SUMMARY: After Thanksgiving at the Mulder house, things
heat up as Doggett makes an offer Fox wants to refuse,
but not Scully!


MULDER HOME
WEST TISBURY, MASSECHUSETTES
THANKSGIVING EVENING
6:30 PM


John Doggett and Monica Reyes for dinner in West Tisbury.
There was a time when Mulder would shudder at the very
thought. Now, all four of them were the best of friends.

They had seen one another through some very hard times.
Doggett was a believer after all he had seen, after all
he had read, and after all the things that had happened
those fateful days of Mulder's trial and escape.

The table was set for the very best Thanksgiving dinner
Scully had planned. Maggie Scully had even convinced Bill
to venture out with his wife and children. After all,
William was his nephew, she had emphasized, and Bill had
a duty to be as good an uncle as he, his sisters, and
brother had known.

Holding a glass of wine high, he offered a toast as Mulder
carved the turkey. "To my sister, truly a miracle worker,
and her husband, who I must admit, hasn't let her down. And
to my nephew and his little brother or sister as yet to be
born. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" everyone echoed. Settling down to the turkey,
mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, cornbread and pumpkin
pie, all made sure to show the hostess she had made a
splendid feast.

Over coffee, Scully raised her cup. "I'd like to propose
a toast to the warmth of family and friends."

"To the warmth of family and friends!"

Maggie was ever so curious as to the gender of her unborn
grandchild. "Dana, Honey. I asked this the last time, and
I'll ask it again: Boy or girl?"

"It's a surprise, Mom." Scully smiled and popped a
chocolate into her mouth. "And I assure you, it is human."

Bill didn't seem to like that remark. "Well why WOULDN'T
it be, Dana!? Are you still wrapped up in all that
alien... "

"Shut up Bill!" This came calmly and sternly by one Dana
Katherine Scully Mulder, who had never in her life ever
told Bill to shut up.

"I'll have to back her up on that one," her mother said
with a straight face. "Bill, you will also just have to
live with the fact that your sister is happy with Fox.
End of row."

"I'm hoping for a girl," Fox interjected. "And I hope
she's as pretty as her mother."

"You might want another boy," Monica added.

"Or twins," Doggett added. This remark had everyone doing
a double take. "Just a thought. After all, it does happen,
and, well... "

"I do feel that big. However, the last ultrasound says one
very healthy baby. Only six weeks to go, give or take a
couple. Anyone want some ice cream?"

"After all that? No, thank you," said Bill's wife. "I think
I'm quite full, Dana."

"Ditto," Reyes and Doggett said together.

"Well, now that the kids are down, I'd be glad to stay and
watch them if anyone wants to walk the meal off," Maggie
offered. "And Bill here can help his wife and Mom with the
dishes."

"Well?" Fox asked Scully, Doggett, and Reyes.

"Yeah. Mulder, I think your wife needs the fresh air. And
I know Monica loves the landscape out here. Let's go. We can
talk."

"I'm all for it," Scully said, smiling with anticipation.
"Could you get my coat please, Mulder? I just want to thank
my Mom." She carefully walked into the kitchen.

"We have word," Doggett whispered.

"Good news?" He donned a jacket and held Scully's fall
coat.

"I think you'll both be pleased." Doggett went to grab his
jacket and Monica joined him. "Why do I get the feeling
Bill Scully isn't quite enamored with Mulder?"

"Must be the Navy."

"That's right. Coming from an old Marine, why am I
surprised? I think he's just been overprotective for so
long, being the eldest male in the family."

Scully returned and Fox helped her with her coat. "Okay, all
ready to go."

The four of them walked a while before Monica Reyes broke
the silence. "You know, it's odd how the director, five
senior Bureau members, sixteen Interpol agents, and twelve
associates of well-known world leaders just took ill,
collapsed, and disappeared, right in front of their
colleagues' eyes these past few weeks."

"Really?" Scully thought it was odd as well. She hadn't
anticipated what she was about to hear next.

"Magnetite," Doggett replied. "They were walk-ins. We're
trying to find out what they did with the people they were
impersonating. My guess is they met the same fate as Knowle
Roehrer and all the others."

"Sounds promising -- I mean about the aliens. I hear the
fruit fly population suffered a tremendous drop," Mulder
remarked, smiling wryly.

"Yes," Scully said with a smile. "Super soldiers, walk-ins
and aliens just disappearing. Marvelously well-executed. I
think some congratulations are in order to the men and women
who made this all possible, including those scientists and
resistance aliens who put it all into action."

Monica hugged John Doggett spontaneously. He didn't flinch.

"Yeah, we all have a lot to be thankful for. And you'll be
glad to hear several ships were seen high-tailing it out of
here. Unofficially seen, of course."

"Of course," echoed Mulder. "And I gather they were filled
to the limit with passengers."

