Title: Obscure Relations Author: Mango Email: mangomandie@hotmail.com Website: www.geocities.com/mangomandie Disclaimer: Doggett and Reyes belong to 1013 productions. No infringement is intended and no money is being made. Rating: PG-13 for harsh language. Spoilers: Not really Category: Reyes/Doggett UST/RST. Distribution: Anywhere, as long as I know about it. Summary: Reyes has visions of a double murder and convinces Doggett to help her investigate. What she finds will shock her. Thanks to: Anne, better known as RPCRAZY on the XF message boards, for her kind feedback and beta reading! ------ TEASER ------ “Tell me where she is, you bitch!” the hooded man yelled at the old couple he had bound to some chairs. The house was dark, save for a small rectangular patch of light that fell on the floor, projected by an outside street lamp. When the man received no answer, he jumped forward and grabbed the lady by the collar of her nightgown, bringing his face dangerously close. “I asked you to tell me where she is,” he growled low in his throat. The lady looked away in terror, tears streaming down her face. The man shoved her roughly back into her chair. The woman’s husband was gagged, unlike his wife, and he tried in vain to protest against her rough treatment. The hooded man walked agonizingly slow around the couple, mumbling to himself. Then without warning, he lunged at the other man, pulling his head back by his hair, exposing his throat. “You have five seconds to tell me what I want to know before I slit his throat open,” the man threatened, the large butcher knife in his hand gleaming eerily in the small patch of light. Ten seconds later, the quiet night air was pierced with a scream. ---------------- Monica Reyes awoke covered in sweat, her covers strewn about, half on the floor. With shaking hands, she pushed the damp hair from her forehead and grabbed her clock. 5:13am ‘What the hell just happened?’ she wondered, replacing the clock and leaning over to pick up her sheets. She struggled to remember what had woken her up, fleeting images of… of what? Suddenly, her mind caught hold of something. A couple being held hostage by a faceless man. “Not again,” Reyes groaned, rubbing her pounding head. She threw the sheets back on the floor in frustration; they were all tangled and she didn’t have the patience to deal with them right now. Instead, she got out of bed and gathered her work clothes, heading for the shower. If she couldn’t get back to sleep, she’d get an early start to the day. ------------------------ J. Edgar Hoover Building 8:27am ------------------------ John Doggett arrived at work just on time, greeted by a yawning Agent Reyes. “Morning to you too, Monica,” Doggett chuckled, removing his trench coat and placing it on the coat rack. Reyes blushed. “Sorry, John. I was up pretty early.” She yawned again as if to prove her point. Doggett sat down at his desk. “Well, why’d ya get up so early if you were still tired?” he asked in amusement. Instead of coming up with a witty rebuke of some sort, Reyes furrowed her brow and said, “I had a disturbing dream. It woke me up.” Doggett grew subdued. “Disturbing dream? About what?” “I’ve had the same dream three times this week already, about a couple being held hostage in their own home by a faceless man with a knife.” She shuddered. “I wake up just before he kills them.” “I’d say that’s pretty damn disturbing,” Doggett agreed. “Thank god it’s a dream, right?” Reyes got up from her desk and began to pace. “That’s the thing, John. I’m beginning to think it’s more than that.” “Oh no,” Doggett protested, shaking his head. “Don’t be pulling this ‘vision’ crap on me again.” Reyes looked hurt. “John, you know I’ve had legitimate visions before, while we were trying to find Luke-“ Doggett jumped out of his chair, ice blue eyes narrowed in barely contained anger. “You keep Luke outta this, Monica.” Reyes stopped her pacing, her eyes fixed on Doggett as he fought to hide the pain at hearing his murdered son’s name. Finally, she broke the tense silence. “I’m sorry, John. