."

"That's what we're here to find out."

The two made their way to the front door and rang the bell, and a moment lat
er Sarah opened the door.  "Hi," she greeted simply. "Thanks for getti
ng here so quickly."

She stepped aside to allow them entry and motioned them inside before she sw
ung the door shut behind them.  The trio remained silent until they reached
the living room, then Jessica made the introductions.

"Fox, this is my sister-in-law, Doctor Sarah Caldwell. Sarah, my brother,
Fox Mulder."

"Nice to meet you Dr. Caldwell," Mulder said.

"Likewise, Agent Mulder. I just wish it were under better circumstances.=
"

Mindful of the lieutenant's healing knee, the three quickly settled themse
lves on the couch and in chairs before continuing.

"I'm sorry you had to find out about the arrests in the paper, Sarah,=
" Jessica apologized.  "I was planning on calling you in the next couple
 of days so I could tell you myself, but I never dreamed the media would get
 wind of the news as fast as they did."

"How did all of this happen?" Sarah asked.  "Last time we spoke you to
ld me that the police were treating Scott's case as an accident. Now sudde
nly it's part of some grand conspiracy to keep you from finding out you
're adopted?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but in essence, yes. Scott disco
vered that I had been adopted by the Caldwells as a baby after being kidnapp
ed, and somehow figured out that I was actually Christina Mulder.  When he d
iscovered Alan Grant was behind the kidnapping ring, he took what evidence h
e had to Lupen, who in turn confronted Grant and wound up becoming a part of
 the conspiracy. He had been working with Grant's partner to keep the news
 from becoming public knowledge, but unbeknownst to him Grant's partner wa
s leaking clues to me about what they had done."

Sarah glanced at Mulder.  "How did you become involved in all of this?"

"The day after Scott's funeral, Jessica received a note intimating that
Scott's death may not have been an accident," Mulder explained. "Accom
panying the note was a copy of the newspaper article about my sister's Chr
istina's kidnapping thirty-eight years ago, and Jessica decided to bring m
e in on the case.  When we went to Scott's office to look around, I found
a folder in the back of one his filing cabinets that was labeled with Jessic
a's name, and inside I found a copy of the forged adoption certificate.  I
 presented it to Agent Doggett, who indicated that it was his understanding
Jessica was not adopted.  We originally felt that Jessica and Christina had
been victims of a black market kidnapping ring for baby girls, but some frie
nds I was having research the kidnappings felt there was more to it than tha
t, and managed to uncover the fact that Jessica is in actuality my sister Ch
ristina."

"Have you been able to prove it?" Sarah pressed.

"Yes.  A blood test was done and the DNA match ratio proved that Jessica i
s my sister."

"This is all so unbelievable," Sarah muttered.  "Did your parents know
 you were actually an abducted baby when they adopted you?"

"My father did," Jessica confirmed. "When I confronted my mother she c
laimed that Edward told her I was an orphan, and the testimony from Lupen an
d Grant seems to support that."

"And how much of this did Scott know?"

"As far as we can tell he only found out I was adopted when he uncovered G
rant's kidnapping ring," Jessica answered.  "I have no way of knowing
why he didn't come to me or John when he did, but Grant had him killed to
prevent him from telling anyone what he knew."

"Scott never mentioned anything to you about what he had found?" Mulder
prompted.

"Not a word.  He'd been a little preoccupied for a week or so before his
 death, but I just assumed it was because he was busy with work."

"More likely he was trying to find a way to deal with what he knew and com
e up with the best way to tell us," Jessica responded.

Sarah met her sister-in-law's gaze. "For whatever its worth, Jessica, I
know Scott would never have kept the truth from you if he had known about it
 sooner.  He adored you and would have done everything in his power to keep
you from getting hurt."

"It seems to me that he did exactly that," Mulder interjected softly.

The women both flashed him appreciative smiles before Sarah spoke again. 
"Well I'm not quite sure what to tell Kim and the boys," she said. 
"I don't want to lie to them, but I certainly don't want them knowing
the full details about what happened to Scott."

"Maybe you can tell them part of the truth," Mulder suggested.  "Expla
in that Scott discovered Grant was stealing babies and had him killed becaus
e he didn't want Scott to tell the police. But as far as the specifics of
the Caldwells' involvement, it's probably best that they don't discove
r that aspect of it." 

"Maybe, but I'm not sure I want Elizabeth around the children if the com
pany she keeps is responsible for murdering their father."

"That's a choice you have to make yourself," Jessica allowed, "but w
hatever else she's done Elizabeth has always been a doting grandmother and
 they need that right now."

"What about you?" Sarah asked. "How are you holding up through all of
this?"

"I'm doing okay, all things considered.  John's been my rock, of cours
e, and Agent Mulder over here is doing a pretty good job of filling those ol
der brother shoes Scott left behind."

Sarah smiled. "I'm glad."

The children chose that moment to make their appearance, and spotting Jessic
a, they all walked over to give her a hug. Once the greetings were done, Eri
c glanced at Mulder. "Who are you?"