"Well, we didn't get the passenger list," Monica cracked,
"but we can hope that was the case!"

"So what happens next? Who makes the decisions that need
to go into effect to undo the damage?" Mulder inquired.

"There's a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Monday,"
Doggett informed him. "There's also an all-departments
meeting at the FBI on Wednesday, if you'd like to attend, and
the White House and several other governments will be
regrouping to take a look at the situation."

"Maybe we should drop in on the Bureau," Scully suggested,
kicking away long-dead leaves. "For old-times' sake?"

"I don't THINK so!" Mulder was appalled. "After all that's
taken place I'd rather be here and I'd rather you were safely
here with me. I have had enough of the FBI for a lifetime!"

"Mulder, that's not you speaking. Tell me it's not," Scully
whispered. "You built up seniority there. You SAVED the damn
place, even if it DID bite you in the ass. Admit it just this
once: Fox Mulder wants to go back to work for the FBI."

"No," Mulder said softly. "No."

Scully looked at Monica and shrugged. There was a long silence
that none of them dared to break. It was a long, quiet walk back
to the house."

Margaret Scully had coffee ready in the living room when they
returned. Bill and his wife had retired to one of the spare rooms.
"Well, I thought since it was nippy out there, you could use
something to warm you up." She saw the looks on their faces. "What
is it?"

"I think we're all just tired, that's all Mom."

"All right. Well, help yourselves. I'm going upstairs to soak for
awhile and then to bed."

"Goodnight Mom."

"Thanks, Mrs. Scully!"

"Monica, it's Margaret, remember?"

"Yes, Ma'am. Well, I'm taking John down to see my parents tomorrow.
We promised to have a turkey dinner with them. I think I'll turn
in, okay?"

"Yeah, good night," Scully answered. "John? How about a coffee?"

"Well, I guess I can handle one coffee before I turn in."

Mulder motioned for Scully to sit down and poured Doggett's coffee
and one for himself. "Look, I really appreciate the thought, and I
know I've been a pain, but I think this career change has been good
for me."

"It wasn't your choice," Doggett said. He got up and went to the
coat closet, looking for something he had hidden carefully when he
arrived. "When someone like you says something like that, I have
only one thing to say." Doggett unrolled Mulder's 'I WANT TO BELIEVE'
poster.

This was the only thing they had left in the office when they closed
it for the last time. Fox wanted to tear it up, and Scully knew it.
"That was a gift to replace the old one. Don't you dare tear it up!"

She glared at him until she was certain the poster was safe. "You
keep it, John." Mulder appeared resigned from any notion of ever
investigating paranormal phenomena again. "My job with all the
paranormal investigations, UFO's and the unexplained is done."

Scully was good and angry at that statement. "So, you think just
because you found out Samantha was dead, we saved the world and Eugene
Tooms doesn't eat liver anymore there aren't any unsolved cases being
sent in to the FBI? They were there decades before you were even
thought of, and I am surprised you want us to believe you are no longer
interested. That is unadulterated crap!"

"C'mon, Scully. We both wanted a normal life. We have one now. It's time
to turn it all over to someone else, if they ever decide to re-open the
X-Files."

"I think they will," Doggett said matter-of-factly. "There were some
things left in the files that proved quite interesting. And until the
day they shut us down there were reports of all sorts of things being
addressed to either you personally, or Scully. Someone believes in
you."

"That comes about fifteen years too late, John. There are other people
just as curious and just as qualified who can do the job."

"All right. Have it your way. I've said what I wanted to say. I have a
turkey dinner to attend tomorrow with Monica. Good night." He went up
the stairs and left the pair to ponder their discussion.

"Good night, John. Mulder, I don't believe a word you said, and I think
I need to get another partner when I go back to work."

"YOU want to go back to work at the Bureau?" The strangest look came
over Fox Mulder's face. "This is a nightmare. I just know I'm going to
wake up, but when?" By now, his face was in his hands and he was
questionning his own sanity. "This can't be April First. I know your
mother and William and everyone else are upstairs sleeping off the turkey
dinner, so it must be Thanksgiving. Scully, are you crazy?"

"No, far from it. I think you've been running away. I see the job offers
from the Bureau you've been throwing away lately. You're going to have to
learn to empty the wastebasket before I get to it. This past week Skinner
called, and asked if we were were getting our mail. Finally, I got to
thinking: You gave me the child I wanted and a family life. Why can't we
have that family life in Washington? They need a good forensic pathologist,
and I happen to know an excellent profiler."

"Don't do that for me," Mulder begged her. "Stay out here with me, for me,
for us."

"I can stay with you anywhere. You KNOW that. All I ask is that you
consider the possibilities. I want to believe you can do that. I believe
in you."

Mulder tenderly patted her belly, then snuggled with her on the couch.
Tenderly kissing her warm lips, he replied, "I've corrupted you."

"Definitely. Shut up Mulder, and kiss me."


END