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He continued to stare at her for what seemed like endless minutes, then he nodded his own version of an apology and sat back down, looking rather bothered. “What I was trying to say,” Reyes began again, tentatively, “is that the first few times I had the dream, the people had no faces; at least, I couldn’t remember them.” “And now you do,” Doggett finished, his voice a bit gruffer than usual. Reyes nodded. “I saw the couple’s face, but the perpetrator was hooded.” Doggett leaned back in his chair. “So now what? You gonna try and find their pictures somehow? That could take months, Monica.” She shook her head. “No, I’m going to go search for a case matching my dream. A case that happened within the past week.” “Do you know where you’re dream took place?” he asked. There was a short pause filled with uncertainty. “No.” Doggett looked skeptical. “Monica, it’ll take you days to search through everything. Just because we’re FBI, doesn’t mean we have a record of every crime committed in the United States.” “I know, John,” she responded quietly. “But it’s something I *need* to look into. I feel like I’m supposed to look into it.” Doggett shook his head in disbelief. “Only you, Monica, would waste your time on this.” Reyes pursed her lips, her sherry eyes narrowed. “Well, it’s nice to know that I have my partner’s support,” she told him sarcastically. She turned, grabbed her coat and left without another word. ----------------- Three hours later, Doggett found Reyes in front of a computer, her shoes on the floor underneath the desk and her feet pulled up on her chair. ‘Typical Monica,’ he thought with amusement. He had to walk right up to her before she acknowledged his presence. “Oh hey, John,” she greeted monotonously, obviously still upset about that morning. She barely looked away from the screen in front of her. “Find anything?” he asked, walking around her so he could see the screen. “Listen, John. If you’re here to mock me again, I-“ “Here,” he cut her off, handing her a police folder. Reyes looked up at him, confused. “What’s this?” He silently indicated for her to open it. She regarded him curiously, then proceeded to skim through the folder’s contents. She let out a gasp when she saw the pictures. “So? Is this what you were looking for?” he asked, a grin creeping onto his handsome face. “John… where did you find this?” Reyes asked, dumbfounded. “I’ve been looking for hours-“ “I did a little searching of my own,” he informed her, loving her reaction. He asked her again if the folder’s contents matched her dream. “Match it? They’re identical,” Reyes exclaimed. She pointed at the pre-murder picture of the couple. “This is the same couple that was in my dream.” She turned to Doggett, her cheeks blushing slightly. “Thanks, John.” “Don’t mention it,” he smiled. “I just hope it makes up for my rude behavior this morning.” Reyes nodded, a smile forming on her lips. “In that case, you’d better get home and pack because we’ve got ourselves a plane to catch.” ----------------- Two hours later, their flight took off from the Washington Dulles International Airport en route to Dripping Springs, Texas. The small town was located about thirty minutes outside of Austin, where the two agents were to check into the Austin field office. Upon their arrival, they were met by one of the SAC’s in charge of the Radley’s case. “Agents Doggett and Reyes?” he asked, offering his hand. Doggett took it first. “Yes, that’s us,” he informed him. “And you are…?” “Special Agent Darren Adams. I’m the agent in charge of the double homicide you’re looking into.” He paused to look them over, furrowing his bushy brows. “Do you mind me asking why this case interests you?” Reyes took that as her cue to speak. “I had a dream about the homicide, Agent Adams,” she explained. Adams looked at Reyes as if she had transformed into an alien. “Uh-huh… you had a *dream*.” “Yes.” Doggett could see that this Agent Adams wasn’t about to believe Reyes anymore that he first had. “Listen, Agent Adams. We’d really appreciate any information you could give us.” Adams still seemed skeptical, but he finally relented. “Alright. Follow me.” Once they were inside of his office, he began to recount the murder. “Mr. and Mrs. Radley were found two days ago in their house, bound to some chairs, their throats slit by a butcher knife that is now missing from their kitchen.” “Are there any suspects?” Reyes asked. Doggett could see her excitement slowly building. “Yeah, we found some good prints on one of the chairs and also on the outside door handle.” He shuffled through his folder and came up with a mug shot, handing it to Reyes. “His name is Frank Vance, a convicted rapist.” “Did he rape Mrs. Radley?” Doggett asked as Reyes handed him the picture. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he could have sworn that the convict he was looking at was familiar. Adams looked constipated. “Well, here’s the thing. He was convicted for the rape of Mrs. Radley… over thirty years ago.” Just as Reyes was about to press for more information, Adams’ cell phone rang. “Sorry, agents, I gotta go. Family emergency.” He stood up and gestured the agents out of his office. “Down the hall, there’s a quiet room with some computers. Feel free to use them.” “Thank you for your cooperation, Agent Adams,” Doggett told him, shaking his hand once again. “We’ll keep in touch.” Once the other agent had left, Doggett and Reyes went down the hall to the spare room, spreading the Radley’s file out on a folding table. “So what do you make of all this, Monica?” Doggett finally asked. “I’m not sure yet. This Vance… I wonder if he killed the Radley’s to get back at her for putting him in jail?” she hypothesized. “That could be,” Doggett agreed. “Hold on. I’m going to look up the rape case.” Reyes sat down at one of the computers and logged on, searching the database. Finally, after many minutes of searching, she found it and summarized it for Doggett. “It says here in the police report that approximately one year after being married, Frank Vance broke into the Radley home while Mr. Radley was away at work. Upon finding Mrs. Radley alone, he raped her and left, leaving her pregnant.” “Ouch,” Doggett said. “I wonder if they kept the kid?” Reyes reached for the Radley’s profile. “Says here no children.” “So, she either had an abortion or the baby was adopted.” “Do you think that’s relevant to the case?” Reyes asked him, shutting off the computer. “I don’t know. You tell me,” he countered. She shrugged. “I think we should get to the crime scene. Maybe we’ll find something the others have missed.” “Alright. I’ll go rent us a car while you gather up the folders.” --------------------- An hour later, the two agents found themselves standing in the foyer of the Radley’s, a modest sized house in a small town called Dripping Springs. Yellow police tape crisscrossed everywhere, fluttering slightly in the breeze as Doggett closed the door behind him. Reyes walked slowly towards the living room. She knew exactly where it was from her dream. She gave a wide berth to the large, dried pool of blood, the carpet having sucked most of it up. She closed her eyes, trying to remember parts of her dream and suddenly she went stiff. When she opened them again, the room was filled with darkness, Doggett no longer there. “John?” she called tentatively. She tried her best to keep her voice calm as she started back towards the foyer. Only, her foot hit something fleshy along the way. She glanced down and stifled a swear, covering her mouth. Lying there on the floor before her were the recently murdered Radleys. Just as she was about to run for the door to find Doggett, she heard a noise. Someone was coming down the stairs. Instead of pulling out her gun and rushing forward to arrest whoever it was, Reyes found herself quietly running towards one of the couches and quickly hid behind it as someone walked into the living room. Reyes recognized him immediately. It was Frank Vance. “Shit, where’s John?” she wondered aloud, staying hidden in the shadows as much as possible as she watched him. Vance walked past the bodies without a glance, headed straight for a desk that held the couple’s computer and some stacks of paper. After searching through some computer documents, he rummaged through the drawers, pulling everything out as if looking for something. He stopped moving suddenly and Reyes was sure he had heard her somehow, but he soon got up and walked over to Mr Radley. He searched all the pockets carefully, finally coming up with a small key. Reyes sat transfixed behind the couch. Her FBI training told her that she should be doing something, but her gut told her to stay where she was. Vance walked over to a small safe that was partially hidden under the desk and opened it with the key. After searching through its contents briefly, he came up with what looked like a small folder of some kind. With a smirk of triumph, he tossed the key and walked out of the room, leaving by the front door. “Monica, where’d you go?” Doggett’s voice broke Reyes out of her trance. “John?” she called, peeking over the couch. The room was now filled with bright sunlight. Doggett saw movement at the other side of the room and rushed over, giving her a quizzical look. “Monica, what are you doing?” Reyes blushed, realizing how silly she must look hiding behind a couch. She