"My name's Mulder. I'm a friend of your Aunt Jessica's."

"You dress fancy like Uncle John does," Kim observed.

"That's because he works with Uncle John at the FBI," Jessica told her
.

"You're an agent too?" Eric asked. "Cool. Do you have a gun?"

Mulder permitted himself a small smile. "Not with me, no."

Cameron gestured at her leg brace. "What happened to your leg, Aunt Jessic
a?" he asked.

"I hurt my knee fighting with the man who burned my house down," the lie
utenant answered honestly.  

"I thought he shot you?" Cameron asked.

"He did. I hurt my leg when I fell from my loft after he shot me."

"Did it hurt?" Kim asked innocently.

Jessica smiled.  "Yes, sweetie, it hurt a lot."

"Can I try your crutches?" Eric asked.

Jessica exchanged an amused look with Mulder, as Sarah answered, "No you m
ay not. I want you three to finish your breakfast and get your books. I don
't want you to be late for school."

The instruction earned her a chorus of groans but the children reluctantly d
id as they were told and bid farewell to Jessica and Mulder before vanishing
 into the other room.

"So that's what I have to look forward to with Will in about twelve year
s," Mulder remarked.  "Oh, joy."

"Well I hate to rush you off, but I need to get the kids to school," Sar
ah said, and stood up.  "I appreciate you coming by to explain what happen
ed, Jessica."

"I just wish I had done it before it made headlines," Jessica returned,
and she and Mulder stood as well.  "If you need anything, please don't h
esitate to call me."

"I won't."

The two women exchanged a hug, then Sarah bid farewell to Mulder and went of
f in search of her children.  Once she was out of earshot, Mulder addressed
Jessica.

"She seems to be doing quite well under the circumstances," he said.
"So do the kids."

"They're a strong family," Jessica replied.  "They'll get through
this just fine."

"We all will," Mulder amended.

She smiled.  "I think I'm going to like having you around."

"Likewise, little sister. Although we really must discuss your taste in me
n."

Jessica promptly swatted him with a crutch.  

*************************************************************************

HOOVER BUILDING

Seated behind his desk, Mulder was reviewing his notes on a recent case when
 the ring of the phone interrupted his reading.  Closing the file, he reache
d over to pick up the receiver.  "Mulder."

"Good morning, Agent Mulder," a feminine voice replied. "This is Eliza
beth Caldwell."

"Senator," Mulder greeted coolly. 

Doggett's head shot up at that, realizing Mulder's caller must be his fo
rmer and future mother-in-law, and he silently mouthed, "Elizabeth?"

Mulder nodded in confirmation as Elizabeth continued.

"I took the liberty of contacting you directly because Jessica isn't ret
urning my calls."

"Gee, I can't imagine why."

"Spare me the sarcasm and patronizing tone, Agent Mulder.  I get enough of
 that from my daughter."

He refrained from snapping back "She isn't your daughter" and simply s
aid, "What do you want, Senator?"

"I assume you've seen the morning edition of The Washington Post?"

"If you're referring to the article that's preceded by the jumbo-sized
 headline 'Virginia Attorney and Police Detective Arrested in Death of Sen
ator's Son', yes I've seen it."

"I've spoken with my attorney and he feels I need to make some sort of o
fficial statement regarding the article," Elizabeth told him.  "I'll b
e holding a press conference at 2:00 this afternoon in front of the Senate B
uilding and I was calling to ask if you and Jessica wanted to collaborate wi
th me and make a joint statement."

"At this point in time, I think I can safely speak for Jessica and myself
when I say that we wouldn't collaborate with you to determine if the Pope
is Catholic," came the droll reply.  "Have a nice day, Senator."

Without giving Elizabeth a chance to respond, Mulder hung up the phone and m
et Doggett's inquiring gaze.  "This day just gets better by the minute,=
" he said.

"I take it Elizabeth was callin' about the Post article?" Doggett aske
d.

"Oh, yes. It seems the senator has decided to make an 'official statemen
t' regarding the article and is holding a press conference at 2:00 at the
Senate Building. She was calling to ask if Jessica and I were interested in
making it a joint statement."

Doggett shook his head. "For a prominent politician, Elizabeth can certain
ly be clueless when it comes to protocol," he muttered.  "We'd better
call Jess and give her a heads up. I'm sure she's gonna want to hear wha
t her mother has to say."

*************************************************************************

SENATE BUILDING

The steps to the Senate Building were swarming with reporters when Mulder, S
cully, Jessica and Doggett arrived a few minutes before two o'clock.  Alth
ough a few flashes of their respective badges could have given them front an
d center position in the crowd, the foursome remained in the background, hop
ing to avoid detection as Elizabeth made her statement.  Mulder stood with h
is hands in his pockets and his attention focused on the small podium where
Elizabeth would make her stance. Scully stood at his side with her arms cros
sed, and next to her Doggett stood beside Jessica, one arm draped around her
 waist in a silent gesture of support.

