TITLE: First Scenes, Ninth Season AUTHOR: Jerry CATEGORY: Unseen Episode Rewrite, Unbeta'd KEYWORDS: Doggett, among others. Wanna make something of it? SPOILERS: Casting for the 9th season premiere episodes. ARCHIVE: No. DISCLAIMER: This is not whining. It's fic. DEDICATION: To the fabulous Scullyficcers, from Wednesday's Cheese. FEEDBACK: jerrycanary@att.net --------------------- John Doggett enters the basement office and maneuvers round his desk to his chair, never looking up from the file in his hands. Monica Reyes watches as he goes through a pattern now familiar to her; the lean-back, the unconscious adjustment of his ass as the chair creaks, the folded hand placed over his mouth, the glare at the printed pages before him. "They're not going to get any more normal, John," she says. He ignores her. "Have you reached Mulder yet? Dana said he'd be back yesterday from that consult out in Indiana." Monica shakes her head and picks up the phone. "I didn't get any answer at their place when I called a half-hour ago. Let me try their cells." A minute later, she hangs up the phone. "Nope, neither of them is picking up. John, we *can* get started on this without them, you know. It is our assignment." "I just think that Mulder is going to want to give us some - " "John, I think that Mulder has moved on," Monica says, leaning forward. "Dana says he loves the private consulting and we haven't seen him down here since William was born." Now she stands, too, but her voice is gentle. "It's been three months. They've both made a new life for themselves. Meanwhile, *we* nailed Kersh. *We* have the X-Files. And we have two open cases and need to get moving." Doggett doesn't seem to hear her. He pulls a sheet from the file, folds it, and slips it into his jacket pocket as he walks to the door. "I'll go see if she's over at Quantico." ------------------- She isn't in her office at Quantico and it feels odd. Doggett stands in the doorway, trying to figure out what is bothering him. It occurs to him that the office smells musty, which doesn't make sense. He moves to her desk to write a note and glances at the photographs sitting on it: Scully and Mulder at some crime scene, obviously taken years ago, Mulder and William playing in the sand at a beach somewhere. Two photographs are missing. He's been to this office many times over the past several weeks and he notices details. Two photographs are missing. ------------------- He knocks on her door with one hand and hold his cell phone in the other, dialing the office with his thumb. "Reyes." "It's me. Something's wrong. She's not at her office." "Maybe she was teaching a class." "I asked. She didn't come in today." "So? Maybe William is sick. John - " "Two of her photos are missing." "What?" He can hear the confusion and concern in her voice as he moves from knocking to pounding on the door. "The picture of her mother and the picture of Samantha. They're gone." There is a pause on Monica's end of the line. "John, get the manager to open the apartment for you. I'll check with the Gunmen and call you back." ---------------------- Monica meets him as he comes off the elevator. "It was empty, wasn't it?" "Cleaned out. Oh, the furniture is still there and even some clothes, but they're gone. I'm sure of it." "Well, the boys either don't know or aren't talking, and for once I really couldn't tell which." They round the corner and walk straight past Kimberly's protests, opening the door into Skinner's office. They stop just inside the doorway, however, as they take in the scene in front of them. A woman with dark, straight hair stands in front of the A.D.'s desk. She's dressed in a dark suit but has neither an FBI badge nor a vistor's tag on her lapel. She is holding something out for Skinner to see, but his head is bowed and one hand covers his eyes. The other hangs at his side, his glasses dangling from the fingers. "Sir?" Doggett's voice brings their attention to the door. The woman pulls back the photograph -- Doggett and Reyes can see it now -- and stuffs it into a slim briefcase. Skinner looks up and stares at his visitor. "It's up to you," she says quietly. She turns and leaves the office without acknowledging the agents. They turn from watching her leave to see their boss with his glasses back on and his arms folded in front of him as he stares at them. "Can I help you, Agents?" he asks, with a note of reprimand. Doggett and Reyes exchange a glance. "Sir, we've been trying to reach Mulder and Scully..." she begins. Skinner sits down at his desk and begins to shuffle papers. "Yes?" "They're gone, sir," Doggett announces. "Gone?" Skinner doesn't seem to register the statement; he continues to shift through the files on his desk. Doggett moves forward and stands in front of him. "Gone. Cleared out. As in, disappeared." Skinner leans back in his chair and looks from Doggett to Reyes. "Is there a problem?" "Is there a problem?" Doggett's voice rises and Monica comes to stand beside him, laying a hand on his arm. "I'm telling you they've vanished. All three of them. No note, no contact. You don't see a problem with that?" Skinner turns back to his desk and picks up a pen. Doggett looks from him to Reyes with astonishment. Monica intervenes. "Sir, it does seem odd. After all, we've all been concerned since William's birth. Things have been quiet, yes, but considering all the circumstances..." Skinner doesn't respond and Doggett's voice raises to a yell. "What the hell is going on? Who was that woman? Does she have something to do with this? What do you know? What has happened to Scully and Mulder?" Skinner stands up and faces the agents. "John...Monica...I need you to drop this. Right now." He holds up a hand as Doggett begins to protest. "Mulder and Scully and William are safe. That's all I can tell you. It's all you need to know." Doggett isn't finished. "With all due respect, Sir --" "That will be all, Agent Doggett." Skinner's attitude, personal for a moment, has returned to business. "Mulder is not an employee of the Bureau any longer and Agent Scully's worst offense at this point is leaving her job without notice. There is nothing to investigate there. On the other hand, your office has two open cases and I have yet to see an update on either one." "But the woman who was just here - " Doggett stops as Monica again places her hand on his arm. "Are we finished, Agents? I have a busy morning." Skinner turns away, sits down and begins to make notes on a file. "Come on, John," Monica guides him out of the office and down the hall. They catch the elevator and ride down to the basement in silence. -------------------------------