stood up sheepishly, brushing at imaginary lint. “I just had a vision,” she finally told him. “A vision?” Doggett asked, actually seeming interested. “About what?” “I saw Vance. He had already killed the Radley’s and he was searching for something,” she explained. “Which is what, exactly?” Reyes led him over to the half opened safe, pulling on her latex gloves. “He found the key to this safe on Mr Radley and left with a folder of some kind.” Doggett furrowed his brow. “Well, that doesn’t help us much,” he mumbled. Reyes’ eyes suddenly grew wide. “John, what if he came back to the Radley’s to find something. But they wouldn’t tell him so they killed them.” “Or they told him and he killed them anyway,” Doggett added. “But what could a convicted rapist hope to find thirty years later at his victim’s house?” he wondered. Reyes raised her eyebrows. “You said it yourself earlier, John. He got her pregnant.” “But we don’t know what became of that child,” he reminded her. Reyes pulled off her gloves, pushing them into her pocket. “I guess it *is* relevant after all,” she mused. “Let’s go find Agent Adams.” ----------------- Once they had arrived back to the Austin field office and had contacted Agent Adams, the two agents told him their theory. “So, you think Vance killed them because Mrs Radley didn’t tell him where their child was?” he asked. “Something like that, yes,” Reyes nodded. “Only it doesn’t say in their profile what became of that child.” Adams looked skeptical. “So exactly how did you figure this out, agents?” Reyes glanced at Doggett, silently telling him to keep the vision she’d had a secret. He got the message. “Well, it makes sense, doesn’t it?” Doggett asked. “I mean, why else would Vance come back after thirty years?” Adams furrowed his brow, mumbling something along the lines of ‘Why didn’t *I* think of that?’ “Sorry?” Reyes asked. “Nothing, nothing,” he responded hastily. “So you’re sure this had nothing to do with simple revenge? It *was* Mrs Radley’s testimony that put him in jail.” “I’m sure that’s part of the reason too,” Reyes assured him. “But he was obviously looking for something while he was there.” Adams sighed, running nervous fingers through his short brown hair. “So now what?” he asked. “We’re going to go find any records we can on Mrs Radley’s pregnancy,” Doggett informed him. Adams grunted. “Just remember, this is *my* case, agents. I’d appreciate timely updates.” “Sure thing, Agent Adams,” Reyes replied before Doggett could protest. After one last brow furrowing, he left Doggett and Reyes alone. “He’s got some nerve, making us do all the work for him,” Doggett grumbled as they walked to their rental car. “It *is* his case, John,” she reminded him gently. “Yeah, well, he’s a damn lazy agent is what he is.” Reyes laughed at that, lightening his mood. “Let’s head over to the hospital to see what we can find.” ---------------------- An hour later, Doggett and Reyes met with a doctor Robert Ivany, Mrs Radley’s gynecologist. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you anything about Mrs Radley’s records, agents. Not without her express permission.” “Dr Ivany, she was found murdered with her husband two days ago. Any information you give us would be very helpful,” Doggett informed him. Ivany looked taken aback. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he finally said. “What is it you wanted to know?” “Doctor, did Mrs Radley ever give birth?” Reyes asked. The doctor’s face went grim. “Doctor, it’s very important.” He finally spoke. “You know she was raped many years ago?” The agents nodded. “Well, then you must also know that the sick bastard got her pregnant.” “Yeah, we know all that, Dr Ivany,” Doggett explained impatiently. “But did she give birth to the baby?” The doctor nodded. “Yes. It was a very difficult for the Radleys. They were very religious and didn’t believe in abortion.” Reyes nodded, urging him to continue. “So, she brought the baby to term but they gave her up for adoption as soon as she was born. They knew it wasn’t the child’s fault, but she was a painful reminder of the past.” “That’s so sad,” Reyes whispered. “Doctor, do you know who adopted the baby? Their lives could be in danger?” “In danger? How?” Ivany asked, bewildered. “The man who killed the Radleys is the same man who raped Mrs Radley,” Reyes explained. “We think he’s looking for his daughter.” The doctor’s eyes went wide. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t know who adopted her. Those documents are sealed.” “Thank you for your help, Doctor.” Reyes shook his hand and turned to leave with Doggett but they were stopped at the door by Ivany’s voice. “Agents, promise me you’ll catch this guy and lock him up for good.” They nodded and headed back to their car. “So, now what?” Reyes asked. “Well, we’re going to need Skinner’s permission to open the adoption records,” Doggett explained. “We might as well go home for now. Until then, we have no leads on where Vance is headed next.” ----------------- It was well past midnight by the time Reyes stepped into her new lofty apartment. It was dark and quiet, just as she’d left it. She was so tired and all she wanted to do was sleep after being up for almost twenty-four hours. Upon their arrival back to D.C., they had gone straight to Skinner, asking him about the adoption records. They submitted a request and would hopefully hear from the assistant director in the morning. She lazily undid her coat and threw it in the general direction of the couch, then she flicked on the main light. What she saw shocked her. Her living room had been ransacked, broken lamps and papers littering her floor. On instinct, she pulled out her gun, cautiously searching the rest of the house for an intruder. She found no one, though every single room had been searched. Drawers had been pulled out of their places and emptied onto the floor, along with trinkets that had been knocked off her dressers. Whoever had been here hadn’t stolen anything that she could see. They had been searching for something. Suddenly, her mind’s eye showed her Vance, searching through her house, tearing into everything in his path… Her stomach did a flip or fear and without thinking, she grabbed her discarded coat and left for Doggett’s. ----------------- Doggett had just managed to fall asleep when the doorbell startled him awake. “What the hell?” he mumbled, pulling on a shirt and stubbing his toe on the door frame as he made his way downstairs as quickly as possible. Before opening the door, he glanced out the peephole and drew back in surprise. “Monica?” he asked as he opened the door to her, instantly alert. “What’s wrong?” She stepped into his foyer, drawing her coat tightly around herself to block out the cold breeze that followed her in. “Monica?” Doggett asked again more urgently, closing the door and grabbing onto her shoulders. “Someone searched my apartment, John,” she told him in a trembling voice. “Everything was torn apart.” Doggett looked at her in bewilderment. “Yeah, and that’s not the only thing.” She paused, causing Doggett to grip her shoulders firmly. “I had another vision.” “Of Vance?” Doggett asked. “Yes, he was in my apartment.” Doggett ushered her to his living room and sat her down, sitting in front of her on the coffee table. “How do you suppose he found out that you were working the case?” he wondered aloud. “I don’t know, John, but we may not be safe here either,” Reyes pointed out. “You’re right,” he agreed, getting up and heading for his coat. Reyes followed him to the door. “So what are we going to do?” she asked. Doggett grabbed her arm gently, pulling her out the door. “We’re going to spend the night in a motel and inform Skinner ASAP.” ------------------- Once making sure that they hadn’t been followed, Doggett and Reyes checked into the nearest motel, getting connecting rooms so they could come to the other’s aide if necessary. Reyes dropped to her bed in exhaustion, barely having the energy to remove her shoes. But even though she was worn out, she couldn’t fall asleep. She was too busy thinking about all the strange visions she’d had. ‘Why was Vance searching my house?’ she wondered. He hadn’t stolen anything so it struck her as very odd that he had been there, especially since her and Doggett had only started their investigation that morning. As these troubling thoughts ran through her head, she slowly drifted off to sleep, the sound of Doggett’s muffled snoring oddly comforting to her. ------------------ Reyes awoke late the next morning; the sun was already quite high in the sky. She blinked her tired eyes at the brightness and mumbled, “What time is it?” She nearly fell out of bed. It was 10:13am. She stood up quickly, barely waiting for the dizziness to pass, and straightened out her wrinkled clothes as best she could before knocking tentatively on Doggett’s door. “John? Are you up?” She heard a quiet reply and opened the unlocked door. Doggett looked tense, his eyes closed as he rubbed his tired face with shaking hands. “What’s wrong, John?” Reyes asked carefully, noticing a recently opened file folder on the small table in front of him. “Did something happen?” Doggett looked at her for the first time since she’d entered the room. “Sit down, Monica,” he told her quietly, his blue eyes pools of sadness. Reyes was beyond confused but she did as told, sitting herself on the edge of Doggett’s bed. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing at the folder. Doggett looked away from her, closing his eyes. “They’re the adoption records.” Reyes raised her eyebrows. “When did you get those?” she asked, a hint of accusation in her voice. “Skinner called me early this morning and I didn’t have the heart to wake you,” he replied. Reyes was quiet for a moment, but Doggett made no move to continue. “So? What do the records say?” she snapped, starting to lose her patience. “I’m so sorry, Monica,” he told her as he handed over the certificate. Reyes furrowed her brow at him and then looked down, immediately understanding Doggett’s strange behavior. ‘Monica Anne, adopted from Patricia Radley by Cristofer and Alandra Reyes on March 14 1971.’ Reyes dropped the certificate, her face stony and glazed. Doggett watched her sadly, angry with himself for being the one to show her such disturbing news. He reached out and squeezed her knee. “I’m so sorry,” he repeated. Reyes jumped at his touch, as if she just became aware of his presence. “There’s got to be some kind of mistake,” she told him, her eyes wide with fear. “I’ve always known that I was adopted, but *this*?” “Monica, listen-“ Doggett began but Reyes cut him off. “I gotta go. I have to go see my parents. They could be in danger. I-“ She stopped as Doggett grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently. “Monica, it’s okay! Skinner’s already contacted them and they’re being watched,” Doggett told her. “No…” Reyes whispered, slowly sinking down to her knees, Doggett following her, refusing to let go of her. Her sherry eyes were full of unshed tears, her mouth moving but no sound came out. “Monica, now we know why Vance was at your apartment. He was searching for you-“ “Vance is my, my *father*!” she spit out, the tears falling freely now as sobs wracked her body. Doggett drew her in tightly, trying to absorb her pain. “He raped and killed my mother… oh John! I feel so, so dirty!” Doggett held her tighter, kissing her forehead. “You can’t think like that, Monica. You’re a beautiful, talented, open-minded person. Just because you know who your birth parents are, doesn’t mean you have to be a different person.” Reyes pulled away from his protective embrace, staring him in the eye. “But it does, John. I was never meant to be… my, my mother didn’t want me around to remind her of the terrible incident…” “Shh, it’ll be alright,” Doggett soothed, stroking her hair. “I’ll help you through this, Mon. But first, we’ve got to catch Vance.” Reyes still seemed distant but she nodded her consent. “Alright, why don’t you go clean up? I brought you some clean clothes when I went out this morning. Skinner and I think that Vance is watching your apartment, waiting for you to come home, so we’ll head over there once you’re done.” He handed her the small overnight bag he’d thrown together and ushered her to his washroom, turning on the water for her. “I’ll be right outside, Monica, alright?” She nodded absentmindedly and shut the door. --------------------- After half an hour, Reyes still hadn’t emerged from the washroom, and Doggett was worried. He knocked on the door. No answer. “Monica? You all right?” he called. Still no answer and the door was locked. He moved back and then slammed into the flimsy door with all his might, cracking the doorframe as the door swung inwards. Reyes didn’t even flinch. She stood wet and dripping, wrapped in a towel, staring at herself in the mirror. Doggett ran up to her, pulling her away from her misty reflection. The shower was still running in the background, churning up steam. He kept one hand on her shoulder as he reached down and turned off the tap. “Monica? Talk to me!” he demanded, shaking her out of her trance. “John?” she mumbled. It suddenly hit her that she was virtually naked except for a small, motel towel wrapped around her torso. She crossed her arms in front of her. “What are you doing?” “You didn’t answer when I called so I, I came in to see what was wrong,” he explained. Her eyes narrowed. “Can’t I just be left