Elizabeth emerged from the building at exactly two p.m., dressed in a conser
vative charcoal suit and shadowed by Michael Kelly.  Making her way to the p
odium, she adjusted the microphone before flashing the crowd a nervous smile
.

"Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen," she began, "and thank you for
coming.  As you were told on the phone, I have asked you all here today in r
esponse to the article about my son's death that appeared in The Washingto
n Post.  While the investigation is still ongoing and I am limited as to wha
t I am allowed to discuss, I will attempt to be as forthcoming as possible.
Before I open it up to questions, however, I do have a brief statement I wis
h to make."

Glancing over her shoulder, she nodded at Kelly who handed her a piece of pa
per and she placed it on the podium before her to read it aloud.

"My family remains deeply saddened by the tragic and senseless death of my
 beloved son, Scott Caldwell.  Recent developments in the investigation into
 the accident that took his life have revealed that a decision made long ago
 by my husband and myself was the catalyst for a series of events that resul
ted in his death. In an effort to protect their own interests, others involv
ed in that decision made the choice to protect our secret at any cost. Unfor
tunately the cost was the death of my son and the near death of my daughter.=
 I make no excuses for my actions, and I know that I will one day atone for
what them. Until then, myself and those affected by these events will have t
o live with the consequences of my actions. While no words can express the p
ain and regret I feel knowing that a choice made so long ago had such terrib
le ramifications to those I care for in the present, I offer my sincerest ap
ologies to my family and the other families involved in this matter."

Elizabeth finished her statement and glanced at the crowd. "I'm sure all
 of you have questions, and as I said a moment ago I will attempt to answer
them to the best of my ability."

Several hands shot into the air and a chorus of questions flew at Elizabeth.=
  Scanning the crowd, she pointed at a reporter near the front.  "Yes, Ric
hard?"

"Senator, is the decision you mentioned in your statement the fact that yo
u never told your daughter that she was in fact adopted, and not your biolog
ical child?"

"Yes," Elizabeth confirmed. "At the time Edward and I felt it would be
 better for both of our children if neither they nor the general public knew
 Jessica was adopted."

A woman toward the rear of the crowd shouted out, "Is it true that your da
ughter was kidnapped prior to her adoption?"

Elizabeth again glanced at Kelly, who gave a curt nod, and she answered the
question. "At the time I was told by my husband and the attorney handling
the adoption that Jessica's birth mother had died in childbirth, and until
 the events of the last two weeks transpired, I never had reason to believe
otherwise."

"Isn't it also true that your daughter is the sister of FBI agent Fox Mu
lder?"

"It is my understanding that DNA tests have determined that, yes."

Another male reporter in the middle of the crowd called out, "Have you or
your daughter had any contact with your daughter's birth parents?"

"Unfortunately the Mulders are deceased, so Jessica is unable to initiate
a meeting. However, I do know that she and Agent Mulder have begun to develo
p their brother-sister relationship."

"Why isn't your daughter here today, Senator?"

"I would not presume to speak on her behalf," Elizabeth evaded.  "I sp
oke with Agent Mulder earlier today and informed him that I would be conduct
ing this press conference. I assume that he passed the information along to
Jessica and she chose not to be present for it."

From her position behind the crowd, Jessica stiffened at Elizabeth's remar
k and anger flickered across her refined features as she glanced at Mulder.
 "I don't know about you, but I'm getting nauseous just listening to h
er."

"You want to leave?" Doggett queried.

"Actually I was thinking of making my own statement after all."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mulder asked.

"Either that or I'm going to get my crutches out of the car and started
whacking people," came the wry retort.

"Well we can't have that," Mulder responded lightly. 

Excusing themselves from Scully and Doggett, Mulder and Jessica began to pus
h their way through the crowd, hearing the murmurs ripple around them as the
y were recognized.  Reaching the front of the crowd, brother and sister made
 their way to stand beside Elizabeth at the podium.

"Good afternoon, Senator," Jessica greeted with false cheer. "I hope y
ou don't mind if we crash your little party."

"Jessica," Elizabeth responded evenly. "I wasn't expecting to see yo
u here."

"Yes, well, life is full of little surprises, isn't it?"

"Lieutenant Doggett," Richard the reporter shouted. "Would you care to
 issue a response to your mother's statement?"

"As a matter of fact, I would. I'm certain most of you recognize the gen
tleman beside me, but for the record, allow me to present to you Special Age
nt Fox Mulder.  Now, as for the Senator's statement, most of what she told
 you is valid. Yes, it is true that until Scott was killed I was not aware t
hat I was adopted, and yes it's true that I was born Christina Mulder and
am Agent Mulder's sister.  In regards to the woman I have believed to be m
y mother, I am understandably angry and hurt that she chose to keep the trut
h from me. Not only did it prevent me from being able to seek out and know m
y birth parents prior to their deaths, it also cost my brother Scott his lif
e.  The men who are directly responsible are now in the hands of the legal s
ystem and I trust that justice will be served when the courts pronounce thei
r fates. In the meantime, Agent Mulder and I are adjusting to the events of
the last several days and with the help of the people we love, are managing
quite nicely."

