From: Medie Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2001 00:35:46 -0330 Subject: New Fic: Sentinel Of the Potomac: Anastasis Disclaimers: I don't own anybody in this story save Annie & Jo. The concepts of Sentinel & Guide (as far as I know) belong to the guys at Pet Fly & Co. Category: AU, Post-Ep/Missing Scene Feedback: Yes please. Medison@thezone.net Archive: Gossamer, Ephemeral, and once i figure out how, I'll submit to Spookys. *G* Keywords: Doggett/Other, possibly Skinner/Other Spoiler: The Gift Rating: PG Maybe? Note: This is total AU this time. *G* It implies that Annie was in scenes of the episode the Gift. If that's not for you then don't read. *G* Oh, and Annie & Jo are original characters. ;-) Mucho tanks to the Wonderful Azar, my beta reader Sentinel of the Potomac: Anastasis by M. Edison *********** Falls Church, Virginia Cottage of Dr. Jo Barnes 2:00 A.M. When the phone trilled in Jo's ear, it jolted the petite doctor from sleep. She looked around in confusion, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. The phone rang again and she reached out to answer it, thinking it was work. "Hello?" the brunette said thickly, sitting up and pushing her hair out of her face. "Dr. Jo Barnes?" a prim voice stated without preamble. "Yes?" Turning on the light, Jo blinked against the sudden brightness. "You are listed as an emergency contact for Mrs. Anne Marie Doggett, yes?" Her heart in her throat, Jo spoke in a very small voice. "Yes, I am." "Mrs. Doggett was brought into the Squamish Community Hospital Emergency room tonight. You're one of her contact numbers." Squamish...Annie'd gone up there with John on another one of his weekend 'Mulder hunts.' "What's her condition?" Having gotten into the habit of keeping her cordless by her bed, Jo got up and headed for her dresser. She pulled out a pair ofjeans and a t-shirt. "Stable but non-responsive. The doctor on duty described it as being similar to a catatonic state." "Have you medicated her? If you have, cease administration immediately." "Excuse me?!" "Mrs. Doggett has severe allergies to several medications. Unless I prescribe it, she won't take it. Tell Agent Doggett I'm on my way." Now the nurse was confused. "Pardon?" "Mrs. Doggett's husband? Agent John Doggett? He's with the FBI - I assume he brought her in?" "No, Doctor, Mrs. Doggett was found by a local resident. That's why we called you: we can't find her husband." Now she was scared. Annie zoned out in a hospital and John nowhere nearby? Jo couldn't remember a time when Annie was in trouble and John wasn't there, or vice versa. Not in the time they'd known each other. "Oh, all right. He's probably got his cell phone turned off--I'll track him down." By a small feat of self-control, Jo managed to keep her voice calm as she spoke. "And Mrs. Doggett?" "Stop any medication and keep her comfortable. That's all that can be done until I get there." "All right, Doctor." With no further ado, the nurse hung up. Jo stared at the phone for a moment before tossing it aside. "There's one in every hospital." ********* When John returned above ground, the soul eater's caretaker gave him back his clothes and his wedding ring. He noticed the jacket was gone and his shirt had been replaced. He also noticed Annie was nowhere in sight. "Where's my wife?" "They took her." She smiled sadly. "I tried to stop them but they wouldn't listen." "Didn't Annie try to fight?" John had a sinking feeling he knew what had happened. He hoped his...killers...had been kind. "She didn't even notice when they grabbed her. There was the most peculiar vacant look in her eyes. They said something about taking her to the hospital." The soft-spoken woman looked calm. "They promised me that they would." "Would they...?" "Defy me?" She smiled wryly. "They think he's still alive. As long as they believe that...they wouldn't dare." "My keys?" "In your car. They left it outside. They wouldn't harm her. Not unless she regains consciousness." John didn't hear her, he was already out the door. If Annie wasn't all right...he wasn't sure what he'd do. The sheriff would *pay*, he was sure of that. ********* Annie's car wouldn't start. Jo pounded the heel of her palm against the steering wheel in frustration, tears springing to her eyes. Sucking in a steadying breath, the doctor tried again. The engine made a few attempts but again refused to start. Letting loose with a blistering oath that would have given her mother fits, Jo swiped at the angry tears now flowing. She had to calm down. John's truck was parked next to her cottage, behind the house. She could use that. All she had to do was go into the house and get the keys. Reaching into her bag and finding a tissue, Jo cleaned up her face and got out of the car. She'd just opened the front door of John and Annie's house when a