alone for even a minute!” she yelled, her face acquiring a pinkish hue. Doggett held up his hand in defense. “Sorry, Mon. I just thought-“ “I can take care of myself, John,” she continued, grabbing her things and storming into her room, slamming the door behind her. Doggett stood in the bathroom, shocked. Reyes had never blown up at him like that before. He was at a loss of words and didn’t know what the hell he was supposed to do. Should he respect her desire to be alone, or should he impose his support? He walked back into his room and sat down on his bed, deciding he’d give her a few moments alone before he tried to comfort her again. Just as he got up and headed for their connecting door, he heard the outside door of Reyes room open and close, followed by the sound of a car starting. With speed he didn’t know he possessed, Doggett ran outside, just in time to see the taillights of Reyes’ car zoom out of the parking lot. ------------------ Reyes didn’t know where she was going, all she knew was that she couldn’t stay near Doggett any longer. She knew deep down that he was only trying to help, but he was getting on her already frayed nerves. She vaguely remembered seeing him rush out of her room after her, but he didn’t try to follow. She had taken the car and he was stranded until someone came to pick him up. That gave her some much-needed time alone to think. ‘Vance is my father,’ she thought, playing it over and over in her mind until her eyes welled up with tears. She finally understood why she had been having the visions of him murdering her birth mother and her husband. “Why is he doing this?” she mumbled, wiping at an errant tear. Suddenly, in a fit of rage, she did a U-turn, ignoring all the honks of protest from the other drivers. “If that sonofabitch wants to find me, he can come and get me,” she grumbled, heading back to her apartment. ----------------- Skinner’s car skidded to a halt in front of Doggett’s motel room fifteen minutes later and Doggett ran up to greet the assistant director. “Sir!” “Doggett? What the hell is going on? Where’s Reyes?” Skinner demanded from his car window. Doggett had just opened his mouth to explain, when Skinner cut him off. “Get in, you can explain it all to me while we search for her,” the A.D. grumbled. Doggett obliged and they sped off, hoping to God that they found Reyes before Vance did. ------------------ Reyes arrived back at her ransacked apartment, her temper flaring. Her gun was drawn as she cautiously made her way inside. “Come out you bastard!” she yelled into the empty room. “Show yourself!” She was met by an unnerving silence. Then, as if materializing from the shadows themselves, a man came forward, scruffy and dark. “Damn you! Damn you for raping her, you sick bastard!” Reyes screamed at him, her gun leveled at his head. Vance moved forward ever so slowly. “My beautiful girl,” he mocked, seemingly unafraid of the gun pointed at him. “Why would you say such a thing?” he asked. Reyes just stared furiously at him, her arms shaking with rage. “It was me who brought you into this world. You should be thanking me,” he drawled. “You’re sick! Why did you have to kill them? Why couldn’t you have just left them alone?!” The mocking smile faded from his unkempt face. “They wouldn’t tell me where you were,” he growled. “A father has the right to know where his daughter is.” Reyes looked at him in disgusted bewilderment. “What did you think I’d do? Welcome you with open arms after everything you did?” Vance’s face hardened. “You bitch,” he spat. “I brought you into this world and this is how you repay me?” He startled forward, a menacing look about him. As he emerged from the shadows, Reyes noticed a gleaming butcher knife in his hand. “Stay away from me!” Reyes told him threateningly, aiming her gun at his chest. “I’m going to make it known to the world that *I* am your real father,” he snarled, moving even closer. Reyes froze, unable to decide what to do. Should she shoot this man, this man who had raped her birth mother, consequently giving her life? In her moment of hesitation, Vance lunged at her, knocking the gun from her grip, the large knife in his hand digging deep into her side. He let go of his knife, reaching for her gun as Reyes sank down to her knees in shock… Suddenly, the front door burst open. Doggett ran in, his gun cocked and ready, followed by Skinner. It all happened in slow motion. Doggett whirled on Vance as he scrambled for Reyes’ gun, the former shooting the