"Agent Mulder, how did you feel when you discovered that Lieutenant Dogget
t was in fact your long lost sister?" a reporter shouted.

"To be perfectly honest I was relieved that there was finally someone in m
y family who is better looking than I am," came the deadpan reply, earning
 Mulder a chuckle from the crowd.

"Lieutenant Doggett, have you spoken to the men who were arrested yesterda
y for their roles in your brother Scott's murder?"

"Yes. I was present for their testimony and when they were taken into cust
ody."

"Have they offered any explanation for their actions?"

"Nothing that justifies murdering Scott," Jessica responded.

"Agent Mulder, do you or Lieutenant Doggett intend to press charges agains
t Senator Caldwell?"

"Technically there really isn't anything we could charge her with," Mu
lder answered. "However, Lieutenant Doggett and I both feel that the Senat
or has paid a high enough price for her duplicity with the loss of her son.=
"

Kelly chose that moment to step forward and put an end to the press conferen
ce.  "Ladies and Gentlemen, we thank you for your time and interest, but u
nfortunately it's time to end this little gathering. Senator Caldwell, Lie
utenant Doggett and Agent Mulder all have jobs that they need to get back to
."

The crowd reluctantly took the hint and slowly began to disperse, talking am
ongst themselves as they did so. Once they were gone, Jessica started back d
own the steps with Mulder a step behind. She had only taken a few steps when
 Elizabeth called to her.

"Jessica, wait, please."

The lieutenant stopped and turned back toward her mother as Elizabeth walked
 over to stand in front of her.  "We have to talk about this," she said.

"I have nothing else to say to you," came Jessica's icy response. 
"You made your choice the day you decided to let me live my life with a li
e, a lie that cost Scott his life. Even if I could forgive that, I can't f
orget it. From now on, I don't want to see you or hear from you for any re
ason. As far as I'm concerned, you're as dead to me as Scott is."

Elizabeth blanched at the harsh declaration.  "I suppose I should have exp
ected that," she replied.  "But whatever else I've done, Jessica, I
've been a good mother. I gave you the best of everything and loved you as
 much as any mother could love a child. Does one mistake erase all of that?=
"

"Up until Scott died I would have said no, but an innocent man died becaus
e you were worried about what people would think.  In your office yesterday
you made a comment that losing my own son should make me more sympathetic to
 your pain over losing yours. I won't begrudge you your grief, but don't
 begin to compare Luke's death with Scott's.  My son was stolen from me
and killed in a random act of violence; yours was assassinated because he kn
ew too much about your secrets.  That is something you'll have to live wit
h. Have a nice life, Senator."

Without waiting for Elizabeth's response, Jessica turned her back on her a
nd resumed her walk back to Scully and Doggett, Mulder close behind.  

"You were 'relieved that there was finally someone in the family that wa
s better looking than you'?" Scully repeated.

"It was a joke, Scully. I wasn't going to bare my soul just so that guy
could get a thirty second sound bite for the evening news."

"I don't know if you made the situation better or worse by buttin' in
on your mother's press conference," Doggett said to Jessica, "but I th
ink you did a good job answerin' the questions they tossed at you."

"Thanks."

'Well we'd better get back to headquarters before Kersh sends out his bl
oodhounds to track us down," Mulder replied.

"Funny you should mention dogs..." Jessica began.

"Don't even go there, sweetheart," Doggett said.

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"You were goin' to make a comment about wantin' to get a new dog to re
place Trouble, and it ain't gonna happen. I like my rugs and my shoes in o
ne piece, thank you."

"I also hope you like sleeping on the couch," Jessica retorted.

"C'mon, Jess..."

"Looks like the honeymoon's over before it's even started," Mulder r
emarked.

"Shut up, Mulder!" the others chorused.

*************************************************************************

When the Baron arrived at his home, Spender knew it wasn't a social call.
His arrival had been a surprise, not only because Spender had not been forew
arned of his coming, but because his own failing health made him no longer a
 threat to the other man's position.  Despite the years and dirty deeds th
at bound them together, Spender knew only that the German man's surname wa
s Stuckhold and that it was his financial empire that had founded the Syndic
ate in the years following World War II. As far back as Spender could recall
 he had been addressed simply as the Baron, as if he were above such trivial
ities as a given name.

"Baron," he greeted. "This is an unexpected surprise."

"Is it?" Stuckhold countered, his once thick German accent now tempered
after his years in North Africa.  "You forget with whom you are speaking.
My intelligence network is as efficient as ever, and given recent events the
y have certainly had much to report."

"Then you saw the Senator's press conference."

"Oh, yes.  How convenient that she has managed to cover her tracks and con
vince Grant and his police lackey to take the fall for her."

"Do you want her eliminated?" Spender asked, and took a drag from his ci
garette.

"No. Her position in the government may yet prove useful when we are ready
 to initiate our agenda at the higher levels. But Grant and the detective ha
ve served their purpose, and in light of their sloppiness have forfeited the
ir chances of a reprieve. I intend to ensure those particular loose ends are
 tied up as quickly as possible."