car pulled into the driveway. Hoping it might be John, she turned and squinted against the glare of the headlights. The figure that got out was too tall to be John but she smiled in relief nonetheless. "Assistant Director Skinner, anyone ever tell you that you've got excellent timing?" Closing and locking the door again, Jo hurried down to meet him. Pleasantly surprised at encountering the lovely doctor again, Skinner automatically relaxed a little. "Dr Barnes, what brings..." Jo never gave him a chance to finish his sentence as she swept by him to the car. "C'mon, we've got to get moving." Opening the passenger's side door, Jo looked at him expectantly. Skinner'd gotten the impression from their first meeting that Jo Barnes was a whirlwind in high-heels but this took it to the extreme. "I'm sorry, Doctor, you've lost me." Her worry showing through in her eyes, Jo frowned severely. "I just got a call. John's wife, Annie, is in the Squamish Community hospital and John's nowhere to be found." Her statement put the starch back into the AD's spine and he crossed the grass to the car in a few seconds. "Her condition?" "Stable, but non-responsive." Jo got into the car and buckled her seatbelt. "What happened?" "Your guess is as good as mine. Better, actually, you probably know the details of the case." Looking over at the dark-haired woman, Walter Skinner wished he could offer her some comfort, tell her that her friends were all right...but he couldn't. With the X-Files there was no such guarantee. ******** She didn't know where she was. Confusion filled Annie Doggett's lovely face as she looked around. It didn't feel like her visions normally did. Nor did the forest clearing in which she stood resemble the woods she normally saw. She frowned. Something was wrong. She didn't know what but her heart was screaming that something was wrong. Concentrating, the Sentinel tried to remember what it was and slowly her memories began to filter back to her. She'd been at the cabin of the soul eater's caretaker. She and John had been about to leave with him. John... The realization of what had happened hit her like a freight train and a keening moan of grief escaped her. The sheriff had shot her husband. That bastard had murdered John. Falling to her knees and hugging her torso, Annie doubled over, unable to stop the flood of sounds and images that rushed through her mind. No woman should have to witness the murder of her husband. Especially not a woman who was a Sentinel. The horrible sound of the bullet's tearing through his body then the shocked gasp of disbelief as John'd pitched forward on to the ground. The lack of sound when his heart ceased to beat...that terrible aching emptiness. Sobbing, Annie pressed her hands to her ears in a desperate attempt to block out the memories and sounds. Gentle hands covered hers then pulled them away. "Peace." A soft voice spoke and Annie looked up into kind brown eyes. Amazingly, the simple word brought exactly that which it described, and the Sentinel felt her spirit calm. The man was dressed in animal skins and he was young. Early-mid thirties if she had to guess. There was something about him that was very familiar. Eyes widening, she gaped at him. "You!" He smiled and nodded. "I cannot stay long - my time on this plane has ended - but please, Sentinel, tell him that he has my eternal gratitude..." "Who does? For what?" "For seeing a man where others saw only a tool. Even without the gift of your vision, he saw this. I thank you both. Please, tell him for me. You must tell him." The shaman had been steadily fading away and with him the environment in which they'd stood. When he was gone...the nothingness came again. ***** In a strange twist of irony, Annie had been put into the room where Marie Hangemuhl had been only a day before. Jo didn't waste any time gawking when she and AD Skinner walked into the outer room. Instead, she made to hurry to the other door but Skinner's hand on her arm prevented her from moving. "Who is that?!" he asked, eyes fixed on Annie's face. "Anne Marie Doggett, who else?" Jo stared up at him with a bewildered gaze. "Marita Covarrubias." "Marita *WHO*!?" If she'd been bewildered before she was completely lost now. "A...source of Agent Mulder's...A less than trustworthy one." The assistant director's mouth twisted slightly in displeasure as he spoke. "Well that's not her in that room. *That* is Annie Doggett, A Canadian police officer attached to the Canadian Embassy and John Doggett's wife of two years." Jo plucked the tall man's hand from her arm. "Now, be a peach and try to track down John." Flashing a smile at him, the doctor opened the door and walked into her friend's room. Skinner stood there for a long moment, watching the blonde woman in the hospital bed as Jo examined her. The resemblance was uncanny. In the back of his mind, the assistant director knew Scully should be warned about the resemblance. There was always the chance Mrs. Doggett could surprise her husband at work or Doggett might be expecting her and not tell his partner, as he seemed unaware of the resemblance the results of which could be disastrous. But how did he tell her? 