| Dana Scully and John Doggett were sitting in the X-Files office one Friday afternoon going through some files. Monica Reyes had been summoned to Skinner's office to explain an expense report. When the door flew open, Dana looked up, intending to give Monica a sympathetic look, but to her surprise Fox Mulder was standing there with William, a diaper bag over one arm and his duffle bag over the other. "Mulder, what are you doing here? We weren't supposed to go out to dinner for another hour!" "I can't go now and your mom wasn't home. Here," He said, handing her the baby and dumping the diaper bag on her desk. "I have to get going. I have a plane to catch." "But where are you going?" cried Scully. "Tennesee." "What for?" "I got a call. There's supposed to have been a sighting of Samuel Hartley!" "Who?" "Samuel Hartley!" "I don't...Oh, Christ!' Dana did remember. "Mulder, that's ridiculous! Samuel Hartley committed suicide years ago!" "Then what happened to his body?" asked Mulder happily. "Someone involved with the ministry must have stolen it!" "Yeah, right. Do me a favor, Scully, stop by my apartment and feed my fish, will you?" "But how long will you be gone, anyhow?" Scully was furious. "I don't know. As long as it takes." Ignoring the fire in her eyes, Mulder quickly kissed her on the forehead, and walked out. Dana buried her face in her baby's fair hair, and tried to calm herself. When she finally looked up, John Doggett was looking at her with such compassion, that she wanted to cry, or scream, or throw something. "If you're not doing anything tonight," He said casually, "Why don't you let me take you out to dinner?" His tone was so light that Dana had to laugh in spite of herself. "It's a deal, if you can think of a place that won't mind us bringing the baby." "Sure," said John, taking the boy from her. "We don't go for those swanky places, do we pal?" The baby grinned at him, showing off two brand new bottom teeth. Doggett, remembering his own son at that age, sighed. Mulder was really an idiot sometimes. |