"What of Lieutenant Doggett and Agent Mulder?"

"Agent Mulder will no doubt continue his quest to uncover the exact nature
 of the experiments you and his father conducted all those years ago," Stu
ckhold replied.  "Lieutenant Doggett will be kept under continuous observa
tion to determine how much of the genetic enhancement is still viable.  Perh
aps her impending remarriage will prove fruitful and we will be granted an o
pportunity to continue our efforts with a new generation."

"So you've chosen not to proceed with the plans for Agent Mulder's son
," Spender surmised.

"He may be a medical miracle but at the moment the child is of no use to u
s," Stuckhold replied. "After our attempts to manipulate his genetic dev
elopment while he was still in his mother's womb proved unsuccessful, the
decision was made to focus our efforts elsewhere.  The revelation that Jessi
ca Doggett is in actuality Christina Mulder will allow us the chance to do s
o."

"At the risk of pointing out the obvious, in order to get to Lieutenant Do
ggett you will need to not only go through Agent Mulder, but Agent Doggett a
s well. And if his skills are half as lethal as they are rumored to be, it c
ould prove to be a fatal confrontation."

"I am well aware of the darker side of Agent Doggett's abilities, and fo
r the time being I have no wish to put them to the test by taking further ac
tion against his wife.  If and when it becomes necessary to place the lieute
nant under direct observation, I intend to ensure that we will be able to co
ntain Agent Doggett."

"And in the meantime?" Spender prompted.

"In the meantime, I will be returning home to continue the preparations fo
r my son's ascension to my place in the Syndicate," Stuckhold answered.
 "I find that my age is catching up with me and it is imperative that ther
e is someone whom I can trust ready to assume my position."

"Of course."

"As long as we're on the subject of trust, I must say it was quite distr
essing to learn you had broken mine."

Spender's hand paused in mid air, the cigarette smoldering between his fin
gers.  "I'm afraid you've lost me."

"It's quite simple really. When you first told me that Senator Caldwell
's son had stumbled onto the secret of his sister's true identity and yo
u confessed that you had sold her to Grant all those years ago, I instructed
 you to ensure the secret was kept at any cost. Yet now it's public knowle
dge and the publicity has brought unwanted attention to members of our ranks
."

"That wasn't my doing," Spender protested. "I had Scott Caldwell eli
minated as soon as I could and personally directed the dissemination of the
truth to Lieutenant Doggett and Agent Mulder. Grant and Senator Caldwell mad
e the choice to confess to their crimes."

"Which they would not have had to do if you had properly covered our track
s in the first place," Stuckhold countered. "I was willing to overlook y
our frequent games of cat and mouse with Agent Mulder over the years; each o
f us in the Syndicate has our own agenda and he seemed to be yours. But our
work with Christina Mulder and the other infants was too important to risk e
xposure, and now the only surviving subject is front-page news.  That is a l
apse I cannot ignore."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"I'm afraid so."

Without giving Spender a chance to respond, Stuckhold withdrew a gun from be
neath his coat and shot the other man through the middle of his forehead. Th
e forgotten cigarette fell to the floor as Stuckhold replaced his gun and ca
lmly exited the house.

*************************************************************************

FALLS CHURCH -- TWO WEEKS LATER

After their final confrontation on the steps of the Senate Building, Jessica
 had severed all ties with Elizabeth and no longer spoke publicly about the
events of thirty-eight years ago, her newly discovered relationship to Mulde
r, or Scott's death.  Lupen had been killed in jail while awaiting transfe
r to a federal penitentiary, and Grant allegedly had suffered a fatal heart
attack a week after his confession.  Fearing for her own safety, Elizabeth n
ow made public appearances accompanied by a private bodyguard.

Although clearly sill hurting from the loss of her brother and Elizabeth's
 deception, Jessica was relishing her reunion with John and the bond between
 she and Mulder continued to deepen.  With the help of Mulder and the Gunmen
, she had obtained a copy of her real Birth Certificate and gone through the
 process of legally changing her name from Christina Anne Mulder to Jessica
Alexandra Doggett, completely eliminating Caldwell from her identity.  With
the issues surrounding Scott's death and her kidnapping resolved, Jessica
and John were focusing their attention on plans for their upcoming remarriag
e.

Following an early church service, Jessica and Doggett had returned home for
 Christmas Eve dinner.  Mulder and Scully had joined them at church, but wou
ld not be arriving at the house until after dinner, needing to take home Mar
garet Scully who had joined them for the service and been introduced to Jess
ica. Sarah and the children had been at church as well, and had accepted Jes
sica's invitation to come to the house on Christmas Day.  Seated side by s
ide on the couch drinking hot cocoa as they awaited the arrival of Mulder an
d Scully, Jessica and Doggett were remembering the loved one who would not b
e with them this year.

"Scott always loved Christmas," Jessica remarked.  "When the kids were
 little, he took them to the mall to see Santa Claus, and he watched all the
 TV specials with them. We used to have sing-along contests when Rudolph the
 Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman aired."