'Oh, by the way, Agent Scully, I've seen Agent Doggett's wife and she's a dead ringer for that Covarrubias woman?' He sighed heavily. This was a complication none of them needed. With a shake of his head, Skinner turned and left, his mind intent on tracking down his missing agent. ***** The nurse at the front desk looked up in shock when John Doggett strode into the ER, the door slamming back against the wall from the force of his shove. "C...can I help you, sir?" She stammered out, wilting under the intensity of the steely glare fixed on her face. "Where is my wife?" "Sir?" "Anne Marie Doggett! Where is she?" John pressed his hands to the counter, palms down, and leaned in to look into her eyes. "Doggett?" The nurse looked down at the computer, hands shaking as they typed the name in. "When was she brought in?" "Tonight!" John barked, drumming his fingers against the smooth material of the counter. Finding the room number, she nervously told him and pointed in the direction of the elevators. She'd seen plenty of upset husbands in her career, but none of them had ever intimidated her like that man had. John strode off without so much as a thank you and hit the call button repeatedly as he waited for the elevator car to arrive. When the doors slid open he blinked in surprise to see AD Skinner standing there. "Sir?" "Agent Doggett?" "What're you doing here?" "Where have you been?" Both men spoke at once, then shook their heads. "I assume you're here to see your wife, Agent Doggett?" Skinner asked when he was sure Doggett wasn't about to speak. "Yes, sir. She alright?" The concern and worry in his eyes brought a pang of envy to his superior's heart. Had this been Sharon, when they were together, would he have looked like that? Would Sharon have even come along to begin with? The answers his mind provided gave him a heavy heart. "Dr. Barnes had just gone in to see her when I left. She was stable then." John digested this fact with relief. It did sound like Annie was in a zone-out, and Jo had never failed to bring her out of one of those. He had a feeling that this one had no doubt been caused by the shock of his...death. He didn't even want to think how that had been for Annie. With her senses...she would have heard everything. Seen everything. "Agent Doggett?" Skinner looked down at him with a serious expression on his face. "What happened out there?" Sucking in a breath, John hit the button for the right floor and leaned back against the wall. "Sir, you are *not* going to believe it. Hell, I'm not even sure *I* believe it." ****** "Revived..." The assistant director stared at his agent in shock. "From the *dead*?" "Yes, sir." "Are you sure? You were *dead*?" he asked as they walked into the outer room. "Yessir." John nodded curtly. "You can ask Annie when she wakes up. She saw..." He flinched and shoved his hands in his pants' pockets. "She witnessed the event, sir." A sympathetic expression appeared in the taller man's eyes as he looked at the two women in the hospital room. "You'd better get in there then. She..." He paused and swallowed heavily. This was a new experience for him. Being envious of one of his agents. He was definitely envious of John Doggett. Envious of the life he had. The balance he'd achieved between the Bureau and his marriage. It was one thing Skinner himself, had never quite managed. "She needs to know you're in one piece." Thankful that Skinner wasn't going to demand a more detailed report right away, John smiled widely. "Thank you, sir." Skinner nodded. "We'll talk later." he stated gruffly, waving Doggett on. Smiling, the agent left his superior's side and hurried forward into Annie's room. ****** Frustrated, Jo straightened and looked down at her best friend. She'd done everything she could think of: pleaded, argued, pinched, cajoled, waved smelling salts under Annie's nose...she'd done whatever she could to pull Annie out of the zone and nothing had worked. "Why won't you come back?!" She glared at her friend. "C'mon Annie, what is it that's keeping you in there?" "I think I know, Short Stuff." John answered, standing in the doorway. "John!" The young doctor rushed across the room and hugged him before pulling back to punch him in the arm. "Ow!" he protested, rubbing the spot she'd hit and looking at her as if she'd lost her mind. "Good to see you too." Ignoring the question, the brunette folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "Where the hell have you