latter neatly in the chest. With a small gurgle, Vance fell and was still. “Monica!” Doggett yelled, rushing to her side, while Skinner got out his cell phone and called an ambulance. “Monica! Speak to me!” Reyes, who was now lying on her back, fought desperately to keep her eyes focused on Doggett. “J-John? He… Vance… attacked me…” “I know, Monica. He got you in the side,” Doggett explained, applying pressure on her wound around the embedded knife. “We’re going to get you outta here. You’re gonna be alright, you hear me? You’ll be alright.” Reyes’ eyes lolled back in her head and Doggett started slapping her face. “Stay with me, Mon, stay with me!” Skinner came over. “Vance is dead. The ambulance is on its way.” He looked down at the gapping wound on Reyes’ side and shook his head. “It looks bad, John,” he whispered. Doggett lifted his watery blue eyes. “I gotta believe that she’s gonna be alright,” he whispered back, his voice trembling. They could vaguely hear sirens getting closer, but neither of them knew whether it would arrive in time to save Reyes… ---------------------------- Washington Memorial hospital 3 days later ---------------------------- Doggett hadn’t left Reyes’ side for the last few days, waiting for any sign that she would wake up. The EMT’s had arrived at the scene with barely a minute to spare. Reyes had lost a lot of blood and was whisked off to surgery to remove the knife from her side with the least amount of damage possible. That had been two days ago. The doctors assured Doggett that his partner was only sleeping off the drugs and rebuilding her energy. He watched her with sad, blue eyes. ‘If only I hadn’t let her go back to her room alone,’ he thought angrily. The doctors told him that she had been lucky, receiving minimal damage to her organs. It had been a clean stab wound and for that, Doggett was grateful. “John?” Doggett was pulled from his trance by the sound of Reyes’s voice. “Monica? How’re you feelin’?” he asked, rushing over to her bed. She slowly motioned to the pitcher of water resting beside her and Doggett poured her a glass. “Thanks,” she said when she was done. She looked up into his worried face. “I feel-“ she paused, refraining from saying the typical ‘I’m fine’. “I feel sore,” she admitted, then lowered her eyes. “And filthy.” Doggett grasped her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “Monica, you’ve been through a lot this week,” he explained, “but even though your birth parents are not at all like you pictured them, I don’t think any less of you. And neither does Skinner.” Reyes groaned, turning her head away in shame. “He knows? Why’d you have to tell him, John, I-“ “If it weren’t for Skinner, you’d be dead right now,” Doggett informed her. “He came and got me after you took off.” Reyes turned back to him, her sherry eyes full of tears that threatened to overflow. “John. I’m so sorry. It was stupid, taking off like that.” A single tear rolled down her cheek and Doggett gently wiped it away with his thumb. “It was,” he agreed gently. “But luckily I understand you well enough to realize that you were headed home.” Reyes smiled at that. “Thank you, John. For everything.” Her smile quickly faded though as she asked the inevitable question. “Where’s Vance?” Doggett lowered his eyes. “I killed him. He was reaching for your gun so I shot him.” “I’m glad,” she responded after a moment, her eyes hardening. “You did what I couldn’t bring myself to do. I was weak.” Doggett cupped her face with his hand. “You were tough, Monica. You’ve always been tough. And to tell you the truth, I’m *glad* you didn’t shoot him. You wouldn’t have been able to live with yourself, no matter how evil he was.” Reyes closed her eyes and sighed. “You’re right. I guess deep down I was still picturing him to be like the birth father I had in my head.” Doggett chuckled. “You should have heard Agent Adams when I told him that I killed his suspect. I thought he was going to come after me!” Reyes smiled and he stroked her cheek with his thumb. “So, are you going to be okay?” he asked again. She smiled up at him, then pulled his face down to hers and tasted his lips for the first time, savoring his smell. Reluctantly, she pulled back a moment later. “Yes. As long as you’re with me I’ll be fine,” she said with a teary smile. ===== -------------- Mango's Fanfic Café- http://www.geocities.com/mangomandie Mango's Lounge- http://www.geocities.com/mangoslounge *Moon Destiny*- http://www.geocities.com/smoondestiny