"The Christmas we spent in Beirut he drove our platoon crazy tryin' to m
ake us learn the words to those songs," Doggett recalled.  "By the time
New Year's rolled around we were ready to slap a label on his head and air
mail him back to Virginia."
 
"He had his moments," Jessica allowed, "but when the going got tough h
e was always there when you needed him."

"Semper Fi," Doggett replied quietly.

"Always faithful," Jessica translated. "He was.  And he was responsibl
e for bringing you into my life.  That's a gift I never had the words to t
hank him for."

"He knew," Doggett assured her.  "When he walked you down the aisle th
e day we got married, as he relinquished you to me he mouthed the words 'Y
ou're welcome'."

She smiled at that. "That sounds like Scott."

The ring of the doorbell interrupted their trip down memory lane and Doggett
 stood up. "That's probably Dana and Mulder," he said. "I'll let t
hem in."

He placed a kiss on top of her head before making his way around the couch a
nd heading to the front door.  She heard the muffled voices as the trio exch
anged greetings, and then the tell tale thud of their footsteps as they came
 into the living room.  

"We come bearing ice cream and Christmas gifts," Mulder announced.

"Where's that charming son of yours?" Jessica asked.

"Will fell asleep while we were driving my mom home so we decided to leave
 him with her," Scully told her, and set the gifts under the tree as Mulde
r headed into the kitchen to serve up the ice cream.

"He should probably rest while he can, because once Sarah's kids see him
 tomorrow you'll be lucky if you get him back before New Year's," Jess
ica replied.  "All three of them adore babies."

"Really...do you think Sarah would let them baby-sit once in awhile?" Sc
ully asked.

"If you're okay with that I'm sure she would be. You can ask her tomor
row."

"If you and Mulder want to have a night to yourselves now and again, you
're always welcome to leave the little guy with us," Doggett offered.

"Just so long as he doesn't start saying y'all or dropping the g's o
ff his verbs," Mulder said dryly, and walked into the living room to hand
ice cream laden bowls to Scully and Jessica.

"This from a man who can't be bothered to call the mother of his child b
y her first name," Doggett retorted.

"You call your wife what you want to, Agent...John," Mulder amended hast
ily at his sister's warning look. "I'll call mine what I want to."

Scully's spoon froze halfway to her mouth and Jessica exchanged a surprise
d look with Doggett as they all realized what Mulder had just said.

"Your wife?" Doggett prompted incredulously.

Scully shot Mulder a glare as he softly said, "Oops."

"You two are married?" Jessica queried.

"Well I suppose there's no reason to hide it now," Scully relented.
"Yes, we're married."  

"When did this happen?" Doggett pressed. 

"Almost two years ago," the redhead answered.  "After the artificial i
nsemination failed and I believed I was never going to conceive, I began to
slide into a mild depression.  Mulder tried everything he could to snap me o
ut of it, and finally wound up getting me a card that simply said 'Marry M
e'."

"To which you responded with an unnecessary attack of the giggles I might
add," Mulder interjected.  "You thought I was just kidding around to che
er you up."

"Well proposing marriage as a ploy to make me feel better is certainly som
ething you're capable of," Scully returned, and again spoke to Jessica a
nd Doggett. "But once I realized he was serious, I pointed out that the Bu
reau wouldn't allow us to remain partners if we were married. So we decide
d to get married anyway but keep it a secret. We were married a month later
in a civil ceremony in upstate New York, and aside from the judge who perfor
med the ceremony my mother is the only one who knows the truth."

"And now the two of you know as well," Mulder added.  "I trust that yo
u'll respect and understand our need to keep it a secret."

"If you rescind your crack about our accents we might consider it," Jess
ica responded.

"I apologize for the slur against your accents," Mulder said obediently.

"Then your secret is safe with us," Jessica assured him.

"If you two are done playin' tit for tat, I think we should open the gif
ts," Doggett replied.

"Good idea," Scully agreed.  "Mulder, you can be the official gift dis
tributor."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the one who let the cat out of the bag about our marriag
e."

"Ah."

Rising to his feet, Mulder made his way around the coffee table and over to
the Christmas tree. Bending down, he began reading the tags and handing the
packages to the appropriate person, with the obvious exception of the family
 members who would not be at the house until the following day.  Once all th
e gifts were sorted, he picked up his gifts and resumed his seat on the couc
h beside Scully.

"I'll go first," Jessica announced, and picked up the box containing h
er gift from Mulder.  Tearing off the paper, she lifted the lid from the box
 and pushed aside the tissue paper to reveal a picture frame, placed face do
wn in the box.  Taking it out, she turned it over and froze at the picture i
nside the frame.  It was a photograph that had obviously been taken prior to
 Jessica's abduction, as it showed a smiling Fox and Samantha seated outsi
de, with an equally cheerful infant Jessica -- then Christina -- in Samant
ha's lap, and their parents standing behind them.  Feeling her eyes well w
ith tears, the lieutenant took a moment to rein in the flood of emotion flow
ing through her before shifting her gaze to Mulder.  "Thank you," she sa
id simply.