been?" "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Doggett moved past her to sit on the edge of Annie's bed, taking her hand in his. "She won't come out of it?" "No. And I don't know why." Jo moved over to stand next to him, brushing Annie's hair away from her face. "The only thing I can think of is some sort of trauma drove her into it and she won't come back." John sighed heavily. "'Fraid that's my fault, Short Stuff." "Why?" As quickly as possible, John gave her the abridged version of what had happened with the soul eater - enough to know why Annie'd zoned so deeply. When he was done, Jo stared at him in shock. "She thinks you're *dead*!?" He nodded somberly. The brunette exhaled heavily and shook her head. "I knew I should've taken the weekend off and gone with you two. Every time I stay behind, something horrible happens." Doggett smiled wryly at her. "We made it through the honeymoon okay." "Oh sure. Okay except for the guy who had one too many on the plane and did the whole air raged passenger who nearly crashes the plane thing." Shaking her head again, the dark-haired woman bent over Annie once more. "C'mon Annie. Snap out of it already. John's here, he's okay. For sure you just heard him talking." "Remember that soul eater guy, Annie?" Doggett quirked a smile, entwining his fingers with hers. "Turns ut he can do a hell of a lot more than fix faulty kidneys." When his wife didn't stir, he shared a worried look with Jo. Annie hadn't gone so deep into the zone that she couldn't come back out? Had she? "Come on Blue eyes!" John squeezed her hand. "We're startin' to get scared here. Come back, please..." Somewhere, inside her mind, his wife heard the fear in her husband's voice and reached out to comfort him. "John?" Annie queried in a weak voice, her blue eyes focussing slowly on her husband. Disbelief and sheer joy warred for control of her face as she looked at him. "Am I dreaming?" "Not unless we both are." he responded, kissing her palm gently. Relieved Annie was back, Jo brushed a hand over her best friend's hair then left the room to give the husband and wife their privacy. There were some places in a Sentinel's life where the Guide didn't need to go. In their case, Annie's marriage was one of them. Neither Annie nor John registered her departure. They were too caught up in each other. Her eyes filling with tears, Annie sat up and hugged her husband tightly. Resting her head on his shoulder, she took comfort in the steady beat of his heart and the warmth of his body heat radiating through the material of his shirt. He was alive. She wasn't dreaming. He was really alive. Relief flooded through her as tears overflowed. He was alive. She tightened her grip on him, inhaling the scent of his aftershave. When her nose registered an unfamiliar scent she pulled a way, making a face. "What?" John looked at her with concern. "What's wrong?" Annie bit her lip slightly, torn between laughter and embarrassment. Sometimes her senses could be a *real* pain in the ass. "Umm...no offense hon, but...well to be honest, you smell funny." He blinked in surprise then chuckled. "Well, if the legend is true, that soul eater threw me up like bad sushi. I figure I'm not gonna smell like roses." His wife made a face and shook her head. "John Doggett, you are gross." John laughed, relieved to see Annie's sense of humor making an appearance. She was feeling better. "No, just a guy." "Same thing," the lovely blonde groused with a smile. Sobering, she took his left hand in hers, her finger rubbing the gold band she'd put there for the first time nearly two years prior. "Do me a favor, Doggbutt." "Sure thing." "Next time you decide to turn your back on a man holding a gun, warn me! For heaven's sake, give me a chance to get my gun on him before he sends you to the sweet hereafter again." She reached up to touch his cheek, stroking a thumb across his lower lip. "I don't think I could handle seeing that twice and I *know* I'm not ready to be a widow yet." "You got it, Blue Eyes." John responded quietly, taking her hand in his once more. "And I don't ever plan on making you go through it again." They fell silent for a long time, just enjoying each other's presence. Then Annie spoke up hesitantly, remembering her 'meeting' with the soul eater. "John...there's something you need to know." ****** When Jo closed the door behind her, she found Assistant Director Skinner sitting on a chair near the door, his back to the window clearly an attempt to provide them with as much privacy as he could. He'd been staring off into space when she saw him, but he looked up when he realized she was standing there. "How's Mar...Mrs. Doggett?" he queried, as she walked over to take a seat next to him. "She's awake...communicating." Jo smiled. "Thank you for bringing me out here." He returned her smile. "You're quite welcome Doctor - " "Jo." she interrupted with a shudder. "Doctor Barnes makes me think of a doctor at the hospital where I did my residency, complete and total jerk. He made the residents' lives hell." Skinner chuckled. "All right, Jo." Mollified, she sat back. "And thank you again. I'm not sure how things would have gone if we didn't get here when we did." "Well, as I said before, you're quite welcome." He glanced back at the couple on the other side of the glass, the envy barely hidden in his gaze. "Doc...Jo, may I ask you something? "Of course." Jo smiled at him and leaned back. "You seem to know what happened to Agent Doggett's wife...I get the feeling it's happened before. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly did happen to her? You described her state as stable but non-responsive--does that mean catatonic? Jo bit her lip slightly. Damn. Skinner getting suspicious about Annie's abilities was the *last* think any of them needed. 'Okay, time to get medical on him,' Jo thought to herself, then smiled and brushed a piece of lint from her jeans' leg. "Well, in a way, yes. The shock of witnessing her husband's attack set in very quickly and she entered a state quite similar to catatonia. Once she heard familiar voices, particularly John's, she came out of it." Walter Skinner might have been out of field work for a while, but he could still tell when someone was being evasive. And Dr. Jo Barnes was being evasive about her answer. He was about to question her further when the door opened and Doggett poked his head out. "Hey Short Stuff, can you see about getting Annie discharged? She wants out and she wants out now." Jo sighed heavily. "And you think FBI agents are impossible to keep in hospitals...try Canadian police detectives with bad attitudes." "I heard that!" Annie called out from where she was standing in the room, surveying her clothes. "When don't you hear that?" Jo grumbled, not realizing Skinner was still watching her. Standing, she shrugged at John. "I'll see what I can do." "Thanks Short Stuff." Doggett flashed a smile at her before he ducked back inside. "Short Stuff?" Skinner grinned at the petite doctor who sighed. "Don't you dare." She pointed a finger at him. "It's bad enough John calls me that. Assistant Director you may be, mister, but I'll still give you a piece of my mind." Chuckling, he held up his hands. "Wasn't gonna say a thing." "Sure you weren't," Jo groused. She started toward the other door muttering about FBI agents, Americans and men in general. Laughing, Skinner shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. Walking over to the door, he knocked once and waited for someone to open it. When Doggett did, he gestured toward the room. "May I come in?" "Of course, Sir." Doggett said, resuming a more official tone and stepping back to allow him admittance. "Thank you." Moving into the room, Skinner once again was struck by Anne Marie Doggett's resemblance to Marita Covarrubias. She could be her twin sister! "How are you feeling, Mrs. Doggett?" Annie smiled, wondering what on earth had put that strange expression on the AD's face. "Much better, thank you. And may I say, Assistant Director Skinner, its nice to finally meet you." She held out a hand which Skinner accepted. "Likewise, Mrs. Doggett." "Annie," She corrected with a smile. "Annie," He repeated with a nod. "If you don't mind my asking, do you have any relatives living in the United States? Working for the U.N., perhaps?" Confusion on her face, Annie shook her head. "No, sir. None that I'm aware of. Why?" "No reason," Skinner demurred with a shake of his head. "You just resemble someone I've...dealt with." It wasn't just that. Annie's senses told her that much. AD Skinner's heart rate had gone up considerably when he'd looked at her and it wasn't due to attraction. She bit back a sigh as John and his superior began talking about particulars of the investigation. Something seriously strange was going on here. Once things calmed down again, she had every intention of finding out what. But first, she and John were going home and spending some serious quality time together. Her mind knew he was still alive but her heart needed more convincing. It would be a very long time, if ever, before she could erase the images and sounds of that fateful moment when her world was shattered by a single gunshot...a world that had been repaired by a single selfless gesture. Pity all the world couldn't be like that. Not even all the world...if only it were just a select few. How much better would things be if there were fewer people like the residents of Squamish...and more like John Doggett and that unnamed soul eater? Annie couldn't say for sure...but she knew things would be worlds better than what they were. With hearts like those...how could they not?