"Merry Christmas, Little Sister," Mulder returned gently.

"My turn," Scully declared, and unwrapped the small box that was her gif
t from Mulder.  Inside the box was a small velvet case, and she stole a quic
k glance at Mulder before lifting the lid.  Inside was a thin gold band lade
n with tiny emeralds, and Mulder reached over to withdraw the ring and slide
 onto the third finger of Scully's left hand.  "I know part of our agree
ment was that we couldn't wear rings, but I wanted you to have this."

"It's beautiful, Mulder, thank you," Scully responded, and leaned over
 to give him a warm kiss.

The rest of the gifts were opened with appropriate pomp and circumstance
-- and Mulder's gift of the Robert A. Heinlein book  "Stranger in a Str
ange Land" to Doggett had earned him frowns from his wife and sister, but
a knowing smile from Doggett.  The final gift to be opened was Jessica's g
ift to Doggett and she watched with quiet anticipation as he opened the box
and discovered a double picture frame, closed in on itself.

"Pictures seem to be a family theme tonight," he remarked, and opened th
e frame, then went deathly still. He simply stared at the picture for a brie
f moment before reverently lifting it out of the box for closer inspection.
The picture on the left was of a twenty-something Doggett and Scott in Marin
e attire, and had obviously been taken while they were serving together in t
he Corps.  The picture on the right was of a thirty-something Doggett in pro
file, staring down at his infant son with wonder and love etched in his expr
ession.  The frame itself was engraved: under Scott's photo was Proverbs 1
7:17 -- "A friend loves at all times"; under Luke's photo were Jesus
' last words from Luke 23:43 -- "'Father, into your hands I commit my
 spirit.'"

"Where did you get these?" Doggett asked in a choked whisper.

"The picture of you and Scott I got from Sarah, and the picture of you and
 Luke was salvaged from one of the two boxes I had stored in my garage that
survived the fire," Jessica revealed softly.

Unable to voice his emotions out loud, he continued to stare at the picture
in silence for close to a full minute, until Jessica reached over to wipe aw
ay the lone tear that was trickling down his cheek. Her touch broke him out
of his reverie and he lifted his head to flash her an adoring smile.  "I l
ove you," he declared.

"Me, too. Merry Christmas, Sunshine."

They exchanged a kiss as Mulder and Scully exchanged a smile.

*************************************************************************

The day before her remarriage to Doggett, Jessica had met Mulder for a late
lunch and then he had taken her to the cemetery to visit their parents' gr
ave.  As Mulder watched in respectful silence, she approached the grave and
laid a pair of white roses at the foot of the large marble headstone.

"Hello, Bill, Teena," Jessica greeted softly.  "I hope somehow you can
 hear me, because it's important that I know you're listening. I suppose
 I should start by introducing myself. My name is Jessica Doggett, but I was
 born Christina Mulder, and I am your youngest daughter.  After I was stolen
 from you thirty-nine years ago, I was 'adopted' by a couple named Edwar
d and Elizabeth Caldwell, and up until a couple of months ago I believed the
m to be my biological parents. But Fate has a way of revealing the truth, an
d after the death of my brother Scott Caldwell a series of events unfolded t
hat led to the discovery of who I really am.  Unfortunately is also revealed
 my adopted parents' role in my abduction, throwing salt into the wounds o
f their deception. But it brought Fox and I together, and in spite of it all
 we seem to be managing this brother-sister thing quite nicely."

She paused a moment to glance over her shoulder and flash Mulder a smile, an
d then continued.

"For whatever its worth, until I found out about my abduction, I was quite
 happy. The Caldwells were a wealthy family, and I never wanted for anything
.  Their son Scott was the best brother I could have hoped for, and it was t
hrough him that I met a man named John Doggett, who completes my life in way
s I never thought possible.  We've had our own ups and downs, including th
e loss of our son Luke, but we've managed to come through it stronger than
 ever and will be getting remarried tomorrow. Fox calls it a Triple Threat F
riday: Valentine's Day, my wedding day, and my real 39th birthday.  Yet de
spite his irreverence for all things romantic, he finally married his own so
ulmate Dana and they have a one year-old son, Will. I only wish that the two
 of you and Samantha were here to share in our joy."

She paused again, gathering her final thoughts before completing her speech.

"I never had the chance to know either of you, and I have no way of knowin
g how my life would have turned out if I had been raised as Christina Mulder
 instead of Jessica Caldwell.  And I regret that other people's greed and
ambition cost me the opportunity to befriend my birth parents. But the past
cannot be undone, and I need to put it behind me in order to embrace my futu
re.  Coming here today and talking to you like this was the only way I could
 think of to gain that closure.  Maybe someday when I leave this life, I'l
l get the chance to be your daughter again.  Until then, I hope you know tha
t I am happy, and safe, and loved. Rest in peace, Mom and Dad."

Finishing her remarks, Jessica bowed her head for a moment and said a silent
 prayer before turning to face Mulder.  "Well, let's get going," she s
aid. "I've got a wedding to get ready for."

"Lead on, Lieutenant."

Casting a final glance at the headstone, she allowed Mulder to escort her fr
om the cemetery.

*************************************************************************

FALLS CHURCH - TEN DAYS LATER

The evening after their return from their nine-day honeymoon in Fiji, Jessic
a and Doggett had agreed to baby-sit Will so Mulder and Scully could enjoy a
n evening out. Doggett was seated on couch reviewing case notes, while upsta
irs in the guest room Jessica put Will down for the night. Returning to the
living room, Jessica made her way over to Doggett and promptly crawled onto
the couch and settled herself across his lap.

"Will asleep?" Doggett asked, and set his file down before taking her ha
nd in his.

"As soon as I put him down, he was out like a light," Jessica answered.

"Hence the expression 'sleep like a baby'," Doggett remarked, idly r
ubbing his thumb over her original wedding band and the slimmer identical on
e he had given her ten days earlier.

"Speaking of which...I have a favor to ask."

"What kind of favor?"

"Now that all of this business with Grant and Elizabeth is behind us, and
you and I are officially together again, I want to try and have another baby
."

Doggett's response was immediate and emphatic. "Absolutely not."

"John..."

"This isn't open for debate, Jess. If you want more kids than we can ado
pt or become foster parents, but you nearly died after the second miscarriag
e. I won't risk that happenin' again even if by some miracle you were to
 get pregnant."

"Be reasonable, John. It's been ten years; the advances they've made m
ay very likely have made it possible for me to conceive and safely carry the
 child to term."

He lifted his hand to gently place his palm against her cheek, the cold meta
l of his platinum wedding band a stark contrast to the warmth of his hand.
"I know how much you want to be a mother again, sweetheart, and under diff
erent circumstances I'd be all for it.  But I've watched you come close
to dyin' twice and I couldn't handle it a third time. And I won't watc
h you agonize over your decision if you do wind up havin' another miscarri
age."

His tone made it evident he could not be swayed, and Jessica reluctantly let
 the subject drop. Just then the doorbell rang, and husband and wife exchang
ed a curious look.

"Are we expecting anyone tonight?" Jessica asked.

"Not as far as I know," Doggett said.

She slid off her husband's lap and he stood up, then hand in hand they wal
ked over to open the door.

"Surprise!" Mulder and Scully chorused.

They stood on the front porch, each holding a Saint Bernard puppy with a blu
e bow around its neck.

"What on earth...?" Jessica began and reached over to confiscate the pup
py in Scully's arms.

"They're belated wedding gifts," Scully explained. "We couldn't gi
ve them to you until after you took your honeymoon."

"A pair of candlesticks would have been more practical," Doggett muttere
d.

"But not nearly as adorable," Jessica countered, and began cooing at the
 puppy she held as the foursome made their way into the living room. "So I
 take it we got recruited to baby-sit so you two could pick up the puppies?=
"

"Yes," Scully confirmed.  

"These were the last two left in the litter, so we decided to get one from
 each of us for each of you," Mulder clarified, and handed the puppy he he
ld to Doggett.

"I suppose it would have been too much to ask that you got dogs that will
grow up to weigh two hundred pounds together, let alone separately."

"Blame your wife, John. She's the one who likes them to outweigh her.=
"

"Well I for one think they are just precious," Jessica declared.  "Do
they have names yet?"

"That's your department," her sister-in-law replied.  "Mulder's su
ggestions were straight out of sci-fi central casting."

"Kirk and Spock?" Doggett prompted.

"Han and Luke," Mulder clarified.

"Spooky and Semper Fi," Jessica announced suddenly, and the others turne
d to look at her.  "What? Spooky is obvious, and Semper Fi for John and Sc
ott. Can you think of a better name for a dog than Always Faithful?"

Doggett shook his head. "I can't believe I'm gonna have two of these p
onies in dog's clothin' runnin' around my house," he grumbled.

"Oh quit fussing and just admit you think they're cute," Jessica scold
ed.

"Course they're cute now, but after they put on a hundred and ninety pou
nds or so and are droolin' on every pair of pants you own, that ain't go
nna matter."

"Gee, John, I'd think you'd be used to male animals drooling on your w
ife by now," Mulder quipped.

"Very funny, Spooky."

Jessica glanced at Scully. "Remind me again why we married these clowns?=
"

"Love is blind?" Scully suggested.

"Ouch," Mulder said. "That hurts, honey."

"The truth usually does, Mulder," Scully responded.

*************************************************************************

EPILOGUE: SOMEWHERE IN THE MEXICAN DESERT -- SIX MONTHS LATER

"Is it done?"

"Yes.  Once I have finished with him, Agent Doggett won't know his own m
other."

"What of the preparations for Lieutenant Doggett and her child?"

"Everything is in place. All that is needed is for Lieutenant Doggett to c
onceive and our plan can be set into motion."

"Excellent."  


Finis


The saga will continue in "Legacy"....




















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